Law & Order: SVU is back in primetime in the 2023 TV schedule, with reruns from Season 24 while fans wait for Season 25. NBC closed out Olivia Benson's BX9 three-parter on October 19 with a repeat of "Blood Out." To say the least, it was an intense episode, including what is arguably the most graphic on-screen murder in Law & Order franchise history. (R.I.P. Captain Duarte.) That said, "Blood Out" is probably best remembered for the final scene with Benson and Stabler. I actually enjoyed the episode even more in this rewatch than I did the first time around, but revisiting the near-miss kiss left me appreciating good old Fin more than ever rather than Benson or Stabler.
So, whether or not you also watched the rerun of SVU on October 19, read on for my take on why I want Fin to get a round of applause from fans everywhere rather than feel a fresh round of fury about Stabler and Benson not kissing.
What Happened "In Blood Out"
First things first! The episode had to tie off the loose ends of the Oscar Papa case with enough finality that Benson could bring Noah home, but that unfortunately couldn't happen without another witness being murdered, a mother being too terrified to let her son testify, and Duarte being hacked to death with machetes. Throw in Churlish illegally taping Velasco crossing a major line in interrogation, and Benson was running on fumes by the end of the hour.
So it made sense that she didn't want to drive all the way out to Noah's half-brother's family home, but she didn't ask Fin to make the trip this time. Saying that she trusts Stabler more than anybody to bring her son home safely, SVU set the stage for the Benson/Stabler scene that was heavily hyped before the episode aired. The tension was high as Stabler tried to have a conversation that she wasn't ready for. They came closer than ever before in the history of the franchise to locking lips, and... cue outcry from the fandom when they didn't.
Meanwhile, Fin teamed up with Bruno after they came across a woman who had been assaulted and left to die in the Bronx. They managed to catch a serial rapist within the span of the episode, while Fin also did what he could to support Benson. On top of everything, Bruno impressed him enough that the Special Victims sergeant pitched the idea of bringing him to Manhattan.
So, why did my rewatch leave me singing Fin's praises when he had the B plot of the episode, and I'm on the record of being a fan of when Benson and Stabler share scenes? To fully explain that, I first have to make a confession about that Benson/Stabler scene.
My Law & Order: SVU Confession
The Benson/Stabler relationship is one of the most intriguing elements of the entire Law & Order franchise for me, and the chemistry between Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni is going strong even decades in. I love when they share scenes, whether one of them drops by the other's show or SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime air a full, multi-episode crossover. Sign me up for Benson and Stabler! But I have to confess that my rewatch of "Blood Out" to write this story was the first time I've ever revisited the near-miss kiss, and it may be the last time.
For full disclosure, I'd rewatched part of the scene before. In fact, I love most of it for both characters and their history. Stabler has been protective of his former partner going all the way back to the early days of SVU, and I still think that Benson took so long to find the sugar in her cupboard because she was deliberately trying to avoid the conversation he wanted to have. It fits. I'm all in on this interaction... up until the moment after he asked her to look at him and she found the sugar. I just didn't want to watch them almost kiss again.
And that's because Stabler rather spectacularly failed to read the room and Benson's exhaustion when he went for it, and it just felt odd that the emotional climax of the three-parter would happen in what basically amounted to a cameo from Christopher Meloni. The actors were fantastic, but the characters just hadn't shared enough scenes by that point in the 2022-2023 season for the scene to fully feel earned. We just hadn't seen much of them together.
The two shows fixed that issue with the crossover event that ended SVU Season 24 and Organized Crime Season 3 back in the spring, which may have finally gotten me to semi-forgive Stabler for the decade of ghosting her. That crossover channeled their classic bond to start, and went on to set up their future in the 2023-2024 TV season. That was absolutely great, but my rewatch of "Blood Out" made me realize that even their solid ending in the spring couldn't make me like the near-miss kiss even in hindsight.
And in fact, my biggest positive takeaway of revisiting this episode is all about Fin!
Why Fin Is The Best
Somebody has stood by Olivia's side as a trusted friend and colleague for 23 seasons and counting, and that person is not Elliot Stabler. This isn't the time or place to go over 2+ decades of SVU to pull out all of the highlights of Ice-T's character, but the BX9 arc alone highlighted how he's really the most reliable person in her life and a solid leader as second-in-command in Special Victims. He was the first person on the scene of Benson's attack who seemed to make her feel any better, and he immediately lightened the mood by saying:
I'm not as pretty as Rollins but I'll try my best with this emotional support thing.
She asked him to stay with Noah while she went to the hospital, and he offered to spend the night when she got back. When she said she'd be okay, he offered to drive Noah up to stay with his half-brother the next day, and she accepted. In fact, it was this scene in the first BX9 episode that made me call shenanigans in "Blood Out" when Olivia said that there's nobody she trusts more than Stabler to bring her son home. What about Fin, Captain Benson?!
Stabler was nowhere to be seen, heard, or mentioned in almost the entire three-parter; Fin was ready to give whatever help she needed. In fact, it was Ice-T's character who dropped a line that Benson really needed to hear in "Blood Out." Already upset by the loss of Rollins, she wasn't exactly happy to get back to her office and find an empty squad room. When she called Fin, she commented on how well he was working with Bruno and asked if he'd be leaving her too. He had the best response, saying:
You've always been and will always be my sister from another mister.
Fin was also basically in charge of the Bronx Special Victims Unit throughout the BX9 arc, while Olivia went all-in on teaming up with Duarte to get Oscar Papa off the streets. In a matter of days, he and Bruno solved a rape case that had been left open for years in the Bronx, and "Blood Out" showed them catching a serial rapist in the span of the B plot. I have a hard time imagining Law & Order: SVU without Mariska Hargitay, but Fin more than proved that he can lead the Special Victims Unit if Benson needs to step back for a few episodes at some point.
All in all, I'm not saying that Fin and Benson's relationship is the only great one in the Law & Order franchise, but it has lasted the longest without either actor leaving as a series regular or either character taking a ten-year break to live in Rome. (Maybe I'm still a little mad at Stabler.) Plus, we've gotten to see Fin's journey from when he was the new guy in Special Victims all the way through to becoming the sergeant who cleaned up Bronx SVU. Basically, Fin deserves more credit than I think he gets, and one big round of applause after the BX9 three-parter.
The 25 Law And Order Franchise Actors Who Have Been In The Most Episodes
Hopefully SVU will have some more big Fin episodes whenever Season 25 premieres on NBC after what Season 24 delivered for the character, whether or not it would come with another update on Munch. For now, you can always join the rewatches of Season 24 with episodes on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, or revisit older seasons streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
