Spoilers ahead for the April 28 episodes of Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
The squads of Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime are on the verge of crossing over yet again, and a case always has to be pretty ugly to require the joined forces of Special Victims and the Organized Crime Control Bureau. The promos for the two episodes combined with the episode descriptions provide some looks ahead at what to expect, and also leave me wondering: is crossing over to Organized Crime going to be dangerous for Benson this time around?
Considering that Organized Crime literally launched with the murder of Kathy Stabler and has gone on to endanger multiple members of the surviving Stabler family, it’s always been safe to say that anybody with strong ties to Elliot might not be the safest in the city. Still, recent events on both shows really make me consider that rekindling her old partnership with Stabler could backfire for Benson.
But first, let’s look at what to expect in the SVU episode that will kick off the night of the crossover on May 5. According to NBC’s description, the episode is called “Did You Believe In Miracles” and will involve a surprise as well as a missing girl:
When a student’s school reports a girl missing, the squad must track down a trusted family friend for answers. Benson gets a Mother’s Day surprise.
Normally, any character getting a "surprise" on a show that mentions heinous offenses in its narration doesn’t necessarily bode well, but perhaps Benson will be able to enjoy a nice Mother’s Day with her son. Noah hasn’t had the most stable year either, after all, and she deserves something nice instead of just a missing girl. Plus, if SVU is crossing over with OC, things are only going to get more intense for her as the night continues.
Still, the preview that aired after the SVU episode that brought back Demore Barnes as Christian Garland (and before the latest episode of Organized Crime) didn’t actually confirm that this will be a two-parter between both shows, but rather indicated that Organized Crime is where the stories will really start to overlap. That also fits with the description that specifically mentions Benson for what’s coming next on OC, with the episode called “Lost One” on May 5:
When a 9-year-old girl is kidnapped in connection with the Brotherhood, Stabler and the task force must work together with Benson and the SVU to track down the culprits before it’s too late.
Technically, both episode descriptions mention a missing girl, although the girl who appears in the post-SVU promo looks a lot older than nine to me. I’m not convinced that there will be a case that truly spans both episodes, rather than a case requiring both squads that happens to unfold in the OC hour of the night. Whether or not it’s a true two-parter, Benson clearly is going to have a major part to play. Take a look at the preview that aired after the April 28 episode of OC:
The promo isn’t holding back from hyping the crossover as teaming Benson and Stabler back up again, and it certainly looks like some nice bonding scenes are on the way for the former Special Victims partners. Normally, that would seem perfectly natural for these two iconic characters, but it’s happening while Stabler is undercover as himself within an NYPD gang.
He can’t hide behind an undercover identity like he could with the Albanians, and can’t openly oppose his enemy like he could with Richard Wheatley. The latest episode of OC revealed that somebody is targeting him, and if that somebody is tied to the NYPD, who better to target to get at Stabler than Benson?
SVU has touched on the fact that plenty of people are aware of Benson and Stabler’s history as former partners whose bond was a little too close for comfort, and the latest episode even featured a character who alluded to Benson crossing some lines to protect him over the years. And she didn’t allude to the bond in a fun way, like when Fin does it!
I can’t imagine Benson shying away from pursuing a case or helping somebody just because it would put her on the radar of some bad people with a reason to lash out at people close to Stabler. Considering that there are only a few episodes of all three Law & Order shows left in the 2021-2022 TV season, now is the time for some OC danger to potentially start bleeding over into SVU. What is finale season for if not sky-high stakes?
For now, we can only wait and wonder what the crossover will bring with the two squads joining forces. Be sure to tune in on Thursday, May 5 for the Law & Order: SVU episode at 9 p.m. ET and then the Organized Crime episode at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. You can enjoy a full night of L&O action with an episode of the original series’ Season 21 at 8 p.m. ET as well, complete with some serious cases balanced out by a bit of humor from certain characters.
