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Stabler Taking Care of Benson While She's Sick on SVU Is So Intimate and Tender

A 2009 episode of Law & Order: SVU showed a sweet moment between Stabler and Benson. 

By Jackie Manno

Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) is typically a tough guy on Law & Order: Organized Crime and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but a sweet moment in a throwback 2009 episode shows his soft spot for Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). 

How to Watch

Watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Thursdays on NBC and next day on Peacock.

In Season 11, Episode 9, titled ''Perverted,'' Stabler gets worried about Benson after her card is found on the dead body of a supposed dangerous gang member. He then promptly visits her at her place to discuss the situation, only to find her answering the door with a stuffy voice. 

''You look terrible,'' he teased when he entered the room. 

''Stop with the sweet talk,'' Benson responded with a sigh. 

''Have you seen a doctor?'' he asked her, concerned, before attentively placing a blanket over her.

''I'll figure it out, you rest. You got any one taking care of you?'' he added before putting his hand on her forehead. 

Stabler took care of Benson when she was sick on an episode of Law & Order: SVU

After noting Benson still had a fever, Stabler decided to start making her some tea and became bothered when he found practically no food in her fridge. Then, curious about her recent adventures, he picked up some vacation pamphlets she left on her counter. 

''Planning a tropical getaway?'' he asked. 

''Stop snooping,'' Benson lightheartedly said. 

"Let's get you to bed, c'mon,'' he affectionately urged before guiding her to her room for some rest. Awww!

Want to see this moment for yourself? Watch all episodes of Law & Order: SVU on Peacock now! 

RELATED: Stabler Leaves Heart-Wrenching Message for Benson

Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni

Christopher Meloni gushes over Mariska Hargitay 

Meloni and Hargitay have unmatched on-screen chemistry, and they're super great friends IRL as well. When Hargitay received Glamour Woman of the Year Award in 2021, Meloni did the honor of presenting the honor to her with a genuine speech

“She’s got great energy, great personality. So tonight, I say this: Radiant. Charming. Funny. Generous. Elegant. Bawdy. Honest. Appreciative. Inclusive. Direct. Vivacious. That’s my favorite word; it comes from the Latin, to live. Which is what she does with great passion, every day, with everyone that she engages, be they friends, family, strangers, or commitments,” he said of Hargitay. 

RELATED: Chris Meloni Hopes Benson & Stabler “Keep Trying” at Their Relationship on SVU

He continued, “She’s fearless, without the bravado of the warrior stance, but always with the open arms, the open heart. She’s a connector of people because she knows we’re all better when we’re working together. She is as comfortable in the sacred as she is in the profane; she is a soul in the constant search of the beauty and the truth that she knows that this world holds, but she also knows requires vigilance, persistence, and insistence to pry magic from the oftentimes mundane reality. Her first instance is to always react with compassion and empathy. She sees hope in the hopeless; she sees the potential in the you, and me, and us.”