We're still thinking about how just over a month ago, we saw another side of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler's relationship — holding hands and a conversation about Olivia's dating life! — and now, "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay has given us another reason to spiral.
Actor-turned-talk show host Drew Barrymore truly understood the assignment Tuesday when she had Hargitay on her show as a guest.
After discussing Olivia being the longest-running female character in a TV drama and Hargitay's memorable first date with husband Peter Hermann, Barrymore realized she still had to fit in one very important question.
"No one will forgive me if I don't ask about Christopher Meloni," she said. "What is going to happen? He's back, the kiss still hasn't happened. We're all hanging, talk about coitus, like, tantric, it's not coitus — that was the wrong word." (Was it, though?)
"I'm getting nervous about hoitus toitus," Hargitay joked.
"People have waited for 25 years," Barrymore stressed.
"I'm going to text him (Meloni) today and say, 'How do you feel hoitus coitus?'" Hargitay cracked.
"Listen, we're trying to figure it out, what to do," she went on. "We're really trying to figure out what to do. We've done hoitus coitus."
Barrymore jumped in to make a very important point: Stabler is "free" now after the death of wife Kathy Stabler, which happened when he returned to "SVU" last April.
"He is free, and I think he's got eyes for me," Hargitay added.
"But Olivia Benson is hurt! I mean, he left me in a lurch for 10 years," she continued. "She's frightened."
(We're still waiting for that conversation about exactly why Stabler left and completely cut contact with Benson for 10 years!)
"The energy's there," Hargitay said. "Olivia's been in love with him for many a year." (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
"And I think that we are slowly finding our way back to it, but I want to give him the amount of time he needs to grieve Kathy Stabler."
Then Barrymore made a prediction that's truly bound to happen: "All I know is that this earth is literally going to shake when that moment happens."
"Oh, yeah!" Hargitay replied, in a high-pitched voice.
It's still shocking, in the best way, to hear both Hargitay and also Meloni talk about the potential for romance between their beloved characters.
During NBCUniversal’s Summer 2021 Press Tour, Meloni said about the duo's "complicated relationship": "“Hope springs eternal. I mean, why not? I think it’s going to be a collaborative effort between those showrunners for ‘SVU’ and ‘OC,’ and I believe with Mariska and I, to kind of figure it all out.”
In December's "Law & Order" crossover episodes, on "SVU," Benson confronted Stabler about how their relationship has been "a one-way street" since his abrupt return. And on "Organized Crime," Stabler appeared to take those words to heart and said he wanted to hear about what happened in Benson's life while he was gone and started by asking not-so-subtly about her dating life. The episode ended with Stabler declaring to Benson he wanted to "find balance" between them "in whatever this is."
“How about we call it a friendship,” Benson replied to a grinning Stabler. “How’s that for now?”
Stabler ran with it and invited his "friend (for now) Olivia" and her son over for Christmas. The episode ended with an excited Stabler nervously yelling, "They're here!" But when he opened the door, his current partner, Sgt. Ayanna Bell, was the one actually at the door with some news she didn't want him "to be blindsided" by.
When the shows picked back up in January, we didn't see if Benson made it to Stabler's or not, as her team was called in to assist with the Hate Crimes task force to help solve a series of crimes around Christmas while Stabler dealt with his late wife's suspected killer, Richard Wheatley, who recently became a free man after a mistrial.
While it's been two weeks of episodes without any mention of whether Stabler and Benson have been in touch, it seems we may find out soon as Stabler continues to step in it with Wheatley. He knows just how to get under his skin — by getting close to Wheatley's ex-wife, Angela — which is the last thing you'd want to do with someone as dangerous and powerful as Wheatley, who appeared to get too close for comfort to Stabler's mom while she was on their patio. And we know Wheatley's aware of Stabler's closeness with Benson, as last season he implied she was "the one true love" of Stabler's life.
The trailer for Thursday's "Organized Crime" shows Stabler at dinner with Angela, who had a brief romantic entanglement with him last season before Stabler realized she was behind ordering his wife's murder, and he says, "I thought I would pretend to be in love with you," as Wheatley watches them through the restaurant window.
All we have to say now is protect Olivia at all costs.
“Law & Order: SVU” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST, followed by “Law & Order: Organized Crime” at 10 p.m. on NBC.
