Photo Courtesy of Oxygen

“Law and Order” fans have a lot to be excited about. “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” (SVU) just celebrated its 500th episode on Thursday, Oct. 21, “Law and Order: Organized Crime” is now in its second season and Wolf Productions announced the return of the original series. “Law and Order: SVU” continues to live up to its title as the longest-running primetime action series. 

The show marked the return of some familiar faces. Danny Pino reprised his role as fan-favorite Detective Nick Amaro, who now works as a genetic tester trying to reopen an old case in New York. The audience also got to see a heartfelt video chat exchange between Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her former captain, Donald Cragen (Dann Florek). 

Although it would have been a nice touch to revisit one of the show’s reoccurring and infamous antagonists like Sir Toby, the writers opted for a different direction. Instead, the squad was able to clear an innocent man’s name 40 years after a false conviction. The audience was also able to put a face to the name from an earlier season with the official introduction of Benson’s ex-fiancé, crime writer Burton Lowe. 

While this seemed to be a hiccup for #Bensler (those who encourage a romantic relationship between Benson and former partner Elliot Stabler), they can take comfort in the fact that the episode ended with a twist; he is a no-good man who exploits young women for personal gain. Fans sympathized with Benson when she threw an old cassette tape from him into the water outside his hotel after coming to the heart-shattering realization that she had also fallen victim to his ways many years ago in the final scene of the episode. 

“Law and Order: Organized Crime” revisits the iconic duo of Benson and Stabler. The contents of the elusive letter Stabler gave Benson last season after returning to New York were briefly revealed. The audience was stunned to learn that the letter was not written by Stabler but was instead written by his now deceased wife, Kathy, disclosing how he and Benson’s close bond was “never real.” With the drunken revelation that Stabler snuck in the sentence to Benson about how “it will always be you and me,” fans were left wondering when this so called “parallel universe” will become canon with Kathy being out of the picture. 

While many have showered the characters with support, Hargitay and Meloni have not disclosed their stances on the matter. In fact, the show writers have even left the actors in the dark about their characters’ future for the rest of the season. However, this budding romance comes in the form of a fast-paced change for Benson and Stabler. After a 10-year gap of no contact from Benson, there’s a confession of affection. The two partners-in-crime have always maintained a close professional and borderline sibling relationship for over 10 seasons. They have much to sort through as friends first after so much time apart, serving as a point of contention for the remainder of the two shows this fall. 

Wolf Productions just announced the reboot of the show that started it all, “Law and Order,” following its conclusion in 2010. This news comes after the cancellation of “Law and Order: For the Defense,” which was axed during production. It will hopefully premiere in 2022, but there is no set cast yet. Having the original cast return as either regulars or as the main characters would allow new fans of the “Law and Order” universe to connect to these detectives and lawyers and for the original watchers to consume new episodes.