Then, seemingly out of the blue, Stabler said the three words we’ve been waiting for him to say to Benson: “I love you.”
The declaration appeared to catch Benson and Stabler off guard but not his children, which was odd since they just lost their mother. Trying to compose himself, Stabler clarified, “I love all of you and I don’t think I can do this.”
So awkward, right? It felt like Stabler wasn’t even sure what he was saying so, in essence, the “I love you” didn’t feel real.
Catch the tense scene for yourself in the episode highlight above.
Law & Order Thursdays returns to NBC on May 13 with SVU airing at 9 p.m. and Organized Crime at 10 p.m.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family).