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The Gripping Law & Order: OC Case That Had Benson and Stabler Playing Phone Tag
When the going gets tough, both Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler know who to call (but can't always answer).
Dozens of cases have landed on Olivia Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler's (Christopher Meloni) desks over the years, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans will agree that, when the two combine forces, it's game over for the bad guys.
And though Stabler now spearheads Law & Order: Organized Crime investigations, unsurprisingly, Benson and Stabler often still collaborate on cases. Law & Order viewers adore Benson and Stabler crossover episodes, not just for the action but also for the explosive chemistry between the will-they-or-won't-they partners.
RELATED: See How Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler Have Changed Since SVU Season 1
In Season 4 of Law & Order: OC, Stabler searched for Rita Lasku (Izabela Vidovic), a victim he and Benson helped in Season 2, leading to several missed phone calls between the two former partners.
Why was Stabler leaving voicemails for Benson in Season 4 of OC?
Stabler called Benson, seemingly out of the blue, to reconnect about a woman they'd helped before — Rita Lasku.
Stabler had first met Rita in Law & Order: OC Season 2, Episode 2 ("New World Order"), shortly after she'd moved to the States from Albania. She was waitressing at a restaurant run by the Kosta Organization, a drug network, and he was working undercover as a Kosta affiliate.
He ultimately revealed his assignment to her and learning she had a young son she was working to support. With Benson's help, Stabler saved Rita's life and arranged for her to join her son in London in Season 2, Episode 5 ("The Good, The Bad, and The Lovely").
Rita returned to Stabler's life two years later in OC's Season 4 premiere ("Memory Lane"), leaving him a surprising voicemail asking him to call her. After hearing from Rita, Stabler— who had recently returned from another undercover case — thought of Benson so he called to let her know he was back.
Stabler, however, got Benson's voicemail because she was on a case, so he left a message.
"Hey, Liv, it's me. I just got back," Stabler said. "Um, I got a message from someone, an old case of ours, and I don't know, maybe I just wanted to hear your voice. Call me. Bye."
Viewers didn't see Benson return the call but, as Stabler watched her at a press conference after successfully closing her human trafficking case, he smiled at the television screen with pride.
Why did Benson and Stabler play phone tag in OC Season 4?
Unfortunately, Stabler also ultimately learned in Season 4 that Rita had been killed.
In Law & Order: OC Season 4, Episode 5 ("Memory Lane"), he learned that, despite his help in Season 2, Rita had chosen to stay in the States to earn more money to support her son and had later begun working as an escort.
A group of men kidnapped Rita after a house party and tossed her in the trunk of a car before whisking her off to an undisclosed location. After one of Rita's friends noticed her disappearance, she contacted Stabler for help.
RELATED: Everything to Know About Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4
Stabler's investigation into Rita's whereabouts led him to another missing persons case and, after connecting the two cases, he found a video of a bound and gagged Rita being transported. Jet Slootmaekers (Ainsley Seiger) then discovered a video frame that identified Rita's location as an abandoned war bunker on the coast.
Stabler instantly headed out to find Rita and the second victim but, while he was able to save the other woman, he was too late to save Rita.
The discovery of Rita's remains led authorities to the remains of several other murder victims.
"We got ourselves a serial killer," Detective Bobby Reyes (Rick Gonzalez) told Stabler.
Why did Benson call Stabler amid Rita's murder case?
Benson later called Stabler because she heard he had been suspended.
While Stabler searched for Rita, he was taken off duty pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation after having thrown to the floor a teen who fired his gun at Stabler's squad and hit Sergeant Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt). Of course, the suspension didn't stop him after he caught wind of Rita's disappearance, and the other OCCB detectives helped Stabler with the case on a confidential basis.
Meanwhile it didn't take long for Benson find out about Stabler's suspension. And, while he was contemplating his situation in his kitchen, he let a phone call go to voicemail. That call resulted in a heartwarming voicemail message from Benson.
"Elliott, it's me," Benson said. "I heard what happened. Actually, I'll wait for you to tell me what happened. Call me back. I'm here."
Stabler, however, didn't immediately call her back, having gotten preoccupied with the serial killer case.
When did Benson and Stabler's game of phone tag end?
The former partners finally spoke in SVU's Season 25 finale ("Duty to Hope").
RELATED: After Weeks of Voicemails, Stabler & Benson Finally Spoke on the SVU Finale
All season, Benson had been sporting a compass necklace that Stabler had gifted her but chose to lend it to a victim's mother for moral support.
She called Stabler to thank him for his thought-provoking gift — which did help lead her to happiness and healing as he intended — and to tell him that she had temporarily relinquished custody of the cherished accessory.
"Sounds like she needed it a lot more than you do," Stabler explained.
"I knew you'd understand," Benson beamed.
Watch the Season 26 premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on Thursday, October 3 at 9/8c on NBC.
