"I stayed in the city tonight."

[ultaviolet730]

The six words that launched a thousand fanfics. Or, at least the beginning of one. I wish it had spawned more.

I had to post my Episode 11 - Monogamy (Elliot opens up; Olivia shuts him down) thoughts in a separate post, because, well, I'm vain that way. Sorry for spamming, but seriously, this was a key episode in the Arc That Went Nowhere, aka Elliot's MidSVULife Crisis. So many wonderful or wincerful moments:

1. The aforementioned "I stayed in the city tonight" line. Such intrigue in such a simple sentence. Where did he stay? Who was he with? Which blond(e) lawyer do you picture him with - Beecher or Cabot?

The Season 6 equivalent of that line is Olivia's, "I called your house, I called your cell, I called the squadroom. You didn't answer so I came to stalk look for you." (Which reminds me, as always, of Caliban's brilliant commentary on said S6 line: I also think that all the stalking is rubbing off on Liv. "I tried you at home, on your cell phone, then I called the station." OMG, where were you? We were supposed to watch Gilmore Girls over the phone. WHY DIDN"T YOU CALL ME?

2. Maureen can't file her own fucking application.
I have to say, after all the Maulivia discussion recently, that brief little O/Moment was jarring.

But seriously, would Olivia really ever be attracted to a girl who can't even complete a fucking college application properly? To a college in the same fucking city!

3. Stabler works his mojo
That scene where Elliot and Olivia go to the junkie's apartment, and he turns on the full Stabler sex smirk is priceless. Elliot/CM is rarely allowed to be so sexual on SVU, and it's such a shame. Because the way he leans in and lowers his voice and tilts his head and ravishes her. Oops, got carried away there. And another great line. "I'm into that - you're friend can watch." Hee.

4. "That's what you do - you shut people out."
Yes, folks, the most egregious and outrageous example of SVU pot/kettle, in which one Olivia Benson chastises her partner for not talking to people, for not letting others in. And when he manages not to scream that she does the same fucking thing, but instead slowly and deliberately tries to explain to her what's wrong, what he's feeling, what does Olivia do?

Apparently, she remembers an important hairwing-trimming appointment she missed or useless scarf buying excursion she booked, because she stands up, tells him CK is right, that he does shut people out and that if he doesn't stop, he'll lose "the best thing he ever had."

Hopefully, bookies will still pay out, since Olivia won that bet, albeit three years later. But it never seems to occur to her at the time that what Elliot is struggling with might just be that his marriage has not, in fact, turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. Or that it was almost physically painful for him to share that with her, so perhaps she should take more than the three minutes she slotted him in order to let him express what it was she badgered him into. And then take an extra, I don't know, five minutes to come up with something better than, "Your chemistry-free wife is right. You're screwed!"

ACK! This is the woman currently being held up by the SVU powers-that-be and the majority of squeeing fandom as a lioness/mother bear/model of caring and compassion.

5. Gravelly-voiced Alex. Yay for the flu!

6. Other great lines
Stabler: "She's coming. If you want to leave, go ahead."
Benson: "Or you could stop being a jerk."

Junkie: "I don't have a boyfriend."
Stabler, with a throaty snark and smirk: "Come on, a girl like you?"

Stabler to Jack Tripper: "Yeah, that's a real bite in the ass, isn't it. Think of all those new labels you'll have to make."

I can't remember the other ones. But damn, I love this episode. Will be back with more, no doubt.

ETA: Just so you know, I did actually leave the marathon, er, house, today. I actually sat at the beach and read something non-fandom-related. An actual book, I tell you! And I didn't even melt.

Comments

[idledandy.livejournal.com]

Don't forget "What are you lacking, Dick?" Hee!

Total squee for pimping my fic. I really keep meaning to write more of that. I swear, in the summers, I just don't do freaking anything. Then during the year when I have a kabillion things to do, that's when I write and stuff. I really know why they say, "Ask a busy woman."

I've decided that Olivia's feelings about Elliot's marriage are that of a child relating to her own parents. She draws some weird, twisted sense of stability from Elliot/CK and lashes out like an 8 year-old whenever that stability is threatened. Of course, a healthy chunk of this reasoning comes from the "Don't do this to me!" that got cut from "Doubt." However, the purpose of this little wank is not to excuse Olivia; it's to explain to myself why Elliot LIES by saying there's nobody else, when obviously, there's Alex. Duh!

[ultraviolet730.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I knew I forgot one of the lines from their interrogation of John Ritter.

And I will pimp your fic from now until Thanksgiving break if it means you'll work on it. I'm dying to know what happens next.

I do know what you mean about not being able to do anything when you have all the time in the world. It's some sort of weird inverse human psychology defect. Huang would be able to explain it to me.

I think your Olivia theory is spot-on. And it does always make me sigh when he says it's not someone else. Even though, on the show, I want Elliot to be faithful. But in my head... you know what he and Alex are doing.

[speshulduck.livejournal.com]

Whoa wait a minute, you mean Alex/Elliot isn't canon? Next you'll be telling me that Mariska's up for an Emmy and Chris isn't.

[ultraviolet730.livejournal.com]

Hee! But life could never be that unfair or out of whack.