‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 18: Mariska Hargitay on possible Benson engagement

When you think about everything serious that does transpire within the world of “Law & Order: SVU,” it’s not a show that has much time for romance. As for weddings, let’s say that there is even less. For the time being, we’re just happy that the show has figured out some way to give Olivia Benson a story with Tucker that feels fairly realistic, and isn’t played out in some sort of corny teen drama / ‘shipper way where there is constantly a will-they-or-won’t-they factor to it. Right now, they’re together. If they aren’t down the road, then they aren’t. Sometimes, things don’t have to be nearly as dramatic as much of television would want you to think.

Even the topic of an engagement is fairly cut-and-dry right now, since much of it comes down to the question of if Benson is ready to move to that point. Here’s what Mariska Hargitay’s take is on it at present, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly:

“She wants to be, but the emotional fallout of Mike’s death is causing her to question everything.”

Even though we’ve personally admitted to being a bit of a Benson / Barba ‘shipper in the past, at the same exact time we want what is the most interesting for the sake of the story. If having Benson be with Tucker is it in terms of the stories the writers have planned, that is the right way to go. Ultimately, the most important thing with this series remains the work and the cases; romance will almost always be secondary, but it does former inform who Benson is the perspective that she carries into the job.

(Photo: NBC.)