If you’ve been even remotely tuned into popular culture within the past seventeen seasons, you may have heard of dedicated detective Olivia Benson. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit would not exist, or at least exist as successfully, without Olivia. While her partners and supporting team members have come and go, Olivia has remained front and center of the unit since the pilot.
When those words flash across our screen, we know we won’t be turning off the TV. Countless Sundays have flown by as we snuggle under blankets, plastered to the couch, stuck in a never-ending spiral of SVU marathons.
“In the criminal justice system, sexually–based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.” *chills*
1. She succeeds while playing a man’s game.
While it’s a male-dominated field, Olivia’s role as a police detective is one to be praised. She doesn’t take anyone’s bull, getting to the bottom of virtually each and every case. When perpetrators and colleagues scoff at her femininity and gender identity, Olivia shows she gets the job done just as well as, or better than, any male officer. The Special Victims Unit deals with horribly violent crimes, but Olivia always looks out for the survivors of these crimes, and strives to gather justice for the deceased. Her compassion for these individuals guides her work, making her a better detective.
2. She’s faced some seriously scary criminals, but always perseveres.
Her job often proves dangerous and difficult, leading Olivia into many compromising situations. In season fifteen, a serial rapist and murder, easily one of the show’s most evil villains, kidnaps Olivia. He beats and tortures her, holds her hostage, and forces her to watch horrible crimes he commits against others. She ends up breaking free and holds him at gunpoint. However, months later, he escapes from prison, and Olivia must face this vicious assailant once again. In a previous season, her undercover operation to a women’s prison leads to her almost sexual assault by a corrections officer. While she may get affected by these offenders, her determination for what is right and protecting innocent people allows her to persist.
3. She faces her demons, showing that emotion does not equal weakness.
After these experiences, Olivia understandably is affected. In season ten, after Olivia’s horrible undercover experience, we see frequent visits to her therapist. She suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, but gets the help she needs, proving that the advice she has been giving to survivors for years has been necessary. So many victims resist getting this help, but Olivia’s vulnerability shows that mental health is not something to be brushed off. After her kidnapping, Olivia once again undergoes mental health struggles, visiting a therapist in order to address the trauma.
4. She’s climbed the ranks professionally.
For the majority of her police career, Olivia remained secure in her detective role. Yet, as the show adapted their department and cast over the years, Olivia was given opportunities to rise in the ranks professionally. Olivia first earns the position of sergeant, and now is a lieutenant, the leader of the Special Victims Unit. She proves that women can break sexist career barriers which may inhibit them.
5. She never crossed the line and hooked up with Stabler, even though the chemistry was out of this world.
She respected his marriage and gaggle of kids, maintaining their strong and unromantic relationship. For the majority of the time we have gotten to know Olivia, Elliot was her family, the person who she would sacrifice the most for. We are all still reeling from Elliot’s break from the show, and consequently, their partner disbandment; the most emotional non-romantic breakup anyone has ever seen. Serious respect for this one, Liv.
6. She didn’t let a man get her way of wanting to be a mother.
Throughout the series, Olivia’s personal life is often addressed. Moreover, the lack of one. She expresses such great connection with children and often indicates that she would love to eventually be a mother. Even though she’s always killed it in the looks department, getting classier with age, we see the repeated failure of Olivia’s romantic relationships because of her devotion to the job. However, when the opportunity arises for Olivia to foster, and then later adopt, her son Noah, the lack of a partner does not hinder her decision. Who says you need a man to have everything you’ve ever wanted?
After seventeen years, Olivia still is one of our most cherished television characters. We love and respect Olivia for many things such as her compassion, dedication, and perseverance. She’s found the best of both worlds, personally and professionally.
Olivia forever.