Many of Christopher Meloni's Law & Order: SVU episodes are among the series' strongest. Although Meloni took a 10-year hiatus from the franchise before returning to play Elliot Stabler again in Law & Order: Organized Crime, his character was central to the long-running procedural's success in its early years. Many of the best Law & Order: SVU episodes revolved around Benson and Stabler working together to close cases and get justice for victims, and Stabler often also dealt with drama at home on top of his heavy workload.
While Benson has her own team in Law & Order: SVU season 26, in the early days, she was new to the world of investigating sex crimes and was partnered with the more experienced Stabler. Their relationship was platonic until Stabler's wife was killed in the backdoor pilot to Law & Order: Organized Crime, but there was tension between them because of Stabler's desire to protect Benson. Many of Stabler's best SVU episodes were enhanced by his dynamic with Benson, as well as his hotheadedness and determination to arrest predators.
10"Payback"
Season 1, Episode 1
"Payback" is the series premiere, so it's the first time the audience is introduced to Stabler, but that's not the only reason this episode is considered one of his best. Benson hasn't quite found her footing as an SVU detective yet during this first case, which involves some gory details such as a victim's genitals being cut off, and Stabler does his best to salvage the case. One scene that stands out in particular is when Benson declines to arrest a suspect who was raped by her victim, which leads Stabler to be determined to close the case properly.
This episode culminates in an unforgettable scene in which a suspect stabs herself rather than allowing Stabler to arrest her, leading to Stabler and Benson getting chewed out for what Cragen sees as sloppy work. Stabler demonstrates his loyalty to Benson by not blaming her for what happened in front of Cragen and later telling her the suspect's dying words. This solidifies his partnership with Benson, which remains strong for the next dozen years.
In addition to this premiere episode being one of Law & Order: SVU's creepiest episodes and establishing Benson and Stabler's partnership, it is famous for Stabler's testimony in an unrelated case. Stabler states that he goes after predators because they take something beautiful [sex] and turn it into something ugly, which demonstrates that this job is far more than a paycheck for him. This line also lays the foundation for SVU to become a source of empowerment for both fictional and real-life survivors.
9"Wrong Is Right"
Season 2, Episode 1
Many of Stabler's best episodes showed the toll his career took on his family life, and this was one of the best examples. At the beginning of the episode, Stabler's teenage daughter Maureen witnesses a gruesome sight on the side of the road while with her father: a man dying in a horrific manner after his car is set on fire. Stabler struggles to support her through this traumatic-for-her experience while also solving the man's murder.
If this wasn't difficult enough, throughout this episode, Stabler's job is on the line because he admitted in the season 1 finale that he fantasizes about killing perps. Thus, he must undergo a psychiatric evaluation to keep his job, adding to the pressure. This conflict sets up Stabler's lifelong distrust of psychiatrists, which made life more difficult for him than it needed to be during Law & Order: Organized Crime season 1.
8"Countdown"
Season 2, Episode 15
"Countdown" is another episode in which the pressure is on for Stabler. In this episode, he has two ticking clocks to deal with simultaneously. When a young girl escapes from a kidnapper who raped her, the SVU team learns they have only three days to find the next victim before the perp kills her. Ironically, the perp gives his victims birthday parties before killing them, and Stabler also is racing against time to get a present for his young twins, who are having a birthday soon.
This fast-paced episode, which includes a countdown of how much time is left on the placards between scenes, drives home the way Stabler's job impacts his family. In addition to wanting to be there for his kids, Stabler sees the parallel between these young girls who are kidnapped, raped, and murdered and his own children. This establishes a consistent theme throughout the first 12 years, in which Stabler fears the same horrors befalling his children that he sees on the job every day.
7"Blinded"
Season 9, Episode 7
Meloni is at his strongest when Stabler shows his more vulnerable side, and there's no better way to do that than by threatening his physical health. In "Blinded," Stabler temporarily loses his vision after an altercation with a perp during an arrest. The perp headbutts Stabler, knocking him into a car window and causing severe enough injuries that Stabler can only see bright colors and blurry shadows. While the doctors explain that this condition is likely temporary, Stabler is unable to continue working on the case after his injuries.
Stabler's injury is only a side story in this case, which revolves around the question of whether a perp with schizophrenia should be held responsible for his actions. However, it is difficult for Stabler to deal with being sidelined because of his temporary disability. Additionally, the episode examines the way people often coddle those with disabilities, with Benson believing Stabler is too fragile to testify against the perp while recovering.
6"Resilience"
Season 4, Episode 10
Olivia Benson is known for her empathy, but she has nothing on Stabler in this episode. This time, he's the one who gets caught up in getting justice for a victim. The case is especially disturbing, beginning with a teenager attempting to end her life by throwing herself on the subway tracks after she is raped. Stabler's investigation leads to some shocking discoveries about what's going on in her home.
Although the episode revolves around the teenage victim and the disturbing goings-on in her home (eventually her father is arrested for incest), Stabler's relationship with the victim's younger sister makes this episode stand out. The little girl's extreme affection helps Stabler realize something is wrong in the house, and in an unforgettable scene, the child's gifts leads Stabler to discover the remains of a murder victim in the house.
5"Victims"
Season 2, Episode 13
Stabler spent an entire arc in Law & Order: Organized Crime attempting to infiltrate a group of corrupt cops, but that never could have happened without "Victims." This is one of Law & Order: SVU's saddest episodes, at least from his point of view, as it is the first time he has to face the possibility that law enforcement is behind a series of murders. Although it turns out the suspect is innocent, Stabler is forced to spend the bulk of the episode trying to prove a former cop turned activist is behind the killings.
In addition to having to face the possibility that a former cop is a serial killer, Stabler has to deal with his past, as the case begins with a dead rapist that Stabler put away in the past. Additionally, at the end of the episode, Stabler learns that he may have been exposed to HIV, which sets up a multi-episode arc in which he must begin a course of preventative treatment. This arc represents some of Meloni's best work, as Stabler grapples with his own potential mortality and illness related to the medication he's given.
4"Paternity"
Season 9, Episode 9
The birth of Stabler's son is consistently chosen in fan-favorite polls, with good reason. Although there is a case involving a murdered nanny, it is memorable more for the drama around the birth. After learning that the child involved in this case was not his father's biological son, Stabler's paranoia that Kathy's baby might not be his almost ruins their already-fragile relationship, especially since he has to leave to deal with a crisis situation in the middle of their argument.
The final scenes of the episode are as dramatic as they are emotional, with Benson having to help deliver the baby in the car after an accident both injures Kathy and makes her water break. Although it would be years before there was any possibility of a Benson/Stabler romance on Law & Order: SVU, the fact that Benson helped deliver his baby sets the foundation for their close relationship. Additionally, the baby in question grows up to be a rebellious teen and young adult in Law & Order: Organized Crime, making this episode an important precursor to the spinoff.
3"Solitary"
Season 11, Episode 3
"Solitary" is mostly remembered for a segment toward the end of the episode where Stabler tries and fails to handle sitting in solitary confinement to test a perp's claims. The entire episode is an indictment of the practice of using solitary confinement as well as the bias toward formerly incarcerated people when new crimes occur, and Meloni's performance is powerful as Stabler navigates his own biases and the difficulty he has in making amends to a suspect.
Stabler volunteers to sit in solitary confinement in an attempt to disprove a suspect's claims about being desperate to avoid going back there, but this is the tail end of an emotional story involving a man who Stabler initially suspects of kidnapping because of his criminal record. When Stabler attempts to apologize for his earlier suspicions, the man assumes he's being arrested and pushes him off a rooftop, which leads to Stabler's harrowing experiment.
Stabler's stint in solitary is truly scary, with him struggling to hold onto his sanity while being held for three days. When he threatens to send violent perps to prison in Law & Order: Organized Crime, he knows exactly what it entails because of this experience, which changes him permanently.
2"Swing"
Season 10, Episode 3
"Swing" offers one of Meloni's most powerful performances. There's no case to speak of, other than Kathleen's eventual arrest for breaking into someone's house while manic. Instead, the episode focuses on Stabler's inability to get through to his daughter when her uncontrolled bipolar disorder gets her into legal trouble, but she refuses to accept medical treatment. This episode is the culmination of a long arc in which Kathleen continually got into trouble and Stabler used his position to get her out of it.
Throughout the episode, Stabler is reminded constantly that he has no control over Kathleen's choices and that he cannot protect her future. He is not allowed to sit in on her meeting with a criminal attorney, is devastated when he can't stop her out-of-control behavior, and ultimately makes the tough choice not to oppose her arrest. Additionally, Meloni has some strong scenes with Ellen Burstyn, who plays his mother for the first time in the franchise's history during this episode.
Mama Stabler is a fixture on Law & Order: Organized Crime, but during "Swing" it is revealed that Stabler has been estranged from her for many years because of his discomfort with her bipolar disorder. He is forced to sit with that discomfort when he realizes his daughter has the same condition and his mother is the best one to get through to her about needing help. This is the beginning of healing for the Stabler family, although their dysfunction is not fully explored until Law & Order: Organized Crime season 4 adds Stabler's brothers.
1"Smoked"
Season 12, Episode 24
"Smoked" is Meloni's final appearance as a regular cast member on Law & Order: SVU. The episode begins like a typical SVU episode, with a rape victim being gunned down in the street before she can testify. Stabler and Benson's investigation is supposed to get justice for the woman, but it ends with a shootout in the police station that forces Stabler to fatally shoot a young girl who has already lost her mother.
The final moments of the episode are devastating. Both the young girl and Sister Peg, a nun who occasionally helped SVU with cases, are dead, and Stabler is left to cradle the body of the girl he just killed. Although Stabler's departure isn't shown on-screen, it's unsurprising that he leaves Law & Order: SVU after the carnage he witnesses and is forced to participate in.
