'Law & Order: Organized Crime' Episode 2: Is Stabler suffering from PTSD? Mental health causes concerns
Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) is back and he will do anything to avenge his wife’s tragic death. The first episode of ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ was much grittier than the viewers expected it to be. The best thing about the pilot episode was the characters it introduced in the ‘Law & Order’ world. Surprisingly, everyone was a stranger except for Stabler, his family, and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay).
Most of the new characters introduced in the first episode were not cops; many of them were members of the mob. As the season progresses, viewers will likely understand more and more about who these people are and what their connection is to Kathy's death.
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Now, we all know that Elliot is struggling. He is finding it hard to cope with his wife’s death and clearly looking out of sorts. If the pilot episode was all about Kathy’s (Isabel Gillies) death, then the second episode gave a wider perspective about how Elliot is trying to deal with his wife’s untimely demise. The episode also gives an idea that Elliot is not himself and is constantly trying to forget the recent events that took place in his life. However, the problem seems to be much bigger than that.
Is Elliot suffering from PTSD?
In one of the scenes, we see Elliot and Benson meeting each other. They strike a conversation about what happened with Elliot’s wife and a letter that he wrote for Benson. After listening to him, she makes an observation that Elliot might be suffering from “post-traumatic stress disorder.”
To be honest, even we feel that Elliot is going into a shell after everything that has happened. Okay, back to the episode, Elliot laughs when Benson tells him that he has PTSD and leaves. However, the episode features a moment that makes us believe that he indeed is suffering from a psychotic disorder.
Elliot has experienced a traumatic event and he is constantly being haunted by the memories of the past. In one of the scenes, we see Elliot sleeping on the couch and loudly taking his wife’s name in his dreams. His son, Eli (Nicky Torchia), hears him and wakes him up. Distressed about what is happening to him, Elliot tells his son that “we are going to be alright.”
But it is not that simple and Elliot knows that. That’s why he cries his heart out at the end of the scene.
It is not easy for someone to deal with a personal loss. The makers have aptly shown how a person relives the event through flashbacks and Benson has an idea of how it can ruin a person’s life. In Season 10, fans saw Detective Benson struggling with the trauma from her sexual assault as she tries to find the man who murdered a pregnant female U.S. Marine. During the investigation, Benson had traumatic flashbacks and nightmares of her sexual assault. So, she knows how Elliot might be feeling the same after his wife’s death.
Will Elliot be able to deal with his existing condition? The answer to that burning will surely keep the fans at the edge of their seats.
‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ returns to NBC with a new episode every Thursday.
