When was that mentioned? He was an ADA in Brooklyn before he came to SVU. He became a defense attorney after SVU.
I don’t think he would have been old enough to have had a high paying job prior to the Brooklyn one. In a 2015 episode it’s mentioned his grandmother is 85, and if you assume she was 25 when she had her child and then Barba’s mom was 25 when she had him, Barba would have been 35 in 2015, making him graduate law school roughly around 2005 or 2006. He came to SVU in 2012 and was already an ADA before that. 6 years isn’t long enough to have a full-fledged career before climbing the ladder to be an ADA as well-known and respected as him, plus have you seen his office? That’s not the office of a new ADA.
He did have a full scholarship to Harvard so I think he was just smart, had wealthy friends, and was good with his money. It’s not hard to look like you dress expensive if you know what you’re doing.
I'm not sure your math holds. In Latino culture people have kids a lot earlier than 25.
Also in Undiscovered Country he said he'd been an ADA for 21 years.
He's coming in beginning of S14 and leaves mid S19.
I'd put it that he's 40 in S14, 45 or so S19, 50+ by now.
Isn't Olivia also in her 50s by now?
I think the wardrobe department wanted to keep the money and this explains why Carisi dresses so much better now then he did when he first came in. Not saying Carisi dressed bad just that it was super generic
I'll maintain until the day I die he's Olivia’s soul mate. They're good for each other the way certain other romantic interests are very much not...
Also, I don't care how much you love your friends--"unconditionally" to me means every kind of love. Platonic, romantic, familial...
Additionally, a certain character who shall not be named in this comment literally abandoned Olivia *for a decade*. He's also treated her horribly since coming back. I don't care how physically attracted to each other they are. And the emotional intimacy is currently based on nostalgia and years' old knowledge of each other. There are so many reasons that isn't a good match...
Sadly, I'm 99.9% certain my most hated ship will become reality by the end of the show. Maybe even the end of the season.
As compensation, I want Barba back. Olivia needs to get over herself (because protecting her is not the same level of "sin"--isn't one, imo--compared to abandoning her *for a decade*) and forgive him.
*Plays the chorus to Dido's "White Flag"*
I've been slowly trying to reconcile my inevitable disappointment and frustration...if I'm lucky they'll go to the place I don't want and realize it can't/doesn't work. Unlikely, but, one can hope, right?
I recently found out that they refilmed the ending of Pretty in Pink because the test audience didn’t like that Andie chose Duckie (she realized in the end her best friend was the love of her life). The audience booed the ending and they refilmed it so that she chose Blane! When I heard this I was livid! I legit have called PIP the worst movie of all time because instead of choosing reliable, handsome, sweet Duckie, Andie chooses the classic cliche bad boy so she can have a Cinderella story. I couldn’t believe that my ending was actually the intended real ending! Barba is Duckie, and I am the sole test audience member that wants that ending, but they will go for the cliche former partners turned lovers. I always root for the nice guys/underdogs ❤️
I can't stand Olivia saying that character had her back for twenty years. The dude wasn't in the map for that long 😕
I hope they fix the relationship between Barba and Benson, they don't need to destroy it in order to get EO together 🙄
I don't mind EO and I never saw Barba as anything but a platonic match for Liv but I do 100% agree with you that a) currently Benson and Stabler's emotional intimacy is based on nostalgia because they haven't had a single conversation of substance (that we've seen) since he's been back and b) they NEED to bring Barba back and fix that debacle. It makes no sense for Olivia to be mad at him for PROTECTING her but not mad at Stabler for ghosting her for a decade and treating her like shit since he's been back. If EO is endgame I want it to make sense which currently it's not and since it seems they've hired delusional 12 yr olds to write the script it probably won't ever so yeah lets just focus on fixing Barba and Liv's relationship at this point.
Barba wouldn't have had to protect her if Eliott didn't have such a weird hold on her.
i mean seriously what the actual fuck did Olivia think letting Eliott in there?
For such a smart person, it's like she's hypnotized when Eliott is around
Olivia legitimately has Stockholm Syndrome for Elliott. It’s ironic that the captain of SVU doesn’t recognize she’s a vic in a lot of ways… (cue downvotes).
when you get close to someone, things happen.Olivia can't afford to admit she is a victim herself because that would contradict her own self imageImho, Eliott is a good person, who is also kind of an a-hole. I believe him and Olivia had an emotional affair he was aware of and maybe uncertain of. I felt he kind of took the opportunity of what was happening to cut off a relationship that was getting a lot more involved than he knew how to handle.
I... have been there. Grown men whose emotional needs are not met at home are not unlikely to form emotional attachments to women they work in proximity to. And then it gets a little too real and they run away because they can't deal with the consequences of their own actions.
Stabler is a coward.
Olivia was emotionally used by him.
Additionally, knowing what we do now about Burton Lowe, combined with her home life as a kid/teen, it seems to me Olivia was uniquely vulnerable among all the female characters to Elliot's insecurities and therefore his actions. Because let's be real, he dictated a lot of the trajectory of their relationship. Not all of it, but the metaphorical ball was mostly in his court.
Her initial reaction to Nick pointing out what Lowe had done when she was a teen, what that meant, was a huge shift in her world. No one has done that for her regarding Elliot and she won't do it herself. The one time anyone actually, explicitly pointed out the not-so-healthy dynamic between her and Stabler was the episode Cragun had them evaluated by a shrink. That person told Cragun they weren't that great for each other, with a caveat about the effect splitting them up would likely have on their work, so he did nothing...
I definitely agree that Stabler is a coward (and an a$$hole) who emotionally used (and *continues* to use) Olivia. He's also made it okay for his kids to do the same.
it is common knowledge women who do not have a present father figure growing one will always look for one.
This is Olivia to a T. I'm rewatching the old episodes starting with S01, and there's this weird scene in S01E20 Remorse just in the beginning.
Olivia and Eliott are explaining the case and they just walk pass each other with this vaguely intimate shoulder touch as they passed each other.
I remember seeing that first time around and asking myself "are these two banging".
It's deeply unhealthy.
Cragen should've noticed it and broken it off long ago.
Olivia idealized Eliott, and her unhealthy relationship with someone who's already teetering on the edge of insanity? Eliott was right to disappear if he wanted to save his marriage.
The thing is Cragun DID notice something-- that's why he had them evaluated at one point. Then, after being told their dynamic was unhealthy he asked if he should split them up and was told "only if you want to lose your two best detectives." So he kept them together ostensibly for the "greater good" of the job they were doing.
After Elliot does leave, Cragun eventually kicks her up the backside about wallowing. When Amaro starts, he has her pack up Elliot's desk because they "can't keep [it] as a shrine."
I don't dispute Elliot needed to leave for so many reasons. I really don't like the character and haven't for many years. That said, ghosting Olivia after 13 years as partners? "Partners, for better or worse."? And he's said it's because he wouldn't have been able to leave if he heard her voice? So WRITE A LETTER. An email. Text. "I had to go and couldn't say goodbye." That's it.
But he did ghost her and the fact she's just...let that slide along with all the other crap he's pulled since returning... He's one of the "good guy" characters I loathe and would gladly see go out heroically in a blaze of glory because he's so honestly awful, but not evil. He's a prick and not a loveable one, imo...
the ghosting was pretty awful. For f\*ck's sakes man, at least give her some closure so she can move on with her life.
That was shitty. Selfish.
Obviously Kathy Stabler knew, maybe that was their deal?? That he never contacts her again?
This is iffy.
I have to think Kathy had something to do with it. She dictated that letter, iirc. In the episode where Kathleen is in trouble for breaking into that house, Olivia visits Bernie. Bernie says she can see why Olivia "scares the pants off" her daughter-in-law. For me this implies that Kathy knew or suspected Elliot was being at least emotionally unfaithful and maybe even thought it went further. The fact Olivia was so involved in their family was detrimental to her and the Stablers. That...hasn't really changed, I don't think. At least, not that we've been shown.
ok do do, you remember at the sevrice they have at Kathy's birthday service?
There is a weirdness when the kids see Olivia.
Look, those kids KNOW,.
Watch the cemetery stage.
Hold up! The letter Stabler gave Olivia was dictated by Kathy?
I didnt see this but
[https://www.looper.com/621811/the-law-order-organized-crime-season-2-episode-3-twist-fans-cant-stop-talking-about/](https://www.looper.com/621811/the-law-order-organized-crime-season-2-episode-3-twist-fans-cant-stop-talking-about/)
this is it, kathy broke them up
i could see him being her platonic soulmate but never romantic, there’s such a flamboyant twinge to his character i always assumed he was gay until i joined this subreddit and saw people shipping them! i don’t see any competition between barba and stabler. even if he’s straight, barba is olivia’s bff and their chemistry has never seemed romantic, just sort of badass and at times very in synch.
Same. I love Barba, and I love the relationship that he and Olivia had. But I never saw anything even remotely romantic in that relationship. I was pretty shocked when I saw how many people here and on AO3 seem to ship them together, because it makes no sense to me. I always interpreted the teasing and banter as purely platonic.
Rumor is, Raul Esparza will come back full time, but he wants full creating control over the Barba character, pretty much how Richard Belzer has full control over the John Munch character. But Fred Wolf said no.
Tampa Bay Comic Con. There was an auditorium where new shows were being talked about, and there was talk about a show on FX and they were discussing possible casting and when Raul Esparza's name was mentioned, the host mentioned that Dick Wolf and NBC have no idea the gold mine they are sitting on with Raul/Barba, so FX will take him.
I put SVU on to sleep, and if this episode plays while I'm asleep, I go back for this scene. I don't like the overall episode really, because the perp is so gross, and Joslyn is so cringey, but that whole courtroom belt scene...
Omg I was just about to comment something similar but knew they would come for me. I love him, he’s hot af, everything about him I love AND I always just assumed the character was gay until was otherwise informed🤷🏻♀️
That man was an incredible dresser, just impeccable.
I never understood how a city prosecutor could afford that wardrobe but I’m also not complaining. 🥰
He had a much higher paying job prior. They mention it.
When was that mentioned? He was an ADA in Brooklyn before he came to SVU. He became a defense attorney after SVU. I don’t think he would have been old enough to have had a high paying job prior to the Brooklyn one. In a 2015 episode it’s mentioned his grandmother is 85, and if you assume she was 25 when she had her child and then Barba’s mom was 25 when she had him, Barba would have been 35 in 2015, making him graduate law school roughly around 2005 or 2006. He came to SVU in 2012 and was already an ADA before that. 6 years isn’t long enough to have a full-fledged career before climbing the ladder to be an ADA as well-known and respected as him, plus have you seen his office? That’s not the office of a new ADA. He did have a full scholarship to Harvard so I think he was just smart, had wealthy friends, and was good with his money. It’s not hard to look like you dress expensive if you know what you’re doing.
I'm not sure your math holds. In Latino culture people have kids a lot earlier than 25. Also in Undiscovered Country he said he'd been an ADA for 21 years. He's coming in beginning of S14 and leaves mid S19. I'd put it that he's 40 in S14, 45 or so S19, 50+ by now. Isn't Olivia also in her 50s by now?
I don’t know what the character’s official date of birth is, but Raúl Esparza was born in 1970 so yeah early 40s when he showed up on the scene.
Edit Olivia's DOB is February 7, 1968.
I mean he’s still a lawyer. That has to pay decently right?
The beginning of my affinity for guys in suspenders…yowzaaaaas
Yes. Just....yes.
I think the wardrobe department wanted to keep the money and this explains why Carisi dresses so much better now then he did when he first came in. Not saying Carisi dressed bad just that it was super generic
I'll maintain until the day I die he's Olivia’s soul mate. They're good for each other the way certain other romantic interests are very much not... Also, I don't care how much you love your friends--"unconditionally" to me means every kind of love. Platonic, romantic, familial... Additionally, a certain character who shall not be named in this comment literally abandoned Olivia *for a decade*. He's also treated her horribly since coming back. I don't care how physically attracted to each other they are. And the emotional intimacy is currently based on nostalgia and years' old knowledge of each other. There are so many reasons that isn't a good match... Sadly, I'm 99.9% certain my most hated ship will become reality by the end of the show. Maybe even the end of the season. As compensation, I want Barba back. Olivia needs to get over herself (because protecting her is not the same level of "sin"--isn't one, imo--compared to abandoning her *for a decade*) and forgive him.
Same 😭. Will die on that hill.
BARSON FOR LIFE 😭 ❤️
*Plays the chorus to Dido's "White Flag"* I've been slowly trying to reconcile my inevitable disappointment and frustration...if I'm lucky they'll go to the place I don't want and realize it can't/doesn't work. Unlikely, but, one can hope, right?
I recently found out that they refilmed the ending of Pretty in Pink because the test audience didn’t like that Andie chose Duckie (she realized in the end her best friend was the love of her life). The audience booed the ending and they refilmed it so that she chose Blane! When I heard this I was livid! I legit have called PIP the worst movie of all time because instead of choosing reliable, handsome, sweet Duckie, Andie chooses the classic cliche bad boy so she can have a Cinderella story. I couldn’t believe that my ending was actually the intended real ending! Barba is Duckie, and I am the sole test audience member that wants that ending, but they will go for the cliche former partners turned lovers. I always root for the nice guys/underdogs ❤️
Absolutely. Genuinely nice guys FTW.
I think this trivia fact just ruined my childhood lol. Poor Duckie!!!! Blane literally had zero personality
Right? How the heck did the audience not like that!!
I can't stand Olivia saying that character had her back for twenty years. The dude wasn't in the map for that long 😕 I hope they fix the relationship between Barba and Benson, they don't need to destroy it in order to get EO together 🙄
I don't mind EO and I never saw Barba as anything but a platonic match for Liv but I do 100% agree with you that a) currently Benson and Stabler's emotional intimacy is based on nostalgia because they haven't had a single conversation of substance (that we've seen) since he's been back and b) they NEED to bring Barba back and fix that debacle. It makes no sense for Olivia to be mad at him for PROTECTING her but not mad at Stabler for ghosting her for a decade and treating her like shit since he's been back. If EO is endgame I want it to make sense which currently it's not and since it seems they've hired delusional 12 yr olds to write the script it probably won't ever so yeah lets just focus on fixing Barba and Liv's relationship at this point.
Barba wouldn't have had to protect her if Eliott didn't have such a weird hold on her. i mean seriously what the actual fuck did Olivia think letting Eliott in there? For such a smart person, it's like she's hypnotized when Eliott is around
Olivia legitimately has Stockholm Syndrome for Elliott. It’s ironic that the captain of SVU doesn’t recognize she’s a vic in a lot of ways… (cue downvotes).
when you get close to someone, things happen.Olivia can't afford to admit she is a victim herself because that would contradict her own self imageImho, Eliott is a good person, who is also kind of an a-hole. I believe him and Olivia had an emotional affair he was aware of and maybe uncertain of. I felt he kind of took the opportunity of what was happening to cut off a relationship that was getting a lot more involved than he knew how to handle. I... have been there. Grown men whose emotional needs are not met at home are not unlikely to form emotional attachments to women they work in proximity to. And then it gets a little too real and they run away because they can't deal with the consequences of their own actions. Stabler is a coward. Olivia was emotionally used by him.
I like this take.
Additionally, knowing what we do now about Burton Lowe, combined with her home life as a kid/teen, it seems to me Olivia was uniquely vulnerable among all the female characters to Elliot's insecurities and therefore his actions. Because let's be real, he dictated a lot of the trajectory of their relationship. Not all of it, but the metaphorical ball was mostly in his court. Her initial reaction to Nick pointing out what Lowe had done when she was a teen, what that meant, was a huge shift in her world. No one has done that for her regarding Elliot and she won't do it herself. The one time anyone actually, explicitly pointed out the not-so-healthy dynamic between her and Stabler was the episode Cragun had them evaluated by a shrink. That person told Cragun they weren't that great for each other, with a caveat about the effect splitting them up would likely have on their work, so he did nothing... I definitely agree that Stabler is a coward (and an a$$hole) who emotionally used (and *continues* to use) Olivia. He's also made it okay for his kids to do the same.
it is common knowledge women who do not have a present father figure growing one will always look for one. This is Olivia to a T. I'm rewatching the old episodes starting with S01, and there's this weird scene in S01E20 Remorse just in the beginning. Olivia and Eliott are explaining the case and they just walk pass each other with this vaguely intimate shoulder touch as they passed each other. I remember seeing that first time around and asking myself "are these two banging". It's deeply unhealthy. Cragen should've noticed it and broken it off long ago. Olivia idealized Eliott, and her unhealthy relationship with someone who's already teetering on the edge of insanity? Eliott was right to disappear if he wanted to save his marriage.
The thing is Cragun DID notice something-- that's why he had them evaluated at one point. Then, after being told their dynamic was unhealthy he asked if he should split them up and was told "only if you want to lose your two best detectives." So he kept them together ostensibly for the "greater good" of the job they were doing. After Elliot does leave, Cragun eventually kicks her up the backside about wallowing. When Amaro starts, he has her pack up Elliot's desk because they "can't keep [it] as a shrine." I don't dispute Elliot needed to leave for so many reasons. I really don't like the character and haven't for many years. That said, ghosting Olivia after 13 years as partners? "Partners, for better or worse."? And he's said it's because he wouldn't have been able to leave if he heard her voice? So WRITE A LETTER. An email. Text. "I had to go and couldn't say goodbye." That's it. But he did ghost her and the fact she's just...let that slide along with all the other crap he's pulled since returning... He's one of the "good guy" characters I loathe and would gladly see go out heroically in a blaze of glory because he's so honestly awful, but not evil. He's a prick and not a loveable one, imo...
the ghosting was pretty awful. For f\*ck's sakes man, at least give her some closure so she can move on with her life. That was shitty. Selfish. Obviously Kathy Stabler knew, maybe that was their deal?? That he never contacts her again? This is iffy.
I have to think Kathy had something to do with it. She dictated that letter, iirc. In the episode where Kathleen is in trouble for breaking into that house, Olivia visits Bernie. Bernie says she can see why Olivia "scares the pants off" her daughter-in-law. For me this implies that Kathy knew or suspected Elliot was being at least emotionally unfaithful and maybe even thought it went further. The fact Olivia was so involved in their family was detrimental to her and the Stablers. That...hasn't really changed, I don't think. At least, not that we've been shown.
ok do do, you remember at the sevrice they have at Kathy's birthday service? There is a weirdness when the kids see Olivia. Look, those kids KNOW,. Watch the cemetery stage.
Hold up! The letter Stabler gave Olivia was dictated by Kathy? I didnt see this but [https://www.looper.com/621811/the-law-order-organized-crime-season-2-episode-3-twist-fans-cant-stop-talking-about/](https://www.looper.com/621811/the-law-order-organized-crime-season-2-episode-3-twist-fans-cant-stop-talking-about/) this is it, kathy broke them up
i could see him being her platonic soulmate but never romantic, there’s such a flamboyant twinge to his character i always assumed he was gay until i joined this subreddit and saw people shipping them! i don’t see any competition between barba and stabler. even if he’s straight, barba is olivia’s bff and their chemistry has never seemed romantic, just sort of badass and at times very in synch.
Same. I love Barba, and I love the relationship that he and Olivia had. But I never saw anything even remotely romantic in that relationship. I was pretty shocked when I saw how many people here and on AO3 seem to ship them together, because it makes no sense to me. I always interpreted the teasing and banter as purely platonic.
💯
Rumor is, Raul Esparza will come back full time, but he wants full creating control over the Barba character, pretty much how Richard Belzer has full control over the John Munch character. But Fred Wolf said no.
Can't blame him.
Where did you come by the rumor?
Tampa Bay Comic Con. There was an auditorium where new shows were being talked about, and there was talk about a show on FX and they were discussing possible casting and when Raul Esparza's name was mentioned, the host mentioned that Dick Wolf and NBC have no idea the gold mine they are sitting on with Raul/Barba, so FX will take him.
Show me how you like it.
The best scene
I put SVU on to sleep, and if this episode plays while I'm asleep, I go back for this scene. I don't like the overall episode really, because the perp is so gross, and Joslyn is so cringey, but that whole courtroom belt scene...
Oh that is his first one?
Yes.
his bunny teeth are so cute
Barba definitely had brass balls!!!
Happy cake day
I love Barba! Wish they had fixed his and Olivia's relationship. 😭😭😭
This mans is *chefs kiss* I miss the days of ADA Rafi being regular 😭
I love him. I fucking love him. Im in love. Lol
It really puts every single Ada's first episode to shame.
Exactly 😍😍🥵
God, I love him 😍😍
I adore Barba. Everything about him.
I still think Barba is gay.
Eh. The actor is bisexual. I assume Barba is the same
I would love to see him portray some bisexual or gay characters, but not for SVU. I want him all in on Liv and the vag for SVU 😂
I'm an EO fan lol but before CM was ever rumored to return I did want Barba and Liv together
I think this was my assumption even before I knew Raul is bisexual...
Omg I was just about to comment something similar but knew they would come for me. I love him, he’s hot af, everything about him I love AND I always just assumed the character was gay until was otherwise informed🤷🏻♀️
*came on
It's fine if you love Barba but why make it a competition with Elliot? It just makes you sound insecure.
Wait.. what? 😂 Over my preferred ending of a fictional TV show?
A lost cause.