In Case of a Lasting Liv Ship
Barba. Barba is who I’d want Liv to end up with if she ended up with anyone on the show.
I genuinely think Barba and Benson love each other. They have a similar sense of humor, they make each other laugh, they actually open up to each other. They respect each other.
I just, Liv has literally built a shrine in her heart for Stabler. And with Stabler back now I don’t think they’ll make Benson and Barba happen. Which is unfortunate because I think he’s better, actually good, for her. And she’s good for him.
I think this may be an unpopular opinion and 14 year old me would probably be appalled that I’m voicing it, but spending 20 years of your life in love with someone you can’t have, a married someone at that, and being miserable for it, is not healthy. It’s not even romantic.
And hell, part of me is scoffing at that, going “you didn’t think it wasn’t romantic when you watched The Last Letter From Your Lover” last year.
And to be honest, if when I first started watching the show Olivia had hired someone to off Kathy in order to get her hands on Stabler my reaction would probably have been
Anything for my favorite character’s lasting happiness, even if it butchered the character.
But I don’t think that love...should be that hard. I don’t think it should be that elusive. That the only way you could have possibly ended up with “the love of your life” is by committing murder...or by holding your breath for 20 years waiting for his love to die.
Because it’s not like they both moved on with their lives. And that their respective partners just happened to kick the bucket at about the same time. Liv has been in this holding pattern almost, for the past 10 years.
Meanwhile you have this dude Barba who as far as I understand it respects and adores this woman Benson so much that he apparently took on a case to protect said woman whose former partner is being scrutinized because of it, just to keep her out of it as much as possible, just to protect her integrity, all while as far as I can tell said former partner has done nothing but take from her since his return.
“Love” as we know it makes no sense.
[Don’t mind me, I sometimes use storytelling to make sense of my own life and hopefully make sound life choices.]
