A little less isolated! As Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs its season 17 finale on Wednesday, May 25, Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) told E! that her character continues to be affected by her romance with Captain Ed Tucker (Robert John Burke) of the Internal Affairs Bureau.
The Emmy-winning actress, 52, explained that Benson's burgeoning romance with Tucker has helped balance out the lieutenant's lows of this season, which have included getting taken hostage at gunpoint.
"I feel like it's really lonely, and she's been lonely and alone," Hargitay said of the season for her character. "And then enter Tucker, which has been such a game-changer for me because not only is he as powerful — she's such a powerful character — to have somebody that energetically matches her has been incredible. But also have somebody that understands because he's even more complicated and a leader more than her."
"He's so masculine and so strong and so powerful that she can [exhale] because he's that, so [Benson] gets to be a different color," the actress continued of the relationship that has received a mixed reaction from fans.
Law & Order: SVU's season 17 finale airs on NBC Wednesday, May 25, at 9 p.m. ET.