The following nine episodes are essential Law & Order: Special Victims Unit watching for Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) all-around shippers. The crime story in each of these episodes puts Benson and Stabler in situations that probe their mental, emotional, and physical relationship to one another, so we, too, have the chance to more deeply study their individual layers and imagine possibilities of togetherness. These nine episodes function as progressive litmus tests, gauging how solid the relationship is between this beloved detective duo. Here are the episodes, ranked.

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9. “Torch (Season 11, Episode 21)

“Torch” guest stars Sharon Stone as Jo Marlowe, Stabler’s partner before joining the SVU. In canon, Stabler is fused with Benson, so Marlowe’s introduction creates an interesting dynamic. Two girls have died, and their father is the suspect. As a father, the case is extra triggering for Stabler. The father is cleared of the crime, but Benson and Stabler tread through heavy moments, primarily introspection about protecting youth.

8. “Contagious” (Season 6, Episode 11)

“Contagious” digs into the intricacies of trauma, the legal system, and personal psychologies around fake accusation. Benson and Stabler work on a case with a girl who survives sexual abuse. The person she accuses is not her abuser, though other girls come forward to accuse the same man of sexual abuse. In the end, her abuser is caught. Along the way, Benson and Stabler are challenged in their commitments to believe survivors and solve their cases.

7. “Zebras” (Season 10, Episode 22)

“Zebras” falls down a rabbit hole for Benson, Stabler, and the other principals of the SVU, John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Odafin ‘Fin’ Tutuola (Ice-T). An investigation of one murder turns into a discovery of another murder. Benson and Stabler hit a roadblock when they are unable to arrest their chief suspect, due to an administrative error. Their frustration is tested as other murders and attacks come to light, and they recommit to studying all angles of the story.

6. “Burned” (Season 8, Episode 11)

In “Burned,” Benson and Stabler clash in an increasingly complex investigation. A man is accused of rape by his wife, and the situation is further complicated because the two of them are involved in a protracted divorce proceeding and child custody battle. It is difficult to determine who is truthful, and Benson and Stable struggle to put their personal judgments aside and focus on finding the truth.

5. “Fat” (Season 7, Episode 20)

In “Fat,” Benson is transferred to the Computer Crimes Unit, so Stabler gets a new, temporary partner, Lucius Blaine (Anthony Anderson). Stabler and Blaine investigate a case about assault, which leads to a complex story involving obesity, diabetes, and stigmas against people who are obese. What is curious is how Stabler approaches the investigation without Benson. Benson has a specialty for understanding motive, getting underneath it, and this case tests whether Stabler has learned the skill-set.

4. “Perverted” (Season 11, Episode 9)

Perversion works at multiple levels here, primarily Benson being the suspect in a sexual mutilation and murder. Munch and Fin lead the investigation, while Stabler preoccupies himself with proving Benson’s innocence. His duty commands him to explore the case objectively, pitting his instinctual trust in Benson against the procedures of professionalism. In the end, the truth comes out: Benson is being framed by a criminal she arrested in the past.

3. “Wildlife” (Season 10, Episode 7)

"Wildlife” destabilizes Benson and Stabler, an episode that tracks in subterfuge and the complexities of evaluating danger in their work. Investigating a woman’s murder leads Stabler to infiltrate an animal smuggling operation. As his undercover work grows, his marriage strains. Benson underestimates the danger Stabler is in, leading to him getting shot. In the end, Benson arrests a central figure in the smuggling operation, but the impact of the case on Stabler is immense.

2. “Weak” (Season 6, Episode 9)

In “Weak,” Benson and Stabler work with a psychiatrist, a former cop, to help them connect with a schizophrenic woman who cannot recount her experience of being attacked. At the heart of Benson and Stabler's cases are the depravities, and uplifts, of the human condition. The episode underscores how pivotal cross-sectional work is, melding psychiatry with detective work, and that difficulties in understanding and solving crime are infinite.

1. “Bombshell” (Season 12, Episode 6)

“Bombshell” covers parent-child dynamics, the swinger lifestyle, the cheating spouse, the betrayed spouse, domestic violence, love versus passion, love “as blind” when disguised as passion, concepts of soulmates, sibling bonds, and incest. To investigate a murder, Benson and Stabler pose as a married couple in a swinger’s club. “Bombshell” suggests, when love and lust are concerned, unraveling is more a norm than an exception. If the relationship between Benson and Stabler, spanning years, series, and depths, isn't one of unraveling — and unifying — I don't know what is.