Why are so many people rooting for the “bad guy” team in the upcoming “Law & Order: SVU” crossover event? First, it’s Wheatley. Now it’s the character representing him in the trial of Kathy Stabler’s murder? Get it together, people!
Alright, we get it. It’s not actually Richard Wheatley people want to see win. It’s Dylan McDermott, the dreamboat portraying him. The same can be said for Rafael Barba’s Raúl Esparza. Law & Order: SVU fans have been drooling over the actor on Reddit as of late. But at least Barba was a fan-favorite good guy on the series for years before aligning with the wicked Richard Wheatley.
“Barba is one of my all time faves! I hate that they have him representing Wheatley, but I know it will be awesome to watch. I’m curious how he came to be Wheatley’s lawyer. That’s a stark contrast to the man who gave up being ADA the way he did,” writes jhs7631.
To be fair, we don’t know how Barba came to take Richard Wheatley on as a client. We see Olivia Benson looking heartbroken when Barba reveals that information in the promo. But for all we know, Wheatley could be blackmailing the Raúl Esparza character into working for him.
Some fans have chalked up Rafael Barba’s turnaround to him being a different character entirely in his recent appearances. They think of him as a distant relative who looks the same but is half the man of his series regular counterpart. One Law & Order: SVU fan does, at least.
“I pretend the episode where he left didn’t happen and that the Barba we’ve had the past couple of series is actually a (distant) cousin with the same last name but has 1/100th (at most) of the talent and sass of Rafael,” writes cattaxincluded.
‘Law & Order: SVU’ Fans Are So Crazy About Barba That They Want to See Him Risk it All for Benson
Even though Benson (Mariska Hargitay) appears to be less than pleased with Barba at present, fans have so much love for him that many prefer him as a love interest over Stabler.
Raúl Esparza stepped away from Law & Order: SVU in 2018 after a six-year run on the show. Since then, he has appeared in a handful of episodes, and many can’t help but feel like there is amazing chemistry between him and Benson.
“The last episode with Barba as ADA was on today, and I have never been more convinced of his and Benson’s love. Am I the only one that sees this? Please don’t make her end up with Stabler,” a Reddit user wrote recently.
More admit that the pair would be great together but are also aware of the rabid Bensler fanbase. What would happen if Benson and Stabler didn’t end up together? It’s almost too terrifying to consider.
