Bernadette Stabler (née McGinley) is the widow of Joseph Stabler and mother of Detective Elliot Stabler.
Background[]
Bernadette and her husband Joseph had six children together. However, her ability to raise them was impacted by her diagnosed bipolar disorder; she once nearly killed Elliot in a car wreck that left him with a broken arm, during a manic phase. As a result, Elliot covered up the accident with his family and in his older years, he "erased his childhood" and maintained little contact with his mother. However, Bernadette was active in the lives of her grandchildren, as Kathleen brought up a time she and Bernadette had once used his fedora hat and last Cuban cigar for a snowman, something that he was "pretty pissed" about. Kathleen also said that Bernadette told him to get stuffed once and to try not to curse in front of her. She appeared to have gotten along with her daughter-in-law, as she was shown to be aware how Kathy felt insecure about of her son's partner.
It is implied she had a tumultuous marriage, as Joseph once had her committed to a psychiatric facility after she went for his service gun during a fight. She later hinted to Olivia Benson and her son Randall that Joseph often ogled nurses. When he died, Bernadette sold their home and moved to a beach house, where she rarely heard from Elliot. (SVU: "Swing")(OC: "Deliver Us From Evil")
On the L&O Franchise[]
When her granddaughter, Kathleen Stabler, is arrested for burglary, Elliot visits Bernadette to try and chase out his demons. In the midst of their conversation, Bernadette has a psychotic meltdown on the beach when Elliot brings up his troubled childhood, and he peacefully leaves her. Later, her son's partner, Detective Benson, catches up with Bernadette, who tells her about Elliot's troubled childhood. Benson then takes Bernadette to meet Kathleen at her cell. There, Bernadette tells Kathleen about the time she nearly killed Elliot, hinting to Kathleen that she herself suffers from bipolar disorder. She then convinces Kathleen to get help, which helps get the charges against Kathleen dropped. Afterwards, Bernadette makes Benson promise her that she would not tell Elliot that she visited Kathleen, though Benson hints at it to Elliot when he asks why the situation turned around so quickly. (SVU: "Swing")
It is revealed that Bernadette's mental state had rapidly been declining since 2008. In the past thirteen years, she had become neurotic, erratic, forgetful, and fragile, showing signs of dementia, and her bipolar disorder seemed to be getting worse. Wandering to Central Park, she talks to a boy feeding ducks, believing him to be Elliot. She then immediately becomes erratic and slaps the boy after she tells him to leave the ducks alone. Despite her subsequent apology, the boy cries for his mother, who has a nearby police officer arrested Bernadette as she frantically calls for Elliot. Eventually, Sergeant Bell comes to release Bernadette, telling her that she works with Elliot. Despite her shock that her son has a new partner, Bernadette accepts the help.
Elliot later takes Bernadette to her house along with Kathleen and Eli. Bernadette tells them that she fired the support worker that Elliot had hired for her and that she had not been to the doctor in a while. Elliot offers to take Bernadette to the hospital where she could be looked after and cared for, but she tells him that she would rather die than go back there. Elliot and Eli then offer to take her in, and Bernadette agrees. (OC: "New World Order")
Eli later steals Bernadette's pills and sells them to a friend, infuriating Bernadette, but Elliot sides with Eli when the latter denies stealing the pills. Later, Bernadette conveys her worries about Eli to Elliot and tells him that she noticed a change in his behavior, but Elliot believes it to be him being a teenager coping with the loss of his mother Kathy. Later, after Benson discovers the pills in the bathroom that Eli had been in before he left, Elliot apologizes to Bernadette for not believing her. Bernadette forgives him, and the two hug on the couch, with both stating their concerns about Eli. (OC: "The Good, The Bad And The Lovely")
Following the pill incident, Eli refuses to talk to Bernadette. When Elliot comes home one morning to check on Eli, she tells Elliot that she cooked him eggs for breakfast. After witnessing Eli's fight with Elliot, she awkwardly tells Elliot that his eggs were ready. (OC: "Unforgivable")
When smoking in the backyard one day, Bernadette heard Richard whistling near her but didn't know who it was. Frightened, she called Elliot and told him that someone was whistling near her. Elliot proceeded to tell Bernadette that it was probably someone in the area but heard Richard's whistling and told Bernadette to go into the house immediately and not to come out until he came home. Elliot then threatened Richard at gunpoint and told him that if he came near his family again, he would kill him. (OC: "As Nottingham Was To Robin Hood")
Bernadette started what she believed was a romantic relationship with a neighbor named Miles Darman who was hired by Richard to stalk the Stabler family. When Elliot made jokes with Miles, Bernadette told Miles not to pay attention and that he was joking around. She also lied to Elliot about her smoking habits, telling him that she only smoked three times a day. Eli, who knew Bernadette was lying, told her that he won't snitch on her, to which Bernadette cheekily but firmly replied that he better not. (OC: "As Iago Is To Othello")
She and Miles were attacked by two burglars, and she was taken to another location. Wheatley later revealed her capture to Elliot who was horrified to see his mother in danger, as Bernadette pleaded for her son. She was freed after Wheatley demanded his freedom. After he was freed, he revealed to Elliot that Miles works for him. Following the deaths of Richard Wheatley and Angela Wheatley, Bernadette was returned home and Miles was happy to see her. Miles is then taken to a hospital for his injuries, but Stabler also requested that he gets arrested by the police and imprisoned for stalking and harassing the Stabler family along with for his part in assisting with the Wheatley family's crimes. As he was taken away, he pleaded to a horrified Bernadette but was silenced by her son. (OC: "...Wheatley Is To Stabler")
Bernadette had a meltdown one night after seeing Elliot's bruised face after he was assaulted on the job and stated that she was moving out, saying that she didn't want to be a burden on Elliot or his family but Elliot convinced her that she wasn't a burden and that he wanted her to stay as did Bernadette's other family members, which reassured Bernadette. (OC: "Memory Lane")
Bernadette attended the ill-fated dinner party that Elliot threw at his apartment. Although initially happy to see her sons, grandchildren and great-grandsons all together as well as her grandson-in-law and her youngest grandson's girlfriend, she became increasingly upset and got in the middle of a verbal fight between Elliot and Randall when Joseph was brought up. After the fight became physical, everyone except Bernadette, Randall and Joseph Jr. left the party, all feeling upset, disgusted and uncomfortable by what they had witnessed. (OC: "The Last Supper")
Eli and his girlfriend Becky came to visit Bernadette and Randall with some exciting news. Bernadette correctly guessed that Becky was pregnant with Eli's child. He and Becky then confirmed that they were both expecting their first baby together, which delighted Bernadette. Later on, Eli told Bernadette, Randall and Maureen that he was joining the police force just as Elliot came home, who told Eli that he didn't think it was a good idea as the world has become a lot more dangerous since he joined the police force. (OC: "Stabler's Lament")
Trivia[]
- Bernadette has the second highest episode count for any recurring character on Law & Order: Organized Crime, with Victoria Cho and Carlos Maldonado both being the third and Elliot Stabler, Jr. being the first.
Appearances[]
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1 season, 1 episode):
- Law & Order: Organized Crime (3 seasons, 22 episodes):
- Season 2: "New World Order" • "The Good, The Bad And The Lovely" • "Unforgivable" • "The Christmas Episode" • "As Nottingham Was To Robin Hood" • "As Iago Is To Othello" • "...Wheatley Is To Stabler" • "Can't Knock The Hustle" • "Change The Game" • "Dead Presidents" • "Lost One" • "Streets Is Watching" • "Friend Or Foe"
- Season 3: "A Diplomatic Solution" • "Pareto Principle"
- Season 4: "Memory Lane" • "Deliver Us From Evil" • "End Of Innocence" • "The Last Supper" • "Sins Of Our Fathers" • "Semper Fi" • "Stabler's Lament"