# L&O SVU Actress Mariska Hartigay expecting- How best to work into the storyline? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730 "2005-12-02T15:29:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/1 "2005-12-02T15:29:36Z")
[Mariska Hartigay, of Law and Order SVU is expecting](http://www.nationalenquirer.com/gossip/63958). How are they going to work that into the storyline? “So I’ve gained a little weight, it’s a thyroid condition” “I’m an undercover drug carrying mule with a fake pregnancy tummy to carry drugs” “I’m loooovve burritos. Is that a crime?” “I’ve got some wicked gas” “I’m doing the surrogate thing for my long lost sister who just came back into my life” “Every sperm is sacred” ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/2 "2005-12-02T15:45:59Z")
“It was time to ride the Stabler love train!” ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/3 "2005-12-02T15:49:13Z")
“my back’s been acting up - I’ll just sit here behind this large pile of paperwork and not leave my desk for the next few months” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/4 "2005-12-02T16:27:35Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > “my back’s been acting up - I’ll just sit here behind this large pile of paperwork and not leave my desk for the next few months” Don’t forget carrying in bags of groceries because she didn’t have time to stop at home when the call came in, and wearing a long overcoat well into May. Congratulations, though! ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/5 "2005-12-02T16:51:36Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Don’t forget carrying in bags of groceries because she didn’t have time to stop at home when the call came in, and wearing a long overcoat well into May. Well, considiering most of the season always seemsto take place in the October-December area (cause I assume that’s when they do most of their filming) it wouldn’t be too hard to keep her in a coat. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/6 "2005-12-02T16:54:28Z")
Has **L&O SVU** gone on long enough for the to have a Very Special Episode? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/7 "2005-12-02T17:02:17Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > Has **L&O SVU** gone on long enough for the to have a Very Special Episode? Og, I hope not. I do NOT want them to work it into the show in any way, it doesn’t fit with her character to have a child. She was raised by a single mom and hated her childhood. And while she herself loves children and would no doubt make a great mom, she would still have guilt over brining a child into the world without a nice father figure as well (or, in my mind, another mommy, who happens to be an ADA… 😉 ) So there’s no way she would _plan_ to have a child, and if she got knocked up by accident (which seems odd, since she’s smart enough to always use protection…but ok, they fail occaisionally) I would see her getting an abortion, for the same reasons listed above. She wouldn’t want to bring a child into this world yet, and nothing I have ever seen about her character makes her pro-life. But here is what I fear…you dread it, yet you know there’s a large possibility it will happen. You say to yourself, “They wouldn’t go there…they _couldn’t_ go there.” But they do. Benson gets raped and has a child as a result of it. That’s like jumping the shark while it’s on fire. Also, on a big wheel instead of a motorcycle. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/8 "2005-12-02T17:12:26Z")
No, I doubt they’ll write in in. While she’s on maternity leave I’m sure they’ll have her off testifying at trials or on vacation or something. Maybe they’ll shoot her and she’ll recover in the hospital, like they did for Detective Ed Green when the actor was on hiatus, acting on Broadway. Anyone notice the picture in the link is a bit similar to that notorious one of John Kerry’s daughter taken at the Cannes Film Festival? ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/9 "2005-12-02T17:28:29Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Og, I hope not. I do NOT want them to work it into the show in any way, it doesn’t fit with her character to have a child. > > She was raised by a single mom and hated her childhood. \ > > Benson gets raped and has a child as a result of it. Actually - if you recall - Olivia is the result of a rape induced pregnancy ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/10 "2005-12-02T17:32:06Z")
Shot in the line of duty and solving crimes from her hospital bed. Easy! My MIL told me in real life, she’s the daughter of Jayne Mansfield or someone equally famous and stunningly beautiful. Any truth to that? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/11 "2005-12-02T17:35:00Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Shot in the line of duty and solving crimes from her hospital bed. Easy! > > My MIL told me in real life, she’s the daughter of Jayne Mansfield or someone equally famous and stunningly beautiful. Any truth to that? Yes … Jayne Mansfield and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/12 "2005-12-02T18:58:21Z")
Maybe they’ll come up with a storyline that has her doing some time on federal charges. Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/13 "2005-12-02T20:17:17Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > Actually - if you recall - Olivia is the result of a rape induced pregnancy Well, that was my point. If the writers suck, they will _think_ they are being poignet by going with that storyline. But yeah, getting shot and recovering is probably the best option. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/14 "2005-12-02T20:37:02Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > My MIL told me in real life, she’s the daughter of Jayne Mansfield or someone equally famous and stunningly beautiful. Any truth to that? Gee, how are we supposed to answer that if we don’t know your MIL’s name? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/15 "2005-12-02T20:48:27Z")
Maybe they can work it into a very special episode wherein Olivia is discovered to have a belly inflation fetish? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/16 "2005-12-02T21:00:40Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Yes … Jayne Mansfield and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. !!! Never knew that! The Wikipedia article bears it out – [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariska\_Hargitay](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariska_Hargitay) – except that there’s some doubt about whether her biological father was Mickey Hargitay or Nelson Sardelli. And Mariska and two brothers were **in the car** when Jayne Mansfield, her boyfriend and their driver were killed in a car crash in 1967. Makes her almost as tragic a figure as Olivia Benson! ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/17 "2005-12-02T21:15:41Z")
> [@astro](#): > > “I’m doing the surrogate thing for my long lost sister who just came back into my life” They already did that one on _Law & Order: Criminal Intent_ when Kathryn Erbe was pregnant. I really hope they don’t do it again. I’d rather they have her get shot and then spend some time recovering. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/18 "2005-12-02T21:22:12Z")
Fabulous gene pool no matter which gentleman is her actual father: Nelson Sardelli: [http://www.nelsonsardelli.com/Artwork/him/nelsonself.jpg](http://www.nelsonsardelli.com/Artwork/him/nelsonself.jpg) Mickey Hargitay “back in the day”: [http://tinyurl.com/7oyf6](http://tinyurl.com/7oyf6) Mickey still looking dapper (he has owned a plant/garden center in CA for a number of years) [http://tinyurl.com/aylxl](http://tinyurl.com/aylxl) And of course - Mama Jayne: [![](http://vespa-club-des-savoie.chez-alice.fr/affiches/calend/1963_08JayneMansfield.jpg) ](http://vespa-club-des-savoie.chez-alice.fr/affiches/calend/1963_08JayneMansfield.jpg) [http://tinyurl.com/8h8z2](http://tinyurl.com/8h8z2) VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/19 "2005-12-02T21:22:57Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Benson gets raped and has a child as a result of it. You know, when I saw the title of this thread on the Cafe Society page, that was my exact first thought. And given the “high stakes” this season (i.e., every episode has been A Special Episode You Can’t Miss And Has Emmy Written All Over It), I honestly would not be surprised if that’s what the network ended up doing. Not that I think NBC would actually do it, understand, but I could see that happening. That would truly be the final nail in the coffin of this once terrific show. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730/20 "2005-12-02T21:23:36Z")
Simplest, most low-key way to handle it: Olivia gets knocked up in a one-night stand by some guy she never wants to see again; wrestles a while with the choice; finally decides to have the baby and put it up for adoption; takes a short leave to give birth; no Very Special Episode, no big whoop, she’s back at work the next week with only a mild case of post-natal depression. Do they dare? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-o-svu-actress-mariska-hartigay-expecting-how-best-to-work-into-the-storyline/333730.md?page=2)