Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) directed episode 9 of Season 25 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (airing April 11, 2024), and her TV son, Ryan Buggle (Noah Benson) couldn’t be any more proud of her work.

The day the episode titled “Children of Wolves” is set to air, Buggle shared an artsy, black and white photo of the two sitting next to each other in director’s chairs.

Ryan Buggle on Mariska Hargitay directing SVU

“An all new @nbclawandorder tonight! Having @therealmariskahargitay direct you is a gift. Always trying to soak her wisdom up like a sponge,” Buggle captioned the post.

“The Bensons ❤️,” the official NBC Law & Order account commented.

This will mark the ninth SVU episode that Hargitay has directed. “Directing has been profound,” the actress told USA Network in 2019. “It helped me understand all of the moving pieces. As an actor, you’re sort of focused on your role and what you need to do, and directing obviously is a huge zoom-out…It’s just made me a better storyteller in every way.”

Mariska Hargitay and Ryan Buggle’s relationship

In a January interview with NBC Insider, Hargitay opened up about the best parts about working with Buggle.

“He is such a special human being,” she told us. “He’s not like a lot of child actors. He is so good, wise beyond his years, so kind, just wants to learn and grow, and so engaged. Everyone adores him, and he’s such a good little actor, so I feel so safe because he’s really present and wants to learn. I just adore him because he’s also a fascinating person.”

She continued, “He’s an incredible gymnast, he’s a great little thinker, and he asks such good questions, and he’s really open for anything. He’s like a little adult, but in a good way. I adore him, and I love having scenes with him. Sometimes with little kids, it’s like, ‘OK, are they gonna get it? Am I gonna have to navigate this?’ But with him it’s not like that. I look forward to it. And I have real love for him.”

The feeling is mutual, as that month, Buggle took to Instagram to give Hargitay the best birthday shoutout.

“Happy Birthday M!! I love you more than words. You’re a masterclass for life, and I think this day should be a national holiday! When people ask me what it’s like working with you I pretty much just say that I pinch myself because they should take how great they already think you are and multiply by infinity!” he wrote in the caption.