5 reasons Peter Stone is a badass

1) He reaches for the brass ring

What makes Peter Stone so special as a character is what he stands for, and what he represents. He’s an unabashed idealist. For him, this is about more than wins and losses; it’s about fighting for something bigger than himself, about making a difference in the only way he knows how, and that in turn inspires us to be better as well.

Particularly now that Philip Winchester has shifted the character from Chicago Justice into the world of Law & Order: SVU, we’re getting to see Peter Stone as the TV lawyer we didn’t know we needed. As a character, he embodies and honors more than 20 years of history, because he’s been able to connect the entire universe.

He’s the son of Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty), he’s been in the courtroom with Paul Robinette, and now he works for Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston). Through all of his experiences, Peter really is the sum total of all that history, and we can see it come together in him and how he moves forward from here. He’s creating the next chapter in that history.

And though he may never quite believe it, Peter has done well by his legendary surname. Philip Winchester’s performance would make Michael Moriarty proud. Peter, like Ben, is a character who has a calling and through whom the audience can find their own belief. He’s a good man doing good things for the best possible reasons, and we know that as his story goes on now, he’s only going to get better.

Next: Philip Winchester on Peter Stone's move to SVU

You can watch Philip Winchester as Peter Stone in new episodes of Law & Order: SVU, airing at 9 p.m. ET Wednesdays on NBC. For more SVU coverage, visit the Dick Wolf category at One Chicago Center.