‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ 4×11 Review: “Redcoat”

Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×11 “Redcoat” ends in a place that, based on everything that’s happened with this case so far, shouldn’t be shocking. Somehow, though, it is. Maybe that’s the biggest compliment we can give — that we followed the trail of breadcrumbs, that we saw every single red flag, and even then, the moment still landed. Landed in a big way, even. This is the key difference between being “too predictable” in a lazy, boring way and…actually building a story and following it to its inevitable conclusion. (Which, to be clear, this isn’t even the end end — just the end of a chapter). 

But the big reveal isn’t all that stands out about this episode. As always, it’s somewhat difficult to choose strong enough words to explain how much better this series is than it has any right to be. Of course, that again means we should ask — no, demand — where the official renewal announcement is that, as of the time of drafting this review, is still stuck in RumorLand. Which, to be clear: not renewing it at the same time as every other series in the franchise was already beyond ridiculous.

“Redcoat”

First of all, that guy from that show that got screwed over Tom Payne from Prodigal Son is stellar as Julian Emery. It feels odd to say it, but it is such a delight to see him as this cold, calculating sort of super villain who also genuinely can not fathom why Angus doesn’t want to be in business anymore. (Seriously, that “why” is confused and petulant AF.) It’s such an interesting dichotomy, seeing how…light and casual he is about everything, how amused he is by “Hank’s” name — all while we know he ordered a hit on Angus when they were supposed to have their previous meeting. All while we know he ordered a hit on Sam for getting too close, and all while he has so much lethal control over so many lives.

To him, these aren’t other human beings. They’re means to an end, and when they’re no longer useful for him…well. They just have to go. No harm, nothing personal…just business. Emery pulls off his detached, unbothered act so very well. Partially, that’s because he really has about zero human empathy. So, in a sense, it’s more just who he is than any kind of pretense.

However, at least part of that lightness is totally an act, which Payne makes very clear with the most fleeting of sharp, deadly looks in all the right places. The standout example comes when Elliot mentions something under his breath about “killing a cop” being bad for business, and he pauses just so, with that terrible expression on his face, while drinking his wine. But it doesn’t last terribly long. In fact, the dark look comes just before Emery and his goon have a friendly laugh about the murder. (Which then, uh, score one for Elliot for taking a big risk by giving the goon his own furtive death glare. And props to Christopher Meloni for how well that played in the moment.)

Fangirling over what Payne does with his character aside…

The rest of the big meetup scene is, much like the the rest of Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×11, extremely well done in every single way. Stephen Lang does a phenomenal job of portraying just how well Angus is struggling through the entire conversation. He’s used to being this great leader, yet clearly knows what the chain of command is here. (Hint: He’s the lowest of the low…with the exception of his “new guy” companion.) So, this is a much “lesser” Angus we see here — a “small” one. At the same time, he has to assert himself because he so very badly wants out of his deal with the devil. So, he walks this delicate line between being firm and knowing when to back off. What we get, in the end, is to see this fascinating mix of mistrust, grudging respect, Angus’ usual “tough guy” demeanor…and poorly-masked fear.

And Meloni’s in the background as Elliot, with very little to say with words and oh, so much that he says with his presence in the scene. Stabler is most definitely…taking it all in, clearly put off and trying to figure out Emery, who isn’t quite what anyone might’ve expected. It’s like you can see the wheels turning in that head of his, and one of his thoughts is “what’s the plan if this goes south,” while his many other thoughts are about collecting information and so much more. (Imagine if he could rub two brain cells together and be this perceptive in his personal life — for once. Anyway.)

The Stabler brothers continue to not be ok

One thing we can say for certain after Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×11 is that poor Randall had no idea what he was getting himself into when he came home. When we first see him at the bar, all by himself, he is clearly going through it. But then, things get so much worse when Joey makes his big entrance. Or, at least, they get extremely bad for Randall. As viewers, we kinda win because Dean Norris and Michael Trotter are incredible together.

A few things stand out here (besides, you know, everything). To be honest, it’s not completely clear what we’re supposed to get out of them in the moment. In the first place, it’s not at all a good sign that Randall isn’t expecting Joey, but he just…shows up. Somehow, he knows when and where to find people — including his own brothers. Now, that could just be a matter of knowing Randall well enough to have some good guesses and act on them. But, then again, he’s evasive AF when Randall asks him if he knew a cop was killed at the warehouse…so. Jury’s out.

There’s also the not-insignificant matter of the multiple “roles” Joey plays here. He’s the baby brother, pleading for Randall to trust him, to understand why he always stayed overseas. He’s also angry about his older brothers treating him like a little kid, about Randall thinking he knows him when he wasn’t really there…All of this fits his “role” as the youngest Stabler brother. But then, at different points during the conversation — and definitely at the very end, when he really shocks Randall — he becomes someone completely different. He’s deadly calm, lethal in a way that means business when he delivers his final warning:

“Randall. For your safety, for Elliot’s, for Mom’s…back off.”

Trotter works through all the many aspects of Joey’s personality in the most compelling way. The switches are jarring, as they should be. We really, truly do not know who this man is — and neither do his brothers. Randall even flat out asks him at one point, who he is…and that’s before that really scary moment.

But, even as he’s witnessing all of this with his own eyes and ears, Norris makes it very clear that Randall remains in denial. (Who wouldn’t?) He’s extremely confused by Joey’s behavior, but he thinks it’s all about the addiction. (To be fair, some could be.) Then, there’s the problem of the baseball. It leaves Randall — and us as an audience — guessing. Joe can’t be that bad if he bought it back and even hand-delivered it…can he? (He can. Or he can not. Leaning toward “can,” given the way “Redcoat” ends.)

The truth is, we really don’t know. Is he playing Emery? Or playing his brothers? Both? Either way, to return to our earlier point: That ending is a shocker, on so many levels. And it creates even more of an impact than it otherwise might have because Elliot, back home from the absolute chaos at the farm has his older brother fill him in on what he’s missed. (Or, rather, Randall just…offers the information up.) And, during what he thinks is going to be a normal “here’s what you missed” kind of conversation, he finds out about Joey’s (possible?) connection to Sam’s murder. Importantly, all of this happens immediately before we see “Joe Joe” on the plane with Evil Malcolm Bright Julian Emery.

Which, again, Randall is in denial. (Either that, or he’s incredibly dense.) The way he tells Elliot about the blood in the warehouse like he’s discussing the weather…oof.

“And this is where it ends up.”

Obviously, any discussion of Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×11 wouldn’t be complete without discussing everything that happens at the farm…and the aftermath. Let’s start by pointing out something from the very beginning of the episode — the truly disturbing setup for Angus to prepare for “war” with Emery. All of these people are willing to take up arms from this man’s stockpile, and…just saying, not really sure this is what the whole “well-regulated militia” is supposed to be. If anyone was at all confused on how to view those opening scenes of a bunch of former military, now civilians, preparing for their glorious leader’s shoot-to-kill order, what comes later ought to answer their questions.

(It is bad. Very bad. There’s bearing arms…and then, there’s whatever that is. Not to mention, this type of god-like worship is always…very bad.)

Later, when he finds out about the mole, Angus has a choice. He can be responsible for the death of another Marine who happens to also be in law enforcement — this time at the federal level — or he can just…get out of the business as planned. And “Hank” tries to steer him in the right direction but, ultimately, he has to pretend to fall in line to be able to save Trisha. It’s awful. All of it. From the way Angus mobilizes his troops to confirm he has a traitor in their midst, to tying her up, to leaving her in lockup while they get ready to execute her…Like. WTF.

But Elliot, somehow, manages to get the drop on Angus and Tyler. Then, he has to hold Angus at gunpoint to convince him to get his battalion (essentially?) to stand down. And that’s even with the cops also being there. So, to be clear: These people were legitimately ready to go to war with both state and federal law enforcement for this man. The loyalty would be admirable…if it weren’t so violent and mindless.

Anyway. Luckily, things to not go as horribly wrong as they could have. We should be grateful for that because one more shootout…no thank you. Even the arrest scene itself has its powerful moments, though. They’re just smaller, as opposed to the big, bloody showdowns we had one too many of in the past. Here, we have these quiet, slower moments that get to leave an impact, like the Trisha/Elliot salute and that shot of Mama Boone in the cop car.

Angus and Elliot have great showdown in interrogation, where El finally seems to get through to the guy. Notably, he gets there by being very quiet, subdued, and respectful — even if there is that sort of…vibration of Stabler intensity, just barely kept under the surface throughout. It’s a huge contrast to how Angus works through his wide range of emotions, all of which seem to increase in volatility as the scene unfolds. It’s beautiful work from both actors, as Angus accuses Elliot of being a liar and a traitor — notice the guilt, quickly covered, from Meloni — all while Stabler’s there to act as a mirror. In that room, being forced to look at the harm he’s caused — intentionally or not! —  Angus finally, actually sees it.

So, Elliot gets Angus to a place of recognition, then brings up their “common cause,” as he puts it. He asks — eyes begging — for help so he doesn’t lose one of his own. Angus, the perfect picture of pain and regret, agrees. The question, of course, is whether or not it’s too late. And whether or not that “common cause” turns out to be taking down “Joe Joe,” as opposed to bringing Emery to justice. Behind door number three, there’s the concept of both.

Two out of three of those options/theories end very, very badly for Elliot Stabler.

…yay?

More on Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×11

• “The man’s a coward. Just a snake hiding in the shadows.”
• “You have had a shock. You need to just…sit a spell, take it all in…and then, you figure out how to cut the head off that damn snake.” Don’t F— with Mama Boone, ok? And the boys know it. Check out those little looks they give each other before they throw back their whiskey. Amazing.
• Here for the total side-eye Trisha gives Hank when he gets picked over her to go discuss war strategy.
• That quiet moment between Reyes and Shah…ouch.
• Again: Do not F— with Mama Boone. Her little bitter look when she hears that “we all make mistakes” nonsense over the phone is everything. Throw in her being the one to suggest sending a proxy to guarantee Angus’ safety, and seriously, she is the queen bee.
• Elliot (handshake emoji) Joey…”back off.” (Pretend I did this on the twitter dot com, ok? It’d make sense there…right?)
• “You always treat me like I don’t know what I’m doing! I know what I’m doing!” Jury’s still out there!
• “Because every time I’m back here, I’m just the idiot little brother.” As the baby sister, I…felt that. Also: Trotter’s eyes when he starts the “do you ever wonder” part of this. Can not praise his work here enough.
• That intense fight between Randall and Joey, being immediately followed by the hilarity of Randall being passed out on the couch and groggy when the phone woke him…genius contrast.
• But also: I am concerned about whatever Eli has to tell his dad. Nothing good ever comes of anything any Elliot Stabler wants to surprise anyone with.
• But is he related to Krycek from The X-Files, though??? (I do not care that they spelled it differently. My head canon says yes.)
• This Dahlia lady came in here, thinking she was going to take over. And Mama Boone said “not today.”
• Speaking of: “You harm my boy, I’ll gut you like a pig…” and then she slips right back in to sweet, Southern old lady mode. That Southern hospitality is always to be feared. Take note.
• “Of course, if anything happens to you, we’ll kill her.” Again: Do not F— with this woman.
• Lois Smith, we bow to your greatness.
• More greatness: Ainsley Seiger in the moment Jet realizes Stabler’s gone.
• “Of course it is. Not Henry, no. That would be too British, yeah? Hank! Very hearty name. So…American. I love it.” The mockery! (Thanks, he hates it.)
• Elliot, STFU. For once, STFU.
• “I profoundly disagree.” It’s all so polite, yet there’s that something underneath…
• The only way this could’ve been better would be if Payne had the Big Bad for a full season. Multiple seasons. Forever, even.
• Another great shot: “Hank” and Angus looking out the windows on opposite sides of the car!
• And another: Elliot and Trisha in shadow.
• “Where’s your buddy?” “In my pants.” Mature.
• “No case is worth your life.” Imagine if he ever took his own advice. Or heard about the zillions of times his former partner recklessly put her own life on the line while he was gone…
• There are more lines about digging holes in this episode than I could’ve predicted.
• “I’ve seen it!” “Would that be with your eyes? Or…” He’s taken, Mama.
• “She dies a traitor’s death.” And the stunned look on Meloni’s face. I love this man’s work.
• Imagine if anyone had noticed the Morse code sooner.
• Not Elliot and his 1013 again.
• The hateful look from Trisha after she gets free and pounces on Tyler…BAMF.
• And before anyone starts: Tyler was 100% prepared to kill her. Just as easily as El got the drop on him and Angus, he could’ve come for her with his military training when it was just the two of them. This is very, very different than what a certain NYPD Captain recently did. Argue with someone else.
• The roaring “stand down!!!” vs. how deflated Angus is with Emery. Amazing contrast.
• “They taking care of Mama?” “They are. I tried to visit with her, but…she wouldn’t have it.” “Yeah, well. She’s never been real partial to traitors.” I love her.
• “Wrong one…that’s a difficult question to answer because I don’t consider myself a traitor. If that’s what you mean.” “But you sure are a liar, though, aren’t you?” He’s both for his 10-year disappearing act and coming back and toying with us, only to keep disappearing some more. I said what I said.
• “I’m a Marine; I was in Desert Storm with the 30th. I saw action. But I never did bury a Marine until you told me to dig that hole. He was also one of mine — I knew him personally. He left a 2-year-old girl and a wife who was pregnant. She’ll be giving birth any day now. There’s your war story.” Salt. In. The. Wound.
• Also: Truly loved the conviction with which Meloni delivered that entire war story.
• Already discussed it above, but the intensity from both Meloni and Lang in that interrogation scene is really something special.
• “I’m afraid I’m just a stupid old man who lost his way.” Elliot should borrow this line and go talk to his girl.
• “Your man Kyle.” “…who’s Kyle?” Comedy gold, these two. Always.
• And Randall’s just chattering away, totally oblivious to what he’s telling Elliot and to Elliot’s reaction. Amazing!
• Randall to Joey (handshake emoji) Elliot to Randall…”who are you?”
• Help.
• Joe Joe?!
• Why.

Thoughts on Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×11 “Redcoat”? Leave us a comment!

Law & Order: Organized Crime airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.