Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×10 “Nemesis” felt like a lot of setup. But we’re good with that because, well, that’s what the episiode was clearly supposed to be doing. We’ve closed out this season’s first arc. Now, it’s time to dig into what the next round of storytelling—the next mini season within Organized Crime season 2, if you will—will be like.
And yes, as the title made clear, we saw the return of Elliot Stabler’s nemesis, Richard Wheatley. On the plus side, Chris Meloni and that guy whose name we’re not writing for, um, reasons are as wonderful together on screen as ever. Wheatley is the perfect villain for this series because he always keeps viewers guessing, and seeing him ruffle Detective Stabler’s feathers, without him being able to really do anything about it, is just fun.
But then again, as Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×10 made abundantly clear, Dick isn’t the only Wheatley we have to watch out for. And he’s not exactly the worst one either, as we’ve kind of suspected for a while now. El’s been able to see through Richard since the beginning, but Angela (Tamara Taylor), on the other hand…There’s a moment in “Nemesis” where it seems like our boy is really assessing her and starting to catch on to how much she’s faking her disability. But the question always becomes whether that’s wishful thinking on an educated viewer’s part—after all, we know she’s faking it as of the end of “The Christmas Episode”—or some actual detecting from our veteran detective.
I mean, we all know Stabler is good at what he does, terrible with women. And, of course, he’s always been especially pathetic at reading the true emotions of women with pretty brown eyes…
But the shiny-headed grandzaddy, who doesn’t even know what a Tesla, is isn’t the only person at OCCB. And he’s not the only character on Law & Order: Organized Crime to be up against a nemesis in this arc either. When one of the key players in a prison break was infamous hacker Sebastian McClane, that meant our girl Jet Slootmaekers (Ainsley Seiger) was going to be just as important as, if not more important than, Stabler in setting things to rights.
…and Jet was also going to need a little help from one of her friends. Or a frenemy. Or um. I’m sorry, but we ship this as an enemies-to-lovers thing here. One hundred percent.
This means Sergeant Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) is going to, once again, be stuck listening to some old marrieds bickering all the time when they’re supposed to be working. For now, it’s Jet and Malachi, rather than EO’s mutual strokefests. (Yes. Plural. It’s been a season already.) Bell, too, has her own mess to deal with in the form of Congressman Kilbride, who’s out here pretending to help the old neighborhood by opening a new library (in his name, of course) while…taking a bunch of dirty money from Mr. Webb and telling his boys to delay construction in any way possible so that the project never gets completed.
Basically, as has been the case with every episode since this series premiered, Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×10 had a lot going on. The hour completely flew by, and even in the places where we weren’t completely sure what was going on, we were really, really interested in finding out what’s next.
Mission Setup: Complete.
We are having more thoughts on Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×10, as we do…
- Elliot noping the fuck out of that room when he saw Wheatley was working “with” them on this case was the mood.
- On the one hand, Grandzaddy was such a sweet gentleman, helping Angela to her seat. On the other, he’s really stupid for thinking he needs to warn this woman about the ex-husband she’s (surprise!) actually working with. Again.
- Tamara Taylor really doesn’t get enough credit for doing that, does she?
- Ok but why aren’t we getting the thirst-trap camera angles anymore? They were necessary for the, uh, plot.
- “I lost my home, my company, and my fortune.” And yet, you’re still dressed in your fancy suits and swaggering around like you own the place.
- “Redemption,” my ass.
- …but like. Stick around for a while. You’re fun.
- You say McClane’s a criminal for hacking those student loan databases. I say he’s a goddamned hero. Seriously, why do real-life hackers never help us out???
- “Maybe he’s turned over a new leaf.” “Maybe he’s hiding under one.” I love them, Your Honor.
- Surprised Grandzaddy didn’t stroke out at seeing there was no one driving the Innovus, seeing as how he’s never heard of electric vehicles or whatever. Yes, Stabler, we’re in the future now. That’s what happens when you leave us for ten years, you bald bitch.
- “I guarantee you: He messed up his own face so we couldn’t track him…That’s so metal.” We continue to be a Jet Slootmaekers stan account.
- It’s Jalachi, right? Right.
- “My feelings have nothing to do with anything. He’s making a fool out of you, out of all of us.” So, the cool thing here? It’s usually women who have to defend their motivations and say it’s not all about their feelings. In Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×10, we’ve got the super alpha male protagonist saying this line. Iconic.
- And, of course, Elliot was right all along. Brewster is such a dumbass. So is everyone at the FBI, apparently.
- “At that time, I truly believed you.” El knows, right?? He knows.
- “…just like witnessing a miracle.” He knows.
- It’s just so beautiful, how everything about “Nemesis” came together in the end, with both Wheatleys having been working with McClane all along. The genius of this series.
- …but I guess the one thing Organized Crime is going to share with a certain other series is a lack of continuity regarding a certain invitation, for a certain “friend” to visit another “friend’s” house for a get-together. I expected better. Truly.
- But at least this means we get to just decide the invitation was accepted. And the date was perfect. (Yes, it was a date. Fight me.)
Law & Order: Organized Crime airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.