Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×11 “As Nottingham Was To Robin Hood” was another one of those TV episodes that just had everything. A budding ship? Check. Family feels? Big check. An action-packed crime story with so many twists and turns, we couldn’t keep up? Yup. More shady shit from Angela Wheatley, with Tamara Taylor being so good at playing both sides of her character, we seriously have no idea what to think? Mmmmhm.
So, where do we even begin with any of it? Well. It all starts and ends with Elliot Stabler, pretty much not giving a fuck—but, like, in the best way. Seriously, this man is one hundred percent out of chill, and we’re here for it. Because the thing is, he’s right. About everything. He hasn’t been able to prove anything, but our sharp-dressed man knows Richard Wheatley is behind Sebastian McClane’s release. And honestly, it’s pretty clear when El shares his theory with Sergeant Ayanna Bell in Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×11 that she’s not completely discounting his theory. Because at this point, she’s come to trust her detective.
But, you know, Bell tells Stabler to keep his speculation between them…only for him to be like “nah. IDGAF” and state it explicitly during a video call with Teddy Garcia and Wheatley himself there. Despite Chris Meloni being hotter than ever, his character realizes he isn’t exactly getting any younger. Stabler does not have enough years left in his life to care, and honestly? In this house, we appreciate that.
El is also too worried about his family to have anything remotely resembling patience, which is completely on brand. Should he be so obvious about stalking his nemesis? No. Are we at all mad about him threatening Wheatley? Also no. Especially not when he immediately followed that up with a super emotional moment with his mom. Organized Crime is so unfairly good about fully-developing all of its characters—showing both their dark and light moments—and it’s particularly amazing with its leading man.
We’ve always known that Detective Stabler was fiercely protective of the people he loved and, from time to time, a bit too consumed by his quest for justice to be able to control himself. So, when Wheatley tried to paint him in the most negative light possible during his sucking-up session with Garcia, there was just enough truth behind his lies. Because Elliot is not just “guy out of fucks to give,” or “guy who threatens scumbags,” or even “guy who cries and holds his ‘Mama.'” He’s all of those things, which makes him feel very real and makes this series very good.
The hacker with heart
The fully character development, avoiding caricatures and stereotypes, is what Law & Order: Organized Crime continues to do so incredibly well across the board. Organized Crime 2×11, in particular, does a fantastic job of making its “criminal hacker,” Sebastian McClane, into a giant ball of gray areas. McClane broke the law, but he did it because he wanted to close an abusive wealth and power gap. He did it out of his “genuine affection for humanity—in concept” (next time, @ me) and wanting things to be better, not just for the privileged, but for all of us.
…but even with good intentions, his vigilantism cost a man his life. That haunts McClane, which we see play out—to his detriment—in “As Nottingham Was To Robin Hood.”
He spends his time as a recently-freed man trying to do right by the family of Luther Jones. And no, he doesn’t think setting up an account full of cryptocurrency for them is magically going to take away their loss. Kesha’s dad is dead—there’s no bringing him back. But McClane wants to at least make sure she doesn’t have the extra financial struggle on top of that.
“I know that is not going to bring back your husband…her father…But I hope it eases some of your burden.
Can we talk about how emotional Robin Lord Taylor was here? No. We can’t. Because even thinking about it hurts.
Sebastian doesn’t even argue with Kesha’s mom when she says he deserves to be in prison. His escape was never about that. It was about attacking “the man,” the system, all of the actually bad things. He’s our Robin Hood but in a modern technology sort of way. And that’s why he also wants nothing to do with Richard Wheatley’s offer to work with him, for him, or whatever Wheatley wants to call it.
“Revenge is an ugly motive.”
Which brings us to the plot twist. After promising to turn himself in after he had the chance to meet with the Jones family, McClane had no reason to belive that his arrest as he walked out of the family’s home was anything but normal.
It wasn’t.
Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×11 continued the series’ tradition of avoiding being anything remotely resembling predictable. By now, we know the hour will fly by, and we know to expect the unexpected. And yet…the giant “WTF” of finding out the people who picked up McClane were cosplaying as law enforcement in order to bring him back to Wheatley? That was delicious.
The real deal villain here…maybe?
Speaking of delicious: Angela Wheatley. But not in a “we want to be yet another person she kisses while she’s working them on behalf of her boy Dick” kind of way. It’s more of a, “we respect the shit out of the development here” kind of way.
The way Tamara Taylor played her here, she was just so much fun to watch. There was that opening scene, where she seemed to be nothing more than the over-the-top villain in her lair, backing up Richard’s play and just kind of smugly enjoying the scene. But then…when the time came to try to talk McClane into joining them, even after his kidnapping, she seemed to make some progress because she knew exactly how to hook him.
It was the exact same game she played with Elliot, way back when Law & Order: Organized Crime started. No, really. The exact same game: Find out what makes the guy tick, pretend to have common ground, and even throw in a kiss for good measure.
But…And here’s the part that made this episode, and really that just makes this show, so good: We still don’t quite know if she’s the true mastermind here, or if she’s just taking whichever side is most convenient—whichever side she feels is safest—for her. At the moment, especially considering the way Angela wasn’t afraid of Richard in the slightest and even told him how “tedious” his mentions of love, we’re thinking she’s a Big Bad.
…but that’s just where we are after Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×11. Who knows where else this show is going to take us when it comes to Angela Wheatley’s journey? We know better than to assume we have even the slightest clue. That’s literally all we’re sure of right now.
More musings on Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×11
- “Pay phone. Vintage.” I have never felt older.
- “This is your first, last, and only warning: If you ever come anywhere near anyone in my family ever again, I’ll kill you. This is between you and me, and you’d better remember that or you’re going to end up in a shallow grave out in the woods with a bullet in your head.” This shouldn’t be hot, yet it is? Maybe it’s the Meloni effect.
- “The man is like the Energizer bunny. He’s unstoppable.” Love that for Livie.
- “New York was one of the two great loves of my life.” “Who was the other?” “You’ve met Angela.” Sure, Jan.
- I considered writing an entire Jalachi post for Law & Order: Organized Crime 2×11. But I’ve decided I’m going to wait until there’s even more content. Because there’s totally gonna be more content. Enjoy the reactions as they come, though.
- Malachi, Jet Slootmaekers fanboy. So true. They are disgusting (in the best way).
- “You smell great, by the way.” If you don’t think that Jalachi moment gave me a flashback to Elliot’s hair-sniffing stunt, you’re new here.
- “I have a fair amount of insight into the Sebastian McClanes of the world.” Except you don’t, Dick. You can’t because he has a good motive, and you…don’t. Never have.
- Elliot: “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Me: Mood.
- Ok but really. It’s the Jalachi for me. The chairs that moved closer and closer together, this boy smirking every time he pushed Jet’s buttons, the footsies under the table, Jet leaning over the back of Malachi’s chair while he was decrypting McClane’s message as if she couldn’t just look from her own damned seat…Rise, hacker ship. Rise.
- And then, they got to go out in the field together??? We truly stan a baby EO tribute!
- No, but truly: They are insane for this.
- Bernie Stabler has clearly never seen Scream. I know this because she was all “omg who’s there” and didn’t go inside and lock the door.
- “Don’t let him do that to you, Honey. Don’t let him live inside you.” I just heard “Liv. Inside you.”
- “I don’t see any light.” Liv is the light. Prove me wrong.
- “Are you telling me Stabler is an overzealous cop?” Dick Wheatley: EO anti. Teddy Garcia: Absolute newb.
- “He is the very heart of darkness…” And Wheatley’s “hey, read some Moby Dick” moment. And the title of this episode…We get it, Organized Crime writers: You’re well read. (And we stan.)
- “Keep working on that limp.” Elliot Stabler, out of fucks sass king.
- “What have you got, Elliot? Blue balls.” I mean…23 years…
- That helicopter getaway at the end should’ve been corny as hell, and yet…It worked?
Law & Order: Organized Crime airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.
