‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ 4×04 Review: “The Last Supper”

If Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×04 “The Last Supper” has taught us anything, it’s that this series keeps getting better and better. The difference in quality between this show and the other two that are currently running in the Law & Order franchise is stark, and it all comes down to the way Organized Crime takes its time with the personal stories, even in the midst of all the anxiety that comes along with an action-packed procedural element. And, while the Stabler family saga itself is easily a highlight, there’s no attempt to make this a one-man show. Which, of course, is what makes what happens to Sergeant Bell at the end of this particular hour that much more difficult to bear. 

There’s a boldness to the storytelling, and nothing ever feels forced in or awkwardly at odds. And even as our main character can’t get a break and is emotionally attacked on multiple fronts — same, El. Same — there’s still always something lighter to grasp onto. As in, it’s not all darkness and weight on the man’s shoulders all the time. (Just most of the time.) Elliot Stabler is not alone, even when he may feel like it. And neither is Ayanna Bell, or Bobby Reyes, or Jet Slootmaekers. They have each other, and in Elliot’s case, even the very people causing some of his worst heartbreak (and ours) are still there for him, in their own way. Because, well. That’s family, isn’t it?

“The Last Supper”

The Stabler family dinner is such an emotional rollercoaster…and then, there’s what happens between Elliot and Randall after. This family event could’ve easily taken up the whole hour, but somehow, Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×04 contains even more. This should not be possible to do in a procedural — and even less possible to do well — but this series just makes it look like the easiest, most natural thing in the world. We’d say someone should try to bottle this magic and use it elsewhere…but then, it might get diluted and not actually feel so magical at all anymore.

But enough generalized gushing.

It’s difficult to even know where to begin with explaining the strengths of all the Stabler family scenes. And forget about picking the best of the best. Is it the absolutely crushing feeling of watching Bernie study her flashcards and still struggle — knowingly struggle, even — while her sons watch, and beg, and plead for her to have one of her “good” days and recognize everyone? Or is the comedic relief of Randall and Elliot bickering over the steaks? Perhaps when they’re talking shit on Junior, calling him “a suckup” while being ever-so-slightly disgusted that he brought Mama a gift?

Maybe, instead, it’s Elliot kind of…parenting his baby brother out by the grill while Joe Jr. immediately clocks El’s lack of agreement with their mom’s choices. (As in, the detective continues to be in denial.) And — no small feat — El even shows us some self (and family) awareness during the conversation, referencing his own frustrating avoidance tactics while trying to work through Joe’s recent ones. It’s such a fascinating look at the Stabler family dynamics. Instead of talking down to viewers to explain it all to us, though, we just…see it. These moments all stand out because, while all powerful and beautifully done in their own way, none stick out like sore thumbs. They merely belong.

The list of moments that would be “big” on most other shows, expertly woven into this hour as just…part of life, feels endless — but always in the most normal and human of ways. Life, especially with large families and especially with this combination of past trauma and an ongoing decline like Bernie’s, is exactly this. It’s needing to check in with very stressful and and important things at work in the midst of the chaos. And it’s feeling kicked in the chest one minute by someone who loves you and needs your full attention, while thriving in the pure joy and excitement of holding one grandkid in each arm the next. It’s love, and hate, and worry, and regret, and just wanting to be anywhere but here — while also being right in this moment. And it’s being closer with some loved ones than others, with that distinction constantly changing.

Of course, one of the most difficult — if, yet again, stellar — scenes in Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×04 is Bernie’s big confession, which leads to the big catastrophe. Bernie is insistent that she has to remember something, and even as Elliot tries to patiently tell her the story he knows, she’s adamant. And in the moment when Elliot sees Randall’s face and realizes he’s been lied to all these years, that Bernie does remember this one crucial thing — that she kicked Randall out for calling IAB on their father — it’s like we can feel that sinking, seeping dread in the pit of his stomach, right in our own guts.

And, after all these years, Randall is nasty about it. About the kind of cop El is or isn’t, about him either not knowing or not caring — running away from it all — that Joe Stabler was beating the shit out of his Mama. It’s an awful, awful scene and an ugly one. Bernie’s pain, all the kids’ awkwardness, their desire to leave, the accusatory looks directed at their father…and Randall’s comment about how Elliot would’ve sided with Joe. (On what planet???) And there’s the rage, the hatred, the damned-near murder in El’s eyes as he gets up, slaps Junior’s hand off his arm, and knocks Randall on his ass.

And all of this as Bernie sobs while reliving those horrible years in a mind that isn’t retaining much these days, yet still retained this. Not just that, but wants to come clean before she can’t. And, somehow, still feels the need to protect both of her boys as she does.

Then, of course, work interrupts. Again. And everybody blames Elliot for everything. Again. But really…what is he supposed to do, abandon the other people he loves when their lives are in danger? That’s just not Elliot Stabler. So, he goes. As he always does. And, as complicated and inconvenient as it may be, it’s what he definitely must do in this situation.

And Elliot has to come home to clean up the mess, to his Mama being gone and things being…not great, with Randall. Just to keep driving home the point: It is impossible to come up with the strongest moment, the highlight of the night, or even which of the many, many emotional beats Christopher Meloni has to hit in “The Last Supper.” The same could be said for those oh, so real brotherly interactions with Dean Norris — though, there is something special about the final scene. Even as Randall drops another bomb on El, he’s still…somehow there for Elliot, refuses to abandon him even after that terrible fight they just had.

And we’re definitely not trying to pick a favorite aspect of Ellen Burstyn’s performance. There’s no way to explain or describe her excellence in the role of a woman with such a horrible past, one she can’t even hold onto as her whole self slowly disappears…But, at the end of the day, we do want to point out one thing that might get lost in all of this. Namely, we finally know why Bernie needed Randall here, so that answers our questions from earlier this season. We finally understand her frantic urge to go, to get to Randall. She was still stuck in her old nightmare of a life, wanting — needing — out. And she desperately wanted to use the bus tickets he sent her, after all this time, to go somewhere safe. It wasn’t that she wanted Randall instead of Elliot — she wanted him instead of his father.

But Bernie’s predicament isn’t one she can escape from — there’s no happy ending to this, folks. And the urge to run away wasn’t all that was driving her either. She had to have Randall here, now, to make sure everyone knew the truth. To try to make sure, when she’s gone — heart-wrenchingly sooner rather than later — that the brothers will have each other because they won’t hold this old sense of abandonment any longer. Randall is absolved of the sins he never committed. Now, he’s even gotten a chance to let loose some of that resentment and bitterness over having to be the one to see and deal with his parents’ abusive relationship, to try to do something while Elliot (seemingly) got to get away unscathed.

(Which, of course, Elliot…didn’t. Older Baldy, have you met Detective Baldy? He is 1000 kinds of fucked up!)

Also thanks to Bernie, Elliot now knows he’s not the only one in the family to sacrifice himself for everyone else around him. All along, Randall was doing exactly that. In order to avoid embarrassing his mom, he his loved ones believe the worst of him. The lie also served to protect Elliot and the others from an even more awful truth. These brothers, it turns out, are more alike than they’re different. And they’re both, in spite of their own problems that they will work through, concerned about the youngest. Yes, we’re afraid to figure out what’s going on with Junior. But, apparently, “that’s a saga for another night.”

…we’re scared.

And there was still a case!

When he’s not just a guy with a complicated, difficult family — who doesn’t have one of those? — Elliot is Detective Stabler. And that role is extremely important to him, yet in serious jeopardy as Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×04 ends. But even though Detective Stabler is the glue that holds the two sides of this episode together, there are still plenty of great performances and great story elements to go around. For everyone. We’ve said it before: This series could work without Meloni and still be just as good. (Though we don’t want to have to live through that kind of shakeup again.)

So, as far as the investigation goes…

First off, congratulations to Detective Bashir on the promotion, and sorry (not sorry) to Reyes for being stuck back at the shop with Random AI Man while Bashir gets to do all the exciting stuff. Can not stress enough how much we want to keep Abubakr Ali as Sam forever or how great Rick Gonzalez is at expressing his character’s jealousy and frustration. (As in, he’s acting just a wee bit like a child. Though, admittedly, that’s about right for someone in his position at this point.) Then, you add Bell and Stabler basically being the Task Force Mom and Task Force Zaddy Dad, with Dad backing Mom up (as he should!) when Bobby gets petulant…and yeah. Good stuff.

But the task force is all out of fun and games after we’re done seeing Bobby pout, of course. Besides, he’s no match for Kiki, the brattiest teenager to ever bratty. And of course she ruins everything by texting her uncle and boyfriend. It’s precisely because that part is predictable that all the scenes of Sam bonding with Lucas, and Jet having a generalized “WTF” over Kiki, are so good. We even have this moment where Jet freezes — Ainsley Seiger is fantastic here, as usual — because she senses something off about Kiki’s line of questioning, just after having done a really good job of playing “mother bargaining with teen” via the whole smoky eye thing…that is a very effective misdirect of sorts.

Yes, we’re correct to guess that everything is about to go to hell, and it’s going to be, in large part, due to Kiki’s relationship with Uncle Carlo. But while the episode basically screams, “things are not always as they seem,” it doesn’t tell us everything. Because we go through knowing how it all ends — without ever guessing some major details about what really happens in the end.

And um. Let’s talk about that part.

The easy part to get out of the way is “I know y’all did not do that to The Sergeant Ayanna Bell.” But even building up to that just…wow? Danielle Moné Truitt, action hero. Bell is terrified, yet in charge, determined, and not going down without a fight. (Until she does. Which, again: Rude.) Who needs Meloni? And what even with that utterly lethal look in Seiger’s eyes as Jet is nothing but instinct and reflexes to take down her would-be killer — and, then, somehow, becomes even more scary AF when she takes his weapon? Look: Guns are usually bad, actually, but Jet Slootmaekers reducing everything down to herself, her weapon, and survival is, how you say…the definition of kickass.

So, the big (rude) surprise in Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×04 is what happens after Elliot shows up and helps his team. Lucas is the one to aim his gun, and it’s El’s instincts that have him spring into action and tackle the kid (way too hard), resulting in a crushed skull. And Bell takes the bullet meant for him. So, no, we’re not ok. At all. We are, again, not ok when Elliot shows up to the hospital to see Bobby already waiting by Ayanna’s side, when El holds her hand, or when we actually get a mention of Denise.

Once upon a time, Sergeant Bell also had a home life! We remember: Confirmed!

But, no, that’s not all in the “they keep hurting us, but it’s so good” department. Because the hits just keep on coming. Detective Stabler gets himself suspended for assaulting a kid, and it is way too close to the Jenna case for our comfort. We know what happens when this man kills kids to protect his partner. What happens when he seriously injures (possibly kills, almost certainly traumatizes forever) a kid to protect himself but gets his partner shot in the process? We’re going with nothing good.

Also: Y’all better heal Bell. Fully and quickly. Period!

More on Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×04

• Anyone else kinda love how the whole “work/life balance is too difficult” thing is being put on a man for once?
• “You know how it goes: at the end of the day, family’s family.” He really told us, right at the very beginning of the episode, that things would work out with Randall in the end, huh.
• The dynamic between Meloni and Peter Scanavino is so good — more of this!
• “Where you going? You’re not going nowhere.” Mother Bell. So true. And then Zaddy: “…mmmhm. We have Bashir.” A comedy!
• Tag yourself. I’m Jet’s frozen, “WTF is this girl’s problem” look at Kiki when she demands to know why the cops are there.
• “…saint of lost causes.” “Ha. Yeah.” Us, when we scavenge for EO crumbs.
• Also: That self-deprecating “ha” is painful to think about.
• “If my dad were alive, he’d peel your face off and put it on a soccer ball.” And if El’s girlfriend were here, she’d go find your asshole uncle and put his balls in a blender. What about it?
• Can not handle Stabler basically begging Bell to let him stay on the case. Or her clearly struggling but having to put her foot down.
• His awkward “…yeah” when she says he gets to do “that thing with the fam.” Absolutely love these partners forever.
• “Elliot. I couldn’t forget him if I tried.” The fandom for the 10 years that bald bitch was ghosting us.
• Kathleen is part of her daddy’s defense squad. Love that!
• Just gonna…put this here.
• “Wish I had a back like that again.” “Wish I had hair like that again.”
• “I used to pray that my dad would die. Is it wrong that I’m happy that he’s gone? Does that make me a bad person?” Why does this feel like an Elliot Stabler confession?
• “You’re not that scary.” That part!!!
• “It means you were so cool. You were such a badass over there. I wanted…what you had. I guess i wanted to be you.” The look El gives Junior here? Same.
• Also: Welp. Whatever happened to him, since he enlisted to be like his big brother, that means Elliot gets more guilt. That “…joy” line from Jet earlier in the episode is my reaction to that thought.
• “Us Stablers tend to…shut people out. When we don’t know how to handle things.” Olivia Benson has entered the chat.
• Truitt’s roar when Bell asks the boyfriend who he is and why he’s here. Here we thought that was the only immediate danger. (Eh, not really. But we hoped!)
• “And no, I don’t need you to rush over here.” Great delivery, great moment of Bell basically reading her partner’s mind before he even had the chance to start shit…
• …incorrect, in hindsight.
• Fascinating how Randall rubbed his relationship with Eli in Elliot’s face but then defends him to the kid. (Brothers!)
• On the one hand, I get why Eli is upset. But on the other…it’s very hard to give a fair response to the kid whose very existence came about because his father knocked on the wrong door and ruined us for decades to come.
• The ear pull, the sagging posture…the Stabler that shouldn’t have been really broke his dad’s heart. We will talk shit on this man forever, but nobody (but Liv) gets to hurt him. Send that kid and Kiki off to prison somewhere together.
• “…“makeup all over his face. And he’s wearing a jumper and some of Mom’s old boots…” Oh. My. God. I think adult Elliot should recreate the moment.
• “I WAS SUSAN DAY OF THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY!!!!” He is having so much fun.
• …and then.
• “Now, don’t talk to me like I’m a child! I can still smack you upside the head, you know, Mister.” Once again missing my Grannie. (On a lot of levels…but there’s an old family story…and yeah.) How did Ellen Burstyn learn to be her — at least in some moments????
• More women should be all, “QUIET” at this man.
• “Detective Stabler solved the case. Randall’s an ass.” The fandom detectives solved that one the very first time we met him but ok.
• The way Mama Bernie pounds on the table…
• Why do all these ungrateful brats always blame and judge Elliot for everything? It’s one thing for them to behave the way they did as kids, but now that they’re grown…everything’s…still always Elliot’s fault? And no one else’s? K. Their mother really did raise them, huh?
• Man on a fucking mission heading to that scene.
• “SARGE IT’S ME”
• “You talking about the minor who shot my Sergeant?” His tone…and while he was in his little “reporting to a superior officer” stance before Captain Shah raised his hackles, too. Oops.
• Go. To. Therapy. All. Y’all. Stablers.
• “It was, uh, me trying to save her. And you. She never used them.” Might go cry for the rest of my life.
• The way Meloni’s voice cracks when El tells Randall his CO got shot.
• And…can we talk about the way Elliot immediately reassures his brother that taking his phone had nothing to do with it???? He loves his older brother. Period.
• …but taking the phone didn’t exactly help either, asshole.
• “He gonna be ok?” “It’s a she.” !!!!!
• That expression on Meloni’s face just before Elliot tells Randall he got himself suspended…oof.
• And the older brother tries to look out for El and take care of him, just like he was trying with Junior.
• Nope. I’m not ok!
• Ok but has Liv ever called El back, or…??????
• Also, if she’s bringing someone from IAB in on her cases, and he’s in trouble again…she has got to know/find out. Right????

Thoughts on Law & Order: Organized Crime 4×04 “The Last Supper”? Leave us a comment!

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