WARNING! SPOILERS ahead forLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5, episode 10, “He Was A Stabler.“Law & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5, episode 10, titled “He Was A Stabler,” offers an exciting end to a major storyline before tying up loose ends. Joey’s (Michael Trotter) precarious situation with kingpin Julian Emery (Tom Payne) has been an important arc throughoutLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5, although it was not addressed until near the end of the 10-episode season. After he died in Stabler’s (Christopher Meloni) arms, it was inevitable that Stabler would seek vengeance, using his status as a cop to do so. “He Was A Stabler” picks up with Stabler’s revenge mission.
Stabler goes rogue while on bereavement leave, recruiting Reyes (Rick Gonzalez) to help him find out who knows where his brother’s killer is so that he can hunt him down. Although Bell disapproves of this unsanctioned mission, she ultimately has her team help Stabler take Emery down, but there is a complication in their attempt to hold him accountable for his crimes afterward, leading to a redemption arc for Joey. The season then draws to a close without any news about whetherLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 6 will be greenlit.
Bell’s Return Was The Best Part of Stabler’s Otherwise Predictable Rogue Mission Arc
It Was Entertaining to Watch Her Try To Stop Him
Stabler’s rogue mission was so predictable that Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) knew what he was up to despite being out of the country for months.Bell’s return was thus a more interesting part of this arc than the mission itself, which featured an even higher level of violence thanChicago PD’s Hank Voight often acts on toward suspects. Bell spent time trying to find out specifics of Stabler’s plan, only to be interrupted multiple times before she could confront Reyes about it. The interruption trope was overused, but the payoff was worth it.
One of the strongest scenes was her warning to Reyes not to let Stabler drag him down with him. It was predictable but amusing that Stabler returned just as Bell was about to put a stop to Reyes' and Vargas' assistance. However, Bell’s attempt to stop Stabler from going too far is exactly whatLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5 has been missing, and his anger when Emery appeared to be getting away with murder was an emotional scene that could not have happened had Bell stayed in Italy.
The Resolution To Emery’s Case Didn’t Make Sense
Joey’s Redemption Was A Nice Touch, But His Information Shouldn’t Have Changed Anything
It was disappointing that Emery’s ability to evade accountability was wrapped up so quickly, especially because the conclusion didn’t make sense. If the FBI was so eager to hear Emery’s intel on terrorists they were tracking, evidence that he was in bed with foreign drug dealers should not have made them back off. In fact,his alliances with Syrian drug smugglers should have made the feds more interested in him, not less, because he had connections that could help them.
NBC and Peacock have not yet made a renewal decision, so it’s likely the writers wrapped everything up in case this episode becomes the series finale.
The idea of Joey redeeming himself in the end was a strong one, despite the lack of coherent logic in this story. It wrapped up his arc in a more satisfying way than with his death inLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5, episode 9, which was rushed. However, it would have been a stronger ending for the season if Emery were again at large because of the feds. That said, NBC and Peacock have not yet made a renewal decision, so it’s likely the writers wrapped everything up in case this episode becomes the series finale.
The Family’s Grief Needed More Screen Time
There Wasn’t Enough Room In The Action-Packed Finale For Family Scenes
Stabler’s family has been prominent inLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5, demonstrating whyStabler is better off not returning toLaw & Order: SVU. Thus, the small number of scenes involving the rest of the family’s grief was jarring. Most of the Stabler family scenes were plot-driven, such as Randall giving Stabler the flash drive Joey had stolen or Bernie finding a Police Academy application in his belongings. There wasn’t much room for other scenes with Stabler’s family, which is unfortunate becauseJoey’s death is a meaty story that deserved more airtime.
This oversight is the direct consequence of the season-long problem with how Joey’s arc was handled.
Law & Order: Organized Crimeoffered a strong grief scene for Bernie (Ellen Burstyn) when she goes through that box of belongings and a nice memorial moment at the end of the episode, but there was no real payoff to Stabler’s comment that he hadn’t told his mother yet. This oversight is the direct consequence of the season-long problem with how Joey’s arc was handled. If the procedural had steadily been building the story around Joey instead of trying to cram it all into the last three episodes, there likely would have been more room for the Stabler family’s grief.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 Finale
Cast
Law & Order: Organized Crime follows the detectives of the Organized Crime Control Bureau as they strive to dismantle New York City’s most vicious and violent illegal enterprises, providing a deep dive into the complex and intricate world of organized crime. Released on June 02, 2025, it extends the Law & Order franchise.
