Law & Order Franchise 2024 Season Talkback (Spoilers)

[Fone Bone]

Note: Because Terrible Showrunner Rick Eid has destroyed the original Law & Order, I will no longer be watching or reviewing it. I have better things to do with my time than to be offended by that scumbag. I rarely drop shows I've started, so you should get it into your head that's how bad the Mothershow got. I can't stand it and I refuse to have anything to do with it while Eid is where he is. You all can still feel free to talk about it here.




Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Tunnel Blind"

What an unsatisfying ending. This isn't even a 2-parter!

McGrath has piss-poor PR instincts. If amazes me he never saw that mess at the end coming. I sure as hell did.

The episode's premise was weird. And gross.

Usually the show's cases take an hour to solve. It's not really fair to keep one open-ended, especially if we aren't getting right back to it next week. **1/2.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "Memory Lane"

John Shiban? That name takes me back.

Since when does Elliot have a brother? Guess we'll find out next week.

I love that when his mother sees the beard, she asks Stabler what happened to his face. He tells her it doesn't hurt. She still expresses skepticism, and he says he'll put some ice on it. Good, funny character moment. By the way? The beard IS ugly. He can't shave it off fast enough for my liking.

Reyes and Jet? Okay. Maybe. I could see that.

This remains the best Law & Order show. ****.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Truth Embargo"

I LOVE the controversy. Natalie KNOWS he did it. But she does not want to take away this Black kid's entire life. She's socially conscious enough to feel bad for her damn rapist which is why the controversy lands, and why it's believable and effective, especially in an episode repeatedly proving the NYPD are not.

It's gotten so that a lot of times conscientious white people refuse to call the police on Black people during emergencies because no matter the crisis, they are aware it's a potential death sentence. Have the police and the prosecutors who do this crap ever think of the toll is takes on people who see the injustice and would rather fight that than the criminal who hurts them? The best thing about the controversy to me is there is no easy answer. The kid confesses at the end because it's TV, and TV needs a sense of closure every week. But even after we get that, I don't think Natalie is entirely right. And I also don't think she is entirely wrong. ****1/2.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "Deliver Us From Evil"

Because Stabler seems to dislike his never-before-mentioned brother, I do too. I also sort of came around at the end around the same time he did.

Jet's last name is impossible to pronounce.

I forgot Reyes was married. This makes him a scumbag.

My favorite moment was Elliot hugging Warner. I love the gray braids! The woman looks magnificent!

Still the best current Law & Order show. ****.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "The Punch List"

I remember David Krumholtz. Big part of the 1990's. He's turned into kind of a shlubby guy in middle age. I thought him enjoying going undercover was fun, especially him charming himself back into his wife's good graces. I took note of how fun it was because very little on this show is ever fun.

Liv's stuff however was much less successful. Speaking a viewer and person who cares about Liv's well-being, it's not really fair for the writers to have her obsessed over the Maddie investigation while there are no new leads or breaks in the case. It's punishing not just to the character but to the viewer. I do not think a show about sex crimes lends itself to arc-based storytelling, and a kidnapping certainly does not. Law & Order: Organized Crime rocks the serialized storytelling. SVU needs to stay in its lane. ***1/2.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "End Of Innocence"

So Stabler has TWO brothers we never heard of. I'm calling retcon.

Glad Reyes is sleeping in his car. If his wife was in the dark about this I'd be unable to forgive him.

Gruesome gimmick for the crime.

The woman renting the guns strikes me as an ever bigger sociopath than the assassin. At least the assassin likes quiet kids. But he raised her ire by cashing lottery tickets he didn't buy in her store and didn't buy anything else either. After seeing those crime scene photos it is VERY telling to me that THAT specific thing is what actually strikes her as ill-mannered. Sociopath. No question.

I'm not saying Reyes definitely would have successfully navigated the gun deal without blowing his cover. But he might have. Jet went in too soon.

I don't like hearing about never-before-mentioned relatives, especially for TV characters that have been around for nearly 25 years. I'm resisting the episode for that reason. ***.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Duty To Report"

I don't know how to feel about that. On some level that's good. But man, a LOT of stuff happened that pissed me off. It's such a pleasant surprise at the positive place the episode left things off on. I kept thinking the SVU department was getting out of control.

McGrath has been running roughshod all over the series ever since he replaced Garland. His wife accuses Liv of trying to get him fired to take his job, because that is EXACTLY what he did to the competent and empathetic Garland. It was obscene. And seeing this jackass in the role he took from a compassionate Black man, as he steamrolls through the squad every week, and jeopardizes every investigation was painful to me. I think the season where Demore Barnes was a series regular was probably the series high point for me. It addressed unfairness in policing practices. The McGrath turn I believe happened when the producers realized nothing actually was going to change after George Floyd, and NYPD was gonna dig in, and things would get worse, not better. That's how we got McGrath. But I remember the hopefulness of Garland telling Finn he believed they were at "an inflection point" and that's why that remained my favorite season.

Curry, investigating Liv was a big part of that. The thing I dug most about Curry is she made Liv understand something I think most white liberals are unable to admit or process: Having racial bias is not something to be defensive about or deny. It's ingrained in all of us. And it's not just white people. Liv refused to entertain the notion that her actions in that episode were based on race, when yeah, they were. Maybe not consciously, and maybe not intentionally. But I admired Curry for putting the idea in a white ally's head that just because they are an ally doesn't mean they don't have privilege that blinds them sometimes. Many white allies are SO against racism that to even suggest they themselves have those biases gets a stronger pushback than warranted. I think everyone has problems there. For some reason white allies have a VERY strong hang-up about it, and definitely are far more defensive about it than the situation calls for. And Curry's chill. And I'll enjoy her in the SVU. And the idea that they can clear cases without McGrath looking over their shoulder is fun.

In the early seasons of SVU IAB were the bad guys. Around the time Garland came aboard, and Curry was introduced, they became the good guys. Back in the day they used to accuse detectives of things they were NOT guilty of when reprimanding them for things that they were, which led the viewer believe the "rat squad" was corrupt itself and looking to railroad good cops. And God bless the show for changing both the function of IAB on the show and their role in the narrative.

I felt very unhappy that McGrath was given the scene of grace at the end he was where he shook Liv's hand. It very much felt like the show was saying this is his last episode and wanted his actor (who has been on the show a few years) a little dignity and a nice last scene. But that and Liv earlier saying she respected him grated at me. Him threatening to kill a suspect could sustain an IAB plot lasting half a season. Pulling on a gun on his neighbor in front of Liv? I'm tired of people like McGrath getting where they have gotten in the NYPD. Liv? He is NOT a good cop. Not remotely. Good cops don't do that. And doesn't that make you wonder what crap he pulled on the force when people like Liv WEREN'T watching? McGrath has been messing up the rhythm of Law & Order's most delicate squadroom with his buffoonery. Last episode or not, I don't like him ever getting those kinds of compliments from Liv.

I would love it if eventually Garland came back, but it's possible Demore Barnes left the show because HE wanted to move on. But when he was Chief the show was working on every level. No matter happens next, McGrath being gone will help, and Curry being on the squad will help a LOT. I think the episode both HAD a lot of problems and it SOLVED a lot of problems. It annoyed me, but the show will be better off in the long run for the things that happened in it. ****.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "The Last Supper"

This would have made a good crossover. Not with SVU, but American Dad. I can totally picture Roger Smith punctuating each scene with a thunder sheet while flicking the lights on and off while saying "Drama!" I feel like the episode is missing something from Roger's absence here.

Good God, the Stabler dinner. To find out the brother ratted out the father made me like him. The REASON he did it, and the fact that Elliot was too dumb to know ANY of this, made me love him. Their scene at the end making up was great. Story for another day? Elliot's father must have committed suicide.

The girl in the episode was pissing me off but it turns out the son had his own problems too. I will say this: All three of the witnesses in protective custody survived. I think the Bureau had SO many outstanding cautions in place to make sure they did even if the daughter messed up I was impressed. And it makes the fact that literally every single time a witness is placed into protective custody on the relaunched mothershow, the incompetent detectives always wind up getting them killed. I guess the real reason I dropped Rick Eid's version of Law & Order is because it's so clearly inferior to SVU and this show in easily measurable and quantifiable ways, there's really no reason to keep watching it while I have these shows.

"Drama!" *****.

 

[Space Cadet]

Well, tonight was the last episode for Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy on L&O. What a spectacular run as an iconic tv character. I know you said you're not watching L&O, Fone Bone but I'm curious if you would make an exception for this.

 

[Fone Bone]

Well, tonight was the last episode for Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy on L&O. What a spectacular run as an iconic tv character. I know you said you're not watching L&O, Fone Bone but I'm curious if you would make an exception for this.

Well, all right. Just this once.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order "Last Dance"

Off the show, but it was Jack McCoy's last episode, and somebody asked me to review it. So why not?

The episode itself was shoddy. Cowritten by human disaster area Rick Eid, it had poor police work, unbelievable courtroom antics, and of course a G.D. runner. It was, in short, everything wrong with the relaunch of Law & Order.

Sam Waterston has been in this role for over 20 years, so it's a big deal he's finally leaving the show. Nobody on Law & Order is irreplaceable (with the possible exception of SVU's Olivia Benson) so I was curious to see what kind of send-off he'd get.

The good is they let him try the last case himself, and remind us of the character in his heyday. He also got a fine last moment of looking up at the night sky outside of the courtroom before walking home for the last time. Both of those things were effective and the right things for his last episode.

But did I mention the episode was shoddy? I remember back when Law & Order used to be a great show. During its prime the show was just amazing. It lost its luster as it slogged toward NBC's eventual cancelation after 20 seasons, and the relaunch has been purely terrible, but around the time of Jack McCoy and Lennie Brisco the show was firing on all cylinders. If you had told me back then this episode's utterly craven and underwhelming losers would be the people to take down Jack McCoy, I wouldn't believe you. Or if I did, I'd be pissed. Jack McCoy ate guys like the mayor for lunch back in the day. And Eid sort of has him say he was already thinking of retirement to make up for it, but no, this is not the right or fair end to his amazing career. It's actually on-brand for Jack to go down with the ship from his principles. It's just that that is something that deserves to be fantastic and shocking instead of clunky and lazy. Jack's ultimate end being that of self-sacrifice is right. It's the reason the show has him do it that sucks. And if the reason for THAT specific thing sucks, then Eid failed the actor who has been with Law & Order through good times and bad. It makes me a bit angry.

And it also tells me my decision to drop the show as it currently is was the correct one. While Eid is where he is, I will not be back. **.




Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Zone Rouge"

Big, big contrast after seeing that underwhelming Law & Order episode. First off, the police work here is actually solid. Second of all, much of the drama is nonverbal and open to interpretation, especially Sykes' reactions to everything. Rick Eid would NEVER allow that kind of subtlety in his loud noisy weekly trainwreck.

It's not like this episode is so subtle either. But it's effective, I think the cops are doing great, and Carisi is good at his job too. Plus the show has Ice-T. What's not to love?

There is actually a runner here! But he's a sincerely bad guy, and not a pathetic cheap shot red herring, so he actually has reason to run, and the viewer actually knows that the entire time, so it's tense instead of annoying. I don't much like runners, but maybe that's because Eid never bothers TRYING to make them interesting. Need to think more on this.

Dirtbag's Baby Mama is awesome. She actually offer Liv gum! Which Liv takes, because Liv is awesome too.

Things seemed a bit up in the air at the end, and I'm not sure how and why. It was a happy ending with undertones of future uncertainty for the squad. I'm not sure that feels entirely earned, but considering that the episode relied so much on the actors emoting, rather than speaking, it's still all right by me. ****.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "Missing Persons"

Best Law & Order show.

Very scary in places. It's amazing how empathetic current Stabler is. He certainly was not that on Special Victims Unit.

I love that he refuses to acknowledge Vargas as one of the team and Vargas tries to rationalize that as a compliment anyways.

Whenever you see Reed Diamond you know you are about to see a bad guy.

What's the new guy's name? Bashir? I love when IAB asks him if he smelled alcohol on Stabler's breath the night of the shooting, he says they don't have that kind of relationship. That's great.

My favorite moment was a small comedic moment that I love because only this Law & Order show does stuff like it. But Bell is in the hospital room joking that all of the gifts she's received are because people are forced to pretend they care. Stabler holds up a gift teddy bear and says "I guess you don't want this then,." And she reaches out her hand and eagerly says, "Gimme". For decades, humor on Law & Order consisted solely of bad gallows humor puns by Lennie Brisco. I think it's really cool this show allows a moment that warm, funny, and cute. I say nothing but bad things about the relaunch of The Mothershow. But the other shows in the franchise HAVE evolved for the better over the years, even if the original has not.

Stabler trying to suss out who the drugs belong to is interesting because we only get what he's thinking through his facial expressions. He doesn't tell a second person, and there is no one to bounce off his suspicions for first his son, and then his brother. I find that type of thing mature storytelling. It's not like it won't clarified in the future anyways, so I appreciate a bit of dramatic nuance and reality there.

I was pretty devastated on Stabler's behalf when he dug up Rita. What an awful ending for her. A serial is more in line with SVU, but if it's actually to do with that corrupt D.A. and Chief, then yeah, that fits the premise of the show completely. We'll have to see. But you simply cannot trust Reed Diamond. If there is a role where you CAN, he's not actually playing it, because they'll have cast somebody else entirely. ****1/2.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Carousel"

In its early years SVU was MUCH tougher to watch than it generally is now. Now only were the crimes more realistic and triggering, but they were plausible. You might say that because the show has sort of gone overboard in the meantime the show being grounded was better back then. But it was harder to watch and yeah, ickier.

It's on-brand for a recent season to add a DNA twist of a genetics lab keeping score of a sex game. But it's the sex game that creeps me out. I remember the so-called "Spur Posse" in the 1990's and that crap made me sick. It is too real-world credible for me to enjoy the episode.

But who says you gotta enjoy television? Fair point. But I'm the guy who is mad when he doesn't. **1/2.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "Beyond The Sea"

There is something very unsettling about the town-wide cover-up, mostly because we don't yet understand it or WHY it is as entrenched as it is. If it was JUST covering for the son, the whole town wouldn't seemingly be involved. The son being a serial killer strikes me as "inconvenient" to the town, because the extra attention will shed light on equally depraved and criminal things. We just don't know, so it's like the first half of Get Out.

Stabler is right to find the chief's behavior outright weird. It is. She seems pretty determined to solve the case. And is doing everything in her power to make sure she does not. I can't explain why both things seem true. But they do. Does she actually KNOW it's her brother? That would be a VERY unlikely turn in my mind. Her behavior defies belief.

The IAB guy played by Malcolm Goodwin is the franchise going back to IAB as bad guys, but there is something I try to keep in mind. While Stabler has evolved as a cop and a person decades later, I believe his behavior in the early seasons of Special Victims Unit was borderline corrupt and criminal. IAB wants to see a pattern of corruption? It already exists. I give Stabler the benefit of the doubt because I've seen his growth on this series. Why should IAB give him that same benefit when they have not? They're the bad guys, but I get why they want to nail him. He might be a departmental legend and White Whale.

Just so you understand how much Stabler has evolved, when the guy accuses him of engaging in cover-ups like his father, Stabler said something to him that he would never have said on SVU: "I don't know what you mean because you haven't actually asked me any questions." And the best part of that response to me is it was rational. It was thought-provoking. Which Stabler the SVU bulldog never, EVER was. Man, if Finn actually knew THIS guy, he might have even liked him.

This is an arc that's gonna be frustrating waiting out week to week. That's not a terrible problem for a show to have, by the way. "I need to know what happens next," is nowhere NEAR a formal complaint on my end. I am aware it's a good thing, even if it's frustrating. ****1/2.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Probability Of Doom"

I have to agree with Finn that Torie is a lunatic. Really, her actress heebied my jeebies in the right places. Holy crap.

Liv's therapist who does the swinging thing is annoying. Bring back Bill Erwin.

I love that Maria immediately gives Liv a hug at the end. Aww.

Finn not judging Curry negatively for her squeamishness is refreshing. Especially because he doesn't seem to like her.

The M.E. Truman has always impressed me. I do miss Warner but he has his own charms.

Pretty good week. ****.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "Original Sin"

According to the previews the story isn't over, which is good, because in my mind the Dad is just as guilty as the son.

So the I.A.B. guy is deliberately targeting Stabler for personal reasons. Do you know another name for that? Police corruption. Sheesh.

I was pleasantly surprised the (former) Chief Bonner joined the right side upon learning the truth. I'd like to think she would have done so even if she weren't fired. In fact, that's probably why the Dad DID fire her.

Cragen! Awesome seeing Dann Florek again. What a kick. He was in the very first episode of the first Law & Order, you know.

Bashir and Jet taking special note of Stabler working a case via earpiece at the same time he's doing a psych eval suggests maybe he actually needs one.

Vargas is slowly making Stabler come around. I don't like Vargas much myself, yet but I assume when Stabler fully changes his mind, I will too, so this was nice to see.

Great episode. ****1/2.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Third Man Syndrome"

Good Law & Order episode. SVU knows how to deliver the satisfying endings.

I really liked the agoraphobic woman Anne. I love how brave she became by the end.

It's very nice to know the franchise can still do solid case of the week stories even though the Mothershow is an immoral trainwreck. The reason SVU has a conscience and is watchable is because the Garcia cousins' visas have expired. And the episode doesn't end with them being deported as an extra level of punishment for the victims and the audience. It wouldn't occur to the producers of the show to do that.

Rick Eid was once showrunner on SVU and it was a rough era. But because of the cast we got through it and now the show is good. I hope that eventually happens to the Mothershow so I can watch it again, and I hope Rick Eid stays far away from any TV show I watch and enjoy. Good solid episodes like this say Law & Order is better whenever he has no involvement. ****.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "Sins Of Our Fathers"

We KIND of suspected that's what happened to Elliot's father, but the confirmation is brutal. I don't feel it's exactly right that Elliot is surprised however. I think if he were being written properly about this, he's already have an inkling based on the thing his brother said to him a few weeks ago. Which was repeated in the recap, which is why recaps are terrible, and I never use them in my work. They invariably spoil an episode. Because of that recap I knew this specific revelation was coming. Recaps suck and are the bane of serialized television.

I love that Elliot goes to shake Meredith's hand at the end, and she pulls him in for the hug instead. There is a warmth to how the characters treat each other on this series that is not present in most other Law & Order stuff. Yes, Olivia Benson from SVU is remarkably empathetic. She's one character. Organized Crime frequently has scenes like this for the entire cast.

Bell's argument to the IAB guy is sound. If he was THAT wrong about a mentor he knew and respected, how could anybody take his negative judgments about Stabler seriously?

It's good to see Cragen again, but I'm a little miffed at him too. Joe Stabler's corruption was clearly something he's either known about the entire time he's known Stabler, or something he learned a LONG time ago. I'm miffed he never told him before tonight. I understand why he told him tonight. But not only was this not news to Elliot, but it's something Cragen should have leveled with him about on SVU, especially whenever Stabler sort of operated outside of the law. And I know why he didn't tell him back then. Because the writers hadn't had the idea yet. But that's why it's problematic to put him in the middle of this at all. I would not have done that. It makes Cragen's role far messier than it ever needed to be.

Bell and Stabler's relationship is SO much fun, and I think the best thing about it to me is it makes this character we've known for 25 years as an intense hardass both lovable and comical. I laugh at the things Stabler says now. Briscoe used to crack jokes on Law & Order, and Munch and Finn used to be SVU's resident cards, but that was always gallows humor, often at the expense of a victim they didn't know. For Stabler and Bell their humor is between each other, which makes it not just funnier, but since it's not punching down, it's easier for the audience to enjoy along with them. Jet is pretty funny too, although most of her jokes are deadpan. I like Organized Crime because in real life people goof around with each other, and give each other the business, and it's not usually mean-spirited. I like that aspect of this show.

The is the best Law & Order show. I could damn it with faint praise and say it's merely the best CURRENT show in the franchise, but I truly like it more than all the others even during the best years of their runs. I enjoy this show more, and am satisfied by this show more. It doesn't feel much like a Law & Order show a lot of the time, which sounds like a slam, but really, that's my highest compliment. A franchise expanding itself beyond its expected parameters is a very good thing.

I love it. Unreservedly. ****1/2.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Children Of Wolves"

Mixed feelings. GOOD drama in the hostage negotiation scene with Liv.

But her "reenactment" at the end? I don't approve. I especially don't approve that the scenario made her seem righteous. Liv is not a dirty cop. Even if she's hurting a scumbag outside of the law, I will not cheer for that. It's weird the show thinks I would.

Also while Liv was right with Noah at the beginning that as his mother it's HER place to tell him the things he looked up online and through her closet about, the truth is she should have done it LONG before now. Noah being so cool with it suggests he's been ready for it for awhile.

The hostage scene was pretty riveting though. Mariska Hargitay brought the goods.

But I have some real problems with how the things went down by the end. **1/2.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "Semper Fi"

I DID like most of the episode. But that is NOT the right way to kill off Bashir, with his actor not even being present. I don't know the behind the scenes story there, but it stinks.

I like Randall Stabler because I now understand him. He's the black sheep of the family because he's the most decent of them. He stands up for what is right and is Elliot's conscience. The fact that his mother seems to hate him and blame him when all he's done was protect her is heart-breaking. Dean Norris is VERY good in the role.

I think that guy Darian is ALSO major league decent. When we learned his crime was simply looking the other way I was not remotely surprised.

Stephen Lang always struck me as kind of grody-looking actor. As an old man, he's become kind of distinguished and handsome. I kind of didn't see that coming. You never know about that sort of thing, do you? Just ask fans of Helen Mirren.

It was a good episode, but it had the wrong ending. I don't know WHY Bashir needed to be written off immediately without his actor being present, but I don't like it one bit. Not at all. That's not how storytelling should work. ***1/2.

 

[Fone Bone]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Combat Fatigue"

The ending was surprisingly heartwarming but there is no escaping it: The episode was totally off the rails. Unfortunately, as good a drama as this show can be, whenever they do a longterm arc and case, they go off the rails. The problem is the case is a no-brainer so having a juror fall in love with this off-putting skeevy defendant with bad hair is this show's best hope of complicating things.

This show has the craziest jurors. It really speaks badly of the franchise's view of women that the terrible jurists are always in love with the offenders and tampering with the case. It's pretty obnoxious actually.

And while maybe the fact that it turns out Eileen was trying to toy with the dude is not completely insane, having the candid text photos be an alarming act break IS off the rails.

And of course he defends himself because this show has to make something completely straightforward and easy hard as hell.

Let me be blunt. This episode was not needed. The arc should have ended when he was caught. Having a huge trial and having things up in the air is complete nonsense. One of the things I don't like about the show is how often it indulges in nonsense. This episode did it too much. *1/2.




Law & Order: Organized Crime "Crossroads"

I really hope Joe isn't Red Coat. It wouldn't be believable to me. But the cliffhanger was good.

Angus and his mother are not all bad.

Super lucky that lady was ATF. Stabler was busted otherwise. The team taking out Hightower was good too.

Not okay with what happened to Sam. There isn't enough Muslim representation on television and to kill him off like that is wrong. It's gross the dude took his wedding ring. I like that Stabler told Angus he was a Marine and one of them. Good tack to take.

I like that the mom likes Stabler.

I'm not happy about Sam but this was a decent episode. ***1/2.

 

[Space Cadet]

Looking like Organized Crime will be renewed for a fifth season of 10 episodes and it will air exclusively on Peacock.

‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Moving To Peacock For Season 5

Law & Order: Organized Crime is finalizing a deal for a 10-episode Season 5 renewal. As Deadline reported, the series will be relocating to Peacock.

deadline.com

 

[Fone Bone]

That will cut down the crossovers. Mixed feelings about this. Also the shortened season is not great.