Wow! What a difference a week makes.

Now that Stabler's not locked into a deadly game of one-upmanship with Wheatley, everything feels different.

Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 Episode 15 featured him going back undercover to expose a crooked cop's involvement in gang activity. At the same time, the rest of Bell's team started closing in on the Marcy Killers. Talk about intense!

It's no surprise that Bell is after Kilbride. She has been for months.

But what WAS unexpected was her ruse with Stabler and Benson.

You know I've been a cop for a long time, and in my day, cops had each other's back. If you last as long as I have, maybe you'll understand that.

Stabler

• Permalink: You know I've been a cop for a long time, and in my day, cops had each other's back. If you...

It made total sense that Stabler would be suspended pending an investigation into his activities when it came to Wheatley. After all, there was some truth to Wheatley's claim that Stabler was like Ahab chasing the white whale when it came to him.

And it wasn't far out of character for Stabler to confront Bell loudly in the lobby of 1PP and then expect Benson to put in a good word for him with McGrath, either.

He tends to act impulsively, especially if he thinks he's been wronged, and always gets mad if Benson doesn't enable him. So why would this time be any different?

I'm good at predicting twists and turns, but Benson revealing that the three of them were working together to put on a show for Donnelley's sake had my jaw hitting the floor!

Benson: Elliot, my friend, you're doing the right thing.
Stabler: Olivia, my friend, can I take you and Noah out to lunch this weekend?
Benson: Let's wait, okay? Noah gets attached very easily and you're undercover again.

• Permalink: Let's wait, okay? Noah gets attached very easily and you're undercover again.

Benson's statement that Stabler was undercover as himself made a lot more sense than it did in the promos, too. That's essentially what Stabler is doing since he's pretending to be interested in Donnelley's gang activities but isn't bothering to hide that he's one of New York's top cops.

You'd think that there are only so many times Elliot Stabler could go undercover before word got around that he's a professional snitch.

Yet Stabler -- whose identity should have been well known even before he joined the Albanian mob -- was able to fit in with a bunch of corrupt cops without any problem whatsoever.

This story is compelling enough that I can overlook that detail, but this is getting silly. Stabler brought down the Wheatleys twice and went undercover to destroy the Albanians, all in a year's time. His name should be splashed all over the news.

Then again, Donnelley is a crooked cop, so he's more likely to believe that Stabler is one, too, without bothering to look into his background.

Despite the unbelievability surrounding Stabler going undercover again, this was a tighter, more riveting, and more credible story than the latest Wheatley saga.

I loved Wheatley, but his antics got more and more over the top. By the end of his arc, the writers had forgotten all about what Wheatley was trying to do, and it became all about him doing crazier and crazier things to try to get Stabler.

Thank goodness that's over, at least for now! Stabler was losing focus as much as Wheatley was, and the series was moving into cartoon villain territory.

But now, with Wheatley gone and the focus squarely on the Marcy Killers, the pendulum's swung back toward realism again.

Preston Webb is a compelling antagonist. He's more well-rounded than Wheatley. I'm especially a sucker for stories about antagonists who commit horrific crimes without being entirely unsympathetic.

The dance scenes were especially well-done. While Preston danced with his wife, his underlings threatened Donnelly with a gun, and Stabler was getting the weapon away from them.

The juxtaposition of these scenes was nothing short of brilliant. They showed Preston's soft and ruthless side at once while issuing a dire warning for Stabler and anyone else who might try to double-cross him.

Messing with Preston is a terrible idea. You won't come out alive, and Preston'll spend quality time with his wife and forget all about you before your body's even cold.

Preston and Stabler have a direct connection yet, but some other characters could be in danger.

Bell is investigating Kilbride, who is linked to Preston and his wife. Things could get messy there.

He's already proven that he's not above violence if he's crossed, and if he finds out a woman he trusted and brought into his fold is a cop, there'll be hell to pay.

I'm worried about Nova, too. Her brother not knowing she's a cop may seem like a good idea, but in the long run, it might make things more dangerous for her. Derek might say or do something that tips the Marcy Killers off to the fact that she's not who she claims to be, and then what?

When Nova was visiting her parents' grave, I was surprised she didn't spend any time at her girlfriend's. Just like Stabler was initially fueled by the desire to avenge Kathy's death, Nova seemed motivated by avenging her girlfriend's. Yet that seems to have been forgotten about for the time being.

Let's hope it returns!

Your turn, Organized Crime fanatics. Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know what you think about this new arc.

And if you missed the episode, you can watch Law & Order: Organized Crime online right here on TV Fanatic.

Law & Order: Organized Crime airs on NBC on Thursdays at 10 PM EST / PST.

Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.