Captain Cragen's cameo appearance was all too short but so good.

On Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 Episode 17, Stabler turned to his old mentor for answers about his father's behavior on the job.

While Cragen couldn't tell him much, hopefully, the little he did say gave Stabler a sense of closure.

Stabler spent the hour balancing his questions about his father with his need to investigate The Brotherhood.

The pressure was on at work, with a new ADA wanting this investigation wrapped up as quickly as possible.

Bit Stabler's home life wasn't much better.

Bernie's reintroduction was somewhat on the anticlimactic side.

Her homecoming seemed like another normal event in the Stabler household even though she was in the hospital after being kidnapped and discovering her boyfriend worked for Richard Wheatley.

You'd think she'd have some aftereffects from the whole thing! The poor woman already suffers from bipolar disorder and dementia, and now she may have some PTSD symptoms too.

None of that was mentioned, though. It was almost as if the writers wanted to erase the effects of Wheatley's behavior on her. I know Wheatley's gone, at least for now, but why erase history?

Ellen Burstyn is more than capable of an Emmy-winning performance, so why skip the aftermath of the last plot? It felt like the writers were in such a rush to move on that they forgot to be realistic.

However, Bernie's reaction to Stabler's questions about his father was amazing.

Bernie: They never told me anything. Don't tell Bernie that he's cheating. Don't tell her that he got suspended.
Stabler: Mom? Pops got suspended?
Bernie: What? No. Your father never got suspended.
Stabler: Are you sure?
Bernie: Don't question your father or he'll do worse than box your ears. He'll do what he did to that perp.

• Permalink: Don't question your father or he'll do worse than box your ears. He'll do what he did to that...

She seemed to go into the type of disconnect with reality that is so often associated with dementia. But did she really? Or was she faking because she wanted to steer Stabler away from this line of conversation?

Either way, her shift into some alternate world and back to our real one was a strong, believable performance. If Bernie was trying to distract Stabler, she went about it wrong. He seemed twice as intrigued after hearing her ramblings.

Stabler's next stop, of course, was to his old friend Cragen.

I'd forgotten Cragen was going to guest star and thought Stabler was checking in with Benson again. She hasn't been seen on Organized Crime in a while, and Stabler got a mention on Law & Order: SVU Season 23 Episode 17.

So, it was likely that Stabler would once again turn to her.

I was happy to be proven wrong, though. Cragen was a far more compelling choice. Unlike Benson, he's not trying to save the world. He won't bounce between tough love and dropping everything the way Benson does, and he won't be afraid to say what he thinks.

Cragen: Was there corruption? Yes there was. Were there bad cops? You bet there were. That was the world your father worked in. He was a great cop... in his day.
Stabler: Why did he give me this?
Cragen: Maybe it was an act of contrition. Maybe he gave you that cross to say 'do better.'

• Permalink: Maybe it was an act of contrition. Maybe he gave you that cross to say 'do better.'

Cragen had little to say about the specifics of Joe Stabler's career, but he certainly had some words of wisdom for Elliot!

I liked his emphasis on the senior Stabler having served during a different time. It doesn't make any corruption or brutality that Joe Stabler got involved with right, but it does give some context to any of the decisions he might have made.

It also addresses the way things have changed, something Stabler has been learning the hard way.

Someone should tell him that someday someone might view Stabler through the same distorted lens that Stabler views his father through right now.

Stabler has a history of violence toward perps, and it didn't start with Kathy's death, no matter what he likes to claim. He regularly found himself under investigation when he was at SVU, and though the suspension from Organized Crime is a fakeout, it's one that everyone finds believable.

If Stabler is worried about his father's imperfections, he should realize the way his own might look to outsiders.

On top of all the old infractions during an era that was far kinder to cops and less kind to perps, Stabler's gotten into trouble with Bell several times, done violent things while undercover, and now has another suspension to add to his record, though this one is fake.

Stabler should think about how he'd explain his own checkered career if Eli asked him someday instead of focusing so much on what that medal means and if his father was a good person.

Speaking of undercover operations, Stabler's seems to be going a lot better than Nova's is.

Between Bell and Nova's brother, Nova is under a lot of pressure to get this right. Her brother's decision to allow Webb to donate to his church was the last straw for her, and her putting her foot down about this may come back to haunt her.

I don't know a lot about undercover operations, but I'm pretty sure that Nova telling her brother the truth about what she does for a living isn't allowed, at least not without the permission of a supervisor.

The more people who know, the more likely it is to get back to Webb. Telling ANYONE is asking for trouble.

Of course, Nova's not the only one in a tight spot. With her marriage on the rocks, will Bell end up telling Denise the truth about Kilbridge?

Your turn, Organized Crime fanatics. Hot the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button, and let us know your thoughts!

But first, if you haven't seen this one yet, you can watch Law & Order: Organized Crime online right here on TV Fanatic.

Law & Order: Organized Crime airs Thursdays on NBC 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.