Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Behind Blue Eyes
Jack Ori
at
.
It looks like we're taking a break from the Silas family
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 Episode 5 introduced a new case with ties to Law & Order: SVU, involving gangsters dressing up as cops to gain access to homes so that they could rob and rape the occupants.
And if that wasn't enough, the bad guys all grew up in the same foster home as Reyes. Small world, isn't it?
Organized Crime had to explain the connection between Dante and the other villains somehow, but Reyes growing up with them feels like a huge coincidence.
I would buy more easily that he knew Dante without knowing the others. Dante just got out of prison, and Reyes recently went undercover there, so they could have crossed paths.
But all four guys growing up in the same horrific foster home? That's a bit far-fetched!
As it often does, Organized Crime excelled at fleshing out new villains. Dante was an effective stand-in for the viewer as Vaughn introduced him to the crew and convinced him to join.
This is my own division of the NYPD. The Robin Hood. We steal from the rich and give to ourselves.
Man
Dante seemed likable, though a bit on the spineless side. Vaughn kept pushing him to do things he felt uncomfortable doing, but Dante didn't quite have the guts to walk away.
Vaughn made it clear he would retaliate if Dante did leave, but Dante's fear of him started before that. He didn't want to be part of a criminal enterprise in the first place, didn't want to rape women, and didn't want to kill anybody.
He came across as a nice guy who got caught with a little weed -- no big deal. Or, it wouldn't be if he wasn't guilty of felony murder.
Under the law, if a murder is committed during another felony, everyone involved in the original crime can be held responsible.
That alone is a big enough threat to keep Dante in line; if Vaughn were to convince the cops that Dante murdered that girl, he'd be in serious trouble!
That doesn't include the fact that he willingly broke into that house and participated in shooting up the wall, either. Being weak-willed or afraid to say 'no' is not a defense to these crimes.
Once he awakens, if he does, he may have to answer for all of that. The DA will probably cut a deal if he talks, but can the cops protect him adequately from Vaughn's wrath?
Even though it's implausible that Reyes came from the same foster home as all of the robbers, I'm curious about the backstory.
Organized Crime ended in a simultaneously perfect and aggravating place, with Bell asking Reyes what happened in the foster home. Whatever it seemed to have been highly traumatic -- did a foster parent rape all four boys?
Vaughn thinks he's somehow making up for what happened to them as kids, though he could be making that up. He doesn't seem to have any conscience whatsoever; he shot that girl because Dante said his name and appears willing to do just about anything in the name of vengeance.
Meanwhile, the world knowing that Stabler testified against the Brotherhood doesn't seem like a great idea.
A witness already called Stabler a rat, and many cops seemed to be shooting at him instead of the bad guys.
Bell thought the friendly fire was an honest mistake, but some cops might not appreciate Stabler's refusal to be loyal to the thin blue line and shot at him in retaliation.
It's all over the news that Stabler testified against some dirty cops; that puts a target on his back.
What was going on with Jet and Whalen?
Whalen kept pushing her to tell him why she was so jumpy. I didn't blame her for not wanting to.
Whalen: I'm trying to find a way in and it seems like lately, you're even more jumpy and anxious.
Jet: You're new here. You don't get to make those calls about me.
As she pointed out, she barely knows the guy! No matter what he feels about her, this isn't the time for him to push her for more information. That's a surefire way to scare her away.
Whatever happened to that other hacker Jet was dating? I know they broke up because of her fears, but he was never mentioned again as if he didn't ever exist.
Either way, her personal life is not Whalen's business, and she was right to shut him down. He may be a detective, but Jet is not a suspect in a case he is working on, and he needs to leave her alone.
Lillian told Bell she was disbanding the task force now that Wheatley had been caught, but there's been no evidence that that's happened.
Bell worked with Stabler for the entire hour to try to bring the bad guys down, and nobody tried to stop her, though Lillian was impatient for the team to close the fake cop case.
This problem will undoubtedly rear its ugly head again later, but for now, it didn't seem like Lillian's threat to close the task force held much weight.
Your turn, Organized Crime fanatics. Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know what you thought of this story and whether you think it has any connection to the Silas family story.
Don't forget you can watch Law & Order: Organized Crime online whenever you feel like ti.
Law & Order: Organized Crime airs on Thursdays at 10 PM ET / 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.
