Is this the first time the Organized Crime Unit has solved a case in an hour?

Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 Episode 18 focused on robberies involving gay men. This was an important, topical story at a time when gay and transgender people are being targeted for violence and discrimination at alarmingly high rates.

The story's strength wasn't in the case itself; the side story of a cop turned victim, and his reluctance to be out on the job was what packed a punch.

At first, it wasn't clear this was an Organized Crime case.          

Bell wanted to help a cop who had been attacked, but her only reason for investigating these robberies was that she was upset at having been so out of the loop that she allowed the NYPD to ignore crimes against her community.  

        

While that was an important reason to investigate these robberies, Bell didn't have proof they were really "organized crime" as such until later on. Thurman or some other higher-up would have been justified in trying to stop her from taking this case on the grounds that it wasn't her department's responsibility to investigate robberies.

Thurman should have done that anyway. If the NYPD has been ignoring crimes against gay men, the administration likely wouldn't want anyone reversing that.

Thurman has already been established as the unit's enemy, who almost always stands in Bell's way. Where was he this time?

Despite that missed opportunity for drama, this story was one of the most powerful the series has told thus far.

Stabler's incredulity that being gay could be an issue in 2023 probably mirrored many viewers'.

I'm not ready. The judgments, the whispers, missing out on assignments and promotions, not getting to hang out with the guys. Being out might be good for you, but not for me.

Eric

• Permalink: I'm not ready. The judgments, the whispers, missing out on assignments and promotions, not...

Sadly, the LGBTQ+ community is far from achieving the type of equality that should be members' birthright, especially in the area of employment.

Many workplaces still discriminate against gay and transgender people, and hierarchical institutions such as police departments are among the worst. While on paper, these institutions may accept people of any sexual orientation, they often aren't quite as open as advertised.

Eric's discussions with Bell helped drive that point home. Eric wasn't ready to be out at work. He knew his precinct best and how he would likely be treated if he went public about his sexual orientation.

To her credit, Bell respected his decision. She also made one of her own to be more obviously gay at work.

I'm not sure what that'll look like. Bell's team already knows she's gay and divorced from a woman (whatever happened to her custody battle for their baby?). But people outside the unit might not, and she may be hiding parts of her personality that will now come to the surface again.

I love stories about transformation and growing into authenticity. I can't wait to find out what's next for Bell!

I wonder how this will impact Bell and Chang's relationship.

Bell and Chang are into each other, but Chang works in the same precinct as Eric. Even though Chang said it's different for men, she may not be as comfortable with being out or having her relationship with Bell go public as Bell is.

That's a natural setup for relationship drama, assuming Bell and Chang move toward romance.

I also hope that Eric works with the unit some more.

I'd love to know how he's getting on in his journey. In addition, I enjoyed his friendship with Bell, and he seemed to fit in well with the team from the few interactions he had with them.

Given his interaction with Eric, it was odd that Whalen didn't realize who was guilty earlier.

One of the bad guys spilled a drink on Whalen when he rejected the man's advances, and Eric said the same thing happened to him. That should have been a significant clue as to who they were looking for.

Of course, there were several robbers, but still.

The mob ties to the robberies were somewhat confusing, and it seemed like they existed to make the crimes relevant to the unit's goal.

I'm still not clear on why Alex was running this robbery crew.

His father supposedly owed money to dangerous people, so I suppose Alex was trying to make the money back to pay off the debts. But why choose robberies for that purpose, especially ones that involved bank transfers of large amounts of cash?

Surely the victims could easily get those unauthorized transfers reversed, leaving Alex in no better a position than before the robberies.

The final showdown felt rushed. Moretti threatened Alex and his father, waved a gun around, and found the wire Alex was wearing, but nothing happened.

Five seconds later, the cops burst in, and Moretti immediately surrendered. Some mob boss he turned out to be; he didn't even try to take hostages or otherwise fight his way out of trouble!

What did you think, Organized Crime fanatics? Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.

Law & Order: Organized Crime returns with all new episodes on April 27. Don't forget you can watch Law & Order: Organized Crime online while waiting for the next new episode to air.

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.