Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 Episode 21 Review: Shadowerk
Jack Ori
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If you're a Bensler shipper, you might be disappointed. But don't worry; there's still more to come.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 Episode 21 offered an investigation into a crime-for-hire website. Still, the case isn't anywhere near over, and there will undoubtedly be more Benson/Stabler interactions as the story progresses.
Plus, Rollins is back, and that's something to celebrate.
We've known since before Kelli Giddish left SVU that Stabler would consult Rollins during a case in the spring, but this was far from a cameo appearance.
Not only is Rollins pregnant, but she's bored at her new job. Could this be her ticket back to the world of full-time detective work?
Rollins' pregnancy complicates things, although she worked for SVU while carrying both her girls. And this case could spur her to return to detective work for her children's sake.
Stabler: You looked more excited here than you did in that lecture hall. How long have you been bored?
Rollins: The truth?
Stabler: You could lie, but I do interrogate people for a living.
Rollins: I love the students, but I do miss the thrill of a good mystery.
This case is particularly disturbing. Ordinary people are accessing Shadowerk to hire killers and rapists -- most of whom are also regular people who never considered acting violently or illegally before.
It's scary to think that so many people can be pushed into violence simply because it's easy to set up a contract hit on this site. Mrs. Scully and Josh both demonstrated that.
Josh was an overgrown teenager who still lived at home and agreed to murder someone to get the money to buy an engagement ring. Who does that?
Similarly, Mrs. Scully might have been angry and jealous when she learned her husband cheated on her, but that didn't mean she had to fulfill her fantasy of getting revenge on Maria. Yet when the opportunity presented itself, she didn't think twice before hiring a stranger to rape her husband's former mistress.
This case must be disturbing to anyone working it, but doubly so for Benson and Rollins, who both have kids. Parents hope that their children won't grow up to be easily influenced by sites like this, but there are no guarantees.
Rollins could go in two directions with this. She could decide to go back to being a detective so she can continue catching bad guys and hopefully make the world safer for her kids. Or she could be so disgusted that she doesn't want anything to do with police work.
Considering how bored she is at her teaching job, it's more likely that she'll go back to SVU.
That would thrill the thousands of Rollins fans who are still heartbroken months after she left.
Benson and Rollins' reunion was the most awkward thing ever, and Rollins made a big deal to both Benson and Stabler about Carisi being unable to keep his mouth shut.
This spells trouble in paradise for Rollins and Carisi -- a pointless setup if Rollins disappears again after this case is over.
Similarly, it's not good that Rollins is afraid to tell Carisi she hated her new job when he got it for her. These two are about to have a baby together, so they'd better be able to communicate effectively!
Benson didn't get any one-on-one time with Rollins yet, and she barely got any with Stabler.
Stabler's interest in Benson is so evident that even Oscar Papas noticed. Bad guys are constantly propping this couple -- Richard Wheatley always did, too.
If you're a Bensler shipper, you probably wonder what is wrong with these two: they haven't decided to go for it when it's so obvious. If you're not, this is merely annoying.
Benson: You know, El, if there's one thing I've learned over t he years, it's that if we don't deal with our trauma, the world will.
Stabler: I'm not a victim.
Benson: No, but you are a survivor, and sometimes that's just as hard.
A healthy relationship isn't possible until Stabler stops hiding behind his work. He changed the subject quickly every time Benson encouraged him to deal with the trauma of losing Kathy!
Stabler and Benson's conversation settled one question: there were no ridiculous soap opera twists here. Kathy is still dead, and Stabler imagined she was in the interrogation room.
Benson and Stabler's interactions bookended the episode. It might have disappointed those who tuned in specifically for their reunion. But in between, there was a ton of solid police work.
Jet's inclusion in the case was good news. She did what she does best -- digging through computer stuff to find out who was ordering the hits and how to find them.
Jet's investigation led to the cops saving Gary Logno's life. But could they have chosen a more obnoxious victim?
The Longo sequence provided comic relief, but still. After two minutes with the guy, I didn't blame anyone for wanting him dead! For his sake -- and viewers' -- I hope his trip to Florida is the end of his story.
Reyes' attachment to that sandwich was hilarious, though I didn't think it was a good idea for him to eat it. If the person behind Shadowerk was as on-the-ball as Jet thought, he should have been aware of the stakeout and got some kids to give Reyes tainted food.
Luckily, that didn't happen. Instead, we got an amusing visual when Reyes came around the corner to apprehend Josh with his sandwich in one hand and his gun in the other.
What did you think, Organized Crime fanatics? Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button to sound off!
Don't forget you can watch Law & Order: Organized Crime online while waiting to find out what happens next in this case.
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.
