Law & Order Organized Crime “Everybody Takes A Beating Sometime” Recap, Review, Discussion

The fast-paced penultimate season 1 episode “Everybody Takes A Beating Sometime” answered a few questions and moved us closer to shutting down Richard Wheatley's operation and have him answer for his crimes.  The episode was directed by Jean de Segonzac, who usually delivers some great action. He does not disappoint here, with plenty of tight, tension filled scenes.

I don’t have much time to recap the episode this week but here are the high points:

To answer the question of whether Gina is dead: Yes, she’s deader than dead - they find her buried body. (There goes the theory that her death was faked!)  Needless to say, Sgt. Bell is rocked by the news. 

Izak is also killed by one of Richard Wheatley’s new security crew. Wheatley likely never knew that Izak had turned on him,  explaining he had him killed as he witnessed Richie killing Gina and Izak would always hold that over Richie’s head. 

The OC group gets the sting in full swing, and there are a few problems.  Silvano finds he can’t take along his bodyguard to the meet with Wheatley and they take his phone.  Captain Chambliss pulls the plug on supporting the operation, getting bent out of shape over Bell’s wife’s lawsuit against the police department.  Wheatley finds that Joey Raven has installed an obvious camera outside the meeting place and he moves the meet location again and cuts Joey out of the deal.  Silvano is still wearing his  hidden earpiece so the OC can monitor him, and he speaks out loud to the drivers of the car so the OC squad can help track where he’s being taken. 

The deal goes down in a subway station. Luckily, Bell enlists the help of the transit police with an undercover officer already there. Jet also helps to get a directional microphone to that UC officer so they can continue to track when the deal is made.  They hear the deal take place and move in to make the arrests.  While they are rounding up Wheatley’s gang, along with Richie, Richard Wheatley slips into one of the subway cars in order to make an escape.  Stabler sees this and jumps in another subway car to follow.  (There is a scene reminiscent of The French Connection when Bell sees Wheatley move off in the subway.)  Wheatley takes hostages and just when it appears he has the upper hand, the train stops and Wheatley jumps out. Stabler follows and Wheatley jumps into another train, as does Stabler.  Stabler gets Wheatley to drop his gun, and as Stabler is getting ready to cuff him, Wheatley fights back and they scuffle,  but Stabler is victorious.  Bell later reads Wheatley his rights. 

At the Contrapos headquarters,  Dana is arrested. Elsewhere, Joey Raven is also arrested.  After Angela hears that Wheatley is in custody, she signs her statement, while her attorney looks on. 

While being taken to holding, Wheatley tells Richie and Dana they won’t be there long.  Stabler and Bell turn on the heat with Richie about Gina.  Richie freaks out and Dana tries to get him to shut up and wait for his lawyer.  But Richie can’t handle the pressure. Bell says she doesn’t think it was his gun, asking if it was Izak’s.  Stabler tells Richie they know he was there. Bell explains Gina wanted to protect him and that he was messed up because of his father but was a good kid and was incapable of hurting anyone.  She adds that Richie did not deserve Gina’s kindness.  Richie is inconsolable and likely scared. 

Angela arrives to talk to Wheatley, wanting Stabler present.  In this discussion, Wheatley thinks Stabler fell for Angela’s performance, adding he has a recording of Angela arranging the hit on Kathy, conspiring with Izak to plant the bomb, and to make sure that Stabler was distracted by a phone call so  he would be standing right there to witness her gruesome demise.  Wheatley calls Stabler a good god-fearing Catholic but tells Angela that Stabler has someone else – another woman who is the one true love of his life. (He likely means Benson.) Angela walks out of the meeting as does Stabler, leaving Wheately to mumble they are both a hot mess and making a pouting expression as we cut to black.