Law & Order Organized Crime’s Dylan McDermott Joins “FBI: Most Wanted”

Deadline.com reports that Law & Order Organized Crime’s Dylan McDermott is joining CBS’s “FBI: Most Wanted” in a lead role. Richard Wheatley’s time is likely up on Organized Crime… 

Read the full story here: Deadline.com “Dylan McDermott Joins ‘FBI: Most Wanted’ As New Lead”

Law & Order SVU “Tommy Baker’s Hardest Fight” Photos

Here are photos from Law & Order SVU “Tommy Baker’s Hardest Fight” which aired on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 9 PM ET on NBC. 

The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, Octavio Pisano, Chance Kelly as Duke Baker, and Gavin Keith-Umeh as Phil Diaz. 

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Tommy Baker’s Hardest Fight” can be found at this link.

 Photos by: Will Hart/NBC 2021 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Law & Order Season 21 Premiere Promo

Here is the promo for the season 21 premiere of Law & Order, which will air on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 8 PM ET on NBC.

 

Law & Order Organized Crime February 24, 2022 Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order Organized Crime, returning after the Olympics, which will air on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 10 PM ET on NBC.

 

Law & Order SVU February 24, 2022 Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU, returning after the Olympics, which will air on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 9 PM ET on NBC.

 

Law & Order Organized Crime “As Iago Is To Othello” Recap, Review, Discussion

Everyone is playing games in Law & Order Organized Crime “As Iago Is To Othello”. Some of those games are obvious, some are not.  Stabler knows that Richard Wheatley is behind the prison break and all the issues with the stock market.  We know this too as, unlike Stabler,  we can actually see what Wheatley is doing.  We also know that Wheatley is consumed by greed, power, revenge,  and hate towards Stabler, although Wheatley says he wants respect.  We don’t know exactly what Angela is up to, but she IS playing a dangerous game with Wheatley and probably with Stabler as well. Sebastian McClane was helping Wheatley because he has a Robin Hood complex,  and he’s sharing the illegally obtained wealth with others. But even McClane seems fed up with Wheatley’s behavior and tips off Stabler to what he did to track Wheatley’s trades.  Also in the mix is Sergeant Bell, who is finding herself walking a multi-layered tightrope between Stabler, her job, pressure from the governor and congressman, and  the Joint Operations Center.   A new twist is that Stabler’s  mother Bernadette has a new man friend, and when we first meet him I am  immediately suspicious. My suspicions are confirmed when we find he is working for Wheatley.  

There are a lot of balls juggling in the air, and this makes for a suspenseful episode. It also makes one wonder what else can go wrong and who else may be caught up in the mix? For example, while we believe that Nova is still working for the interests of the task force, she’s getting pulled in deeper to Kilbride’s inner circle.  Bell is right to be concerned that Nova’s law enforcement connections will be discovered.  We know that Kilbride is on the take and can only wonder how much deeper Governor Garcia will get sucked into Kilbride’s web. Clearly they want Stabler out of the way, Kilbride using Stabler’s tunnel vision with Wheatley as an excuse.  

It’s anyone’s guess as to how all these storylines will continue to play out, but we have to hope that Stabler’s gut feeling about Wheatley will eventually be proven right through hard evidence.  Right now, however, he’s taken to playing head games with Wheatley. Sadly, Stabler’s anger issues come forward as he has no problem with physically beating Wheatley.  What’s concerning is that Wheatley is right – he’s in Stabler’s head, and that could make Stabler continue to behave improperly.  Having Detective Maldonado steal some of Angela’s underwear was an inappropriate maneuver, and who  knows what bigger rules Stabler will break to get  to Wheatley? 

A wild card is Detective Cho, who openly refuses to  be a part of Stabler’s panty-stealing maneuver. She also is concerned that Stabler’s games are putting Angela in danger. The way Cho corrected Maldonado about how he referred to Angela (not using the title “professor”) makes me wonder if Cho will turn on Stabler and cause more problems for him with  Joint Operations.

This is an excellent production with top-notch writing and a wonderful cast that, even including the “villains”, has solid chemistry.  The only weak link is Richard Wheatley himself.  Dylan McDermott’s portrayal is still cartoon-villain worthy. He must be getting stuffed from all that scenery he is chewing.  Speaking of Wheatley – how can they not know where he is living by now?  Is there a  reason why they can’t tail him?  If Stabler could easily find him in that elevator at that specific point in time, why can’t they follow Wheatley to his home?  I’m perplexed. 

Here is the recap: 

Back at the building where the helicopter was seen fleeing, Stabler and Bell discuss the power outage, which seemed to be more widespread then the building itself.  There was also a break in communications for about a minute at that time.  Footprints are plenty as it is a construction site, and the helicopter had flown through and out of New York airspace. It had no flight plan, it disappeared.  The office space was presold and there is a waiting list.  Stabler notices a building nearby.

Stabler, Bell and Jet later visit that building and find it is the Quartext Data Center– the beating heart of the global financial center. The  people in charge become evasive when asked questions about the power outage and its effects on the facilities’ security regarding intrusion detection, especially when Jet mentions even infinitesimal time gaps can be exploited by traders. 

Outside, they discuss what are they hiding and why Wheatley picked this location and McClane as McClane has the skills. Trillions could be involved. 

At home, Stabler answers the door, and it is a new man friend of Bernadette’s – Miles, a neighbor - who is leaving a flower and quickly leaves.  Eli is also there and they discuss this and Bernadette’s smoking. 

Later, Stabler and Bell are at a meeting at the New York Police Department’s Joint Operations Center, discussing what happened at the building.  Only Stabler saw Wheatley and McClane,  and Bell can only confirm the power loss and the helicopter but not seeing Wheatley and McClane. Stabler is emphatic that Wheatley and McClane were there to hack the Quartext Data  Center, and also states Wheatley was behind the prison hack,  but no one else seems to believe him. 

Back at the task force, the team discusses hypothetical scenarios. Bell reminds them that officially the manhunt is for McClane, and their best lead is Wheatley, who is a ghost.  Stabler says McClane was at Angela’s apartment and where is the warrant to surveil her?  Bell explains she is leaning on Fraser’s office but McClane is Federal so Ann will have to make it happen outside the purview of the US Attorney.  Bell suggests that the empty apartment above Angela’s can be used and Cho and Maldonado pose as newlyweds who just moved in. Jet will install the surveillance tools and teach them how to operate them. 

Later, Cho and Maldonado are there when they hear Wheatley speak with Angela.  Stabler and Bell can also hear at the task force.  Wheatley showers Angela with gourmet foods and a diamond bracelet.  Angela talks about an interview the next day for a  teaching job and worries about blowing it.  Maldonado uses an infrared camera so see inside the apartment as Wheatley says they are there to celebrate the renewal of their bounty.  Wheatley kisses Angela passionately and she says the renewal of their bounty has never been a thing.  He questions her about McClane and behaves like he’s jealous, saying he doesn’t care who it is, it stops right now. He starts acting crazy and holds a knife to her throat saying he can’t tolerate it.   Maldonado worries about the knife to her throat but Stabler says he won’t hurt her, they have him right where they want him. 

Sometime later, the market is crashing but McClane is buying for Wheatley, using the short gap to make huge amounts of money.  He is also artificially inflating the stock.  He also added random code to the end of every transaction but says Wheatley would be bored if he explained it.  Wheatley wants all  his money back that was taken from him but says it is not just about money, it is about respect, and that McClane is richer than he’s ever been. McClane explains he has no intention of keeping a penny because he is not his friend.

Back at the Stabler home, Miles returns with a flower for Bernadette, and Stabler is there and he makes small talk.  But Stabler  “jokingly” asks if he knows the famed mobster Willie Maretti. He doesn’t and Bernadette says Stabler is teasing.  Stabler leaves for work and when Miles says Bernadette told him he is a police officer,  Stabler says if Miles gets fresh with her he will arrest him.

Back at the task force, Cho says Angela has an interview tomorrow at Colby Girls School. Stabler asks her to go into Angela’s apartment then and get some of Angela's underwear but Cho refuses, it violates the warrant.  When Bell hears this he explains it was questionable and Cho has every right to refuse.  When Stabler tells Bell she looks good and asks where is she going, she explains she has a lunch date with her wife Denise for their anniversary But when they walk off, Maldonado tells Stabler he’ll do it, and Stabler says pink, ideally. 

When Bell arrives at the restaurant, she is surprised to see Nova – "Carmen Reilly" – there with Congressman Kilbride and Governor Garcia, who says Denise is hanging back for a bit.  They talk about Stabler’s obsession with Wheatley.  They minimize the effects on the stock market and thinks Stabler has a vendetta. 

Later, Bell meets with Nova and says it was an ambush and Nova said she didn’t know why she was there.  Bell thinks Kilbride knows Nova is a plant and wants to pull her but Nova is confident he trusts her.  Nova says Kilbride and Garcia were telling Bell to be careful. She thinks Stabler is an honest cop but knows how he rolled when he was undercover; no matter how good a cop he is, that’s in his DNA now. 

At the task  force, they discuss the drop in the Dow and the market is in chaos.   When Bell asks how to stop it, Stabler suggests they go into the Quartext servers and find the proof Wheatley hacked them.  Mintock suggests a rainbow table which collects all the personal information about a person to look for patterns. Jet thinks they key is likely in Wheatley’s personal information. Bell says she and Stabler will give them access to all the personal info on Wheatley they have from their investigations and tells Jet and Mintock use all their resources to do a deep dive.  Stabler asks for a minute to talk to Bell but she blows him off, saying she is going downtown for a meeting. 

Back at Angela’s apartment, Wheatley has arrived with a large box but she is not there. He hacks into her computer and finds a shirtless selfie of Stabler that the team planted that looks like he sent it to Angela, saying “looking forward”.  Wheatley looks angry but slams the laptop shut as the door opens.  It’s Angela returning, and she tells him this has to stop.  He explains he got her a suit for her interview tomorrow. She says if she gets the job they can have a proper celebration.  He is “looking forward” . Wheatley leaves, Maldonado texts Jet to retrieve the photo before Mrs. Wheatley sees it, and Cho corrects him to  “Professor” Wheatley.  She also says if Jet does that she will  not know why Wheatley is in a jealous rage. Maldonado says he is pretty sure they don’t want her to know that, but Cho worries they are putting her in danger.  Maldonado says not to worry, Stabler knows what he is doing. 

Later, Angela gets out of a car outside a restaurant and Wheatley watches from afar. She is meeting with Stabler – he wanted to pretend to be in love with her. She asks why, and he says it is good she is suspicious, it keeps them alive.  He toasts to the truth and all its ugliness and beauty.  He adds neither of them should be trusted and they should know and admit it.  He doesn’t know when that changed but what either side they are on it is the same one.  She says she is not back with Richard.  Stabler says he doesn’t care. As Wheatley watches from outside, fuming, Stabler adds, “Because whatever you say to me, I'm going to assume is a lie. And you should assume the same thing about me.” Angela says that is a vexing conundrum, adding “If everything either one of us says is a lie, then how do I know when you're being true?” Stabler replies that she doesn’t, except for this, saying “I don't know what you're doing. I don't know what game you think you're playing. But please be careful. You're swimming in very dangerous waters.” Angela touches is face – Wheatley can see this, and says “That is so sweet of you to be concerned for me. “ She says she is going to go freshen up and will be back in a bit.   Stabler comments that she is lying to him again. She turns and walk off, Wheatley still watching from outside. 

The next day, Wheatley barges into the school and then barges in to Angela’s interview, saying it is like the Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie. When he goes on in a mocking tone, Angela is shocked and apologies, leaving the room and taking Wheatley with her, saying he is having a psychotic break.  Outside the room, she says “Damn you” and he says he had to, impressionable minds are at stake. 

Back at the task force, Brewster warns Bell that he is getting heat from upstairs, all the way from Garcia.  Bell thinks Wheatley has something on him. Brewster admits he is no fan of his but Garcia wants to psyche Stabler, which means he would lose his gun and badge. Bell promises that she will handle him. 

At Wheatley’s, while McClane works,  Wheatley drags Angela in – she is blindfolded, and he continues to berate her, and throws her to the ground.   McClane tries to interfere but Wheatley screams at him, saying no man touches his wife.  Wheatley is enraged and asks Angela if she is sleeping with Stabler, and she says it is none of his business. He continues to press and she says she is not.  She explains he asked to see her and told her she is in danger from him and he will protect her. Wheatley says that is absurd, he would never  hurt her. He tells McClane he loves her and needs her, everything they did is for her.  He tells McClane to tell him what he did, and when McClane says not now, McClane taunts him. But McClane yells to just kill him but Angela says no, asking McClane what he got.  Wheatley says he got millions of dollars which he gave away to some NGOs and miscellaneous vagrants.  Angela walks up to McClane and says he is an exceptional person and then asks Wheatley what did he get, thinking it’s billions. He says not yet but he is poised to.  Angela tries to distract Wheatley, saying he will have to figure out how to hide it and she is good at that.   She plays romantic with him and tells Wheatley to let him go, she wants to be alone with him. He says that’s all he wants. 

Meanwhile, Jet and Mintock have been working all night to crack the code and still can’t get it. But suddenly Jet has an idea and checks it out and she gets in.   The key was the date of Kathy Stabler’s death. Stabler is silent. 

Elsewhere, Wheatley meets with Miles who is clearly working for Wheatley. 

At a later time, Stabler gets into an elevator and Wheatley is in it, and Stabler head buts him, bloodying Wheatley’s nose. He continues to beat on him and says, “I had your wife” and brings out a pair of Angela’s panties.  They continue to brawl as Stabler continues to taunt him, saying they did it in a restaurant bathroom.  The fight is brutal but Stabler gets the upper hand.  He gets a call from Bell and she says the rainbow table worked, Ann is going to give them a warrant for Wheatley’s place, they just need to figure out where it is.  When Stabler says he has him, but she stresses they have a warrant on his residence, not on the man himself. She tells him to get out of there now.   Stabler asks Wheatley where does he live, and he says inside Stabler’s head. Stabler punches him and leaves him in the elevator as Wheatley reiterates “inside your head,” laughing

Stabler gets back to the task force and is called into Bell’s office.  She thinks Wheatley is getting the better of him. She asks him to stand down for now, saying it is out of her hands, Brewster came to see her and he asks please don’t do this. She explains she doesn’t have a choice. Stabler thinks this is what Wheatley wants. He says he will take the psych eval she just has to buy him some time.  Jet races in and says they have McClane. 

Mintock gives Stabler the phone – McClane asked for him – and Stabler asks where is he.  He says he has a gift for him – Wheatley on a platter. Jet is tracking his location.  McClane tells them every transaction he made he left a trail of digital dust. As McClane, in the library, passes out stacks of money to strangers,  he explains that digital signature will trace back to Wheatley and prove he defrauded the market for $700 million. McClane says he has everything he needs for the moment but has decided not to turn himself in, people like what he is doing. Jet has tracked him to the library. McClane suggests they stay focused on Wheatley, and  the call is over.

Later, Stabler meets with the shrink, who says, “Detective Stabler. How would you define the term "obsessive" or "obsession?" “ Stabler replies: “Is that the word they're using? I've done this before, you know…Obsession is an intense, some might say, unhealthy preoccupation with a person or idea.” The shrink asks “Are you obsessed, Detective Stabler?” Stabler goes on to say “My wife used to tell me I had OCD, but... You know the term, "justice is blind?" Right? Which means it's impartial. It's not. It's blind. It can be easily led. Or manipulated in the wrong direction. I am determined. Relentlessly determined. To guard against that happening.” The shrink asks “Do you see injustice happening right now?” Stabler states “All the time, everywhere, every day. It's my job to make sure that... It doesn't happen.” The shrink questions “So you're a warrior for justice?” Stabler’s phone rings – and he says “Maybe in my younger days. I'm a guardian.” He looks at his phone and sighs, and he asks the shrink “You're not Catholic, are you?” The shrink says he is Muslim, adding that probably, what Stabler is about to say would apply as well to his faith. Stabler comments, “ I understand why you or my superiors would be concerned about my behavior, regarding... my pursuit of this criminal. My obsession in the pursuit of justice. When our faith is taken seriously... It requires something of us. A call to duty. And I don't think we choose it. It chooses us.” The shrink counters, “Well, that brings me back to my original question. This criminal you're pursuing, are you obsessed with him?”  Stabler replies “If I tell you that the criminal I'm pursuing, if not stopped, will take down the New York Stock Exchange, and with it, the entire global financial system... Am I delusional or obsessive?  Give me two days to prove that. And if I'm wrong, you won't have to ask for my badge or my gun. I'll give them to you myself.”  We cut to black.

Law & Order SVU “Tommy Baker’s Hardest Fight” Recap, Review, Discussion

Full disclosure – I fell asleep while watching this episode. After dozing for a half hour, I woke up at the end, just as Benson and McGrath are having a candid talk.  Then, as I watched Tommy speak on camera,  I asked myself how corny and syrupy can you get?  When Benson put her hand to her heart,  I rolled my eyes and thought  "What a ridiculous ending".  I figured maybe I’d feel different about that scene after a good night’s sleep and after watching the parts of the episode I missed. I also assumed I was going to hate the episode because of it.

But to my surprise, I thought this episode was good.   It was an interesting story, and it was refreshing to see the detectives work the evidence and the suspects with the feel of the early Law & Order SVU episodes.  It gave viewers a chance to see Rollins and Velasco bonding over the fight, and even seeing Rollins using her knowledge of the sport, the fighter, and gambling while working the case.  And finally Fin gets  to be more than window-dressing and/or say the occasional quip.  Generally, I am impressed with the overall production of this season with its realistic look and feel.  

The side story involving Chief McGrath and his family problems and what appear to be serious anger issues could leave a lot of room for  further exploration this season.  While I don’t see Benson ever using what she knows about McGrath  as a way to get one rung up the ladder, it’s highly likely that unless McGrath gets his act together, someone else will.   My gut tells me McGrath won’t be able to change – a leopard can’t change its spots -  and something bad will happen because of his anger issues somewhere down the road. I know that it is Benson’s  nature to reach out and offer help, but part of me wishes that she WOULD trigger an official look into that incident at his home.  If she does nothing and something bad happens to his family because of it, she would be partly to blame for giving him a pass. 

Oh, and that last scene?  After watching the whole episode, I still didn’t like it. Tommy Baker wants to “speak [his] truth” – but let’s not forget he wants to  make money off it too.  I’m sure his speech, while it looks heartwarming to Benson, could have simply been Tommy and Jax’s springboard for their marketing campaign.

Here is the recap:

Its FWO Fight night – a match between Tommy Baker and the current champion. Kiki “Killer” Alves. The usual trash talking between fighters goes on  and Tommy seems agitated. 

Back at SVU, Fin works on DD5s and Benson finds Rollins and Velasco in another room watching the lead up to the fight,   Rollins says Tommy is going to win back his title, Rollins is a fan.  But Velasco thinks Alves will win.  Rollins states there was a time she would wager on this. Fin announces he’s finished the DD5s – he is not watching the fight. Rollins says it is not about the fight – it is the human spectacle.  Fin comments he works in sex crimes every day  and he gets enough human spectacle.

Later, outside the precinct, Velasco tells Rollins the other person he was meeting just canceled and he offers her a ride on his motorcycle to the bar. She calls the sitter and makes the arrangements. Later, they watch the fight coverage at the bar,  but Tommy doesn’t show up on stage when announced.  Something is wrong. 

Somewhere outside the venue, police arrive on the scene and find Tommy Baker in the back of a truck, unconscious, bloodied and his pants down,  A female  office attempts to raise his shorts. 

Later, Benson arrives at the hospital and Rollins is already there.  She explains how Tommy was found, and that his phone was opened up to Grindr.  The nurse explains Tommy’s injuries and that Tommy also has anal trauma.  Rollins explains his wife Chrissy Baker and his dad Duke are waiting.  

Fin speaks to the officers on scene, one explains Tommy’s phone was ringing and he used Tommy’s fingertip to unlock it.  The female officer explains she tried to pull up  his pants to protect his reputation.  Velasco calls Fin and says the pickup is registered to Tommy and the keyless remote was in his pocket and there were no signs of forced entry. Prints are everyone but the steering wheel and door were wiped clean. No prints on the phone. The location is deserted. 

Chief McGrath arrives at the hospital and tries to skirt the reporters.  Inside, Benson and Rollins speak with McGrath who complains about the reporters. They haven’t spoken with the wife yet.  Fin adds there was nothing from the crime scene – no witnesses or cameras and the truck was wiped clean.  McGrath looks frustrated and says he is worried about the advocacy groups and how they will think they are handling this. He tells them to make a quick arrest and shut this down.  He tells them to tell the wife before she finds out about the sexual assault on line. 

Benson and Rollins speak with Chrissy but she already knows about Grindr and says Tommy would never do that.  She knows Tommy is gay but she fully supports him and he is her best friend.  He would never do a random hookup and  has been in a relationship for a year with Phil Diaz, his physical therapist, and he is in the chapel 

Later, in the chapel at Mercy Hospital on Friday January 14,  Benson and Rollins speak with Phil. He talks about Tommy’s injury when they met, and they fell in love. Not many people know but after tonight, the whole world will know. Tommy was going to come out as a gay man after the fight right there in the ring. Only him, Chrissy and Jax Bell, the former champ and commissioner and co-owner of FWO. Phil thinks no  one ever knows what Jax is really thinking.  Rollins gets a message and tells Benson Fin has something, so Benson leaves the chapel. 

Fin explains that TARU says the Grindr account was just activated yesterday and it looks like someone is trying to make it look like a hookup gone wrong. Benson thinks whoever it is didn’t want Tommy to get into that ring or come out afterwards. 

In his office, McGrath is arguing on the phone with "Katie" and Katie hangs up.  Benson walks in on the call and tells McGrath the Grindr date  was staged and McGrath testily gives her a smart-assed comment that he could have told her that.  He quickly apologizes. When Benson asks what is going on, he says raising teenage daughters is tougher than this job, pointing out the middle one.  Benson  mentions Noah is still in grade school.  McGrath worries because he and his wife waited up for her until t 2:30 in the morning and with the animals out there…he was scared to death.  She was drunk and she started mouthing off to him.  Benson says she is so sorry while McGrath continued to complain about it and that his wife got pissed off at him.  He adds after 32 years of marriage they are entitled to a bad night or two.  Benson offers  her help, but he says just close the case and get it off his desk. 

Benson returns to the squad room as the newspaper headline says “Prayers For Tommy” and says she guesses they’ve all seen the headlines and that McGrath is stressed.  They talk about Tommy’s condition and his financials, but that he didn’t need to throw the fight to pay debt, the fight would have been a big payday.  No last minute swings in betting on the betting sites.  Velasco thinks the fights are done for honor. There were only traces of blood so the injuries didn’t happen in the truck. Benson concludes they don’t have a crime scene and asks to piece together a timeline of Tommy’s day. Rollins suggests starting with the training center, 

At FWO Training Center on Saturday, January 15,  Rollins and Velasco enter and they see others watching Jax Bell make a statement about Tommy on TV.  Rollins suggests starting with Ricky Nowak as he and Tommy trained together.  They speak with Ricky who says he is sick about it and everybody loves him.  That morning he wanted to talk to Jax and Jax was pissed, Tommy coming out of the office shaken up.  Tommy was in a bad mood. Jax is at the network with his lawyers.

Later Benson and Fin are at the penthouse of Tommy and Chrissy Baker on January 15,  Chrissy is surprised to hear about the issue with Jax. Jax is the boss and they try to keep it cordial but they can turn on a dime. She never talked to Tommy on Friday. No one was with Tommy in the apartment, he gets in his zone.  He does his cardio in the gym in the basement. 

Benson and Fin speak with the concierge and hear there are no cameras there, only at the entrance. There is a back door in the basement.  They head there as the concierge talks about how much Tommy is loved by everyone there. They can only get in the door if they have a key. Benson notices droplets on the floor and Benson wants CSU in there. She also hears Jax is on his way in. 

Back at SVU, Benson and Fin speak with Jax and he sounds cooperative.  They tell him what they know and he says they did speak and he wished him well. They explain they heard about the argument and Jax says if this is going to turn adversarial he can walk out and they can talk to his lawyers. He just lost millions of dollars and that’s the last think he wanted was for Tommy to miss the fight. Benson mentions him coming out, and Jax says was okay with it, they were going to build a whole campaign about it. She shows them an image of  t-shirt with a “Rainbow Warriors” emblem on it – their first openly gay male fighter, and all the sponsors they’d talk to. Tens of millions of dollars were tied to the announcement. They argued  because Tommy said he couldn’t go through with it – it was his dad. He was afraid to in front of his father. Tommy said his dad would kill him. Jax says Duke Baker is one nasty son-of-a-bitch. 

Later, Benson, Fin and Velasco discuss that the blood found by the gym  was Tommy’s blood type.  Tommy’s truck was seen pulling out after 5PM but the windows were tinted so they can’t see who was at the wheel.  Rollins enters and says Duke Baker is on his way in.  He is a legendary ass-kicker in tough man competitions all over Georgia including every bar in Rollins’ home town.  No convictions but his brother is on the force. Velasco questions if they actually think he’s good for it, and Benson explains one thing he’ll learn on the job is you’ll never know what anyone is capable of. When Velasco leaves the room. Fin asks him to close the door. Fin asks Benson if she’s heard the rumors about McGrath and says there was a domestic incident outside his house in Syosset late Thursday  night and the cops were called.  Benson mentions McGrath told her one of his daughters was acting out and they got into it a bit but he never mentioned police response.  Fin adds that when the Nassau County cops got there, he told them to report it as unfounded.  Fin states that is abuse of the badge.  Benson asks if he’s never told a cop he’s on the job when he gets pulled over, and Fin says it is not the same thing. Benson counters she knows he doesn’t like the guy but asks that he’s not expecting her to go over his head and use this to take him out. Fin replies no, this may be mentioned to him the she heard the rumors and she has  his back, it can’t be bad to have a little leverage on that guy.  Benson says, “Alright, Fin.”

 

Meanwhile, Rollins speaks with Duke Baker who says his visit to New York was a surprise to Tommy and Chrissy as he didn’t want them to fuss over him. He adds he and Chrissy stayed at a fancy hotel.  Rollins brings up his “announcement” but he says Tommy has people to get involved in his business dealings.  Rollins mentions watching Tommy fight at Champs when he was a kid and when Duke was training him, but Duke says he was only a barroom brawler and he could only take him so far.  But when Rollins says people says that Tommy boxed him out and starts to question him about that, he gets  testy, but says he may not have been the best  father but all  he ever wanted to do was protect him and that’s why he taught him to fight in the first place. He knew he’d need it. He mentions the headlines and figured if he was tough on Tommy, it would make  him follow in the traditions of the Baker men, maybe. After his mother died he might have been too hard on him after that and he got away from him as fast he could and is running out of time to make it right. He states he has pancreatic cancer and he has two months.  Tommy doesn’t know. He tried to tell him when he came by the hotel Thursday and Tommy got a phone call. It may have been one of his money people as he was on the phone for a long time and he was late for the weigh in and said they would talk after the fight. Tommy is all  he has left and will use these last breaths to show how proud he is of him. 

Afterward, Benson asks Rollins how it went and she explains he didn’t do it, and that he is dying of cancer.  She thinks he came up to make amends.  She mentions the phone call Duke told her about and how the call changed Tommy’s mood.  Benson asks if they checked his phone records and Fin says Tommy took a 12 minute call with his business manager on Thursday night and the manager said he is not willing to talk unless Tommy gives permission or there is a subpoena.  Benson says she’ll call Carisi. She adds they knew about his overspending and asks if anything jumped out. Velasco mentions high end watches and big tabs on nightclubs, $5,000 in collector’s edition sneakers – then adds he just started leasing a Porsche  for $1,000  month, But Tommy drives a pickup truck. Benson tells him to  track the license and find out who’s driving the Porsche. 

Later, at the penthouse, Benson, with Rollins,  speak with Chrissy and tells her Ricky Nowak got a speeding ticket driving the Porsche.  Chrissy thinks Tommy let him borrow it, and Benson mentions that was very generous. Ricky as part of his crew and they partied, and he and Tommy sparred from time to time. Chrissy thinks Ricky saw Tommy as a mentor. Rollins asks if they sparred that day and Chrissy explains Tommy never sparred the day of a fight.  She admits Ricky has been there but that they were not in a relationship, Tommy is in love with Phil. Rollins suggests a triangle but Chrissy says Tommy is not like that and that Ricky is not gay. She then states she and Ricky are involved – very involved.   Rollins asks if she knew Ricky was taking money using Tommy’s  credit cards, and Chrissy says she gave them to him, he just kept asking for more.  Benson asks if Tommy knew she was keeping him and when did he find that out, and Chrissy replies the night before the fight.

At the apartment of Ricky Nowak on Sunday, January 16,  Fin and Velasco are at Ricky’s door and when he doesn’t answer, the super opens the door and find his apartment in disarray and everything of Ricky’s is gone.  They also hear he’s three months behind on rent. 

Later, Chrissy is in SVU interrogation and Benson is hearing the news from Velasco via phone.  She tells him to put an alert on bus or train tickets and get a BOLO on the Porsche. Benson explains to Chrissy that Ricky has left town and Chrissy denies knowing this and had no plans to meet up with him.  Benson pressures her and she swears she last saw him Thursday night when he “kind of” came up to the hotel room. Benson continues to pressure Chrissy and all the lies she’s telling,  and she says she would never hurt Tommy, he is her everything, and Ricky is her everything else.  She mentions being lonely and one night drinking too much and Ricky made a move on her and she liked it.  This was six months ago.  She says she grew up a good Georgia girl and was ashamed and didn’t think it mattered. Rollins states it does matter and says she needs to tell them everything now. Benson brings up blackmail but Chrissy says no, Tommy thought she could do better than a last fighter like Ricky, referring to Ricky as a loser.  Tommy didn’t tell her to stop seeing him in so many words but the last time she saw Ricky she kept it to herself.  It was her only secret. Ricky could have any girl he wanted so she bought him things and gave him the Porsche to keep him around.  She just didn’t want to feel lonely. She asks if Ricky did this.

In the squad room, Benson comments to the group that Tommy is about to go into surgery and she let Chrissy go to the hospital but with a uni escort.  Rollins says no answer on his parent’s phone in Tampa. Fin says the Tampa PD is trying to track them down.  Benson says Chrissy claims she has no idea where he’s gone.  Velasco asks if they think Chrissy and Ricky did this together, and Benson explains she has lied so many times she wouldn’t put it past her.  Rollins says she can see it going either way, but Velasco says someone just used Chrissy’s Visa to buy a first class Amtrak ticket on the next train to Tampa.  Benson tells them to go now. 

At the Oculus Train Hub on Monday, January 17,  Rollins and Velasco spot Tommy and he runs. Ricky hides and manages to get Rollins to pass him up but he then runs into Velasco.  They fight and Rollins finally catches up with them and tasers Ricky.  As Velasco cuffs him, he asks what this is about, and Rollins informs him it’s the attempted murder of Tommy Baker. Ricky claims he is being set up.  He asks for his lawyer. 

Later, in SVU interrogation with his lawyer, Ricky denies everything. All he heard about him and Phil  is that Tommy wasn’t even the man, Phil was.  When asked if he was having a rough time with Tommy being gay, he states all the people who pretended they didn’t should hear what is said when the cameras aren’t on.   Rollins brings up the Porsche and all the other expensive stuff he bought using the corporate card, suggesting  Tommy found out they were being scammed the day before the fight.  Ricky claims he doesn’t know anything about it, didn’t see Tommy at the gym as he hasn’t been there in months. Benson brings up the blood and hairs found at the scene mixed with Tommy’s blood and ask if it will match his DNA. Ricky says none of this is on him. He says it was a crime of passion, asking who do they think?

At the hospital, Benson and Fin watch from the hallway as Chrissy is stroking Tommy’s head. Benson asks how is he doing and the nurse explains the surgery went well and the doctors think he will make a full recovery.  Benson asks if he knows where Phil is, and the nurse points them to the chapel. 

In the chapel, Phil is praying and Fin asks if he is praying for himself or Tommy. Benson mentions thy picked up Ricky trying to skip town.  When Phil starts to explain, Benson tells him don’t, the doctor’s think Tommy will make a full recovery, and Fin adds that  Ricky put it all on him and Chrissy.  Phil says Chrissy had nothing to do with any of this, and Benson says Phil did.  She asks that he tell them what happened and get ahead of it, they’ll find out from Tommy pretty soon. Phil says just so they know, he was in love with Tommy and still is.  When he told him he was going to make his announcement he assumed that meant he would leave Chrissy and they would be together openly, but Tommy said he would not leave Chrissy, she was family. He was devastated and felt used.  Ricky was hustling Chrissy for money all along and that Phil should too, before he got booted - clothes, nice watch. It seemed harmless and helped ease the pain at first. Them Ricky got greedier, started making cash withdrawals and credit card transfers. When Fin mentions the business manager alerting him, Phil nods and said Tommy called and said he needed to speak to him and Ricky. He told Ricky to stay out of it, he’d  handle Tommy.  They met in the gym and said he’d pay everything back and begged Tommy to forgive him. Ricky ambushed them and threw a 10 pound weight at the back of Tommy’s skull. So much  blood. Ricky checked for a  pulse but said he was gone. Fin asked how Tommy ended up on the side of the road with his pants down, and Phil explains Ricky said he had a plan, all he had to do was clean up the gym and show up at the fight as if nothing happened.  He had no idea he was going to…Fin finishes, saying violate him, assault him, drag his reputation through the mud?  Benson says Tommy was trying to make it easier for people to come out, and Phil  made it harder.  Phil cries and says he loved him – he still loves him. He sobs. 

Later,  McGrath enters Benson’s office and congratulates her on wrapping it up. She explains Phil  took a deal and has agreed to testify against Ricky and since Tommy is on the road to recovery and his memory is back, Carisi doesn’t think that this should go to trial.  She adds he and Chrissy are moving back to Georgia where he can be with his father for the few months he has left.  McGrath says so he can be with his wife, adding you never know what’s going on in a marriage.  Benson adds, “Especially your own.”  McGrath sits down and asks if she told anybody anything, and she says no, she would never betray his confidence, even though she doesn’t always agree with him.  He comments "always",  and says she should be honest – it’s most of the time.  She replies fair enough.  He adds there are still rumors – one cop with a grudge and he is canceled. Benson states you can’t control that, but you can control…McGrath says his temper. Benson says she doesn’t want to turn this into some sort of intervention but asks if he’s ever thought about counseling or anger management? He says that would make his wife happy, maybe she’d let him back in the house.  Benson adds she is sure that night was scary for all of them, and maybe finding out how and why it happened isn’t such  a bad idea and that he’s been a little rough around the edges at work too.  There is no shame in asking for help.  He gets up and says okay, he will look into it but the last thing he needs is someone at One PP thinking he is seeing a shrink.  Benson says they won’t hear it from her.  He appreciates that but comments she knows how this place is – if someone can get up a rung by pulling him down, then they will.  He turns and leaves. 

At SVU, Benson and the detectives watch Tommy Baker speak about his attack and his fight to come back and to “speak my truth”. He says he wasn’t attacked because of who he is or how he identifies, but cowards often hide behind violence.  He had learned that fear is  the greatest bully. As Chrissy and Duke also watch, he adds it takes facing your fears to find out who you really are, He adds he is posting the video because he hopes one day we won’t have to announce who we are – we can just be who we are.  As Jax watches and smiles, Tommy says until that day, he is introducing himself – his name is Thomas Baker,  he is married to his best friend Chrissy, he is a gay man, he is a sexual assault survivor.  He adds he is a warrior.  Benson looks emotional and she puts her hand to her heart and nods as we fade to black.

Law & Order Organized Crime “As Iago Is To Othello” Photos

Here are advance photos for Law & Order Organized Crime, “As Iago Is To Othello” which will air on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 10 PM ET on NBC. 

The photos feature Chris Meloni, Danielle Moné Truitt, Ainsely Seiger, Dylan McDermott as Richard Wheatley, Tamara Taylor as Angela Wheatley, Robin Lord Taylor as Sebastian McClane, Rachel Lin as Victoria Cho, and Gary Lee Mahmoud as Dr. Aboud. 

My recap and review of Law & Order Organized Crime, “As Iago Is To Othello” can be found at this link.

 Photos by: Zach Dilgard/NBC 2022 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Law & Order TV Guide Magazine 2022 Preview

Here’s the cover and a snippet from the TV Guide Magazine  for the 2022 preview, with a Law & Order feature. Check your local newsstands!

Law & Order Organized Crime “As Iago Is To Othello” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order Organized Crime, “As Iago Is To Othello” which will air on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 10 PM ET on NBC.

 

My recap and review of Law & Order Organized Crime, “As Iago Is To Othello” can be found at this link.

Law & Order SVU “Tommy Baker’s Hardest Fight” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “Tommy Baker’s Hardest Fight” which will air on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 9 PM ET on NBC.

 

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Tommy Baker’s Hardest Fight” can be found at this link.

Law & Order Organized Crime “As Nottingham Was To Robin Hood” Recap, Review, Discussion

This episode of Law & Order Organized Crime “As Nottingham Was To Robin Hood” continues to build on Richard Wheatley and his involvement with the super-hacker, Sebastian McClane.  McClane appears to be someone more worried about social issues and making the world a better place, while Wheatley is concerned only about money and power.  Wheatley is also determined to remarry his ex-wife Angela. (I must have missed something, what happened to his most recent wife, Pilar?)   Angela Wheatley continues to work to further what Richard wants, saying she learned it was better to join him than fight him.  She still professes she is uninterested in remarrying him. 

McClane is being portrayed as a modern day Robin Hood, even though one of his previous capers caused the death of an innocent bystander, a janitor.  But he is presented as a sympathetic character by showing all the steps he takes to provide plenty of money – in the form of crypto – to the janitor’s wife and daughter.  He initially wants nothing to do with Wheatley's revenge, but, by the end of the episode,  Angela has convinced him he can do more good for others if he joins up with Wheatley.  I’m sure this will create problems for Stabler and Bell.

Garcia is now governor and Wheatley seems to have him bamboozled into thinking that Stabler is the bad guy.  This will likely not end well for Garcia at some point. 

Stabler, meanwhile, believes that Wheatley is behind all the hacking and McClane’s escape. Even though his opinions are colored by the fact that he knows Wheatley killed his wife Kathy,  Stabler sees all the warning signs that Wheatley is the mastermind.  Stabler IS coming across to others as someone obsessed with revenge,  and it's clear to Stabler's mother, Bernadette, that he is again going into a dark place.  But we can also see that Wheatley is equally obsessed with Stabler.   

The only flaw with this story – and the series – is that Richard Wheatley still comes off as a cartoon villain. While I think Dylan McDermott is playing the role well, I can’t help but find the character too campy to be taken seriously.  The one who interests me more is Angela.  I still don’t know whose side she’s on, that is, if it’s anyone else’s side but her own.  She’s not to be trusted.

Here is the recap:

Teddy Garcia – now Governor of New York, holds a press conference about the manhunt for Sebastian McClane and vowing to apprehend him.

Meanwhile, McClane is still hiding out at Wheatley’s. Wheatley says he plans to remarry Angela and complains about Stabler and wants to get back at him.  But McClane tells Wheatley he’s not into revenge or interested in money, telling him no thanks.  He leaves Wheatley’s after telling him he will pass. Wheatley tries to use Garcia’s manhunt to get McClane to bite but McClane actually likes Garcia, calling him the real deal.  Wheatley tells McClane he owes him, but McClane says he only owes one person and will take care of that debt. He tells Wheatley good luck with the revenge stuff.  Wheatley tells his driver to take McClane and drop him of somewhere grimy.  He tells Angela that McClane will be back and she says she is not going to remarry him.  He says she will. 

Back at the task force, they work to find McClane. Jet thinks Mintock is a McClane fan boy.  

Meanwhile,  Stabler and Bell speak with Victoria Cartwright, who has a daughter with McClane but they are not married. Her mother complains about McClane. He has never met his daughter and only stayed there a few weeks, working more on his computer, having a “Robin Hood” complex.  They haven’t heard from him. He would not allow them to visit  him in prison. 

Elsewhere, McClane digs up a box filled with money. 

Jet tells Bell that McClane is an asocial hacker and he seems to have a genuine affection for humanity.  Stabler recalls a podcast interview that he wanted to make the world better for his children and he thinks he is working with Wheatley.  Bell does not agree, thinking Wheatley is against everything McClane is for. 

Back at the task force, Mintock warns that a tsunami is coming, a computer threat they think urged by McClane’s follows that will spur mass chaos.  Quickly computers, and anything controlled by technology, act up all over.  There are money demands as well.  Governor Garcia is meeting with his staff on the issue and Wheatley arrives to help.  He says McClane is laying low and that his legions are working for him.  Wheatley says it will continue and shows the governor his phone, and the others on staff, have been hacked. He puts the Garcia’s phone in a Faraday bag to block the hack to give the phone to Garcia’s security people for debugging. 

Later,  on a video call,  Bell explains to Garcia how they can help and they see that Wheatley is involved.   They discuss McClane and Stabler brings up that Wheatley and McClane were both on the same prison transfer bus back to Rikers.   Governor says to just find him, and Stabler says they are halfway there, telling him he is sitting next to the mastermind – Wheatley. Garcia turns off the video call.

Waiting at a park bench, someone brings McClane a bag of food, who complains they were supposed to be Asian-style noodles. The delivery boy says that is all they had. McClane gives him a large tip anyway.  Wheatley calls Gareth and says he is just checking on the delivery of his package.  Stabler is watching from afar and follows Wheatley.  

McClane enters a bank and tries to get a teller to open an account and deposit his $200,000 in cash without an ID.  He is trying to open the account for Kesha Jones.  She rings the alarm and he runs. 

Stabler continues to follow Wheatley but a car pulls up and Wheatley gets in the driver’s seat and leaves. He gets a call from Bell telling him to meet her at the bank and keep an eye out for McClane. 

Bell speaks with the teller who explains the encounter.  McClane wanted the account opened for another person, the teller showing them the card that McClane left for Kesha Jones in Yonkers.  McClane told her it had to be taken care of before he goes back to prison.  Outside the bank, Stabler tells Bell that the janitor that suffocated in the vault when McClane hacked the reserve was Luther Jones, they may be related. Stabler calls Jet to see if they can get a message to McClane.  She then asks Mintock of he can try to get a message to McClane on Discord. Stabler says to tell  McClane they know about Kesha and will help him if the helps them.  Stabler gives a meet area of Central Park but McClane can pick the spot and give them the GPS coordinates.  Mintock sends the message and McClane replies, saying if they do what he says he will turn himself in. 

Later, Jet and Mintock are in the park at the location and a pay phone rings. It is McClane and says he has the money and will  leave it for them but wants to tell Kesha’s mother Sherry in person.  Jet explains this on another phone with Stabler and Stabler tells Jet to tell McClane not to panic he is coming there.  Stabler gets on the phone and McClane says he wants $200,000 put in a crypto account for Kesha and sent the instructions to Jet so she can verify. Once he verifies the money is in the account he will peacefully surrender tonight at 10PM in front of Kesha’s house.  Stabler asks how they will get the money but McClane hangs up.  They look around for McClane but he is not there.  A bicycle rides by and hits Mintock – and the money has been dropped. 

Meanwhile, at the Stabler home, Bernadette hears noises like someone is there. She hears whistling.  She calls Stabler, worried, saying someone is there in the garden.  Stabler is parking his car nearby and Stabler sees Wheatley walking by with pizza.  He tells Bernadette to get inside, he’ll be right there.  Stabler confronts Wheatley as he gets into his car.  Stabler pulls out a gun and puts it to Wheatley’s head, saying if he comes near his family he’ll kill him.  He adds it is between the two of them and if Wheatley doesn’t remember that he will be in a shallow grave out in the woods with a bullet in his head.  Stabler walks off angry as Wheatley chews on his pizza.  Inside the house,  Bernadette is worried, despite Stabler’s promise to put an end to it.  She is concerned that when she looks at him she doesn’t see any light, he’s not sleeping and when he’s home he is unreachable.  He hugs her and she tells him not to let him live inside him.  Stabler says he took something from him and she knows he did but destroying himself won’t bring her back.  He nods his head.

Back at the task force, Bell tells Stabler the Governor told them to stand down and they are not making the arrest, turning it over to the Feds, Stabler argues if Kesha will get the money and Bell says it is up to the Feds now.

Elsewhere, McClane walks up to Kesha’s home and her mother lets him in. They discuss how Kesha’s father died because of McClane.   He explains why he is there and the $200,000 in crypto, a nest egg for her.   He doesn’t want them to struggle. He knows it will  not bring back her husband – Kesha’s father – but wants to ease their burden. He will go back to prison – she says that’s where he deserves to be.   He leaves and is quickly taken into custody by the FBI.   As Stabler, Bell and the team watch from the task force office, more officers arrive looking for McClane and they realize it was a bad transfer.  Stabler and Bell can’t tell what’s going on but know it is nothing good.   McClane finds out quickly these are not Feds as they knock him out, 

Wheatley  meets with Garcia at home and suggests he read Moby Dick, as it will shed some light on what he is about to say. Wheatley is hopeful they are closing in on McClane and is not looking for any credit. He asks if he is familiar with Stabler and the Governor mentions meeting Stabler the night of Garcia’s wife’s murder.  He knows Stabler’s wife was killed but they never spoke of it.  He is also aware of his history with Stabler.  Wheatley thinks Stabler is prone to losing his focus and is like the Energizer Bunny – unstoppable. Wheatley mentions Garcia’s campaign pledge to transform the culture of the police department. Garcia asks if Wheatley is saying Stabler is an overzealous cop, and Wheatley says Stabler was on a mission to take down organized crime and sadly he lost his wife in the  process.  Garcia says they have to move forward, but Wheatley counters Ahab didn’t.  Wheatley says his Captain Ahab – Stabler – has become dark and twisted,  his grief clouded by rage toward him, he is his white whale. 

Elsewhere, McClane returns to consciousness, being tended to by Angela.  McClane says he doesn’t work for Wheatley and to tell  him to let him go. Angela says Wheatley doesn’t want him to work for him but WITH him. Fighting him is pointless, she tried and it almost cost her her life.  She says Wheatley can protect him but he wonders at what cost. Angela says Wheatley is the heart of darkness and knows that is not McClane but says what he did with Kesha was beautiful but why do that with only one person? There are so many others that need help and he can do so much good.  She says she will help  him and is the first time in a long time she hasn’t felt helpless or  hopeless and she will help him. 

At the task force, Jet says they just got a hit on the car McClane was last seen in – abandoned in a grocery store parking lot in Queens and McClane was passed out and dragged on foot.  When Stabler tells them to alert everyone, he adds not to let Wheatley slip through again.  When Mintock questions Stabler saying Wheatley, Stabler corrects it to McClane.  Jet thinks they can’t be far. Stabler comments he thought McClane winked at Mintock during the governor’s call and Mintock says maybe and maybe he didn’t.   He can’t help if someone looks at him. But Stabler is suspicious. 

Meanwhile, Angela gives McClane some stuff to meet with Wheatley, including Asian style noodles.  She thanks him for giving her something to believe in again. He leaves.  

Later, Wheatley speaks with Angela on the phone – he calls her the love of his life and she tells him to shut up, it’s tedious. She says McClane left there 20 minutes ago, she did her best, now it’s up to him.   She thinks the police are looking for him; Wheatley says he is too. 

Soon after, the police, including Stabler and Bell, arrive outside Angela’s place and she walks out – without a cane - with her hands up.  Bell tells her to put her hands down, they are not there for her but there for McClane, Stabler asking if she’s heard of him. Angela says they are welcome to come in and look for him but he is not there anymore.  She admits he collapsed at her front doorstep and was a mess. He asked for shelter and she told him whatever he and Richard are into she doesn’t want any part of. Stabler comments it sounds dramatic, asking when did this happen.  Angela explains it was not too long ago, they can probably catch him, he stole her car, a 2018 blue Kia.  Bell says she will have Jet run the plates.  Bell and Stabler turn to leave and Stabler looks back, commenting “Keep working on that limp.” 

Back at the task force, Jet tells the other the APB paid off and a matching car has been located at an industrial park in North Jersey.  Stabler and Bell get there and see the car – the plates match. They get out of their car and head inside the building, guns drawn.  They see the elevator stopped at the 7th floor.  In the elevator, Stabler gets a call from an “unknown caller”  and it is Wheatley, saying it looks like he is 2 and 0.  He adds he got his girl Ange and his boy Sebastian, asking Stabler what’s he got, blue balls?  Stabler ends the call.  

Meanwhile, Wheatley sees that McClane has arrived and he hugs him. McClane looks wary. 

When Stabler and Bell get off the elevator, they split up and carefully search for McClane and Wheatley.   Stabler thinks he sees them both standing by the east side window, and he tells Bell via radio.  Bell sees no one.   But the lights go out inside the entire building and Stabler can’t see anyone now.  He and Bell walk to the window and see a helicopter take off, point toward them, then speed away.  The look at each other as we cut to black. 

Law & Order SVU “Burning With Rage Forever” Recap, Review, Discussion

Law & Order SVU “Burning With Rage Forever”  was another one of those episodes with a lot of moving parts.  

Where to begin?  The best place to start is the scene that opened the episode, and the related scene that closed it, even though it didn’t have anything to do with the crime(s) the SVU later  investigates. I wonder why they would tack on Noah revealing he is bi onto an episode about child molesters? I was a little confused as to his explanation about being bi, saying he doesn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but  “ it’s just not fair for anybody to  be left out.”   So let me get this straight (no pun intended), not wanting to leave people out  means a person is bi?  I’m not clear if Noah is saying he is romantically/sexually attracted to both girls and boys, or he just wants to have equal friendships/relationships with both girls and boys.  It’s the context in which this came up is what seems off to me.  It would have made more sense if he admitted that he agreed to being put in the cage with a dog collar because  he’s into being dominated! Maybe if his reveal was dropped into an episode where the context was more fitting,  it wouldn’t cause so much confusion in my head.  I felt like they wanted to make this reveal about Noah and didn’t give a thought as to what story was being told around it.   (Addendum:  I think the other issue I have with this story is we don't actually see how Benson handled Noah's friend's troubling behavior with his mother.)

Besides Noah in a dog collar in a cage, and his bisexual reveal, the case itself contained an  internet predator, child molester, stabbing, two arraignments, another child  molestation, and a suicide attempt. It was a lot to process in 41 minutes of story-telling time.  It would have worked better being told over two episodes, in my opinion.  

Here is the recap: 

Noah is at a friend’s house in a dog cage, in a dog pose, and wearing a dog collar, also being asked to bark like a dog and eat dog food by his friend, who is recording everything. He refuses to eat the food. When his friend’s mom enters the room, she sees what’s going on and looks displeased, as does Benson when she also enters the room.  Noah says they were just messing around, and one of the other friends – Annie – says that Hudson was making them play cats and dogs.  Benson and Noah make a quick exit and as they walk home, Benson tries to get Noah to open up about it.  Noah says Hudson is a jerk, explaining what Hudson did but doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.  

When a young boy – Tino -  is left home alone by his uncle Carlos, he falls prey to an on-line pedophile who lures him into his apartment.  The boy quickly realizes he is in trouble but cannot escape.   When the family realizes he is missing, the family, including his father Seby,  gets the police involved, who gets with SVU and  the search begins. When they realize Tino has Carlos’ laptop, they trace it to a building and find Tino in an apartment, tied to a radiator.  But the man who took him is gone. 

Later at a child advocacy center, Rollins tried to get Tino to open up. Meanwhile, Fin finds the super of the apartment cut a side deal with an unlicensed broker to rent the place out for short stays and Velasco poses as someone interested in a place and sets up a meet.  Velasco and Rollins meet with the super and discuss the arrangement; he caves in and gives them his phone, and his Venmo points them to Theodore Murtaugh from the Bronx.   When the detectives get to his home, they find Murtaugh has been stabbed and is tied to a pipe. 

Benson and Carisi confer and suspect Tino’s family.  

Tino eventually  points out Murtaugh from a photo array and Rollins suggests counseling for Tino. Benson speaks  with Seby who denies stabbing Murtaugh.  Velasco speaks with Carlos who explains where he was last night – at his girlfriend’s – and denies stabbing him.  Rollins speaks with Carlos’ girlfriend who confirms Carlos’ alibi. 

At SVU, Fin explains that Tino ID’d Murtaugh and the DNA matches. TARU is still working on the laptop. Rollins finds security camera footage of Carlos going in to Murtaugh’s. When they bring him in to the SVU interrogation, Fin and Velasco work Carlos until he caves and admits it, saying Tino took a receipt from Murtaugh’s car that had his address. Murtaugh also told Carlos he filmed it and was enjoying reliving it, and Carlos admitted he snapped and went into the kitchen and got a knife, closed his eyes and stabbed him.  

In the courtroom gallery, Seby has enlisted the help of Elvis, a local community "hero".   Carlos is being represented by Joe Spiro.  Bail is set for Carlos at $25,000.  Murtaugh is arraigned and he pleads not guilty – not what was previously agreed with Carisi.  This enrages  Seby who goes after Murtaugh and he gets thrown out of court.  Murtaugh’s bail is set at $250,000.

Outside the courtroom, Seby and Elvis speak with Benson and Carisi while a crowd is there to support Carlos. 

Carisi speaks with Murtaugh and his lawyer at Rikers and Carisi  isn’t having any of it, his offer getting harder and harder the more Murtaugh tries to play hardball. 

In Benson’s office, Carisi explains that Murtaugh turned down 25 years and wants to go to trial.  Seby enters and says he will not allow Tino to testify.  But Benson thinks they can use Carlos, as he told them Murtaugh confessed to him. 

Later, Carisi tries to get Carlos to agree to testify and Carlos eventually agrees, saying he has a video of the confession on Murtaugh’s phone – Carlos took it as he didn’t want anyone else watching it. 

We later hear Murtaugh will spend the rest of his life in prison, but Elvis speaks to the crowd and is unhappy that Carlos can’t get a reasonable plea deal.  Shortly after Benson, Velasco and Rollins hear this, they find Carlos’s girlfriend Maya and her son Andre have arrived at the SVU.  Maya later explains to Benson and Carisi that Carlos has sexually abused Andre, just the day before, after Andre got out of the shower.  Maya discussed it with Carlos, who said it was an accident and he said it was the first time and would never  happen again.  

Later, Rollins and Benson speak with Andre who explains what happened, saying it was a bad touch and has never happened before. 

Carisi says they need to pick up Carlos now, and Benson gets a text from Elvis saying Carlos is on a roof, threatening to jump.  When SVU gets there, Elvis and Seby explains Carlos was drunk and upset, saying he is no hero, saying he did a bad thing. He has a knife.  Benson and Velasco head to the roof and after some discussion, Carlos admits the same thing happened to him and he never told anyone. Carlos drops the knife and step away from the edge.  Benson says they want to understand, and he hugs her and says he is sorry. 

Later, while  Carlos is being treated in the hospital, he tells them he saw that his teacher died in a fire (on the TV at the open of the episode) and he hadn’t thought about it in 20 years and it came coming back. He describes the assaults and how long they went on.  He says he had nothing to do with the fire but is glad he’s dead. 

Seby later explains how Carlos changed and wonders why he didn’t tell him.  Benson says he needs to be there for Carlos now, and for his son.  Afterwards,  Rollins says his teacher died, Tito gets abused and Carlos was triggered, going after Murtaugh and them everybody call him a hero and he can’t handle it.  Benson says he is devolving, self-loathing; he ends up at Maya’s with Andre, adding the cycles of abuse are so much greater than one single act and they never go away. 

Later,  Spiro and Carlos meet with Carisi, and Velasco is also there. Carisi is aware of the mitigating circumstances and  says they can charge Carlos with sex abuse 2, a misdemeanor. Because Andre was under 18, Carlos must go on the registry. Carlos agrees as he doesn’t want to make Andre testify.  Carisi still has to check on the assault on Murtaugh.  When Carisi leaves, Velasco tells Carlos he is doing the right thing, and to keep his head down and he will be okay. Carlos wishes they would have let him jump; in one way or another he has been dead since he was 9 years old. 

Later, Benson hears via phone, and tells Rollins,  that Carlos got 4 years and mandatory counseling. Benson says they  need to follow up that Tino and Andre get the help they need.  When Benson asks Rollins if she is going home to the girls, Rollins asks if Benson ever worries that they are missing something like Carlos’s mom. When Benson says she hopes not, Rollins adds that parenting, you do the best you can and you never feel like it’s enough. 

Benson and Noah are taking about another “play date” with Annie, and Benson suggested they come to their own house, and that she did tell Annie’s mom about Hudson and the dog cage.  Noah isn’t pleased that Benson did this despite his wishes she not do this.  He explains Hudson is an idiot and a bully and no one likes him anyway and it was his turn to be his target. Noah then goes on to explain that Hudson went after Corey because Corey says pronouns are “they/them” and Hudson called Corey a fairy, and then Noah told Hudson he was bi.  He adds there is no shame to being true to yourself.  Benson agrees and was happy that Noah stood up for Corey and himself, calling him incredibly brave.  Noah says it is  “his truth” and he just hadn’t told anybody before.  Benson thanks him for telling her, but he says it’s no big deal, it’s not like he has a boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s just not fair for anybody to  be left out.  Benson says she hears that, and says she is proud of him and hugs and kisses him. He asks if they can go eat now, and Benson laughs and says yes. As they walk off we fade to black.