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.