Before the holiday break, Bell, Stabler & co managed to keep their taskforce after a threat from 1PP tried to have it disbanded. With their casino case on the backburner, the OC squad are drawn in to the world of illegal street racing when one of Elliot’s informants asks him for help. I’m very excited about this street-racer arc as the casino arc just hasn’t had the same energy as previous seasons such as the Albanian and Brotherhood arcs. It’s been missing the excitement and danger aspects, of which street racing should bring plenty of.
However, Elliot Stabler finds himself once again in department-mandated therapy. Men sometimes have trouble opening up about their problems as they don’t want to seem weak or expose their fears which can then be used against them – and Stabler is a prime example of this. He’s been through a lot in the past couple of years: Losing his wife Kathy, his youngest son going off to college despite being only 15, going undercover in an attempt to avoid his problems, and realizing he feels more than just friendship for his ex-partner Olivia Benson. It's time for Elliot to acknowledge his problems, process his feelings and heal. But to do that, he needs to stay in regular therapy.
One issue I do have with Organized Crime this season is the loss of the family aspect of the show. In the first two seasons we regularly got to see Elliot’s children and his mother, Bernie, that gave the show warmth and character variety. We have not seen Elliot’s family at all in season 3, not even at Christmas. I hope this aspect returns as sad, lonely Elliot is no fun to watch. Bring back Bernie! The occasional visit from Olivia would also brighten Elliot’s world.
Deputy Inspector Ray Thurman introduces himself to Sergeant Bell – he took the job Ayanna declined. Bell seems less than impressed on first impression, asking Thurman how old he is (34, for the record) and I will miss having Lillian Goldfarb (Janel Moloney) around the OC taskforce, even though she wasn’t a huge fan of keeping it up and running. Elliot returns to the squad room to cheers and applause from Jet, Reyes and Whelan. Elliot meets Ray on his way out of Ayanna’s office – too soon to know if Thurman will be a friend or foe.
With his gun and badge returned to him, Elliot and co get to work on the missing wife of the CI and the street racing connection. Jet works her magic while Stabler and Reyes head out to canvas local connections. But when Esteban – a local shop owner friend of Elliot – realizes who they’re asking about, he clams up fast. It seems this street racing gang from Miami are bigger than the OC squad thought.
The gang appear to be working out of a warehouse in the Bronx – and have the CI’s wife locked up while they work out what to do when their drivers keep getting busted. Bell receives a file from another precinct that correctly identifies one of the women running the show at the warehouse. When Jet manages to track the AirPods of the CI’s wife, Stabler and Reyes collar another one of their drivers as they pull over his car with the AirPods inside. A clever use of tech, Jet truly is the backbone of this squad.
Reyes used to work in auto crime before he joined the OC taskforce, and uses his knowledge and connections to progress the case. Meanwhile, it just so happens Whelan raced stockcars in Jersey (I mean, what are the odds, right?) and now the gang are looking for a new driver as two of theirs are in prison. Perfect. I’m glad it’s not Elliot going undercover again, as he’s still looking to avoid his problems and after the Brotherhood case, he’s now far too recognizable anyway.
Nestor (a contact of Stabler’s who owns a body shop) has an “in” to the street racer scene, and is willing to make an introduction for Jamie. “Sarge, I think we’re off to the races,” Elliot says to a very tired Ayanna, who does not have time for his dad jokes today. Love this partnership. As Jet works up the background and social profiles for Jamie’s racer persona, the squad heads to a night-time race meet on the streets.
While in the van monitoring Whelan’s camera feed, Bell rightfully tells Stabler off for refusing to engage in therapy. Bell is an excellent partner for Stabler: She calls him on his bullshit when needed, but is also there for him in his darker moments – when he lets her in. I’m pleased to see Elliot take his partner’s advice to go back to therapy later in the episode. “There is hope for you yet,” Ayanna tells him.
Nestor introduces Whelan under the fake name “Kevin” (of all the names, why Kevin??) to Cristobal, the gang member who picked up the trap car from Nestor’s shop. When Cristobal bumps up the winnings pot to 20k to see “Kevin” race, it seems the undercover plan to integrate Jamie in to the gang will work. Of course, the NYPD halts the race just as it begins so Jamie isn’t placed in any danger. But Jamie decides to ingratiate himself to the gang by punching a cop, who is NOT amused with his antics. I loved watching Bell scold him upon his release from jail, with Stabler standing by like they were two disappointed parents. Jamie successfully passes the gang vetting, though I would expect nothing less from Jet’s expert handiwork.
Meanwhile, Elliot finds himself back in the therapist’s office. I’m proud of him for going back, opening up about Kathy’s loss, his feelings on loss in general, his kids moving away. In a way, the loss of his family that he used to come home to. He also voices thoughts on how he lost a friend, a very close friend, a partner… and then Elliot bolts out of there as soon as his phone goes, but it’s a start.
The cop Jamie hit is unamused to be delivering a car for Jamie to drive that night – and evens the score before he hands over the keys. Fair. Elliot doesn’t even flinch as Jamie takes the punch. Jamie then heads to the warehouse, where he spies the CI’s wife being held hostage and gets word to Bell and Stabler. He then gets nervous and ditches his wire in the bathroom before heading out with the gang, leaving the place nearly empty. Bell & Stabler rescue the missing wife, and everyone is happy… almost.
The gang quickly identify Jet & Reyes on their tail and order Jamie to lose them. Without a wire, he’s putting himself in a dangerous position. Jamie decides to showcase his skills and really sell himself to the gang, as Jet & Reyes watch on in slight disbelief. Jamie, I hope you know what you’re doing…
I really enjoyed this episode. I’m excited to see where this arc takes the OC taskforce, and to see Elliot hopefully make progress in therapy.
