Elliot Stabler’s personal life and family have been a major part of Law & Order: Organized Crime since its second season. After her Emmy-winning guest role in Law & Order: SVU, Ellen Burstyn returned to Organized Crime Season 2 as Stabler’s mother, Bernadette Stabler. We also saw Dean Norris and Michael Trotter as Stabler’s brothers, Randall and Joe.
One of the Season 4 storylines about the family involved Elliot and Randall trying to help Joe with his drug issues. However, he rejects their help and joins criminal boss Julian Emery. He was absent throughout the fifth season until he appeared in the latest episode, Off the Books. However, he meets with a devastating fate that might push Elliot to break his moral boundaries.
What happened in the ninth episode of Law & Order: Organized Crime?
Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler gets a phone call from Joe Stabler in the ninth episode, titled Off the Books. Joe agrees to work as an informant for Elliot, leaking Julian Emery’s criminal activity. However, unknown to Joe and Elliot, Emery is onto Joe and uses it to his advantage to feed the cops false information.
However, Elliot suspected that something was going wrong on Joe’s side and decided to put a tracker on a chain with a pendant that he gave to Joe during their final meeting. He says that the chain is a gift from their mother, Bernadette. When Joe informs Elliot that Emery is meeting a potential buyer in Staten Island, Elliot figures out that Emery and Joe were in a Brooklyn warehouse.
When the authorities approach their warehouse, Emery figures out that Joe is wearing a tracker. He takes Joe hostage as Elliot and his old friend, Detective Tim McKenna, close in on him. Emery then asks Elliot to call off the APB on him while pointing his gun at Joe. However, when he hears helicopters closing in, he shoots Joe.
Joe dies in Elliot’s arms, who is devastated at the loss. Joe asks him to convey to their mother that he is clean. Elliot has the difficult task of informing the family. He first visits his older brother Randall, who breaks down crying with his hands over his mouth. He also informs his daughter Kathleen, who earlier asked about her uncle.
During the final moments of the episode, McKenna informs him that he has taken one of Emery’s muscles and stuffed him in the trunk of his car. He asks Elliot whether to take him in or “go for a ride”, he agrees to the latter.
Will Elliot Stabler push his moral boundary to get his revenge?
Elliot Stabler is already pushing his moral boundary when we see him last in the episode. He has not taken Emery’s muscle in, which means that he is already going rogue. We have seen him go out of control in both SVU and Organized Crime previously, but this kind of aggression from him is a first.
The finale episode will reveal what plans Elliot and McKenna have for the guy in the trunk. We will also get to see how Randall takes things after initially breaking down at the news. He had already blamed Elliot for using Joe as an informant. We will have to see whether the relationship between Elliot and Randall will be ruined because of this death.
We also saw that Ellen Burstyn‘s Bernadette is going through a health crisis. Joe’s death would put her in an even critical condition. The death could definitely change the course of life for the Stabler family, and we hope no further permanent damages happen to them in the season finale.
Law & Order: Organized Crime episodes are now available for streaming on Peacock.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
