Law & Order: Organized Crime Season Finale Recap: Did Grief Lure Stabler Into Making a Choice He Can't Undo? — Plus, Grade It!

After Joe Jr.'s death in last week's Law & Order: Organized Crime, Stabler is in a very bad way at the start of the Season 5 finale. Let's face it: El has never been a super by-the-books type of cop, and when crushing grief enters the picture, he's poised to make choices that will set him on a very bad path in the future.
But does he make them? Read on for the highlights of 'He Was a Stabler.'
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LIGHT IT UP UP UP | In an empty warehouse somewhere, McKenna leaves Stabler alone with Vincent Mathis, Emery's thug. 'You have no idea the lengths I'm going to go to go get what I want,' Stabler says, dousing the bald bad guy with lighter fluid and striking a match. He offers him a choice: Mathis can answer Stabler's questions about Emery's whereabouts now 'or after I put out the fire,' Elliot says menacingly. 'What's it gonna be?'
Bell and Reyes, who are both back at the office, theorize that Emery is hiding out in New York while everyone is looking for him. The sergeant tells Reyes that Stabler has taken bereavement leave; Reyes notes that's extremely unlike their workaholic colleague. Then Tanner shows up to let them know that the Captagon (Emery's designer drug) deal is still going through, and the new NYPD dictate is to bring Emery in alive. Tanner is worried that Stabler won't steer clear of the situation, but Bell assures her he will. Just then, Reyes gets a text… and it's Stabler, absolutely not steering clear of the situation.
Reyes reluctantly agrees to help Stabler, who hands over Mathis for processing and asks Reyes to do some digging to find Emery's whereabouts. Then Stabler and McKenna go to a diner where Elliot says he's dreading telling his mother about Joe's death. McKenna knows that Stabler wants to kill Emery, and he's on board, but he's apparently also become a well adjusted paragon of mental health in the few episodes since we last saw him. 'Revenge doesn't bring light,' he advises, ' just a different kind of darkness.'
A PACKAGE FROM JOE | Stabler and McKenna have just finished roughing up one of Emery's contacts when Randall texts, demanding a meeting. The brothers meet, and Randall hands over an envelope that arrived with a note for Elliot: It's a broken flash drive from Joe Jr. 'When he was in my arms, he said, 'I mailed it,'' Elliot says. Then he instructs Randall to take the rest of the family out to Bernie's house in Montauk for a few days to keep them safe. 'You got people to take care of here, Elliot,' Randall says, begging his brother not to continue on the path he's chosen. 'Go to Montauk,' Elliot says in parting. He then secretly meets with a very confused Vargas, who agrees to try to get the files off Joe's broken drive.
Stabler and McKenna figure out that Emery's ex-wife and son are in New York, so they swing by to do a little light intimidation. The ex, Allegra, quickly realizes what's going on and calls Emery, putting him on speaker so that he can directly talk to Stabler. But Elliot's threats don't work — Emery basically tells his son 'good luck, kid! See ya never.' However, Vargas tracks the call, which gives Stabler and McKenna the Brit's location. Once more, McKenna proves the cooler head (I know, weird, right?) by having Stabler pause for a second before he busts in and tries to take out Emery himself.
BACK WITH THE TEAM | Next thing we know, Stabler marches into the office and announces that he knows where Emery is going. Looks like he made the correct choice after all! Bell is livid that Stabler's been working the case the whole time and that her staffers have been lying to her about helping him. 'Sarge, I understand,' Stabler says. 'Now, we can sit here and discuss all the ways that I f—ked up, or we can get after Emery.'
So they do. Bell, Stabler, Tanner, Reyes and a bunch more cops storm Emery's transport; a gunfight erupts. Emery sneaks away, but Stabler eventually corners him. There's a moment where it's not clear that Stabler is going to abide by the 'bring him in alive' mandate, but then Bell appears and takes the choice away from him by grabbing Emery's gun and cuffing him.
Emery knows his future is bleak if he doesn't do something big, so he offers his inside knowledge of three top Hezbollah leaders in exchange for an unfreezing of his assets and house arrest on his estate in Devonshire. And… he gets it! 'HE KILLED MY BROTHER!' Stabler yells in protest, but it's a done deal: The Brit is getting off easy.
CHANGE OF PLANS | But! Just before Stabler stalks out of the office in disgust, Vargas makes a breakthrough with the flash drive: It's full of photos and other evidence against Emery, proving that Joe Jr. truly was working against his criminal boss for the past six months. And that evidence negates Emery's deal with the Department of Justice. 'Whatever my brother's problems were, he was a Stabler, and he just put your ass away for the rest of your life,' Stabler says.
Earlier in the episode, Randall found a half-filled-out application for the New York Police Department that Joe had abandoned years before. So that's on Elliot's mind after he finishes talking with Emery. 'Today, he was a cop, and a good one,' Stabler tells Reyes, Bell, Vargas and Tanner after he exits the interrogation room.
Elliot finds Bernie and tells her they're going to a ceremony for Joe Jr. — he doesn't say exactly what's going on, but she starts to cry. HAS NO ONE TOLD THIS WOMAN HER CHILD IS DEAD YET? Then the family gathers in a hallway at what I'm assuming is NYPD headquarters, where a plaque commemorates Joe among notable cops who've died in the line of duty. (Bell pulled some strings.) The hour ends with Stabler and McKenna getting a six pack and hang out at the waterfront, looking at the lights of the city and toasting Stabler's little brother.
Now it's your turn. What did you think of the finale? Grade it, and the season as a whole, via the polls below. Then hit the comments with all of your thoughts!
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