Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Behind Blue Eyes

It’s always nice to get a crossover within Dick Wolf’s NYPD universe. However, Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 Episode 5, “Behind Blue Eyes” barely utilizes their guest star, which is a shame.

Bringing in Kelli Giddish’s Detective Amanda Rollins because a rape case seems to be the work of dirty cops has so much potential. All of this gets wasted on uninspired storytelling and too little of Rollins.

Cops Against Fake Cops Against Cops?

The messiest thing about this episode is that we are supposed to believe that Stabler’s testimony against the cop gang, The Brotherhood would lead to none of the cops trusting him — in all of the NYPD? Seems a bit of a stretch to me, but what do I know about cop dynamics.

These criminals take advantage of the Brotherhood’s MO to cover their tracks when they start robbing drug dealers and raping any young girls they come across in the process. It’s sickening to think about, but Rollins’ first guess about it being the Brotherhood changing things up because of Stabler would have been more interesting than what it actually is.

Sure, the truth behind these rapes gives the viewers a chance to care about some of the attackers, but why do we need to? If Law & Order: Organized Crime had made it all about the Brotherhood it would’ve been a way to tie seasons together.

Unfortunately, this case isn’t any of that and is just some sick-minded former foster kids out for revenge. It is a situation that doesn’t tie to anything this season has been focusing on thus far, which makes the episode seem more removed, but more on that in a bit.

In the scene where they finally have that showdown, the task force finds themselves caught in the middle of gunfire from both the robbers and the cops they’d called for backup. It’s a completely unnecessary dramatic additive trying to further the Brotherhood narrative that has already been established to be null and void.

Honestly, the writing of this whole episode seems out of context with the rest of the season and takes away from what this episode could have been.

Continuity Is Important

I completely understand that we are only on Episode 5 of the season. However, it seems as though this episode completely forgets the task force still has to deal with the Silas family.

This fact is driven even further home by Bell’s meeting where the disbanding of the whole force is discussed. It’s stated that they aren’t needed because they solved the recent murder, took down Wheatley, and testified against the Brotherhood. 

Is this development something we are supposed to be genuinely worried about? Because honestly, it’s out of place and doesn’t feel permanent or that it’s even going to be brought up again.

To be fair, that revelation goes right along with the whole disjointed theme of the episode. If Law & Order: Organized Crime takes this episode completely out of the season I truly don’t feel as though it will be a loss.

There is nothing about the episode that solidly connects it to their current case or past cases — i.e. see Brotherhood ball drop. There needs to be something about this episode that makes us believe that it matters in the grander scheme of who this task force is. 

As of right now, the only thing that matters about this criminal team is that they used to be foster brothers to Reyes. That development is the only interesting thing about “Behind Blue Eyes.” Too bad it happens in the last two minutes of the episode.

This show could be great, but the writers keep dropping the ball — big time.

Stray Thoughts:

• I give this episode a rating because Jet is the queen she is. Keep slaying girl!
• Are we supposed to care about Whelan? This show gives us nothing of substance for him; he’s just there.

 

What did you think of this episode of Law & Order: Organized Crime? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Law & Order: Organized Crime airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.

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