Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 Episode 8 Review: Sins of Our Fathers

The serial murder case comes to a somewhat lackluster conclusion, but the episode as a whole keeps us intrigued from the start. Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 23 Episode 8, “Sins of Our Fathers,” fails to dive into the connection between Clay and Eric Bonner’s crimes, which ultimately hurts the story.

For the last few episodes, the stage has been set that Eric Bonner killed most of the girls found on the beach, but there has always been an underlying feeling that they weren’t all his. Especially once the M.E. revealed that the manner of death varied a bit from person to person.

Fans and casual viewers alike took to social media to talk about their theories on this case, suspecting that Clay Bonner had a bigger role in the murders than just protecting his son. In that respect, this episode fails viewers.

The First Murder, The Final Investigation

What makes Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 Episode 7, “Original Sin,” a slam dunk episode is that it presents the idea that Clay Bonner is also a murderer. It left the door open for “Sins of Our Fathers” to dive into how much he was involved. 

While the episode does manage to look at the murder of Meredith and Eric’s mother, it drops the ball in connecting that act with the other murders that came after it. In fact, the episode does nothing to further tie together the two Bonners. 

It’s infuriating because all this time, it’s been heavily implied that Clay Bonner can’t be trusted and has a sinister element to him. However, this episode tries its best to paint him in a more sympathetic and redeeming light. 

He only killed his wife and then did everything else as a means to protect the kids that he loved, that his wife didn’t actually want. It’s frustrating as hell because it feels like the women on the beach are no longer significant nor will they ever get true justice.

Meredith is a fantastic character, and she owns every moment that happens to her, even willing to forgo her future if the FBI feels that her actions in everything are worth punishment. However, it would’ve been more compelling if the final note on this case wasn’t about Bonner’s corruption and his associates’ misdeeds, but instead another mention of the victims themselves.

I, along with most fans I am sure, am glad to have closure on what really happened to Meredith and Eric’s mom. Having the flashback scenes is even a nice touch, but it still feels a bit lackluster in the grand scheme of the whole story.

Final Conclusion on Stabler’s IAB Investigation

It’s great that after 4 episodes, we are finally getting the rightful conclusion to Stabler’s IAB investigation. This has dragged on long enough, and without any real stakes to it, the plot gets lost along the way.

The revelation on the previous episode that Investigator Warren was mentored by Gus Hansen, Stabler’s father’s old partner, is a big one. But, then, during “Sins of Our Fathers,” Law & Order: Organized Crime has decided that’s not important enough to reveal the details of why any of this matters. 

It leaves things at Hansen and Stabler were dirty cops who got caught in the act. While it’s understandable that given the opportunity to hear what Bell and Cragen dug up on Hansen, Stabler wants nothing to do with it, we as an audience deserve that information. 

Knowing what happened between Hansen and Stabler could’ve beefed up the big family reveal that comes later on when Stabler is talking to his mom and older brother.

In the end, having Cragen approach Stabler and tell him that he needs to be on his own team and fight for himself is like a shot of nostalgia. These two have always had a significant bond, and “Sins of Our Fathers” proves that doesn’t just disappear with age.

One Stabler Family Mess

Since the start of the season, Elliot’s brothers being back in town has been hinting at some big reveals. And boy does Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 Episode 8, “Sins of Our Fathers,” deliver in that department.

Not only do we finally find out what Joe Jr. has been keeping under wraps — he’s a heroin junkie. But, we also get some more insight into the person Joseph Stabler really was.

All alongside the backdrop that none of the Stabler sons seem to be able to let their mom have her way about living in an assisted living situation. Randall ends up telling Elliot that he’s going to take their mom to live with him for a while, proving that it’s not just Elliot who has a soft spot for Bernadette.

Then Randall lays it all on the table, the real connection between Hansen and Stabler’s deaths and the big secret he has kept from Elliot since they were kids.

It’ll be interesting to see how Stabler processes the news that his father committed suicide. Will he finally call up Benson to talk it through with her? Or will he spiral all on his own, adding to the nightmares he’s been having about Kathy’s death?

Obviously we all want him to man up and talk to Benson about it, but more than likely, he will bottle it up, like he’s known to do.

Stray Thoughts:

• I’m so glad they got justice for Roy Clark and that he was allowed to go back home to his mom
• The added element of Judge Bonner going off the rails and killing half of his associates because they tried to kill Meredith is unhinged but deserves more depth.

 

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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