![]() ![]() At least as the first episode goes, though, Organized Crime looks like a significant departure from the rhythm of a typical Law & Order series. We have only seen the first episode, which aired Thursday night, and there are no screeners available to help clarify what the whole show will be like going forward. The most intriguing element of the franchise’s big swing is what happens when Elliot Stabler’s preestablished character combines with the format of the new series, Organized Crime. And yet Benson, who previous episodes suggest should know better by now, defends him! Once again, he somehow manages to be “a good cop” in spite of all evidence to the contrary. Stabler has a terrible misconduct record, and his current behavior doesn’t indicate he’s changed his ways. He demands to be in the interview room with a suspect even though he shouldn’t be anywhere near there, and Benson inevitably has to stop him from violently lunging at the interviewee. When his wife Kathy is the victim of a bombing (justice for Kathy Stabler no character ever deserves to spend this much time in a neck brace!), Stabler goes berserk. There are a few fascinating moments in the SVU episode launching Stabler’s return, short scenes that do register how much Stabler’s whole deal is now a massive issue. He’s violent and impulsive, he cannot follow rules, and deep in his heart he truly believes that all these things make him a good cop. When he’s forced to exist in a contemporary context, though, it’s immediately obvious that all the things he was best known for a decade ago are now enormous flaws. Sure, when seen through nostalgia glasses, Stabler is your Law & Order problematic zaddy or whatever. Worse, Organized Crime seems to misjudge the appeal of Law & Order altogether, and it does so in a way that only exacerbates the gap between now and the Stabler of old.īringing back Elliot Stabler in 2021 was always going to be a mess. But by the time Stabler strolls out of the SVU domain and over into his own series, that character in particular and Organized Crime more broadly starts looking like a frustrating measure of just how far the world has moved on from the values and tropes that defined the character years ago. ![]() Stabler’s initial return scenes on SVU were fan-servicey and indulgent - lots of opportunities to stare deeply into his old partner Olivia Benson’s eyes and attempt to atone for the mistakes of his past. He showed up first in an exciting crossover episode of his old franchise home SVU and was then ported over to his own show in his own time slot, once again running around New York City in pursuit of baddies. So far, Organized Crime looks like a significant departure from the rhythm of a typical Law & Order series, one that feels at odds with Elliot Stabler’s preestablished character.Īfter many years out of the franchise and a long promotional run-up to his return, Elliot Stabler is now back in the Law & Order universe as the lead character in the newest spinoff series, Law & Order: Organized Crime. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |