S02.E11: As Nottingham Was To Robin Hood

[WendyCR72]

Yes, this title has me scratching my head, too. Airs January 13, 2022:

Quote

When a barrage of cyberattacks cripples the city, Stabler is convinced Wheatley is involved; Bernadette receives an unwelcome visitor.

 

[MarylandGirl]

So is the whole second half of the season going to focus on Wheatley then? Sigh... Also, I had to look up who "Bernadette" is--somehow didn't realize that was Stabler's mother's first name!

[illdoc]

6 hours ago, MarylandGirl said:

Also, I had to look up who "Bernadette" is--somehow didn't realize that was Stabler's mother's first name!

I think she's usually called "Bernie".

[CrystalBlue]

11 hours ago, MarylandGirl said:

So is the whole second half of the season going to focus on Wheatley then? Sigh... Also, I had to look up who "Bernadette" is--somehow didn't realize that was Stabler's mother's first name!

Double sigh.  I had to look up Bernadette too and was happy to learn she's Mama Stabler.  I fear for her and this unwelcome visitor.  Ellen B can read from the phone book or do a toilet paper commercial and I'd be happy.

Edited January 13, 2022 by CrystalBlue
Added thought.

[mtlchick]

What the hell did I just watch?

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, mtlchick said:

What the hell did I just watch?

[Xeliou66]

I’m so sick of Wheatley I don’t even know what to say. Seriously that ending was just so goddamn over the top, Wheatley and the hacker escaping via a helicopter. And how in the fuck did the hacker get away from the house where he was giving the widow money? Did the FBI agents not know who each other were? How incompetent are they?! Absurd. I’m so done with the Wheatley stuff, this show has shown it can be good when not focused on him, but it’s just being dragged down by this crap.

It’s interesting that they’ve brought on a fictional Governor, this is the second time the L&O franchise has brought on one with Shalvoy on the Mothership being the first. I can’t tell if this Governor is good or bad, but it seems odd that he would want to associate himself with Wheatley, who just stood trial for murder.

[milkyaqua]

Oi, can we be done with Wheatley already?  Heck, I even like Dylan McDermott but enough!  I'm tired of Angela and don't understand why if she knows how evil Richard is, she didn't at some point just put a bullet in his head and take her chances?

I knew the hacker wasn't going back to jail because there was a press release announcing Robin Lord Taylor joining for an arc.  What was stupid as mentioned by others, how the heck doesn't the FBI not know who its agents are?  Also, if you are transporting such a high value asset, why would you only have one agent in the vehicle?  And yes, the escape on the helicopter, so much nonsense.

I'll give Wheatley credit for being able to bamboozle and charm his way into having folks give him what he wants and or getting them to see things his way as with his manipulation of the governor though Stabler isn't doing himself any favors.  Bell at least seems to know now that Elliot isn't completely off his meds.  I did like his mom telling him though that he needs to not let Wheatley into his head/take over his life.

I hope by the end of Feb sweeps they wrap this up...

[TooMuchRealityTV]

I don't know what to say about this show. It started the season off strong, by moving onto a new crime organization, and having almost no Wheatley. I enjoyed the Albanian Mob story more than any of the SVU stuff this season. It felt like a fresh start for the show, as the Wheatley stuff from last season was getting old. So now they bring him back as a supervillain/nemesis which is just not that interesting to watch.

I'll keep this show on my DVR for now and keep reading the comments here. I'm not going start watching again until or unless it sounds like there is a Wheatley-less story arc to watch.

[illdoc]

47 minutes ago, milkyaqua said:

What was stupid as mentioned by others, how the heck doesn't the FBI not know who its agents are?  Also, if you are transporting such a high value asset, why would you only have one agent in the vehicle? 

Not only that, what kept the real FBI agents? The hacker shows up at the house at a specific time, is inside talking to the widow for an indeterminate amount of time, leaves the house, the phony FBI shows up and takes him away, and 5 minutes later the real FBI shows up. How was that coordinated? Were the real FBI agents supposed to show up at a specific time and got delayed somehow so that the phony ones could show up at that specific time? It obviously wasn't arranged with cooperation of the hacker (as in: Hacker says "give me 15 minutes with the widow", leaves in 10 min, giving a 5-minute window for the phony FBI to sweep in and collect him). In fact, why wasn't the real FBI car already there waiting for him to come out?

[StaceyNotStacie]

2 hours ago, milkyaqua said:

 

I hope by the end of Feb sweeps they wrap this up...

I’m guessing that we will get some sort of cliffhanger just before the olympics and this will conclude at the end of the season. 
 

Aside from Wheatley, I’m enjoying this storyline. The hacker isn’t awful to watch and I’m enjoying the interaction between the young female cyber security expert and the guy on parole (I can’t remember their names). 

[tennisgurl]

Its really too bad that this show is so obsessed with comic book supervillain Wheatley, because otherwise the hacker story actually has a lot of potential. I liked the idea of following someone who really did have good intentions but who's actions had negative consequences instead of another straight up criminal gang, and I like Robin Lord Taylor. I like that this gives Jet more time to shine and I like her cute hacker love interest. But every time I start getting into that story Wheatley shows up to cackle evilly and its all ruined. It also brings Stabler back to being unStabler, which is too bad because I really like that he's grown as a character since his SVU days, but now that he has his white whale he is falling back into old habits, and I don't like it.  

None of this makes Wheatley look like a genius, it makes everyone around him look like an idiot. The FBI agents who let his lackey run off with Constantine, the NYPD who let him fly away on his stupid helicopter, the governor for being so easily manipulated, its less like Wheatley is a mastermind so much as the whole plot is structured so that he keeps implausibly winning.  

[illdoc]

5 hours ago, milkyaqua said:

I hope by the end of Feb sweeps they wrap this up...

Keep in mind we "lose" a couple of episodes in Feb for the Olympics (which are on NBC). Next 2 weeks (Jan 20 & 27) should be new, then the Olympics Feb 10 & 17. Not sure about Feb 3--I *think* the start date is Feb 4, so there might be a new episode on Feb 3.

[milkyaqua]

3 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

I’m guessing that we will get some sort of cliffhanger just before the olympics and this will conclude at the end of the season. 

I keep forgetting the Olympics which I don't understand since the network does so many promos for them.

5 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Keep in mind we "lose" a couple of episodes in Feb for the Olympics (which are on NBC). Next 2 weeks (Jan 20 & 27) should be new, then the Olympics Feb 10 & 17. Not sure about Feb 3--I *think* the start date is Feb 4, so there might be a new episode on Feb 3.

True, I'd just like to be done with Wheatley and it can't come soon enough.  I can't believe these shows don't track fan reactions across their different platforms.  I don't track them all myself but enough of the comments on the ones I've checked haven't been loving the resurgence of Wheatley the supervillain...

[michelec]

Random thoughts...

Governor Garcia is an idiot.

Jet and Malachi crack me up.

I wonder if the whistling of "The Farmer in the Dell" was a low-key tribute to Michael K. Williams.

"Keep working on that limp" 😆😆

That last scene made me roll my eyes so hard. It was over the top, even for this show.

[MarylandGirl]

22 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

I’m guessing that we will get some sort of cliffhanger just before the olympics and this will conclude at the end of the season. 
 

Aside from Wheatley, I’m enjoying this storyline. The hacker isn’t awful to watch and I’m enjoying the interaction between the young female cyber security expert and the guy on parole (I can’t remember their names). 

I do actually like the hacker--he's interesting. OK, and kinda hot. The helicopter was ridiculous.

[preeya]

They've turned what could have been a very interesting series into a comic book look alike.

Kill fucking Wheatley and be over with this farce.

[WendyCR72]

Seems the franchise still has not learned a valuable lesson where villains are concerned: Less is more, and making them all powerful diminishes the show. See also William Lewis, SVU, and Nicole Wallace, Criminal Intent. Now, OC has its own SUPAH-VILLAIN!

[Raja]

On 1/13/2022 at 8:07 PM, mtlchick said:

What the hell did I just watch?

Another chapter in Olivia's fantasy romance novel. Starring her hero Elliot 

[CrystalBlue]

On 1/14/2022 at 3:45 PM, illdoc said:

Keep in mind we "lose" a couple of episodes in Feb for the Olympics (which are on NBC). Next 2 weeks (Jan 20 & 27) should be new, then the Olympics Feb 10 & 17. Not sure about Feb 3--I *think* the start date is Feb 4, so there might be a new episode on Feb 3.

The Olympics start on Feb 3.

[CrystalBlue]

McClane the hacker is interesting and the only saving grace in the continuation of the Wheatley storyline.  So, Angela and ex-hubby were alone when she said she'd never remarry him, so she must mean it.  Richard's response was delivered immediately after I said the words to my TV screen.

Glad that Bernie was okay after all.

[WendyCR72]

7 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

The Olympics start on Feb 3.

No, they begin February 4th. They always begin on a Friday. Or, at least, in US time it does.

[CrystalBlue]

1 minute ago, WendyCR72 said:

No, they begin February 4th. They always begin on a Friday. Or, at least, in US time it does.

The promo on NBC I've seen has a big Feb 3 in blue letters on the screen.  Maybe it's for something else that happens before the Olympics?  It had a wintertime sport image on the ad.

This, from Newsweek online:

"The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are officially scheduled to kick off on Friday, February 4.

However, the Games are in actuality beginning on Wednesday, February 2, with the curling mixed doubles round-robin—two days before the official curtain-raiser at the Opening Ceremony.

China's capital city is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone, which is similar to Tokyo's time difference. As a result, sports fans should again expect to see evening events broadcast live to their screen in the morning, and vice versa.

The 2022 Games will then proceed to run for more than a fortnight, before being brought to a close on Sunday, February 20 with a second ceremony."
 

[WendyCR72]

2 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

The promo on NBC I've seen has a big Feb 3 in blue letters on the screen.  Maybe it's for something else that happens before the Olympics?  It had a wintertime sport image on the ad.

This, from Newsweek online:

"The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are officially scheduled to kick off on Friday, February 4.

However, the Games are in actuality beginning on Wednesday, February 2, with the curling mixed doubles round-robin—two days before the official curtain-raiser at the Opening Ceremony.

China's capital city is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone, which is similar to Tokyo's time difference. As a result, sports fans should again expect to see evening events broadcast live to their screen in the morning, and vice versa.

The 2022 Games will then proceed to run for more than a fortnight, before being brought to a close on Sunday, February 20 with a second ceremony."
 

Okay. But NBC has always shown opening ceremonies on Friday evening. So perhaps that will be taped and the whole pomp thing will happen then even though the games will have begun? Either way, no regular NBC shows for a couple weeks.

[TM101]

I really hate this hacker plot line. Can we get a new plot like the Albanian one please or something maybe centered around a terrorist organization not some stupid hacker and having Wheatley running around with him..

Edited January 16, 2022 by TM101

[wknt3]

1 hour ago, TM101 said:

I really hate this hacker plot line. Can we get a new plot like the Albanian one please or something maybe centered around a terrorist organization not some stupid hacker and having Wheatley running around with him..

We don't even need a NEW plot. We just need to move on to the much more interesting Marcy Killers plot that they keep teasing us with before going back to the whole supervillain nemesis nonsense.

[Court]

I am so over Wheatley and the villain that never makes mistakes. I enjoyed the McClane storyline with Kesha. 

[MarylandGirl]

On 1/16/2022 at 3:35 AM, CrystalBlue said:

The Olympics start on Feb 3.

Perhaps they can do an OC tie-in--Stabler tries to take a family vacation to a ski resort, but Wheatley follows him there. Wheatley behind him the ski lift, followed by a chase scene skiing down a mountain! (I may be a little loopy today.)

[KeithJ]

This show is becoming unwatchable with supervillain Wheatley.

[jabRI]

8 hours ago, KeithJ said:

This show is becoming unwatchable with supervillain Wheatley.

Him and Angela smirking to each other is nauseating.  And must everyone have a scotch/wine in their hands at all times?  They even make him look ridiculous, with the turtle necks and the matrix-length black leather coat.    I feel bad, he and the woman playing Angela are good actors, but the writing and direction is making this unwatchable.  Why did they think we needed an all-powerful Bond villan who could escape with ease at the first sign of trouble, leaving the police looking like fools.  'Keep working on the limp', best line of the night.

What I really hate is that they are making Wheatley the main character now, Stabler is just an after-thought trying to catch up.

[CheshireCat]

3 hours ago, jabRI said:

 Why did they think we needed an all-powerful Bond villan who could escape with ease at the first sign of trouble, leaving the police looking like fools. 

I think Bond villains would be jealous of Wheatley. Bond villains usually have a weakness (either women or their ego or both) and with the occasional exception, once they're dead, they're dead.

 

[Zaffy]

I have to give credits to Dylan McDermott for managing to stay serious while playing this caricature of a super villain.
This was a REALLY bad day at the writers' office. Why oh why NY's governor is consulted by a notorious criminal? Apparently the guy is an idiot, but still, governors come with a whole team of people and aides who should advise him against making decisions with someone like Wheatley.
And since when Wheatley is an expert in cyber-crime? I must have missed something here...

Btw, I think the hacker is working  against Wheatley  and only pretends to work with him. Maybe he is already working with Eliot. 
Not that makes this plot less boring and less stupid.
I miss Flutura. Bring back Flutura as the love antagonist of Benson! 😁
 

[wknt3]

8 hours ago, Zaffy said:

This was a REALLY bad day at the writers' office. Why oh why NY's governor is consulted by a notorious criminal? Apparently the guy is an idiot, but still, governors come with a whole team of people and aides who should advise him against making decisions with someone like Wheatley.
 

Sure, but as a NY state resident a NY governor ignoring that team out of some mixture of arrogance, ambition, expediency, and stupidity is all too believable. And heck there was another politician out of NYC  not too long ago who had a higher office than governor and  a bigger team of aides and made decisions consulting with people who were much worse than Wheatley. So it's not all that unrealistic. Or maybe reality needs better writers?
 

Quote

And since when Wheatley is an expert in cyber-crime? I must have missed something here...

Wheatley has been an expert in cyber crime from the beginning - both his criminal activities and his legitimate business front were tech oriented,

[UnikornRainbowz]

On 1/14/2022 at 8:59 PM, michelec said:

Random thoughts...

Governor Garcia is an idiot.

Jet and Malachi crack me up.

I wonder if the whistling of "The Farmer in the Dell" was a low-key tribute to Michael K. Williams.

"Keep working on that limp" 😆😆

That last scene made me roll my eyes so hard. It was over the top, even for this show.

YES!!!! OMAR'S COMING RIP

[WendyCR72]

All I can think of when I see the name Malachi is Children of the Corn. Yeah. Maybe Wheatley will employ them next.

[Zaffy]

8 hours ago, wknt3 said:

Sure, but as a NY state resident a NY governor ignoring that team out of some mixture of arrogance, ambition, expediency, and stupidity is all too believable.

I see! I am in Greece (we have our own idiots here as well) and I didn't know what the fictional governor did it can be realistic in NY!!

[TV Anonymous]

What the actual fuck was that? Why did the Governor consult Wheatley? I meant what was the on-screen argument that got Wheatly into the Governor's good grace? The FBI at the house were so cartoonishly stupid they might as well played by Wile E. Coyote. Shows within Law & Order franchise do get out of the realm of reality from time to time, but none is as egregious as this one. This is CSI: Miami-level bad.