S02.E14: ...Wheatley Is To Stabler

[WendyCR72]

Airing March 3, 2022:

Quote

As a rolling blackout cripples the city, Stabler and Bell work to stay a step ahead of Wheatley. Jet and Malachi receive unlikely help. Bernadette gets caught up in Stabler's mess.

I pray to God this is the end of this Wheatley mess. End my rant/editorial. 😎

[wknt3]

On 2/24/2022 at 11:01 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Airing March 3, 2022:

I pray to God this is the end of this Wheatley mess. End my rant/editorial. 😎

I think it is, based on the episode titles and the news stories in the media thread. Only a half season and change too late!

[SuzieQ]

OK, I was one of the few who didn't mind Wheatley and even I'm sick of him!  So overdone and dragged out!  UGH!

Can someone refresh my memory on Wheatley's current wife?  What happened to her?  I thought he was divorced from Angela and remarried?

[michelec]

The positives of this episode:

The Wheatleys will never darken our screens again.

Other than that, I got nothin'

Edited March 4, 2022 by michelec
Misuse of an apostrophe

[Court]

20 minutes ago, michelec said:

The positives of this episode:

The Wheatley's will never darken our screens again.

Other than that, I got nothin'

Oh great! I can resume watching this. 

[michelec]

5 minutes ago, Court said:

Oh great! I can resume watching this. 

For now anyway.

Richard and Angela met a tragic end, but his body wasn't found. Which means there's a possibility he could turn up like a bad penny midway through season 4 or something.

Please showrunners, don't do it.

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, michelec said:

The positives of this episode:

The Wheatleys will never darken our screens again.

Other than that, I got nothin'

Hey, I consider that a HUGE PLUS!

That is all.

[Xeliou66]

Please for the love of all things holy, let this be the end of the Wheatleys. I don’t know why they didn’t make it explicit that Wheatley was dead, that makes me afraid they are going to have him pop back up later, I don’t know if that’s possible given that the actor is going to another show, but please let the never ending marathon of the Wheatley show end. The show is pretty good, albeit very unlike any other L&O show, when Wheatley isn’t on. Wheatley was a supervillain from a comic book, and it made the whole show feel so unrealistic and laughable and cartoonish at times. At least Angela and Richie are dead for sure, that gives me hope that Richard Wheatley will never appear again.

I liked the stuff with Jet and Malachi, that was entertaining, but mostly I’m just glad the Wheatley arc is apparently over for good. Maybe the show can go back to being decent now.

[Route66]

I absolutely love Jett and Malachi, although you need a huge suspension of disbelief to stop wondering how he somehow seems to work there now. Bell literally even tells the Mayor that her tech team is going to restore the power. Isn't he still supposed to be under house arrest and wearing an ankle monitor?

Making them BDSM fetishists was entirely unecesssry. I mean they bonded over hacking. I don't want them being perverts.

[Spartan Girl]

I don’t trust the writers to let Wheatley stay dead.

Was I supposed to feel sorry for that bitch Angela? Because I didn’t. He already killed her other son, and yet she sided with him anyway. If she was really all about protecting her other children, she should have been protecting them FROM him. If she really thought being their father would keep them safe, she was a moron.

[illdoc]

If Wheatley were truly smart, he would have taken the one identifiable thing (the chair) and moved it (and Mama Stabler) to a different location. So that if, on the off chance someone recognizes the chair, they would go to the wrong location. 

BTW, the titles of this arc ("Nemesis", "As Nottingham was to Robin Hood", "As Iago is to Othello", "As Hubris is to Oedipus", "...Wheatley is to Stabler") only make sense if he was "Sheriff Nottingham" and not "Sheriff OF Nottingham". But perhaps the "title creators" think that is his name, or that the viewers aren't that bright. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Anticlimactic and overrated. Ughh! 😫👎🏻

 

 

[milkyaqua]

7 hours ago, Route66 said:

Making them BDSM fetishists was entirely unecesssry. I mean they bonded over hacking. I don't want them being perverts.

That was a little too much (but that's been the whole case with this show.  Though I think there are folks who would object to calling them perverts...  I do like them together but as usual, you have to suspend disbelief that the authorities would be so willing to use a known criminal as an asset....oh, wait....

I don't appreciate them leaving the spectre of Wheatley being alive as a dangle.  It's known by now that Dylan McDermott is going to FBI: Most Wanted.  So unless they'd have the audacity to bring the character back via what, plastic surgery?, I'm going to be cautiously optimistic that this guy is dead and gone...  I also figured that when he asked for Ritchie's release that Ritchie wasn't long for life.  Frankly, I'd have been more satisfied if Angela had shot him in the head which is what I was expecting her to do at any point in this story.

I'm more annoyed that we're looking at another appearance from St. Olivia (why can't TPTB make it stop).  Also, I'm guessing Denis Leary isn't supposed to be playing a good guy here?  With the exception of Olivia I am looking forward to this arc and the Preston Webb storyline as well since I was wondering when they'd delve more into that and Nova's investigation.

[SuzieQ]

6 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I don’t trust the writers to let Wheatley stay dead.

 

Exactly!  Why wouldn't they find his body?  They are leaving themselves a door to open and that door needs to be nailed shut with heavy furniture in front of it😄

[edhopper]

Holding the city hostage is one thing, as ridiculous as it was. But there is no way any law enforcement agency would let Wheatley go only  because he has granny stashed somewhere.

 

[ShortyMac]

So since Wheatley wasn't confirmed dead, he'll be back. Great. 🙄🙄

[kitkat343]

So not only has Wheatley's body not been found, but am I the only one who was suspicious that his son might also be alive?  I was worried Wheatley staged his son's shooting for the police feed, and the son will join him in his escape/future plans to torture the viewers by coming back on screen.

[illdoc]

21 minutes ago, kitkat343 said:

So not only has Wheatley's body not been found, but am I the only one who was suspicious that his son might also be alive?  I was worried Wheatley staged his son's shooting for the police feed, and the son will join him in his escape/future plans to torture the viewers by coming back on screen.

Not to mention the daughter (wherever she might be). 

[853fisher]

10 hours ago, Route66 said:

Making them BDSM fetishists was entirely unecesssry. I mean they bonded over hacking. I don't want them being perverts.

I thought it was cliche for these particular characters to be into it, but in general I think there's nothing wrong with consensual kink.  It certainly wouldn't make me think less of anyone.  (I realize "pervert" was the word they used, tongue-in-cheek.)

[juliet73]

The entire Wheatley plot was soooooo bad!! I agree with everyone else's comments regarding him and the storyline.  I knew as soon as Angela drove off the cliff that her body would be found, but his wouldn't.  So stupid!!

I really liked the Sebastian character and wished this season revolved around him and not Wheatley.  Hopefully, he'll return in the future and not Wheatley.

[Aileen]

On 3/4/2022 at 8:35 AM, illdoc said:

BTW, the titles of this arc ("Nemesis", "As Nottingham was to Robin Hood", "As Iago is to Othello", "As Hubris is to Oedipus", "...Wheatley is to Stabler") only make sense if he was "Sheriff Nottingham" and not "Sheriff OF Nottingham". But perhaps the "title creators" think that is his name, or that the viewers aren't that bright. 

I had taken the Nottingham episode as a reference to Sebastian since that was the episode where he stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

19 hours ago, 853fisher said:

I thought it was cliche for these particular characters to be into it, but in general I think there's nothing wrong with consensual kink.  It certainly wouldn't make me think less of anyone.  (I realize "pervert" was the word they used, tongue-in-cheek.)

I read it differently….it seemed to me that Jet was the only one who was into the BDSM scene. Both guys looked surprised. 

[MarylandGirl]

Wheatley was just so ridiculous and over the top. Sitting there smoking a cigarette? Drinking champagne? Eating what looked like caviar? Such a cartoon of a supervillain. I really hope he's dead--not sure how he could have survived that.

I felt sad for Stabler's mother, thinking someone loved her for who she is, when it was all an act (though it did seem like maybe he had some sort of feelings for her).

Curious to see what's in store for Leary's character. And what will happen with the Nova subplot. And hoping Sebastian will be back in some form.

[preeya]

There's a poll going at TV Insider:  ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’: Do You Think Wheatley’s Alive?" (POLL)

Read it here:  https://tinyurl.com/y832e2xp

[illdoc]

This "is Wheatley alive or dead" reminds me of Nicole (Goren's nemesis) on L&O:CI. Once, as a stunt, NBC had a "you pick the ending" episode---the idea being you voted as to whether Nicole lived or died in the episode. At the end, Goren and the coroner (Rodgers?) were looking at the body of the accomplice in the morgue. In the version shown in Chicago, they then walk over to another table and there's Nicole, most definitely dead. However, in reruns/syndicated version, Nicole is not dead--the coroner just comments that either there was a lot of blood at the scene and says "it's unlikely anyone could survive with that much blood loss" or that "the blood was tested, it was preserved (ie taken at a different time(s))" and was probably planted by Nicole to make people just think she was dead (sorry, I don't remember which). Of course, she showed up alive and well in at least one later episode (before she was killed off for good). I don't know if the second voting group (the Mountain/Pacific time zone) overwhelmingly voted that she lived, or if NBC just didn't care that the majority wanted her dead and so ignored the "voice of the people". So, despite the fact that (I think) most of us want Wheatley dead (or at least never reappear), NBC/Dick Wolf will do what they want (which is probably bring him back when they get a chance).

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, illdoc said:

This "is Wheatley alive or dead" reminds me of Nicole (Goren's nemesis) on L&O:CI. Once, as a stunt, NBC had a "you pick the ending" episode---the idea being you voted as to whether Nicole lived or died in the episode. At the end, Goren and the coroner (Rodgers?) were looking at the body of the accomplice in the morgue. In the version shown in Chicago, they then walk over to another table and there's Nicole, most definitely dead. However, in reruns/syndicated version, Nicole is not dead--the coroner just comments that either there was a lot of blood at the scene and says "it's unlikely anyone could survive with that much blood loss" or that "the blood was tested, it was preserved (ie taken at a different time(s))" and was probably planted by Nicole to make people just think she was dead (sorry, I don't remember which). Of course, she showed up alive and well in at least one later episode (before she was killed off for good). I don't know if the second voting group (the Mountain/Pacific time zone) overwhelmingly voted that she lived, or if NBC just didn't care that the majority wanted her dead and so ignored the "voice of the people". So, despite the fact that (I think) most of us want Wheatley dead (or at least never reappear), NBC/Dick Wolf will do what they want (which is probably bring him back when they get a chance).

Yep, that was an NBC viewer poll. Sadly, it was voted to have Nicole live. (BOO!) On the Season 4 DVDs, the alternate scene with dead Nicole is an extra/bonus scene.

[Andyourlittledog2]

Gawd, this whole arc seemed to be written by a fifteen year old boy penning his first graphic novel.  Less boobs, but still.

'I want Stabler's soul.'  Of course he does.  These hero versus nemesis storylines have become so cliched and stupid.  It's a cartoon war of good vs evil by way of comic books. 

I miss the well written arcs of old like on Wiseguy, if anyone remembers that old show.  Now those were realistic criminals and cops written in major story arcs.  Why can't we have that anymore instead of these Marvel comic style situations? 

[WendyCR72]

56 minutes ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

I miss the well written arcs of old like on Wiseguy, if anyone remembers that old show.

I do! Ken Wahl was such great eye candy. Sigh. (Yes, that is my takeaway!)

[preeya]

3 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Gawd, this whole arc seemed to be written by a fifteen year old boy penning his first graphic novel.  Less boobs, but still.

'I want Stabler's soul.'  Of course he does.  These hero versus nemesis storylines have become so cliched and stupid.  It's a cartoon war of good vs evil by way of comic books. 

I miss the well written arcs of old like on Wiseguy, if anyone remembers that old show.  Now those were realistic criminals and cops written in major story arcs.  Why can't we have that anymore instead of these Marvel comic style situations? 

Or Crime Story, with Dennis Farina and Anthony Dennison way back in 1986.

[CrystalBlue]

So is Jet a Dominatrix or a submissive?  Inquiring minds want to know.

I took it to mean that she knows about BDSM and that particular club because of the recognizable chair, and that Malachi was pleasantly surprised and turned on by the prospect of his crush also being kinky.

Thank God Angela is dead.  Hopefully someone finds the charred remains of Richard and they don't tease with a comeback.

Also thank God that Mama Stabler Bernadette survived that harrowing ordeal.  I hope they can keep Ellen Burstyn's character on the show somehow.  She's the only family drama I can stand from this show.

[jabRI]

The whole miles long chase thing was ridiculous.  they knew where he was headed, they couldn't position it to cut him off up ahead? they needed 40 cars chasing him?  And what was Richard going to eventually say about shooting her son in cold blood?  How was he going to get rich and have a private island after all this was over? He wasn't paid any ransom by the city, was he?  Wheatley yelling at Stabler was so immature.  And of course Mama Stabler is held in a distinctive chair in the vast NYC.  Sheez.  What a waste of a season. 

[TooMuchRealityTV]

Okay, so I stopped watching a few episodes ago because I'm not a fan of Wheatley, the mustache-twirling supervillain. I watched this one because I read somewhere that arc is ending and the actor was cast in a different series. I think I jumped back in too soon. Wheatley took out power for all of NYC, and took Stabler's Mom, and did it all while eating caviar. It feels like an episode of inspector gadget, the only thing they are missing is a cat for Wheatley to stroke while coming up with plans.

I have a bad feeling about the Dennis Leary character. We meet him shortly after Bell mentions the investigation into Stabler. I'm going to assume he may not be on team Stabler, and is trying to see if he can get Stabler's guard down enough to confess things about his conduct.

[preeya]

7 hours ago, TooMuchRealityTV said:

I have a bad feeling about the Dennis Leary character.

He (Leary character) did mention he spoke with St. Olivia.

She is hellbent on psychoanalyzing Stabler because of his UC work. So perhaps it's just to start an intervention of sorts. Or not!

 

ETA: Also gives St. Olivia a reason for another appearance on OC. 

Edited March 7, 2022 by preeya

[The Wild Sow]

20 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

Hopefully someone finds the charred remains of Richard and they don't tease with a comeback.

They sank in the river so he's unlikely to be "charred"!   Waterlogged remains, yes!  

[CrystalBlue]

Angela floored the pedal to the metal, then made a sharp turn and drove them over a cliff.  I thought the car blew up or would have blown up with the gasoline on impact.  Did they mention fishing Angela's body out of the water?  Maybe Richard was thrown from the car far enough to have landed in the river and sunk?  I'm not sure and the show is leaving that unanswered, for now.

[hookedontv]

I don't really have too much to add to what everyone else has said. It was such a "trope" (as they say) that Wheatley's body was never found. I knew as soon as we saw them in the car that Angela was going to slam into something or fly off a hill. It was very predictable. 

And, I know I have a cold dead heart but I hate anything to do with Stabler's family. When is mom was kidnapped and she was scared and yelling, my brain was yelling "SHUT UP." Her voice really gets to me.

I so want this show to just be a procedural drama. Maybe a short couple episode arcs here and there. I actually liked the Albanian storyline. But it stinks that if a storyline isn't liked by someone, the arcs on this show are SO LONG. 

The Wheatley character was the worst. Such a caricature. I didn't like him just as much as I didn't like Nicole on Criminal Intent. I would groan aloud when an episode would come on with Nicole on it. Everytime she said the name "Bobby" I wanted to punch her.

As an aside, I did see that actress in a Broadway Play, I think it was the Odd Couple. Passed her in the lobby and she seemed like a lovely woman. 

 

[faithie]

I guess I'll join the chorus and express my extreme disappointment that Wolf left the door open for the return of Wheatley.  I didn't think any character arc could be worse than William Lewis but but I was wrong.

Someone mentioned the James Cromwell character: his reaction to the break-in was confusing since he was apparently in on the scheme.  My guess is this - as far as he knew, he was paid only to infiltrate the family to gather intelligence on Stabler's whereabouts and mood.  But Cromwell was NOT told that there would be a violent kidnapping, so he was genuinely surprised by the break-in and instinctively acted to protect the mom, for whom he had developed feelings. 

If anybody has a better explanation, I'm all ears.

[Route66]

On 3/6/2022 at 1:36 AM, CrystalBlue said:

So is Jet a Dominatrix or a submissive?  Inquiring minds want to know.

I took it to mean that she knows about BDSM and that particular club because of the recognizable chair, and that Malachi was pleasantly surprised and turned on by the prospect of his crush also being kinky.

 

When Sebastian is being taken away, he says goodbye to Malachi and tells him he has a good thing going. Malachi replied, "we have more in common then I knew." I took that to mean he was also into BDSM.

This was probably teased in the scene from "A Few Lekes More" where he's in handcuffs and jokingly asks her if "they're a thing for you?"

https://youtu.be/GgzLd7k8eAw

[hookedontv]

17 hours ago, faithie said:

Someone mentioned the James Cromwell character: his reaction to the break-in was confusing since he was apparently in on the scheme.  My guess is this - as far as he knew, he was paid only to infiltrate the family to gather intelligence on Stabler's whereabouts and mood.  But Cromwell was NOT told that there would be a violent kidnapping, so he was genuinely surprised by the break-in and instinctively acted to protect the mom, for whom he had developed feelings. 

If anybody has a better explanation, I'm all ears.

That was my feeling too. 

[Zaffy]

Dylan McDermott deserves an Emmy for managing to say all this nonsense without laughing.

This show has turned into exactly what Stabler was in his final SVU seasons: unbearable.
Overdone, overcooked and over the top and I think I am over it.
The only remotely interesting characters are the trio of hackers. But not enough to keep watching it I am afraid.

I mean really, who on earth approves these scripts?

[tennisgurl]

Please please please let this be the end of the Wheatleys now and forever. Drag the entire ocean, find the corpses, cut his head off, and bury it somewhere on the other side of the planet, just to make sure he's dead. But in true mustache twirling comic book villain fashion, they don't find a body so I am sure he will live on to annoy us again one day. Damn it.

When Elliot's mom got kidnapped, why was Angela lurking around the shadows like a ghost? I get that she was there to oversee the kidnapping, but why was she so damn creepy about it? I don't feel sorry for Angela, even if her useless son did die. She knows what her ex husband is like and has stuck with him through all of his crimes, those two loons deserve to share a watery grave.

Its just sad, this arc started off with so much potential and they wasted it all on Wheatley and his cackling. 

[Wizardpatch]

I forgot that the wannabe gangster son was the professor's kid too. Did Wheatley think his exwife/girlfriend was never going to find out that he was the one who shot him and recorded it on streaming video?

I hope he doesn't return and kidnap Olivia and Noah but I am sure Hargitay is demanding just that plotline.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Wizardpatch

[yourmomiseasy]

I don't know what I'm more disappointed by: Wheatley's body not being found or Mama Stabler surviving.  

[Tachi Rocinante]

Worst CGI car crash ever - completely defied the laws of physics and gravity.

[Cinnabon]

On 3/4/2022 at 3:14 PM, 853fisher said:

I thought it was cliche for these particular characters to be into it, but in general I think there's nothing wrong with consensual kink.  It certainly wouldn't make me think less of anyone.  (I realize "pervert" was the word they used, tongue-in-cheek.)

Yes, a sexual preference is not a “perversion.” 🤷‍♀️