S02.E15: Takeover

[WendyCR72]

Airing March 10, 2022:

Quote

Bell's task force investigates the connection between Congressman Kilbride and the Marcy organization. Stabler makes new friends with a group of close-knit cops. Nova receives a promotion just as her two worlds begin to collide.

 

[CrystalBlue]

Frank Donnelly (Denis Leary) must introduce Stabler to his friends.

[The Wild Sow]

Oh, Stabler - that was not good aftercare for a new tattoo! 

[Xeliou66]

Finally the show can move on from the Wheatley shit, that dragged down the show badly. This stuff is much more compelling. It’s still nothing like an L&O show but it’s pretty good without Wheatley. This has the potential to be an interesting plot for the rest of the season. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first with the Stabler/Bell shouting match but I liked how it was just a cover. Didn’t care to see St Olivia show up but at least she didn’t drag things down. 

[milkyaqua]

I've always been fine with this show not adhering to the standard L&O format and going the way of something like Wiseguy.  But that only works if they are going to complete a storyline and not have it crossover and stay past its sell by date (Wheatley).

I'm interested in the Donnelly storyline and how it ties into the Marcy Killers/Webb and McBride.  I'm also curious as to just when Nova is going to get busted since Webb just made his other associates mad about his decision to have them report to her.  Webb himself now knows she has a brother so when Bell told her to watch her back, she definitely needs to be doing that from all the angles.

I was also glad that Bell and Olivia were part of the set-up to get Stabler in with Donnelly.  Olivia appearance made sense in that regard as opposed to TPTB seemingly being intent on wanting to insert the romance nonsense into it.  I can see this storyline being even messier for Stabler personally and we know he doesn't always cope well when things go badly.  I still find it a little hard to believe that Donnelly and his crew would willingly take in Stabler so quickly even with his suspension and the public outcry.

Nice to know that Jennifer Beals' character is just as dirty as her husband from jump street.

[tennisgurl]

This seems like a solid start to this arc, but at this point the fact that there was not a single Wheatley sighting and he was only mentioned in passing makes this the best episode we've had in ages. I would have loved any episode that they gave us that doesn't involve that wanna be Doctor Doom. 

I didn't really care about the Olivia/Elliot shipper bait, but, again, as long as its not Wheatley, I cant be mad. 

[preeya]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

This seems like a solid start to this arc, but at this point the fact that there was not a single Wheatley sighting and he was only mentioned in passing

But now we have to deal with "Bubba Gump," who I despise about as much as I do Wheatley.

[TM101]

Ok, now I’m interested into this show again after the Albanians!

[TooMuchRealityTV]

I think this show is pretty good when there is no Wheatley. The difference between last week's episode and this one is striking. I could barely watch last week and this one I enjoyed from start to finish. I had a bad feeling about Leary last week, but didn't guess that Stabler was undercover at that bar. This should be interesting.

Also, it was very noticeable that the moment Wheatley went away Benson was suddenly back on the show again. Have we seen her since Stabler invited her over for Christmas? It seems pretty obvious that they see Wheatley and Benson as big draws for viewers. While she wasn't as annoying as she normally is this week. That is probably because she wasn't on screen for long. I am hoping they keep her appearances super short, since it's pretty clear they won't just leave her off this show.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Am not a fan of Mykelti Williamson, super annoyed with his character in Chicago PD. I guess that makes him a believable villain, hopefully.

I am more interested in his wife though. I can’t wait to find out who is the best Crime Boss’ First Lady - Cassandra Webb, Angela Wheatley or Flutura Briscu. Obviously her art gallery is just a front for their money laundering activities.

I also wonder how Denise (Ayanna’s wife) going to react when she finds out about the dirty Killbride and her wife knows that for months.

Promising arc, looking forward to it. So glad that UC Elliot Stabler doesn’t have to rock faux moustache/beard etc. 

[faithie]

On 3/11/2022 at 8:12 PM, preeya said:

But now we have to deal with "Bubba Gump," who I despise about as much as I do Wheatley.

It's not fair but some actors can never outlive one iconic role. It's hard to buy Bubba the shrimp guy as a murderous thug. 

Everytime he's onscreen all I can think is fried shrimp...boiled shrimp...gumbo shrimp...shrimp cocktail

[faithie]

I was going to commend Wolf for courage for depicting inner city black drug dealers as the bad guys. In 2021 it's so easy to get accused of racism for any "negative representation" that it's understandable when creatives just shy away from it.

But then I had to temper my enthusiasm when I realized the "real" bad guys are Denis Leary and his mostly white band of dirty cops.  The black drug dealers are just a conduit.

[Lukeysboat]

Jennifer Beals looks fantastic. 

I’m so glad we’re out of the Wheatley storyline. This is much more interesting. 

[catrice2]

Mykelti Williamson is a great actor with a ton of other roles  besides Bubba Gump.  I barely even remember that he did that movie until someone brings it up.....glad to know it is safe to watch again...well with Olivia...almost

[MarylandGirl]

16 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Mykelti Williamson is a great actor with a ton of other roles  besides Bubba Gump.  I barely even remember that he did that movie until someone brings it up.....glad to know it is safe to watch again...well with Olivia...almost

She was weirdly non-annoying in this ep. She even declined an offer by Stabler to take her and Noah out for a meal.

[TD3000]

Anyone remember on CI when Goren was "suspended," but he was actually undercover bringing down dirty cop Dean Winters as NotBrianCassidy (I think his name was Mike Stote or something)? This sort of reminds me of that, but obviously on a much larger scale.

It's gonna be a huge train wreck once more things get revealed down the road with these intertwining storylines. I can already hear Donnelly telling Stabler several episodes down the road what a traitor he is and how his father would be ashamed of him; the backlash is gonna be worse than it was with the Albanians.

[WendyCR72]

10 hours ago, TD3000 said:

Anyone remember on CI when Goren was "suspended," but he was actually undercover bringing down dirty cop Dean Winters as NotBrianCassidy (I think his name was Mike Stote or something)? This sort of reminds me of that, but obviously on a much larger scale.

Yep, Mike Stoat. I was shocked Dean Winters played the role since he was so known as Det. Cassidy on SVU. Normally, actors that had more than one role on the franchise would play the minor roles BEFORE their signature role (Jerry Orbach, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jeremy Sisto), and it was weird that Stoat came after and/or that another less-known actor wasn't cast for the role.

As for this arc, anything is better than Wheatley. but Stabler constantly having his mind go all wonky from being undercover will get old fast if it keeps going. He was already having issues while undercover with the Albanian mob.

Unless the end game is having him in a straitjacket in a nice padded room while Benson feeds him soup as she wipes the drool from his chin.

With the franchise these days, anything is a possibility!

[CrystalBlue]

On 3/20/2022 at 12:02 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Yep, Mike Stoat. I was shocked Dean Winters played the role since he was so known as Det. Cassidy on SVU. Normally, actors that had more than one role on the franchise would play the minor roles BEFORE their signature role (Jerry Orbach, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jeremy Sisto), and it was weird that Stoat came after and/or that another less-known actor wasn't cast for the role.

As for this arc, anything is better than Wheatley. but Stabler constantly having his mind go all wonky from being undercover will get old fast if it keeps going. He was already having issues while undercover with the Albanian mob.

Unless the end game is having him in a straitjacket in a nice padded room while Benson feeds him soup as she wipes the drool from his chin.

With the franchise these days, anything is a possibility!

Noooooooooo!