Season 04

[WendyCR72]

Of note, Season 4 is listed to premiere on January 18, 2024. No title or description as of yet.

[WendyCR72]

Description for the S4 premiere, "Memory Lane", is up, airing January 18, 2024:

Quote

Stabler must deal with rapid changes at work and home after returning from a dangerous undercover assignment. Bell hires an adviser whose AI technology program could revolutionize police investigation. Jet and Reyes struggle with Whelan's absence.

 

[Raja]

Quote

Stabler must deal with rapid changes at work and home after returning from a dangerous undercover assignment; Bell hires an adviser whose AI technology programme could revolutionize police investigation

We are back with the squad's survivors dealing with PTSD and Stabler back undercover as just an older guy mule for drug dealers. And just like that more blood on him from the mission.

A new guy, Dr. Vargas reminds me of a failed FOX show where a tech guy came in like OCP without Robocop to introduce drones and a phone app to the PD. Jet and Bobby are turning a grief driven one night stand into a thing after a close call as Bobby and Stabler put their partner over their own safety.

[Snazzy Daisy]

I miss this show, so glad it’s back. Hope there’ll be no long break in between its 13 episodes. 

Some things never change:

• Every time he doesn’t want to deal with difficult feelings, Elliot uses the UC ops as an escape.
• When it’s over, he easily swings back into the office, no adjustment period needed.
• He still doesn’t listen to what Ayanna says. The look she gives him when he glides into a hazmat suit to sneak into the mobile lab is funny. Poor Ayanna, she has to endure a lot from this stubborn man. 😆

Dr. Kyle Vargas is a nice addition to OCCB team. He has some interesting interactions with Elliot and Bobby. More of them working together, please.

I truly despise the grief-sex thingy between Bobby and Jet. It’s harmful to their team dynamic. I hope this show doesn’t forget that he’s married with kids. Elliot has already noticed the “more than friendly” touch between these two. Ayanna must be aware of it too.

And ohh, please stop with the Bensler tease. It’s getting lame and ridiculous. Yuck! 😏

 

Edited January 19 by Snazzy Daisy

[preeya]

8 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

And ohh, please stop with the Bensler tease. It’s getting lame and ridiculous. Yuck! 😏

This is getting old, tired, and unnecessary. They even had to show the presser with St.Olivia getting accolades for the missing girl save, even though Maddie wasn't recovered and will be an on-going thorn throughout this season of SVU. Enough with the Bensen crap.

Edited January 20 by preeya

[Snazzy Daisy]

35 minutes ago, preeya said:

This is getting old, tired, and unnecessary. They even had to show the presser with St.Olivia getting accolades for the missing girl save, even though Maddie wasn't recovered and will be an on-going thorn throughout this season of SVU. Enough with the Bensen crap.

The foreshadowing of Bensler working together and solving Maddie's case.

Elliot saying "I just wanna hear your voice" is hilarious. It's totally a fan service. Keep on baiting the shippers until SVU S50. 😆

[The Wild Sow]

OK, we've known Elliot Stabler for what, 25 years?  And we've met his mom, his kids, late wife....seen flashbacks to his dad and his childhood (the bullet in the tree)...heard stories of his childhood and his mom's bipolar episodes (taking him out driving in the blizzard, etc.)

So where the heck did these "brothers" come form all of a sudden?!

[Raja]

33 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

OK, we've known Elliot Stabler for what, 25 years?  And we've met his mom, his kids, late wife....seen flashbacks to his dad and his childhood (the bullet in the tree)...heard stories of his childhood and his mom's bipolar episodes (taking him out driving in the blizzard, etc.)

So where the heck did these "brothers" come form all of a sudden?!

Soaps run that length of time just be thankful that it wasn't the evil twin 

[Sake614]

On 1/19/2024 at 1:18 PM, Snazzy Daisy said:

hope this show doesn’t forget that he’s married with kids.

Thank you! When he showed up at her apartment, all I could think was ‘isn’t he married with children?’ I mean, of course that never stops people from cheating, I just thought it was an odd setup. Not to mention I don’t find him to be the least bit attractive and can’t imagine Jet being interested in him.

wasn’t Elliot taken off UC work last season because his cover was blown and his face was all over the news or something? So how exactly was he back undercover this episode? And of course one of the bad guys recognized him. Which is exactly why he shouldn’t be undercover anymore!

and I too am wondering where these brothers suddenly came from? We’ve heard absolutely no mention of them in all these years. Not when Cathy died. Not when their mother was being threatened. Not when the family was discussing his mothers living arrangements. Now all of a sudden he has both an older and a younger brother?🙄

Edited January 21 by Sake614

[Snazzy Daisy]

7 hours ago, Sake614 said:

and I too am wondering where these brothers suddenly came from? We’ve heard absolutely no mention of them in all these years. Now all of a sudden he has both an older and a younger brother?🙄

16 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

So where the heck did these "brothers" come form all of a sudden?!

😆😆😆

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

A question re a plot… 

[The Wild Sow]

12 hours ago, Sake614 said:

and I too am wondering where these brothers suddenly came from? We’ve heard absolutely no mention of them in all these years. Not when Cathy died. Not when their mother was being threatened. Not when the family was discussing his mothers living arrangements. Now all of a sudden he has both an older and a younger brother?🙄

I checked Bernadette Stabler's* profile on L&O Wiki - and it claims she and Joe had six children!

Are the other three sisters?  Where were they, and why have they never been mentioned before?!  And none of the in-laws came to Kathy's funeral?

* Ellen Burstyn is 91 years old!  Wow!

And yeah -- isn't Bobby Reyes married?  With kids? Jet, Jet, Jet -- what are ya thinking?

[wknt3]

5 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

A question re a plot… 

This is an example of (probably unintended) realism with the police being uniquely vulnerable to fentanyl -

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/16/1175726650/fentanyl-police-overdose-misinformation

[MarylandGirl]

1 hour ago, wknt3 said:

This is an example of (probably unintended) realism with the police being uniquely vulnerable to fentanyl -

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/16/1175726650/fentanyl-police-overdose-misinformation

Interesting--thanks for sharing! It could make sense that Stabler was affected though, as they showed the cut in his arm, so it could have gone into his bloodstream. Plus, some raw materials for it got knocked over, so maybe that affected both of them (but wouldn't have explained Jet).

Actually, at first, when they had Jet feeling lightheaded, I was expecting her to turn out to be pregnant. So was oddly relieved when it was explained by the fentanyl! Like, please don't go that route, show...

[Sake614]

3 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

six children!

Which makes sense as a Catholic family. Just odd that in 25 years there hasn’t been a single mention! Not when Eli was born after Cathy was in that car crash. Not when Kathleen was diagnosed with bipolar and Elliot was spiraling looking for answers (that’s when we were introduced to his mother). Not when he was undercover and needed help with Eli. 

[faithie]

4 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

I checked Bernadette Stabler's* profile on L&O Wiki - and it claims she and Joe had six children!

Are the other three sisters?  Where were they, and why have they never been mentioned before?!  And none of the in-laws came to Kathy's funeral?

* Ellen Burstyn is 91 years old!  Wow!

And yeah -- isn't Bobby Reyes married?  With kids? Jet, Jet, Jet -- what are ya thinking?

The only people at Kathy's funeral were Elliott, the kids and of course, St. Olivia.  I guess Kathy was an orphan?   I was waiting forvo e of the kids to ask Olivia: why the hell are you here?

[Raja]

1 hour ago, Sake614 said:

Which makes sense as a Catholic family. Just odd that in 25 years there hasn’t been a single mention! Not when Eli was born after Cathy was in that car crash. Not when Kathleen was diagnosed with bipolar and Elliot was spiraling looking for answers (that’s when we were introduced to his mother). Not when he was undercover and needed help with Eli. 

Maybe the brothers just made parole after the 20 years to life Ben Stone plea bargained them down to 

[Zaffy]

I can't take this show seriously where Stabler keeps working undercover after he has been so many times on TV and he is basically a public figure. I know NY is too big, but still...this is ridiculous! 

[Snazzy Daisy]

S04•E02 - Deliver Us From Evil

Stabler the baby whisperer! 😆

Elliot emotionally hugging Melinda brings me to tears. Their scene lasts only for 2 minutes but it’s undeniably special. The OG reunion. 💙

Intense dynamic between Elliot and Randall. What happened between these two?

Huh, that crazy girlfriend from EVIL plays Captain Shah. The tension between her and Ayanna is obvious. Workplace frenemy? Former lovers?

Bobby hasn’t been given enough materials in this episode except for talking unprofessionally to Jet about their not-so-secret coping activities. Dr. Vargas has more lines than him.

I hope OCCB isn’t trying to poach Officer Sam Bashir to join the team.

These 2 meme-worthy moments make me chuckle… 😂   
 

[Raja]

3 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Bobby hasn’t been given enough materials in this episode except for talking unprofessionally to Jet about their not-so-secret coping activities. Dr. Vargas has more lines than him.

I hope OCCB isn’t trying to poach Officer Sam Bashir to join the team.

With Bobby acting like he has two wives now my guess is that Officer Bashir replaces two detectives for the rest of the season.

[justduckey]

Is the show going to be episodic this year as opposed to following the same story all season?

[MarylandGirl]

13 hours ago, justduckey said:

Is the show going to be episodic this year as opposed to following the same story all season?

I was also wondering this. I thought part of the appeal of this show was the longer arcs.

[Sake614]

Well it seems pretty clear that Randall has been out of the picture for many years if even his own mother isn’t thrilled to see him! And from the greeting he gave her, I have to wonder why he even bothered? But I do like the dynamic between the brothers so far, so I’m interested to learn the backstory.

[juliet73]

21 hours ago, justduckey said:

Is the show going to be episodic this year as opposed to following the same story all season?

I was wondering that too.  I hope so.  The Wheatley nemesis was so over the top and ridiculous!  I won't watch anymore if they're going to return to that dumpster fire!

[wknt3]

22 hours ago, justduckey said:

Is the show going to be episodic this year as opposed to following the same story all season?

 

9 hours ago, MarylandGirl said:

I was also wondering this. I thought part of the appeal of this show was the longer arcs.

I don't think anything's been announced one way or the other. They could still be setting up an arc, or they could be going more episodic and only doing Stabler's family as an arc given the shorter season and the fact that there are century old GM factories that haven't been retooled as much as this series.
 

27 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

I was wondering that too.  I hope so.  The Wheatley nemesis was so over the top and ridiculous!  I won't watch anymore if they're going to return to that dumpster fire!

Speaking of Wheatley I am wondering if they are going with AI guy as a mole and if it was going to turn out he was somehow connected to Wheatley...

[Xeliou66]

I’ve liked the episodes fine enough so far this season, the current case about the smuggling has been solid, but I just can’t get into this show as much because of the continuing story arcs plus Stabler’s family drama. When I watch it I mainly do so if I’m still not tired after the Mothership and SVU. I just can’t get into it as much, but the show is much better without the Wheatley crap - that was downright comical, awful writing. I hope we never hear about Wheatley again. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

S04•E03 - End Of Innocence

Our boy, Stabler doesn’t need hair plugs. He may have lost his hair but he’s still a badass. It’s neat, baby. 🤣

Hey Officer Bashir, it’s good to see you again. But don’t make yourself comfortable okay, am not ready for Jamie’s replacement yet. 😣

Using human/flesh pocket to smuggle gems is one disturbing and cruel method. The gun-for-hire’s auntie is not badass enough to be in that kind of business.

Jet and Bobby should’ve known by now that they can never hide things from “mommy and daddy”. They know everything. Am assuming this is the end of their ridiculous hookup plot. Please don’t surprise us with unplanned pregnancy etc.

Some eye-rolling moments:

• Elliot counting the rounds while being shot at.
• Important files in Imam’s office aren’t magically destroyed by the fire.
• Is AI’s utilities analysis with instant results even a real thing in NYPD?

🙄🙄🙄

 

Edited February 5 by Snazzy Daisy

[babyrambo]

This season’s had a bit of an uneven start but I’m liking it far more than than L&O and SVU. Even if they’re leaning a little too hard into interpersonal messiness. Stabler’s family drama is always hit or miss but I’m interested to see who they cast as his sisters and how they interact. I’d also like another addition to the team (it’s looking like Bashir might be up next but I hope not; he’s nice enough but really bland and I sort of tune out whenever he’s onscreen). Not sure why they went there with Reyes and Jet but I’m hoping they move on and never revisit it. It throws off the team dynamics quite a bit but also feels really lazy. But then, romance has never been this franchise’s strong suit. Speaking of, I sensed some chemistry between Shah and Bell especially during their conversation at the start. I was never deeply invested in Bell’s wife but I like Bell and already prefer this dynamic with Shah if they do happen to do there. 

[KeithJ]

I'm glad the Jet / Reyes drama is done (at least I hope it is).  Now if they'd just get rid of the Stabler (and his ever expanding family) drama, I'd be very happy.

[edhopper]

20 minutes in and I want this annoying little brat to die.

[Raja]

All that security and they still allow kids to keep phones and online games. Are we the only people who have watched cop shows for the past 20 years?

With Officer Bashir there I was confused about which case this was. I guess he is on extended loan from Hate Crimea 

[justduckey]

Bashir has joined the team. They announced it at the beginning of the episode.

[edhopper]

There was almost nothing in this episode I liked. I hated both families.

[Snazzy Daisy]

S04•E04 - The Last Supper

Elliot Stabler is always “working on the wives/widows”. He is the MILFs whisperer. 😆

Bobby Reyes seems to be harbouring a lot of angers and dissatisfactions nowadays. He used to be a cool dude who is good in UC, a chameleon. Do the writers forget about a character they’ve crafted?

Whiny Eli, annoying Kiki and emo Lucas - young adults from hell. Kiki’s bf and Eli’s gf should run and never look back. Eli Stabler is totally his mom’s son. 💯 

The moment they find a burner phone on Kiki, they should have been moved to a secure location. In fact, they shouldn’t have spent the night at their OWN house. SOP be damned. And why the officers assigned to the protection details aren’t wearing a bulletproof vest?

I get the politics and the optics, but what’s Elliot supposed to do with Lucas? He restraints the shooter. And why the interim captain doesn’t question Jet? Jet doesn’t bother to search the perp for extra guns.

When Randall says “just don’t do anything stupid like the old man did” - is he implying that their dad took his own life??! Back in S02, Elliot only found out that he’s a dirty cop. Nothing about how he died, right?

[Raja]

How is it that after finally finding Elliot on his alternate phone number no less that Detective Stabler was the first backup to arrive on what should have been a 10-13 call with agents already down? It reminded me of the Miami police helicopter which couldn't pull ahead of the CSI Humvee 

On a different show the local cops would ignore the call because it was Sergeant Bell who needed help.

Even though they said Sergeant Bell was going to recover bringing in a fresh actor to take over as captain can reset the payroll counter with just Jet and Stabler getting seniority raises.

[christie]

2 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

I get the politics and the optics, but what’s Elliot supposed to do with Lucas? He restraints the shooter. And why the interim captain doesn’t question Jet? Jet doesn’t bother to search the perp for extra guns.

I think the issue wasn't that Eliot restrained Lucas but that he used a lot of force in restraining him which resulted in Lucas cracking his scull; it was the cracked skull that was the issue and not so much the restraining (at least that's how I see it). This is a tv thing anyway, we know that in the real world there would never be an inquiry. Agree about Jet. I preferred Jet nerdy girl who's a tech wiz to Jet super cop - let me rephrase that, we're told that Jet is an exceptionally good cop but whenever we've seen her in the field, she looks like a deer stuck in headlights, is pretty bad and makes simple mistakes.

There's snow outside and Eliot is grilling steaks in the yard whilst wearing a shirt and a vest - I don't think so.

[Raja]

21 minutes ago, christie said:

I think the issue wasn't that Eliot restrained Lucas but that he used a lot of force in restraining him which resulted in Lucas cracking his scull; it was the cracked skull that was the issue and not so much the restraining (at least that's how I see it). This is a tv thing anyway, we know that in the real world there would never be an inquiry.

I come from the other TV world of The Closer/Major Crimes when then Captain Raydor ran the Force Investigations section of LAPD's Internal Affairs. And there all uses of physical force called for an investigation as cops did not walk away to continue the case because X amount of minutes were left in an episode. With the real police department under a federal mandate I'm not saying the department and DA's office wouldn't decide that everything was justified and in policy after the investigation but the investigation itself, normally only shown on the special episode, brings a touch of realism

[pezgirl7]

4 hours ago, christie said:

There's snow outside and Eliot is grilling steaks in the yard whilst wearing a shirt and a vest - I don't think so.

I didn’t see anything implausible about that. I know plenty of people who grill out in the winter when the weather is mild here in the Midwest. And a large man standing in front of a hot grill probably wouldn’t be too cold. 

[cfinboston]

How much suspension of disbelief is needed here?

Why is Carisi here? How is he assigned these high level cases so quickly? He's prosecuted Sir Toby and Steve Getz and now a drug cartel large enough for federal witness protection?

The security detail for a family testifying against a drug cartel isn't comprised of federal agents or US Marshals, but rather Organized Crime + two random officers?

Nobody wears a bulletproof vest or has a backup magazine? Jet doesn't search the hired killers for any guns but just leaves the pistol for the son to grab.

The writing for Jet is awful. She doesn't need to offer her first name when introduced as "Detective" and shouldn't sneer "joy" when told she's guarding the kids. She's guarding federal witnesses, not being told she has to babysit her kid sister instead of going to the mall. 

Everyone in the L&O universe has a swanky apartment far beyond pay grade. I'm also annoyed that Eliot lives in an apparent ground flood unit with no security when he's worked on so many dangerous cases. 

[Raja]

1 hour ago, cfinboston said:

How much suspension of disbelief is needed here?

Why is Carisi here? How is he assigned these high level cases so quickly? He's prosecuted Sir Toby and Steve Getz and now a drug cartel large enough for federal witness protection?

The security detail for a family testifying against a drug cartel isn't comprised of federal agents or US Marshals, but rather Organized Crime + two random officers?

Nobody wears a bulletproof vest or has a backup magazine? Jet doesn't search the hired killers for any guns but just leaves the pistol for the son to grab.

The writing for Jet is awful. She doesn't need to offer her first name when introduced as "Detective" and shouldn't sneer "joy" when told she's guarding the kids. She's guarding federal witnesses, not being told she has to babysit her kid sister instead of going to the mall. 

Everyone in the L&O universe has a swanky apartment far beyond pay grade. I'm also annoyed that Eliot lives in an apparent ground flood unit with no security when he's worked on so many dangerous cases. 

One good thing about this show is that it is more real world than the mothership as detectives work on other things when trials finally come up on previous cases. The bad thing is that the cases are not that memorable so as with Detective Bashir I was trying to think of who was raped as I thought Carisi was in a special unit of prosecutors to match the NYPD unit. 

They were defiantly calling out to the "agents" on guard to sign Detective Stabler out of the safe house. Why the inside last ditch guard unit of the case detectives go out to confront the boyfriend except they are the stars and get paid to talk/  Which again brought up Carisi and why not give another actor some work? And why were they just discussing WitSec?

Of course it is hard to find any TV character who is living within the means that most of us do. I get more annoyed at everybody living on their beat. As I stated before having Elliot be the first backup to arrive after Reyes put out alarms, help me to help you get this story over.

 

[wknt3]

14 hours ago, Raja said:

Even though they said Sergeant Bell was going to recover bringing in a fresh actor to take over as captain can reset the payroll counter with just Jet and Stabler getting seniority raises.

 But that would mean ditching one of the few things about the series that has worked from the beginning, And they aren't even to the 6th season and syndication where raises usually become an issue. So I don't see it happening unless it is part of the BTS turmoil that has lead to the constant retooling and characters shuffling in and out. If anything to save money they will let Stabler's family go back off screen and keep shuffling the blandly attractive and underwritten male detectives in and out.

[Xeliou66]

About the only thing I liked about this last episode was Carisi crossing over - nice continuity and it’s always nice to see more Carisi.

But my god Stabler’s family is as annoying as ever - I’ve always hated his whiny drama-filled kids, and his siblings are cut from the same cloth.

How did they not find the extra phone on the teen? And why were they still staying at their house, they should’ve stashed them in a hotel somewhere. Those kids were annoying too.

And it seemed odd that they went back to the drug dealers from the season premiere without fulling wrapping up the smuggling storyline from the past 2 episodes, some of it was wrapped up but they hadn’t brought down all of the people involved yet I don’t think. It makes the show seem disjointed when they bounce back and forth between storylines.

This show could be good but it lacks direction and the personal drama is so annoying. 

[Sake614]

6 hours ago, wknt3 said:

ll let Stabler's family go back off screen

While I find myself enjoying Meloni and Dean Morris, who do I have to beg to make this hapoen?

[The Wild Sow]

On 2/10/2024 at 5:01 PM, Sake614 said:

While I find myself enjoying Meloni and Dean Morris,

They're playing off each other pretty well!  But I still can't look at Dean Norris without seeing "Bad Guy" rapist Paul Scanlon (Lee's brother) from Medium.

Funny, Randall looks about 5 or 10 years older than Elliott but the actor is really a year or 2 younger than Meloni.

[Sake614]

1 hour ago, The Wild Sow said:

Randall looks about 5 or 10 years older than Elliott but the actor is really a year or 2 younger than Meloni.

Seriously? Dean Norris is younger than Chris Meloni? I’d never have guessed it!

[Raja]

Quote

Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 Episode 5 Missing Persons Airs February 22 2024 on NBC

Get ready for an intense and gripping episode of “Law & Order: Organized Crime” Season 4, Episode 5 titled “Missing Persons,” airing on NBC at 10:00 Pm on Thursday, February 22, 2024. In this thrilling installment, viewers will be plunged into a world of mystery and suspense as a rescued victim from Stabler’s past suddenly goes missing.

As Stabler and the team race against the clock to locate the missing victim, tensions run high and suspicions abound. Meanwhile, Bell finds herself recovering in the hospital, while Jet, Reyes, and Bashir face tough questions from Internal Affairs Bureau (Iab).

Amidst the chaos, Joe Jr. makes a surprising revelation about his new career path, leaving the team reeling from the unexpected twist. With the pressure mounting and time running out, Stabler and his colleagues must navigate through a web of deceit and betrayal to uncover the truth before it’s too late.

So we begin with an IAB detective who cuts off a witness who wants to talk to him as if the fix is in. How tough he will be remains to be seen. Some family drama, my son, no my little brother is doing heroin. 

To  Stabler as a pro bono P.I. during the suspension and pulling the office civilian in for support. In the end we find a serial killer over the state line due to a sex worker deciding that New York pays more than London in her line of work since Law & Order: UK never crossed over and is out of production anyway.

[KittenPokerCheater]

So this season is at least partly inspired by the Gilgo Beach Murders.

[Raja]

52 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

So this season is at least partly inspired by the Gilgo Beach Murders.

Ripped from the headlines, I  wonder why that's not in the promos?

[StaceyNotStacie]

This was an interesting episode. Although I missed Bell being in charge, I enjoyed the dynamic between Elliot and the younger cops, especially in the hotel. I was waiting for him to comment that he somehow acquired three extra kids. 
 

On another note, I wish they would trim Elliot’s beard a bit. It’s a bit too bushy IMO. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

S04•E05 - Missing Persons

You can take Elliot Stabler out of SVU but you cannot take SVU out of him. Am glad he doesn’t wear Rita Lasku’s friendship bracelet to prove his determination in finding her. 😆

Geez Elliot, stop licking stuff that you found in the bathroom’s bin. Yuck.

The IAB officer is asking all the wrong questions. It’s ridiculous that they’re not holding Jet responsible for failing to search the perp properly.

The motel scene is the funniest. From the moment Elliot sees them all together in the room to Elliot catches them trying to follow him, and Elliot telling them to stay put, twice. Their guilty faces are hilarious! 😂

A compelling performance by Chris Meloni in the sequence where he finds Christine alive in the bunker to the gruesome discovery of Rita’s body.

The discovery of more bodies at the beach reminds me of SVU’s Yates episode (crossover with Chicago PD) many years ago.

Is Chief Bonner dirty? We have seen her at an illegal poker game.

That journalist who recognizes Elliot in the diner, is he the abductor/killer? 🤨