They did it again.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 Episode 10 offered suspense that made it impossible to look away for a second.
It's not often that an hour of television is this riveting. The suspense was only one of many reasons this episode was must-see TV.
Most crime shows follow set patterns, including the rest of the Law & Order franchise. There's nothing wrong with that, but Law & Order: Organized Crime is refreshing because it breaks the mold.
There were almost no tired TV tropes during the hour, even if there was one twist that I feel like I should have seen coming.
Throughout the hour, Stabler continually earned more of Angus' trust. That was good news for his case but may not be great news for him personally, especially considering what happened to Sam.
The closer he gets to Angus, the more likely it is he will be killed if anyone learns he's a cop, and Tyler's accused him of it a bunch of times already. All it would take is Angus believing it for Stabler to be toast, or at least in danger of meeting the same fate as Sam.
Sam's Death Was As Emotional As It Was Shocking
Sam's death was a fakeout that hit hard. I expected Hightower to be the body Stabler was asked to bury, making it twice as shocking that Sam was dead.
It was upsetting and seemingly pointless. Sam was a new team member who could have had a Hate Crimes spinoff.
That was the point. He was a young guy with a wife and child; his second baby was due any day now. He was killed for unknown reasons likely related to the crimes he was investigating.
His death was taken seriously. Many crime dramas would have been content with the shock of revealing his body, but Law & Order: Organized Crime followed through with depicting not only the team's grief but the notification to his wife.
The scene was beautifully choreographed, with Stacy's nearly wordless response juxtaposed with Vargas and Reyes locating Sam's body.
This sequence was one of the most powerful death sequences ever -- and that's saying a lot considering how emotional Jamie Whelan's death was on Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 Episode 22.
Jet's reaction to the news was especially emotional. That poor woman has suffered through three deaths of people she cared about, two of them fellow officers in the Organized Crime Unit. It's a lot for one person to take, yet Jet keeps going as best as she could.
Jet: I'm with you.
Bell: It's the worst assignment there is. I didn't even want to ask.
Jet: I'm not leaving you alone either.
I continue to be impressed by her strength but wonder what will finally push her over the edge. She's experienced trauma after trauma ever since joining the Organized Crime unit.
Angus Just Became Law & Order: Organized Crime's Most Sympathetic Villain
Most of the time, the people Stabler investigates fall squarely into the category of characters we love but would never hang out with. They're fascinating, smart, and creepy (yes, looking at you, Clay Bonner and Richard Wheatley.) but have few redeeming values.
Angus Boone is a different story. He got into the drug trade in an attempt to save his farm from foreclosure, but throughout the hour, he became increasingly conflicted about what he was doing.
I believed him when he said he wanted to help veterans remember what they were worth despite society not honoring them the way they should.
He was probably justifying the drug trade to himself the same way Darrian was, by convincing himself that he was medicating his customers' pain, but his desire to help was sincere.
The reality of what he was doing hit him hard after Nolan killed his family and tried to kill Darrian. Initially, that incident seemed random and irrelevant, but the point became clearer when Angus shared his guilt with Stabler.
Most of the time, I'm rooting for Stabler to catch the bad guys ASAP. The villains are generally horrible people who need to be taken down several pegs.
This time, though, I almost want Angus to get away. This guy got in over his head with a stupid and unhealthy solution to his financial problems. His wife dislikes what he's doing, and Stabler seems his only real friend.
I hate that Stabler's role as a cop will kill that friendship. It feels almost like a split for the sake of drama; there will be no chance of reconciliation once Stabler is proven to be Angus' enemy.
The Trish Twist Should Have Been Obvious But Wasn't
One of the most exciting and suspenseful moments in an hour full of them involved Trish catching Stabler.
This moment had been advertised in promos, so I was eager to find out how Stabler was going to get out of it before it happened. I was surprised that Trish turned out to be a cop, too, though in retrospect, I shouldn't have been.
Cases like this often have more than one agency investigating undercover. After it happened, I realized there was no way Stabler could get out of this and continue with his assignment.
Still, this twist was completely unexpected, especially with Trish's reluctance to help Stabler with his Hightower situation.
She may be law enforcement, too, but she and Stabler are not on the same side, which could be a problem.
Randall's Subplot Tied Everything Together
Randall's a lot less annoying when he's not fighting with Stabler. He'd like to know where his brother is, but his character is more enjoyable when he and Stabler are forcibly separated like this.
Randall's decision to sneak into the winery after hours couldn't have ended well. I knew he'd get caught and was relieved it was by the cops and not anyone involved in the drug trade.
Vargas' bailing Randall out was funny, especially when he expected this big, broad-shouldered guy to get into the world's tiniest car. I didn't expect that scene to serve more of a purpose than comic relief, but then the winery was Redcoat's base of operations.
Well played, Organized Crime!
Randall may now be forced to work with the unit. They want to know what he knows, and he wants answers about his brothers. This should lead to a fascinating dynamic.
The cliffhanger was also intriguing. Randall realized who Sam was when he heard that his blood was found at the winery, and it looks like he may have inherited some of the same looking-for-trouble genes that Elliot has.
In his case, Bell might not want him to know too much, but now that he's involved, he won't let go of wanting to be in the loop.
Randall also has to realize that he could have just as easily been killed while investigating, but that doesn't seem to have hit him yet. He's more concerned about his brothers.
Your turn, Law & Order: Organized Crime fanatics. Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button to share your thoughts about this episode.
Law & Order: Organized Crime airs on NBC on Thursdays at 10/9c.