‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Crams Multiple Cliffhangers in Heart-Racing Season 1 Finale

The first season of Law & Order: Organized Crime found a way to end with multiple shocking cliffhangers, even as it still saw Christopher Meloni‘s Elliot Stabler find a resolution in the murder of his wife, Kathy. The finale picked up immediately after last week’s episode, which saw Stabler and the Organized Crime Control Bureau team finally arrest Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott). However, that was just the beginning of the mess that unfolded in Thursday’s episode, “Forget It Jake; It’s Chinatown.” The episode’s cliffhangers proved that keeping Wheatley behind bars is going to be a multi-season challenge for Stabler.

The episode got really tense about halfway through when Wheatley was being transferred to another facility. It’s a good thing Stabler and Sgt. Ayanna Bell (Danielle Mone Truitt) were following Wheatley’s handlers because they were hit by assassins on the way. Unbeknownst to them, Wheatley’s son Richie (Nick Creegan) hired gangs from the inside to kill his father because he was horrified to learn at the hearing earlier that Wheatley ordered his grandfather killed. During the chaos, Stabler actually saved Wheatley’s life, although he was seriously injured by the gunfire.

While stuck in a Chinese restaurant, the killers demanded Bell and Stabler give up Wheatley. Stabler tried to keep the killers distracted while the police backups arrived. They shot at one of the killers and took the rest of them into custody. After the chaos, Bell told Stabler the bad news. They were ordered to give Wheatley to the U.S. Attorney’s office so federal authorities will handle them. When Stabler and Bell arrived back at police headquarters, Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and other officers stood by to show their support. This also provided Wheatley with a chance to meet Benson in person.

Wheatley thought he got what he wanted. He told federal prosecutors about the international criminals he knew, but the meeting was interrupted. The U.S. Attorney then met with Stabler and Manhattan D.A. Stabler tried to make his case, making sure that the federal prosecutors do not make a deal with Wheatley so he would avoid charges for Kathy’s death. Thankfully, Stabler got through and Wheatley will face state murder charges in the death of a police officer’s wife.

But this didn’t quite tie up everything. Wheatley’s cell had a phone hidden under his mattress, which he used to call his wife. He told her to send a message asking for help from someone he called “O.” Meanwhile, Stabler and Bell went to see Angela (Tamara Taylor) at a hospital, since Angela was poisoned earlier. The show then cut to Benson, who was wandering the hospital hall. After Bell and Stabler caught up with her, they saw Detective Morales (Michael Rivera) dressed as an orderly. Wheatley was paying him $2 million to kill Angela. Morales was going to kill himself, but Bell killed him when he pointed the gun at her. Bell and Benson tried to make sure Angela could stay alive. Stabler then stood in the hallway. “I need help,” he yelled as the season ended and faded to black.

Organized Crime will return for another season, which will not be as short as the eight-episode first one. The show will air Thursdays after the new Law & Order: For the Defense and the 23rd season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.