User Reviews

Law and Order: Organized Crime still has issues -- like the diversity problem from a lack of Asian Americans that the whole franchise suffers from -- but this episode was better than last week's. It certainly has far, far more energy than Law and Order: SVU. But the serialized nature runs the risk of just being a tease every week. Organized Crime doesn't have the wit or suspense of, say, The Sopranos or Breaking Bad to sustain its weekly approach to telling installments of a larger story. Worse, this is the third episode, and they still seem to be setting the series up, introducing new characters and showing more of the personal lives of existing ones. There are some twists and turns here, and the end is done with intensity.

But then there's also some weird, campy moments -- like an octopus torture scene that almost seems a parody of a Bond movie. It's not savage enough to be taken seriously and not funny enough to be taken as a parody. Instead, it just an odd detour from the rest of the show.

Octopus was a really bad player. If I was going to be mafia and be interesting, there would be more tension if I baited the man's face and tried to lure a poisonous spider.

Apart from this scene, Law and order organized crime is nice. If series sets himself up, it'll catch everyone.

This was the first episode that didn't feature Mariska Hargitay as a special guest star. Though she is seen in the brief recap of previous scenes that plays at the beginning. The show works with her and without her.

I am interested in Stabler's work relationship with Bell. Showing us that Bell is in a committed personal relationship with a woman, and how they are expecting a baby, is good. And we get a scene later where Stabler and Bell are driving and he tells her basically that he knows she is gay. No big deal.

I found this episode more interesting than the last one because the subplots are gelling. We have learned more about Gina, the undercover cop and her tricky dealings with the Wheatleys. And we have begun to see how Angela, the ex-Mrs. Wheatley, is concerned about protecting her daughter Dana from Richard. Though she doesn't seem half as bothered about her son Richie being influenced by Richard.

There have been some criticisms online about Dylan McDermott in his role as the main villain, that maybe he is not menacing enough. Though the amusing scene with the octopus was a great way to show how much of a psycho he can be.

In terms of casting, I think I have more of an issue with Christina Karis as Dana. She doesn't seem to be very multi-dimensional here. I feel like with this character, we should really be glimpsing a young woman with serious daddy issues. There has to be a reason that she does not take her mother's advice and why she is fixated on gaining her father's approval at every turn. This character and performance could and should be much more dynamic.

You wanna give this series benefit of the doubt, and I'll never dispute the credibility of Messrs. Meloni & McDermott. But that was the worst octopus acting I've ever seen. I mean seriously, was it told to improvise, or was it simply bad casting? I've seen rubber ducks on screen with far more presence.

It just doesn't seem believable with Dylan McDermott as a big mafia boss. I am just not buying it.

It also feels weird to see the Law and Order universe trying a show with multi-episode arcs.

We finally get Meloni back and we get idiotic things like an octopus for torture.

And Dylan McDermott is terrible as a villain. I mean, just awful.