A final stand doesn’t always end up being so final.
After an attempt on Pearl’s life led to Teddy being arrested, it was revealed his own father, Robert, had tried to kill his daughter-in-law.
This came as the Law & Order: Organized Crime task force learned they were about to be shut down.
While Stabler and Bell were at odds on that, they still had one case to play out, with Robert offering a good deal.
However, this led to a wild battle against an army of gunmen, with the team put through a wringer.
That made Last Christmas an intriguing storyline that puts the cops on a new path for when Season 3 returns.
An intriguing offer is made on Law & Order: Organized Crime
Whelan arrived at the squad room to find there were already guys measuring the place for the next unit. Whelan handed the others some early Christmas presents, with Bell getting sage for her new office.
Bell called Stabler in to talk about where he’d be going after the unit was disbanded. The pair got heated about Stabler doing so much for the team, and “I never abandoned it.” Bell snapped she was doing this for her family, with Stabler saying the team was his family.
Robert’s attorney, Alisha (Satomi Hofmann), entered to say Robert was willing to surrender in exchange for Teddy’s release. He was offering information on the Russo crime family for some leniency.
Stabler was dubious of Robert turning over a new leaf as Bell said there was reluctance about any sort of deal. She then got word the higher-ups wanted another squad on this. Stabler said Robert wouldn’t trust anyone else and the task force deserved to close out their last case.
In a tense car ride, Bell confessed she wasn’t even sure she wanted a new job but wanted something to focus on her custody fight. Stabler admitted he understood how it felt to come to an empty home and still missed Kathy.
The pair came to an abandoned office building, noting there were no cell phone signals. Robert actually used music to direct the pair to an empty floor for the meeting.
Robert brought them to a file room packed with evidence on everyone he’d ever dealt with, including recorded conversations on their illegal activities. He was willing to give it all over in exchange for Teddy’s release.
He had known all along what Pearl had taken from him, and it was nothing compared to what he had. He then revealed why he was doing this, as he had a terminal brain tumor and not much time left.
Stabler and Bell mused that a dying man made a great witness as Bell headed out to call Jet to get a D.A. over there. The rest of the team followed suit just as the signal went out.
Robert mused the place being a “home away from home.” He noted the choices he’d made had taken over his life, and the tumor made him realize how empty his quest for power was, and his family was what mattered.
Stabler dropped the bomb Robert had nearly murdered his own grandson along with Pearl and had almost ruined his legacy. Stabler pressed that Robert testifying would be more valuable than any tapes.
The team comes under fire
ADA Polson (James Russell) arrived for the meeting, with Bell sending him up. No sooner had he left than another man came up in a cab, claiming to be Sanders (Adit Dileep) from the D.A.’s office. Bell told him to call 911 as she ran into the building.
Polson met Stabler as Bell tripped on some stairs trying to get to them, cutting her leg. Thankfully, Stabler saw through Polson as a fake and told Robert to hide.
Sanders was trying to get a cell phone signal out when the task force drove up. He freaked to run before learning they were cops. They then heard gunshots inside to run in.
Stabler and Bell shot it out with Polson, who escaped into the building. The cops joined in chasing him as Polson, out of ammo, pushed a shelf on Reyes.
With a fresh clip, Polson got the drop on Bell, but Stabler shot him first, sending Polson crashing out a window.
They checked Polson’s body, but they still couldn’t get a cell phone signal. Whelan checked Polson’s car just as several vans pulled up with mobsters firing at the cops. Whelan was hit in the shoulder as Stabler and Reyes got into the building.
The team quickly barricaded the doors as they used Robert’s security system to see that Whelan had gotten into another side of the building. Unfortunately, the gunmen had also broken inside.
Jet figured they could use the building’s duct system to get around the gunmen and reach the pump station room Whelan was hiding in.
Bell declared she’d go despite her wounded leg as she was “not leaving a man behind on our last day!” She and Stabler made their way through the tunnels to find Whelan and get him out just as the gunmen entered.
Taking a bold stand
The leader of the gunmen, Elio Costello (Eric T. Miller), made a simple bargain: Hand over Robert, or they’d kill Sanders and then come after the cops.
With the exits cut off, Reyes and Stabler took to the roof with Stabler putting a text into Reyes’ phone, then throwing it off to send off an emergency signal.
Bell and Jet talked about the situation as Bell brought up Jet wanting to take up Tia’s offer to work in Italy with her.
Whelan accused Robert of setting this all up as some sort of escape and wanted to hand him over. Stabler said they never dealt with mobsters, as Costello got Sanders into a game of Russian Roulette.
Stabler and Bell had a brief talk, with Bell announcing they were handing over Robert. They met in a hallway for an exchange, only for Costello to realize too late it was Stabler in Robert’s coat. He grabbed Sanders as the cops fired to keep the gunmen at bay before running.
The team got into the upper offices, barricading the doors to buy time and preparing for the rush of crooks to enter. They were all set for their last stand when the cavalry arrived in an army of cops who quickly took down Costello’s crew.
Reyes was happy that his phone not only called the cops but was still working. Whelan joked about his arm being okay, aside from losing a SpongeBob SquarePants tattoo, and apologized for his temper. Bell said she was proud of this team.
Robert was led off as he promised to stay alive and help his grandson.
Goldfarb dropped by the squad room to talk about Robert handing over information, as his own lawyer was the one who gave him up to the Russos. Bell then announced she wasn’t taking the promotion, and the task force was still operating.
Goldfarb was amazed Bell was giving up this opportunity as Goldfarb seemed disappointed in her. Stabler was also surprised by Bell saying they needed to work on trusting each other.
She then used Whelan’s gift to spread sage around the office and try to cleanse it for a new beginning for the task force and herself.
It was an exciting hour to set the task force on a new path and a new case to come for Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 returns Thursday, January 5 at 10/9c on NBC.