Shocking Law & Order: Organized Crime Death Sees Stabler Suffer A Devastating Loss
A heartbreaking, hard-to-watch death left Law & Order: Organized Crime characters reeling on Season 5's penultimate episode, "Off the Books."
The penultimate Season 5 episode of Law & Order: Organized Crime left Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) in tears — and likely most of the fans who watched.
A central character suffered a devastating death, not only wrecking Stabler emotionally, but causing him to take part in some shady policing by the end of the installment.
The episode, "Off the Books,” began where the previous one left off — with Stabler just off the phone with his younger brother Joseph Stabler Jr. (Michael Trotter). It was the first time the detective had heard from his brother in months. The last time he'd seen him was in the Season 4 finale when Joe Jr. got onto a plane with criminal mastermind Julian Emery (Thomas Payne).
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In "Off the Books,” Stabler's daughter Kathleen called “Dad” three times after he got off the phone with Joe, but he seemed too distraught to respond.
“Are you ok?" Kathleen asked her dad, the two still in the hospital where family matriarch Bernadette "Bernie" Stabler (Ellen Burstyn) had a heart procedure.
Stabler insisted he was "all good," but Kathleen didn't buy it, and asked what her Uncle Joe said on the phone.
"Not much, he had to run," Stabler said. "But the main thing is that he’s doing well, so that’s good news.”
Kathleen still didn't believe her dad, adding, “You don’t look like it was great.”
Stabler went on, "No, no, everything is fine. Yeah, I don’t mean to worry you. Uncle Joe’s in a situation that he’s just got to get himself out of and figure out. It’s gonna be fine.”
But, unfortunately, things didn't turn out fine.
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Who died on Season 5 of Law & Order: Organized Crime?
Stabler's younger brother Joe Jr. died in the Season 5 "Off the Books" episode of Law & Order: Organized Crime after being shot by international arms dealer and drug trafficker Julian Emery (Tom Payne.)
Emery revealed early in the episode that he was on to Joe Jr. — who was acting as an unofficial police informant for his detective brother, while also working for Emery's criminal empire. So, Emery used that info to his advantage, having Joe feed his detective brother false information about where he'd be in order to pull off criminal activity elsewhere.
But Stabler suspected that something was up, and during a meeting with Joe, put a chain with a pendant around his neck, telling him that their mom wanted Joe to have it. As it turned out, the jewelry contained a tracking device.
So, while Joe Jr. told Stabler that Emery would be meeting a potential buyer for drugs that he wanted to sell in Staten Island that night, authorities were able to figure out that Emery and Joe were actually in a Brooklyn warehouse for the deal.
One of Emery's men informed him, "We've got a cop caravan headed our way." A shocked Emery figured out that Joe was unknowingly wearing a tracker.
As police — including Stabler and his old pal Det. Tim McKenna (Jason Patric) — closed in on Emery, the criminal put a gun to Joe's back in view of Stabler. The detective followed his brother and Emery as they fled the warehouse, into a car that drove off.
At their next location, Emery phoned Stabler while pointing his gun at Joe, asking the detective to call of the APB alerting other law enforcement to where they were. Stabler said he would, but Emery could hear helicopters closing in. He then shot Joe Jr.
Stabler's last moments with brother Joe Jr.
After Emery fled, Stabler found his brother Joe lying on the floor, bleeding from his mouth and struggling to breathe. Stabler told him help was on the way, adding, "I need you to breathe and stay awake."
In Joe's heartbreaking last moments, he asked his brother to "tell her I was clean," referring to their mother and his struggle with drugs (which she'd never seemed to even be aware of). Choking up, Stabler responded, "You tell her yourself" and begged Joe to "stay with me."
But Joe seemed to know he was dying, asking again, "make sure she knows."
As Joe's breathing worsened and he started to to slip away, Stabler began sobbing, placing his forehead on his brother's.
Later, when other NYPD officials arrived and Stabler was asked if he touched the body or moved anything, he broke down again, saying, "Yeah, I held him."
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Stabler told his family about his brother Joe's death
While dealing with his own grief, Stabler then also had the unfortunate task of informing his family about Joe's death. He first visited his older brother Randall (Dean Norris), who also broke down, crying and putting his hand over this mouth.
Later, from the car, Stabler called his daughter Kathleen to tell her the horrific news about her uncle.
Stabler's sadness seemed to shift more towards anger at the very end of the episode, when he met up with fellow detective and old friend McKenna.
Stabler asked him what he wanted to talk about, and McKenna informed him that he took a "parting gift" from the raid, revealing that "Emery's muscle" was tied up in his car trunk. He said he caught him fleeing the shootout and was going to book him, but then he heard about Stabler's brother.
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"So, we can take him in, or we can go for a ride," McKenna said.
Stabler was on board with McKenna's suggestion, responding, "Let's go for a ride."
McKenna slammed the trunk shut as Emery's man protested through muffled screams through the tape on his mouth.
To find out what Stabler and McKenna have planned and whether Emery will ever be caught, watch the Law & Order: Organized Crime finale on Peacock on June 12!
