After on attack on one of Carisi's trials, signs of a new player in the New York City gang scene drive Stabler to contact an old C.I. from Italy and question the motives of their current ones.
Organized Crime has never particularly explored taking its cases to trial - with Richard Wheatley being the large exception. That's a crucial element of the Law & Order format. The police work is the overwhelming focus here. The task force taking down these criminal organizations is the resolution that is frequently delivered. The team never really has to go to court and display all of the evidence. It's teased at the start of this episode. Carisi visits from SVU. He details that he has been preparing the Los Santos trial for months. And yet, the case against Carlo is based on the testimony of one witness. That's rather flimsy. It all falls apart when she recants. The narrative also uses this reminder of the past in order to introduce a new story. It doesn't strive to grapple with the legal consequences of the actions the task force previously took. That's not the focus. Instead, the drama connects back to Stabler's time in Italy. He accepted a job there during his time away from the franchise. That explained where he was. He got involved in several notable investigations. That was crucial once. Now, it comes back again. For an entire act, the episode delves into Stabler's history with Isabella Spezzano. That too is a novel storytelling device for this show. However, it's still ultimately building to a new threat worth investigating. It provides just enough information to intrigue.
Everything builds to Jet's exit as well. She has been offered a job with the FBI. She has decided to take it after some prompting from Bell. Stabler recruited her for the task force. This experience has defined who she is as a detective. The task force will continue to have tech support too. In fact, Jet was in the field more often because Vargas could serve in that role for the team. She also takes a moment to recover after being assaulted. She doesn't bounce right back like Stabler always does. He has to keep moving. Jet would rather take some personal leave. Of course, she keeps working as well. She creates a database to track all the unsolved murders along the nation's highways. It's impressive work. She will have more resources to investigate these crimes with the FBI. That provides her with the nationwide jurisdiction she will need to identify these murder victims. That's her new purpose. She takes the offer. It's the latest dramatic change to the show. These characters come into Stabler's life for short bursts of time. They all leave an impression. Yet nothing promises to be as lasting as his partnership with Olivia. That remains significant. Bell is incredibly trusting as his new captain. But he also must accept that the faces of the task force are constantly changing. That applies to the audience as well.
All of this results in an episode that is trying to do a lot. It focuses on these separate elements intensely when they are at the forefront. When it's about Jet's exit, that's the only thing that matters. When it comes to Stabler dealing with Isabella, that's the prime focus. The pieces don't necessarily come together in the most cohesive way. New tension is placed in Stabler's relationship with Eli as well. The fact that he is now on the force too creates the potential for more complications. Stabler wants to keep his personal life private. He doesn't want his colleagues at work to worry about what's going on with him. He doesn't want to acknowledge that he was just in a serious accident. That's Randall's responsibility. Moreover, the older brother keeps an eye on their mother. That serves as a connection to Joey as well. He truly has been calling his mother. That still remains speculative. It's likely given the light snooping Randall does. Stabler always has a connection to whatever is going on. The narrative needs to provide these nuanced and complicated relationships that are always in proximity to him. He must define everything that happens in this narrative. That creates an insular effect where the supporting elements don't exist as individuals. That has been a problem for awhile. But the show is still rather captivating with Stabler as the lead. He's a multi-faceted character. Reyes is impressed by Stabler's Italian while Isabella is horrified by his accent. These personal connections are worth exploiting. It's just rather cheap when the episode concludes with Stabler and his family personally being targeted based on figuring out the Camorra is operating in New York now. The details introduced here are important. It's mostly to ensure the payoff is strong later instead of immediately gratifying right now.
