The season 5 finale of Law and Order: Organized Crime picked up right after that shocking Stabler death — but where does the show go from here?
Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) is more unhinged than ever while looking to avenge the death of his brother Joseph Stabler Jr. (Michael Trotter). The season’s penultimate episode saw villain Julian Emery (Tom Payne) discover that his right-hand man, Joey, was wearing a tracking device. Emery shot Joey, who died in Elliot’s arms.
The finale — titled “He Was a Stabler” — aired via Peacock on Thursday, June 12, and proved that Elliot will do anything for those he loves. (Although, viewers already knew that.)
With the help of Detective Tim McKenna (Jason Patric), Elliot comes face-to-face with Vincent Mathis (Paul Gorvin), who works with Emery. Elliot gives him two options — answer his question upfront or answer his question after being lit on fire. Mathis chooses the former.
Which ‘Law and Order: SVU’ Stars Are — And Aren’t — Returning for Season 27
Elliot then secretly recruits coworker Detective Bobby Reyes (Rick Gonzalez) for help. Naturally, Reyes agrees, but Sergeant Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) figures it out. By that time, Elliot had already returned to the office, urging his team to capture Emery.
While trying to plan the perfect takedown, Elliot receives a package from his late brother. Inside is a corrupted flash drive, which Dr. Kyle Vargas (Tate Ellington) spends most of the episode trying to fix.
Eventually, Elliot and the team capture Emery. It initially seems like he’ll be going to prison for life, but when Emery starts to name some heavy hitters in the crime world, the FBI steps in with hopes of making the crime boss “an asset” for the department.
Elliot, upset that revenge didn’t go his way, gets the surprise of a lifetime when Kyle reveals what was on the flash drive. For a six-month period, Joey was collecting “hard verifiable evidence” evidence against Emery and his major drug deals. With all the evidence stacked up against him, Emery becomes the NYPD’s prisoner without a government deal — and to jail he goes.
Most Heartbreaking TV Deaths of 2025 So Far: ‘9-1-1’ and More
Before viewers saw the last of Emery, however, Elliot praised his late brother.
“Whatever my brother’s problems were, he was a Stabler, and he just put your ass away for the rest of your life,” Elliot says.
The episode ends with a sweet Stabler family moment as they honor Joey’s memory. It was revealed earlier in the finale that Joey had filled out the NYPD application but never finished it. Because of Joey’s help (from beyond the grave) in arresting Emery, Sergeant Bell was able to pull some strings and get a plaque made to honor the late Stabler’s service.
All episodes of Law and Order: Organized Crime are now streaming via Peacock.
