The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit/Organized Crime crossover was a stunning affair linking the two teams going after a dangerous online predator. But no one expected the shocking turn that took the life of a key detective. So who paid the ultimate price on this episode?
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for the Law & Order: SVU Season 24 finale and Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 finale
The crossover had the SVU and OCTF teams tracking who was behind Shadowerk, a dark web app that allowed people to hire anything from rapes to murders on others. The case was dramatic as the app’s creator put a hit out on Benson and Stabler.
This led to the cops at a diner when someone took out the Feds guarding them and then attacked the cops. Benson was hit but managed to direct Staber to shoot the guy. The team eventually tracked down Kyle, the man behind the website, as he got into a shootout that badly hit Whelan (Brent Antonello) in the neck. Kyle then stabbed himself with Whelan ordering the medics to treat him in order to get access to his site.
Which detectives are leaving Law & Order?
Whelan survived his surgery only for the bullet to leave him paralyzed to the point he couldn’t even hold a phone to call Jet (Ainsley Seiger). Whelan related he was likely never to walk again and needed a device just to breathe. Jet confessed she was in love with Jamie before he hung up.
Whelan then begged Reyes to disconnect the machines as he couldn’t live like this and would rather die. Before Reyes could decide, Whelan’s father showed up. Shortly afterward, Whelan coded and died with the implication his dad pulled the plug.
Whelan wasn’t the only departure, as Grace Muncy (Molly Burnett) accepted an offer to join a special task force. That makes it unsure if she’ll be returning to the SVU squad, while Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) admitted to Benson she missed being a cop.
The crossover ended with Stabler telling Benson he was taking time away to regroup on a new case, sharing an early Christmas gift as the former partners bid a warm farewell.
The death of Whelan was a huge shock as there had been no word of Brent Antonello leaving the series. It’s possible the producers simply wanted a big turn for the audience. The fact that Law & Order: Organized Crime won’t return until 2024 adds to it, as it’s possible Season 4 will have a new cast besides Stabler.
With each squad losing a member, this crossover was a huge Law & Order event that will affect both shows for a while.