Benson Got Shot and [Spoiler] Died in the Law & Order: Organized Crime Finale
We don't recommend watching the intense Law & Order: OC finale without tissues nearby.
The Season 3 finale of Law & Order: Organized Crime finally saw Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) unmask the criminal behind the insidious revenge-for-hire website, Shadowërk. Here’s what happened:
Trigger warning: This piece contains descriptions of suicide and self-harm.
In a flashback from six months prior, we meet a young man named Kyle; he’s emotionally fragile, anti-social, and living in his mother’s attic while he works on something that’s “going to change the world.” Kyle is the malignant force behind Shadowërk. Disappointed by the state of the world, Kyle was on the cusp of dying by suicide, but then Shadowërk received its first listing for a hired murderer. Shadowërk getting traffic was the vindication Kyle needed to grow the site into what it’s become today.
Operating under the name Hyakunin Giri six months later, it’s clear Kyle has only become more passionate about his dangerous creation. In SVU‘s Season 24 finale, the OCCB and SVU monitored Hyakunin Giri /Kyle’s server room based in his mother’s office building and brought all the employees in for questioning. The arrests led Kyle to restore Shadowërk and place a hit on Benson and Stabler for $50,000 each, which was quite the obstacle at the start of OC‘s finale.
Benson and Stabler learn one of the office employees, Linda, has a son named Kyle who fits Amanda Rollins’ (Kelli Giddish) psych profile. Despite explaining to Linda that Kyle is their main suspect and likely put a hit on Benson and Stabler’s heads, she emotionally shuts down and demands a lawyer. Linda tells them Kyle moved out months ago, and she has no idea where he went. But it’s clear she’s trying to protect him.
Benson and Stabler have to lay low now that they’re targets. They decide to go eat at a diner, but soon an armed man enters the restaurant, spraying tear gas in everyone’s faces. The gunman makes a beeline for Benson and Stabler to take them out; thankfully, Benson manages to wet a napkin to maintain her vision.
Benson goes to take a shot at the gunman, but during the ensuing chaos gets shot herself. A blinded Stabler pulls out his firearm, but he’s unable to make the shot because of the tear gas. Benson leans over and guides Stabler’s gun, assuring him she can still see, and snipes the gunman down instantly. The assailant is subdued, but Benson was shot in her left hip and isn’t looking too good. A blurry-eyed Stabler picks her up and takes her to the nearest hospital.
Fin (Ice T) and Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) arrive at the scene and confirm the shooter was working under the Shadowërk listing. Later, the two sergeants interview Linda, who has lawyered up and still won’t give up Kyle. Rollins recognizes the denial from the sidelines and joins the interrogation to speak with Linda about her son. Rollins shows Linda Kyle’s suicide note from six months prior, which reveals he has had troubling compulsions for a while. Linda admits Kyle has always been a bit off, and Rollins reminds her there is no cure for sociopathy. Rollins’ compassion becomes the ticket to Linda finally revealing Kyle’s whereabouts.
Later, Stabler visits Benson in the hospital, who’s recovering from the shooting. As Stabler helps Benson get to her feet from the hospital bed, it becomes clear he might be more shaken up by the ordeal than she is. When Benson asks Stabler if everything is OK, Stabler admits that when he couldn’t see anything but heard gunshots, he was afraid.
“I thought I lost you,” Stabler chokes out.
“I can’t imagine what that brings up for you,” Benson says while comforting him.
Stabler gets a call from Bell, who tells him the OCCB has successfully tracked down Kyle’s location. The SVU and OCCB head to Kyle’s hideout, a remote cabin in the woods. Rollins warns the detectives that Kyle would likely rather die than have Shadowërk taken down. Detective Whelan (Brent Antonello) and Reyes (Rick Gonzalez) take one area of the woods while Bell and Fin take another.
The squads hear a gun fire in the distance, and Whelan and Reyes immediately head toward the shot. Bell spots an armed Kyle running in the distance, closing in on Reyes and Whelan’s location. Kyle aims at the OCCB detectives, and while Reyes manages to wound him, Kyle still shoots Whelan in the neck. Reyes rushes to his fallen partner’s side, insisting a medic responds immediately. As Reyes frantically attempts to stop the blood flow, Whelan tells Reyes that he can’t feel his legs.