LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME: Which Wheatley is the Most Dangerous?

LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME kicks off 2022 with the official launch of the “Nemesis” arc (starting, appropriately, with an episode called “Nemesis” on Thursday, January 6) as the Wheatley family once again takes center stage.

Though the family was only introduced to the LAW & ORDER universe in 2021, they’ve already managed to entirely overhaul Elliot Stabler’s (Christopher Meloni) life. But at this point very little is certain about them, as they’ve proven they can turn on even each other when given the right motivation.

Ahead of the next arc, we’re looking back at what Richard (Dylan McDermott), Angela (Tamara Taylor), Dana (Christina Karis), and Richie (Nick Creegan) have done so far and how dangerous they could be going forward…

Richard:

For as delightfully devious as Richard is, how much he is actively doing to destroy Elliot’s life is still a bit of question mark. Early in season 1, he seemed to not really know who Elliot was and appeared to be oblivious to some of the damage inflicted upon him. Maybe Richard’s just a damn good actor, but he seemed to be surprised Izak and his team beat up Elliot…in theory, if he was entirely calling the shots, he probably would have at least known it was happening?

Angela and Richard previously agreed on one thing: Angela wanted Kathy dead. But Richard claimed that Angela and Izak actively conspired to have her taken out—and he had the recordings to prove it. Angela, meanwhile, claimed she wanted Elliot to pay, but did not explicitly make the call and/or intend for his wife to be killed. (Izak, for his part, said Angela made the call, but he’s dead and can’t answer how active she was in that request.)

But when Richard testified on his own behalf, he changed his tune, never producing the previously threatened tapes and claimed it was all Izak’s fault Kathy was dead. Of course, this came after Angela admitted she loved Elliot (much to Richard’s chagrin) and Elliot baited Richard…but Richard did lie under oath. (Will that be what takes him down? Probably not! But stranger things have happened.) He also now claims Angela is the love of his life (poor Pilar), which could be manipulation—or foreshadowing for how far he’s willing to go to not lose that connection.

However, even if Richard was one hundred percent honest about Angela’s actions surrounding Kathy’s death—and showrunner Ilene Chaiken previously said, “Richard Wheatley is Kathy’s murderer. Angela played a role, and it remains to be seen whether it was an unwitting role or malevolent role. But Wheatley was responsible.”—he’s done a lot of other messed up things that make him a threat.

Most notably right now—and what could make things interesting with a hacker (played by Robin Lord Taylor) coming into play in the second pod—is the very real question of what kind of pull Richard has, technology-wise.

In season 1, Richard monitored Gina via CCTV cameras accessible by the NYPD and was able to send a message to Olivia as “Elliot” via a phone he had in his possession. He also knew a number of things that should have been impossible to track, either because they were too minor (Elliot being a coffee snob post-Italy) or that wouldn’t have concrete, written proof (that Olivia was the love of Elliot’s life). How connected is he and how dangerous does that make him?

Also worth questioning? How loyal he’ll be to his family when push comes to shove. We know he had his father and adopted son killed. He seemed to be willing to protect his kids, but he was awfully fast to throw Dana under the bus when Elliot thought Richard was the one who set up Eli. Was that a genuine moment, where Richard was trying to save himself? Or was Richard just manipulating Elliot/the investigation to warn Angela and Dana?

Angela:

Viewers now know with certainty Angela has been lying, but the real question is for how long and how much of what she’s said has been authentic.

When Angela was introduced, she was a grief-stricken mother, calling her fallen son, Rafiq, the love of her life. She claimed to have limited involvement with her ex, Richard, but we saw that wasn’t exactly true: They went to each other’s homes, and Richard was confident Angela would (falsely) alibi him for the night his father was killed.

But everything really changed after Angela was arrested and Elliot told her that Richard was the one responsible for Rafiq’s death—suddenly, Angela was willing to share everything she knew about Richard’s operation, because she had “nothing left to lose anymore.”

Perhaps the most honest thing Angela has said, outside of her love for her children, was her confession to Elliot that, “I wasn’t prepared for you,” because he (accidentally) forced her to confront the lies it seemed she had been living with. And Angela’s feelings for Elliot may have been/could currently be genuine (or as genuine as possible given the manipulation and half-truths that she told during their initial meetings), but she’s still willing to lie to him about her health as it suits her.

And Angela’s health is perhaps the biggest mystery—and key to this all—right now. At what point did Angela recover? Was she ever actually ill? Did she play any role in the incident that landed her in the hospital? (In the season 1 finale, Angela seemed visibly distraught before she took a shower where she was poisoned. Then at the hospital, Richard sent former OC task force member Morales to poison her/seemingly finish the job.) And outside of Dana, who else knows Angela is fine?

“Angela’s role in all of it will be mysterious and I hope that you’ll be engaged by figuring out, really, whose side she’s on and what she’s up to and what her game is,” Chaiken previously teased.

While Richard’s loyalty could arguably be himself, Angela’s is a much bigger question mark. Is her priority saving her remaining children? Getting revenge on Richard? Is she willing to (figuratively or literally) sacrifice herself to make either of those things happen?

Dana:

The biggest Wheatley wild card, at least as of now, is Dana.

In season 1, Dana was quietly aware of what was going on and seemed to be the responsible one in the family business, both being the one to realize Gina was a cop and trying to keep Richie from blowing things up when his emotions got in the way. Richard called her “the smartest person in the room,” and noted she was in charge of their business and security.

So Dana, seemingly, being the one behind Eli being set up for murder both makes sense and also seems needlessly reckless. On one hand, her doing what is necessary to protect her family tracks. On the other, it was with something that was fairly easy to trace back to the Wheatleys and it was after Richard’s trial had already been dismissed in a mistrial.

But her being such a mystery in season 1 makes her the most dangerous Wheatley in many ways. Viewers have seen how Angela, Richard, and Richie react when cornered. What the heck will Dana do if she really thinks there’s a threat to the people she wants to protect?

“Dana is out in the world and definitely up for grabs, in terms of whether she goes towards the light or the darkness,” Chaiken previously teased.

Richie:

Oh, Richie. It’s hard to feel total sympathy for him (RIP Gina), but he certainly seems like the least dangerous member of the family right now.

When he first landed in prison, he approached the Marcy Killers and put out a hit on his father. Unfortunately for him, it failed.

And though he recently insisted his dad was dead to him—thanks to Richard being responsible for killing Richie’s grandfather and poisoning Angela—when it came time to testify, Richie folded and denied any knowledge of Richard’s criminal wrongdoings.

So…is there anything that would make Richie flip on his father and have it stick?

LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME, Thursdays, 10/9c, NBC

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