WARNING! SPOILERS ahead for Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, episode 9, "Off The Books."

Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, episode 9, titled "Off The Books," finally addressed Joe Jr.'s (Michael Trotter) absence, but it too quickly came to a heartbreaking end. Joe Jr.'s story was widely expected to be central to Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, as the previous season had ended with a cliffhanger involving Joe being cuffed to a briefcase full of chemical weapons. However, for most of the season, Joe Jr.'s disappearance has barely been addressed.

"Fail Safe" picked up the storyline immediately after Stabler heard from Joe Jr. in the hospital. The episode also featured the long-overdue return of Law & Order: Organized Crime season 4 villain Julian Emery, who wanted to use Joe to throw Stabler off his trail while eliminating the competition to his drug trade. This set-up led to a dangerous cat-and-mouse game in which Stabler tried to find and arrest Emery and get Joe to safety during the tense penultimate episode of the season.

Emery's Return Makes It Clear What Season 5 Has Been Missing

Other Villains In The Season Didn't Have The Same Impact

Julian Emery's (Tom Payne) return elevates "Off the Books" above standard police procedural fare. He is the type of villain Law & Order: Organized Crime needs to be centered around — rich, powerful, and as charming as he is ruthless. This combination of traits made Emery more ruthless than many of the other villains that Stabler has been chasing during season 5. One standout moment was his video chat with his son, Giles. Emery was evasive about when he'd see Giles again and lamented afterward that this was likely the last conversation he would have with him.

This scene did little to move the plot forward, but it helped humanize Emery somewhat. The best and scariest villains are the ones who are relatable, as this reminds the audience that the only difference between them and these abhorrent people is that they've made different choices in their lives. Furthermore, Law & Order: Organized Crime should be focused on stopping powerful troublemakers like Emery. Rocko Spezanno came close to being this type of villain, but wasn't developed enough to be compelling; the season would have been much stronger had Emery been the central villain throughout all 10 episodes.

Stabler & Emery's Conflict Came To A Predictable But Heartbreaking End

Joe Jr.'s Death Wasn't Surprising But Was Devastating Anyway

Joe Jr's. absence for most of the season, his ominous phone call to Stabler, and his continued relationship with Emery made it likely that he would be seriously injured or killed, though Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, episode 8 suggested that someone else was in danger of a sad exit. That said, his death was a sad end to a rushed but tense storyline in which Stabler and Emery attempted to outwit each other. Emery forced Joe Jr. to feed Stabler false information so that the cops would arrest other drug dealers who were obstacles to his plans.

Stabler's counterplan also had an obvious flaw.

This was an ingenious idea, but he underestimated Stabler's ability to figure out what Joe Jr. was up to. Emery should have realized that he could only use that trick once; instead, he tried it a second time, leading to a situation in which he executed Joe Jr. for treachery. However, Stabler's counterplan also had an obvious flaw. He gave Joe Jr. a necklace that supposedly came from Bernie (Ellen Burstyn), but which contained a tracker. This seemed like an extremely obvious way to plant a bug, and it was unsurprising that Emery caught on almost immediately.

Joe, Jr.'s Death Sets Up The Season Finale

However, Its Late Inclusion Felt Rushed

Joe Jr.'s death will likely lead to the return of Stabler's anger and grief. His reaction is reminiscent of Law & Order: Organized Crime season 1, in which Stabler was determined to avenge Kathy's (Isabel Gilles) death and didn't care whether Bell (Daneille Moné Truitt) sanctioned his investigation. Considering that Stabler spoke to Tim McKenna, who has already demonstrated a willingness to operate outside of the rules, the season finale will likely be a high-stakes hunt for Emery in which Stabler risks his job and possibly his freedom.

Joe's death would have been more emotional had this story been built up throughout the season rather than being rushed to its unfortunate conclusion in one episode.

However, Law & Order: Organized Crime diluted the power of this moment by waiting until almost the end of the season to begin this story. Joe Jr. ed Stabler to say goodbye, played both sides, and died within the space of one episode. Joe's death would have been more emotional had this story been built up throughout the season rather than being rushed to its unfortunate conclusion in one episode.

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