Law & Order: Organized Crime is days away from not just wrapping up its fourth season in the 2024 TV schedule, but also wrapping up its time on NBC. The hit drama will move to the Peacock streaming service for the fifth season, so the NBC finale won't be the end of the series. I spoke with cast member Tate Ellington ahead of the finale, and he weighed in on a certain risky choice for a twist that Vargas really wasn't ready for in the penultimate episode.
In the second-to-last episode of OC Season 4, Vargas got some very unwelcome news when malware from the bad guys infected his special AI tech that has been such an asset to the task force this year. The team still needed his skills, though, which meant going into the field with Reyes to download some essential information. Bullets were flying before they got what they needed, and it was certainly a spicier situation than Vargas is usually involved with.
I spoke with Tate Ellington last month prior to Organized Crime's renewal, and he opened up about Vargas trying his best to help the team with his tech as well as how he found out about Sam's death. At the time, I asked the actor about Vargas going into the field, and he explained:
I can tell you that he's not prepared for what the reality of it is but he definitely thinks it's extremely cool. Like, he is the kid in the candy store, excited to be getting to do this but then there's a little bit of like, 'Oh, this is dangerous!' [laughs] 'Maybe I do want to stay at headquarters where it's safe.'
Vargas did get the data he needed during his foray into the field, and it should be key to stopping shipments of far worse than just drugs in the upcoming season finale. Based on the events of the latest episode, I'm guessing that fans probably shouldn't count on him following Jet's example and starting to go out into the field and away from computers more often. Plus, he's not a cop like the others, so his desk truly is the safer place for him.
Of course, at the time of writing, there's no guarantee that Vargas will be back in the fifth season. After the Season 3 finale in 2023 killed off Brent Antonello's Jamie Whelan, it seems safest not to make any assumptions about how OC will end a season. Whatever the future holds (or doesn't hold) for Vargas, Tate Ellington only had great things to say about his time working on the show:
I've had an absolute blast doing it and it's been so much fun playing the character, and pretty close to home because I'm very much a dork like him. So it's been wonderful.
Peacock's renewal announcement only confirmed the return of showrunner John Shiban and credited Christopher Meloni as star, so fans will have to wait until the finale for a closer clue at who could be back in Season 5 for Peacock Premium subscribers. The Season 4 finale is called "Stabler's Lament," which I'd say really doesn't bode well for a happy ending to OC's time on NBC.
According to the episode description from the network, Trisha will vow to help Elliot keep Joe Jr. safe despite ATF plans to raid Redcoat's warehouse, with the Stablers also getting a second try at a family dinner. Check out the promo below:
Tune in to NBC on Thursday, May 16 at 10 p.m. ET for the Season 4 finale of Law & Order: Organized Crime, following Law & Order: SVU's Season 25 finale that may or may not address Benson's greatest nemeses at 9 p.m. ET and Law & Order's Season 23 finale on the heels of its 500th episode at 8 p.m. ET. You can find all three shows streaming on Peacock now.
