When a barrage of cyber-attacks cripples the city, Stabler is convinced Wheatley is involved. Bernadette receives an unwelcome visitor.
Turning against Richard almost got Angela killed. She has recovered completely from the poisoning apparently and Richard is a free man once more. And so, she's not risking her second chance at life by continuing to oppose his agenda. Sure, she tried to play Stabler along the way as well. That didn't work out for long. He knows that she has been faking her continued impairments. As such, she barely has to pretend anymore. She isn't an innocent bystander in this drama either. She stands firmly by Richard's side. He may be the one carrying a personal vendetta against Stabler. However, Angela ensures her ex-husband gets exactly what she wants. She is an active co-conspirator. She pushes back whenever Richard declares his love for her and the inevitability that they will get married once more. That's the only tension between them at this moment. She helps ease McClane into this new operation. He is reluctant to do so. His interests don't align with what Richard is planning for the city. In fact, he can even recognize when Richard is just playing to his ego. It's all a ploy to suggest some meaningful connection that isn't truly there. McClane is an activist after all. He still has hope the system can be reformed. He idealistically believes the new governor can make a different. Sure, he resorted to hacking in order to attack the systems he believes are continuing to fail humanity. That was a justifiable action because it exposed the hypocrisy and the greed of the world. In doing so, a man was killed. All he has in life right now is trying to atone for that action. He can't bring him back to life. He doesn't even know if the family will accept money from him. He has to try though. That's all that he cares. He's not about to be pulled into the middle of Richard and Stabler's feud. He knows better than that. He can't escape either. No matter how hard he wants to turn himself in and ease the world's suffering, he can't. He isn't telling his followers to act in support of his fugitive status. That's what they are doing. His cause has taken on a life of its own. He believes he belongs in prison. That's the fate he deserves. Richard continues to bail him out. He gives him enough time to complete this business. His final fate isn't prison though. It's working with Richard in his new endeavor. Of course, that is still shrouded in secrecy to a certain extent. He continues to make his influence known across the city. He lambasts New York City as he believes Stabler has destroyed it all for him. As such, he has no problem getting into the governor's head and stalking Bernie at home. It's terrifying and everyone should be concerned. And yet, Bernie doesn't want her son to lose the light that burns brightly inside of him. He is obsessed with Richard. That has been clear for awhile. And now, it's even having an effect on his job. He may be seeing things that aren't there. He accuses Malachi of also working with Richard. Of course, that's a perfectly reasonable twist that could happen at some point in the future. Anything is believable at this point given the vast resources Richard continues to display frequently. He continually teases Stabler. That confirms all of the detective's initial impulses about this case. He can't prove any of them. That only makes him come across as more unstable. That appears to be the purpose of this story. Stabler's sanity is fraying away. His worst impulses may be coming out once more. That's dangerous. It also has the effect of making Richard seem omnipresent and incapable of capture. The task force did so once. They can reasonably do so again. That comes with no guarantee of actual justice though. In fact, every story may be tarnished in that regard if the task force can't secure meaningful convictions. The arrests of their targets shouldn't be seen as the end for these stories given recent events. Part of that may just be the drama that comes from the Wheatley family. It has complications beyond that though which should make the audience curious about the how resolute the conclusions are elsewhere in the overall narrative. It can't simply be empty chaos for the sake of empty chaos. All of this does need to mean something at the end of the day.
