The Law & Order: Organized Crime Character You Are Based On Your Zodiac Sign
The police procedural remains an immensely popular genre, and the "Law & Order" franchise is one of the longest-running and most well-loved since the Sherlock Holmes stories of the Victorian era. One thing that sets "Law & Order" apart and adds to its decades-long appeal is that in a typical episode, once the bad guy is caught, that's not the end of the story. Instead, we also get to witness the suspect's trial and the struggles of the attorneys involved behind the scenes.
The popularity of the original "Law & Order" has spurred several spinoffs, all centered around various departments within the investigative team as a whole. "Law & Order: SVU" focused on sexual crimes, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" was about the Major Case Squad (covering high-profile cases), and the newest spinoff in the franchise is "Law & Order: Organized Crime." Some favorite characters from older versions of the show are back, still pursuing mob bosses, cartels, and traffickers in a fresh new "Law & Order."
Police procedurals can get a little trope-y, which of course is part of their charm. And the "Law & Order" franchise has been around so long it gets to feeling like a beloved soap opera, with viewers deeply engaged in the characters and their struggles. Looking at the archetypal attributes of the zodiac signs as they relate to the tropes of the characters in this show can tell us a lot about how the characters work. Plus, it's a heck of a lot of fun. So which one are you? Let's find out.
Warning: Some spoilers for "Law & Order: Organized Crime" ahead!
Aries (March 20-April 19): Detective Elliot Stabler
People born between March 20 and April 19 are always competing for first place, so it's fitting that this is the first sign of the zodiac. Impulsive, ambitious, and often aggressive, this fire sign treats everything as a game they have to win. Hothead detective Elliot Stabler fits this profile perfectly.
Back when he was a member of "Law & Order: SVU" (Special Victims Unit), Stabler often acted on impulse driven by anger and ambition, which ended up landing him in quite a bit of trouble. Now that he's out of retirement and back in the detective game in "Organized Crime," he's more on the driven/assertive side of Aries' strength.
Where before the events of this spinoff series, Stabler was widely thought of as a wild card and an unpredictable hothead, once his wife died, he found a new focus for his fiery impulsive energy, and his Aries anger gained a more controlled target and a more precise goal. Plus, the fact that he's top billing on the show's roster is saying something about his character. He's number one, and he's not shy to let you know it.
Taurus (April 19-May 20): Preston Webb
Earthy, solid, dependable, and stubborn. That's the central theme of those born under this earth sign. It makes sense that their symbol is the bull: an animal that is traditionally thought of as stubborn, and Tauruses are averse to change, homebodies, just like their element and their symbol. Try and move a Taurus? You'll get nowhere. Mess with a Taurus? Let's just say you don't want to mess with a Taurus.
Mykeli Williamson, who plays Preston Webb in "Law & Order: Organized Crime," said the same about his character in an interview with TV Insider: Don't mess with Preston Webb. We saw what happened to Chopper when he tried, and it didn't go well for him.
What else makes Webb a classic Taurus? He's completely dedicated to his wife and their (albeit largely criminal) future plans. He's solidly stable in his loyalty to Donnelly, and to his organization — as much as he admires Stabler for his dedication, Webb will not be moved. His stubborn determination is like a brick wall, and we have a feeling that's what blinds him as to who Nova really is.
Gemini (May 20-June 21): Angela Wheatley
The symbol of those born between May 20 and June 21 is the Twins, and as such, these charismatic, playful, changeable Geminis will keep everybody guessing just for fun. The Twins are also often thought of as duplicitous and two-faced, as well as being insatiable collectors of knowledge. This is what makes Angela Wheatley the perfect representative for this sign.
She's possessed with loads of charm, and expertly weaves her deceitful way between Stabler and her ex-husband, who's the most powerful and dangerous bad guy the series has seen so far. She dances around and between both men as a deft double agent of sorts, keeping her powerful secrets and ferreting out others. Viewers are never sure in any given episode whether Angela is on the side of the good guys or the bad guys, and she remains ambiguous almost to the end. Two-faced, charming, playful, duplicitous, and changeable, Angela is the epitome of Gemini the Twins.
Cancer (June 21-July 22): Captain Olivia Benson
Entering the world under the most sensitive, sentimental, and empathic sign of the zodiac, a person born between June 21 and July 22 "forgives but never forgets," according to the astrological rundown on Co-Star. Like their symbol the Crab, these intensely emotional and deeply empathic folks use a hard outer shell as a defense mechanism, and despite their deep empathic qualities, it's hard to crack through.
Olivia Benson (formerly Detective, now Captain) is best known for her work in "Law & Order: SVU," but she made a comeback in "Organized Crime," and it's looking more and more like she and Stabler are going to once more be a dynamic duo of crime-busting like they were for so many years on "SVU."
As with her previous work in the Special Victims Unit, Benson often finds herself compromised in her investigations by being a little too emotionally invested in the survivors she helps, to the point of clouding her professional judgment. It seems like this same emotional quality is what's bringing her back to work with Stabler. Classic Cancer.
Leo (July 22-August 22): Richard Wheatley
The dramatic diva that commands center stage, this lion of the zodiac loves luxury ... and themselves. The Leo's symbol, the lion, is the king of the jungle, and those born between July 22 and August 22 make themselves kings in all aspects of life. This can manifest positively — the way benign royalty can be generous, entertaining, and powerful players in the world — or it can be a bad thing, coming out as vanity, selfishness, and narcissism.
It's not unusual for the major villains of TV shows to be painted as fully self-centered and vain narcissists, and Richard Wheatley is no exception to this rule. He'll plow through anyone and everyone to get his way and keep his power (even his own son!), and he allows no exceptions. Wheatley's version of Leo attributes is the classic self-possessed CEO and mob boss, letting his minions do the dirty work and selfishly enjoying his ill-gotten spoils.
Virgo (August 22-September 22): Sergeant Bill Brewster
Meticulous, logical, and perfectionist, those born between August 22 and September 22 do tend to be judgmental of those who aren't as willing to work hard and practice as they are. They're the most diligent of the signs, and are not afraid to tackle the most difficult puzzles or detailed grind in their work, and they won't give up until they've succeeded. But success to them means perfection.
If meticulous and detail-oriented are Virgo traits, well, they're Sergeant Brewster's traits too, and in spades. He knows how to gather the minute details of evidence and he knows how to keep all the important minutiae at his fingertips. Just watch him interrogate a person of interest and that diligence shows. Brewster is promoted in Season 2, and that alone takes hard meticulous work, especially when you look at all the other talented people in the Organized Crime department that are his colleagues.
Libra (September 22-October 23): Sergeant Fin Tutuola
This zodiac sign's scales symbol means balance, harmony, symmetry, equilibrium and equality, and of course justice. It says something that this sign is the only one in the zodiac that's represented by a non-living object. Pure justice, mathematical balance, and black-and-white judgment is what Libra is all about. Libras are obsessed with equality and will strive for equilibrium in all their endeavors.
One of several crossover characters that come to "Law & Order: Organized Crime" from other "Law & Order" series, Sergeant Tutuola comes to us from "Law & Order: SVU." He's a prime example of a Libra detective, the embodiment of a no-gray-area style of policing. In Tutuola's justice, criminals should be punished, and that's that. No in between and no exceptions. This attitude has brought him into some conflict in the past with a few of his colleagues at the SVU, but he's grown quite a bit since then. Balance and equity in all things is still his MO, however. He lays down the law in both "Law & Order" series he appears in.
Scorpio (October 23-November 22): Detective Frank Donnelly
This sign is often misunderstood as a fire sign, because of its reputation for passion, stormy intensity in the emotional department, and a reputation for high levels of sexuality. This is a water sign, though, tempestuous turmoil aside. Think huge winter waves breaking the rocks on a winter coast. It's that kind of water sign, and those born under it are swayed by temper and passion, but they also "look cool in a leather jacket," according to Co-Star.
Why is Donnelly a classic Scorpio? Well, Denis Leary (the actor who plays Donnelly) has been looking consistently cool in a leather jacket since the '90s. No, but seriously: Detective Donnelly is a stormy, passionate character whose response to being found out as crooked is a bold act of self-sacrifice. The theme of betrayal is an important one for Scorpios, too, which is a big part of Donnelly's character arc.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21): Detective Carlos Maldonado
Friendly and boisterous, those born between November 22 and December 21 are travelers and information-seekers who are ready to take on a quest. This fire sign is always on the move to search for answers or adventure (or both), and will speak truth to power. Loudly. Their symbol is the archer, and the long-distance flight of an arrow is a fitting image for this most wide-traveled sign of the zodiac. They're also the life of every party, so their obsessive questing for self-improvement and truth will be wrapped in an infectious friendly enthusiasm.
Detective Maldonado has the myriad mixed traits of Sagittarius in spades: a bold truth-teller, with the charm and enthusiasm that makes the Sagittarius stand out from the rest of the zodiac crowd. He'll search far and wide for a bit of evidence or slice of truth from a person of interest, and won't ever back down from an adventure.
Capricorn (December 21-January 20): Sergeant Ayanna Bell
Responsible, loyal, and dedicated, Capricorns are committed to duty. It takes a Capricorn a while to open up to another person, but once they do, their devotion is iron-clad. They're the grownups of the zodiac, and will apply themselves with steadfastness, patience, and a good plan to tackle any challenge that comes in their way, and they won't let their emotions take over their persistence to move toward their goals.
Bell is in charge of the whole Organized Crime Bureau and takes her responsibility very seriously. She's a strong and capable boss, whose patience, perseverance, and maturity is a perfect contrast to and foil for the impulsive hothead Stabler. She's also very loyal to Stabler, and, as she's just beginning a family herself, is still sympathetic to the intensity of his drive to avenge his wife's death and protect his family. Her commitment is to her crew, and she won't back down when protecting them from the dangerous organized crime bosses they're fighting against.
Aquarius (January 19-February 18): Detective Jet Slootmaekers
Those born between January 19 and February 18 are the high-level thinkers of the zodiac: they're the philosophers and the intellectuals who ask the big questions and construct answers for them out of their own immense skill with problem-solving. They're brutally honest and not shy about expressing it. At best, they're tale-spinners extraordinaire, and at worst, conspiracy theorists who plot patterns where there are none. All in all, the Aquarius is innovative, inventive, and out to save the world. With brains like that, they might just succeed.
Detective Slootmaekers is an expert hacker and a kick-butt detective in her own right even before Stabler insists she be added to the Organized Crime Unit. She's a brilliant savant and problem-solver who never hesitates to speak her mind, even at the risk of sounding rude to her superiors. To her, being nice or personable is far less important than solving the problem at hand. And, as a top-tier hacker, that Aquarius talent for invention and innovation is one of Slootmaekers' strongest attributes.
Pisces (February 18-March 20): Nova
This is the most psychic of all signs and the wettest of the water signs. The most romantic dreamers fall under this sign. Those who are born between February 18 and March 20 live more in dreams and fantasies than the real world, or at least they're deft at traveling back and forth between the two like a shaman of old. Pisces carries lessons from all the previous signs as well, being last in the zodiac cycle.
Pisces' main characteristic is as someone that lives in dual realities: the real world and a fantasy world, often of the Pisces' own creation. Nova falls into this category big time: she has to navigate at least two worlds (the world of organized crime killers and the detectives who look to stop them), and she moves between them and more through her whole main story arc. A dreamer herself, she navigates her dangerous world-hopping in hopes for a better future, a dream for a tomorrow that she can create herself.