Before I even begin this recap, let me just say this:
Best episode of the season thus far, hands down.
If you missed it, catch one of the many replays on FX.
OPENING SCENE: Hardcore sex. It’s a rape scene. We see Sara, the chick propositioned by David Aceveda last episode, being “abused” by the man himself. She breaks character long enough to remind him not to give her any bruises, but other than that? He’s diggin’ that dawg.
See ya next Thursday, ho! And next time, I’ll bring a gift receipt.
As promised, there is a public forum with the Farmington neighborhood about public concerns over the seizure and forfeiture policy enacted by new Captain Rawling. Antoine Mitchell takes a moment to speak up about the white cops busting the black constituents, but Julian takes a stand for his race and talks about why he became a peace officer; Antoine backs down. Of course, this momentary victory is blasted away by Aceveda, who shows up to talk about how corrupt this system is in other cities and how it needs tight watch. Afterward, Monica calls him out on powertripping, and Aceveda mentions he’s now head of a task force to watch over police in his district. How lovely.
Vic is called on the shooting of Romeo Barnes, a drug counselor. A methadone clinic guy “saw” the crime, but of course saw nothing. Fun fun!
AND THE SHOW OFFICIALLY BEGINS!
We learn that Romeo’s shooter drove away on a motorcycle. Rawling inquires as to whether Shane’s vice tips could help get more intel on this guy, and Lem brings in a juvenile female named Angie whose strung-out mother gets her heroin from a guy on a bike. Sure, she’ll cooperate, but she would like some more Starburst, please.
With Shane back in the old Stike Team room, Vic and pals unveil their greatest work yet: one of the cameras from the car sting operation was planted in Dutch’s automobile. They play back Dutch’s date with one of Claudette’s friends, one that didn’t go altogether swimmingly. After laughing at his failure to get some play, Dutch is then shown rocking out to “Hungry Like The Wolf.” Not only is everyone in the room howling, I was laughing too hard to remember if anything else happened.
Shane meets with Antoine looking for the shooter/dealer; Antoine doesn’t want to lose a guy on the street, but Shane convinces him that getting someone off the street who shoots drug counselors is probably better for his own covert operation.
Wyms and Wagenbach are given their case for the day: a 65 year old woman was murdered, possibly gang-related. Claudette brings up to the captain about the DA’s case and seizure of Maurice Webster’s house for three pot plants (from last week); Monica calls her on insubordination.
Upon visiting the crime scene, the daughter and husband remain. The daughter claims she saw a car full of Mexican kids before she left the house that day, but that’s all they’ve got.
Lem, Vic, and Monica show up at Angie’s mom’s house. To call her a strung out heroin junkie is the understatement of the century. Vic talks to the mother to try and get a location or phone number to her dealer; with Angie’s help, they narrow down the location to a certain cul-de-sac. Lem and Vic scope out the place, noting its reinforced doors and blacked out windows with various folks on cell phones patrolling the area. Lem wants to work on the bust, but Vic reminds him what he has on Shane and that the delicate balance between getting their work done without personal issues intervening while weeding out Shane and his dirty deeds must be maintained.
Danny cased the neighborhood of the old couple where the woman was shot. Apparently, they were nice folks who kept to themselves. Where was the motivation? Dutch and Claudette talk about older people with plenty of vitriol for self-defense, where Dutch quipps, “Old and stubborn, looking for a good fight,” with a smirk in Claudette’s direction.
Vic, overseeing this murder investigation due to potential gang activity, runs through protocol with Dutch; he’s running gang background checks and advises Dutch to canvass the area. Dutch feels he’s being babied. Vic replies that he needs to be hungry on this one… hungry like… THE WOLF.
Rawling is coaching the entire barn on the drug raid being planned for the house Vic cased earlier. The dealer’s street name is Freebo, blah blah blah, let’s go get ’em. Shane wants to warn Antoine, as it’s one of his buildings, but there’s no time. They swarm the compound, starting with Vic putting the smack down on some punk with a cell phone. The house is busted in and everyone is subdued. Tons of drugs and guns are found. Given the opportunity of a deal, one guy gives Vic the real name of Freebo, who just left about a half hour ago.
COMMERCIAL!
Sensing that Freebo could still be in the area but without time for a warrant, Vic discusses the possibility with Rawling. She mentions that the house was a crank lab and could be a hazmat problem, perhaps they should evacuate the area until they are given the clear.
Wyms and Wagenbach question the daughter (actually, stepdaughter) in their murder case. Her mother died of a stroke in an eerily similar scenario. Wyms brings up that only her stepmother’s jewels were taken, not her own mother’s. The woman only reiterates that she’s worried about her dad.
With all of the drug runners in the cage, one gets mouthy (the one who gave up Freebo, of course); Vic brings him up to interrogation. When he explains that he was “acting to da homiez,” Vic smashes him against a window for everyone else below to see. You know, “acting to da homiez.” He easily gives up Freebo’s address.
Back to the old lady shooting, she was found to have been shot with .38 ammo, and nobody in the neighborhood saw any Mexicans. Upon questioning the husband, he admits he owned a .38 Smith & Wesson. When the detectives mentioned it was missing, he suddenly “remembers” that they had a break-in several weeks prior and that it was stolen.
Monica happens to see the assistant DA and stops her to ask about the progression of the Webster case. She is blown off.
Shane is on a pay phone talking to Antoine, who is unhappy that Shane didn’t or couldn’t do anything to stop the bust on his drug house. Shane mentions that he didn’t know it was Antoine’s, so how could he have been keeping an eye on it? They speak about needing to meet to better communicate.
In the meantime, Vic and Lem spot Freebo and his twin brother Weebo. The kids spy the cops watching, and they have no choice but to go after them without backup. One of them pulls a gun and Lem shoots, killing Weebo. Shane shows up just as Vic is wrapping up Freebo to haul into the barn.
And now it’s 9:46pm Central time, which means we get a commercial for Over There featuring the fine song “6 Underground” by the Sneaker Pimps.
Back to the program…
Monica talks to Claudette; she learned of the DA’s motive for bringing in a small player like Webster and she stopped the forfeiture.
Vic talks to Monica, who is concerned why Lem was riding to get Freebo with Vic, and why Shane was nowhere to be found. Vic covered for Shane as best as he could and mentioned Lem had permission, but if he could help with the IAD portion of the investigation as an officer was involved in a shooting, that would be just neato.
Freebo is being interrogated while Shane watches on the monitor — Freebo doesn’t budge, as his twin was just shot and all.
Dutch and Claudette bring the daughter into the other room with a monitor on an interrogation room; a man is seated inside. Is this the Mexican driver of the car? She swears up and down it’s him; Dutch explains the man is a cop. He runs down the facts of the case and gently talks her into spilling the beans. Yep, she shot her stepmom. They didn’t get along, she wanted to move away with her dad, blah blah blah.
Rawling announces that the drug bust carted the largest cache of black tar heroin in Farmington history. Yay!
Julian has overheard many white cops being proud of their busts on “brothers,” and witnessed several takedowns that he clearly was uneasy with. He didn’t like the way the evacuation was carried out and he wondered why the seizures were only being enforced heavily in Farmington.
Dutch pats himself on the back for another case well wrapped, but Claudette sniffs his involvement in a compromise with the DA. Dutch outright admits it and sticks to his guns; Monica witnessed the entire outburst on the interrogation room monitor.
LAST COMMERCIAL BREAK! And fasten the seat belts for this one, folks.
Rawling talks to the assistant DA about their past conflicts with Wyms and their need to work together.
Julian talks to Claudette about his concerns about the seizures and things getting worse; Wyms encourages him to use his voice or lose it.
We are informed that Angie’s heroin mom died of an OD, and Angie is nowhere to be found, probably avoiding child services.
Antoine and Shane (along with his partner) meet face to face. Antoine throws a hissy fit over the mass quantity of people, product, and cashola he lost in the bust. Without a moment lost, his thugs start kicking the shit out of Shane and his partner. Mitchell says that his boys saw him in the raid itself; how could he NOT have done something to avoid the entire ordeal? Then we see Antoine’s gang bring in Angie, with duct tape over her mouth. See, her mom needed a fix, so Mitchell’s boys fixed her up good. Too good, really. And now, as far as this little girl goes? Antoine knows she’s the one who ratted out his drug crib. So here’s the new scenario: she comes to Shane for a little mouth-action, shit gets out of hand, and the boys are forced to — Antoine has both man’s guns and shoots the girl with both of them as they watch.
Antoine’s new rules for their partnership? “I say suck my dick, you say, ‘you want me to lick your balls, Daddy?'”
WOW.
This is definitely not the episode you want to miss.
Current Vegas odds on Shane dying by the end of the season: 1.5:1
Next week, looks like everyone’s gearing up to bust a drug-cover church. Fun!
–gloomchen
