It’s the third to last episode, and we open with Shane under polygraph. Nope, he’s never won a gold medal in a women’s olympic event, hah. But he HAS cheated on his wife… no, wait, eating’s not cheating. mcchris would be so proud.
We travel to the land of flashback for the remainder of the episode, and the Strike Team’s old pal Smitty (he helped ’em get into Aceveda’s safe, if you recall last season) is giving Shane and Army tips on how to beat the polygraph. Keep this in mind kids, if you ever need to pass: if you can fully imagine a question in your mind whose answer matches that what you want to give, and you answer as such, you have just tricked the polygraph. TAKE NOTES, PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!
Monica is speaking with the assistant chief, who wants to address some concerned citizens regarding the cop killings and their possible ties to the seizure program. The fire seems to have been spread by Antoine Mitchell’s camp; amid the barrage, Monica and the rest of the folks in the crowd are informed that the seizure policy is under review.
Vic talks to Monica about the street situation. The 1-9ers are scattered due to losing their head honcho, so it’s time to attck. Monica won’t let Shane or Army head out to the streets until after the polygraph, but Vic convinces her to let them work on the cop murder case as they need all the help they can get.
Aceveda stops by to talk to Captain Rawling. He mentions that he’ll talk to the chief on behalf of the seizures if she’ll agree to some compromises, like waiting to auction confiscated goods until after the suspect is convicted. She declines his olive branch.
Vic ‘n’ Pals meet up with Antoine’s old number one guy, the one they put in the hospital not so long ago with Army’s little gun slip-up. Apparently, Antoine’s attorney is sniffing up some guy named Gweed as the new top dog. If he’s got any intel on the cop killers, maybe the boys will help swing the street vote away from this other dude. Taking the bait, Number One mentions he’s heard about a guy with the dead cops’ guns.
BLAH BLAH OPENING SEQUENCE DEAL! YAY, THE SHIELD!
Dutch is on the phone with Corrine arranging dinner.
Monica stops by and mentions taking Dutch and Claudette off of the cop killer case as too much time is passing without any leads. They protest, and she relents, adding that Vic and his group will be working the gang angle, so it’s best if they stay in contact.
Detective Billings is at the car wash in his ’70s pimpmobile, although this is nothing like the disco tune. A bunch of latino bangers bust out into gunfire and speed away. Billings did nothing but stand there hiding like a pussy bitch.
Corrine stops by the barn and chats with Vic, mentioning for the first time that she’s seeing Dutch. Vic laid out, plain and simple, that he’s been busting Dutch’s balls since day one and that he’s doing this to get back at him. Corrine protests but Vic doesn’t argue; instead, as he leaves with Ronnie, he knocks over Dutch’s coffee on his desk.
Vic has gone to find the guy they dealt with who led them to where Angie’s body was buried. He’s gone — his chick is there saying that the Salvadorans are after him because his heroin is gone. In particular, a guy named Guzano. Oh yeah, and where’s that heroin at? Remember Lem’s insurance that the guy was telling the truth about the body? Yep.
Dutch on the scene of the car wash shootings and is on the phone with Corrine again, and she’s got questions. He dismisses her as he’s dealing with the situation and finding no witnesses.
Vic continues conversing with this female, telling her she needs to clean up and take care of her kid. Shades of Connie, for those who enjoyed the first couple of seasons…
Shane, Army, Ronnie, and Lem are driving around, and Army begins to vocalize that he’s nervous about the lie detector test.
In interrogation, the guys have a Nigerian (Jumani? I’m no expert in African names) who had been involved with the buzz around the police guns on the street. Russians come up for some reason… anyway, the cops are looking for a mugshot ID of the other guy involved, a name, anything at all, really.
Dutch is with a younger female witness who saw the vehicles involved in the car wash shootings. She’s not “smart at cars” or anything, but she saw an old classic car kept in decent shape. Back at the station, Monica mentions that the 911 call which reported the crime came from the switchboard, so the real witness involved clearly didn’t want their name or voice involved.
And as Vic’s gang unit goes after the other Nigerian guy who was selling the guns, turns out that he’s dead. Hearing an echo in their radio, they look around the house and find one of the dead cops’ radios.
COMMERCIALS@!
Monica shows up on the scene and is wondering which direction this case is going.
Dutch and Wyms are talking, and Dutch notices Billings’ car is blue, and classic, and wow, has dried soap on it! Taking Billings aside in the break room, he says he’s not able to be Superman but he didn’t want to look like a wuss to the rest of the guys at the station for not take action when he should have. He refuses to help further.
Army and Lem chat, and Lem tells him that if he’s not 100% in to this team, he should get out now before any damage is done to the rest of them.
And now, as they’re at the home of the next suspect involved in this shooting, Vic and friends bust in. GUNSHOTS FIRED, WHEE! Vic blindsides the first guy in classic fashion, while Shane heads out back to follow another that took a shot at him. He’s got backup as he searches blindly, unwittingly putting himself in the sights of the suspect. BLAM! Lem blows him away with the shotgun! Other cops begin to show up, and one found another Nigerian guy who fled the scene; on him was one of the missing cop guns.
COMMERCIAL!
Vic runs into Dutch in the restroom. Vic gives him shit about hooking up with his ex-wife, but gives him infinitely more shit about the fact that Vic just busted the cop killer case wide open while Dutch was the primary.
With the Nigerian suspect (whose name I won’t even begin to slaughter), he’s not talking. In fact, he gets arrogant and proclaims he’s going to take a nap. Clearly, this does not make with the Vic and Monica happiness. As far as wanting to know why there are Russians involved? There’s some intel that says Carl, one of the down cops, gave a Russian guy a speeding ticket and had some hassle with him, throwing him into the pokey overnight.
He’s talking now. He said he was hired by Russians who came to him with photos of the cops. The two guys hid in the manhole and took down the police when they came by — stabbing one in the neck to paralyze him, but taking a hell of a lot more force and lots of stabbing to get the other one to give in. The bodies were taken to a building as instructed.
Monica congratulates the team on their catch, then tells Shane and Army that their polygraph will be in ten minutes — not in another week as they originally thought.
Vic finds Guzano and gives him back the heroin, telling him to lay off the chick and the kid.
We see Shane fresh from the polygraph, feeling pretty satisfied. But Army says he won’t take the test. He’s panicking, he’s saying that he knows it’s not required of him to take this test — nobody can make him and he can’t be punished for not taking it. Monica flips out, saying he’s screwing over everyone in the building and making them all look guilty, but Army stands firm saying that he wants to take care of himself first.
COMMERCIALS@!@!! Damned “at” sign, why is it so close to the exclamation point?
Aceveda goes to the chief, fighting on behalf of the seizures. He thinks there’s a compromise that can be made. Meanwhile, Monica is steadfast in that she wants no compromise at all; either the seizure program stays or she goes.
Vic meets back again with the female and her son, letting her know things should be alright for her and things are good with Guzano.
Dutch and Corrine are together, and he dismisses Vic’s accusations that he went after her to get back at him — although he admits that that’s initially why he went after her. She doesn’t like this web of lies. Dutch says Vic’s an asshole, but Corrine says that he’s HER asshole and the father of her kids, and asks Dutch to leave. She’s quite, quite upset.
Back in the old Strike Team room, it’s the team vs. Army. Army point blank says that he won’t take a bullet for the team. And given the line of work, that pretty much settles that. So long, Army, we hardly knew ye.
And now it’s the old Strike Team in effect once again, ready to go after the Russians the El Salvadorans, or anyone else who was in on the killings. Vic adds, “I’ve got 8 months of kicking ass with you guys to catch up on.”
YAY!
Only two more episodes to go… and the teases for next week look more than ugly as the conviction with Antoine might go sour? What? STAY TUNED, YES!
–gloomchen
