Before I start this missive, it should be noted that the creative minds behind The Shield are obsessed with oral sex (or at least euphamisms for it). Not that I blame them, but that’s a different matter altogether. Anyway, I counted at LEAST six references to the act, some of which are alot more graphic than others. I digress.
This week’s episode was easily the best of the season thus far; we’re over halfway done with the season and the final six episodes will determine just what happens to everyone; it’s only fitting that the proverbial poo starts hitting the fan.
They made good dramatic effect of bringing back two characters from the past. The first was Farrah, the hooker from Season 3’s Bottom Bitch episode. She looked rough – skanky, blood-encrusted in various places; I even saw a missing tooth or two. She’s going on about not remembering much of the past and the way she used Vic way back when to deal with her pimp. She seems to be generally honest that she’s changed. Of course, when Vic, Ronnie, Julien and Shane nearly got their nuts shot off, Vic put two and two together that she used him – again. Vic loses it in one of the best dramatic scenes of the series, where he almost gives her a well-deserved beating. She goes on saying that she used him in the same manner as any girl would use a guy in a sticky situation; lead him around by his cajones and he’ll do whatever you desire. Of course, Vic is obviously NOT sexually attracted by this girl; he’s just trying to get a win under his jacket considering he’s being forced off the job in ten days (more on this later); but her words stung him just the same.
The second character brought back was Lester, from last season. We last saw him riding with Vic and Joe Clark and rousting an apartment full of Jamaicans. He’s the dude who forced one of the guys to drink his own urine from a toilet, then had the audacity to make a crack about Lem’s death that got him a well-deserved belt in the mouth by Vic. He’s here helping Billings and Dutch over a B&E as his little business deals with getting info from cops to jack up his protection business. He’s also behind, in a roundabout way, the B&E Dutch and Billings are investigating. The case itself wasn’t that exciting, but it brought some interesting dynamic between Lester, Dutch, and Vic. That, and it allowed Dutch to wander into Claudette’s home just down the block on a hunch for her safety and discover a VERY gruesome sight – her house was a MESS!
Vic and Danny continued to spar over Vic’s paternal rights to her child; this tug of war went on for a good deal of the episode until Danny was finally faced with caving into Vic’s scare tactics and agreeing to give him visitation rights and to have his name on the birth certificate. Through all this, I gotta side with Danny. Vic’s life is a shambles, and she’s doing the right thing trying to steer her child clear of getting involved in his domestic downfall. But the final twist was that she told Vic what he wanted to hear to get him out of her hair; we last see her packing up and getting ready to leave town. Not exactly a smart move on her part.
So, Vic’s out in ten days, so he’s scrambling to take down Pezuela in his time frame. Aceveda turned the blackmail box over to Justice who handed it off to ICE, so he can’t use that. But his budding friendship with Olivia gives him an out: he goes to Justice and asks for the box to give back to Pezuela; he’s already inside, and he’d be the easiest way of pushing Pezuela into a corner. The kicker was getting Olivia’s file back from Aceveda. Vic essentially blackmailed him into cooperation. It was obvious Vic wasn’t just talking about ratting Aceveda out for holding leverage over Olivia; the look in his eye, and the creator’s obsession with oral sex, pretty much said what was on his mind without having to open his mouth. Ha! How’s about that little dovetail?
The best instance was with Ronnie rationalizing with Vic about Shane. He wants Vendrell in the ground for what he did to Lem. They had a good chance last week but it went a little sideways. Now, of course, Shane knows they tried to have him killed, so he’s watching his back. But the wrecking ball hit when Ronnie sacked the guy they were looking for who was connected to the Farrah case, and beat seven shades of stuffing out of him, breaking his jaw in the process. Shane uses this as a perfect opportunity to repay the favor, as he later asks the perp to kill someone, asking him how his jaw feels. Looks like Ronnie is the first on Shane’s hitlist, but what about Vic? And will Ronnie survive?
I’d just like to say that David Rees Snell has really brought it this season. He was saddled with the thankless task of being the quiet guy on the team for five seasons. Once thought of as just “that moustache guy”, he’s really developed into one of the most interesting characters on the show, and David Rees Snell does a very fine job of showcasing Ronnie’s pathos with alot of subtle physical gestures. That, and we now know for certainty that, while Vic may be a pitbull and Shane may be a loose cannon, Ronnie is cold, calculating, and probably the smartest guy among the three. I don’t see him catching a bullet next week; he’s too important to the narrative focus right now to just eat it. Who would have ever said such a thing way back in Season 1 when his biggest contribution to the show was awkwardly chatting up a stripper? Kudos, Dave.
It’s getting good. Real good. Is it next Tuesday yet?
Joseph Henson is a film-critic and would-be screenwriter. If you enjoyed his observations, please feel free to leave him a comment or two.
