Shane and Mara, still on the lam from the law, are holed up in a mansion playing house while Vic and Ronnie are desperately looking for them, along with half the precinct. Vic puts a bounty on Shane’s head with the gangs, while Ronnie, realizing just how deep the poo has gotten lately, considers running to Mexico. “And you should run, too.” – Vic, stubborn and hell-bent on bringing down Pezuela because he THINKS it’s going to land him a cushy FED job, tries to placate Ronnie. “If I fail, we both run.” – something tells me he should have taken Ronnie’s advice when he first doled it out.
Not only is Vic now being secretly investigated by Dutch and Claudette, but it was his ex-wife that spearheaded the whole thing, desperate to get the guy out of her life once and for all. They set up a private telephone tap, and Vic slowly digs himself deeper.
Meanwhile, Aceveda confronts Pezuela with the intention of showing him he’s still front and center on the pecking order. Pezuela, in front of his Cartel boss, Bertrand (this guy screams bad news – even moreso than Pezuela after tonight), slaps the proverbial piss out of Aceveda while Bertrand, and Vic look on. But that’s all it takes for Aceveda to proceed to beat seven shades of doggy doo doo from Pezuela, threaten him at gunpoint, and walk out of the office. Vic later confronts him and tells him he’s made a mistake that is sure to get him killed.
Meanwhile, Bertrand makes and offer to Vic: get rid of Pezuela, and you’ll have his job. He also makes an offer to Aceveda: run your campaign the way you want, but do not lose. With only three episodes left, I have a sinking feeling this creep will play a major part in the fate of a few characters.
You can just feel the noose tightening around Vic’s neck, and Ronnie, becoming more and more guilty by association, is starting to realize just this. But Vic’s several attempts at keeping him on board are conflicting him, so he’s in The Barn, assigned to desk duty with Billings, trying to dig up information for Vic.
Meanwhile, the gangs catch up to Shane and, rather than turn him in for the reward, take all of his cash (the 100 grand) and leave him and his family twisting in the wind. Shane makes one last call to Vic, demanding he dig up another 100 grand. He’s also sent a letter to Claudette detailing one of their many misdeeds, and lest he get the cash, his Terry Crowley sin will be the next to be sent. Vic and Ronnie’s faces sink. Mara, on another phone with Corrine, and unaware that Claudette and Dutch are listening, tries to get Corrine to get Vic to come through with Shane’s demand. Claudette makes her presence known and offers her immunity for her help. Mara hangs up and alerts Shane that Corrine is working for the cops.
During seasons past, you always felt the danger, but you somehow knew that Vic, Shane, Ronnie, and Lem would get out of their current predicament. Now, with only three episodes left, there is no getting out.
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.
