The Shield: The Math of the Wrath

(S06E08) "We're not clean in this either. And I'm not spending the rest of my life wearing state property." -Ronnie

I'm gonna make a bold statement that'll probably insult some readers: If you don't watch this show, you're dumb. Plain and simple. Nothing else on TV is as well-written, layered, and intricate as The Shield. There's another well-known cable drama with a prominent anti-hero about to end its run. Something about the Jersey mob and its high strung boss. You know that guy I'm talking about? Well, he can't hold a candle to Vic Mackey.

Picking up where we left off last week, Shane is continuing to separate himself from Vic until his transfer to vice goes through. In the meantime, he's doing everything he can to save up money should he need to take off quickly with Mara and Jackson. While I still don't understand his choice, he picked the Armenians to help him do that. Despite the glaring possibility that they could find out about Shane's involvement in the money train heist, I'm willing to look past it because Shane getting in bed with the Armenians has opened up a very solid sub-plot.

Enter Diro Kesakhian (played by Franka Potente), the heir-apparent to her dying father's empire. Potente has crafted a very intriguing character. Diro is meek, quiet, but she's no fool and clearly has more influence amongst those who are still loyal to her father than Shane realized. Apparently, she only has to snap her fingers and enemies start turning up castrated. It'll be interesting to see how her relationship with Shane grows. She clearly wants to rely on him for future intel and knowing Shane, it won't be long before he makes a move on her.

Elsewhere, Hiatt officially became more than just another face at The Barn. Up until this episode, his character didn't really sway me either way. But he finally stood up against Claudette and that earned him some points in my book. Beyond the fact that he told Vic about his true status, Hiatt also willingly disobeyed an order from Wyms. I didn't think he was that type of guy and neither did Claudette, but it's great to see that he knows what needs to be done. It's too bad that Claudette still hasn't realized the value of the Strike Team in that regard. Speaking of that disobeyed order, how great was that sting they set up? From the check-point, to the planted car with Shane behind the wheel, it was awesome to watch that all play out.

Two big revelations played out in this episode too. First was Terry. Shane finally spilled the truth to Ronnie, who in turn confronted Vic. The surprise? Ronnie said that the first page of Shane's "memoir" wasn't exactly new info. At what point did Ronnie find out? Lem knew after he got it out of Vic last season, but when did Ronnie catch on? Did he just always suspect it? Regardless, he seems set in putting it behind him and just acted disappointed that Vic never came clean with him. The two of them are still on the same page though. I think I've said it before, but I love that Ronnie has become a more prominent character this season. It's long overdue.

The other big revelation was Aceveda's buddy on the city council construction board (I'm pretty sure his name is Cruz). While this wasn't exactly verified, it seems pretty likely that he has ties to the San Marcos murders and the outing of the Salvadoran snitch. Everyone else that knew about Hernan has been accounted for, so he must have let it slip out after David told him. How else would the Salvadorans and Byz Lats know about it? If he is indeed the person who leaked the info, it's ironic if you think about. He wants the San Marcos murders solved ASAP and by leaking the info about Hernan, it caused Hernan to frame someone else who he then killed. Now Hernan, the one person who could actually solve those murders quickly for Vic and Hiatt, is on a plane to El Salvador. Too bad. I suppose all this is just a theory on my part, but it makes sense I think.

For once, this episode had a decent chunk of laugh-out-loud moments too...

• Billings playing pocket pinball and getting busted by Danny.
• Danny and Tina going on and on about purses and clutches.
• And don't forget that Russian madame talking about her big tipping golden shower client.

All in all, another very solid episode. The tension just keeps building up. Hiatt and Wyms don't see eye to eye now. Hernan is no longer around to feed Vic intel on whatever is brewing in the Salvadoran camp. Vic knows his job is done unless he does something about it. And Shane is out on his own. Knowing The Shield, and since we only have two episodes left this season, I'm sure it'll all collide soon enough. 6 out of 7.