****= So this is why this show gets so much acclaim! SEASON ONE 1.)Pilot ***1/2: The very first episode! (Bet you couldn't figure that out from the "pilot", eh?) The 'standout' moment for me is when Vic (with Shane by his side) kills Terry to "Bawitiba." My second favorite part of this episode? Dutch and his ding-dongs! Other goings-on include Dutch, Claudette, and Vic's search for a kidnapped girl, and Aceveda joining forces with that rat Terry to take down the Strike Team. Shane doesn't show much of a personality yet, except for a funny scene near the Mackeys' swimming pool when he's all "Knock-knock, who's there! It's the Strike Team, Mr. Drug Dealer!" This episode was written by the series' creator, Shawn Ryan and features Max Perlich in a guest appearance.
Favorite Shane moment- The pool scene & the last scene.
2.)Our Gang****: A more entertaining episode than the first, AND it features lots of Shane scenes! My favorite scenes involving him start when David Aceveda says "let's go after the weak link" and proceeds to interrogate Shane, along with Dutch. There, they casually point out how Shane squints when he lies. ("No I don't!" "STOP SQUINTING!") Shane also expresses inner conflict over Terry's death, and Vic Mackey ... acts like Vic Mackey. He bench-presses and has flashbacks about Terry's introduction to the Strike Team. Also, Two-Time (a "bad guy" from the pilot) and Terry both have funerals, Julien has a "B&B", Lemonhead slams his hand through a window, and there is something about a churro vendor in there, too.
Favorite Shane moment- See above...his interrogation.
3.)The Spread ***1/2: The very first "Shield" episode I ever saw! It didn't impress me much the first time, but I've seen it several times since, and it's actually a great episode. What I remember most is some crackhead jumping into a pool with a baby and Vic jumping right after him -- also the Derrick Tripp basketball player plot, because that's Shane's storyline! Shane, Lem, and Ronnie wait around in some apartment or hotel room (Lem plays with his fat!) with this basketball player, Tripp, who Shane ... doesn't much like. He calls Derrick Tripp a racist name, and they start to fight. Then Vic and Shane share a memorable scene where Shane acts belligerent and a little bit guilty. What else happens? Hmmm, Julien meets up with his boyfriend Tomas for the first time. Matthew, Vic's son, is in the episode, too -- as is Connie the prostitute, who has a fresh scar on her neck from an unfortunate incident with a man who wants to impregnate prostitutes (and Claudette!!-- who fortunately sets him straight).
Favorite Shane moment- Vic pulls Shane away from Derrick Tripp and they talk about Terry.
4.)Dawg Days **: And here's the very first "Shield" episode without Shane. WHY?! I'm not crazy about those episodes, because they always still feature Lem and Ronnie -- who are okay when Shane is around, but when he is not, they sometimes bug me (especially Lemonhead, who doesn't have THAT much of a conscience in these early episodes and tends to act an awful lot like a less hotheaded Shane. Crossed-out name on the script?) The plots include something I don't even recall involving David Aceveda, and something about two rival rappers. The 'standout' moment, I guess, is when Vic locks them away at the end, and when he comes back to get them there is ... only one rapper. Oh yeah, Danny and Julien go to this woman with a dead son's house and she gets a phone call that is pretty funny.
Favorite Shane moment- He's not even in the episode!
5.)Blowback ****: Now this is more like it! I'm surprised this episode isn't called "You Gotta Be S%$#ing Me", as both Shane and Dutch utter that infamous line (Dutch is more known for it, but Shane says it first!) At any rate, this is one of the better episodes. And Shane has a nice big role. He goes to this girl Amy's house, and while "getting laid" a car/drugs get stolen from him and the Strike Team. Ha ha! Poor Shane! My favorite scene is when Curtis Lemansky and Ronnie start arguing with Shane in the middle of the street. (Lem, re: Amy- "She's not even that hot!") Also when Shane lectures Lem about eating a cookie. Funny episode! Other occurrences: Matthew is diagnosed as autistic, Dutch catches his secret crush Danny kissing Vic, and a creepy 'Armenian Jesus'-looking criminal loves Danny's feet.
Favorite Shane moment- "Do you know how much fat is in that cookie?? ... Nah, I'm serious, they're sugar-coated lardballs! Look at your waistline!"
6.)Cherrypoppers **:
Here we are back to a non-Shane episode. Where IS he? The episode is okay, but certainly not my favorite episode. David and Julien proceed to go after Vic and the Strike Team for their corrupt ways... there is an underage prostitution ring with a girl who talks in the third person named Sun-Lee (at first I thought her name was "Sally" and wondered why they had both a Sally and "Sally Struthers" -- but she is actually Sun-Lee) ... Connie wails for Vic to hit her after she shoots a guy, and Vic obliges to make it look like the guy beat Connie up... Dutch goes after a serial killer or something, and Lem and Ronnie don't do much of anything. The most entertaining scene is when Vic lurks on a bus bench and then menacingly pretends to know this guy going into the sex show.
Favorite Shane moment- There are none; it's like he doesn't exist.:(
7.)Pay in Pain ***1/2:
And here's another all-Shane episode! Well, not ALL Shane, but he does have a pretty good-sized part. He makes fun of autism, not knowing about Vic's son, and then pouts and sulks when Vic snaps at him. He does something yucky to a suspect -- well, if you've seen the episode, you know what I'm talking about! Then he pouts and sulks some more because Vic is disappointed with him, but they have a touching scene together toward the end. This is the episode that got me hooked on "The Shield". Dutch and Claudette have some dumb scenes involving the paranormal, Ben Gilroy is there (and dull), a young criminal bimbo (Deena from "Blowback") hits on David, and Julien and his boyfriend do their thing (which Vic catches them in the midst of). But Vic and Shane's scenes are definitely the most absorbing and entertaining.
Favorite Shane moment- When Vic smacks Shane in the car, and Shane is all, "OWWW!"
8.)Cupid and Psycho ****: An episode that was much more entertaining the second time I watched it than the first. At first, when I didn't know the show so well, all I remembered Shane doing was standing in front of a mirror lifting weights and grinning at his true love (Shane Vendrell) as a Magnetic Fields song played beautifully in the background. Actually, he has quite a few scenes; he is temporarily paired with Dutch, who he ends up inviting to the monster truck rally (ha ha!); he gets into a little fight with Julien; and he "womanizes" -- a lot. But Dutch gets the girl! This is also the episode where Vic threatens Julien and Julien says "I'm not gay", seen many-a time in future "Previously, on 'The Shield''s..." And Vic and Claudette are paired together.
Favorite Shane moment- The mirror scene; also when Dutch and Shane are going through Gannon's things, and after the interrogation when Shane tells Dutch, "You rock!" Those two should SO pair up again! 9.)Throwaway *1/2: Aptly titled! My least favorite episode of the show, by far! There is no Shane (he is "in Vegas"), and it's mostly all about David, Danny, and Claudette and their family and relationship problems ... blah, blah, blah... and Lem meets and spends far too much time with this chick named Tigre. Who cares? Lem is fine when he's with the Strike Team, but he cannot "carry" an episode without Shane ... at least not this early on in the series.
Favorite Shane moment- The mention of him being in Vegas -- but they should have actually showed him there!
10.)Dragonchasers ***1/2: So I'm glad this episode is a big improvement! What happens? Connie acts grating as Vic tries to help her quit drugs and keep her son. She even abuses poor quiet, trusting Ronnie! Speaking of grating -- Danny gets bitten by this VERY grating transvestite who might have HIV (and who later takes a beating by the likes of Julien and Ray Carlson). As for Shane, he and Lem become acquainted with an epileptic (?) stripper named Tulips; Shane in particular becomes very acquainted with her. Thugs also hit Shane with a tire iron, and he reveals his "Hotlanta" roots! What else? Everybody watches Dutch interrogate a serial killer. And Dutch cries! This one was directed by Nick Gomez, the guy behind movies like Laws of Gravity and illtown...it's good like those movies...
Favorite Shane moment- When he interrogates Tulips and says he is from Atlanta. 11.)Carnivores **1/2: Okay, Shane is in this episode, too, but he doesn't do much after about the first twenty minutes (and even then, he is mostly just "Vic's minion" and "Mackey's lackey"). Otherwise, these members of the Nation of Islam stand rather peacefully inside the barn (protesting...something to do with Rondell Robinson??) and Dutch and Claudette go to investigate trouble in a Korean home, where they find a man's bloody feet grotesquely nailed to the ground. Vic makes Shane and Ronnie go find a stolen ring for this lady so that Matthew can get into a good school said lady just happens to run. And David Aceveda and some woman rehash the plot of the movie Tape. A decent episode, but not one of my favorites.
Favorite Shane moment- The scene where he tells a 'white' Muslim, "I think you wandered into the wrong prayer group, Frosty!"
12.)Two Days of Blood ***1/2:Part one of the finale. Ben Gilroy suddenly has this big part; we see way too much of a hit-and-run that he, Vic, and Dutch are all involved with (namely a car dragging a body along the street -- ew!) Also, Shane and Curtis "Lemonhead" Lemansky go to a "cockfight", and Shane acts VERY redneckish. Julien starts his "sexual reorientation therapy", and Claudette...does something. I don't pay much attention to her when I watch this episode; my favorite scenes are definitely the ones with Shane and Lem. I love a classic line Shane has about KFC, and I also like when the gunrunner guy says those one people are from Louisiana, gestures to Shane, and adds, "He'll blend right in." Also when Shane names his chicken Frank! Ha ha! I also like when he and Curtis Lemansky end up with the money from the cockfight and Shane is all, "Ten for me, ten for you, and five for Vic! Because he's Vic!" Shane really looks up to that old bald cop, doesn't he?
Favorite Shane scene- After Frank dies, and Shane says in a very Southern accent, "He's dead!"
13.)Circles ***1/2: The previews made it look like somebody was going to die in this second half of the finale. Don't worry; none of the important characters do. (Although there is a scene with Vic, Shane, and Ben that I thought was going to echo a certain scene in Swimming with Sharks...I thought Shane would die. Shane is just the type of character that seems like he would die. Lucky thing he hasn't!) Nooo...instead, Ben "Harley Earl" Gilroy is a crook some more, there are all these fake 9-1-1 calls (including a rather amusing one involving Danny and Julien and arthritis medicine), Vic calls a druggie 'porcupine' -- he also pokes the pin of his shield into somebody (yuck!) David and Vic join forces, and Vic's wife ... leaves... as Vic clutches his chest to Coldplay's "Trouble."
Favorite Shane scene- When Vic is faced with shooting Gilroy, and Shane is all, "Let me kill him. For you, Vic!"
SEASON TWO
1.)The Quick Fix ***: Five weeks have passed since the finale, and Corrine and the kids are still gone! As for Vic and the Strike Team, they go down to Tijuana to do business, where Shane and Lemonhead Lemansky get into some trouble. "We" also start to notice tension between Vic and Shane in this episode, largely because Shane was hapless and lost the money Vic was going to use to find his family with. Vic makes a snarky comment to Shane about "the date rape drug" in Mexico, and later he takes away Shane's keys! (Also Lem and Ronnie's.) What else? The evil Armando 'Armadillo' Quintero makes his debut in this episode -- he rapes women and tattoos doves onto their faces, and even does the same to a 12-year-old girl. Other stuff: Julien hits on a woman, David Aceveda has a 17-pt. lead in his race, and civilian auditor Lainie Kellis comes to observe the Barn.
Favorite Shane moment- Vic and Shane's "You screwed me, Shane!" scene; I even saw it before it officially aired on television!
2.)Dead Soldiers ****: One intense, action-packed episode! Shane and Vic are still at odds; Vic meanly makes Shane find his own ride home from Tio's house even though they rode there together. And Shane blabs to Lem about Vic's family problems. Otherwise Shane doesn't do a whole lot, but there's still a whole lot happening! Namely, Danny (in self defense) shoots an Arab man after some fights between the man and his neighbor. Tio the CI gets killed by Armadillo. Mackey is shoved by some "thick-necked ape" hire-ee of Corrine's (who Vic has tracked down, with help from a PI) -- and then he goes out of control and grills Armadillo's face!! Oh yeah, and Lainie is bulimic.
Favorite Shane moment- The "how will I get home" scene, and when he watches Mackey beat'n'burn Armadillo.
3.)Partners ****: I love this one because it is filled with Shane (and Walton in the role kicks a*$). He has a BIG fight with Vic and is ready to quit the Strike Team! But then Mackey gets shot in the line of duty and Shane shows how much he cares about his partner ("wh-wh-who did this to you?") He even comes close to...raping a woman as a means to finding the guy who shot Vic (good thing he doesn't!) Partners also introduces Mackey's old partner Joe Clark (played by "Apollo Creed") and shows the parallel between Joe/Vic and Vic/Shane. Unrelated to all that partner stuff is an equally-entertaining subplot about Dutch, a severed arm, and a couple (Bob and Marcy) who are...not what they seem (Marcy is played effectively by film actress Melanie Lynskey).
Favorite Shane moment- When Vic assigns Shane (et. al) to Aceveda and sneers "Your shirt's gay enough for the job"; Shane telling Mackey he doesn't want to be his whipping boy; Shane confronting Julien; Shane's reactions to Mackey calling and getting shot; and the hospital scenes (especially when a Michael Penn song plays). Basically, all of them!
4.)Carte Blanche ***: Not quite as good as the previous episode, but still definitely worth watching! We learn all about the Money Train in this one, which will remain a prominent storyline throughout the series. Vic and Shane -- buddies again -- go "undercover" as bad cops (ha) and they shoot a man's face off. Plus David wants to kick Shane off the Strike Team and move him to Vice (ha!) so that a minority can join... but Vic won't have that! In other plots, Danny meets a guy who buries dead animals for kicks and Dutch and Claudette work on a case involving some old rival of Claudette's. Corrine kicks Mackey out and he moves to a cheap hotel room. And Lem is nowhere to be seen. Even though he can't carry an episode without Shane, I do kind of miss him when he's gone!
Favorite Shane moment- When Shane overhears Aceveda hint about vice...and everything from Shane's "gypsy swill" comment to when Mackey bursts into the Armenian place, all "Shane? Shane!"
5.)Greenlit ***: Armadillo is back! "Stoveface" tries to find Vic via Danny as others try to find him. Vic and the Strike Team are busy with other stuff, too, like counting off bad guys in a big pool room ("A, B! A, B! A, B!" snarls Vic. "Nothing in here either, boss!" call Shane and Lem as they knock down TVs and pool tables looking for drugs or something.) Meanwhile, Connie the junkie prostitute mom returns -- clean this time! -- to work as Vic's new CI. And Dutch is mad at the world. Especially Shane! (Who really isn't in the episode very much.) Dutch also works with Claudette on this case involving a woman with Alzheimer's who killed her baby long ago (that's why he's mad at the world). The episode ends with Armadillo telling Vic in a sinister voice, "You've been greenlit, too." But does he mean just Vic or the whole Strike Team?? That's what Ronnie would like to know!
Favorite Shane moment- Easily his showdown with Dutch: "How funny would it be if I knocked those oversized teeth out!"
6.)Homewrecker ***: Shane is not so important here, either. He is loyal to Mackey. He jokes around with Lem to David Aceveda, who (with Julien's help) is going out to steal kids' bikes as a uniformed street cop for the day. Shane disgusts Danny in one scene, too, when she brings up the idea of adding a woman to the Strike Team and he replies, "Yeah, we're bringin' in Batgirl and Charlie's Angels!" Ha! That's about it. The rest of the episode revolves largely around a fireman-gone-bad who kills several women at a battered women's shelter -- Dutch and Claudette work the case, Mackey gets a little closer to the shelter director, and Connie crosses paths with the bad fireman and...dies.
Favorite Shane moment- Batgirl and Charlie's Angels!
7.)Barnstormers ****: Aka, the Return of Tulips! Shane is hesitant to help the "dancer" bust her old druggie boyfriend, but does anyway after talking to Vic. He tries his best to avoid her "charms", but... well, he's Shane! This plotline, while entertaining, is actually surpassed by the story involving Dutch (who would become my favorite character if Shane ever died). Dutch gets to solve the case of an obese man named Stu, who strangled his girlfriend to death with a bra. Dutch's final scenes with Stu are HYSTERICAL! Elsewhere in the world of Dutch, Marcy all comes back out of the blue. Ummm, let's see, what else -- Julien reveals his past to his now-fiancee Vanessa. Mackey and Emma grow even closer as they try to help an abused woman (Emma pushes her batterer over a bannister!) In the very first scene of the episode, Lemonhead sings "Rich Girl" by Hall & Oates. In the very last scene, we see that Armadillo has made poor Ronnie...look like him. Favorite Shane moment- Shane lecturing Tulips and trying very very hard to ignore her!
8.)Scar Tissue ***1/2: Shane's most pivotal scenes in this episode are the ones where he and C. "L" Lemansky device a successful plot to... kill Armadillo! This takes place in the Barn; unfortunately, unlucky Danny ends up affected by their actions. But the only reason Shane thought up the idea in the first place is because a captured Armadillo almost succeeded in bringing his man Vic down! Shane also hits a bad guy with a tire iron (he must have learned that from Tulips's thug boyfriend?) and crazily shoots a dog that bites him and does some other Strike Team-y things. While all this is going on, Vic's family comes to the Barn ... and Claudette and Corrine exchange words about the evils of Vic. Plus Lainie comes back. Plus Dutch and Danny work together and almost kiss, but Dutch still has his girlfriend Kim. And Mackey and Emma ... get intimate to Flogging Molly.
Favorite Shane moment- When he winks at Mackey, and his "crippled/handicapped" line.
9.)Co-Pilot **1/2: People were mean to this episode. It's the weakest of season two, but it's not a BAD episode. At least Shane is in it! The episode takes place "14 months earlier", just before the pilot episode. Dead Connie, Dead Terry, and Dead Rondell all make appearances, as do not-yet-dead Ben Gilroy and some weird guy named Gannon who keeps calling Dutch 'Butch' and 'Fletch.' Everybody gets acquainted...Mackey and Shane, partners before, form the Strike Team with Lem (who has a nude scene...to turn on Julien!) and Ronnie. And they commit their supposedly-first-and-only questionable deed. As Shane says, "it was a little too easy!"
Favorite Shane moment- Shane wears a suit, and the Beatle reference.
10.)Coyotes *** 1/2: Back in real time... the Strike Team now has a new member. It's Tavon, a black man whom Shane clearly resents! But Lemonhead likes him; Lem "babysits" Tavon on his first assignment, while Shane helps Mackey tend to out-of-prison Ben Gilroy...who acts drunk and really, really pathetic (it's pretty amusing. He even cries.) Mackey still feels a little bond with Gilroy, but Shane is just repulsed by him. So, in their final scene -- after Vic dupes Ben into paying off his own hitman -- Gilroy points out that Vic could never make the call for the hit, but Vic counters that Shane could! Heh. In other news, Lainie's notes are leaked and everybody fears losing their job. (Dutch makes a "win list.") But then Vic makes Lainie look stupid! Oh yes, Julien is now married. He and Danny meet a pregnant girl who wants to kill her unborn baby via streetfighting. (Danny offers to adopt the baby, but the girl meanly declines. Then Julien invites Danny to church.) Claudette and Vic are enemies. Dutch says in a very weird voice, "Was Mansie a transie or a cross-dresser?" And the new police chief has some news for David Aceveda...who makes an inspirational speech about saving everyone's jobs. Favorite Shane moment- When he complains about Tavon: "He's no Ronnie!" And when he says "Whatever" after Gilroy tries to be all deep, plus his disgust over Gilroy's blubbering.
11.)Inferno ***: Shane still doesn't trust Tavon, but they manage to work together with the rest of the Team (even Ronnie, who's back, with a patch on his face!) to help stop a very bad man named Dante. Shane watches with grudging admiration as Tavon flirts his way into an apartment. (So far, Tavon's personality seems basically like he's a black, slightly-quieter Shane.) Shane also follows Vic around to Kern Little from season one's LOUD record-producing place a few times. Then they burst into this hotel room to get Dante, who just wants one last moment with his baby boy. Meanwhile, everyone hates Lainie --including Tavon (who has a funny scene with her where he "reports" Vic.) Also, Dutch works on a potential rape case with a young faux Tulips. Meanwhile again, gay Tomas comes back for Julien, but Julien...doesn't want him back. Meanwhile some more, Corrine catches signs of Emma (who has been reduced to a purse and high heels) and threatens to make Vic miserable, too!
Favorite Shane moment- His remarks to Ronnie.
12.)Breakpoint ***1/2: Shane gets shot in this episode!! Does he die? No, he was wearing his bulletproof vest so he just ends up with a gargantuan bruise on his chest (a scene I found unintentionally, inexplicably funny when I first saw it). What else does Shane do... well, he gets mad after Lem almost lets it slip in front of Tavon about the money "trail." Speaking of letting it slip, Tomas publicly "outs" Julien; Ray Carlson and his buddy react very childishly. David and Danny call them on their childishness. Plus Lainie's report is out...the police chief demands David fire some people, so David names the Strike Team and... himself? Vic has more family problems, then gets arrested, courtesy of Corrine.
Favorite Shane moment- His shooting, and when he covers Mackey's cuffed wrists with his jacket.
13.)Dominoes Falling***: It's time for the Armenian Money Train hit to Officially Go Underway. But Vic's still in jail, thanks to Corrine! Actually, Shane bails him out at the beginning of the episode (after paying Corinne a personal visit to lecture her on the way she treats her man). But Vic is still unable to take part in the hit...will the rest of the Strike Team go through with it? Elsewhere, Claudette's ex gets killed and Vic, Dutch, and Tavon are helping her out with that case. Danny gets fired, and Julien is finally the victim of his own blanket party. The season's end consists of the Money Train hit's successful completion... as the Strike Team members gaze, "overcome", at all their dirty money (to the tune of a certain Live song).
Favorite Shane moment- His visit to Corrine; his and Lem's encounter with the Armenian (when Shane dubs himself "Cletus van Damme"!).
SEASON THREE
1.)Playing Tight***1/2: So, despite the long TELEVISED break between seasons, Season 3 casually starts up again only a very short time after the second season's happenings left off. Nevertheless, the Armenians know all about the Money Train hit and they're MAD! They're chopping off people's feet left and right (no pun intended) and mailing them to Dutch (speaking of, Dutch has a hilarious scene toward the end of this episode when he's on the phone with an Armenian). Meanwhile, in Shane's world, the Strike Team are busy with two gangs (the Byz Lats and the One-Niners). Also, Shane suddenly has this new girlfriend, Mara Sewell, who pressures him to buy her a "pre-owned" Lexus for her real-estate job. At first Shane says no, but later (much to Mackey's disappointment) he buckles under and buys her the car. Elsewhere in Farmington, Danny's stuck doing cop work at a high school... and in retaliation for his blanket party, Julien breaks Ray Carlson's arm! (This is the last we see of Ray Carlson, at least for now.)
Favorite Shane moment- The resurface of the name Cletus Van Damme ("Well, Lem laughed at it!"); the Kings of Leon montage where Shane buys Mara her car.
2.)Blood and Water***: I first saw this episode in Austin, TX where the showed a shot of Shane's... naked butt. Later, when I watched it again in my own town, his butt was blacked out! Wtf? Anyway, Shane and Mackey go undercover as racists and get knocked around in the process. Also, Vic uses some stolen money train funds for business which makes the rest of the Strike Team upset. Shane and Vic have it out, Shane goes home to Mara where he explains that "brothers fight", and her response is, "So why is Vic always making you the little brother?" Later, Mara has her own face-to-face with Vic when he comes over to try to be all charming, and she lets him know that she doesn't appreciate the way he's been treating her man! Eventually, Vic and Shane make up (for now) and at the end of the episode, the Strike Team toss the guns that caused their problems into the water to the background of a Willie Nelson tune. The other characters? Dutch and Claudette do some work involving a Latin gang; I really don't remember what. I was mostly focused on Vic, Shane, and the Strike Team.
Favorite Shane moment- His "little brother" talk with Mara.
3.)Bottom B&$tch****: An episode that I liked at first, and appreciated more with repeat viewings. The title character is a prostitute named Farrah (an old friend of Connie's) who tries to connect with Vic... she's hoping he'll help her out like he did with Connie, but Vic doesn't want to get close to any more prostitutes...so while he DOES work with Farrah, both of them make it clear that they're really not fond of one another! (Vic even sticks a gun in her mouth, and later tosses a $20 out onto the street which pathetic Farrah goes and fetches.) Vic also pays a visit to Connie's young son Brian (Vic's son, too?!) to make sure he's doing alright in his foster home. What does Shane do while all this is happening? He's busy pouting over his fight with Mara, who's suddenly all angry with him. Shane doesn't want to lose Mara, who's "the first gal he ever dated that's better than him." Mara doesn't in fact leave; instead, after Shane tries to make her cry, she reveals that she is... pregnant with his child. Does Shane run for the hills? No! He decides that he's going to marry her! Also, Dutch meets up with a disturbing maybe-rapist. And we meet the Decoy Squad (Trish, Walon, Annie, and Eddie) for the first time. And Julien's weird new partner Tommy Hisk has an amusing scene where he describes the way he and Julien catch Dutch's rapist. ("I saw this black blur run past!... All I know is the rapist a-hole got a double dose of vanNILLa and CHOColate!")
Favorite Shane moment- His talk with Vic about Mara being better than him, and the 'I'm pregnant!' scene.
4.)Streaks and Tips****:Quite possibly, Shane's most classic episode so far in the whole series! His tensions with Tavon have not lessened since Season 2; in fact, they've grown worse. Both men feel threatened by eachother and let those feelings out in what can only be considered, well ... racist remarks. (They're forced to work together on something involving Tavon's CI toward the middle of the episode, and that does not go well.) Finally, Vic has a talk with Tavon, who (for the sake of the team) agrees to try to work things out with Shane. He goes to Shane's house to make peace; only Shane happens to walk in on Tavon with his hands all over Mara's pregnant stomach! Things go from bad to worse; they talk, Shane makes a remark that Tavon interprets as racist, Tavon snaps back that Vic "doesn't want to hurt Shane's little feelings" but that Vic has PLANS for Tavon. Apparently, that does hurt Shane's little feelings because he says something blatantly racist back to Tavon and the two men end up in a very intense fistfight! Mara walks back in in the middle of the fight (she'd left to do laundry) and she sees Tavon with the upper hand, so she clocks him in the end with an iron. He stumbles away and ends up wrecking his car (he's left broken and unconscious in the middle of the street). Shane and Tavon's fight -- and Tavon's resulting fate -- are DEFINITELY the high points of this episode. However, some other entertaining things happen, as well. Dutch works on a case, trying to determine why a man poisoned his own brother, and uses the word "perspicuous" a lot. Deena from Season 1 comes back to flirt with David Aceveda, silly Cassidy Mackey runs away from home because she doesn't like Corrine's mild-mannered new boyfriend Owen -- and the Decoy Squad and Strike Team make a bet... where the losers have to streak across the barn! (The Strike Team wins, so we get to see naked Trish and a very hammy naked Walon; he puts on a strip tease. Ronnie in particular seems to enjoy it.) An episode very worthy of four stars!
Favorite Shane moment- Fight!
5.)Mum***1/2: Here's the episode that got all the publicity for this season. Though it wasn't for anything Shane related! Sure, he's in the episode a few times; he has to confess to Mackey about what happened, and Mackey (reluctantly) helps Shane and Mara cover up their part in the incident with Tavon. (Who's still alive, but in critical condition.) However, this episode mostly belongs to Aceveda. The Captain is catching on to what went on with the Money Train and somehow he ends up at this creepy toothless guy Juan's house. Earlier, Vic Mackey himself paid Juan a visit and made him suck on a bong... and Juan resents that! So when Juan and his comrade see Aceveda in their house, they make him pay for what that other cop did. Boy, do they make him pay. With... oral sex. (They even happily snap a picture with their camera phone of David "sucking.") Juan is appropriately creepy -- and even though I knew from all the publicity about what was going to happen, it was still disturbing and intense to watch.
Favorite Shane moment- When he lies about how he got hurt.
6.)Posse Up***1/2: A "filler" episode after the intensity of the last two, but still pretty darn good for filler. Tommy Hisk's ex-wife and child are found dead, and Tommy throws a chair in anger and despair when he finds out! (It almost hits Mackey!) Julien teams up with Mackey (what a combination) to investigate that case, and it turns out that the deaths are kind of/sort of Tommy's fault. In Dutch and Claudette's world, they're investigating rape and trying to convince Aceveda to invest in this rape kit (after his adventures last week, David's firmly against the idea). In SHANE'S world, he's not worried about Mara or Tavon this week; he's too busy going undercover as a gay prostitute, and revealing his knowledge of cars and his perfect six-pack abdomen! He also exchanges some amusing barbs with Trish.
Favorite Shane moment- His interactions with Trish and when he bonds with the other gay prostitutes over automobiles (who'd have thought?).
7.)Safe***: Probably the worst part about this one is the introduction of Vic's dog-walker lover, Lauren. Despite some semi-amusing scenes later on with her controlling boyfriend Hunter, Lauren never even came close to becoming my favorite character. Oh, well. Lauren DOES make her debut here, and she helps Vic out with a case that somehow involves some Mexicans who write songs about killing. Also, the Strike Team can tell that certain people are onto them about their involvement with the Money Train heist, and they nervously try to cover their tracks. With the aid of Ronnie's technical skills, they even replace a safe in Aceveda's office. What else? Shane deals with attention-seeking Mara, who calls him to whine that she's "losing the baby" (it's determined that she's actually "spotting." Lovely.) And Aceveda confides to a trusted family member what happened to him; the confidee suggests a retaliation of...death.
Favorite Shane moment- When he wears the sombrero, and his disgusted description of the Mexican music.
8.)Cracking Ice***1/2: Some might call this episode filler, but I liked it quite a bit! Shane and Lem are playing video games together when Lem encourages Shane to buy (whiny) Mara a ring. So that's the bulk of Shane's plot -- finding the ring for Mara. He runs into some dishonesty along the way ... it's pretty funny! He finally presents it to her in a baseball glove, as her favorite song (Phaser's "Sway With Me", which also played quietly in a scene six episodes ago, when Mara asked Shane why he was always the little brother). Meanwhile, Trish ends up on a dangerous decoy job; Claudette and Walon try to find her and help her (Walon hates Claudette -- because it's her fault!) And Danny can't stop Tommy Hisk from taking his own life (he's depressed because he no longer has a job).
Favorite Shane moment- When he tells the dishonest ring guy that he didn't blink, and when he gives Mara her ring.
9.)Slipknot***: I actually haven't seen this one in awhile, and haven't seen it enough to provide a detailed description. Off the top of my head, I don't even remember for certain which scenes feature Shane -- although I think this is the episode where he begins to suspect Mara of stealing money train funds, and confronts her about it in the bathroom. I DO know that this episode brings the Strike Team back onto the streets! They have a cool montage at the end, to the tune of Steve Earle's "Ashes to Ashes." I also know that this episode is directed by Michael Chiklis.
Favorite Shane moment- I'll get back on this (and update the description) next time I watch the episode. But I like all his scenes with Mara, and I did love that montage!
"Terry turned rat."
(Don't miss all the "Shield" links on the links page!)
***= Good, very good
**= Hmmm...eh...
*= Fonzie and a shark coined a phrase for this!
