The Shield - "Rap Payback" - 2/14/2005
 

******* and Vic under the same roof? What can I say, I think we can all agree this will be AFASE, wouldn't you say?

Not sure what's going on, but my DirecTV tivo was not going to record this season pass tonight. I had to manually add it. So, heads up. (It's not going to record the one on 2/21 either as of yet.)
Runtime is 1:06.

DirecTV renamed FX a little while ago, so if you haven't done so already, delete your season pass and then re-add it.

A rather slow ep this week, but I think that pretty much anything other than Vic beating the living shit out of Kavanaugh would be considered slow after last week's explosive ep.

I love this show but I'm beginning to think it jumped the shark. There is no way in hell

Kavanaugh does seem to operating without any oversight in sight. I mean, who's going to take him so seriously after being lit up by Vic and the gang? Still Kavanagh presses on like Mary Sunshine, stepping on a lot of people along the way, and no one seems to care about his methods. I guess it'll make Kavanaugh's eventual downfall all the more satisfying, but he's going get some body shots in on Vic and company.

That rat trap scene was hilarious and painful at the same time.

Tina just doesn't know when to shut her mouth, does she? Julian was livid after her comments to him.

I thought it was good.

Liked the scenes with the Strike Team and Casper.

They need to drop or move forward the Tina/Julian story.

Loved this line:

"the neighbor saw a prowler who was wearing what he described as a hundred dollar suit."

Great episode. I was on the edge of my seat when Forest broke down Vic's wife. As unrealistic as him bumping the Capt. out of his office, it makes a lot of sense. Kavanaugh's main strength is his ability to read people. he knew he would be able to intimidate the Capt. and make him back down.
On the other hand, the investigation itself is a tad unrealistic. Nothing that serious would be happening to cops still on the street. They'd be suspended with pay at the least (Not that I know from personal experience or anything).

I did notice they went back to no comercials after the title again. :up:

Vic's situation just took a collosal turn for the worse.

Up until now, all Kavanaugh had really were his suspicions, but now he has Vic's wife telling him that Vic gave her a bag of $65,000 in cash. That's huge, and she has royally screwed Vic.

It reminds me a lot of The Sopranos setup: The wife loves the $$ and has no problem taking it time after time after time, yet then she gets that guilty feeling and moral crisis ensues.

That whole story paralleled perfectly with the Casper storyline, and his comments on--and I'm paraphrasing here--that women are not always helpful and can really hurt a guy...

Brilliant show.

Another good episode this week. Every scene with Kavanaugh is just dripping with tension now.

Anybody else read the little blurb in TVGuide this week about the mid-season finale episode? :eek:

Good ep.. Like one poster said, it would have been great if Vic layed the smack down on Kavanaugh.. Man, I can't STAND that guy so I guess he's playing his part well. I think we are supposed to hate him.

While I do agree that I doubt they would kick a Captain out of his office, he is only the interim captain so I guess it takes a little of the unrealistic out of it..

I assume you are referring to this?

Missed it. Could you post in spoilers?

edited to add: Sorry, the previous post wasn't showing up when I looked at the thread before. Anyway, that's interesting news. I could see it going a couple different ways.

I thought it was another fantastic episode.... But am I the only one here that actually LIKES Kavanaugh? LOL

I mean, as much as I like Vic he deserves to be squeezed... I mean the guy is dirty.

I wish I had DirecTV .. from The Shield newsletter..

Greatest show on TV and yada yada...

But, I'm half way through the episode on my DVR and (excuse me if already discussed), but why the heck did Vic allow his wife to be interogatted without a lawyer?!

I guess maybe he figured she wouldn't say anything, and becides the $, how much does she *really* know? She might be suspicious of what he has done or capable of doing, but ...I don't really think she *knows* ...But she probably should have had one ...

If I were the wife's lawyer I would push her to cooperate. After all she didn't know anything or where the money came from. The lawyer would have been looking out for her interests, not Vic's.

I think her hypothetical lawyer is in a tough place. She needs Vic's support to continue, but she cannot afford to go to jail. I think an attorney would end up advising her not to cooperate at this point, but that could change. The attorney would be looking out for her interests, but her interests do coincide with Vic's to a degree.

How much is that going to cost?

Pretty sure any future comments to be made about where the money came from, or for that matter anything that Vic said to his wife while married is privileged, and that privilege cannot be waived. However, anything she witnesses is privileged, but can be waived as long as it was not intended as a communication.

We're talking about a police internal affairs investigation here, not a court proceeding. You'd have to know about the law of fictional California to know for sure, but my gut would tell me that even if there is a spousal privilege that cannot be waived, that would apply only to trials.

But any evidence collected by that privilege would not be allowed to be used against him, which means no case would exist.

Didn't say .. Does DirecTV charge for VOD? or is it just part of the package(s) you buy? ...

Used against him where?

I'm sure it couldn't be used against him in a criminal prosecution. It seems to me it's a far more difficult question when we're speaking of a police disciplinary decision.

What do you think they do with cops that break the law? Get them off the job then all is done? Kavanaugh is trying to make a case for murder to put Vic and his crew away for life. Getting him off the force goes with the murder charge, but it is not the reason he is after him. What is the point of him having proof of wrong doing if he can not prosecute him for it?

I don't think I can agree with your reasoning. It swould seem to me that the first focus is getting bad cops off the street and out of the force. If that has to be accomplished with otherwise inadmissible evidence, so be it. It at least gets the criminals out of positions of power.

I'm sure they'd love to nail Vic and/or the rest of them on criminal charges and send an even more powerful message. I agree with you that Kavanaugh is fixated on that mission. I don't believe his superiors would see things in the same way, though. If they have to settle for throwing Vic off the force, that's still one for the win column.

ETA: I think it's at this point we need to remind ourselves that this isn't the real world or how things would play out in the real world. As somebody else pointed out, there is little chance that Vic and the others would be working as police officers right now -- they'd be on paid suspension. Similarly, it's possible or even likely that they have enough on every one of these guys to take their badges. In real life, this may well be over and done with at this point. Where's the drama in that, though?

Yeah I like Vic as well, but he is dirty. And in the end I hope he pays for what he's done. How does everyone else feel? I'm sure it won't be as cut and dry as this but in the final episode, do you want to see Vic pay for what he's done, or see him get away?

I'm not sure that Vic is going to pay for what he has done (at least in an official manner). That's too much of a good guy way to end things. I think it's more likely that he will come away clean after getting Kavanaugh and Aceveda to take each other out, only to have some punk cap him.

The other ending I have contemplated has Vic paying for what he has done and them establishing that a character who is just as corrupt takes his place.

Vic needs to get away with it, but with much collateral damage. He's going to be forced into retirement soon anyway. It would be nice to see Kavanaugh finally get all the evidence he needs only to be told by the stuffed suits that it was irrelavant, Vic was retiring, and all the focus was on newly-disgraced Aceveda (hooker, phone pix). I think it'll probably allcome down to Mara, and Shane probably telling her too much. Shane will be forced to choose between his mentor and his wife. It'd be nice to see her put in an incenerator ala Money Train cash.

As much as I love the cat and mouse game btwn Cavanaugh and Vic, I have to wonder how realistic it would be for an IAD to concentrate one person (with so much apparent autonomy) on an investigation, particularly after his major screw-up. Not only that but to be so in your face about it.

Yeah, cause...you know...The Shield has been SO realistic up until this point. C'mon people, I love The Shield. In fact, I think it's the best drama on television, but it has never tried to be realistic. The latest plot turn is about as realistic as anything the show has done thus far, and it is in keeping with the established tone.

I'll officially go on record and say that I think and hope that Vic and his team pay for their wrong doings.

Not sure how it'll happen, though. Would Vic be the type to eat a bullet if things got too tight?

One thing's for sure --- if and when he does pay the piper, in whatever fashion it may be, you can bet it'll be something amazing. I mean, given the track record of this show, it's gonna be mind blowing!

I am thinking it may not be Vic who pays directly for his sins, but instead perhaps his children or his actions some how get Lem, Shane or Ronnie killed. Something along those lines, where it isn't Vic who gets hurt or put in jail but someone close to im that is his fault.

I can totally get behind this. It's not as though it's alone in this "not realistic" world, either. I'm looking your way, 24 and LOST.