Television Review: All In (The Shield, S3X14, 2004)

All In (S03E14)

Airdate: June 8th 2004

Written by: Scott Rosenbaum
Directed by: Stephen Kay

Running Time: 45 minutes

As television drama has evolved, a common structural trope has emerged: the penultimate episode often serves as the narrative detonator, saving the finale for fallout and resolution. In its third season, The Shield, under creator Shawn Ryan, had not yet fully embraced this contemporary rhythm, typically reserving its most seismic shocks for the final moments. However, with All In, the series came strikingly close. The episode masterfully demonstrates a gradual, inexorable buildup of tension, inherited from the previous instalment, which escalates into yet another devastating “wham” event. This pivotal moment ensures that, once the credits roll, nothing will ever be the same for its protagonists, cementing the episode’s place as a turning point where moral and physical survival are brutally decoupled.

The central narrative engine is the walls closing in on Vic Mackey and his Strike Team following their audacious robbery of the Armenian mob. The episode opens with a crucial revelation from federal employee Crosby Nell, who identifies Jon Nadler (Oded Gross) as a mole who provided information to the Armenians. Nell explicitly states the mob wanted intelligence on the Strike Team. This, coupled with Detective Dutch’s recollection that Vic seemed suspiciously knowledgeable about the whereabouts of the now-vanished suspect Neil O’Brien, solidifies Captain Aceveda’s grim suspicion. He becomes convinced the Strike Team is behind the infamous “Money Train” heist and initiates a covert investigation. His strategy is twofold: he begins subtly interrogating Shane about his personal storage unit and circulates word on the street for money launderers to watch for anyone attempting to offload the substantial haul. Unbeknownst to Vic, who believes he is the hunter, he has squarely become the hunted.

Oblivious to Aceveda’s suspicions, Vic zealously pursues Aceveda’s orders to dismantle the Armenian mob. The Strike Team raids the offices of the mobster Petrosh (Anthony Azizi). His assistant, Ayla (Stana Katić), reveals she is coerced into cooperation; her younger sister, Sosi (Amanda Sarafiyan), is held hostage by Margos Dezerian, a ruthless international assassin brought in to fortify the organisation. Vic’s pursuit of Margos leads him to a higher-ranking gangster, Kaffian (Vahe Bejan). However, a tense interrogation reveals a devastating truth: the arrest was a calculated ruse, allowing Margos to observe and assess the Strike Team firsthand. When Vic and his team subsequently attempt to apprehend Margos at his hideout, they find he has fled, but not before brutally wounding Sosi. In a harrowing sequence, the young girl bleeds to death in Lem’s arms, an innocent life sacrificed in the crossfire of the Strike Team’s war.

This traumatic event proves to be the catalyst for a profound fracture. Vic, pragmatically concluding the stolen money is now “too hot,” decides it must be moved. For Lem, however, tasked with driving the van, the sight of Sosi dying is a moral Rubicon he cannot cross. He becomes convinced the illicit cash is the root of all their escalating misery and carnage. In a desperate act of purgation, he drives off with the van, intending to incinerate the money in the same furnace used to dispose of Neil O’Brien’s body. Before he can complete the act, the rest of the team catches up. The confrontation that ensues is one of the series’ rawest moments: Shane, in a fury, briefly draws his weapon on his own brother-in-arms. A fierce physical altercation follows, ending only when Lem is finally overpowered. The episode leaves them physically spent and emotionally shattered, standing amidst the unburned money, the unspoken rift between Lem’s awakening conscience and the others’ entrenched greed now glaring and seemingly unbridgeable.

A parallel major storyline investigates the near-fatal shooting of public defender Lisa Kensit. Detectives Dutch and Claudette discover large quantities of Oxycontin in her system, shifting their focus to a drug addict and former client, Mary (Rene Templeton). This leads them to her boyfriend and dealer, Marlon Gault (Gichi Gamba), who confesses to shooting Kensit over a $15,000 drug debt. However, this resolution creates a profound ethical and professional crisis. If Kensit was under the influence during her trials, it could invalidate numerous convictions, allowing dangerous defendants like the notorious Bob Lindhoff to walk free. Aceveda, ever the political animal, directly orders Claudette to bury this line of inquiry, warning that the ensuing legal and media fallout would irrevocably wreck her career. This plotline masterfully contrasts the Strike Team’s blatant corruption with the more insidious, systemic corruption that Dutch and Claudette are forced to navigate and, in this instance, tacitly endorse.

A further narrative thread attempts to resolve the lingering issue of the violent confrontation between Shane and Tavon. Tavon has recovered and regained most of his memory; his testimony would be catastrophic for Shane and the Strike Team. Lem, who was Tavon’s closest friend on the force, visits him. In a deeply conflicted performance, Lem manipulates the truth, claiming Tavon not only threatened Shane’s pregnant girlfriend, Mara, but actually struck her—a complete reversal of the facts, where Mara hit Tavon with an iron to protect Shane. Tavon, trusting Lem, is ultimately convinced and agrees to falsely attribute his injuries to a traffic accident. While this legally defuses the situation, it leaves Lem visibly troubled, adding another layer of guilt to his burden for having to deceitfully manipulate a friend.

There are few extraneous subplots in this tightly wound episode. The most notable involves Carol, a mentally unwell woman obsessively campaigning for Aceveda’s election. When Aceveda, embarrassed by her fervour, asks her to stop, she instantly transforms into a bitter and vocal opponent.

All In was written by Scott Rosenbaum and directed by the prolific New Zealand actor and television director Stephen Kay. Kay excels in maintaining a breakneck, propulsive pace, allowing the complex plot to unfold with relentless momentum. Although certain action sequences, such as the wounding of Sosi, are choreographed in a slightly confusing manner, he more than compensates with the episode’s powerful conclusion. The final standoff between the Strike Team members is directed with visceral intensity, laying bare the irreconcilable conflict between Lem’s shattered conscience and the others’ desperate, grim avarice.

The episode is a demanding showcase for Kenny Johnson as Lem. Originally conceived as more of a supporting player, Lem emerges here as the team’s moral centre. Johnson delivers a powerfully understated performance, conveying a profound, quiet anguish as a man increasingly horrified by the carnage Vic’s philosophy has unleashed. His crisis is the episode’s wrenching heart.

Astute viewers may recognise notable faces in the smaller roles of the Armenian sisters. Stana Katić, a Canadian actress of Dalmatian origin who would later achieve fame in Castle and Absentia, brings a compelling vulnerability to Ayla. Similarly, Angela Sarafyan, destined for roles like Clementine Pennyfeather in Westworld, makes a brief but memorable impact as the tragic Sosi. Their casting adds a layer of future-star texture to the episode’s already rich tapestry.

All In is a seminal chapter in The Shield’s narrative. It masterfully escalates tension to a breaking point, forcing its characters into irreversible choices. By weaving together the consequences of the Money Train heist with acute moral dilemmas in other precinct storylines, it presents a panoramic view of a justice system buckling under the weight of its own compromises.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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