Television Review: Animal Control (The Shield, S7X06, 2008)

Animal Control (S07E06)

Airdate: 7 October 2008

Written by: Jeff Hlavin & Angela Russo
Directed by: Gwyneth Hordern-Payton

Running Time: 47 minutes

Animal Control, the sixth episode of the seventh season of The Shield, serves as a perfect illustration of a famous quote by Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz: "no plan survives contact with the reality." This phrase could be applied to many episodes of the acclaimed crime drama, particularly when it comes to the scheming and often doomed plans of Detective Vic Mackey. Animal Control provides yet another example of this principle in action.

The main plot development revolves around Vic hatching another of his 'brilliant' plans, one that he believes will simultaneously solve a multitude of his problems. The crux of this plan is to manipulate the Armenian mob and their leader Rezian into a meeting with a representative of the Mexican cartels named Rios. During this rendezvous, the Armenians are supposed to purchase what is referred to as the "blackmail box" from the Mexicans. However, the Mexicans have no intention of selling anything to the Armenians; instead, they view this meeting as an opportunity to deliver a devastating blow to the Armenian organization.

Meanwhile, Vic, who has finally accepted the perspective of his partner Ronnie that Shane must be made to pay for the murder of their friend Lem, sets his sights on eliminating Shane during the meeting with the Armenian mob. Vic goes so far as to secretly remove the bullets from Shane's gun, ensuring that his former partner will be unarmed and vulnerable during the anticipated shootout.

As the episode unfolds, it appears that Vic's plan is going off without a hitch. However, Shane somehow manages to survive the attack. This survival is due to rather sheer chance. In the aftermath of the failed hit, Shane returns to the home of his wife Mara, revealing that he is fully aware of Vic's treachery. He states plainly that he knows Vic tried to set him up and that his former partners believe him to be too foolish to realize the truth. This revelation serves as the ultimate "wham" moment, permanently shattering any hope of reconciliation between Vic and Shane.

Before this climactic event, Shane is forced to confront a specter from his past that serves as a painful reminder of another "wham" moment in his life. Detective Tavon Garris, a former member of the Strike Team, arrives at the Barn as a Vice detective seeking Shane's assistance in apprehending a particularly vicious rapist. Shane had established a rapport with a teenage girl who is key to the investigation, and Tavon requires Shane's expertise to handle her. The investigation proves successful, but in the end, Tavon confronts Shane about their violent altercation that left Tavon nearly dead and robbed of his memories. Even more damagingly, Tavon knows that he was manipulated into believing that he attacked Mara. This confrontation leads to no real resolution and has little consequence beyond providing Shane with additional motivation to request a transfer out of the Strike Team.

In addition to the main storyline, Animal Control'features another subplot that ultimately proves to be rather weak in comparison. Officer Tina Hanlon discovers a naked man, later identified as Jack Busada, in an alley. Busada, a recovering alcoholic, is brought to the Farm, where records reveal prior arrests for indecent exposure, which he attributes to sleepwalking. Dutch, still obsessed with the idea of catching serial killers, becomes intrigued by Busada's unusual sexual practices and strange behavior, leading him to suspect that the man may have harmed or killed a woman. Busada confesses to having bizarre fantasies and later, presumably haunted by a sense of guilt, takes his own life in the interrogation room. This event causes Dutch to realize that he may have overstepped his bounds in his investigation, prompting him to request Billings to restrain him in future investigation.

Meanwhile, Vic discovers that his wife Corrine, under the stress of their turbulent family life, has begun taking "downers" to help her sleep and is on the brink of addiction. This latest complication is temporarily resolved when Corrine relinquishes the pills to Vic, who is left to deal with the situation.

Written by the newly introduced writing team of John Hlavin and Angela Russo, Animal Control would have been a classic episode of The Shield if it had focused solely on the Armenian vs. Mexican and Vic vs. Shane plotlines. However, the inclusion of the various melodramatic distractions, such as the side plot involving nudity and suicide, detracts from the main narrative. Tavon's brief return also feels like inconsequential filler, and even the central plot relies too heavily on the Armenian mobsters, who, by this point in the series, should have been savvy enough to avoid falling into such an obvious trap.

Despite these shortcomings, Animal Control remains a solid episode that showcases the complex and often morally ambiguous world of The Shield.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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