Television Review: Fire in the Hole (The Shield, S3X13, 2004)

Fire in the Hole (S03E13)

Airdate: June 1st 2004

Written by: Kurt Sutter & Charles H. Eglee
Directed by: Guy Ferland

Running Time: 45 minutes

As the third season of The Shield nears its conclusion, the narrative delivers a necessary, brutal reminder: actions have consequences. For viewers and the antiheroic Strike Team alike, several relatively quieter episodes have offered a false sense of security, allowing the illusion that the Armenian money train heist might yet be absorbed into the chaotic fabric of Farmington’s precinct business. Fire in the Hole shatters that illusion entirely. It meticulously stages the inevitable reckoning for Vic Mackey and his crew, forcing them—and us—to witness the grim fate of those entangled in their scheme, whether willingly or otherwise.

The episode opens with what Vic mistakenly believes is a resolved problem. The small-time Irish criminal Neil O’Brien, having been manipulated into handling portions of the stolen, marked bills, has become the U.S. Treasury’s prime suspect, thereby diverting suspicion from the Strike Team. However, this fragile façade crumbles when Agent Crosby Nell reports to Captain Aceveda that O’Brien has vanished from his apartment. Worse, intelligence suggests the Armenian mob is aware of his status as a suspect, implicating a mole within federal agencies. Tasked with locating O’Brien before the Armenians do, Detective Dutch Wagenbach turns to Vic for assistance. Vic’s solution is characteristically cynical and self-serving: he decides that O’Brien, if still alive, must be made to disappear permanently, thereby cementing his role as the perpetual fall guy.

To this end, Vic enlists Diagur Levya, leader of the Byz Lats gang. Diagur reveals O’Brien’s known preference for Mexican women, leading to his discovery in a motel with several prostitutes. Confronted, O’Brien tentatively agrees to flee Los Angeles but requests a brief delay to collect a substantial payout from his sports bookie, hinging on a bet placed on the Lakers. The situation deteriorates further when Diagur is found murdered, his feet severed—the Armenian mob’s signature—with clear signs of torture. Vic consoles himself with the belief that Diagur was unaware of the Strike Team’s direct involvement, but complications multiply when the Lakers win. The bookie encounters difficulties procuring the cash, and Dutch closes in on the location. Tragically, the Armenians strike first. The Strike Team arrives only to discover the brutalised corpses of both the bookie and O’Brien. Faced with this, Vic coldly determines that O’Brien must “disappear” in a more final manner and takes charge of removing the body. When Aceveda and Dutch later arrive at the scene, Aceveda orders Vic to pursue the Armenians. The episode’s haunting conclusion finds the Strike Team watching O’Brien’s body burn in an industrial furnace, with Lem quietly voicing the dread that now gnaws at them all: the Armenians may yet uncover their role.

Parallel to this central drama, a secondary investigation unfolds. Hidden cameras, installed with the cooperation of arrested money launderer Louis Sperling, reveal an unlikely alliance between the neo-Nazi biker gang, The Horde, and Jantrell Davis of the black gang Spookstreet Souljahs, who will work as the getaway driver during the heist. Aceveda assigns the case to Claudette Wyms, who dispatches Vic and Lem to stake out Souljah territory. This operation inadvertently intersects with the Decoy Squad’s investigation into Durwin Gethers, another Souljah member involved in child pornography and a scheme with a corrupt social worker, Felicia. With both teams impeding each other, Claudette prioritises the Decoy Squad’s case and personally participates in an undercover operation—partly to atone for her previous mishandling of a situation that nearly cost Officer Trish her life. The operation succeeds, and Durwin, facing the dire prospect of being labelled a child molester in prison, attempts to broker a deal by offering up “Primo” (played by Sharif Rashed), a recently paroled convict who tried to cash a bad cheque. Desperate to avoid returning to prison, Primo exhausts all avenues before finally divulging the location of The Horde and details of their heist. Although momentarily distracted by cleaning O’Brien’s murder scene, the Strike Team arrives in time to arrest The Horde.

Several side narratives weave through the episode. Julien Lowe and Danny Sofer uncover a large cache of Scotch whisky stolen from customs, while part-time informant Taylor Orrs offers assistance, primarily as a pretext to pursue Danny. Separately, Lem discovers that Officer Tavon has regained consciousness in hospital and is beginning to recall his violent confrontation with Shane Vendrell. Vic’s personal life continues to fray: his son Matthew’s autistic behaviours inadvertently start a minor fire in the Mackey apartment, pushing an exhausted Corrine to consider institutional care. Meanwhile, Vic’s romantic liaison with LAPD dog handler Lauren Riley falters after a failed getaway, leading to the revelation that her boyfriend, Hunter, faked an assault in a misguided attempt to keep her.

Written by Kurt Sutter and Charles H. Eglee and deftly directed by veteran Guy Ferland, Fire in the Hole represents a tangible improvement over the two preceding episodes. That said, certain subplots—such as Danny’s persistent friction with Orrs and the ongoing turbulence of Vic’s relationship with Lauren—feel somewhat repetitive. The latter storyline was ultimately left unresolved due to the unavailability of actress Natalia Zea, who was cast in Dirty Sexy Money, resulting in her character’s abrupt and unexplained departure from the series.

Stylistically, the episode is neatly constructed. The two primary narrative strands—the relentless pursuit by the Armenians and the investigation into The Horde—complement each other effectively, maintaining a gripping pace. The episode is bookended by imagery of fire, a subtle but potent motif that underscores the theme of destructive consequences without becoming overly literal or heavy-handed.

Most significantly, Fire in the Hole reinforces the sobering reality that the Strike Team has overreached dramatically. The heist has forced them to confront an adversary far beyond the street-level gangs of Farmington. Losing another protected gang leader and the consequent erosion of their street reputation is now the least of their concerns. The Armenian mob is not only more vicious but also more formidable and resourceful. The episode implicitly draws a connection between Armenia’s history as part of the Soviet Union and the mobsters’ presumed access to the training, connections, and ruthless methodology of institutions like the KGB. This elevates the threat, suggesting they possess the capability to compromise even U.S. federal agencies. The Strike Team’s improvisational, brute-force tactics are suddenly pitied against a cold, professional, and globally connected machinery of vengeance.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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