Television Review: Haunts (The Shield, S6X05, 2007)

Haunts (S06E05)

Airdate: 1 May 2007

Written by: Glen Mazzara & Charles H. Eglee
Directed by: Michael Chiklis

Running Time: 45 minutes

Season 6 of The Shield initially presented itself as a period of respite, promising a return to normalcy that Vic Mackey desperately craved. After surviving the Internal Affairs Division (IAD) investigation and believing he had successfully avenged his close friend Lem, Vic believed the worst was behind him. However, this fragile state of affairs was destined to be short-lived. As Haunts illustrates, Farmington remains as dysfunctional and violent as Vic remains corrupt, and the ghosts of the past inevitably find their way to haunt the members of Strike Team, dragging them back into the mire of their own making.

The episode opens with a stark reminder of the district's endemic violence through a massacre so horrific that the very existence of the Barn comes into question. The brutal murder of twelve Mexican illegals serves as a political hot potato for Councilman Aceveda, who immediately pushes Captain Wyms to have the crime solved at any cost. Wyms is placed under immense pressure, being told that a failure to solve the case will result in unacceptably high crime statistics and the closure of the Barn. In a discreet but calculated move, she informs the Strike Team leaders, including the newly appointed Detective Hiatt, about it. While their efforts fail to yield immediate results, they nonetheless provide valuable intelligence, narrowing the field of suspects to those more likely to be Mexicans than Salvadorans. A significant breakthrough occurs when Dutch informs Hiatt about a federal undercover informant named Hernan (Clifton Collins Jr). During a raid, Hernan tells the Strike Team in no uncertain terms that Guardo did not kill Lem. This revelation hits Vic hard, as he is forced to confront the terrifying reality that he has killed a wrong man.

While Vic grapples with the professional fallout of the massacre, Shane Vendrell is being tortured by his conscience over the murder of Lem. However, before he can fully pay for his past crime, he finds himself in trouble over another misdeed. His ill-advised sexual liaison with Tillie, a Black teenager and girlfriend of Moses, escalates into a situation far more dangerous than he anticipated. Although Moses does not take insult from Tillie's sexual activities, her stepfather is a different matter. He ambushes Shane and beats him so badly that Shane ends up in Mission Cross, barely recognisable and forced to rely on Percocet and increasingly potent pain medication. The situation worsens when Mara discovers condoms in Shane's possession and soon realises the extent of her husband's infidelity. Shane, desperate over losing a close friend and a family unit, haunted by his conscience, and affected by his dependence on Oxycontin, Shane comes to Mara with a gun in his hand. He begs for forgiveness and admits to killing Lem, marking a pivotal moment of emotional collapse.

In the meantime, Vic Mackey, after some consideration, agrees to help his old friend and mentor, Joe Clark, with shady security and mercenary job. Joe has been hired by a landlord to evict a gang of Jamaican drug dealers from an apartment building. Vic initially considered the job too risky and only agreed to join Joe after witnessing Joe's hotheaded and violent partner, Lester (Patrick St. Esprit). The mission succeeds, but Vic is deeply disgusted by Lester's methods, which include sadistic beating and humiliation.

Dutch Wagenbach and Steve Billings continue to work on the serial rapist case and receive unexpected assistance from Carlos Morganza (Brian Howe), a man who volunteers at a shelter for runaway teens and provides information about potential victims. Morganza claims to be motivated by the unresolved case of his missing teenage daughter who ran away three years ago. Billings, however, suspects that Morganza might actually be the serial rapist himself, viewing his volunteerism as a way to boost his ego and gather intelligence. One of the victims eventually recognises his voice, and when confronted, Morganza offers a full confession in exchange for a television interview in which he would call his daughter to return. He admits to sexually molesting his daughter, which he claims was the reason for her running away. Later, an anonymous tip leads detectives to a shallow grave containing the daughter's remains, and Billings confronts Morganza, accusing him of indirectly causing his daughter's death.

Written by Glen Mazzara and Charles H. Eegle, Haunted represented the second directorial effort of Michael Chiklis. The episode is well-made, but it follows a somewhat formulaic approach to its plot, taking a business-like stance that prioritises drama over visceral action. There is relatively little actual violence in the episode, with more emphasis placed on the internal psychological states of the characters and the regular goings-on within the Barn. The introduction of Julien as the new Strike Team member is handled unevenly, lacking the spectacle usually associated with such a significant personnel change.

The subplot involving Joe's mercenary work looks predictably grim, but it somehow feels disjointed in this episode, although it serves as a cautionary illustration of what might await Vic after he gets forcibly retired from the LAPD. The greatest work on the episode, however, is done by the character actor Brian Howe, who is impressive as the seemingly helpful citizen who slowly reveals himself to be a monster. However, the true standout performance comes from Walton Goggins, as usual, who stands out for his strong emotional performance as Shane in a moment when he starts to fall apart. His meltdown is raw and terrifying, followed by an interesting cliffhanger in which Shane's secret is shared with his wife, completely changing the prospects of that secret remaining secret for very long.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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