Television Review: Money Shot (The Shield, S7X03, 2008)

Money Shot (S07E03)

Airdate: 16 September 2008

Written by: Adam E. Fierro
Directed by: Terrence O'Hara

Running Time: 45 minutes

As the curtain falls on The Shield with only a handful of episodes remaining, the narrative architecture of Vic Mackey’s world becomes increasingly claustrophobic. The avenues for the Strike Team leader to continue the story and evade facing the true consequences of his endless misdeeds are rapidly shrinking. Yet, in "Money Shot," Vic demonstrates a flicker of his former brilliance, acting once again as a shameless liar and strategic manipulator. However, this episode serves as a stark reminder that his actions, while tactical victories in the moment, are actually staving off or even hastening the complete collapse of his professional and personal life.

The main storyline revolves around a complex pact between Strike Team and the Armenian mob, a move that forms part of Vic’s even greater scheme to manipulate this faction into a war with the Mexican gangs. Despite this grand design, the Armenian gang boss, Rezian, remains delusional about his position in this relationship—at least where Shane Vendrell is concerned. Rezian is acutely aware of traditional LAPD practices regarding the destruction of impounded guns for public relations purposes. Consequently, he devises a scheme to steal this specific stash, intending to sell it on the streets of Chicago to create a level of carnage far exceeding what is seen on the streets of Los Angeles. Rezian issues a chilling ultimatum to Shane, warning that a death sentence will be carried out against his and Vic’s families unless they deliver the guns.

Vic, upon learning of Rezian’s scheme, experiences a moment of second thoughts. This hesitation stems from a core part of his character: sending weapons to incite genocide on the streets is a line that even his completely compromised moral code refuses to cross. Instead of refusing outright, he decides to execute a brilliant deception. He pretends to go along with Rezian’s demands. However, during the actual handover, the Armenians are raided by federal agents. This operation was orchestrated by ICE Agent Olivia Murray, who Vic had tipped off beforehand. Vic arrives at Rezian’s headquarters just in time to warn the boss about the impending raid. But his intervention is more than just rescue; he plants a critical bug that will point the finger at Rezian’s lieutenant, Khalulian (Yorgo Constantine). This move proves to be a masterstroke, a brilliant way for Vic to win back—or rather, restore—trust from various factions: the federal government, Rezian himself, and, most importantly, Shane. Shane, who had been tentatively trying to become his best friend again, is won over by this display of tactical superiority.

The episode houses one of its most powerful scenes near the end, a quiet yet devastating conversation between Shane and Vic regarding the murder of Lem. For the first time, Vic appears to find genuine understanding for Shane’s crime, suggesting that it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. This moment of empathy is heavy with irony. Ronnie, who has always been pragmatic but has developed a deep-seated dislike for Shane after his confession of the murder, is aghast at Vic's apparent forgiveness. After the scene, Ronnie looks at Vic with a sense of dread, wondering whether Vic truly meant it or if he is merely lying to deceive his former best friend to maintain team cohesion.

It is Ronnie who, much like Lem in previous seasons, emerges as the most normal and moral of all Strike Team characters, despite having cold-bloodedly killed a captured Armenian hitman earlier in the episode. Ronnie voices a pragmatic view to Vic, arguing that all his efforts to extricate himself from the mess he had created would only bury him in a much deeper hole. This dialogue serves as a grim illustration of the trajectory the series has taken.

Written by Adam E. Fierro, the script masterfully juxtaposes Vic's professional triumph with disaster on the family front. His autistic son, Matthew, had to be brought back home after being left unattended and wandering aimlessly on the street. Separately, Corrinne catches Cassidy drinking, and the ensuing verbal row leads to Corrinne’s brief arrest. Later, a physical altercation between mother and daughter takes place, witnessed by a horrified Vic who is forced to intervene. The Mackeys, just like the old Strike Team, begin to disintegrate in a violent, chaotic manner.

The episode maintains the formula of using a procedural subplot to ground the show in reality. In this instance, a teenager alerts Detective Claudette Wyms that her best friend, Wan Lee (Susan E. Lee), has inexplicably gone missing. Dutch Wagenbach and Steve Billings investigate, only to find the girl’s family completely uncooperative. Wan Lee eventually emerges with obvious signs of violence, revealing she had been abducted and raped. Billings manages to extract the horrible truth: Wan Lee is a lesbian, and her traditional Chinese family hired a "therapist" to "offer her alternatives," effectively aiming to "rape lesbianism out of her." It is a harrowing look at cultural intolerance.

Another storyline brings back Axl, a sleazy producer of "granny porn" videos. He contacts the police to arrange a sting operation against his business rival, Larry, who pays his actresses in drugs and is allegedly in possession of a large stash. A sting is set up with Officer Tina Hanlon posing as prospective talent for Larry’s films, accompanied by Julien Lowe, who poses as Tina’s boyfriend. This subplot adds a layer of sleaze to the narrative, highlighting the seedy underbelly of the city that the Strike Team patrols.

Finally, the last storyline of the episode is the weakest, primarily because it relies on a rather unrealistic premise. It depicts a police officer whose face has been plastered all over posters and billboards across Los Angeles working undercover. This logistical impossibility undermines the otherwise high quality of the episode, dragging it down to the level of a mere watchable TV episode rather than the gritty masterpiece the series usually strives for.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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