Television Review: Posse Up (The Shield, S3X06, 2004)

Posse Up (S03E06)

Airdate: April 13th 2004

Written by: Kim Clements & Charles H. Eglee
Directed by: Felix Alcala

Running Time: 45 minutes

The Shield was a series that frequently attempted to circle the square: to deliver the gut-punching, unexpected “wham” moments that defined its reputation while still adhering to at least a veneer of realism within Shawn Ryan’s heightened fictional universe. This was a difficult balancing act, and one that often resulted in episodes that felt either over-stuffed or curiously inert. Season 3’s Posse Up stands as a prime example of this struggle. Brought after two seismic events—the brutal assault on Tavon Garris that left him in a coma, and Captain Aceveda’s horrific sexual assault by gangbangers—the episode attempts to function as a “day in the life” procedural filler. However, it ultimately buckles under the weight of its own ambitions, trying to service too many disparate plot threads without granting any the narrative room or dramatic heft they require.

The two major, traumatic events from the preceding episodes are not resolved here in any meaningful or dramatically satisfying way. Instead, they linger ominously in the background, casting a pall over the Barn’s operations. Tavon’s condition is reported as slowly improving in hospital, a ticking time bomb whose eventual testimony threatens to unravel the Strike Team’s fragile cover-up and expose Shane’s culpability. Simultaneously, Aceveda’s secret consumes him from within. His trauma manifests in a tightly-wound, erratic professionalism. He isolates himself, spending endless hours at the office, a behaviour so out of character that it forces his wife, Aurora, to confront him directly, demanding to know what is wrong—a question he pointedly, painfully, refuses to answer. These are potent dramatic seeds, but in Posse Up, they remain merely seeds, providing atmospheric tension without fruition.

The episode’s central, nominally “wham” plot development is a procedural storyline involving Officer Tommy Hisk (Matt Gerald). Briefly Julien’s partner during Danny’s suspension, Hisk receives the devastating news that his ex-wife and young son have been brutally murdered. Detective Kouf (J. C. McKenzie) from Wilshire Precinct, investigating the case, immediately identifies Hisk as the prime suspect and intends to bring him in for formal interrogation. Captain Aceveda initially resists, reflexively circling the wagons to protect one of his own officers. However, this resistance is short-lived, crumbling under the procedural pressure applied by figures like Wilshire Precint's Captain Steve Griggs (Tommy Hinkley). When Vic Mackey learns of these developments, his reaction is instinctive and definitive: he is convinced of Hisk’s innocence. Fearing that while the department focuses on the wrong man, the real perpetrator will vanish, Vic takes matters into his own hands. He forms an informal “posse” tasked with clearing Hisk’s name with unorthodox speed. The group is joined by Julien and, with profound reluctance, by Danny Sofer.

Their investigation is a classic, rapid-fire Shield manoeuvre. A brief visit to the crime scene leads Vic to conclude the killer was drug-influenced, pointing them toward a local crack house. They quickly learn Hisk’s wife had recent run-ins with a local dealer named Darontay (Arnell Powell). Confronting Darontay, Vic and Julien extract a crucial, damning piece of information: Hisk himself had hired a local crack addict to break into his wife’s home. Confronted back at the Barn, a broken Hisk admits the truth. He had hired the addict, Soren Arnovic (James Leo Ryan), not to harm his family, but to steal a valuable coin collection lost to his wife in their divorce settlement. The posse corners Arnovic in a tense standoff. In a chilling moment that encapsulates Vic’s brutal pragmatism, he attempts to coax the terrified addict into suicide, arguing it would be a preferable outcome to prison. Arnovic, however, surrenders and later confesses to the murders, which he committed after the initial burglary spiralled out of control. While Hisk will be cleared of the murders, his career is effectively over due to his criminal involvement in the initial break-in. This storyline has all the ingredients of a taut Shield thriller, but it feels rushed and compartmentalised, existing in a bubble separate from the season’s larger arcs.

Other narrative threads vie for attention, further contributing to the episode’s fragmented feel. The ongoing strain in Vic’s domestic life continues as Corrine confesses to having embarked on a romantic relationship with their son Matthew’s tutor, Owen Thigpen. Meanwhile, Detective Dutch Wagenbach’s pursuit of the serial “Cuddling Rapist” is complicated by Captain Aceveda’s demand for a premature press conference. Dutch attempts to weaponise this publicity, directly insulting the perpetrator on air in the hope of provoking a reaction. The plan initially seems to bear fruit when the rapist arranges a meeting with television reporter Gail Linley (Mia Wesley), but this culminates in Dutch and Linley being humiliatingly stood up, leaving the storyline frustratingly unresolved.

Arguably the episode’s most light-hearted subplot involves Claudette ordering the Strike Team to assist the Decoy Squad in apprehending a group of homophobic thugs targeting male prostitutes. Trish, with a pointed sense of irony, selects Shane to work undercover as a street hustler—a role the deeply redneck, homophobic Shane accepts with palpable distaste. Yet, in a small but significant character beat, Shane manages to transcend his ingrained prejudices. Before the successful sting operation concludes, he even engages in a moment of surprisingly affable banter with actual gay prostitutes, bonding with them over a shared appreciation for cars. It’s a fleeting glimpse of humanity in an otherwise deeply flawed character.

The episode’s coda returns to the season’s overarching conspiracy. Vic learns that the money from the Armenian Money Train heist has been marked as part of a U.S. Treasury sting operation. His response is characteristically audacious and illegal: he decides he must obtain the list of banknote serial numbers, which he knows is secured in Captain Aceveda’s office safe. This final scene efficiently sets the stage for future episodes, but it feels like a narrative postscript rather than an organic culmination of Posse Up’s events.

Written by Kim Clements and Charles H. Eglee, Posse Up ultimately suffers from a severe case of narrative congestion. Too many storylines are stuffed into a single hour, resulting in a lack of focus and a dilution of dramatic impact. A prime example is the scene where Vic attempts to convince Arnovic to commit suicide. It is a profoundly dark and character-revealing moment, yet it arrives and concludes with such breakneck speed that it fails to resonate. It lacks consequence for the wider plot and feels undercooked in its exploration of Vic’s moral bankruptcy. Similarly, Dutch’s storyline with the Cuddling Rapist simply peters out, contributing to a sense of wheel-spinning.

The episode is salvaged from being entirely forgettable by the strength of its performances. Michael Jace imbues Julien with a compelling moral gravity. We see his visceral disgust at the murder of a child, and an even deeper revulsion when the drug dealer Darontay openly mocks Christianity while flaunting a large golden cross—a direct affront to Julien’s devout faith. His final act in the plot, refusing to shoot the cornered Arnovic despite having the opportunity to deliver vigilante justice, is a powerful affirmation of his principles amidst the Barn’s corruption. Similarly, Walton Goggins shines, finding unexpected nuance in Shane Vendrell. In the decoy operation subplot, Goggins allows Shane to momentarily transcend his inherent homophobia and racism—the latter challenged by his genuine admiration for Trish’s tactical skill during the takedown. These performance-led moments of characterisation provide the necessary ballast, ensuring Posse Up remains a watchable, if narratively overextended, entry in The Shield’s otherwise relentless march toward its devastating conclusion.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com
Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/
InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo

InLeo: https://inleo.io/signup?referral=drax.leo
Leodex: https://leodex.io/?ref=drax
Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax
Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax
1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e

BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG
ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7
BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9