Friday, November 11, 2016

"Dominoes Falling" and April Fools (Episode 2.13)

Timely that I'm reviewing this episode in the days following the U.S. presidential election. Also, happy belated birthday to Walton Goggins!

Previously on: Vic and the boys found out the Armenian mob's money train is moving operations to a different city, meaning they only have one chance at it. Regardless of the election results, Edgar-veda is losing his job with the police department. Julien's ex-lover Tomas outed him in front of the whole Barn and Julien was subsequently harassed by his coworkers. Lanie recommended Claudette be promoted to captain so she can run the Barn.

Edgar-veda was ordered to fire 20% of the Barn's staff. Vic served Corinne with divorce papers. She found out he's been sleeping with someone else. Vic broke into the family home when he heard Matt screaming, so Corinne filed a domestic dispute complaint.

Shane goes over to the Mackey house and demands of Corinne, "You had Vic arrested?" Corinne didn't think anything would come of the complaint. I call bullshit; she's been married to a cop long enough to know how things work. Shane tells her that he won't be allowed to bail Vic out until the next morning. Corinne isn't interested in talking: "My kids are sleeping. Good night."

Shane keeps going. Vic is worried about losing his family and "that kinda distraction can get him killed. Me and the other guys too." Corinne tells him to go home and walks away.

The next morning, Vic asks what Shane was thinking. "Where I come from, when a guy's old lady jams him up, his buddies go have a talk with her," the Southerner explains. Vic says exasperatedly, "Not in the middle of the night, Jethro." The other half of the Strike Team jogs up. Ronnie knows the money train is moving out tonight. They don't know where the new collection point is.

However, they ran the license plates of the guy who ran the last drop-ship point and got his address. His name is Chorekian. Vic says they should follow their Balkan friend; he might lead them to the new place. It took them 2 months to scout the last site and now Vic wants them to recon one in a matter of hours? Shane points out they still have the garbage truck and the general plan is staying the same.

Vic knows they'll never get a chance at this much money again. The cash came from robberies, drugs, and prostitution. The Armenians didn't really earn it, so Vic doesn't feel bad about taking it. He tells Shane to gas up the garbage truck. Ronnie and Lem will follow Chorekian.

"Who'd you vote for?" a reporter asks Edgar-veda. They're in a fire station that's presumably doubling as a polling place. He smirks that it was a handsome Latino and puts an arm around Aurora. Another reporter asks for comment on the firing of the entire Strike Team. Edgar-veda says they weren't living up to the city's high standards. He even offered up his own job because as captain, they were his responsibility.

Chief Bankston meets with Vic. He cuts to the chase: Edgar-veda says the Strike Team is a real problem and has recommended firing all of them. Vic's jaw drops. He tells the chief that his team makes half the drug and gang arrests in Farmington. Chief Bankston is more concerned about their tactics, but he assures Vic that Edgar-veda is no longer a threat to him: "After he loses the primary today, he's resigning."

Chief Bankston knows when people are crossing the line. Can Vic keep up his arrest percentages without pushing the limits? Vic assures him that he can. The chief tells him to prove it or he'll act on the soon-to-be-former captain's recommendation.

In the Barn parking lot, Vic confronts Edgar-veda about putting the Strike Team on the firing list. The captain doesn't have time for this; he has to tell 27 people they've been fired. Vic knows he's not among them. Edgar-veda puts him on desk duty for the day. He heard Vic got arrested and advises, "Go clean up your own house instead of continuing to mess up mine."

Vic informs him that the chief wants him on the street and calls Edgar-veda a lame duck. Edgar-veda says Vic will follow orders or else. "Been nice knowin' ya," Vic sneers.

Lem and Shane are watching Chorekian as he talks on a payphone. Shane asks if his partner can read lips. "Even if I could, I don't speak Armenian, bro," says Lem. Chorekian's used 3 different payphones in the last 5 blocks. Chorekian gets in his car and they continue tailing him.

Edgar-veda tells Claudette there's been a homicide and the victim is her ex-husband Jeff. Her daughter Bonnie is at the scene; she apparently witnessed the whole thing. "She's supposed to be in Florida. Is she okay?" asks Claudette. Dutch will be taking the case solo, even though he and Claudette are close outside of work, because the Barn is short-staffed. It's about to be even shorter.
Edgar-veda summons two older detectives, Brett and Marlin, up to his office.

Jeff is dead in the driver's seat of his car. Bonnie is sitting on a bench; there's blood on her jacket. Hey, It's That Girl! Tracie Thoms used to be on the other side of murder investigations as Kat Miller on Cold Case. Bonnie seems to be in shock. Who wouldn't be? Dutch takes her coat as evidence. At least give her a police blanket to replace it.

"He--he shot him. He's gone," Bonnie stammers. Claudette tries to soothe her daughter. Danny tells Dutch that Bonnie was the only witness they could find. "Tell the M.E. to move his ass," Dutch instructs.

Chorekian is driving so slow that Lem asks if he's on Quaaludes. Sadly, the Armenian is not driving a white Cadillac, not a Bronco. Shane sees it as a good sign that he doesn't want to risk getting pulled over. Lem is road ragey: "Get your ass in gear, granny!"

At a red light, Chorekian stops so short that he gets rear-ended by a red sedan. The sedan's driver gets out and apologizes; he didn't think Chorekian was stopping. Chorekian asks what's wrong with him: "You drive a piece of shit. I just bought this car." Lem and Shane are right behind the red sedan. Sedan Driver gets back in his car. Chorekian speed-walks up to the truck's window.

Lem gets a little panicky, telling Shane to get out of there. Too late. "You be my witness for insurance?" asks Chorekian. Shane guesses so. He wants to exchange cell phone numbers, claiming he's always on the road. They do. Chorekian gripes that it's always people who don't care about their cars that run into you. Shane gives his name as Cletus Van Dam.

The last time I heard Walton Goggins use the name Van Dam, he looked a little...different.
(Photo credit)
They shake hands. Chorekian thanks Shane for his help. When he's out of sight, Lem repeats incredulously, "Cletus Van Dam?"

Vic is bored; there's not a single gang case on the books today. Tavon asks what's the rush. The Strike Team is being reevaluated. That's exactly Vic's point; he wants to prove the city needs them. Tavon suggests they help Dutch work his homicide case.

Vic goes over to Dutch and he explains what little he knows. Jeff and Bonnie were sitting in his car when a black man walked up to them, said something, and shot Jeff. Vic asks if it was gang related. Dutch doesn't know and Bonnie's been too upset to say much. Why were she and her father in that neighborhood in the first place? Vic offers to see if any of the local gangs were involved.

Bonnie is at her mother's desk, looking through mug books. She's sure she'll recognize the killer if he's in one of them. "If you see him in there, you tell me first. Don't say anything to Dutch," Claudette says. They can break the case without Bonnie making herself the star witness in a murder trial.

"This is Dad we're talking about!" gasps Bonnie, "I don't care what I have to do." Claudette is only watching out for her. Bonnie shakes her head. "God, Mom. I can't believe you." Claudette isn't saying she wants the killer to go free; she's just worried Bonnie will get herself in a situation she can't get out of.

Danny confronts two unnamed uniforms who were assholes to her partner: "I heard you called Julien's house, told his little boy that he was gay?" Asshole #1 has no problem with gay people as long as he doesn't have to work with them. Asshole #2 wonders what else Julien is lying about. Danny puts them on notice: "Fun's over or I end it myself."

Irving, one of Vic's informants, asks what's in it for him if he talks. Vic promises they won't bust his illegal gambling joint that he runs out of the back of a sporting goods store. Armadillo and the Torrucos being gone have brought back a previously defunct gang: the E Street Johnnies. They want to be the new top dogs. Irving drops a bag of pot. "Jesus Christ, pick it up!" Vic hisses. Irving swears the weed is for medical purposes.

Vic asks what the Johnnies' return has to do with Jeff getting shot in his car. Irving isn't sure; all he heard was them bragging about some kind of April Fools' party. Vic goes inside and asks Bonnie if it's possible the shooter said "Johnny says April Fools." She's not 100% sure because the windows were rolled up.

Claudette catches the tail end of the conversation. She tells Bonnie this isn't Vic's case. Vic takes Dutch aside to fill him in. 10 years ago, the E Street Johnnies were the biggest gang in Farmington. Then the Mexican gangs moved in.

The Johnnies had a ritual called April Fools' parties. Each year, they'd tally up how many members were killed in gang disputes and get everyone together in front of a pile of dominoes. If you picked the right one, you got to be a shooter. The shooters would walk up to random victims and say, "Johnny says April Fools" before they pulled the trigger.

Vic notices Claudette is listening in and tells her Bonnie heard the code phrase. "Thanks for the tip," she says. Dutch will take care of it; this doesn't concern Vic or Tavon. The gang connection says it does, but good luck explaining that to the chief later.

Vic sees Shane across the room. He tells Tavon to find out how many Johnnies were killed last year and the current address of their leader: Lops. The guy apparently got his street name thanks to a lopsided head. When Vic walks into the clubhouse, Shane is on the couch, rubbing his temples like he has a headache. Lem nervously toys with a football.

"You lost him?" Vic guesses. Lem explains that Chorekian got rear-ended in front of them; he wants them to be witnesses for his insurance claim. The Armenian now knows their faces and the truck. They did get his cell phone number, however, they can't trace it without a warrant. "Where's Radiohead's crib these days?" asks Vic. I'm surprised when Lem doesn't quizzically say, "The band?"

Radiohead's yard and small house are messy. There's enough computer equipment and other assorted junk for Frank Deveraux to be living here. Ronnie groans at the smell: "Did he die in here?" "Show us your ass!" Vic calls.

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Radiohead appears, dressed in an old dirty bathrobe, T-shirt, and boxer shorts. "When was the last time you took a shower?" Vic demands. Radiohead shrugs that his water was shut off last month. "Ever heard of a sponge bath?" asks Shane. Radiohead is "boycotting all things French."

Sidebar: This bit reminds me of a similar scene in Few Options, starring Kenny Johnson. Kenny plays an ex-con who has no choice but to live in his cousin's garage after being released. The cousin doesn't like him and eventually cuts off his shower privileges. When Kenny's character lands a date, he's forced to take a sponge bath with water from the outside faucet.

Vic knows Radiohead's been tracing cell phones for a drug cartel. They need his help tracing a phone themselves. Radiohead can try, but if the phone isn't transmitting, he can't triangulate its exact location. They'll settle for an approximate. Ronnie will give Radiohead the numbers; Vic, Shane, and Lem are escaping to fresh air, well, as fresh as it gets in L.A.

Asshole #1 thinks it's nice of Julien to let his partner fight his battles. How can he and Asshole #2 trust Julien with their lives if he's been lying about who he is for 2 years? Asshole #1 calls Julien a hypocrite because Julien once beat up a transsexual with AIDS who bit Danny. "You call my son again and I'll kill you," Julien threatens quietly. Asshole #1 thinks maybe he should've called Social Services instead to make sure Julien isn't abusing Randall.

Julien totally loses it. Screaming like a madman, he grabs Asshole #1 and throws him over his shoulder. Julien slams him to the floor. Inmates in the cage cheer him on. It takes two other uniforms to pull Julien off. Asshole #1 asks if Julien can do this job by himself; he'll never have backup again. Danny hurries over with a what'd-I-miss look on her face.

Dutch takes Claudette to the observation room. He gently suggests that her ex's murder might not have been a random gangland ritual. The neighborhood where Jeff was shot is known for drug activity. Dutch knows Jeff got arrested a few times after the divorce for simple possession and disturbing the peace. Claudette admits he had demons, but not bad enough to get him killed.

Bonnie still hasn't found the killer in the mug books. Claudette asks her if Jeff was doing something he shouldn't have. Bonnie is insulted her mother would even think that. Claudette knows Bonnie doesn't remember her dad's drug problem because she was young when the divorce happened. Why didn't Bonnie tell her mom she was coming? "Dad wanted to see me," she replies. She's only in California for a couple days and didn't want to run back and forth.

In the clubhouse, Ronnie is back with a location courtesy of Radiohead. It's a mostly unoccupied industrial part of town, which fits with the last place they used. Vic tells them to recon and see if the original plan will still work. They slyly hide the map when Tavon comes in. The newest Strike Team member got an address for Lops and they'll have a warrant within an hour.

Tavon asks what everyone's doing in the clubhouse. "Can't stay away from this place, even on our day off," Shane lies, then leaves with Ronnie and Lem.

Aurora calls Edgar-veda from a party. When is he coming? Hispanic voter turnout has been better than expected. Machado thinks they have a real chance. Edgar-veda promises to be there ASAP. He hangs up because Randy, another of the unlucky 27, is standing in his office doorway.

Shane calls Vic to report the new site is a lot like the old one. There's only one way in and one way out. The place even has a dumpster they can "borrow." Lem asks to talk to Vic. He tells their boss that a location change could mean other things are different too, such as more guards. That's all he gets out before Shane grabs the phone from him. A vote is taken. Vic, Shane, and Ronnie are all fine with going ahead. Lemming hesitates, but eventually okays it.

"Geronimo!"
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Tavon and Vic push their way into Lops' apartment. They ask him about the current state of the Johnnies. Vic knows 3 of Lops' gang members died last year. Tavon spots a domino set on the coffee table. One guy is already dead thanks to the April Fools' parties and two other shooters are unaccounted for. Vic looks through the dominoes and doesn't see any double-threes, meaning that's this year's lucky number.

Vic asks where the other two shooters are. Lops threatens to get his Cochran (as in Johnnie Cochran) involved. Tavon pulls his gun and asks, "You think we playing?" He empties the cylinder except for one bullet and gives it a spin. What Lops doesn't see is Tavon tipping his hand to palm the remaining bullet. Lops taunts that they aren't gonna do anything.

Tavon puts the gun to Lops' head, informing him that the April Fools' victim is a cop's husband. A cop they work with. Tavon cocks the gun and pulls the trigger. Click! "You only got 5 more wrong answers," he warns. He pulls the trigger a second time. Click!

"Oh, this is gonna be the one, Tavon. I can feel it," Vic says when his partner pulls back the hammer again, "I'd better get my raincoat." Lops agrees to talk if Tavon puts the gun away.

Edgar-veda asks Julien what happened with Jackson, one of the asshole uniforms. Julien says it's nothing the two of them can't handle. Edgar-veda knows Julien is being harassed because he used to be gay. If he wants to make a formal complaint, now is a good time. Julien repeats that he can handle it.

A squad car arrives to pick up Lops. Vic checks his watch. He tells Tavon to ask the uniforms for a ride back to the Barn. Vic has someplace he has to be, but he'll be back in a hour. Lops opines that Tavon is psycho. "Yes, he is," Vic chuckles proudly. Lops adds, "You better tell that asshole he's too late." His homeboy Charlie is already at a street fair looking for his victim.

Vic takes Lops outside. He tosses his keys down to Tavon, telling him they have to hurry. Vic asks a female uniform to find out where the closest street fair is.

At the condemned building, Shane and the boys are suited up in garbage company jumpsuits and loading guns into the back of the garbage truck. Vic calls Lem and says they'll have to start without him. Lem starts asking what's going on. "I can't talk right now," Vic says irritably. Ronnie asks what Vic is saying. Lem explains Vic might not make it.

For the second time, the phone gets yanked out of Lem's hand, this time by Ronnie. He reminds Vic this is their last chance. Vic tells him to put Shane on. Ronnie does. Vic promises he'll be there, but the others will have to start without him. Shane doesn't want to do this without Vic. His partner points out that the original plan involved 3 guys and they still have 3. He trusts Shane can pull this off. Tavon pulls around with Vic's truck. They switch places so Vic is driving.

Back at the garbage truck, Lem is all, "What 3-person plan?" They were really gonna go off and do this without him? "You always had reservations," Shane notes. Ronnie tells him that was only Plan B. "Fine, let's go with Plan B," says Lem. Shane shakes his head. It's too risky until they know for sure if Vic is gonna show up. Lem knows if they don't get moving now, they'll be out of position and the whole thing could fall apart even if Vic comes. Ronnie agrees.

The garbage truck rolls up to the site with Ronnie behind the wheel. He's driving much better than he did the first time. Lem and Shane are crouched in the back. Shane finally has the sense to look scared. Ronnie works the controls so the truck picks up a dumpster. Its contents fall into the back of the truck. Shane and Lem crawl inside the dumpster. In what must feel like the worst carnival ride ever to them, the dumpster is lifted into the air and slammed roughly back on the ground.

None of the Armenians seem to notice the two armed men popping out of the dumpster like the world's most dangerous jack-in-the-box. Ronnie drives away, waving cheerily at the mobsters.

Vic arrives at the street fair, the lights from the chain ride dancing along the side of his truck. He shows some uniforms the picture of Charlie. He warns everyone that Charlie is armed. Vic, Tavon, and the rest walk into the fair, past the tilt-a-whirl and the cotton candy booth and the carousel.

Tavon and Vic spot Charlie loitering around the balloon dart game and the kiddie Ferris wheel. They chase him out into the street. Tavon manages to grab Charlie and they both bounce off a minivan's hood in the process. He finds a double-three domino in Charlie's pocket. Vic reminds Tavon that he has to leave. Tavon agrees to do the paperwork.

At the money train site, Lem and Shane are waiting to pounce. A van, presumably stuffed with cash, arrives. It's accompanied by a luxury car, which is clearly a surprise. The driver gets out and approaches the other guys gathered around. Lem asks if Shane can tell what's going on, but Shane doesn't "speak European hick."

The car's driver is throwing punches, then he pulls a gun and shoots one of his associates in the head. Lem flinches. More gunshots and there are two dead men on the ground. The others keep loading boxes of cash like nothing happened. Shane is panicky: "I gotta stop Ronnie." Lem thinks they should stick to the plan. Shane says they don't know if Vic is even coming.

Lem points out the Armenians only have sidearms and they have rifles. Shane is already dialing his phone. The whole idea was not to have to use the guns. Lem makes a very Vic-like statement: "Look, it's not even their money." Shane doesn't want to get Ronnie and Lem killed, oddly altruistic for him.

There's no cell reception and Shane hustles off to see if he can get some. "Will you stop movin' around?" Lem hisses. They knew from the start there was no cell service here. Also, they'll definitely get shot if anyone sees them.

Danny wants to talk to Edgar-veda about the asshole uniforms: Jackson and Carlson. She knows they're behind the rude flyers with Julien's picture. The captain says Julien never mentioned names. Did he really expect him to? Danny has heard Jackson and Carlson running their mouths about how they won't back up Julien if he and Danny ever run into trouble on the street. Not only is that unprofessional, it's unacceptable to leave two people for dead just because you don't like one of them.

Edgar-veda thanks her for mentioning it to him. He also has bad news: Danny's name is on the firing list because of Armadillo getting stabbed in the cage. Danny is stunned; she thought she did her penance for that when she was suspended. Edgar-veda passes the buck, telling her it was the chief's decision.

Danny asks, "Have you talked to Vic and the Strike Team about how that guy got the knife?" The captain's only heard rumors. Danny wants to know who's looking into it while she loses her career. Edgar-veda tells her the truth: nobody. Danny looks like she doesn't know whether to cry or kick someone's ass, preferably Vic's.

The Armenians are loading bricks on cash into 55-gallon drums, not unlike the Codys' heist on the season finale of Animal Kingdom. Ronnie comes back. Shane guesses he heard the shots and groans, "This is not good. Where's Vic?" Now they really have to get moving.

Shane and Lem don ski masks. Lem will take the skinny guy "with the beanie and the blowgun"; Shane gets the other one. That's a pretty unfair fight. They sneak up on the Armenians, who start firing when they figure out what's happening. One of the Armenians gets shot in the thigh. The last van load of money arrives, but the driver quickly reverses. After all, guns and ski masks can only mean one thing.

Shane chases the van on foot and shoots out the tires. "Stay right there! Hands on the wheel!" bellows the unmistakable voice of Vic Mackey. Shane is glad to see him. Vic asks why there are so many dead bodies; Shane tells him about the Armenians picking off their own. Ronnie heard the shots and they pulled off the heist with one van left.

Lem is more concerned about the Armenian with the gunshot wound. It's near an artery and he doesn't want him to bleed out. Shane doesn't think it's their problem; it's not like they shot him. Lem says, "I don't want that blood on my conscience." I think you may be the only guy on the team who has a functional one. Vic actually agrees with Lem.

They blindfold Dach the wounded Armenian. Vic asks if he wants to live or die. "Live, please," says Dach through gritted teeth. Vic promises to take Dach to the hospital. Afterwards, they'll drop off some of the money at his house: "Your buddies will figure we took care of you because you were our inside man." Dach protests that he doesn't know who they are. Vic's like "they don't know that." Once Dach gets better, he should:

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Via closed-circuit TV, Bonnie looks at a line-up. One of the fillers is Julien. Dutch asks if she sees the guy who shot her dad. Claudette pulls Dutch aside and repeats that she doesn't want her daughter being a witness at a gang trial. Dutch tries another approach with Bonnie: If he were to question these suspects, who should he start with? Bonnie identifies Charlie.

Dutch knows Charlie and his two friends all drew a double-three. Charlie shrugs it wasn't him. One of them is going to jail; Dutch will see which one after he talks to the friends. Charlie doesn't wanna get locked up for something he didn't do. His friend Mouser pulled the trigger.

Vic goes back to the clubhouse and finds Tavon at the table doing some paperwork. Tavon asks if Vic made it to wherever he was supposed to be on time. Vic's all "yep, just had to do some errands." Tavon tells him they found the other guys with dominoes and nobody else got hurt. Other than that, it's been a quiet day. Oh, Tavon, anybody in public safety knows better than to say the "Q" word.

Danny lets Vic know she's being fired: "Any idea why?" They both know her name doesn't belong on the list. She wonders how much of a stand-up guy Vic really is. Vic storms up to the office and demands to know why the captain is firing Danny. Edgar-veda is all "I'm not, Chief Bankston is." Unless Vic has information the chief doesn't, there's nothing anyone can do. And it's too bad; "she was a good officer." Edgar-veda leaves his office for the last time.

In the observation room, Dutch shows Mouser the video in which Charlie blames him for shooting Jeff. Mouser puts that right back on Charlie; being the first Johnnie to get his April Fools' victims was important to him. Dutch asks, "How do I know you're the one telling the truth?" Mouser can tell Dutch where Charlie stashes his gun.

Vic tells Claudette the April Fools' shooters are upstairs. She's unimpressed: "Results don't excuse bad behavior." Vic knows they have issues; maybe they shouldn't work together anymore. Claudette says the real question is how Vic will handle working for her. She's being promoted to captain.

"Fired for cause," Jackson or Carlson fumes as he walks into the locker room. He punches a locker. The other half of the dynamic duo gripes that LAPD is turning into the "most P.C., useless force in the country." "Maybe they just don't get your sophisticated brand of humor," Danny snarks, shoving her uniform into her duffel bag.

Does Danny really think the Barn is better off with Julien than the three of them? "Don't put me in your corner. I didn't deserve what I got," she says.

Edgar-veda is throwing an election night party: a rented-out restaurant, white tablecloths, a band, and red, white, and blue balloons. You'd think he was running for a much loftier position than city councilman. He tells the crowd that he wrote two speeches and hopes he can use the one in his left pocket. Whatever the election outcome, Edgar-veda is grateful for everyone's support. He pulls Aurora up on stage and holds her hands.

Julien runs out to the parking lot to catch Danny before she leaves. He thinks it's unfair that she's being fired. She's not about to disagree. Julien's learned so much from Danny. She has some parting advice: Julien should watch his back around the Barn. She gives him a hug.

Shane and Vic go to Dach's place to hide a duffel bag o' cash. Shane dropped the Armenian off at a shady clinic; he's getting sewn up right now. Dach promised to leave California. On Dach's TV, there's live coverage of the city election. Shane hides the cash underneath the recliner.

The anchorman's next words make Shane and Vic look up: "Police captain David Aceveda won a tight primary race against Karen Mitchell to become the district's first Hispanic Democratic candidate for council." Ding-dong, the bastard's gone! Shane's jaw drops: "I thought he was gonna lose." Vic thought he was supposed to. 6 months from now, he's gonna be their boss's boss. Shane seems scared.

"I can always tell when you're lying to me," Claudette says to Bonnie. Her daughter is a half-asleep in the breakroom, a cup of coffee in front of her. Claudette asks again why Bonnie and Jeff were on that street. Bonnie claims Jeff wanted to visit a florist to buy flowers for Jenny, his new fiancee. She didn't want to hurt her mom's feelings by telling her Dad was engaged: "Dad told me once how much you liked it when he surprised you with flowers."

Jeff was getting his life back on track. He was waiting for the right time to tell Claudette he was getting remarried. Claudette has seemed lonely lately, so Bonnie and Jeff had been putting it off. Claudette squeezes her daughter's hand.

At Julien's house, the family is doing the dinner dishes. Vanessa hopes Danny will be okay; if she needs anything, they'll be there. Julien doesn't want to talk about this in front of Randall. When Julien takes the trash out, Jackson and Carlson are hiding in the yard. They throw a blanket over his head and tackle him. They and some other guys start beating the crap out of Julien with their nightsticks, stopping just short of killing him.

Vic shows up at his former home. He would've called, but Corinne changed the phone number. Corinne doesn't want him there and Vic should tell Shane not to come back. "I didn't send him," says Vic, being honest for once. What Shane did was wrong. Corinne opens the door. Vic will ask for permission before coming over next time; he's just been worried about the kids and how they're adjusting to the separation.

Vic sighs. He never meant to hurt Corinne and he's sorry. He promises to take care of her and the kids. Vic will call her lawyer to set up a visitation schedule. Corinne starts to cry.

Montage! Randall pulls back the blanket and finds a bloodied Julien underneath. "Mama!" he cries. Danny works out some frustration at the firing range. Claudette and Bonnie leave the Barn. Corinne sits at her kitchen table with a glass of wine, staring into space. At the election party, Edgar-veda and Aurora do a celebratory slow-dance. Dutch doesn't know it, but his crime scene is the money train stop.

Vic goes to the condemned apartment building, motel, or whatever where they parked the stolen garbage truck. The stolen cash is piled high on a table that's in the bottom of the empty swimming pool for some reason. Vic is positively giddy as he slaps Shane on the back. Shane, Ronnie, and Lem all look grim.
I'm really surprised the guys aren't doing this. (Image credit)
End of episode, end of Season 2.

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