The title card reads: "14 Months Earlier," making this episode something of a Strike Team origin story. Vic and Shane, both in suits, stand over the body of a woman shot in front of a grocery store. The woman had a 1996 Ford Escort registered to her, which is nowhere to be found. According to Shane, "You'd think that drivin' an Escort would disqualify you from bein' carjacked." They're waiting for the CSIs, who are tied up at a knife fight.
Shane offers Vic a cigarette, but the big man is trying to quit. Shane predicts that'll last a week. Gilroy arrives and seems a bit startled about a fatal carjacking at 2 PM. Vic shrugs that it's business as usual in Farmington. Gilroy tells Vic he's having a hard time convincing the chief that Vic is the man to run the new Strike Team. Vic responds with Bobby Singer's catchphrase:
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Vic knows he's perfect for the job; he knows the territory and the players. The chief is worried about Vic's constant run-ins with his former superior, Plotkin. "Plotkin was an asshole," says Vic, "I'm never gonna get another shot?" "Not this one," says Gilroy. Everyone playing along at home knows that doesn't wind up being true.
Vic ducks under the crime scene tape and follows Gilroy up the street, all but begging him to talk to the chief again. He knows there are people who owe Gilroy favors. All Vic wants is to be in charge of the Strike Team and bring Shane along. Gilroy says Shane's record is spotty too. Vic knows Shane is a good cop; Gilroy can hire whoever he likes to fill the other spots. Gilroy only has one marker left with the chief; Vic would have to deliver quick results or they're both fired.
At home, Corinne is impressed by the idea of Vic commanding his own anti-drug/anti-gang task force. Vic is worried he'll blow it. "You won't," Corinne reassures him. Vic tells her it'll involve a lot of overtime; he won't see the kids as much. "We'll manage. You have to do this," Corinne insists. Doesn't take her long to change that tune.
The Barn is not quite the Barn yet. All the desks are bare. Enter Captain Edgar-veda with his briefcase. Two guys are taking down a large wall-mounted crucifix; two more are building the cage. Edgar-veda opens his office windows and surveys his new domain. He sees Vic downstairs and asks how he can help.
Vic introduces himself and says he's running the Strike Team. "We're still interviewing for that position," Edgar-veda informs him. Vic hopes not; Gilroy told him he's starting tomorrow. He was hoping to settle in early and meet the rest of the guys. Edgar-veda comes downstairs to introduce himself and says he read Vic's file. He doesn't sound impressed, but thinks they both have a chance to do something special.
Edgar-veda rallies his troops for a standard speech about teamwork in front of a news crew. Everyone has a job to do that's equally important. He thanks Gilroy for everyone's new jobs. There's scattered, polite applause. Gilroy makes a speech of his own. This is a trial unit that the public thinks is a waste of time and taxpayer money; Gilroy doesn't believe that. Well, no shit, it was your idea. He wants everyone to go prove the haters wrong. More applause and everyone heads to their posts.
Gilroy whispers something in Vic's ear. Vic spots Danny and asks, "Who sucked you into this hellhole?" She jokes that she can't turn down long hours and low pay. She asks if Julien is ready. "Yes, ma'am," he replies. She tells him not to call her that, so Julien says, "Yes, sir." She tells him to just call her Danny.
What is now the clubhouse is currently crammed with old furniture, a rack of votive candles (the Barn was most certainly a Catholic church), and a piano. There's even a baptismal font in a corner. Vic knows Ronnie and Lem aren't familiar with Farmington, so he wants them to hit the streets and get themselves some CI's: "find out who's aiding, who's mating." "Knowledge is power," adds Shane.
Lem eagerly asks when they can get started. Vic already has a list of "neighborhood dickheads" so they can make house calls. "This is gonna rock, man! Thanks for letting me join the band," smiles Lemming. Vic says that Shane vouched for him and "in spite of that, I figured, what the hell?"
Ronnie mutters that could turn out to be a mistake. Lem comes right back with "Who let the guy with the mustache in?" Everyone else on the team is clean-shaven. Ronnie says, "Ladies love the 'stache." Vic knows that trust won't happen overnight, but they'll need it where they're going.
Edgar-veda opens the door right into Vic's back. He has the Strike Team's first case: a gang-related drive-by (Is there any other kind?) with one fatality. At the scene, the body is underneath a large religious mural. Their male witness tells Vic that Wanda is dead and Jolene got taken to the hospital in an ambulance. "Looks like you got off easy," Shane remarks. The guy, of course, didn't see who did it. He tells them his name is Ringo.
"Your parents didn't like ya enough to name ya after John or Paul?" asks Shane. Ouch. Vic knows Ringo, a small-time pimp. Ringo was just walking with "his girls" when the shooting happened. He hasn't pissed anyone off enough to do that. Vic notices a detailed mural across the street, depicting someone being eaten by a lion. Ringo won't say whose tag it is. Vic tells Shane to see what he can "drum out" of Ringo.
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In the meantime, Vic will talk to one of Ringo's girls that he knows.
"The classroom is where you learn the rules, but 70% of this job is instinct," Danny tells Julien. At a nearby food truck, the owner tries to give Danny and Julien free breakfast. The rookie insists on paying; taking gratuities is against the rules. They hear glass breaking across the street. A naked woman falls out of a first floor window. She races toward Danny and Julien, yelling in Spanish. Said naked woman is also covered in blood. She grabs Danny and hugs her tight, clearly afraid of something (or more likely, someone).
Connie, relatively sober and with Brian on her hip, lets Vic into her yard. The kid lives with her mom most of the time, but Connie doesn't use when she's watching the baby. Vic tells her one of her coworkers was killed. Connie already knows about Wanda. She thinks it could've been a local drug dealer named Lionel. That would certainly explain the graffiti. Ringo didn't want to pay a tax for his hookers to do business in the neighborhood.
Vic warns Connie to stay away from Ringo the walking target. She hears a car pull up outside. Her mom is home, meaning it's time for Connie to go to "work."
A bunch of local dealers are lined up against a wall being frisked by Lem and Shane. Vic asks, "If Lionel's the lion, then what does that make you? His wives or his cubs?" I'm sure they'd prefer to be the latter.
One of the suspects tells Lem to stop feeling him up and calls him a fag. Lem calls him a fag right back. The suspect spits in Lem's face, so Lem kicks him in the balls from behind. Not only does he have a temper, he fights dirty. Now I understand why Shane vouched for him. Lem gets some more licks in before Vic pulls him off the guy.
"Hey, he's the asshole who started it!" Lem shouts. Vic reminds him that there are a dozen neighbors watching this. One mistake can get them all in a lot of trouble. But when the time is right, the guy will get taken care of. Does he understand?
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Vic wants all the dealers brought back to the Barn. The suspect Lem kicked is still on the ground. "Get your ass up!" Lem orders.
Dutch comes in, awkwardly balancing a large plastic box. He goes to shake Edgar-veda's hand. The captain responds by snapping, "You're 2 hours late." Dutch explains that at his old precinct, the detectives come in at 9 AM. Well, here in Farmington, shifts start at 7: "You're lucky there's a desk left." Dutch kind of protests about his location between the kitchen and women's bathroom. Isn't there anyplace else? "There was at 7:00," Edgar-veda says.
The captain tells Dutch that a rape victim led Detectives Gannon and Wyms to the abandoned building where she was held. I know Wyms is Claudette, but not sure we've ever seen Gannon. It'd be nice if Dutch went down there and helped out.
"Tom Gannon?" Dutch asks excitedly. He doesn't know the guy personally, but he solved the case of the Beachwood Canyon Slasher. He hears Gannon is great. "He's punctual." Edgar-veda says pointedly. Dutch actually pouts.
At the vacant building, Claudette exposits that the rape victim pulled the ropes off herself and punched out the window with her bare hands. Gannon has found a collection of bras in the other room; this victim may not be the first. Dutch agrees that a vacant building on a quiet street is the perfect place for a serial rapist.
Dutch introduces himself to the other detectives, asking if Claudette's been on the force long because he hasn't heard of her. He likes to keep track of big cases. Gannon has hit a few snags concerning the victim; she's a Salvadoran illegal who doesn't speak English and won't give her name.
The victim was kidnapped by 3 guys. A ransom call was made; the men threatened to rape her if they didn't get the money. When they called back later, her family didn't have the cash. Panning the room, we see a bare mattress, torn clothes, and an abandoned pair of platform sandals. After the assault, the kidnappers tied her up and left.
"First one to roll on Lionel gets a free pass," Vic announces to the suspects in the cage. Nobody speaks up. "You don't think I'm gonna get Lionel with or without you?" Vic asks. He'll be back in an hour.
Dutch doesn't think they're looking for a typical rapist. There is such a thing? Oh, by that he means most rapists aren't motivated by money. Their suspects will probably have rap sheets for other violent crimes. Gannon doesn't seem to be paying attention. When he speaks, it's just to say that he honestly think their desk is in the best possible place.
Claudette has learned this isn't an isolated incident; a lot of illegals have been kidnapped in Farmington, but their families don't report it. They just pay the ransom. Then how do the cops know these people were even kidnapped? Some people recommended that Claudette talk to Jesus Latigo. Gannon has something better: a witness who saw 3 guys drive away from the building got a partial license plate.
Dutch asks Gannon about the Beachwood case. What made him suspect the stepbrother? Gannon shrugs that something didn't seem right; the stepsister was cut up and the guy wasn't worried about his mom's safety or that of his two blood sisters.
Dutch, trying way too hard to sound casual, wants to know who's partnered with who. "Captain's still workin' on it," says Gannon. Dutch suggests they work together. Gannon places a Post-It note on the fridge that reads "NOT YOURS? DON'T EAT IT." I wonder if somebody's already had a run-in with Lem. "Maybe it'll end up like that," Gannon says in a flat tone.
Claudette's informant (?) Jesus was sickened when he heard what happened to Annabelle; he's a family friend. Claudette wants Annabelle's family to come in and talk about the ransom call. Jesus says they won't: "My clients are illegals. You know how it is." Claudette asks if Jesus is a lawyer. Jesus says no.
"Everybody I talked to said that you're the man to see about dealing with kidnappers," says Claudette, "What does that mean?" Jesus pulls a Hagrid.
"Oh, Jesus Christ," Lem mutters as he hefts a large crucifix off the clubhouse wall. Heh. "Goddamn it, I mean..." he goes on.
Gannon enters, saying, "I was told this is the ladies' room." He and Vic appear to be old friends. Gannon was brought down to "bring some credibility to this old barn." Vic likes the sound of the name. Around them, the younger guys are moving boxes and the votive stand. Gannon heard Vic is running the Strike Team and asks if he's talked to Joe Clark recently. Vic heard Joe is enjoying retirement. He introduces Gannon to the rest of the team.
Vic asks what case Gannon is working on. Gannon's explanation is rather insensitive: "Some illegal got gangbanged." The victim is more worried about her parents' immigration status than finding her attackers. Lem asks who Gannon is working with. "That black girl and some Dutch guy," says Gannon. Vic doesn't know who he's talking about. "Come take a look," Gannon invites, opening the clubhouse door and pointing Dutch out.
Gannon's almost snickering as he says, "I keep hiding his chair on him. Every house needs a rube." He got some dirt from Sunset, Dutch's old precinct. Mrs. Dutch was an alcoholic, so Dutch put her in AA for help and Mrs. Dutch got "schtupped by her sponsor." The Strike Team laughs. That's not even the icing on the cake: "She finally tells him, not only is she leaving him, she's having this other guy's kid." Somebody call Jerry Springer.
Vic thinks maybe they should lay off Dutch, at least for a while. "Nah," says Gannon, triggering another round of laughter. He also heard Dutch is a windbag who needs to come down a few pegs. Well, he isn't wrong. Claudette walks in. "Doesn't anyone knock?" asks Vic, even though Gannon didn't.
Claudette has someone in interrogation. "Who?" asks Gannon. She suggests he come upstairs and find out. Gannon promises he'll be right there. To the Strike Team, he adds, "All business. She'll never last around here." Upstairs, Gannon decides there's not enough air in the room for all 3 detectives and tells Dutch to hang back.
Vic and Shane find the cage is several prisoners short. Vic asks where their suspects went. The now-retired Sergeant Nathan replies that Edgar-veda released them. Vic chases the captain down to ask why. Edgar-veda replies that their paperwork was a mess with no probable cause. I'm waiting for him to mention the fact that Lem Hulked out.
Vic wasn't trying to get the guys convicted of anything, just make them nervous. Edgar-veda says the holding cell is reserved for legitimate arrests. Vic is in the middle of investigating a murder; now his only leads and suspects are in the wind. Edgar-veda reminds him, "Commanding the Strike Team is a prized position. We had a lot of candidates just as qualified as you, if not more." He advises Vic to get his act together.
In the office, Gilroy asks how Edgar-veda's first day is going. The captain still has bugs to work out. And by bugs, I'm sure he means Vic Mackey. Gilroy senses what Edgar-veda is getting at and promises Vic will get results. Edgar-veda still wants to have a backup plan: Fill the last Strike Team opening with someone who can take over if Vic doesn't do well. Gilroy tells him to give Vic a chance.
Edgar-veda has made some phone calls and found out a lot of people won't work with Vic. They can do better than him. Gilroy needs his experiment to succeed, really, they both do. He agrees to let the captain draw up a list of candidates just in case. Edgar-veda wants to handpick the person. Gilroy wants several people run through his office; he makes all personnel decisions for the precinct.
Gilroy goes downstairs to the clubhouse, where Vic is alone at a table they found somewhere. He tells Vic there's "no time for a learning curve." Dealing with Edgar-veda is Gilroy's penance for being able to start the Strike Team. He asks about the drive-by. Vic thinks Lionel is behind it. "Then make your case and put the Strike Team on the map," says Gilroy. Vic thinks they may need more time. Gilroy tells him the chief has no patience; neither does he.
Claudette has heard Jesus is a ransom broker. Jesus describes kidnapping as heinous but lucrative, especially in Latin America. He assures them he has nothing to do with the actual kidnappings; he's just a kind soul who helps people get their loved ones back safely. Jesus charges commission. He brags that he has a 100% success rate because he knows how to negotiate.
Jesus explains that Mexicans see Salvadorians as lower class and target them. Jesus himself is Honduran. He swears he's never met the kidnappers; they just arrange a drop-off point by paging him to a pay phone. Gannon instructs Jesus to tell the police next time he gets paged. Jesus owes his success to his ability to build rapport with kidnappers and victims' families; if he gives up the kidnappers, nobody will work with him again.
Claudette points out that a few less brokers might make the kidnappings stop or at least be less frequent. Jesus knows kidnappings will continue. Families will hire "brokers who don't care, who'll take the money and keep it." Then the victims will be killed. Jesus cares enough to get people back alive.
Shane suggests they wait a few weeks for one of Lionel's guys to commit another felony. Hell, they might not have to even wait that long. Vic says they don't have that kinda time. Ronnie and Lem found out that both narcotics and vice have been trying to make a case against Lionel, but they hit a dead end. Vic sees Gilroy and Edgar-veda scrutinizing him through the open clubhouse door.
Vic says they have to arrest Lionel pronto. Lem thinks that if they hit him long and hard enough, Lionel will get the message. "You the expert on makin' guys long and hard?" Shane asks dryly. Vic tells him this isn't funny. It's their first day on the job and there's already talk of shutting them down. Does anyone feel like going back to their last assignment? Lem looks nervous at the idea, which makes me wonder where exactly he'd been working.
Vic gets up and closes the clubhouse door. He thinks they need a shortcut, like making one of Lionel's guys produce evidence. Shane agrees that would speed things up. "Produce, as in plant?" Lem asks slowly.
"We all know that this guy's an asshole in the first degree," says Vic, "...This isn't the first body he's responsible for." Lem is still unsure. Vic points out that a high-profile bust will make the team look good to the bosses; the bad guys will consider them a force to be reckoned with. He promises that once they rack up a few W's, they'll go back to doing things by the book.
"We need this," Vic insists, "Just this once."
Cut to our old friend Rondell crammed in the backseat of a car with Ronnie and Shane. Rondell asks where they're going: "Ain't no police station this way." "Yeah, well, we a mobile unit," Vic responds in his best ghetto accent. Shane asks why Rondell is in a hurry to go to jail. Rondell knows he won't do time for 3 joints. "Your record, I wouldn't be too sure," says Lem.
Vic says Rondell is gonna help them get Lionel. "Are you on the pipe?" asks Rondell. Vic screeches to a stop in front of a mural depicting a snake eating a rat with the familiar motto STRIKE TEAM WAS HERE. "We had our own tagger do some work," says Shane. Rondell sasses that the painting doesn't mean anything. Shane asks if he really wants to get hauled in for possession.
"You guys may be the cops, but Lionel's the law around here," says Rondell. It'll take a lot more than 4 guys to change people's minds. Next we see of Rondell, Vic is shoving him in the cage. Shane doesn't think he'll cooperate. Vic is trying to think of another plan.
"You know what? Screw Rondell. We'll just try another homie," says Lem, flopping down on the team's hideous new couch. Shane thinks Lionel is too smart for them to stake out; the captain will just cut him loose again if they bring him in for petty crime. Ronnie suggests they get a search warrant, go to Lionel's, and plant the evidence. Vic knows Lionel will scream set-up. They need someone besides the 4 of them to find the evidence.
Lem suggests planting it in Lionel's car. Vic, pushing a coat rack back and forth like a pendulum, thinks it'd be better to hit his house when it's empty. Problem is, according to Ronnie, Lionel's girls come and go (pardon the pun) at all hours.
Claudette tells Jesus they don't need his help anymore; they've confiscated his pager. Jesus says the kidnappers use code and it won't make sense without him. Dutch tried to talking to Annabelle again, but she still wouldn't say anything. Jesus claims his ransom brokering is a valuable community service. He works pro bono (minus that commission he mentioned earlier). Claudette tells him to drop the "champion of the people" crap.
Danny and Julien are at a supermarket, where a male worker with cuts on his face is holding an ice pack to his head. The man's wife says a customer named Mayfield tried to walk out the door with a cart full of groceries and attacked her husband with a bag of ice when he tried to stop the theft. Hubby says Mayfield isn't a bad guy; he's just had it rough being unemployed for a while. He doesn't want to press charges and will settle for the money or the groceries.
Danny says they have no choice but to arrest him. Any kind of weapon makes the attack armed robbery, which is a felony. "Then go do it," snaps Wifey, "He took perishables."
Danny and Julien go to Mayfield's apartment. The rookie tells Mayfield to take his hands out of his pockets and put them behind his head. "I told him I'd pay him," says Mayfield before asking if the store owner is okay. He didn't mean to hit him that hard. Julien asks if Mayfield is aware of programs that can help him pay for groceries.
Mayfield explains that he gets food stamps, but they were stolen. Apparently the "punk gangster" in Apartment 29 keeps breaking into mailboxes and taking everybody's food stamps. It takes days to get more: "Meanwhile, my family's starvin'. What am I supposed to do?" "Not commit a felony," suggests Danny.
Vic gives Connie a false-bottom purse with a microphone inside. She asks interestedly if there's coke in the bag too. Sort of; it's crack, which carries a stiffer sentence. He wants her to tell Lionel that she'll pay a street tax to stay safe while hooking. Connie should hide the crack under his bathroom sink or someplace. Vic will be lucky if Connie doesn't smoke all the crack herself.
Vic can hear her on the microphone. If it fails, he and Shane will come running. If Connie feels threatened before that, all she has to do is say "gringo."
Danny and Julien pay a visit to a guy named Happy.
Happy's place is crammed with groceries. Must be the infamous Apartment 29. Danny asks if he's been stealing food stamps. "I don't need no ghetto coupons," he replies, which is such a Happy Lowman thing to say. Danny knows he's been arrested for theft 3 times and has no job. Julien asks him to return the food stamps. Looks to me like he probably spent them all.
"I'm missing the game," Happy says, starting to close the door. Danny puts her hand up to block it. She and Julien are going to step away for exactly 2 minutes. If the rest of the food stamps (assuming there are any) aren't sitting on the porch when they get back, they're calling in the detectives.
At the edge of a parking lot carnival, Vic and Shane listen to Connie telling Lionel that she doesn't want to end up shot like Wanda. Lionel agrees to protect her, but first he wants to, uh, sample Connie's wares. She says she has to run to the bathroom first to put in her diaphragm. Do they still make those? "No need, baby girl, I ain't hittin' that raw," says Lionel. Vic and Shane watch as a drunk clown pukes all over the street.
Claudette thinks that Jesus will talk if they talk to him the right way. Gannon disagrees; he believes his witness is their best bet. He has 30 years of experience saying the broker will crack if he misses even one home-cooked meal. Edgar-veda tells Claudette to defer to Gannon. Dutch asks Claudette how she'd go after the broker, strictly hypothetically. Gannon pursuing one lead doesn't mean they can't pursue another.
Danny and Julien return to Happy's porch and find the food stamps in a paper bag. "They teach you that in the classroom?" she asks the rookie.
Over the wire, Vic and Shane hear Connie moaning sexually. It sounds like Lionel is smacking her around. Vic wants to rush to her aid. Shane grabs his arm, reminding him that Connie didn't say their code word: "gringo." They don't have a warrant and this is their only chance at getting Lionel. Connie screams again, so Vic gets out of the car.
Shane follows him, repeating that Connie does this for a living every night. She'll be fine. When Connie emerges, the carnies are setting up that classic human centrifuge: the Berry-Go-Round.
Connie's face is bruised and her bottom lip is split. That's all Vic needs to see. Shane practically has to take him to the ground. Connie reports that she put the drugs under the bathroom sink, just like they told her to. She hugs Vic, swearing she's fine. By the way, she needs a fix before he takes her home.
The ill-fated Terry Crowley compliments Edgar-veda on his new office. Deputy Chief Gilroy "stocked the pond with his own fish," so the captain wants someone he can trust around. Terry wants to know how this will be different than the time Edgar-veda tried to recruit him for a narcotics task force in the Valley. Edgar-veda promises it will be: "You'll say yes." Terry is happy where he is, on the robbery squad.
Edgar-veda promises better pay, plus more fun and excitement. Vic has been put in command of the Strike Team. There's a spot for Terry. If Vic turns out to be a bad fit, Terry will take over. Terry doesn't look sold.
The Strike Team sits down with Rondell in the clubhouse. Lionel is going down. The only thing that remains to be seen is if Rondell goes down with him. They have it on good authority that Lionel has drugs in his house. Rondell argues that Lionel never keeps his supply there. Is Rondell sure he's not that sloppy himself?
Next stop, the captain's office. Vic says they busted Rondell for possession with intent and he's willing to give up his boss Lionel in exchange for a deal. They're sure Lionel was behind the drive-by. Rondell just delivered some drugs to Lionel's house, so they have to move fast. Edgar-veda tells Shane to take Rondell's statement while he calls for a warrant.
Of course, instead of picking up the phone, he talks to Vic. Edgar-veda finds it curious that Rondell is turning on his boss to beat a misdemeanor marijuana charge (yes, he uses the Spanish pronunciation). Vic can't take all the credit; he's not sure Rondell knows the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor. Edgar-veda wants to tag along on the bust. Vic doesn't have a problem with that.
Claudette comes in and tells Jesus his pager just went off, so they don't have much time. Jesus is bound by tradition to stay silent. "Does this tradition always include multiple rapes?" asks Dutch. Jesus says no. Claudette asks what happens if the kidnappers think the family still owes? They could go after the woman again. How is what the kidnappers are doing honorable?
If Jesus helps them, it would show everyone it's not just brokers who have to follow the rules. Surely, the Hispanic community would see the honor in that.
"Who the hell told you I got drugs?" asks Lionel as the police toss his place. Vic says it's confidential. Lionel has the right to face his accuser. Edgar-veda suggests mentioning that at trial. Shane knocks several stacks of CDs and videos off a shelf. Julien comes out of the bathroom with drugs in hand. Vic tells Danny that Julien is a natural. "Taught him everything he knows," she brags.
Lionel protests that the drugs aren't his; he's being set up. While that actually is true, he can't prove it. Lem enters with two Tec 9s in hand, the same type of gun used in the drive-by. Lionel didn't shoot nobody. They'll just see what the ballistics lab has to say about that. When the captain leaves, Vic grins triumphantly.
Jesus makes a phone call that I get nothing out of; my Spanish is very very limited. When he hangs up, he announces he has 10 minutes to get to the drop-off point. The Strike Team comes in to drop their prisoners in the cage. Edgar-veda praises Vic's hard work; the chief will want to have a press conference. The captain will do most of the talking, but Vic still needs to be there. Claudette asks Vic to back her and Dutch up at the ransom drop.
Jesus leaves a duffel bag in an alley next to a Dumpster and drives away. As soon as the kidnappers pick up the bag, the police converge. One of them decides to run from Vic, not a smart move. He almost gets away by crawling under a fence, but Vic drags him back by the leg. When Vic walks him back to the police cars, we see the kidnapper's shirt is shredded and he has road rash on his chest. Claudette and Dutch eye Vic.
Gannon's witness is having no luck paging through mug books. When the kidnappers are brought into the cage, she looks up and says, "That's them." Gannon isn't paying attention and asks her to point out their pictures. She jabs her pinky toward the cage.
"Hey, what happened?" Gannon asks Claudette and Dutch. She shrugs that Jesus had a rapid change of heart; there wasn't time to let him know. Claudette tells the captain that Jesus led them to the kidnappers. For whatever reason, Edgar-veda's "well done" seems directed at Gannon. Claudette quietly tells Dutch that taking credit is overrated, something he would do well to keep in mind (which we all know he doesn't).
Gilroy brags to Edgar-veda that he knew Vic would deliver; however, twice in one day is unexpected. The captain thinks the Strike Team works well together. He's also sure the bloodied suspect's lawyer will have questions for Vic. "I told him to stop. Betcha next time he listens," Vic replies coolly. Gilroy thinks they should all be celebrating. Barbecue at Vic's place?
Gannon sees the men's room being cordoned off with crime scene tape and asks what he's supposed to do now. A plumber promised now-retired Sergeant Nathan that he'd stop by the Barn tomorrow. Referring to the ladies' room, Sergeant Nathan adds, "Try not to destroy that one too."
Dutch applauds Claudette's instincts and wonders why he hasn't heard of her. He suggests they partner up on a permanent basis. Claudette wouldn't mind that. Downstairs, Vic swipes Dutch's chair and hides it in the clubhouse.
Shane asks if Vic wants to grab a beer with him, Lem, and Ronnie. Vic will be there after he takes care of something. They reflect on how it was a little too easy to set up Lionel.
Julien counsels the man whose food stamps were stolen. His church does monthly food drives and he can have his pastor see if anyone's hiring. He advises, "Next time, find some help before you do something stupid." Danny asks the rookie what he's doing; he can't get emotionally involved with the people he arrests. If that's what he wants, he should become a social worker.
Danny follows her partner into the locker room. She reminds him that growing up in Farmington is different than trying to survive on its streets as a police officer. Julien wants to try his own approach to the job. Their conversation comes to a halt when Lem walks out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel.
Even though Danny is there, he doesn't dive into a locker. He just says casually, "I didn't know we were coed." "Welcome to the experiment," Danny answers, adding she'll be right out. She tells Julien he did a good job. Once she's gone, Lem removes his towel and stands in front of his locker, taking his sweet time getting dressed. You can immediately see Julien is trying (and failing) to look uninterested in the, uh, scenery.
What appears to be the next morning, Vic brings Terry into the Barn. He's sure the kid will like it here. "The john's still broke?" Vic gripes at Sergeant Nathan. Chill, it's only been overnight. Terry says he's ready for anything. The older officer tells him the Strike Team already has a fearsome reputation.
Vic takes Terry into the clubhouse and closes the door. Crudely written in Sharpie are the words "STRIKE TEAM ONLY! (THIS MEANS YOU, ASSHOLE)". We hear Vic introducing Terry to the team and Shane saying, "We love you pretty boys from robbery." End of episode.
"Tom Gannon?" Dutch asks excitedly. He doesn't know the guy personally, but he solved the case of the Beachwood Canyon Slasher. He hears Gannon is great. "He's punctual." Edgar-veda says pointedly. Dutch actually pouts.
At the vacant building, Claudette exposits that the rape victim pulled the ropes off herself and punched out the window with her bare hands. Gannon has found a collection of bras in the other room; this victim may not be the first. Dutch agrees that a vacant building on a quiet street is the perfect place for a serial rapist.
Dutch introduces himself to the other detectives, asking if Claudette's been on the force long because he hasn't heard of her. He likes to keep track of big cases. Gannon has hit a few snags concerning the victim; she's a Salvadoran illegal who doesn't speak English and won't give her name.
The victim was kidnapped by 3 guys. A ransom call was made; the men threatened to rape her if they didn't get the money. When they called back later, her family didn't have the cash. Panning the room, we see a bare mattress, torn clothes, and an abandoned pair of platform sandals. After the assault, the kidnappers tied her up and left.
"First one to roll on Lionel gets a free pass," Vic announces to the suspects in the cage. Nobody speaks up. "You don't think I'm gonna get Lionel with or without you?" Vic asks. He'll be back in an hour.
Dutch doesn't think they're looking for a typical rapist. There is such a thing? Oh, by that he means most rapists aren't motivated by money. Their suspects will probably have rap sheets for other violent crimes. Gannon doesn't seem to be paying attention. When he speaks, it's just to say that he honestly think their desk is in the best possible place.
Claudette has learned this isn't an isolated incident; a lot of illegals have been kidnapped in Farmington, but their families don't report it. They just pay the ransom. Then how do the cops know these people were even kidnapped? Some people recommended that Claudette talk to Jesus Latigo. Gannon has something better: a witness who saw 3 guys drive away from the building got a partial license plate.
Dutch asks Gannon about the Beachwood case. What made him suspect the stepbrother? Gannon shrugs that something didn't seem right; the stepsister was cut up and the guy wasn't worried about his mom's safety or that of his two blood sisters.
Dutch, trying way too hard to sound casual, wants to know who's partnered with who. "Captain's still workin' on it," says Gannon. Dutch suggests they work together. Gannon places a Post-It note on the fridge that reads "NOT YOURS? DON'T EAT IT." I wonder if somebody's already had a run-in with Lem. "Maybe it'll end up like that," Gannon says in a flat tone.
Claudette's informant (?) Jesus was sickened when he heard what happened to Annabelle; he's a family friend. Claudette wants Annabelle's family to come in and talk about the ransom call. Jesus says they won't: "My clients are illegals. You know how it is." Claudette asks if Jesus is a lawyer. Jesus says no.
"Everybody I talked to said that you're the man to see about dealing with kidnappers," says Claudette, "What does that mean?" Jesus pulls a Hagrid.
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Vic asks what case Gannon is working on. Gannon's explanation is rather insensitive: "Some illegal got gangbanged." The victim is more worried about her parents' immigration status than finding her attackers. Lem asks who Gannon is working with. "That black girl and some Dutch guy," says Gannon. Vic doesn't know who he's talking about. "Come take a look," Gannon invites, opening the clubhouse door and pointing Dutch out.
Gannon's almost snickering as he says, "I keep hiding his chair on him. Every house needs a rube." He got some dirt from Sunset, Dutch's old precinct. Mrs. Dutch was an alcoholic, so Dutch put her in AA for help and Mrs. Dutch got "schtupped by her sponsor." The Strike Team laughs. That's not even the icing on the cake: "She finally tells him, not only is she leaving him, she's having this other guy's kid." Somebody call Jerry Springer.
Vic thinks maybe they should lay off Dutch, at least for a while. "Nah," says Gannon, triggering another round of laughter. He also heard Dutch is a windbag who needs to come down a few pegs. Well, he isn't wrong. Claudette walks in. "Doesn't anyone knock?" asks Vic, even though Gannon didn't.
Claudette has someone in interrogation. "Who?" asks Gannon. She suggests he come upstairs and find out. Gannon promises he'll be right there. To the Strike Team, he adds, "All business. She'll never last around here." Upstairs, Gannon decides there's not enough air in the room for all 3 detectives and tells Dutch to hang back.
Vic and Shane find the cage is several prisoners short. Vic asks where their suspects went. The now-retired Sergeant Nathan replies that Edgar-veda released them. Vic chases the captain down to ask why. Edgar-veda replies that their paperwork was a mess with no probable cause. I'm waiting for him to mention the fact that Lem Hulked out.
Vic wasn't trying to get the guys convicted of anything, just make them nervous. Edgar-veda says the holding cell is reserved for legitimate arrests. Vic is in the middle of investigating a murder; now his only leads and suspects are in the wind. Edgar-veda reminds him, "Commanding the Strike Team is a prized position. We had a lot of candidates just as qualified as you, if not more." He advises Vic to get his act together.
In the office, Gilroy asks how Edgar-veda's first day is going. The captain still has bugs to work out. And by bugs, I'm sure he means Vic Mackey. Gilroy senses what Edgar-veda is getting at and promises Vic will get results. Edgar-veda still wants to have a backup plan: Fill the last Strike Team opening with someone who can take over if Vic doesn't do well. Gilroy tells him to give Vic a chance.
Edgar-veda has made some phone calls and found out a lot of people won't work with Vic. They can do better than him. Gilroy needs his experiment to succeed, really, they both do. He agrees to let the captain draw up a list of candidates just in case. Edgar-veda wants to handpick the person. Gilroy wants several people run through his office; he makes all personnel decisions for the precinct.
Gilroy goes downstairs to the clubhouse, where Vic is alone at a table they found somewhere. He tells Vic there's "no time for a learning curve." Dealing with Edgar-veda is Gilroy's penance for being able to start the Strike Team. He asks about the drive-by. Vic thinks Lionel is behind it. "Then make your case and put the Strike Team on the map," says Gilroy. Vic thinks they may need more time. Gilroy tells him the chief has no patience; neither does he.
Claudette has heard Jesus is a ransom broker. Jesus describes kidnapping as heinous but lucrative, especially in Latin America. He assures them he has nothing to do with the actual kidnappings; he's just a kind soul who helps people get their loved ones back safely. Jesus charges commission. He brags that he has a 100% success rate because he knows how to negotiate.
Jesus explains that Mexicans see Salvadorians as lower class and target them. Jesus himself is Honduran. He swears he's never met the kidnappers; they just arrange a drop-off point by paging him to a pay phone. Gannon instructs Jesus to tell the police next time he gets paged. Jesus owes his success to his ability to build rapport with kidnappers and victims' families; if he gives up the kidnappers, nobody will work with him again.
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Shane suggests they wait a few weeks for one of Lionel's guys to commit another felony. Hell, they might not have to even wait that long. Vic says they don't have that kinda time. Ronnie and Lem found out that both narcotics and vice have been trying to make a case against Lionel, but they hit a dead end. Vic sees Gilroy and Edgar-veda scrutinizing him through the open clubhouse door.
Vic says they have to arrest Lionel pronto. Lem thinks that if they hit him long and hard enough, Lionel will get the message. "You the expert on makin' guys long and hard?" Shane asks dryly. Vic tells him this isn't funny. It's their first day on the job and there's already talk of shutting them down. Does anyone feel like going back to their last assignment? Lem looks nervous at the idea, which makes me wonder where exactly he'd been working.
Vic gets up and closes the clubhouse door. He thinks they need a shortcut, like making one of Lionel's guys produce evidence. Shane agrees that would speed things up. "Produce, as in plant?" Lem asks slowly.
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Cut to our old friend Rondell crammed in the backseat of a car with Ronnie and Shane. Rondell asks where they're going: "Ain't no police station this way." "Yeah, well, we a mobile unit," Vic responds in his best ghetto accent. Shane asks why Rondell is in a hurry to go to jail. Rondell knows he won't do time for 3 joints. "Your record, I wouldn't be too sure," says Lem.
Vic says Rondell is gonna help them get Lionel. "Are you on the pipe?" asks Rondell. Vic screeches to a stop in front of a mural depicting a snake eating a rat with the familiar motto STRIKE TEAM WAS HERE. "We had our own tagger do some work," says Shane. Rondell sasses that the painting doesn't mean anything. Shane asks if he really wants to get hauled in for possession.
"You guys may be the cops, but Lionel's the law around here," says Rondell. It'll take a lot more than 4 guys to change people's minds. Next we see of Rondell, Vic is shoving him in the cage. Shane doesn't think he'll cooperate. Vic is trying to think of another plan.
"You know what? Screw Rondell. We'll just try another homie," says Lem, flopping down on the team's hideous new couch. Shane thinks Lionel is too smart for them to stake out; the captain will just cut him loose again if they bring him in for petty crime. Ronnie suggests they get a search warrant, go to Lionel's, and plant the evidence. Vic knows Lionel will scream set-up. They need someone besides the 4 of them to find the evidence.
Lem suggests planting it in Lionel's car. Vic, pushing a coat rack back and forth like a pendulum, thinks it'd be better to hit his house when it's empty. Problem is, according to Ronnie, Lionel's girls come and go (pardon the pun) at all hours.
Claudette tells Jesus they don't need his help anymore; they've confiscated his pager. Jesus says the kidnappers use code and it won't make sense without him. Dutch tried to talking to Annabelle again, but she still wouldn't say anything. Jesus claims his ransom brokering is a valuable community service. He works pro bono (minus that commission he mentioned earlier). Claudette tells him to drop the "champion of the people" crap.
Danny and Julien are at a supermarket, where a male worker with cuts on his face is holding an ice pack to his head. The man's wife says a customer named Mayfield tried to walk out the door with a cart full of groceries and attacked her husband with a bag of ice when he tried to stop the theft. Hubby says Mayfield isn't a bad guy; he's just had it rough being unemployed for a while. He doesn't want to press charges and will settle for the money or the groceries.
Danny says they have no choice but to arrest him. Any kind of weapon makes the attack armed robbery, which is a felony. "Then go do it," snaps Wifey, "He took perishables."
Danny and Julien go to Mayfield's apartment. The rookie tells Mayfield to take his hands out of his pockets and put them behind his head. "I told him I'd pay him," says Mayfield before asking if the store owner is okay. He didn't mean to hit him that hard. Julien asks if Mayfield is aware of programs that can help him pay for groceries.
Mayfield explains that he gets food stamps, but they were stolen. Apparently the "punk gangster" in Apartment 29 keeps breaking into mailboxes and taking everybody's food stamps. It takes days to get more: "Meanwhile, my family's starvin'. What am I supposed to do?" "Not commit a felony," suggests Danny.
Vic gives Connie a false-bottom purse with a microphone inside. She asks interestedly if there's coke in the bag too. Sort of; it's crack, which carries a stiffer sentence. He wants her to tell Lionel that she'll pay a street tax to stay safe while hooking. Connie should hide the crack under his bathroom sink or someplace. Vic will be lucky if Connie doesn't smoke all the crack herself.
Vic can hear her on the microphone. If it fails, he and Shane will come running. If Connie feels threatened before that, all she has to do is say "gringo."
Danny and Julien pay a visit to a guy named Happy.
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| Unfortunately, not this Happy. (Photo credit) |
"I'm missing the game," Happy says, starting to close the door. Danny puts her hand up to block it. She and Julien are going to step away for exactly 2 minutes. If the rest of the food stamps (assuming there are any) aren't sitting on the porch when they get back, they're calling in the detectives.
At the edge of a parking lot carnival, Vic and Shane listen to Connie telling Lionel that she doesn't want to end up shot like Wanda. Lionel agrees to protect her, but first he wants to, uh, sample Connie's wares. She says she has to run to the bathroom first to put in her diaphragm. Do they still make those? "No need, baby girl, I ain't hittin' that raw," says Lionel. Vic and Shane watch as a drunk clown pukes all over the street.
Claudette thinks that Jesus will talk if they talk to him the right way. Gannon disagrees; he believes his witness is their best bet. He has 30 years of experience saying the broker will crack if he misses even one home-cooked meal. Edgar-veda tells Claudette to defer to Gannon. Dutch asks Claudette how she'd go after the broker, strictly hypothetically. Gannon pursuing one lead doesn't mean they can't pursue another.
Danny and Julien return to Happy's porch and find the food stamps in a paper bag. "They teach you that in the classroom?" she asks the rookie.
Over the wire, Vic and Shane hear Connie moaning sexually. It sounds like Lionel is smacking her around. Vic wants to rush to her aid. Shane grabs his arm, reminding him that Connie didn't say their code word: "gringo." They don't have a warrant and this is their only chance at getting Lionel. Connie screams again, so Vic gets out of the car.
Shane follows him, repeating that Connie does this for a living every night. She'll be fine. When Connie emerges, the carnies are setting up that classic human centrifuge: the Berry-Go-Round.
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| Ah, childhood memories of making my mom motion-sick. (Photo credit) |
The ill-fated Terry Crowley compliments Edgar-veda on his new office. Deputy Chief Gilroy "stocked the pond with his own fish," so the captain wants someone he can trust around. Terry wants to know how this will be different than the time Edgar-veda tried to recruit him for a narcotics task force in the Valley. Edgar-veda promises it will be: "You'll say yes." Terry is happy where he is, on the robbery squad.
Edgar-veda promises better pay, plus more fun and excitement. Vic has been put in command of the Strike Team. There's a spot for Terry. If Vic turns out to be a bad fit, Terry will take over. Terry doesn't look sold.
The Strike Team sits down with Rondell in the clubhouse. Lionel is going down. The only thing that remains to be seen is if Rondell goes down with him. They have it on good authority that Lionel has drugs in his house. Rondell argues that Lionel never keeps his supply there. Is Rondell sure he's not that sloppy himself?
Next stop, the captain's office. Vic says they busted Rondell for possession with intent and he's willing to give up his boss Lionel in exchange for a deal. They're sure Lionel was behind the drive-by. Rondell just delivered some drugs to Lionel's house, so they have to move fast. Edgar-veda tells Shane to take Rondell's statement while he calls for a warrant.
Of course, instead of picking up the phone, he talks to Vic. Edgar-veda finds it curious that Rondell is turning on his boss to beat a misdemeanor marijuana charge (yes, he uses the Spanish pronunciation). Vic can't take all the credit; he's not sure Rondell knows the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor. Edgar-veda wants to tag along on the bust. Vic doesn't have a problem with that.
Claudette comes in and tells Jesus his pager just went off, so they don't have much time. Jesus is bound by tradition to stay silent. "Does this tradition always include multiple rapes?" asks Dutch. Jesus says no. Claudette asks what happens if the kidnappers think the family still owes? They could go after the woman again. How is what the kidnappers are doing honorable?
If Jesus helps them, it would show everyone it's not just brokers who have to follow the rules. Surely, the Hispanic community would see the honor in that.
"Who the hell told you I got drugs?" asks Lionel as the police toss his place. Vic says it's confidential. Lionel has the right to face his accuser. Edgar-veda suggests mentioning that at trial. Shane knocks several stacks of CDs and videos off a shelf. Julien comes out of the bathroom with drugs in hand. Vic tells Danny that Julien is a natural. "Taught him everything he knows," she brags.
Lionel protests that the drugs aren't his; he's being set up. While that actually is true, he can't prove it. Lem enters with two Tec 9s in hand, the same type of gun used in the drive-by. Lionel didn't shoot nobody. They'll just see what the ballistics lab has to say about that. When the captain leaves, Vic grins triumphantly.
Jesus makes a phone call that I get nothing out of; my Spanish is very very limited. When he hangs up, he announces he has 10 minutes to get to the drop-off point. The Strike Team comes in to drop their prisoners in the cage. Edgar-veda praises Vic's hard work; the chief will want to have a press conference. The captain will do most of the talking, but Vic still needs to be there. Claudette asks Vic to back her and Dutch up at the ransom drop.
Jesus leaves a duffel bag in an alley next to a Dumpster and drives away. As soon as the kidnappers pick up the bag, the police converge. One of them decides to run from Vic, not a smart move. He almost gets away by crawling under a fence, but Vic drags him back by the leg. When Vic walks him back to the police cars, we see the kidnapper's shirt is shredded and he has road rash on his chest. Claudette and Dutch eye Vic.
Gannon's witness is having no luck paging through mug books. When the kidnappers are brought into the cage, she looks up and says, "That's them." Gannon isn't paying attention and asks her to point out their pictures. She jabs her pinky toward the cage.
"Hey, what happened?" Gannon asks Claudette and Dutch. She shrugs that Jesus had a rapid change of heart; there wasn't time to let him know. Claudette tells the captain that Jesus led them to the kidnappers. For whatever reason, Edgar-veda's "well done" seems directed at Gannon. Claudette quietly tells Dutch that taking credit is overrated, something he would do well to keep in mind (which we all know he doesn't).
Gilroy brags to Edgar-veda that he knew Vic would deliver; however, twice in one day is unexpected. The captain thinks the Strike Team works well together. He's also sure the bloodied suspect's lawyer will have questions for Vic. "I told him to stop. Betcha next time he listens," Vic replies coolly. Gilroy thinks they should all be celebrating. Barbecue at Vic's place?
Gannon sees the men's room being cordoned off with crime scene tape and asks what he's supposed to do now. A plumber promised now-retired Sergeant Nathan that he'd stop by the Barn tomorrow. Referring to the ladies' room, Sergeant Nathan adds, "Try not to destroy that one too."
Dutch applauds Claudette's instincts and wonders why he hasn't heard of her. He suggests they partner up on a permanent basis. Claudette wouldn't mind that. Downstairs, Vic swipes Dutch's chair and hides it in the clubhouse.
Shane asks if Vic wants to grab a beer with him, Lem, and Ronnie. Vic will be there after he takes care of something. They reflect on how it was a little too easy to set up Lionel.
Julien counsels the man whose food stamps were stolen. His church does monthly food drives and he can have his pastor see if anyone's hiring. He advises, "Next time, find some help before you do something stupid." Danny asks the rookie what he's doing; he can't get emotionally involved with the people he arrests. If that's what he wants, he should become a social worker.
Danny follows her partner into the locker room. She reminds him that growing up in Farmington is different than trying to survive on its streets as a police officer. Julien wants to try his own approach to the job. Their conversation comes to a halt when Lem walks out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel.
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| Is it suddenly a little warm in here? (Photo credit) |
What appears to be the next morning, Vic brings Terry into the Barn. He's sure the kid will like it here. "The john's still broke?" Vic gripes at Sergeant Nathan. Chill, it's only been overnight. Terry says he's ready for anything. The older officer tells him the Strike Team already has a fearsome reputation.
Vic takes Terry into the clubhouse and closes the door. Crudely written in Sharpie are the words "STRIKE TEAM ONLY! (THIS MEANS YOU, ASSHOLE)". We hear Vic introducing Terry to the team and Shane saying, "We love you pretty boys from robbery." End of episode.
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