After a particularly lackluster week, the writers of “The Shield” got back on track last night with an episode that – for all intents and purposes – set up one hell of a season finale. The cards are on the table, the bets have been placed, and now all we have to do is sit back, relax and wait to see who comes out on top.

Vic’s mission to earn a little goodwill (and behind-the-scenes help) before going in front of the appeals board next week crashed and burned when the city controller who he protected a few weeks back (by failing to disclose the real reason behind his daughter’s murder) came up short on his end of the deal. Knowing full well that Claudette’s lack of pity certainly isn’t helping the case, Vic makes the threat of the century by informing her that not only will he solve the San Marcos murders, but that after he does, she won’t have any other choice but to keep him onboard. So what does he do? He solves the freaking case. Thanks to yet another tip from Aceveda’s city planning friend, Cruz, the Strike Team pick up one of the suspects, but Vic and Hiatt butt heads on how to deal with him. Way to burn yet another bridge, Vic.

When they finally convince the slicer-and-dicer to give up his pals, Vic goes over Hiatt’s head and swoops them up, stashing them away in a freight container before anyone else can find them. Vic then makes good with the Mexicans by handing over two of three El Salvadorians, and a tip that the third will be out of prison in 18 months. Unfortunately, Claudette couldn’t care less, and despite Vic closing the San Marcos case (or at least clearing all those red names from the board), she informs him that he’s still on his way out. Aceveda wouldn’t have it any other way, but his friend Cruz feels differently. Despite his obvious connection to the murders, he thinks Farmington needs as many good cops as possible, and in order to keep Vic on the force, he gives him the one thing that will secure his future: the infamous cell phone picture of Aceveda’s rape.

Shane, on the other hand, is busy making friends with the Armenian mob. Well, at least one of them anyways, and now that he’s become Diro’s right-hand man, it’s only a matter of time before the two of them hook up. Along with schooling her on the ins-and-outs of the mob life, Shane uses his position as a cop to take down Diro’s biggest threat: the man responsible for killing that gas station attendant a few weeks back. With him out of the picture, Diro can seemingly rule as the new boss, but Vic’s keeping an eye on Shane’s back-alley deals, because the last thing he needs is more trouble knocking on his door.

Unfortunately, it looks like he’s about to get some, and real soon too. While trying to convince Diro to keep him in on the game, Shane drops Vic’s name as the one responsible for taking down the Armenian money train. Of course, he manages to expunge himself from the heist, using his failure to cooperate as the reason why Vic has attached a target to his back. Nice move, Shane. Too bad it’s going to bite you in the ass when it’s revealed that you were involved. Well, I guess we can all mark that up as one less trigger Vic is going to have to pull when all is said and done.

And finally, how could anyone talk about last night’s episode without at least a mention of the ongoing feud between Dutch and Billings. Clearly pissed off that Dutch has played the quick-meal vending machine card a little often over the last few weeks, Billings decides to get his own form of revenge. Using Hiatt’s possible relationship with Tina to fire back, Billings follows the pair back to Tina’s place and sends Dutch a text message (using Tina’s phone, which he stole back at the Barn) inviting him over. Minutes later, Dutch arrives with a bottle of wine in hand, but when he hears sex sounds coming from the house, he goes around to investigate. Through the window he spies Tina and Hiatt going at in the nude (and on a chair, no less), and is then caught in the act by Hiatt himself. Let’s no forget that Billings managed to drop a hint to Hiatt earlier in the episode about Dutch’s obsession with Tina, so it’ll be curious to see what comes of that next week. Will Hiatt confront Dutch, and will Dutch find out that it was Billings all along? Let’s hope so, because a battle has been brewing between those two ever since Billings was first named Captain.