It doesn’t happen very often, but tonight’s episode was a complete bore. The whole subplot involving Claudette’s run-in with Kleevon Gardner didn’t accomplish a single thing, other than to reemphasize the fact that her duties as captain are being affected by her systemic lupus. It was a clever twist to have Kleevon not only act as his own lawyer, but to be smart enough to secure an empty pill bottle from Claudette’s trash for evidence, but when all was said and done (including a plea bargain that wiped the proposed death penalty off the table for Kleevon’s impending trial), it seemed like an utter waste of time. Sure, Claudette’s bosses now know about her illness, but with Danny double-checking everything she does anyway, I can’t imagine it being a problem further down the road.
As for the Strike Team, they’re part in the Mexican/Armenian gang war took a back seat this week as they helped Agent Murray sort out a federal matter involving a dirty businessman whose case could be blown if they don’t recover his recently kidnapped daughter. It all happened as part of a routine carjacking by a group of Caribbean thugs, and after making the rounds (including getting into a car chase with a suped-up ricer that they never would have caught in real life), the Strike Team tracks down the warehouse where they’re hiding out with the stolen car and girl.
Because it would alert the businessman to his investigation if a bunch of cops just raided the place, Vic comes up with an ingenious plan that, while Claudette approves, she doesn’t particularly like. It involves recruiting a couple of gang members to go in with Julian and pretend like they’re robbing the place – only to let the kidnapped girl escape amidst all the chaos – and it goes off without a hitch. Unfortunately, the whole takedown was about one-fifth as exciting as last week’s preview made it out to be. In fact, the only thing really worth mentioning about the whole encounter is when one of the gang members asked Vic if they could be deputized beforehand. Vic tells them to raise their right hand, and when the thugs all do so in excitement, he has them pat their head and rub their stomach at the same time.
They didn’t seem to think it was very humorous, but I thought it was the funniest thing I’ve seen Vic do in a long time – especially when he’s had to deal with his idiotic daughter for the last few weeks. This time, he discovers that she not only took part in a Pimps and Hos party that included drug use and the girls only wearing lingerie, but that she was the one who planned it. Hopefully, this gives Vic enough reason to punish her properly, because the last time he tried to scold her about her idiotic ways, she made it look like he was attacking her. Vic should just send her to Africa so we never have to see her again. Maybe then she’ll learn some freaking manners.
Of course, the big revelation of the night was that Agent Murray is, in fact, in Pezuela’s pocket, but I can’t imagine she won’t accept Vic’s help to get out. As it happens, the reason she became indebted to him in the first place was as a result of “losing” some documents in a racketeering case that her brother happened to be tied up in. Now, she’s looking for help, and she knows Vic is the only man that can give it to her. Unfortunately, he’s still not in possession of the blackmail box, and until that happens, everyone involved (Vic, Murray, Aceveda, Shane and Ronnie) will be sleeping with one eye open. It’s only a matter of time before the backstabbing begins, and I bet it happens sooner than we expect.
