This week on The Shield Vic, Shane and Ronnie scramble for ground after last weeks revelation while Julien continues to prove his worth as the best damn cop on the Strike Team. Back in the Barn Dutch continues to scratch his serial killer itch while Claudette has to face the past and the facts about her situation...

Read about a Pimps and Hos party, familiar faces and Burnout beyond the link...

I was rather thrilled with the number of familiar faces I saw in this episode, this final season has really brought back a lot of the nostalgia and brought things back big time. I'm left wondering if there is some decision to close the circle much like The Wire is famous for doing so. Perhaps we'll see some horrible symmetry in all this mess before things are over. It would be pretty ironic if Vic got shot dead by a team mate while performing a bust in the house of a perp wouldn't it?

One thing is clear, by this point the cracks in Vic's armour are showing and he's completely oblivious to it all. The man is being eaten up by his own hubris and while it's was obvious to Ronnie a couple of weeks ago it's now become obvious to even Shane. When Shane; the man who lives on an entirely different plane of reality starts worrying about the situation then you know that things are looking grim and when Ronnie is worried as well then the proverbial brown stuff is about to hit the whirling air cooling device for sure. But the problems facing Vic are even larger than Ronnie and Shane realise, not only is the gang war out of control and the box in Acevada's hands but Vic's home life is an utter shambles since Cassidy had an epithany with regards to her father and has managed to collapse Vic's old family while also driving a massive wedge between Danny and Vic with her doubts. The question about Vic's downfall has now expanded into questions about what will break first, where and what will follow, the man is living in a house of cards and the walls are constructed from elements he has almost no control over.

Acevada, Shane, Ronnie, Julien, Pezula, Razien, Cassidy, Danny and Oliva already stand as huge threats to Vic's continued existence and I'm sure there are more pieces to be put into play as we're not even halfway through the season yet. Tavon is still due to make an appearance for example.

As for the Strike Team's work this week, we had some decent solid police work from them which brought a few familiar faces back into the picture again. Burnout was present as was the young lass Dina from previous seasons. It was refreshing to see the guys out working as police especially because this meant Julien got a significant role and another chance to prove just how good he is at his job. The man is the obvious replacement to head up the Strike Team, he just needs a more experience.

Back at the Barn Dutch continues to chase after Lloyd, the lad who shot the school bully in a possibly staged home invasion last week. This brings back another familiar face in the FBI profiler who is brought in to assess Lloyd and determine if he's a potential serial killer. It seems that Dutch is also a victim to his own hubris, he's left chasing possible phantom serial killers

Claudette on the other hand has to face a very real ghost from her past in Kleavon Gardener; this nasty piece of work was fresh in my mind because I recently reviewed the fifth season and had a chance to re-assess him because this time I wasn't left sitting desperately hoping that Lem would make it somehow. He's every bit as unpleasant and manipulative as he was before. He's quite literally able to unhinge Claudette and his clever attack brings her to realise that her lupus is and always will be an issue. Which causes her to act on Dutch's suggestion and bring Danny in as administrative support. While it's not the best use of Danny (she'd make a cracking detective), it is what she needs after the attack earlier this season. It's something they both need.

The culmination of the episode has Vic confronting Olivia about her involvement at which she cracks and admits to everything. It seems that amongst all the danger and threats Vic may have found an ally and possibly a kindred spirit. The final words of their conversation (located at the start of this review) set the tone for a new relationship and angle. It's a possible oasis in the desert for Vic and this is something that he can certainly turn to his advantage.

This review may be expanded on later, but I wanted to put something out because I got delayed in writing this and I have a really busy day tomorrow.