As they say, the powder keg is lit and things are about to get serious. The Shield's tumulous ride is entering it's final stretch and there is everything to lose, everything. Vic is being stretched in too many directions at the same time and he's still too confident that he can keep everything up in the air at the same time.

Read about being buff in your fifties, helping out old partners and a dish best served cold beyond the link

Remember this episode in the third season? Well this week we have a call back to a relatively minor character who featured in that episode. The bottom bitch herself (pardon my language) Farrah, she's back and needs help from Vic in chasing up after her pimp who killed her friend. This brings in some classic old strike team action with all of the guys in on it, naturally there's only one member with their head actually in the game, Julien and this time he gets bit hard for his diligence. This episode is a deliberate lull after the attempt on Shane's life and acting normal is looking a little hard for people. Ronnie is having rage control issues and takes them out on Two Man (a suspect), Shane is feeling more than a little insecure and Vic has finally Vic acknowledged what he's done to Shane, how he changed him over the time in the strike team.

Bitches Brew boils down to four essential ingredients; we have the strike team working the case with Farrah's assistance, Vic and Olivia work together to manipulate ICE and Acevada, Dutch and Billings investigate a home invasion and Vic deals with his paternity problems over Lee.

The episode goes to bring home just how little control Vic has left over things, previously Vic often felt in control of the situations he handled, but since the start of the sixth season we've seen a Vic constantly off-guard and running damage limitation. This isn't really surprising because he's gone from having three people covering his back down to just very irate Ronnie. His pride makes it impossible for him to realise when he's out of control, something Farrah played him for when they previously met and she does the same again. Setting up her pimp Bombay to get shot (by Julien) and playing Vic just as well as she did the first time they met. Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. Vic would do well to learn, and fast.

Claudette is struggling hard with her lupus and police duties, but she's been covering it so well that it's not until Dutch breaks into her house that he realises just how deep the hole she is in is. It's great to see just how much Dutch is willing to do to help Claudette and it's even better that she's not too proud to accept his help. Speaking of help Dutch and Billings are finally clicking and working together after Dutch admitted to Billings that he needed his help, it seems that Billing just needed a little consideration and respect from a colleague to get him out of his funk. Working together they handily put down a case of home invasion/security scam. It's just a shame that they've come together so late in this, I really enjoy watching the Dutch and Billings work, it's a nice change of pace from the tension elsewhere in the Barn. Also the guy they were grilling, he's almost like an older version of Vic, which is a great little piece of poetry there. As Vic was talking about the guy everything he said could have also applied to himself. One of Vic's potential futures was right there in plain sight for everyone to see.

How about Danny? It was just a matter of time before something snapped and frankly I'm thrilled she isn't just going to take Vic's strong arm badgering at all. Yes packing up and running away (which is what it seems she'll be doing) isn't the strongest move; but Vic is relentless, even when it's something he'd be better off conceding about so he can concentrate elsewhere. Unfortunately if Danny leaves it's going to set things back for Claudette, just as she's gotten competent help she loses it.

To bounce back to Vic for a moment, 10 days until he's kicked off the force. Wow, that's tense. Both he and Claudette are on their way out.

Overall I don't know right now, I really don't, I went into this season hoping to see Vic just walk away from it all and make it out in one piece. But as the season has progressed I've become somewhat indifferent to his survival, I like Vic still - he's a flawed but decent character - thing is he's so arrogant and short sighted that he doesn't know when he's overreached himself. He's out all alone in a sinking rowboat and he's not willing to jump ship.

All I do know is that next week Vic and Ronnie better watch out, because Shane is about to retaliate at them and then all bets will be off. Cracking episode, but I'm sure the next few will raise the stakes even higher.