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SHIELD, THE: BAPTISM BY FIRE (TV)

Summary

One in this series about tough guy detective Vic Mackey, his family, and his coworkers.

Vic and his men interrogate an aged terminally ill gang leader recently released from prison on parole. He founded the gang that Guardo now controls, and Vic wants him to give him up to the police. Vic convinces him to give him Guardo’s phone number. As he’s leaving he is informed that his house is being searched via a warrant by Dutch, Kavanaugh, and Claudette. He is annoyed but believes they will find nothing incriminating. However, Dutch discovers a piece of evidence planted by Kavanaugh, a map with the location of Lemansky’s murder circled. They discover other evidence planted by Kavanaugh and it seems to reinforce their growing belief that Vic killed Lemansky, although Billings remains unconvinced that Vic is responsible. Meanwhile, Vic, Shane, and Ronnie trace the phone number and wait outside the residence it is prescribed to for Guardo. While waiting they hear an all-points bulletin posted for Vic over the police band, much to their confusion. They infiltrate the house and find it is empty, and Vic theorizes that it belongs to Guardo’s significant other. The woman in question, Nydia, soon enters and they remain hidden as she goes about her business.

Aceveda visits Claudette and points out some oddities about the massacre in San Marcos, and implying that increased homicide rates are a result of her recent promotion. He warns her that a recent consolidation of Mexican prisons is resulting in a large number of inmates being released, and he offers to introduce city legislation that would afford more funding to the police department and possibly mitigate the effects of the influx of inmates. Vic, Shane, and Ronnie remain in hiding until Nydia leaves for Vic to check her phone history, discovering that Guardo is in Mexico. He feels a sense of urgency to catch him, as he knows that soon he will be arrested in connection with Shane’s death based on the APB put out for him. He offers to go after Guardo alone, unwilling to further embroil Shane and Ronnie in the situation surrounding him. Vic then speaks to Aldo, one of his informants, who tells him that Guardo is recruiting newly-released Mexican inmates in order to make a power play within the city with the Mexican gangs. He then takes Aldo’s cell phone and his truck, promising to return it.

Shane and Ronnie return to the Barn and are questioned by Claudette about Vic; they lie and say that Vic called them earlier to inform them that he was taking a day off. Kavanaugh interrogates each of them separately about the details of the events leading up to Lemansky’s death. Shane is at a loss to explain the presence of the evidence discovered in Vic’s apartment and conjectures that Kavanaugh planted it. He also believes that Emolia may have had a hand in planning Lemansky’s death as a means of getting revenge on Vic. Vic, meanwhile, speaks with a Mexican police officer, asking that Guardo be repatriated to the United States. In return, the policeman asks Vic to capture Rocha, a Mexican criminal who has escaped to Los Angeles with two kidnapped children; recovery of the children is paramount and they do not care what happens to Rocha. Vic calls Ronnie and learns about the evidence that was discovered in his apartment. Dutch confides in Tina that he finds the abundance of evidence against Vic to be suspicious, and begins to doubt that Vic killed Shane. Dutch and Tina attempt to interrogate Emolia without Kavanaugh’s presence, but she refuses and he soon arrives. In private, Dutch tries to convince Kavanaugh that he is exploring another aspect of the case, but Kavanaugh believes that Dutch is stalling and that the case is all-but finished as soon as Vic is brought in. Kavanaugh then tries to convince Claudette to take Dutch off the case, claiming that his past relationship with Corrine could impair his judgment. Shane feels distressed about the case being built against Vic and indirectly confesses his role in Lemansky’s murder to Ronnie, although Ronnie dismisses this as an insubstantial fiction created by Shane to save Vic.

Vic arranges a meeting with Santi, a Mexican gang leader, asking for information on Rocha’s whereabouts; he offers to allow the latest wave of released inmates to enter town unmolested in exchange for Rocha. Santi, however, is unwilling to cooperate, as Rocha is under protection and capturing him would amount to “declaring war” on all of the city’s Mexican gangs. Vic threatens Santi, whose cronies rush to his aid by pointing guns at Vic. Vic, in turn, points his handgun at Santi and reiterates his threat. Santi capitulates and Vic drags him to his car, leaving the gang’s premises. Vic browbeats Santi into telling him that Rocha will be performing a hit on a figure known as “Big G” that night. Vic finds Big G and warns him that Rocha is coming for him, and essentially uses him as bait to lure out Rocha so he can capture him. Back at the Barn, Corrine arrives and Dutch tells her about the evidence found against Vic, which she finds ridiculous. She becomes incensed when she learns Kavanaugh is building the case against Vic and yells at him for “destroying [her] family.” She makes a scene in the middle of the department and loudly reveals to everyone there that Kavanaugh made unwanted sexual advances on her. She demands to a surprised Claudette that she be permitted to file charges against Kavanaugh.

Rocha arrives and Vic intercepts him before he can kill Big G, disarming and restraining him. He gets Rocha to reveal where he is keeping the kidnapped children and handcuffs him to a chain-link fence while he goes to retrieve them. Corrine’s charges increase Claudette and Dutch’s suspicions about Kavanaugh and his motives. However, Claudette feels that she has to do something about the illicit dealings permeating the department for the past few years, and rationalizes that she may have to bring in Vic regardless of Kavanaugh’s actions. Dutch believes Emolia is lying and that she was put up to it by Kavanaugh. Vic brings the kids back to their mother but the Mexican policeman says he was unable to get Guardo, infuriating Vic. He claims that Guardo is too well-connected to apprehend, and Vic asks that a message be sent to Guardo in two hours’ time. Claudette calls in Emolia to question her alone and refuses Kavanaugh’s request to accompany her. Kavanaugh claims that his presence is required as part of a deal Emolia made with him, and Claudette consents only if he says nothing. Shane attempts to get Emolia to change her mind about Vic, but he is unsuccessful. Claudette soon changes her mind and angrily demands that Kavanaugh leave the interrogation room after Emolia continues to repeat her story, threatening to have him removed by force. Once alone with Emolia, Claudette accuses her of allowing herself to be manipulated by both Vic and Kavanaugh, and that she is too afraid to tell the truth about what happened for fear of losing her witness protection. Claudette offers her an alternate deal that would protect Emolia from their influence if she tells her the truth. Before she can do so, Kavanaugh enters and admits that he coached Emolia on her story.

Vic reassembles Shane and Ronnie and decides to get at Guardo through Nydia. They knock on her door and Vic claims that a Mexican drug lord is planning to kidnap her in an attempt to kill Guardo by luring him back to Los Angeles. She is uneasy about speaking to them and claims that Guardo instructed her not to talk to the police. Vic says that they need to get her to a safe house while they track down the drug lord; Shane and Ronnie corroborate Vic’s deception and take Nydia away immediately. However, Shane is confused and uneasy about the situation. While packing her things, Vic finds Nydia’s crucifix necklace and pockets it. Claudette has Kavanaugh’s gun and badge confiscated and puts him under arrest for interfering with police business. Vic takes the necklace to his Mexican contacts and asks that it be delivered to Guardo as his “message,” asking him to convey that Nydia has been kidnapped and that he will have to collect her in person with ransom money in order to recover her. Shane protests this plan, believing that it will solve nothing, but Vic insists that this will force Guardo’s hand, as being unable to recover Nydia will irreparably hurt his drug protection racket. Shane insists that Vic is going too far and that no matter what he does he cannot bring Lemansky back. However, Vic is dead-set on getting revenge on Guardo for Lemansky’s death. Vic waits at the safe house alone, sending Ronnie and Shane back to the Barn.

Claudette calls in Danny and tells her that she passed her sergeant’s exam. However, if she does not resume working right away, she will lose the position, and she is unsure if she will do so. Ronnie and Shane learn that the case against Vic has been dropped, and they deliver this news to him in person, asking that he let Nydia go and abandon his plan to get Guardo, as they feel that there are moral issues with Vic’s actions. However, Vic is obsessed with capturing Guardo and feels that he will not get a better opportunity to do so. Shane yells at Vic for not listening to them and for potentially sending them all to prison. Ronnie guards the safe house and asks Vic to go home, but on the way Vic stops by to see Kavanaugh in lockup. He notes that he was correct that Kavanaugh was “not ready to play at this level,” but Kavanaugh remains convinced that Vic will eventually be apprehended for his crimes. He also believes that while he will recover, that the guilt of Lemansky’s death will prove to be all-consuming for Vic. Commercials deleted.

Details

  • NETWORK: FX
  • DATE: November 30, 1999 10:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 0:53:49
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: 122029
  • GENRE: Drama, police/private detective
  • SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; TV - Drama, police/private detective
  • SERIES RUN: FX - TV series, 2002-2008
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Kurt Sutter … Executive Producer
  • Charles H. Eglee … Executive Producer
  • Glen Mazzara … Executive Producer
  • Scott Brazil … Executive Producer
  • Shawn Ryan … Executive Producer, Created by
  • Scott Rosenbaum … Executive Producer, Writer
  • Kevin G. Cremin … Co-Executive Producer
  • Adam E. Fierro … Co-Executive Producer
  • Elizabeth Craft … Supervising Producer
  • Sarah Fain … Supervising Producer
  • Michael Chiklis … Producer
  • Craig Yahata … Co-Producer
  • Guy Ferland … Director
  • Vivian Romero … Theme Music by
  • Ernesto Bautista … Theme Music by
  • Rodney Alejandro … Theme Music by
  • Michael Chiklis … Cast, Vic Mackey
  • Catherine Dent … Cast, Danielle "Danny" Sofer
  • Walton Goggins … Cast, Shane Vendrell
  • Michael Jace … Cast, Julien Lowe
  • Jay Karnes … Cast, Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach
  • Benito Martinez … Cast, David Aceveda
  • Cathy Cahlin Ryan … Cast, Corrine Mackey
  • David Rees Snell … Cast, Ronnie Gardocki
  • CCH Pounder … Cast, Claudette Wyms
  • Forest Whitaker … Cast, Jon Kavanaugh
  • David Marciano … Cast, Steve Billings
  • Paula Garces … Cast, Tina Hanlon
  • Onahoua Rodriguez … Cast, Emolia Melendez
  • Lela Loren … Cast, Nydia Hernandez
  • Al Israel … Cast, Jupo Nunez
  • Jordi Caballero … Cast, Aldo Melchor
  • Miguel Najera … Cast, Mexican D.F. Officer
  • Chaney Kley … Cast, Asher
  • Benny Hernandez … Cast, Santi
  • Lorenzo Eduardo … Cast, Big G
  • Saul Huezo … Cast, Maceo
  • Edward Meza … Cast, Petro
  • Alexis Hernandez … Cast, Tito
  • Julian Scott Urena … Cast, Rocha
  • Jerry Hernandez … Cast, Young Salvadoran
  • Michele Moreno … Cast, Consuela