Two Man ambushed Ronnie outside his house while Shane waited for Vic in his home. Fortunately for both Vic and Ronnie Two Man is a lousy shot and a coward. He fired a couple of rounds at Ronnie and missed then fled when Ronnie returned fire. Shane’s own attempt on Vic’s life was foiled when Ronnie phoned Vic and told him what happened, instead of walking into an ambush Vic turned away from the door and went to his friend instead.
Placing this hit here, at the start of the eight episode was an incredible move as the resulting episode was electrifying. We have the entire Barn on alert for Two Man, Ronnie and Vic suspicious of the shooting but unsure (as Ronnie did upset Two Man last week so it could be personal) and Shane scrambling to find Two Man and put him down before he gets caught.
Which he does, very early on, by a rookie. So the rest of the episode has Shane running damage control for this situation and attempting to protect Two Man, stop him from cracking and dispose of any evidence. Two Man himself isn’t keen to cooperate as he feels Shane set him up, but eventually he tells Shane where the gun is and it is disposed of. But, unfortunately for Shane Claudette, Dutch, Billings and Vic are all determined to crack Two Man over this. Switching up tactics by telling him they have the gun (which he doesn’t believe) and then telling him that Farrah and another hooker have snitched on him. This does prove to be enough and Two Man cracks.
We have a series of utterly amazing moments now, the first comes when Shane realises that Two Man is going to talk. The look on his face sells it all, a million things in one moment. Then when Two Man lays out the truth with “Why don’t y’all take a look at what ya got going on in your own roof?” Claudette’s look as she realises too late. Then we have a desperate Shane fleeing the station, escaping just ahead of Vic, Ronnie and the rest. And then; after all that, everything just implodes.
Vic and Ronnie now know the truth, they realise that the hit would have been a two man job with Shane shooting Vic. Claudette realises that there is something going on in the Strike Team (which explains their dysfunctional nature these past two seasons). Shane goes on the lam with Mara, but not before she approaches Corrine and spills the entire truth – Terry, the money train, everything. There’s another amazing expression from Cathy Cahlin Ryan (Corrine) while this happens, it contains both horror and relief at the same time. Horror at her ex-husband and relief at what this information gives her, leverage.
After Mara leaves Corrine confronts Vic and asks him for the truth, he comes as close to admitting what he’s done as he’s ever been without actually saying the words. Corrine delivers her ultimatum. She will help Vic out with Mara and Shane, passing on the information. But he has to walk away from her and the kids forever.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, Vic is ham-stringed by Claudette and stopped from going after Shane. Vic has to catch up with Shane because he can’t run from this forever, but if he gets caught then he’ll spill the beans on everything, which would put Ronnie in prison for life and get Vic the death sentence. Vic does the only thing he can do, he throws his badge away a week before forced retirement and walks out of the station.
Vic has left the protection of the force and gone rogue, the unthinkable has happened. The beginning of the end is here…”
