Kavanaugh lost his soul - along with his career and freedom - by his obsession with getting Vic Mackey like he was Moby Dick. "I framed a guilty man" was his explanation when he was caught. Except, Vic was NOT a guilty man, at least as regards to Lem's murder for which he was being framed.
Note that the unraveling started in the scene with Shane Vendrell's interrogation. After planting the evidence, he drug Shane up for some interrogation with Dutch. But Kavanaugh was so set on Vic that he didn't have any idea that it was Shane who actually did the murder. Thus, he knew good and well that the evidence was planted, and wasn't intimidated. It was Shane who first articulated the idea that Kavanaugh had planted the evidence. "Dutchman, are you really buying this bullshit?"
The answer was that, well, no he was not. It's tough to lie to Dutch, cause he's too sharp. He knew to be suspicious of WAY too much evidence showing up in WAY too convenient a manner. Plus, would anyone who knew Vic Mackey really think he'd be stupid enough to leave a map with an X on the murder site crumpled up in his trash?
But it was Captain Wymms who ended up saving Vic's bacon. She sensed and explained back to Dutch that he wasn't buying this story of Emolia's and this pile of extremely convenient evidence - but that he was just about ready to let it go by, passively allowing some rough karmic justice for a bad egg. But Wymms has the stated determination that the only way to get The Barn right is nothing but transparency and pure truth. As much as she'd like to take Vic down, her moral compass saved his ass for another week. This was despite the particular temptation that Kavanaugh had made to her earlier. "This could be a big win for you."
The Corrine Mackey had one of her best ever scenes tonight when she found out that Kavanaugh was ready to arrest Vic for supposedly killing Lemansky. She was not out-of-control mad, but focused and determined as she explained the story from a couple of weeks earlier of Kavanaugh showing up at the house and making a crude pass. She insisted on filing an official statement and complaint - and was happy to do so in front of the whole station. In our parts, a woman putting up a fight for her people like that might be described as a stand-up bitch.
Yet the Kavanaugh character seems immune to that shaming that might cause others to cringe. He brushed this display of Corrine's off, and had the sack to go to Captain Wymms later suggesting that Dutch should be thrown off the case because of his old personal connection to Corrine. Gee, it's not like the man he's determined to destroy having humped his ex-wife would give Kavanaugh any kind of personal stake in the investigation. Brass balls, that bastard has.
The very best scene of the night was Claudette's interrogation of Emolia. For one thing, there was the great drama with Kavanaugh's determination not to let his snitch be interrogated without him being there to run interference. That was likely what told Claudette for sure that he had planted the evidence and fed her the story. Calling in the unis to escort the IAD lieutenant from the room was nice, as was watching them standing behind Kavanaugh as he watched the scene on the monitor.
But the best part was Claudette's actual interrogation. She was really brilliant in breaking it down for Emolia, particularly the way she brought it to her as a mother. She broke down her predicament for her, and gave her not just a chance to get out of a jam, but to redeem herself.
The Shield has always been good at milking all the drama out of an idea without overplaying the hand. They spent all of last season building up the Kavanaugh character - and then unraveled him succintly in two episodes. He crossed that line last week planting evidence, then got busted down and off to prison tonight. They thoroughly resolved his storyline, and didn't drag it out.
Vic's opening scene with Ronnie helping him talk a deathbed old Latin gangbanger into giving up his young heir was classic Strike Team. Vic knew how to actively show the old man respect, and how to make a case that would appeal to his values. Then he squeezed gently with the threat to bust his grandson there taking caring of him. Vic Mackey knows how to do that slap and tickle.
Vic Mackey is in a mindset in this episode reflecting his best side - which is reflected in some of his worst behavior. There's an arrest warrant and an APB out for him, but he's makes no move and gives no thought to his self-preservation. He's absolutely determined to find the guy he (wrongly) thinks murdered his partner, and the APB only made him that much more determined to go to extremely far and dangerous lengths to do it right NOW before he gets arrested. He's far more interested in his idea of justice for Lem than in his own self-interest.
This was most clearly demonstrated when Vic drove all alone up into a locked compound full of bangers, and pulls out his gun with exactly ONE bullet. He's playing the scene very carefully, but that was a half dozen kinds of asking to get killed. This was one of the couple of riskiest moves Vic's ever taken. "Either we're going to leave this basement together, or we're going to leave this life together." Odds would have heavily favored the latter.
Also, his idea of justice is maybe just a wee bit crazy. He's going to find this Guardo. "Then we're going to kill him, and anyone else involved." For starters, there's no real evidence that Guardo murdered Lem, other than that his people had grenades like the one that killed his partner. That might make you suspicious, but that's precious little basis on which to issue a personal death warrant.
On top of which, Vic and the team de facto kidnap Guardo's girlfriend Nadia ("I don't have too much concern for Guardo's loved ones") - though she doesn't quite realize that's what's happening. Repeated viewings of his spiel convincing her to go to a "safe house" will likely look increasingly comedic. The funniest things are the little pauses, indicating that he's thinking up the whole involved story absolutely on the fly. Wicked, but funny.
Vic's taking the girlfriend to draw Guardo out. Note his calculation in doing so. He gives no thought that Guardo would respond out of any kind of love or sentiment for Nadia, but counts on Guardo coming to her rescue as a matter of business necessity to protect his reputation. "Word gets out that he can't protect his own girlfriend, who's going to trust him to protect their drugs?"
You might find that repeated viewings of the search of Vic's place will reveal hidden humor. First time through, you'll be all involved in the search and the evidence. But watch again for the little exchange between Dutch and Billings. Billings is just so perfectly contemptible and laughable in his lack of interest in the job. First, he's explaining about taking his personal day Friday instead of that day, so he could get a three day weekend out of it. But even while he's there, he's not going to search Vic's trash can. He's just bought this new jacket. As he explained it to Dutch, searching through trash cans is what God made the lowly uniformed officers for.
The last scene was most excellent, though it didn't particularly advance the storyline. It was a postscript to the Kavanaugh story, with Vic visiting Kavanaugh in jail. Vic is, of course, happy to get a chance for a little relatively understated gloating, but it was mostly a great last shot of Kavanaugh's delusional nature. He got to talk some faux philosophical nonsense about the universe taking out it's trash. He's got himself talked into some momentary sense of contentment, ignoring that he's destroyed his career and reputation. He's failed to get Mackey, and probably immunized him from any further attempt to investigate the original Crowley murder. Meanwhile, he himself has become the publicly disgraced and soon to be convicted corrupt cop, likely to spend years in prison.
But it's all good, leading to the excellent closing words of the episode, tying off his story, and setting up the next episode.
Kavanaugh: I'm at peace. Are you?
Mackey: Soon enough.
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