While the Strike Team ramps up their control of the streets, David tried to crack corruption in the Barn by recruiting Terry to help him take down Vic, only to result in Terry's death. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette investigate the murder of Nancy Reborg only to discover her missing daughter has been sold off by her addict father to a child molester.
In a routine sweep to nab every outstanding suspect, the detectives divvy up the warrants. But when they cast their nets, they bring up far bigger fish than expected. Danny and Julien uncover a gun-smuggling operation; and Mackey and his team encounter a pro-basketball star who's in town to play the Lakers, when they bust in on drug dealers. Meanwhile, Claudette and Dutch try to catch a man who has been raping women in an attempt to procreate.
Mackey attempts to broker a peace agreement between rival rappers whose feud is spilling into the streets. Danny is attacked after identifying a shooter, Julien helps a woman whose son's body has been stolen, and Dutch and Claudette search for a mission migrant worker. Meanwhile, Capt. Aceveda finds a powerful ally in "Kingmaker" Jorge Machado.
David insists that Vic take uniformed cops in with them to bust an Armenian gang's drug delivery. After the bust, Julien sees the Team take a portion of the drugs for themselves. But in the end Shane ends up having the drugs and the vehicle they're in stolen from them. While the search for the drugs and the truck goes on, Mackey learns that his son is autistic.
When the body of a young hooker is found in the district, Dutch and Claudette get the full resources of the Barn for 24 hours and the help of the FBI to search for Dutch's serial killer. Meanwhile, The Strike Force busts an underage prostitution ring, and Capt. Acevaeda continues to investigate Mackey.
When Mackey and Vendrell hook up with a cop from another precinct to investigate the shooting, Vendrell sets off an explosive confrontation with a suspect by making a racial slur. And Mackey seldom a paragon of restraint defuses the situation. But before this tense hour is over, Mackey's complex relationship with Vendrell becomes even more complicated. Meanwhile, Dutch and Wyms search for a serial killer and bring in a psychic on a complaint from the son of one of her clients, and David calls internal affairs after getting Julien's affidavit.
Allegations against the Strike Team are front-page news, and the team is broken up pending the investigation. Mackey threatens to reveal that Officer Lowe is gay if he won't recant his statement about the Strike Team. In the meantime, Vic and Claudette find themselves following the trail of a batch of "cupid" meth, while Shane and Dutch try to get along on a case.
A planted gun in a truck-jacking case causes complications for the Strike Team, and now they're left to clean up their own mess. While the rift between Officers Lowe and Sofer deepens, causing Capt. Aceveda to intervene. Also, Detective Wyms deals with the mess of her family during a visit from her daughter.
While Vic answers Assistant Chief Gilroy's call for help in covering up a hit and run before Dutch intuits the facts of the case, Shane and Lemmonhead follow the trail of a gunrunner with a penchant for cockfights. Meanwhile, Aceveda turns to Claudette after a double homicide raises ire and fear within an ignored community.
In the aftermath of a riot, cops are being lured into ambush shootings by a rash of bogus 911 calls. Surprisingly Mackey and Captain Aceveda must work together to stop these attacks and solve the problems in The Grove, while Assistant Chief Gilroy tries to pit the two against each other to save his own job.
While Vic searches for his wife and children, the Strike Team allow more drugs into Farmington through a corrupt connection. But when their latest shipment turns bad, the head to Tijuana to uncover the person behind their poisoned cocaine. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette try to track down the man responsible for fire necklacing the captains of two separate gangs.
As Vic gets closer to finding his family, the Strike Team focus their attention to Armadillo after he burns down Tio's HQ. Now Vic must prevent Claudette from finding out the truth about his connection to Tio and his men. Meanwhile, Dutch is followed around by the new civilian auditor to solve a meter-maid murder, and Danny and Julien try to clear up issues between feuding neighbors.
Still fuming from the death of Tio and his brawl with Armadillo, Vic takes a day off and leaves the Strike Team with Aceveda, only to end up helping an old partner bust the man who helped him lose his job. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette search to find the people behind the torture and mutilation of a woman who may still be alive, and Julien fails to back up Danny's side of the story from her shooting.
Now that Vic is back to work, he and Shane go undercover as dirty cops to find the man behind a robbery/murder. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette track down an old rival of Claudette's after a turned in gun is connected to a previous case. And in an attempt to get the Asian vote in the election, David assigns Julien and Danny to watch over a Korean parish.
Vic and Emma try to help a woman who's in an abusive relationship. Vic and the Strike Team begin to make plans for the money train take down, even though the greenlight still has them on their toes. When David tells Dutch that he embarrassed the department with the Bob and Marcy case and that Claudette is now lead on all their cases, he's forced to take any action necessary to prove himself in a new homicide. Danny finally makes a stand against Yassirah.
When Vic discovers that Ronnie has been burned as payback, the rest of the team does everything they can to put an end to him. Meanwhile, Claudette makes headway on her investigation against Vic after a conversation with Corrine, and Dutch takes Danny under his wing as they try to find the suspect of a Thai Town beating.
When Lanie's report on the Barn is leaked to the press, everyone suddenly fears for their jobs, including David who's mentioned as the reason for most of the problems. Gilroy skips bail and winds up on Vic's doorstep looking for help, so while Vic and Shane deal with him Lemonhead is forced to show the newest member of the Strike Team the ropes. Meanwhile Claudette faces some of her own demons as she and Dutch try to uncover the culprit behind a possible robbery/homicide and Danny comes to a startling realization.
With Ronnie's face healed he comes up with a plan to take down the Money Train, and the Strike Team is all in. Unfortunately, a federal criminal comes back to Farmington, and the Team has to use every connection trick, and resource to bring him in to prove the Barn is still a force. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette investigate the rape of a young girl which leads to information that puts the case in a new light. Plus, an old friend from the past reappears to make Julien's life hell.
When a gang execution hits close to home for Claudette, Vic, Tavon, and Dutch work together to find the culprit before anyone else gets hurt. Shane, Lemonhead, and Ronnie are forced to choose between hitting the money train without Vic or letting it go. Meanwhile, Danny receives some life changing news and Julien's harassment reaches a whole new level.
The Strike team's attempt to play by the book comes to an abrupt end when they discover that two gangs, the Byz Latz and the One-Niners are attempting to alter the balance of power by acquring MP5s. Claudette and Dutch investigate the murders and feet decapitation of 4 Armenian men by the Armenian mob in their search for the stolen cash from the money train. Meanwhile, Danny who is doing temp work at a high school while waiting for an appeal, discovers she might me be able to get her old job back.
Tension within the group begins to mount as the Strike Team attempt to rectify a mistake Vic made when he decided to use some of the cash from the stolen money train during a botched gun-running sting. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette seek the help of a college honor student named Esteban who was the only survivor in the murder of two latin gang members, one of them being his close friend.
When the ex-wife and child of Julien's former partner, Tommy, are murdered, Tommy becomes a suspect, prompting Julien to team up with Mackey to conduct their own investigation. Elsewhere, Shane goes undercover to catch a group attacking gay prostitutes, and Claudette and Dutch investigate a rape case against Aceveda's orders.
Aceveda finds himself in a near fatal confrontation, and enlists Vic to help him take down the suspects in order to help service his own personal agenda. Meanwhile after losing her position of power, Claudette rejoins Dutch on the search for the cuddler rapist as they get a stunning break in the case.
When Aceveda assigns The Strike Team to serve a high risk warrant against a mob killer to service his political agenda, they find themselves embroiled in a hostile struggle with the Korean community. Now the Team must find out how to put an end to the situation before they end up casualties of a racial fued. Meanwhile, one of Vic's informants works with Danny on finding stolen chairs, while having eyes for her.
When a mole in the treasury department is discovered and the framed suspect in the Armenian money train robbery turns up missing, the Strike team race to find the suspect before their cover is blown. Meanwhile, Claudette attempts to make amends with the Decoy Squad by going undercover to help them on a case.
With an Armenian hit-man hot on their trail, the Strike team sweeps the streets of the Armenian community to find him before he finds them. After catching a break, Aceveda's suspicions grow about the Strike Team's involvement with the Money Train robbery. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette investigate a case that could repeal hundreds of convictions, which leaves Claudette having to choose between her conscience and her career.
Vic is no longer the cop he used to be, acting adrift after his past actions have caught up to him. The strike team has been dissolved, leaving Mackey to menial busts that keep him off the streets. When Aceveda moves on to his new City Council position, Captain Monica Rawling takes over the Barn and empowers Vic to implement her controversial anti-gang policies.
Mackey tries to help an old acquaintance find a wayward teenager, but the search quickly turns ugly when the missing teen appears to have been involved in a shoot-out. Meanwhile, Shane heads out into the field with his new partner Army, teaching him shady police tactics and seeing how far he'll go to be partnered up. Plus, Aceveda spends his last day trying to bury Vic for good, which makes things difficult for Rawling trying to take his place.
With Farmington on the brink of a gang war, Monica and Vic race to find the catalyst and stop the bloodshed, enlisting Antwon's help along the way. Still in the doghouse, Dutch decides to take action in thawing the relationship between Claudette and the D.A. Danny and Julien get up close and personal with the Farmington 1-Niners, while Monica looks to Vic for support when the implementation of her property seizure policy challenges her morality.
When Monica puts Vic on the trail of an escaped fugitive in Farmington, he must continue to prove his worth while playing it straight. Claudette gets suspicious of the D.A's motives when she and Dutch are assigned to investigate a major drug dealer who ends up being a minor offender. David seeks an illicit outlet for the troubling feelings caused by his rape. Vic decides to bring Shane closer as his fears about Shane's connection to Antwon Mitchell rise.
A tip from Lemonhead's juvie would leads Vic and Monica to take down a major heroin operation with connections to Antwon Mitchell. Monica continues to battle Aceveda as she tries to sell her new policies to the community, and Julien begins to doubt her methods. Claudette loses trust in Dutch when she suspects he made a backroom deal with the D.A. And Shane and Army find themselves over their heads with Antwon when he blames them for Vic's heroin bust.
Vic and Monica stake a deal with the DEA to shut down Mitchell's tar heroin operation. When the bust comes up empty, Vic's suspicions of Shane grow, until Shane proves himself by coming up with a key piece of evidence that reveals a large stash of tar being stored at a local church. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette's friendship continues to feel strain as they try to tie a young woman's murder to a suspected serial killer. Plus, Julien takes a stand against Monica's policy, then goes to David for support when she suggests he consider transferring out of Farmington.
Just as Monica and Vic get close to a big break in the Garage Sting, Chief Phillips unexpectedly hands over the bust to the Organized Crime Unit. He blames the decision on an emerging PR scandal involving a videotape of Vic at the church bust that was leaked to the Assistant Chief through Aceveda's office. Vic uses his leverage with the Byz Lats to find a Russian mob leader before the mobster flees the country. Monica threatens two foster care social workers with jail after a young girl is found close to death in her foster home, then tells Julien if he doesn't put in for a transfer, she'll request one for him herself.
Monica and Vic rush to get their informants off the street after two C.I's are found brutally murdered. Meanwhile, as Dutch and Claudette investigate a brutal beating and robbery, a case from the past forces Dutch to take one in the line of duty. Plus, Vic suspects he's being set up when Shane comes to him after his situation with Antwon and Halpern spins out of control.
Monica orders her units to turn the streets of Farmington inside-out when two officers mysteriously disappear after answering a 911 call. Shane tries to make amends with his old crew after Vic agrees to help him get out from under Antwon, but things don't work out as planned. Dutch and Claudette convince Monica to let them take active roles in the case of the missing officers, but soon find themselves at a dead end with the only witness being clinically insane.
Vic and Monica go head to head with Antwon, and do everything in their power to get him to admit to being involved with the cop killings. Monica is shocked when Vic and Shane confront her with the information they've been hiding regarding Antwon and Angie's body. Shane and Army wonder if they'll be able to pass the lie detector test Monica is forcing them to take. Meanwhile, after another young black woman is murdered, Dutch and Claudette hope to prove their suspicions correct with their recently relocated Texan.
Vic and the Strike Team use their leverage on the One-Niners to track down anyone involved with the cop killings. Their hunt leads them down an unexpected path with the Russian mob. Monica puts pressure on the team to come clean about any of their dealings with Antwon. Dutch and Claudette investigate a gang shooting and soon realize their key witness is close to the Barn, and has something to hide.
Vic and his crew track down the Russian who was involved with the cop murders, but they lose control during his interrogation and the hit man dies in an explosion before they can get any answers. Meanwhile, Aceveda is blackmailed by the man who assaaulted him. Plus, Rawling's seizure is on the verge of being shelved.
Monica, Vic and the strike team work together to put Antwon Mitchell back behind bars after his deal with the DEA released him from prison. When Vic reveals his suspicions of David's connection to both Antwon and an inmate's murder, David must protect his political future at any cost. When the murder of an over-protective father leads Claudette and Dutch back to a foster home they had previously investigated, Monica makes an unpopular decision that helps seal her fate.
As racial tension in the area escalates, the Strike Team attempts to end a race war, while Claudette and Dutch investigate a riot at a high school. Meanwhile, an Internal Affairs officer begins his investigation of Vic and the Strike Team by first zeroing in on Lem. A pregnant Danny refuses to reveal the identity of the father, and Julien begins training a rookie cop named Tina Hanlon.
During an interrogation, Kavanaugh reviews the Strike Team’s corrupt past and attempts to weaken Lem’s loyalty to Vic by bringing up the connection to Terry’s murder. Meanwhile, the Strike Team investigates a multiple homicide. Dutch and Claudette suspect that a minister might have been involved in an attempted murder. Tina gets in over her head while on duty with Julien.
The Strike Team tries to develop a strategy to deflect the Internal Affairs investigation as Vic finally comes face to face with Kavanaugh. Meanwhile, Tina goes undercover to help take down a sex-trafficking ring; and friction between Claudette and Dutch deepens when she reopens one of their past cases.
With the IAD investigation in full force, Vic seeks legal representation from Becca Doyle for the Strike Team. Also, a suspicious Vic decides to confront Emolia after he begins to doubt her loyalty to him. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette investigate the ghastly murder of a pregnant woman. Tina continues to make mistakes while on duty.
As the Strike Team is preoccupied with gang violence, Kavanaugh decides to make the Barn his base of operations. An evasive serial killer from Dutch and Claudette’s past reenters their life. Meanwhile, additional strain is placed on their working relationship when Tina learns something personal about Julien.
Claudette further aggravates her illness as she continues to aggressively interrogate Kleavon Gardner. The Strike Team works with the Chief of a citywide task force to investigate the murder of a drug dealer’s girlfriend and her daughter. Meanwhile, Kavanaugh attempts to discover how Vic acquired the $65,000 that was given to Corrine, and Ronnie is up next for questioning in the IAD investigation.
Kavanaugh seeks the help of Antwon Mitchell in his ongoing quest to take down the Strike Team. In the midst of this, Kavanaugh has a lot on his mind as his ex-wife reenters the picture, and he reluctantly agrees to let Vic send Emolia undercover to infiltrate a Salvadoran gang that is stockpiling grenades.
The Strike Team attempts to make bail for Lem who is now in jail, but they discover that Kavanaugh has frozen their accounts. Claudette returns to work to help Dutch investigate the murder of a man who’s body was found in the dumpster. Meanwhile, Tina jeopardizes her future at the Barn after she endangers the life of an undercover detective. Corrine confronts Danny about Vic’s unfaithfulness and the identity of the baby’s father.
To the dismay of his friends, a weary Lem is thinking about accepting a deal from the D.A. where he has to plead guilty to the heroin charges. With no other choice, Vic reluctantly meets with Antwon in order to ensure Lem’s safety in prison. Meanwhile, unforeseen circumstances that are beyond Claudette and Dutch’s control might cause irrevocable damage to their friendship.
As Vic prepares to help Lem get out of the country to begin a new life in Mexico; Kavanaugh and Aceveda attempt to capitalize on the situation by using this as means to try to take down the leader of the Strike Team. Dutch decides to file for a transfer. Meanwhile, Shane tries to cut off the investigation by taking extreme measures and Danny finally confronts the father of her child.
With the Barn grieving over the loss of one of their own, Vic's out to avenge his friend's murder, but finds himself in the crosshairs of Kavanaugh. Claudette assigns the Strike Team to investigate the torching of a methadone clinic. Meanwhile, Julien and Tina look into a robbery/assault at a porno shop, and Dutch makes a horrifying discovery in San Marcos.
After being badly beaten, Shane's life spirals even more out of control as his guilt continues to eat away at him and his marriage begins to fall apart. Vic and Ronnie try to learn who was responsible for Shane's attack. Meanwhile, under the new leadership of Kevin Hiatt, Claudette assigns the Strike Team to investigate the San Marcos murders. Dutch and Billings make progress in a serial rapist case.
Vic closes in on Shane, Mara and their sick young son; Claudette dismantles the Strike Team; Pezuela offers Acevada "assistance" for his mayoral campaign; Rita Denton (Frances Fisher) comes on to Dutch; and Billings' ex-wife and daughter are fearful when a registered sex offender moves into their neighborhood.
While Shane remains holed up in L.A. with Mara and Jackson, Corinne decides to cooperate with Dutch and Claudette, who's now spearheading the LAPD effort to bring down Vic. Meanwhile, Vic plays Aceveda, Pezuela, Beltran and ICE against each other. But Ronnie's tempted to simply give up and run to Mexico. "And you should run too man" he tells Vic.
Corrine agrees to be Vic and Shane's go-between and also agrees to cooperate with Claudette and Dutch as she does so. Meanwhile, Vic comes to an understanding with Aceveda and seeks one out with Olivia; and Claudette assigns Ronnie to work with Julian to investigate the murder of a high-school football star, keeping Ronnie out of the barn and unable to intercept the letter Shane sent to Claudette detailing the Strike Team's "sins."
Creator Shawn Ryan and actor Michael Chiklis reflect on their FX series 'The Shield,' and discuss the collaboration between writers and actors to create the television series.
The Shield stars Michael Chiklis, Forrest Whitaker and Creator and Executive Producer Shawn Ryan sit down with Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly.