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Co-Pilot

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Co-Pilot
Season 2, Episode 09
Airdate: March 4, 2003
Actual length 46:34
Production Code: 5012-02-209
Written by Shawn Ryan & Glen Mazzara
Directed by Peter Horton
Previous: "Scar Tissue"
Next: "Coyotes"


"Co-Pilot" is the ninth episode of Season 2 of The Shield and the 22nd episode of the series as a whole. It was originally broadcast on March 4, 2003. The previously on segment is voiced by Jamie Brown.

Synopsis[]

In a look back at the Barn's early days, Vic struggles to secure his hold on the Strike Team, while Dutch is faced with choosing between a veteran detective and Claudette.

Plot[]

Fourteen months before the event of "Scar Tissue", Vic Mackey and Shane Vendrell investigate the scene of a murderous carjacking when Ben Gilroy arrives. He informs Vic that he is having trouble getting the proposed Strike Team off the ground due to Vic's numerous altercations with a superior officer, but Vic begs him to try again and get Shane on the team as well, allowing him to select whoever else he wants on the roster. Gilroy warns him that if it works, he needs quick results for both their sakes. At home, Corrine Mackey encourages Vic to keep at it, and they kiss. David Aceveda enters an empty Barn and looks at the cage being installed. He heads up to his office just as Vic enters, informing him that Gilroy has allowed him to head the Strike Team. Aceveda says that "we have the chance to do something real special here," and Vic offers his services and shakes his hand.

At the Barn's opening, Aceveda declares intent to make the place a community. Gilroy encourages them to justify the Barn's existence, and Vic meets Danny Sofer for the first time before she leaves for her first patrol with Julien Lowe. In the Clubhouse, Vic instructs Shane, Curtis Lemansky, and Ronnie Gardocki to let local criminals know that the Strike Team is watching them, only for Aceveda to interrupt and ask them to look into a gang-related shooting. At the scene, they find one dead and two wounded, one of which is a pimp named Ringo that Vic knows. He insists that he's given no one reason to go after him, and Vic notices a mural across the street of a giant lion eating a man. Interpreting this as someone moving in on the territory, Vic asks Ringo who the lion is, and when he stays silent, he tells Shane to question Ringo's women. As Danny and Julien get breakfast together, a naked and bloodied woman breaks out of an abandoned house and runs to Danny, embracing her tightly.

Vic visits Connie Riesler and asks for information on who shot Ringo, and she names up and coming boss Lionel Phipps. The Strike Team round up several of Phipps's men and interrogate them. Lem attacks one when he spits in his face, but Vic pulls him off and tells him to save it for when they're not being watched by the public. Dutch Wagenbach arrives late to work and is given the last desk available. Aceveda tells him to investigate Anabel, the woman Danny found, with Claudette Wyms and detective Tom Gannon. He arrives on the scene, where Gannon has found evidence of other women being in the house. Dutch introduces himself and Gannon relays that Anabel was held for ransom by a trio of Mexicans and was raped when her family could not pay her ransom.

Vic offers Phipps's men the chance to flip on him for an escape, but all of them remain silent. Dutch and Gannon discuss the case, while Claudette relays that several people in the area told her to talk to "Jesus Latigo". Gannon reveals that he has witnesses that saw the men leaving the scene and got part of their license plate. Dutch asks Gannon about his famous serial killer case and asks to work with him. Claudette interviews Latigo, who claims to be a friend of the family, though Claudette claims his reputation is more of a kidnapping broker for illegal families.

As the Strike Team cleans out the Clubhouse, Gannon enters (giving the Barn its nickname in the process) and asks Vic how Joe Clark is doing. He points out that he keeps hiding Dutch's chair, and the team mocks him as he recounts how Dutch's wife left him for her A.A. sponsor. Claudette enters and Gannon introduces her to Vic, and she asks Gannon to come up and talk to Latigo. He has Dutch wait outside as he and Claudette enter. Vic and Shane learn that Aceveda released Phipps's men due to their poorly filed paperwork. When Vic argues, Aceveda points out that he can easily take his leadership of the Strike Team and tells him to do things right. Aceveda relays how unimpressed he is with Vic to Gilroy and asks to put a backup in place if he does not work out. Gilroy insists that Vic will deliver, but agrees to vet backup candidates if need be.

Gilroy tells Vic to hurry the Phipps case so there are no issues getting the Strike Team off the ground. Gannon accuses Latigo of staging the kidnappings so he and the perpetrators can extort the families, but he insists that the Mexicans see the illegal families as lower class and he can talk to them. Gannon tries to get him to set up a sting on the kidnappers, but Latigo points out that his business works on trust and other kidnappers will no longer work with him. He insists that other, less efficient and genuine brokers will take over if he cannot work.

Vic asks the Strike Team for ideas, but finds that they have none. He decides that they need to focus on someone under Phipps rather than Phipps himself and advises the Strike Team to stay legitimate until they get Aceveda's trust. The Strike Team pick up Rondell Robinson and show him a piece of graffiti they had commissioned: their insignia of a snake eating a rat, declaring their supremacy over the streets. Rondell insists that they need to go harder if they want to make people more scared of them than they are of Phipps. As Rondell is put in the cage and refuses to talk, Ronnie suggests planting something on Phipps and "catch" him, but Vic points out that it will appear too obvious of a setup. Shane points out that they could let another officer find it and Vic suggests planting it in his house, though Ronnie warns him that it is always occupied.

As Latigo refuses to speak, he warns Claudette that the Mexicans use codes on their pagers and will know they are being investigated, while Anabel still refuses to tell Dutch anything. He continues to insist that he works for free, and Claudette tells him to stop posturing. Danny and Julien learn that a man named Mayfield Duffy stole from a grocery store out of desperation and assaulted the owner in the process. They go to his apartment, who insists he is arrested that he planned to pay the man back when he could. He notes that his neighbor, Happy Sandez, stole his food stamps as well as his neighbors'. Vic and Shane give Connie a bag with crack and a microphone inside, the former to be planted in Phipps's house. Vic warns her to call them in at any sign of things going wrong as she leaves.

Danny and Julien confront Sandez and give him two minutes to return the food stamps to them. Vic and Shane hear Phipps deny Connie a chance to run the restroom and immediately initiate sex with her. Claudette suggests trying to coax Latigo into talking while meeting with Aceveda, but Gannon wants to charge him and press him into giving up the Mexicans. Aceveda sides with Gannon due to his seniority, and Dutch asks what Claudette would do, dissatisfied with Aceveda's choice. Danny and Julien return to find Sandez having left the stamps on his porch.

Vic is disturbed by how roughly Phipps treats Connie, but Shane stops him from going in by reminding him of the need for a warrant. Shane is forced to physically stand in his way, but eventually persuades him as Connie returns battered. Shane restrains him as she reveals she planted the drugs where she was told. She asks Vic for drugs, and he reaches into his pocket. Aceveda meets with Terry Crowley and expresses displeasure with Gilroy commandeering the Barn, asking him to join the Strike Team and promising him leadership if Vic is let go.

Vic and Shane warn Rondell that they are arresting Phipps soon, and he realizes they are planning to frame him. They convince him to tell Aceveda about the Phipps's drugs, who allows Shane to take his statement. As they leave, Aceveda asks to go with the Strike Team when they arrest Phipps. Dutch and Claudette confront Latigo when his pager rings, and she insists that it will be seen by his clients as more honorable to take down a trio of rapists than to protect them.

In a raid on Phipps's house, Julien finds the drugs, which he insists is part of a setup. Lem finds the gun he used to shoot Ringo and he is led out in handcuffs, and Vic tips Danny a wink as he leaves. Latigo sets up a meeting with the Mexicans and leaves with Dutch and Claudette. Aceveda compliments Vic on his good work and tells Vic that he has been invited to the chief's press conference. Claudette asks Vic to take the Strike Team to the Mexican bust. As Latigo drops off money and the Mexicans come to pick it up, the police arrive and arrest them. One of them flees and Vic pursues him, violently dragging him out when he gets stuck under a barbed wire fence.

As Gannon interviews the witness to the kidnapping, she identifies the Mexicans being brought in and put in the cage. Aceveda compliments Gannon for supposedly solving the issue, and he awkwardly thanks Dutch and Claudette before walking off. Dutch points out that she didn't have to let him take it, but she responds that "credit's overrated." Gilroy compliments both Vic and Aceveda, and Aceveda notes that the injured Mexican's attorney will have questions. Vic dismisses it as "a few scratches" and Gilroy defuses the tension. Dutch expresses his admiration to Claudette and asks to partner with her, which she seems partial to. Vic hides his chair while his back is turned.

Shane confirms to Vic that Lem and Ronnie are not opposed to how they arrested Phipps, and Vic asks "it was easy, wasn't it?" Shane notes that it was "a little too easy" and Vic leaves. As Duffy lingers in the cage, Julien offers to help him find a job. Danny warns him not to get too attached to who he arrests, but he insists he wants to be more compassionate as an officer. As she leaves the locker room, Lem casually undresses in front of Julien and he looks away nervously.

Having successfully signed on to the Strike Team, Terry is brought into the Clubhouse and introduced to his new coworkers.

Episode credits[]

Cast[]

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Episode Title[]

The title is a wordplay on the term "pilot" used to refer to the first episode in a television series. Since this whole episode is a flashback to events preceding the series pilot, it was coined as "Co-Pilot".

Notes[]

  • International airdates:
    • Germany: April 1, 2006
    • France: September 6, 2007
  • The episode was conceived largely due to several factors: first, Shawn Ryan's desire for a flashback episode showing how the Strike Team was formed (as the actual pilot has the team already formed and operating). Doing a flashback episode also allowed the production staff to sidestep the issue of Ronnie Gardocki's disfigurement, as the show's make-up staff were having difficulty producing the needed make-up SFX to present the character's disfigurement. Finally, was due to a desire to continue the exploration of Vic's relationship with his mentor Gilroy, as the character appears in the following episode).
  • The episode has been the subject of much controversy, due to the issues it raises with the show's timeline and the events of the pilot (which among other things, stated that the Strike Team was well established within the Farmington District precinct and that David Aceveda had only recently assumed control over the precint as it's new captain. Also, the timeline of the episode shows rookie officer Julian Lowe as being present at the Barn upon the precinct's inception.
  • This is the only episode of The Shield to break the chronology of the series, with its events taking place prior to Season 1. It is also one of three instances of flashback scenes in the whole series, the other being in the Season 1 episode "Our Gang" and in the Season 6 mini-episode "Wins and Losses".
  • Detective Tom Gannon refers to Dutch Wagenbach as "Fletch" probably in reference to the main character in Gregory McDonald's novel.
  • Guest stars John Diehl, Jamie Brown, Walter Jones, and Michael Auteri return to reprise the roles of Ben Gilroy, Connie Riesler, Rondell Robinson, and Nathan Peterson.

Quotes[]

  • Vic Mackey: Ben, I need this.
  • Ben Gilroy: (sighs) I've only got one marker to use with the Chief. If I use it, I need results. I need them quick... or we're both out of a job.
  • Vic Mackey: Just give me the chance.


  • Vic Mackey: What's your name?
  • Ringo: Ringo.
  • Shane Vendrell: Parents didn't like you enough to name you after John or Paul?


  • Tom Gannon: (entering the Strike Team's clubhouse) I was told this is the ladies room. Oh, I guess it is.
  • Vic Mackey: Gannon, you creaky old sack of shit. What are you doing?
  • Tom Gannon: Gilroy asked me to do him a favor and bring a little credibility to this old barn.
  • Vic Mackey: "Barn". I like that.


  • Vic Mackey: You just hear me out. A high-profile bust gets us credibility out on the street and with the bosses. Once we get our feet on solid ground, get a couple of wins under our belt... we go back to doing it the right way.

(Everybody looks at each other)

  • Vic Mackey: Hey, we need this. Just this once.


  • Terry Crowley: So what's the job?
  • David Aceveda: Gilroy's pick for the Strike Team, Vic Mackey. There's a spot on the team. Take it. If Mackey doesn't work out... you'll take his place.
  • Terry Crowley: Run the Strike Team?
  • David Aceveda: Even if he does work out, it's still a great gig... Come on. It's a no-lose situation for you.


  • Lionel Phipps: See, I like to know what I'm puttin' on the streets. Come here. Right here.
  • Shane Vendrell: He wants to taste the kitty.
  • Connie Riesler: Sure. Just let me run to the bathroom.
  • Lionel Phipps: What for?
  • Connie Riesler: To pop in my diaphragm.
  • Lionel Phipps: No need, baby girl. I ain't hitting that raw.

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