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Cupid & Psycho

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Cupid & Psycho
Season 1, Episode 08
Airdate: April 30, 2002
Actual length 46:26
Production Code: 5012-01-107
Written by Glen Mazzara
Directed by Guy Ferland
Previous: "Pay in Pain"
Next: "Throwaway"


"Cupid & Psycho" is the eight episode of The Shield. It was originally broadcast on April 30, 2002.

Synopsis[]

As the Strike Team is reassigned pending the investigation in the theft of evidence, Vic teams with Claudette in order to keep some deadly drugs off the street.

Plot[]

The Strike Team's theft of drugs is leaked to the press by Raoul Jimenez, which an enraged Ben Gilroy confronts David Aceveda about, who denies any knowledge. Following the heat placed on the Team, Aceveda temporarily breaks it up and assigns Vic Mackey and Shane Vendrell to work with Claudette Wyms and Dutch Wagenbach, much to Dutch's annoyance. While police cars chase down a speeding vehicle, Danny Sofer and Julien Lowe block its predicted destination, only for it to crash right in front of them. They find the driver dead and open the truck to find a severely burned body, only for them to realize it is still alive when it opens its eyes.

Julien and Shane brawl over Julien's "rat" status and are forcibly broken up by Vic. Vic reminds Shane to focus on his work and leave their troubles to him. As Julien ignores Tomas Motyashik, locked up in the Barn's cell, Vic lets Tomas go but questions him about seeing him and Julien having sex, subtly threatening to expose Julien. Julien refuses to take back his statement and swears off Tomas, much to his hurt. Vic warns Tomas to stay away from Julien.

Vic and Claudette visit the hospitalized burn victim, who is predicted to die and has evidence of a meth lab explosion in the burns on his body. They examine the "cupid" brand meth found in the car, and the doctor shows them a college-aged meth user overdosing, the same brand of meth found amongst his belongings. As paramedics wheel another overdosing man in, they agree that they need to get the meth off the streets, and Claudette decides to start by talking to the driver and burn victim's families. Jorge Machado, impressed by Aceveda's work, agrees to back him for city council. Danny finishes the sergeant's exam and thanks Dutch for all his help, asking him to dinner, to which he agrees. Kim Kelner, a woman whose husband Kyle was murdered and who had been trying to get in contact with a detective she did not know retired, approaches Dutch and asks for his help.

Claudette and Vic interview the driver's widow, who had not suspected that her husband was dealing drugs and explains that he and his friend Eric, the burn victim, had lost their jobs at a web design corporation. They also interview Eric's brother Paul, who claims to be unaware of his brother's profession and is unsure what to do about his life support. Julien thanks Danny for sticking up for him, but she warns him that she does not agree with what he did and insists that he should either open up to her more or request a partner change. As Dutch and Shane look through the retired detective's files, Shane remarks that one of them would easily be able to have sex with Kim because of her emotional state following Kyle's death.

Danny and Julien investigate a disturbance, which turns out to be Hooper arguing with Lamar Tilton, who has gotten back together with Fran. Julien drags Hooper away as he watches Lamar and Fran kiss in her doorway. Aceveda returns home and has sex with a delighted Aurora Aceveda after she hears the news. A college student brings a dead overdose victim to the hospital, but resists when Vic questions him. Vic pushes his face into the body's until he gives up the name "Effi Montecito", a meth dealer who sells to fraternities, and Vic arrests the student. Dutch interviews Kim about Kyle, a property manager, and recommends a grief counselor when she sees her visible upset.

Claudette learns that Montecito still lives in his old frat house and starts securing a warrant, while Vic follows Julien into the bathroom, where he still refuses to change his statement. Vic threatens to turn in Tomas' arrest report with what he saw written in, and Julien does not respond. Just before he can hand it in, Julien stops him and goes to tell Aceveda that he is recanting his statement. An aghast Aceveda warns him that he could face felony charges, but Julien, adamant, apologizes for disappointing him and leaves. Aceveda demands to know what an unresponsive Vic did and warns him to leave Julien alone. After Hooper writes "HOE" on Fran's door, she gets a restraining order against him. Dutch interviews Kyle's business partner while Shane interviews his secretary. Both speak favorably of him, and Shane tries to seduce his interviewee.

Vic and Corrine Mackey are given a tour of a school for autistic children where they are considering sending Matthew, learning that it has only one spot open and the tuition is expensive. Aceveda calls in Neal Cook, a reverend, to try and set Julien's head straight. Julien explains his situation to him (minus the affair with Tomas) and asks "what do you when the man that you are isn't the man you want to be?" He tells Julien to be who he knows he is.

Claudette and Vic arrest Montecido while he hazes pledges by blindfolding them and getting them to have sex with a sheep. Montecido is initially supported by his father, who starts to hit him when he learns his son is again dealing drugs and has to be escorted out of the station, leaving Montecido with no one to bail him out. Paul pulls Eric's life support, only to be arrested by Claudette and Vic, Montecido having implicated him as the cook of the operation. He and Montecido admit that they were planning to bury Eric in the desert after a batch exploded, assuming he would die by the time they got there. Montecito implicates a man named Manny Sandoval as the one who funded their operation and took ten pounds of the product when the dealers couldn't pay. Vic convinces Paul and Montecido to wear a wire to a meeting with Sandoval, and Claudette gets Aceveda to lend them the money Sandoval is demanding to make the meeting look legitimate.

Dutch visits Kim and asks her if Kyle ever had business in Phoenix, and she tells him his business partner has family there, where he claimed to be on the night Kyle was murdered. She also says she called the grief counselor and almost asks Dutch to stay, but lets him go. Aceveda explains to Julien that he called Cook in hopes of clearing Julien's mind and warns him that he faces termination, but Julien refuses to change his statement. As Vic and Corrine debate over whether or not to send Matthew, Vic against and Corrine for, their daughter Cassidy comes in complaining that Matthew bent her notebook. Vic explains her brother's autism and asks her to help him with it if she can, and she agrees.

Aurora comforts Aceveda, as he knows he will lose Machado's favor when Julien recants his statement. Their infant daughter starts to cry and Aceveda goes to take care of her. Danny and Julien again respond to a disturbance at Fran's house, only to find that Hooper has gotten back together with her and Lamar has slashed his tires. (The "HOE" graffiti has been altered to read "SHOE".) When Hooper asks if his name can be replaced on the restraining order with Lamar's, Danny pulls Fran aside and asks her to stop leading the men on and choose one, but Fran plays dumb. After confirming that his alibi of family does not match at all, Dutch tries to coax a confession out of Kyle's business partner, only for Shane to violently and easily get him to confess to killing Kyle after being caught stealing from their company. Shane emerges from the interrogation room victorious.

Paul attacks Sandoval during the meeting, blaming him for Eric's death, and Vic intervenes and arrests Sandoval, who is prepared with a legal defense that insures he will be fine and the meth will continue to circulate on the street unless he gets a deal. Dutch and Shane explain Kyle's murder to Kim, and the former walks her out while the latter tries to seduce her. Kim admits she doesn't feel better after learning how Kyle died and states that "I don't want to be alone anymore." Dutch promptly cancels his dinner plans with Danny, claiming a friend is having a personal crisis. Aceveda refuses to let Vic get violent with Sandoval, so they are forced to let him go in exchange for getting the location of the last of the meth. Vic warns him that despite his freedom, he is now "on my radar."

Aceveda admits the investigation's failure to Machado, but is shocked to find that Machado still admires and backs him, as the public will only care about the most prominent headline of the investigation happening in the first place. Vic encounters Julien, who professes his heterosexuality and compares his gay impulses to something inside him that he cannot suppress. Vic tells him that "you can't go through life hating what you are" and promises Julien that, for recanting his statement, he will help him in any way he can. Kim has Dutch over for her dinner, where he cooks for her before they end up having sex. Vic encourages Danny to keep trying with Julien before being met by Gilroy, who tells him that the Strike Team has been fully reinstated but he is no longer going to help Vic, tired of the risk associated with him.

As Dutch showers, Kim tenderly touches one of Kyle's suits. Aceveda and Aurora happily get dressed for an event together, Shane works out in front of a mirror and admires his figure, Vic has dinner with his family and watches Cassidy help Matthew, Julien stands alone in the Barn, contemplating, and Claudette is called to Fran's house to find her and Hooper dead and Lamar in custody for their murder.

Episode credits[]

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Featuring[]

Uncredited[]

Production staff[]

Featured Music[]

Note all the music originally appears in FX airing release not applicable for streaming websites,they might change music over time due legal disputes 

 One of Fran's boyfriends charges the other one, Julien & Danny arrive to scenery 

 Hooper can painted Fran's door, Julien & Danny try to make peace  

 Vic and Claudette visiting the campus  

 Danny giving Fran some advice about men 

  Ending montage

Episode Title[]

The title refers to the "Cupid meth" that Andy, Paul, and Eric cooked at their lab. Andy used a rubber stamp of a "Cupid" from his daughter's toys to label their meth.

Notes[]

  • International airdates:
    • Germany: September 22, 2004
    • France: July 19, 2007
  • This is the second episode in a row where Curtis Lemansky doesn't appear, although his name still appears in the opening credits.

Quotes[]

  • Vic Mackey: Police. You knew the OD victim ?
  • Sammy: He was rushing my frat. I'm the Pledge Master.
  • Vic Mackey: This part of rush week ? (shows him the drugs)
  • Sammy: My father's a lawyer.
  • Vic Mackey: Mine was a bricklayer. So, what ?


  • Vic Mackey: All you got to do is...
  • Julien Lowe: Lie ?
  • Vic Mackey: It's not a lie. You made a mistake. We put boxes of ammo in that bag, not bricks of coke.
  • Julien Lowe: I know what ammo looks like, and blackmail, too. It's not gonna work.
  • Vic Mackey: I got nothing to lose. My guys have taken fire from every scumbag in town. They're going down because some rookie thinks he saw something?
  • Julien Lowe: I did see something.
  • Vic Mackey: I'm not gonna let you destroy their lives.
  • Julien Lowe: So you're gonna try and destroy mine ?
  • Vic Mackey: You're not giving me any choice. Handing in this arrest report's the only way I can stop you from making a huge mistake.
  • Julien Lowe: That report doesn't prove anything.
  • Vic Mackey: I don't have to prove you're gay. In this house, all I got to do is say it and all the gory details.


  • Danny Sofer: Shoe ?
  • Julien Lowe: Who painted that S ?
  • Hooper: I couldn't scrub off the "hoe'' so I figured that was the next best thing you know.


  • Reverend: Only thing better than unfiltered smoke.
  • Reverend: Unfiltered prayer.
  • Reverend: Just you and God.
  • Reverend: No secrets.


  • Claudette Wyms: We got ten pounds of junk still out there, enough to kill dozens, and he's holding all the cards.
  • Vic Mackey: This might be a good time for us to start doing things my way.
  • David Aceveda: And what way would that be, exactly?
  • Vic Mackey: Captain. Didn't see you there. Someone should put a bell around your neck.


  • Shane Vendrell: That rocked! Man, you set him up and I knocked him down.
  • Dutch Wagenbach: Yeah. You are great.


  • Vic Mackey: It might not feel like it, but you did the right thing yesterday.
  • Julien Lowe: I'm not gay.
  • Vic Mackey: Julien, come on.
  • Julien Lowe: I'm not. It's this thing inside of me. I push it down, it goes away... but then it comes back stronger. I shove it down again, but it just keeps on coming back... till I don't have the strength to push anymore. God, I am so weak. I hate this thing inside of me.
  • Vic Mackey: Julien. You can't go through life hating who you are.
  • Julien Lowe: I pushed away everyone... my partner, my reverend, Tomas. I'm alone.
  • Vic Mackey: No, you're not. You were there for me. I'm there for you.


  • Ben Gilroy: The Strike Team's back in business, effective tomorrow.
  • Vic Mackey: Did you ever have any doubt?
  • Ben Gilroy: I did this time... I'm tired, Vic. I just can't keep explaining these messes or cleaning up after them.
  • Vic Mackey: Ben.
  • Ben Gilroy: I'm not gonna let myself get burned. We're done, Vic. I just can't have your back anymore. I thought I owed it to you to tell you.

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