The WORST episodes of The Shield
Every episode of The Shield ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Shield!
The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.
#1 - Co-Pilot
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/4/2003
Flashback to the first day of the barn. Under pressure to get results, Vic and his new Strike Team make an impression on the streets. Dutch and Claudette realize they make a good team, and David discovers he doesn't have as much power as he thought he would.
#2 - Dawg Days
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/2/2002
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.
#3 - The Spread
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/26/2002
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.
#4 - The Cure
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/15/2005
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.
#5 - The Quick Fix
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/7/2003
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.
#6 - Throwaway
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/7/2002
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.
#7 - Coyotes
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/11/2003
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.
#8 - Cracking Ice
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/27/2004
An oversight puts Waylon and Trish in serious danger during an undercover job and Claudette is to blame. Meanwhile, Tommy makes a drastic decision when he realizes nobody in the Barn can help him get back on the job.
#9 - Strays
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/18/2004
During a routine bust on bangers, Vic and the Team discover a money laundering ring that reaches far and wide in the crime community. Meanwhile, Dutch takes the chilling confession of the man who was arrested in the serial-rape case, and Danny goes undercover.
#10 - Bang
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/29/2005
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.
#11 - Game Face
Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/30/2008
Claudette encounters a murderous old nemesis; Vic confronts Olivia about her political connections; Dutch's case gets personal.
#12 - Bottom Bitch
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/23/2004
A prostitute seeks the help of the police in her quest to bring down her pimp. Claudette assigns Vic against his wishes to the case, which puts him on the verge of going over the edge. Dutch uncovers a disturbing trend of rapes and a politician is arrested for solicitation.
#13 - Riceburner
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/25/2004
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.
#14 - Carte Blanche
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/28/2003
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.
#15 - Snitch
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/9/2008
As a local gang war heats up, Vic positions himself as a valuable commodity to the warring parties; Corrine and Cassidy confront Vic.
#16 - What Power is...
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/11/2004
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.
#17 - Man Inside
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/21/2006
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.
#18 - Blowback
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/9/2002
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.
#19 - Jailbait
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/24/2006
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.
#20 - Rap Payback
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/14/2006
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.
#21 - Blood and Water
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/16/2004
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.
#22 - Playing Tight
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/9/2004
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.
#23 - String Theory
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/17/2005
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.
#24 - Moving Day
Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/28/2008
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.
#25 - Haunts
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/1/2007
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.