William Greeley wants eternal power through preservation of his lineage, but psychosis holds him back. The police have some semblance of power due to badges that signify authority. But only Derek Tripp has real power, because of his prowess at basketball.
There's many power games and trips going on in “The Spread”. Greeley sees himself as an extreme pro-lifer, with the mission to mass-disperse his seed before a fatal brain tumor catches up to him, and claiming that women need him. His game is disrupted when Connie makes the painful mistake of simply taking out a condom. The Strike Team manages to manipulate the Laker's game in their favor by detaining Tripp after arresting his friends on drugs and weapon charges. But Shane's still reeling from Terry's murder and goes on a power trip against a man who charges $150 for an autograph. And Tomas knows the truth about Julien after seeing him outside a gay bar, using that power to motivate Julien to look into the mistake of his arrest.
While this hour ranks lower on the tension scale of most Shield episodes, “The Spread” moves things along with two solid stand-alone stories as well as laying pipe for future developments with all our characters. Dutch and Shane play parallel proteges to their mentors in Claudette and Vic, both looking for some semblance of fame under the guise of performing duties for the greater good. Dutch wants to discover the next Ted Bundy, but only to serve his ego and perhaps impress Danny. Shane wants to teach Derek a lesson and maybe subconsciously get his name in the paper, but he's really acting out of fear and a new sense of invincibility. Vic and Claudette have to bring their proteges down to earth, with Claudette solving the case by manipulating Greeley into thinking she'd be willing to have his child (and buttoning it with a swift kick in the nuts) and Vic's cold, heartless chat with Shane.
Vic continues his streak of super cop status, empowered by getting away with murder. He plays around in the Barn with a water gun while Aceveda passes out warrants. He detains Derek and lets the Strike Team profit off the basketball game. He plays the saint by helping Connie find her almost-rapist and feeling so confident that he lets her smoke crack in a police station. He then becomes a recognized hero by saving an infant from a tweaking crankhead simply by being in the right place at the right time. When Corrine brings him a change of clothes for the upcoming teacher meeting, he thanks her for the “fresh cape”. And while Shane almost kills Derek due to insecurity and breaks down crying over Terry's death, Vic's in rock-solid denial mode, barely registering a modicum of emotion or regret while telling Shane to “get over it, don't bring it up again.” But after meeting with his son's teacher, he's suddenly hit with a blast of kryptonite, powerless to act as he discovers his son may have serious neurological issues. The silent car ride home with Corrine is undercut with the radio announcing Derek's bullshit excuse for missing the game that preserves his god-like status. Derek Tripp: 1, Vic: 0.
Canvassing Notes
- Our man Clark Johnson's back in the director's chair and this episode was written by Glen Mazzara, who also cut his teeth in the Nash Bridges writing room with Shawn Ryan.
- The arrest of William Greeley is a visually tight sequence, from the SWAT fastening the line from the tow truck to the barricaded door to the hilarious reveal of Greeley naked on the couch.
- “We all hate sweeps, we all hate sweeps...” - Meta commentary on the TV industry by Shawn Ryan?
- Greeley was played by Kirk Baltz, best known as the cop with an ear deficiency in Reservoir Dogs.
- More funny edits: “What're you gonna do about the rest of our warrants?” Cut to a homeless guy with mustard stains on his shirt, “Vic Mackey called, told me to turn myself in.”
- “You're stretching, son. Try yoga.”
- “It's not mayonnaise...”
- “Between this and my caesarean, I'm a goddamn road map.”
Pre-Cog Report (SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES)
- Dutch's obsession with serial killers will only continue throughout the series, having several successes and failures along the way and finally nailing a budding teenage murderer in the seventh season.
- Really liked the moment of Corrine playing along with Vic on the phone as he pretends to call Aceveda, though as their family strife only increases throughout the series these types of scenes become non-existent.
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