TV.com

The Shield Season 5 Episode 6

Rap Payback

Favorite

Watched It I've Watched This 0

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

9.1

User Rating

162 votes

Your Rating: 10
Your Rating: 9.5
Your Rating: 9
Your Rating: 8.5
Your Rating: 8
Your Rating: 7.5
Your Rating: 7
Your Rating: 6.5
Your Rating: 6
Your Rating: 5.5
Your Rating: 5
Your Rating: 4.5
Your Rating: 4
Your Rating: 3.5
Your Rating: 3
Your Rating: 2.5
Your Rating: 2
Your Rating: 1.5
Your Rating: 1

Rate Now

EPISODE REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

Write A Review

Episode Summary

EDIT

Free Trial / Subscription

VUDU

Buy

AIRED: 2/14/06

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.moreless

Fan Episode Reviews (7)

After being thwarted by Mackey and the strike team in the previous episode, Kavanaugh decides to set up operations in the station right next to Mackey. He then pressures Corinne into giving him the information he wants under threat of imprisonment.moreless

9.0

By meathead704, Oct 03, 2011

This is a good episode of The Shield and one of the reasons is Forrest Whitaker's terrific performance as IAD officer Kavanaugh. The episode also shows that there's not much difference between Mackey and Kavanaugh. Both men are very agressive and will do whatever they can to win. Mackey has threatened people with jail time if they refused to cooperate as Kavanaugh did with Corrine in this episode. Kavanaugh is slightly better than Mackey mainly because Kavanaugh has not murdered a fellow officer, but I will admit eventhough his investigation is justified, I'm not sure I am on his side.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
1 0

Flag
Share Hide
This is a fine example of what The Shield does so well- even in an episode which has some filler elements, they never lose the audience- at least not this viewer.moreless

9.3

By rockin01, Sep 21, 2007

Forest Whitaker's portrayal of Kavanaugh is growing on me. And this is one of those episodes that gives him room to stretch out and deepen the character. He's still clearly an unsympathetic character, but Whitaker is working hard to keep him from becoming a one-note villain, adding nuances and different shades of expression with each new episode.

Kavanaugh's tactics are continuing to turn up the heat on the Strike Team: He sets up office in the Barn, and continues to sweat everyone around Vic, including Danny and Corrine (speaking of people I love to hate), who is her usual clueless, pushover self- she spills the beans on the 65 grand Vic gave her after Kavanaugh sparks her jealousy by revealing Vic's sexual relationship with Danny.

There are a couple of other subplots that, while they aren't the most compelling I have ever seen on The Shield, are still absolutely great television, and far and away better than anything else on this medium. Oh, and Kleavon is back to make Dutch and Claudette's lives more interesting.

Final note: Michael Chiklis directed this episode, his second ever, and did an excellent job.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
1 0

Flag
Share Hide
Just when you thought Kavanaugh would back off after he messed up a big bust of the strike team. In this episode you see Kavanaugh taking the captains office at the barn. He removed the doors of the striketeam ''office''.moreless

7.0

By PeAk_, Feb 20, 2006

Kavanaugh really annoys me, Just when you thought he would back off after he messed up a big bust of the strike team.

In this episode you see Kavanaugh taking the captains office at the barn. He removed the doors of the striketeam ''office''.

Kavanaugh invites Corrine to the barn for interrogations.

Still, i don't know why Corrine is ''helping'' Kavanaugh. She tells Kavanaugh that Vic gave her 65 thousand Dollars. I really want to know how this season is going to end. For now it keeps getting worse for Vic and his team...moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
1 0

Flag
Share Hide
More of the same

8.3

By Ishmaelbbc, Feb 17, 2006

It seems a bit pointless to observe that "The Shield" has lost some of its appeal, simply because it runs for so long without trying something really new. Like the cops on the show, we're as the viewers get used to the horrifying crimes that once managed to really shock us.

The other major theme of corruption also has run dry, because on the one hand we are expected to accept that Vic and the others have come clean, but on the other hand they always talk about "staying clean for now" as long as the investigation is running. Either they are clean or they have to pretend they are, but both doesn't really work.

I don't want to complain about the show, because I still like to watch it, because it has its good share of good scenes and characters. I love the whole idea with Billings as a captain, and Dutch and Claudette still are the best that is out there, even though Claudette's sickness storyline seems unnecessarily constructed as does Dutch's crush for Tina. But it still is all quite good, especially the reappearing storyline of the brother who they never convicted as a killer.

I would be happy about the Kavanaugh storyline too, because it has potential (even though it also gets tiring that the Strike Team is being investigated for basically 5 seasons now). And I like Forest Withaker, I really do, and I don't want to say that he is playing Kavanaugh wrong. But honestly I do not find him all that convincing. I do not understand why Danny and Corinne break down so fast. Especially Corinne, who is told again and again, that she can might as well just get up and go, and still she rats on Vic. Of course she knows that he has been bad (that is one of the reasons she wanted the divorce), but why tell Kavanaugh about the money? Vic has always looked out for her and the kids. If Kavanaugh had used some inevasive methods that would have cracked anyone, I'd understand, but all he does is to piss people off. I sometimes get the feeling that everyone acts more frightened of him, than they actually could be of a character like him. This too, seems a little bit too constructed.

"The Shield" certainly shows that it's running in its fifth year, but it still has the potential which made it so good in previous seasons. I just hope they find a way to make things more natural, exciting and convincing.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 2

Flag
Share Hide
While not as good as last week's incredible episode, 'Rap Payback' was yet another example of why The Shield is one of the best shows on television.

9.2

By briantw, Feb 15, 2006

It seems strange to me that a show can get better and better the older it gets, and yet that is what The Shield has done. The first season was great, of course, but it just went uphill from there, with stories dealing with everything from the money train to Margose to Antwon Mitchell(who I personally can't wait to see back on the show this season). The show has created some amazing characters in its run, especially antagonistic ones, while always keeping the events surrounding them suspenseful.

Last night's episode, 'Rap Payback,' was not one of the best episodes in the series, but it was still another good example of quality television. The most important aspect of the show was Corrine's admission to Kavanaugh that Vic gave her a fairly large sum of money earlier in the show's run. It shows just how easily Kavanaugh was able to get under her skin and how he might be able to turn others against Vic just as he did Vic's wife. It also serves to show just how far Kavanaugh will go to bring down Vic.

The central plot involving the white drug dealer trying to earn some street cred was decent, but nothing groundbreaking. I didn't really care all that much about what happened there, but it wasn't a bad storyline or anything. The whole Kavanaugh central storyline just completely overshadowed everything else in the episode.

Also of interest was Dutch and Claudette's investigation of a suspected serial killer that they crossed paths with earlier in the show's run. This plot was also well done and interesting, but it won't hit the boiling point until next week's episode, 'Man Inside.'

All in all, 'Rap Payback' was a quality episode of a quality show, but will undoubtedly prove to be better as a part of a whole than as an individual episode.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
2 0

Flag
Share Hide

See All Fan Reviews

Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Benito Martinez	Councilman David Aceveda
Catherine Dent	Officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer
Cathy Cahlin Ryan	Corrine Mackey - (Season 4, Recurring Previously)
CCH Pounder	Detective Claudette Wyms
David Rees Snell	Detective Ronnie Gardocki - (Season 4, Recurring Previously)
Jay Karnes	Detective Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach

See All Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Alice Lin	Shopkeeper	Guest Star
ATA	Mover	Guest Star
J. David Shanks	Officer Stamos	Guest Star
Jack Weber	Matthew Mackey	Recurring Role
Chaney Kley	Asher	Recurring Role
Autumn Chiklis	Cassidy Mackey	Recurring Role

See All Cast & Crew

Watch Online

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (1)
ADD TRIVIA
- This episode marks Kleavon's return from Season 4. He is still under investigation by Dutch and Claudette for the murders of several women.
  EDIT SHARE
QUOTES (5)
ADD QUOTES
- Shane: Payback's a bitch.
  Vic: Yeah, and karma's a whore.
  EDIT SHARE
- Shane: Better check you color, honky.
  EDIT SHARE
- Shane: It's just us glacier monkeys.
  EDIT SHARE
- Shane: Hey! Stop dumb*ss! It's a barbwire fence!
  EDIT SHARE
- Aceveda: I'm Chairman of the Police Committee. This is a fight you don't want.
  Kavanaugh: I didn't want any of it. But I'm here… and I'm staying.
  EDIT SHARE
NOTES (2)
ADD NOTES
- International Airdates:
  Australia: January 14, 2008 on Network 10
  The Netherlands: January 16, 2008 on Veronica
  Finland: July 21, 2008 on Nelonen
  EDIT SHARE
- Music heard during this episode:
  
  Artist: Madison Smartt Bell & Wyn Cooper
  Song: Anything Goes
  Album: Forty Words For Fear
  Label: Gaff Music
  EDIT SHARE
ALLUSIONS (0)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- ADD ALLUSIONS from this episode.