Pilot (The Shield)
| "Pilot" | |
|---|---|
| The Shield episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Clark Johnson |
| Written by | Shawn Ryan |
| Production code | 5012-01-179 |
| Original air date | March 12, 2002 |
"Pilot" is the first episode of the FX crime drama television series The Shield. It was written by series creator Shawn Ryan, directed by Clark Johnson, and originally aired on March 12, 2002. The episode received Emmy Award nominations for both its writing and directing.
The opening scene of the series consists of new LAPD Captain David Aceveda, of the infamous Farmington District, giving a press conference discussing how crime rates as a whole have been down for the past few months. This is juxtaposed with scenes of Vic Mackey, along with his Strike Team (Shane Vendrell, Curtis Lemansky, Ronnie Gardocki, and Terry Crowley), chasing a drug dealer through the district. When Mackey and his team corner the dealer, Mackey strips the dealer with various citizens watching. Doing this, Mackey finds the dealer's stash taped to his scrotum, and removes the baggie with excessive force.
Meanwhile, seasoned Detectives Dutch Wagenbach and Claudette Wyms discover a murdered woman in her home. It is revealed that her daughter is missing. Back at the Farmington Precinct (known by the detectives as "The Barn"), Aceveda calls Vic into his office. A Mexican gang member who Vic had previously apprehended is filing a brutality complaint against Mackey, claiming he was harmed with a pair of pliers during his arrest. Aceveda reprimands Vic, saying that this is his fourth excessive force complaint since David was made Captain. Mackey feigns innocence to the pliers complaint. He later accosts the man who filed the complaint, and terrorizes him into dropping the charges.
Later on, Vic and his partner Shane Vendrell pay a visit to notorious drug dealer Rondell Robinson. Unbeknownst to them, they are being watched by fellow Strike Team member Terry Crowley. After this, Terry has a meeting with David Aceveda and an associate from the U.S. Justice Department in a park. It is revealed here that Crowley has been gathering intel on Mackey and the Strike Team's doings for some time. When Terry tells Aceveda about the meeting with Rondell Robinson, Aceveda begins talking about building a federal case against Mackey. Crowley relents, only wishing to do so if he receives a job with the Justice Department, plus a new car and moving expenses. Aceveda agrees to the demands. When Terry asks David what he (Aceveda) is getting out of all of this, Aceveda replies "I just want a dirty cop off the streets." To this, Terry responds "You wanna be mayor someday? You better learn to lie a hell of a lot better than that."
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