Ep 12. Judas Priest

As the streets of Los Angeles continue to spiral out of control, the strike team is forced to confront some hard-hitting truths in The Shield season 4 episode 12, titled Judas Priest. With Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) at the helm, the team is still trying to pick up the pieces after their two-year-long feud with the Armenians. But as they try to settle back into their old lives, a new enemy emerges, threatening to tear apart everything they've built.

The episode begins with a ruthless gang war raging across the city, and the strike team must figure out their next move. A Muslim gangster named Tariq (played by rapper/actor Sticky Fingaz) has been stirring up trouble in the neighborhood, and the team has been tasked with taking him down. Meanwhile, Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) are investigating a bizarre case involving a young woman who was found dead in a bathtub.

As tensions rise, the strike team realizes that they may have an insider working against them. They suspect that Tariq's loyalties may lie with the Mexican cartel, who have been working to expand their territory and gain more power. This puts the team in an unenviable position, as they must balance their desire for justice with the potential danger of going up against a much larger and more organized enemy.

Faced with these challenges, Mackey reaches out to his mentor and former partner, Detective Terry Crowley (Reed Diamond). Though Crowley was killed in the line of duty at the end of the show's first season, his presence is still strongly felt throughout the series. Mackey visits Crowley's widow in an emotional scene that reminds us of just how high the stakes really are for these characters.

But as they draw closer to Tariq and the cartel, the team starts to unravel. Ronnie (David Rees Snell) is struggling with guilt over his involvement in the murder of a fellow cop, while Dutch finds himself haunted by his own personal demons. Meanwhile, Shane (Walton Goggins) is still reeling from the death of his pregnant wife, and the strain is beginning to show.

As the episode draws to a close, the strike team is faced with an impossible choice. Do they risk everything to take down Tariq and the cartel, or do they back down and try to avoid getting caught in the crossfire? With their loyalties and motivations constantly in flux, the characters of The Shield must confront the harsh reality of the world they inhabit.

Judas Priest is an intense and thought-provoking episode that showcases the show's strengths in storytelling, character development, and atmosphere. The tension is palpable from start to finish, and the viewer is left on the edge of their seat as the twists and turns of the plot unfold. This episode is a prime example of why The Shield stands as one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved cop shows of all time.