[Morethings index for The Shield]
Season 2, Episode 7 "Barnburners"
Air date: 2-18-03

Man, what a trip into Dutch's headspace. I felt some anxiety that Dutch was going to take Vic's advice that sometimes you had to "make the evidence fit the crime." You could see how he's driven to the edge of foolish behavior by the professional pressure coming down through Aceveda, coupled with his own internal humiliation for having screwed up with Bob and Marcy.

Then watch how he displaces his own humiliation and social inadequacy, exorcising it and also using it to break down his suspect. "When was the last time you saw your own dick without a mirror?" Man, that's cold, if you have any empathy for the other guy- which Dutch totally does. Oh yes, Dutch understands this guy and his self-hatred only all too well.

The perp noted in passing that he worked at a rib joint. Of all the jobs in the world, what is someone like this whose life is TOTALLY dominated by weight issues doing working in a rib joint? It's a perfect detail of his self-hatred.

A big part of what makes this series so good is the detail of the dialogue, such as here when Dutch explains exactly what happened- with all the suspect's internal rage and despair over his weight issues. He sets up just that moment, where the gross fat guy is humiliating himself by making out with the gross fat blind date, then she has to get at that candy in her pocket even then. Yeah, his rage and self-hatred comes pouring out. His behavior has been very precisely explained, and all the shadings of personal meaning for Dutch just make it that much better.

The final spin on this storyline came when Dutch gave Captain Aceveda some hell about how he deserved "a little goddam respect" as an outstanding detective who breaks cases no one else in the division can. Damn straight.