Well, people who have been posting about how the San Marcos storyline bores them and how they're confused by all the Hernan stuff aren't going to be big fans of tonight's episode.

I need to watch it again at midnight before I really get into it, but the thing that jumps out at me immediately is Shane's awfully quick rise to head of the Armenian mob. For being such a tightly-run ship in S3, these guys seem pretty damned disorganized at the moment. The boss is in a coma, his daughter is trying to steer the ship, and there's definitely no shortage of minor mutinies brewing.

Enter.... Cletus Van Damme? Apparently so. By trying to talk some sense into this Armenian mob daughter, he appears to be letting her talk HIM into being her new.... well, her new what? Bodyguard? Consiglieri? Or does she just want to use him to get at the rest of the people that ripped off the money train?

Regardless, his motive is what's confusing me. I thought he got with the Armenians to secure a place for his 'document.' Then he was sort of freelancing, helping the daughter with robberies at an Armenian-owned apartment building. Now he's hopping right into bed (figuratively, for the time being) with the princess of the family. Isn't there enough heat on him already?

It's almost enough to make me rethink my theory that Shane's going to die by Ronnie's hands - it's hard to believe the old-world Armenian might is going to be happy to find their stateside jefe in direct contact with the LAPD, regardless of how crooked he is. And Cletus damn sure ain't Armenian.

Although Ronnie was pretty pissed tonight; understandably. 'Writing down everything we've done, holding it over our heads, that's not beef?!' No doubt, Ronnie.

Not to mention, if the Armenians DO have hold of it, and they happen to read it, THEY can hold it over SHANE's head and make him do whatever THEY want. He's got NOOOOO leverage on them.

Hiatt stepped up bigtime tonight, telling Mackey that there's not gonna be an appeal hearing. I'm not sure what that means, but it sure seems as though Hiatt is impressed with Vic and wants him around. I mean, if you don't know about the whole Terry mess, Mackey looks to Hiatt like he probably does to everyone else in the Barn (with the exception of Dutch and Claudette): a tough-guy cop who sets the standard for the rest of them, doesn't take any shit and gets it done.

More later, most likely...