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Friendly Fire
Season 3, Episode 11
Friendly-fire
Air date January 28, 2010
Written by Alfredo Barrios Jr.
Directed by Terry Miller
Episode Guide
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A Dark Road
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Noble Causes

Friendly Fire is the eleventh episode of the third season and the thirty-ninth episode overall.

Notes[]

  • Clients: Mack
  • Bad Guys: Rincon, Felipe Vega

Synopsis[]

Mack, Sam's old friend shows up and asks for help in a case against a child predator named Rincon.

Meanwhile, Michael meets Mason Gilroy, an associate of Tom Strickler's, who plans to become his new employer.

Spy Facts[]

In the intelligence community, an invitation to meet at a hotel pool is an olive branch. The person you're meeting is offering you multiple escape routes, a crowd to mix in with, and the virtual certainty that nobody is concealing a weapon in their bathing suit. But if you're meeting the kind of guy who arranges coups d'etat for a living, it's still a good idea to bring backup.

Neighborhood Watch is just a nice idea in most suburbs. But where you really see it in action, is the inner city. Only there, it doesn't protect against crime. It protects against cops. Just like cops have drug-detecting dogs, some neighborhoods have cop-detecting kids. Once the alarm goes out, Criminal activity shuts down like a picnic when it rains, and any fugitives run like jackrabbits.

In an army, a chain of command gets activated by unusual events: tanks amassing on a border, a hacking attack on a central computer, assassinations of key personnel. A street gang's chain of command is no different. Showing up in a stolen car and making a splashy entrance will get a message sent up the ladder.

Because warehouses store bulk items and not people, they're usually built cheaply. Most of the time, the roofs are just plywood and asphalt tiles. Attach a hole saw bit to a silenced drill and you can bore through the roof without attracting attention. If you want to create a bigger opening, a few ounces of C-4 on the brackets holding the door in place will do the trick.

Dominance in the battlefield isn't always about the use of lethal force. Sometimes it's more effective to leave a few targets around to spread a word. Rubber composite bullets fired from a suppressed rifle won't kill your enemy. But it will make them think twice about staying in the fight.

Selling yourself to an adversary is a bit like getting drafted on a sports team. You may look good on paper, but eventually they'll want to see you on the field.

The best defense isn't always a show of force. Keep an adversary in the dark about what you're capable of, and he has to assume the worst.

When you're extracting a heavily guarded target, it's important to choose the right entry point. Guards watch windows and doors. So if you come in through the common wall of a neighboring apartment, you've got surprise on your side, not to mention a shower of shattered concrete. Of course, surprise doesn't count for much if you're walking into a trap

Traditional rappelling requires holding a rope with both hands, which is inconvenient if you're being shot at. That's why Special Forces are trained to rappel in unconventional ways.

Camouflage is commonly associated with jungle warfare, but the truth is that it's just as important in urban settings. You're bound to draw attention setting up a bulletproof barricade on the sidewalk, or toting a concussion charge down the street. But fruit stands reinforced with strips of steel-belted tires and ice cream carts packed with explosives blend right in. Of course, the ultimate Trojan horse is a shackled prisoner. A paranoid enemy might go so far as frisking a hostage who's wearing handcuffs, but people tend not to check if one of the handcuff links is made of polystyrene, or if there's a listening device in the pin lock.

Full Recap[]

The episode starts off with Michael accompanied by Fiona at a hotel pool, looking for Gilroy. After walking around Gilroy reveals himself as a man very interested in Michael. He mentions Strickler was an associate of his and asks why Michael shot him. Michael lies, claiming he just wanted to eliminate the middleman instead of what he really wanted; to save Fiona. Gilroy also reveals he arranged Diego's death, and he is hesitant to trust Michael. Finally, he wants to know all about Michael and his "little girlfriend", having his man shoot near her.

Michael goes back to Maddy's house, explaining to Sam what happened and that he needs to earn Gilroy's trust. Unexpectedly, an old friend of Sam's named Mack shows up and is greeted with 2 punches by Sam, though says he deserved them both. Sam explains they served together on the SEALs but does not explain what caused the problem between them. Eventually he calms down and agrees to have a beer with Mack.


Cast[]

Main[]

Recurring[]

Guest[]

  • Rus Blackwell as Mack
  • Jacob Vargas as Omar Hernandez
  • Luis Antonio Ramos as Rincon
  • Danny Trejo as Felipe Vega

Trivia[]

  • Michael's cover ID is Louis, which is likely a pseudonym for Lucifer.
  • Many Hispanic communities are stereotyped as religious, likely leading to Michael convincing the gangs he was a herald of the Devil himself.
  • This episode is referenced later in Episode 405: Neighborhood Watch, where client David asks Michael, "So, what? You just snap your fingers and the dealers disappear?" Michael replies, "Well ,it's worked before." Referring to when he would snap his fingers in this episode and cause explosions.

Continuity Errors[]

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