How far would you go to save your family? That was the question at the crux of Shades of Blue Season 2 Episode 8.

And with bullets flying and Wozniak looking for bombs under his car, the stress and paranoia were at an all-time high.

Then again, is it being paranoid if someone is really after you?

The shooting at the television studio was barely a blip on the screen. Julia literally dodged the bullet and the hit woman wound up dead thanks to Harlee.

Was this simply a message from Bianchi? If he’s smart, he won’t try to take out Julia again.

There’s too much focus on her now, and besides, he still basically owns her, and owning the mayor of NYC is good for business.

The next victim in this war was Espada, who was arrested with a duffle bag full of weapons.

The arrest made me wonder if Stahl has this crew under 24-hour surveillance or if he’s listening in to their cell phones.

Badge or no, Tufo knew he could count on his NYPD family to help him out, but was he just planning on going in and shooting up the dealer’s home?

Wouldn’t straight up revenge have come back to haunt him and possibly his brother too? It was obvious that Tufo's plan wasn't all that well thought out.

Harlee’s plan was certainly more balanced. Give the dealer back the car and everyone walks away, including Wallace.

Of course, that begs the question, what makes a beat up, old, Honda Civic so valuable?

Loman wanted to open the trunk, but Tufo just wanted his brother free, and it's clear that nothing good comes from opening that trunk.

Who all of a sudden canonized you, Loman?
Wozniak

Permalink: Who all of a sudden canonized you, Loman?

There are no saints here. Everyone has made choices, and everyone will have to pay for them, but this episode showed us Loman’s real character and it wasn’t pretty.

Tufo: You've got to stop pretending like you're a victim of circumstance.
Loman, No, I was a victim of a half baked plan.
Tufo: You're a grown man. You knew what we went there to do.

Permalink: You're a grown man. You knew what we went there to do.

That’s just it, Loman can’t figure out who he wants to be. He’s no fool. He knows what this team does because he’s been a part of it.

He’s also killed two men, but in his mind, he’s still painting himself as the victim.

You can whine, you can sulk, you can lecture, you can make all the judgements you want, it doesn't change the fact that you're a dirty cop. Ever since you killed that unarmed black man and lied about it, you became a dirty cop.
Wozniak

Permalink: You can whine, you can sulk, you can lecture, you can make all the judgements you want, it...

If Loman wanted, he could put in for a transfer just like Espada. He could take a leave, like Tufo.

Heck, he could even go to Internal Affairs and confess everything.

Speaking of Internal Affairs, where the heck is Verco?

But instead, he told Nate all about his father’s dirty dealings and perhaps even his affair with Donnie Pomp.

I know that this team has down terrible things, but in my mind, this was a new low. I’ve lost all respect for Loman.

We're a team. We're supposed to be looking out for one another. If that's broke then nothing else works.
Wozniak

Permalink: We're a team. We're supposed to be looking out for one another. If that's broke then nothing...

Now we’re left with two question: What will Nate do with what he’s been told and how will Wozniak react once he learns what Loman has done?

I don’t have the answers, but I know the fallout won’t be pretty.

Then there’s Stahl’s obsession with Julia.

Stahl dangled Espada like a cat with a mouse as he used him to force Wozniak to wear a wire to get evidence against Julia.

And it tore Wozniak apart from the inside out.

Harlee had Cristina to protect, what does Woz have? A shaky marriage, a deceased daughter, and a son who barely speaks to him.

Wozniak: How? How did you do it? Wear a wire, how did you do that?
Harlee: I threw up. I never felt so alone in my life, but then I reminded myself what I have to live for and I focused on that and nothing else. You just have to remind yourself what you have to live for.
Wozniak: I'm not sure anymore.

Permalink: I'm not sure anymore.

I really thought Woz was backed into a corner and would turn on Julia, instead, he walked in front of a bus.

Thank goodness for good brakes.

He’d sooner commit suicide than turn on someone that he cares about, and that’s what he was trying to explain in this Shades of Blue quote…

I can't choose to be a rat just like I can't choose to breathe under water. It's just not gonna happen.
Wozniak

Permalink: I can't choose to be a rat just like I can't choose to breathe under water. It's just not...

Thankfully, he had Harlee on his side.

It was good to see Molly again.

I always hated what Stahl did to her in Shades of Blue season 1, and I was happy to see her get even the tiniest bit of revenge.

Harlee: Stahl doesn't even feel like a man unless he's manipulating a woman. He crawls inside your head to all the places where you feel safe and he takes them, but you know that because he's done it to you.
Molly: You're right, Harlee, he's cutthroat and erratic which is exactly why I don't want back on his radar.

Permalink: You're right, Harlee, he's cutthroat and erratic which is exactly why I don't want back on...

That Stahl manipulated his partner into staying undercover so he could have sex with his wife wasn’t a shock. I put nothing past Stahl.

I also think that Harlee’s assessment of him was spot on. It’s easier to blame Julia for the murder than to take any responsibility for it himself.

I'm not absolving Julia because I'm fairly sure she played a role, but in Stahl’s head, it’s always someone else’s fault, never his.

Harlee may have gotten Espada set free, but I doubt this will be the last she’ll see of Agent Stahl.

Especially since he may know where the bodies are buried. Literally.

Check back later this week to see what our Shades of Blue round table team has to say about Loman’s betrayal, Wozniak’s decent, and Harlee’s hail Mary.

And you can always watch Shades of Blue online here at TV Fanatic.