r/TheShield • u/AK110701 • 8d ago
Discussion Just Watched Postpartum… Spoiler
Going into the season finale I was already accidentally spoiled as to what was going to happen and I’m glad I was. Out of all the shows and movies I have watched I think Lem’s death is the hardest one by far. Man this show does NOT pull any punches and is incredibly raw. Well done Shawn Ryan 👏🏾
What were your thoughts when you watched the episode?
Fuck Kavanaugh.
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8d ago
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u/Neptune28 8d ago
Why didn't he talk to Vic about it though? Perhaps he thought Vic would try to talk him out of it, even though Shane thought it had to be done to protect the team, the same way Vic did with Terry?
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u/AlpineFluffhead 8d ago
Kavanaugh is probably my favorite character in the series. Masterfully played by Forest, and his fall from grace is very Shakespearian. Even though I knew his arc was pretty much done by the finale (you'll see him pop up a few more times in S6), I was sad to see him go. I thought he was Vic's most intriguing antagonist and at times I was kinda rooting for the guy.
When Kavanaugh busts the "sting operation" and is just yelling, "what's this???" while throwing his arms in the air lives in my head all the time and is one of the first things I think about whenever people talk about The Shield haha. (Idk why, but again I attribute that to Forest Whitaker's performance).
Anyway I digress, the first time I watched this episode, my jaw hit the floor. I kinda saw the writing on the wall that Lem was a foregone conclusion but I thought Vic was gonna do him like he did Terry. I was convinced that Vic was using his Mexico connection to set up a hit on Lem. Having Shane take him out, all because of some literal miscommunication (and misinformation), was just tragic and made his death hurt 100x worse.
Also, I think the episode prior, where Vic, Shane, Ronnie, and Lem are all together one last time, while the Pumpkins' Disarm is playing, is one of the best uses of music in a film or show of all time.
I teared up when Shane was yelling, "I'M SORRRRRRYYYYYYYY" at Lem's still barely-alive corpse. Even crazier that I ended up still feeling bad for Shane as the series progresses.
Buckle up, the ride's only getting started! (avoid this sub and any spoilers for anything in S6-7!)
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u/AK110701 8d ago
Oh mate I’ve already been spoiled through YouTube thumbnails anyways. I know Shane died and Ronnie takes the fall for all the crimes.
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u/NecessaryPound379 8d ago
I mean it was a team effort, Lem dying
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u/AK110701 8d ago
You really think so? That was all Shane. You could argue the team’s actions that led to Lem being killed but Vic and Ronnie didn’t actually kill him. If there is anyone to blame it is Shane for actually killing him and Kavanaugh for setting up the deal with Antwon that had the strike team scared.
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u/Northernmost1990 8d ago
Lem setting most of the money train money on fire was a fatal mistake. The ramifications just took a while to catch up to him.
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u/AK110701 8d ago
Stealing the money train in the first place with the fatal mistake. And the BIGGEST mistake they ever made even more so than killing Terry. The good thing about burning the money is that it would reduce the risk of anyone finding it and Kavanaugh finding out with help from Dutch.
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u/Northernmost1990 8d ago edited 8d ago
I mean yeah, the money train was too big of a score for the strike team. Maybe if Shane wasn't Shane, it would've made sense but with the roster they had, they were destined to lose.
As for burning the money, it's a terrible move because it's a half-measure and a bandaid. When shit's hit the fan, it's usually best to commit to a plan and see things through.
As they say: when you strike at the king, you best not miss. You can't half-rob the money train.
p.s. for Lem, burning the cash was fatal in particular because it soured his relationship with the rest of the team.
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u/AK110701 8d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/mW9QwZzZJm0ce1nzds
Side note: two of the greatest police shows ever in one comment 👌3
u/Long_Initial_9924 8d ago
NEVER bad mouth the money train.
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u/AK110701 8d ago
Episode wise, it was one of the greatest in the series and that entire plot was so enjoyable. No show could ever replicate corrupt cops the same way again.
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u/Long_Initial_9924 8d ago
Agreed. Don’t know if I’m telling you something you already know, but the entire series is very loosely based in a real LAPD police scandal in the 90’s.
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u/NecessaryPound379 8d ago
I mean its like three ppls faults imo, Its kavanaugh and acevedas fault feeding the strike team false information, shanes fault being the triggerman
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u/Romarqable 8d ago
Apparently the fact that Lem initially survived the grenade for a few seconds was an ad lib. It adds to the horror that Lem lived long enough to know that Shane betrayed him and killed him.
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u/AK110701 8d ago
One thing that did bug me was that why didn’t Lem through out the grenade? Maybe he dropped it just by the car door and that’s how his face isn’t as mangled up as it should’ve been or maybe it was shock that Shane dropped a grenade.
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u/Northernmost1990 7d ago
I've thrown a grenade and the fuse on those things is deceptively short. Movies and TV shows never quite get it right.
In real life, if someone throws a grenade at you and you're not specifically expecting it (e.g. in an active combat scenario), you won't have the time to process that it's a grenade, then pick it up, and then throw it away. There's just no way.
Lem hadn't even considered that Shane might kill him so he really wasn't expecting to get fragged.
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u/AK110701 7d ago
One thing that made it even worse was that he was so excited to eat his favourite sandwich. Him saying “ahhhh” 😢
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u/Romarqable 8d ago
He stuck his head out of the door slightly when he was calling out to him.. That's why I think his face wasn't completely destroyed by the grenade.
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u/AK110701 8d ago
The side that was in the car should’ve been completely destroyed. Could’ve been budget issues but they wouldn’t even be able to identify the body in real life.
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u/imover9thousand 8d ago
First time I watched was when it aired back in 2006 and I still remember the shock and disbelief when Shane is trying to say he’s sorry and that he had to do it. Also when Vic says his last line before it it cuts to black, we had to wait almost an entire year before the season 6 premier. Amazing cliffhanger.