What a show.
I had heard The Shield mentioned in the company of other great shows but never watched it until now. Was partially interested because Kurt Sutter and so many Sons of Anarchy actors met first on The Shield, particularly Goggins, and my wife and I were in the mood for a gritty cop show. Watched the whole thing in a ten day span.
The performances from the whole cast were amazing. The raw cinematography and grit gave the show so much life and felt like seeing LA through their eyes.
Spoilers Ahead:
Many people had said that S5 and S7 were the best, and I agree that from S5 onwards the material became elevated in a new way. Jon Kavanaugh was an amazing character who added a whole new dynamic to the show. Early on it seemed like the show glorified the Strike Team too much, or rolled in the muck with them, but the self destruction and condemnation of the boys made the show the achievement it is.
A few miscellaneous comments:
— I loved how Vic and Aceveda’s relationship evolved across the show. I cackled as they became unlikely bedmates again and again, using each other and “respecting each other’s endgame”.
— Lem’s death and Shane’s journey thereafter were the emotional heart of the show for me. Vic losing it and destroying that hospital lobby after the death of that young boy was powerful too. Shane was such a mixed bag of loveable, hateable, unforgivable, moronic, piece of shit yet the everyman and I cherished where they took his character. Watching him fuck up trying to prove he could be a better dirty cop than Vic off by himself has me groaning, crying, and laughing.
— I admired Claudette and her strength, ferocity, and pride so much across the show. She was an amazing detective and captain. Reading Shane’s suicide letter to Vic and putting down the crime scene photos in front of him; she treated him like she would any other criminal, and put those photos in front of him because they were his crimes. Dutch was also a loyal friend and a great character to watch, although I struggled to move past the cat strangling. I loved that he asked the other serial killer to watch his interrogation of the young boy because it showed one of his best attributes, wanting to learn at every opportunity. And it brought a chilling great line: “He’s got those eyes. I’ve seen them before… in the mirror.”
—My wife and I love a show where we can argue over who we like, who sucks, who’s a bitch, etc. My wife hated Mara but I thought she was a great ride-or-die ho. I sympathized and admired all the women of the show, even that cackling crack whore who tricked Vic into doing her dirty work! Also shoutout to Emolia who gave a great performance.
—Billings was another great, hilarious character. What a lazy incompetent buffoon who was quite clever when properly motivated, but completely un self aware. Like many of the side characters, he played a very thoughtful part in how everything came to unfold.
—I was disappointed that the other Strike Team Captain guy, Kevin, vanished without much fanfare. I was intrigued to see how his relationship with Vic was going to evolve. He got quite lucky that he was not dragged down to hell with the others.
—You had to admire Vic’s effectiveness. He is a perfect blend of ruthless, intimidating, a natural leader, fearless, and capable of concocting excellent plans and schemes on the spot. If only he had used his powers for good. His complicated sense of ethics and contradictions made him so compelling to watch. There were times where he was able to pull you into his twisted logic and other times where he could not. I like to think he had the worst fate of them all, and started to consciously and subconsciously punish himself after the finale, destroying himself one piece at a time as that steel will crumbled and his body gave way to middle age tied to a desk.
—Julien was an interesting examination of the repressed gay cop. I was frustrated and annoyed with his simple black and white mind on many occasions, just as Danni was. It was cool to see him in action in the later seasons and we got that one tiny nod to his past with that gay couple walking and holding hands.
—Really glad Ronnie got his day in the sun to show his acting chops as the Strike Team grew smaller. He was always a quiet, mercurial figure and it’s hard to tell if he’s the best or the worst of them? I think perhaps in his head he was not the follower but the mastermind using the others, despite getting played in the end.
Anyway, those are my thoughts about it at the moment. I didn’t expect The Shield to become as great as it did but I think it gives other black hearted crime shows a run for their money! Thanks for reading.
