During my Christmas vacation, I as I usually do, hit up some Half Price Books, and came away with some great deals on books, cds, and movies. I ended up finding seasons 3 and 4 of The Shield. The Shield is one of, or perhaps the greatest police drama of all time. No I haven’t seen The Wire yet, but I’ve heard that show is pretty great in it’s own right.
I discovered The Shield when it first aired at the tail end of my Senior year of high school. I got into it, and saw it every year until it’s finale 2 years ago.
I had previously gotten season 1 and season 5 of the show, and then I found seasons 3 and 4 for $10 a piece. I then ordered the second season from Half.com, and over the past few days have been marathoning them.
It had been so long that it was almost like watching it for the first time, and it was marvelous.
The Shield is mostly about Vic Mackey (a career game changer for Michael Chiklis) and his 3 other crew members that make up the STRIKE team for the LAPD. Right from the beginning we know that Mackey is a dirty cop. At the end of the Pilot he shoots dead a fellow detective because he was onto him and his team.
One of the great things I loved about the show was how things like the aforementioned killing of the detective, and a robbery of an Armenian money train at the end of season 2, become integral to the series. Coming back to haunt Mackey and his team all the way until the end, and resulting in the deaths of 2 of them.
The Shield was a basic cable series, but damn if it didn’t push the envelope of what can be shown on basic cable. Some of the scenes and language on the show bordered on stuff that you can see on HBO and SHOWTIME. Nudity, gruesome violence, and coarse language were norms on the show. I was surprised more than once that I was watching this show on FX.
The entire series is available on dvd, and most of the individual sets can be had for cheap. A bit of a minor warning for aspect ratio enthusiasts. There were sets of the first 4 seasons that were released in 1:33.1, and starting with season 5 the show was only available in 1.33:1. 1.78:1, which is pretty much the norm for most tv shows now. The first 4 seasons were re-released in 1.78:1. Those are the ones I’ve been getting, and I like it.
The show was filmed in a sometimes shaky cam with heavy grain. The 1.78:1 transfer makes the grain even more apparent, and rather than make it look like a bad transfer, I think it adds to the realism.
Check out this show. You won’t regret it.
Rene’s song of the day: “Just Another Day” by Romero/Bautista/Alejandro.
Thanks for reading my blog and see you next time!
8 comments
Rene (Mr.Eko), I never watched…The Shield. I prefer my cop series to be about…Supercops! Good Guys, and Gals getting involved in, Car Chases, Shoot outs and other over the top behavior. I suppose it is because, I grew up in the…Supercop era. S.W.A.T., C.H.I.P.S (tons of collateral damage in crashes, and occasional kung fu too), T.J. Hooker (Still my…Fave cop series), Hunter, Sledge Hammer, The Rookies, The Mod Squad and Police Woman!
I did read your blog though, and it is as well thought out as your previous ones. I look forward to your next blog. I suppose it is…Same Blog Day, Same Blog Channel?
Amen about The Shield being the best cop show of all time.
Not just best “cop show” but I think maybe the best damn show PERIOD. The buildup is fantastic and the ending is purely Shakespearean in its tragedy. JUST. FUCKING. BEAUTIFUL.
I’ve been rewatching this as well, and I’m on THAT episode in Season 3.
“Previously on The Shield…”
*GAG*
I’m surprised that THAT episode of season 3 happens so early in the season. I remembered it happening later, but having it show up on the “Previously on The Shield” recap at the beginning of so many episodes. Yeah, unneeded. Funny thing was, my girlfriend saw some of the episodes with me, and likes the show, and when that showed up on the recap, she was surprised to say the least.
duke fleed, thank you for your kind words as always, and I appreciate your respect for the Supercops. That’s when you grew up, and I saw some of those shows, but when I grew up it was all about the “realism”, thus that’s why I have such an appreciation for the show.
I tried not to turn my blog into a major spoiler filled entry, but like Pauly Shore’s Devil Spawn (great name) said, the ending is so tragic. Even more so when he realizes that he’s essentially in his own personal hell. Also not to spoil too much, but I, and probably so many other people was surprised at the one member of the STRIKE team to make it all the way to the end with Mackey. He’s one character I thought would have died midway through the series, but lasted all the way until the end.
Shawn Ryan created one damn great series, and it was genius of him to make the show so sad by eliminating the moral center of the STRIKE team first. By way of betrayal no less.
I just may end up doing another blog on my favorite characters from The Shield, and the top villains of the series.
It’s definitely one snarling snake pit of a show. I missed seasons 4 and 5, but watched 6 and 7. The final season is so unrelenting that it makes Lars van Trier go “Damn, that’s fucked up”.
What I like about The Shield is that it has a memory. The Crawley death was forever a stain in Vic’s life.
You Sir, have just gained an ally for life. I applaud your judgement.
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