The Shield

[boots123]

Its mad that really, because he never quite goes that 'low' again! (so far anyway)

 

I must have missed something when I went to the bog, why did he kill that cop, came back and he was laying there with a bullet in his cheek, series has just started here in Sydney.

[Chairman Meow]

I must have missed something when I went to the bog, why did he kill that cop, came back and he was laying there with a bullet in his cheek, series has just started here in Sydney.

 

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You've missed a hell of a lot. Terry (the one who he shot) was having meeting with the Department of Justice and Captain Aceveda because he was there to catch them out. Vic found out which is why he shot him during the raid so he could blame it on the drug dealer.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Everyone's got different tastes but it's my favourite show to be honest. I don't like to compare it with The Wire as they're just so different. I was never hooked on the wire until the second time I watched the first series, I wasn't hooked on The Shield until I saw the first two episodes of season two of The Shield. The Shield grabbed me in a moment, the Wire grabbed me over the course of a whole series when I knew who was who, and what was going on.

 

Season one is by far the weakest in The Shield though. It was very much finding its feet, and characters who would become central to the cast during the first few episodes are often only glorified extras. At that point, the Shield wasn't going to be about The Strike Team, it was going to be about Vic. That's why Ronnie is such a shit actor, he's Sean Ryan (the creator)'s mate and is in the original script as 'Strike Team Extra'. Lemonhead was originally auditioned for the part of Terry but they liked him so much that they created a character for him. The studio didn't like Shane at all, he's hardly in it early doors, but the writers created an episode (think its' the one with the chicken fights) purely to showcase Walton Goggins' acting ability to the studio, and the rest as they say is history because the relationship between Vic and Shane, especially towards the end, IS The Shield.

 

 

 

The beginning and end of season two, season five (forest whitaker) and the last few episodes of the whole series will leave you breathless.

 

Absolutely spot on there.

 

I have The Shield below the Wire though. Not because of how it is written or the characters, but I think that is because the Shield is just so fast paced and if you blink you will miss shit. And I just preferred the slower pace of The Wire.

 

Forrest Whittaker is boss in it.

[Karl_b]

I must have missed something when I went to the bog, why did he kill that cop, came back and he was laying there with a bullet in his cheek, series has just started here in Sydney.

 

You've missed everything that the entire programme hangs on. It all falls out from there, in one way or another.

[Pidge]

Forrest whitaker is always boss. Going to watch ghost dog again tonight now...

[lifetime fan]

Any chance people can put spiolers on future comments please.

 

I'll finish the first season tonight and would love to be able to post on here as I go without fucking shit up.

 

Can't see this taking me long to finish the whole lot.

 

Watched 5 episodes last night but the wife needed to sleep then, I could have easily gone for another 4/5. Knowing only 3 episodes would have been left after that I would probably have done them too.

 

What I do love about it is that it's got me gripped straight away and reckon it'll just get better as the characters develop and you get to know them better.

[lifetime fan]

Finished season one.

 

The Pilot

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Wasn't expecting the shooting and Vic comes across as a prick.

 

The last episode

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Vic is now warming on me and I'm hoping his character will keep developing. Lem is quality though.

[lifetime fan]

Almost finished season 2 and loving it. Season 1 seems weak in comparison but I reckon it'll be better on second viewing once you know the characters more.

 

But why the fuck is there a second pilot episode in the middle of season 2? It's mental.

[Iantn]

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I don't think of him as a mini-Vic mate, I think he's a totally different animal and they do what they do for different reasons.

 

Corine tells Mara once that Vic used to be a nice guy but that the job made him hard (as it would!) and in the episode with Apollo Creed in it shows Vic's former partner was handy with his fists when it came to beating up suspects and also taking things on the side, in co-pilot, you also see where Vic first did something corrupt because, due to the beuracracy above him, he had no choice, but says it was 'a little too easy'.

 

I think Vic wanted to be a good cop, but he saw how the system treated his former partner and others around him and wanted to take something back for himself - which he later admits to Becka Doyle.

 

Shane strikes me as a typical 'small' man. I actually wondered if, in his back story, he'd seen his mum get the shit kicked out of her or something and wanted to get a badge so he could exert some authority due to the fact he'd been knocked around or seen his mum knocked around when he was young and helpless.

 

There's a good voice over from Sean Ryan at the end of season five where Shane is telling Lem he'll break in prison (think it was that scene, or it may be when he's confronted by Vic in season six) and Ryan bascally says he's talking to himself, he's thinking what he would do if it was him, that he'd give up his friends because he's a coward and couldn't face prison.

 

Antwon Mitchell also says that to Kavanaugh, he paints Shane as the weak link and says 'he talks the talk, but if you put your foot on his throat he'll whine like a little bitch'.

 

He's much more of a bully than Vic, Vic kicks shit out of people who deserve it, Shane does it to anyone, usually people who aren't white.

 

I also really disagree with the notion that Vic's not especially bright, I think he's incredibly intelligent, as Kavanaugh points out to Aceveda, that he 'creates his own luck'.

 

Vic's an incredible character. I love the way he's a billy big bollocks too, he's always looking for other cops' approval and likes being heard and clapped and applauded by them. It's interesting that The Shield never really achieved greatness until they made Claudette his enemy too, IMO.

 

Only just seen this, for some random reason. Very good and interesting post that. I'll need to think on it properly before replying mind.

[Section_31]

But why the fuck is there a second pilot episode in the middle of season 2? It's mental.

 

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It's more a prequel mate. It shows how they first became corrupt because they were under so much pressure, and how the relationship between him and Gilroy goes way back, because the next episode is about Gilroy. I thought Co-Pilot was an amazing episode. I love the line "you'd think driving an Escort would stop you from being car jacked". That was my first car, and I couldn't agree with him more.

[lifetime fan]

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It's more a prequel mate. It shows how they first became corrupt because they were under so much pressure, and how the relationship between him and Gilroy goes way back, because the next episode is about Gilroy. I thought Co-Pilot was an amazing episode. I love the line "you'd think driving an Escort would stop you from being car jacked". That was my first car, and I couldn't agree with him more.

 

 

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I get all that but why not have co pilot as the very first episode?

 

It's an outstanding episode I agree it just fucked with my head a bit. I actually got out of bed shouting and swearing at myself for not checking the DVDs properly and starting on the wrong disc.

 

Finished season 2 now and a couple of thoughts;

 

Lemmy is cool as fuck.

Tulips would get a game.

Claudette is a fucking brilliant character.

I hope Dutch stays around as he could really develop as it goes on.

[Section_31]

Class cameo from Creed too!

[lifetime fan]

First thing I shouted at the telly was 'it's Apollo Creed'.

[Chairman Meow]

I really like Dutch and Claudette. Obviously without saying too much and adding spoilers it's very good the way Dutch moves from being the figure of fun to then ending up a genuinely engaging and likeable character.

 

After Lem he's probably my favourite character.

[Section_31]

I really like Dutch and Claudette. Obviously without saying too much and adding spoilers it's very good the way Dutch moves from being the figure of fun to then ending up a genuinely engaging and likeable character.

 

After Lem he's probably my favourite character.

 

The true genius of The Shield, the absolute genius of it, is the way they balance the ungodly shit being done by the Strike Team and Aceveda with characters who are beyond pure. If you think of Claudette, Dutch, Danny and Julien they're pretty much beyond reproach morally. If they weren't, The Shield would just be too much and people would get pissed off watching it.

[lifetime fan]

I still don't think it's as good as The Wire but I've only seen 2 seasons but I'm loving it far more than I expected to. Seeing as others made The Wire comparisons I've got a couple.

 

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Dutch = Prezbo

Claudette = Daniels

 

And the wheelchair guy reminds me of Bubbles but he's been cameos so far.

 

I pissed myself when Shane barges in the office saying he's got a call from the cripple, sees the auditor there and quickly changes it to the disabled guy.

[lifetime fan]

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Ahahaha Dutch showed her a cock line up.

[Pidge]

Just nearing the finale. This is fucking brilliant.

[Tehran Stag Do]

I started watching it when it 1st came out. Got up to Season 4 and then didnt watch the rest of the entire series until last year when I watched 5 to the Final Act in about a week.

 

For me, it tops both the The Wire & The Soprano's - As genius as both of them are. Its a personal preference but I think its more a gripping watch than The Wire (which works primarily BECAUSE its a slow burner) and more realistic than Tony and chums, although not as funny (what is/was though?).

 

Season 4 with Glenn Close is quite literally the greatest single season in TV history. For those who have not yet got that far, and I won't spoil it, it is like watching a 13 hour version of Training Day. It is fucking awesome. A friend who is lucky to live in LA (a footy coach over there) tells me its literally bang on the button for its depiction of the sprawling urban enviro over there.

 

The quality does not dip one iota through to the last season but Season 4 is just stand out. Anthony Andersons performance is just top drawer but then again so is that of the entire cast

 

The highlights are too many to mention and I envy anybody watching it for the first time.

 

As a Shield nut, here goes:

 

Fave Characters - Lem, Ronnie & Tina (For very obvious reasons)

Best Season - Season 4

Best Villain - Marcos or Antwon

Best use of music - Coldplays 'Til Kingdom Comes' or Kid Rocks 'Bawitdaba'

Best Acting - Walton Goggins in every episode he's in

 

Enjoy folks you will not be disappointed

[lifetime fan]

Spoilers cunt. Spoilers.

[The Economist]

I've just started it today based on the recommendations in this thread. I'm up to number 6 and am slowly getting drawn in; I'm hoping it's going to be similar to how i experienced Breaking bad where I felt the first series was really just a prologue setting the scene, then it really kicked on from series 2.

[Tehran Stag Do]

Spoilers cunt. Spoilers.

 

Ha none in my post homes...

[Pidge]

The line

 

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"how much memory has that thing got?"

 

Just turned me from dozing off as its been a long day to a whooping, cackling, clapping american stereotype for about 20 seconds.

 

Oh no he di'n't!

 

Christ, what a delivery... kudos mr chiklis.

[Kevin D]

The line

 

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"how much memory has that thing got?"

 

Just turned me from dozing off as its been a long day to a whooping, cackling, clapping american stereotype for about 20 seconds.

 

Oh no he di'n't!

 

Christ, what a delivery... kudos mr chiklis.

 

Search google for "I am addicted to the Shield" on the Libpool way, I posted a damn good article and our boy Section gets his analysis on.

 

Spoiler incoming, with apologies.

 

[Nsfw] My favourite line of that exchange is "Acevada knew, but he couldn't prove it, I was too good." The way Vic just reclines ruefully is beautiful.[\nsfw]

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Search google for "I am addicted to the Shield" on the Libpool way, I posted a damn good article and our boy Section gets his analysis on.

 

Spoiler incoming, with apologies.

 

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My favourite line of that exchange is "Acevada knew, but he couldn't prove it, I was too good." The way Vic just reclines ruefully is beautiful.

 

Just put that in NSFW tags as it hadn't worked, not sure if lifetime has seen it yet.

 

It is a boss scene.