I am addicted to The Shield

[Kevin D]

Really impressed by Benito Martinez's acting in season 3. He's conveying Aceveda's breakdown with a lot more skill than I thought he had, or usually gets to show. Actually, that whole arc was handled much better than I remember. The fact that male rape makes me recoil distracted me from a lot of the fallout. I was especially impressed that having been emasculated and being terrified that he wasn't a real man, machismo and all that, his wife confirms this by being disgusted with him. Actually disgusted. Only on The Shield would a rape victim be asked "how you could let happen?" after being raped at gun-point.

 

Speaking of things that could only happen on The Shield, I just watched an episode where Vic and a drug dealer plan murdering another drug dealer. They plan this assassination while kneeling in a church.

[lifetime fan]

Really impressed by Benito Martinez's acting in season 3. He's conveying Aceveda's breakdown with a lot more skill than I thought he had, or usually gets to show. Actually, that whole arc was handled much better than I remember. The fact that male rape makes me recoil distracted me from a lot of the fallout. I was especially impressed that having been emasculated and being terrified that he wasn't a real man, machismo and all that, his wife confirms this by being disgusted with him. Actually disgusted. Only on The Shield would a rape victim be asked "how you could let happen?" after being raped at gun-point.

Speaking of things that could only happen on The Shield, I just watched an episode where Vic and a drug dealer plan murdering another drug dealer. They plan this assassination while kneeling in a church.

Mental isn't it, I thought Martinez was the weakest actor in it.

[Section_31]

Martinez was only 31 in season 1, astounding.

[lifetime fan]

Martinez was only 31 in season 1, astounding.

That just makes me feel fucking old.

 

Not as old as Martinez looks, but old.

[Elite]

I miss this show soo much. Even the screamy intro.

[Kevin D]

Mental isn't it, I thought Martinez was the weakest actor in it.

Weaker than Lem? Or Corrine?!? Or Julian?

[Section_31]

Weaker than Lem? Or Corrine?!? Or Julian?

What about Ronnie? The Strike Team's very own Dustin Hoffman.

[Kevin D]

I thought Ronnie was class in the last two seasons, when they finally gave him something to do.

[Kevin D]

"That poor little kid. He's gonna be found face down, in the shower, with a back full of shiv and an ass full of cum."

 

Only on The Shield is that acceptable.

[Section_31]

"That poor little kid. He's gonna be found face down, in the shower, with a back full of shiv and an ass full of cum."

 

Only on The Shield is that acceptable.

 

Heh, apparently they wanted Glen Close to say that but she refused so they just gave it to Shane instead.

 

"Your Captain won't call off her Stormtroopers!"

 

"Yeah well I'm your Luke Skywalker".

 

Brilliant. It's just laden with gold.

[Kevin D]

Close ended up saying some pretty ugly things to Antwon in the interrogation.(His sister being raped when he was a wee boy, and threatening to have his son murdered). It's kind of strange she thought the above line was too far.

[Kevin D]

[Section_31]

Close ended up saying some pretty ugly things to Antwon in the interrogation.(His sister being raped when he was a wee boy, and threatening to have his son murdered). It's kind of strange she thought the above line was too far.

 

I think she just thought the language was out of character. The special features on the season 4 DVDs are well worth a watch. So much of the good stuff in The Shield was made up as they went along, originally there was no strike team, it was just gonna be about Vic, Ronnie's original name in the script was 'Strike Team Extra'.

[Wolf_Tickets209]

Section wasn't the guy playing Ronnie just Shawn Ryan's friend or something? That scene with the Lem and Vic pictured above was something else.  The Shield for me despite being highly rated is criminally underrated as should be up there with the likes of The Sopranos, the Wire etc.

[Section_31]

Section wasn't the guy playing Ronnie just Shawn Ryan's friend or something? That scene with the Lem and Vic pictured above was something else. The Shield for me despite being highly rated is criminally underrated as should be up there with the likes of The Sopranos, the Wire etc.

Yeah that's right mate, and Corrine is his Mrs, hense their less than impressive skills. Cassidy is Chiklis's real daughter too and hands down the worst actor I've ever seen.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Section wasn't the guy playing Ronnie just Shawn Ryan's friend or something? That scene with the Lem and Vic pictured above was something else. The Shield for me despite being highly rated is criminally underrated as should be up there with the likes of The Sopranos, the Wire etc.

Doesn't have the emotional depth of Sopranos. For me, it's much more enjoyable than the Wire.

[Wolf_Tickets209]

Yeah agree with that really - although it does have some deep heart breaking scenes but across the board I would agree.  The Shield for me was like the perfect blend as it had just enough of everything - if you wanted action it had it, intelligence it had it, emotion it had it etc. 

[lifetime fan]

It's much more fast paced than The Wire.

 

At times I want to be entertained and have a bit of a storyline developing in the background. It does that a treat.

 

I certainly wouldn't say it was better than The Wire or Sopranos as a piece of work but maybe better at what it does.

[Section_31]

It's much more fast paced than The Wire.

 

At times I want to be entertained and have a bit of a storyline developing in the background. It does that a treat.

 

I certainly wouldn't say it was better than The Wire or Sopranos as a piece of work but maybe better at what it does.

Yeah I think they're all very different shows too. I think it's easy to say which we each prefer (although mine changes depending on my mood) but I think it's hard to say any one is 'better' than the other. They're all at the very top of the tree for me as complete pieces of work.

[Wolf_Tickets209]

Yeah think you have nailed it.  Whilst I love the other two particularly the Sopranos the Shield gives me exactly what I am looking for really -  I always felt despite the arcs running through it that every episode felt like a small film which for me was perfect really.

[Wolf_Tickets209]

Section - Yeah agree with that really .  For me The Shield is probably always my favourite but sometimes I prefer the other two as they are both great in different ways. 

[johnsusername]

The Shield is my favourite ever telly show (along with the sopranos). I started watching it about series 2 on channel 5 after my dad going on about it for ages. I ended up buying copied DVDs from america before it was out over here, i was obsessed!

 

For me the Shield was just perfect - unlike most other shows which just get more absurd and start reaching out towards the end (breaking bad), The Shield started out unashamedly absurd and just went at it hammer and tongs from there. It accelerated in the last series with the final few episodes and really gave a satisfying ending to a show. The way Vic's life was unravelling and he was doing everything he could to save it, all his scheming, always trying to be one step ahead, until the very end when he made that deal. And poor Ronnie. And of course the shocking Shane storyline which is one of the most tragic things i've seen on telly.

 

Shawn Ryan did another police show called the Chicago Code which was pretty good but got canned after one series.

 

I can't have a serious conversation with anyone about great tv if they've never seen the Shield. A lot of people have never even heard of it - it never had the hipster label The Wire did, or the bandwagon status breaking bad's just had.

 

More fool them. The phrase "money train" will always put a smile on my face. I still remember the last episode ending and realising that was it, the end, no more strike team - I've never recovered!

[Kevin D]

[lifetime fan]

Brilliant character.

 

One time, doing time, for a long, long time.

[Section_31]

Was never a fan of Natwaon, thought he was the weakest of The Strike Team's enemies, behind Kavanaugh and Armadillo.