The Shield Season Six

Having survived the wrath of Internal Affairs, can Mackey and his team seek revenge for a fallen comrade? 'Leave sleeping dogs lie' isn't exactly the Strike Team's motto ...

What with an annoyingly frustrating fifth season behind them, The Shield lets loose with all that pent up anger it's been holding back on for the last few episodes. What I didn't realise is that what was going to be one whole series instead got stretched out and turned into two, which looking back on the fifth series, is probably why it didn't quite work so well. If this had been cut down and originally stayed as one series, it would have been incredible, instead everything felt too long and so now, series 6 makes up for it.

It's as if the Strike Team has been completely pushed over the edge and we're watching them tumble down in a chaotic mess, and it's more of what I like. The series begins with Kavanaugh still banging about but is quickly put to one side as Vic and his team grieve over the loss of one of their members. Not only this, but Vic is being forced into retirement, his replacement is eager to jump in, there's a Mexican massacre to sort out, teenage runaways getting sodomised and tortured, Shane is about to have a breakdown and all the usual drama taking place in the Barn.

The general storyline is Mackey trying to find the culprit who killed his colleague and this leads him down a dark and destructive path, his new replacement is also quite 'hip' and 'cool' but is definitely no Vic Mackey, and realises he has some pretty big boots to fill. It's also, again, a power struggle, Vic doesn't like the idea that he won't be in charge anymore and Claudette is trying to reign him in as much as possible while keeping the station afloat. We also see the darker side of politics and how it can be a dirtier game than on the streets. But essentially, I feel this series, and pretty much all of The Shield, is an account of the downfall of Shane. Sure, Vic graces the covers and is the first thing people think of when they see anything to do with The Shield, but really it's about how he has corrupted Shane and created some kind of monster - and like Frankenstein's monster, he starts to stand up to his creator. Their relationship has it's ups and downs, but as Shane starts getting heavily involved with the Armenians, he realises he is in way over his head and has put everything at risk. His selfish behaviour is at odds with the compassion he feels towards the team and his own family and takes out this turmoil on himself in self-destructive ways. Yes, Mackey is the driving force of the series, but Shane is the result.

There's a good fair bit of action, though maybe not as much as the first few series and the show has definitely took an 'intelligent' turn in that it usually focuses now more on double crossings, staying ahead of the game and manipulating people rather than just catching bad guys - which is good and bad, as you can go through almost a whole episode of just talking heads when you'd rather see some smashing heads. The acting again is great and the storylines are more intriguing than ever, including the side stories of Dutch, Tina, Dani etc. but the problem is that firstly, this series seems too short (11 episodes but still...) and makes a nice change from season 5 but there still feels like a certain bad stigma has carried on through - including Antwon.

This series has definitely jumped forward in terms of quality, but alas not quantity and should it have been mixed with the fifth series as originally conceived it would have been amazing. Instead, there's no real huge event, it's rather all a reaction from the previous series' events so it almost feels like an add-on, or as the producers call it 'season 5.1'. I couldn't agree more.

I just can't wait for the seventh...

Rating: 7/10

The Shield Season 5

As one star fades another rises. So enters Forest Whitaker as the Internal Affairs lieutenant after the Strike Team. But he has no idea what he's about to get into.

This whole series is basically Vic against Forest's character Jon Kavanaugh and it's a complete act-off that Michael Chiklis (Vic) relishes in. The idea is that they are still getting looked into from the death of someone who died in the very first pilot episode. Vic is usually ten steps ahead of everyone else and Jon isn't used to it. In fact, he just plain hates it. Soon personal lives start to creep into the mix and it all gets a bit crazy. Vic will do anything not to get caught, but more than that, he'll sacrifice whatever it takes so that his family, both blood and work, will not suffer - and I mean anything ...

With people watching their every step, more gang murders and serial killers, The Shield is just as gritty as ever. Except for one thing, this whole internal affairs thing? It takes up pretty much the ENTIRE series where, by the end, you just want it to be finished. It's a shame as Forest's character (who does physically seem to lose a lot of weight during the process) is a man obsessed, someone who likes being in control and when Vic is around, that's hard to do. He doesn't like getting played and he gets played - a lot. This series isn't as much about the Strike Team as it is about the downfall of Kavanaugh. It's almost Shakespearean sometimes (in a way) but sometimes Forest's acting is just too much for me. I feel like I'm definitely watching an Oscar winning actor rather than a TV character. Which is fine, but sometimes you don't have to turn it up to 11.

With a mesmerising final episode (the end of which is given away in the Disc 3 Special Features instead of final disc - idiots), it is a series which truly tests morality. You want them to get through but in essence, the Strike Team is guilty and Kavanaugh is doing the right thing. In this way, the viewer is almost entwined with the moral guilt running through the entire series. But I do have a problem with it all, Aceveda is trying to keep both sides happy but is more an irritant than anything. He pops up to cause nuisance and goes away again. Claudette is having a physically rough time and the new cop under Julian seems to be a mere distraction to split up the scenes. There's more little storylines like this, but really I wasn't too bothered - and that's the problem. This series is so focused on the Strike Team worming their way out of the situation, that it loses the facets that keep people coming back. It feels like a bloated chapter in a long book and even with the force of Whitaker, some amazing scenes and quite an engrossing storyline, it almost becomes too preoccupied with itself. I can't rate it as high as the other ones, but is still a decent watch. Also with Antwon returning to the fray, it gets put down another mark.

Rating: 6/10

The Shield Season 3

Mack's Back. With a slightly lacklustre second season, can The Shield get back on track third time round? Of course it bloody well can!

The second season ended with the big heist and right now, the Strike Team are just trying to lay low. But with Armenians trying to get to them, and a rival Decoy Squad being employed (haven't I seen that old guy before?), it's all getting a bit messy and once again - Vic's having some home troubles.

I think this season has been my favourite so far. The stories are a lot more daring and punchier and the characters have really come into their own. Vic is starting to realise that toeing the line and being so morally ambiguous has it's drawbacks. Big time. The money heist is causing nothing but problems and starting to get in the way of the team. Not only this, but his wife who acts like she's hard up but is a right bloody moany, selfish cow is doing his nut and it seems all his kids are having problems. When you've got a city to keep clean, you don't really want any of this.

Once again the action is top notch. Stake-outs, busts, violence and cops twisting the law makes for great TV but there was some certain scenes that really made an impression on me. One of which was in the fourth episode that features a certain (kind of) rape scene and really took me by surprise - I don't think I had seen anything like that on TV before and it was completely out there but it really brought home the fact that as much as The Wire was for the 'thinking man' - The Shield knows shock value and to be honest, I'm enjoying the constant chaos of The Shield over The Wire. Sure it's not as sophisticated, but I really like Die Hard and sometimes I'd rather watch that than LA Confidential - so sue me.

Once again there's a great broader picture at play. Dutch goes a bit, well, weird, while trying to solve a gerophile rape case (is that the right word?), Claudette risks it all for her black and white moral outlook and Shane tries to settle down. As much as I love everyone in this series, Shane has really grown on me far more than I think he'd have done. What started out as a no-brain hick, has turned into a sophisticated, layered, funny and well-dressed individual. The fight scene (you'll know what I'm talking about) is done with such ferocity, it made me wonder if these guys did actually hate each other!

Overall, it's a great season and has gone leaps and bounds by taking risk after risk, and coming out better for it. I'm hoping it won't stop letting up because there is not one episode that I found myself thinking 'I'm bored' - even the slow bits were interesting. I would say something if I thought this was shit, but it really is good. I recommend it and can only hope it gets better which is why it isn't a 10 yet. The final scene ends with Vic crying, the first time we see him get so upset and it's the first time that you wonder how this guy can put up with so much. But I really want some more to hit him so he goes completely crazy. They're leading up to something spectacular, I can feel it....

Rating: 8/10

The Shield - Season 2

A season which for the first half was enjoyable, and then suddenly took a turn for the worse.

Vic is back and starts with a massive bang. Trying to get his family back and with the strike team's own drug deal getting screwed up - it doesn't fail to keep up the pace from the off. Once again, The Shield doesn't let up in terms of action and general enjoyable viewing. Good cops, bad cops and Vic in the middle swaying from side to side.

The first half of the season deals with a dealer called Armadillo (but with an accent, not like the animal) and his smarts and sheer fearlessness is something that Vic can't control, and it worries him. The guy even rapes a small child for informing on him - he's something that maybe Vic can't even deal with. Not only this but Vic Mackey's personal life seems to be falling apart and he's losing control of the streets. Oh dear.

But the series starts falling into complacency, there's the Vic storyline, the detective storyline (which sometimes is a hundred times more interesting) and the political storyline. But, though they might criss-cross with each other, you're left feeling like it's a bit of the same old thing, and that it's just Vic's story that's keeping the season moving, which in theory it is.

Saying this, there's a lot going on. A gay cop going to sexual reorientation classes, a prostitute trying to get herself clean and other stories that are well told and add to the season. So far, so good. But what's this thing half-way through it all?

Co-Pilot is, well, another pilot. What this is doing here I'll never know, but it goes back and completely changes everything you've based the characters on so far. Not only does it contradict itself, and the stories it's already told, but it's like they've lied to you. It reminds me of what Hitchcock said after he made Stage Fright, that his biggest regret was showing a false flashback, it mislead the audience and abused their trust. Which is exactly what The Shield is doing here. Imagine in any other series, if suddenly halfway through the second season, they completely changed the beginning. I can only imagine it's for those who never saw the start and jumped in - which might be fair enough had it been a better Pilot. But it's not. At all.

The Strike Team which you presume has been around for ages (the room feels lived in, they all know each other really well) instead is seemingly put together weeks before the first episode. The guy who gets killed in the Pilot is still in it, but then that means it relies on parts of the initial pilot - which is ridiculous. It really, really screws up the whole thing and I thoroughly recommend you skip it. You're not missing anything I promise and it will ruin the entire experience for you.

Anyway, moving on from that, the second half of the second season is mainly about the strike team making a huge bust on a money train. Not only that but they get a new member, who fits right in and I think will be a great character for the future. It's also very much centred on Wyms, which is fine but, to be honest, she just gets on my nerves. Dutch is a much better character in my opinion. It's also charting the rise and the impressive bravery of Aceveda who is starting to meet Mackey half way in the confusing depths of morality while trying to keep his political career afloat.

Overall, it's quite a sound season. The Armadillo stuff was probably the best and the money train is a good enough arc for the whole season, but not enough to keep me consistently hooked. It's just massively let down by the Co-Pilot episode which, under any other circumstance I would have given this a 6 or 7 out of 10, but because of that fatal mistake it gets a ...

Rating: 5/10