The Shield Season 4

The fact that I'm running through the entire lot of The Shield is proof enough that this series has a lot to offer, but by this season the characters are well worn-in, so what can be done to mix it up a bit?

Well firstly, your best bet is to get some kudos by drafting in some established acting talent such as Glenn Close. Her new captain is astoundingly well formed and you can tell Close has a point to prove. She brings a lot of weight and depth to the entire series and proves that American TV is overtaking Hollywood in risks and overall quality. The Shield would only work on TV and though there are many good films dealing with the same subject, by getting to season 4 this set shows that characters need time to fully develop in front of your eyes, and it's quite a sight to see.

Vic almost takes a bit of a back seat in this series to let some others breathe a bit more. After his problems with promotion, there are signs that he's close to packing it all in - that he's ready to self-destruct, but when bigger problems come into play, then he gets his priorities straight. Close's Captain is fantastic and a great counterpart to Vic, she understands him but doesn't necessarily agree with him, which is probably the best way to deal with him. She also knows you have to break some eggs to make an omelet and usually those eggs are someones balls. Hey yo!

But this really doesn't live up to the last series. The main issue being is that the main bad guy is 'that funny black man' from the Scary Movie films but you might know him as Anthony Anderson. His character becomes anything but intimidating. How the hell does anyone take orders from this guy? He ruins it all and make the whole thing seem like we just needed a friendly black face rather than someone who would believably be a bad-ass cop killer. You're just waiting for him to crack a joke any second and it feels like he's trying to prove his acting chops. Which isn't right for The Shield. There must have been better talent out there. He's not exactly Stringer Bell.

Shane also comes into his own again. His character gets better and better and when watching the behind-the-scenes footage, you can see why. This guy takes his character seriously. Dutch also earns himself some respect from the department, even when taking the risky move of going out with Vic's ex. But the overall narrative is Close's character seizing assets belonging to criminals to auction them, and then hand the money back into the police and the community. But this causes more problems than you think. Aceveda is also going off the rails a bit and his power trip goes through the roof. So there's enough parallel storylines to keep the short-term viewer interested as well as revealing new secrets about characters we thought we knew well.

Overall, this doesn't shock as much as the last series but Glenn Close takes centre stage and chews up everything around her. However, Anderson's Antwon character just buggers it all up really. Not exactly a let down, but could have been better.

Rating: 7/10

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