Wow, a ninety minute finale and never a chance to catch our breath. Sadly, I would have preferred some breath-catching time. Last night’s lose-end-wrapping marathon was fun to watch, but came off as little more than an exercise in writing plot. The problem is The Shield has always been such a visceral experience, actually seeing the cogs in motion comes off as misguided if not boring. More after the jump…
I think it’s safe to say that I was completely lost for about 16% of that episode. It was expectedly great, but a few minutes in I realized that I clearly haven’t been paying as close attention as I probably should have. This isn’t to say that I couldn’t follow the action, but for the first two thirds I thought that “Edwardo” was “Guardo” and was obviously full of questions when the latter turned up alive and armless.
Equally confusing was Shane making the rounds. I understand that he’s trying to seal himself off from Mackey — I get the packed of incriminating information — but what was up at the bakery and the gas station? Did he kill that guy by shoving a gas nozzle down his throat or was that the Armenians — who I thought we were done with three seasons back? Since when did The Shield turn into Lost?
Maybe I’m just not doing my share of the lifting.
Elsewhere, did anyone else get the impression that Claudette’s iron rule is starting to give way to compromise and deal-making?
I have to admit, it took me a while to get back in the swing of things this season, but now the show is really firing on all cylinders.
Wow. That was really, really great. It was great because every element in the episode had to do with the climax in one way or another.
Let’s start at the start, shall we? You knew this episode (directed by Frank “Shawshank” Darabont) was going in the right direction when Anthony Anderson kicked things off by reprising his role as Antwon Mitchell. Why is this guy making all of these god awful comedies when he’s so fiercely intense in drama? It was a quick appearance, but an important one as it gave Vic the first whiff that something was wrong with his impression of how Lem died.
The meat of the episode dealt with the strike team solving the murder of the city comptroller’s daughter. This was interesting because it showed the political force behind the strike team’s questionable ethics. The murdered girl turned out to be a junkie whore. The well-to-do parents didn’t want this information to leak, and so Mackey again bends protocol to appease all sides, even if justice isn’t necessarily served. In this case the stakes were low, but we saw the slope sufficiently greased and suddenly understood how one could start justifying murders.
This of course leads us to the big confrontation. The performances were some of the best on television in years. Despite the threats, both of these men know they are quickly approaching the gates of hell. Both are cold blooded killers who feel they have been operating within the dark ethics they set for themselves years ago. The bitter irony is that each feels the other crossed the line and will forever resent them for this.
I absolutely can not wait to see where all of this leads.
Michael Chiklis is no longer the star of The Shield. That distinction now belongs to Walton Goggins, who has completely eclipsed our bald-anti-hero as the series primary draw. This is saying something given that Tuesday’s episode had Shane spending most of the hour battered and lifeless in a hospital bed. Still, that last scene with Maura was emotionally devastating.
It was obvious that Shane wasn’t going to be able to keep his secret for the duration of the season. All it took was a slip-up to get the truth to spill, though I’m sure most would argue that the “slip-up” was far more intentional. The added intensity comes from the fact that Maura was the one to which he opened up. Of all the wives and girlfriends in this series she the one that actually knows the most about what’s actually happening “at work,” and is hardly clean herself (she was the one who crushed Tavon’s skull with that iron, right?).
Also great was Vic’s crazy pot-bust side-project with Carl “got a stew goin’ on” Weathers. It was one of those scenes where a character looks at a situation as if he’s looking at a future version of himself and has to take a step back. It was all so depressing. The strike wasn’t even suspenseful. The guys they busted in on weren’t hard core gangsters, they were pot dealers whose only weapon was a five-wood. If this is the direction his life is taking, it might be time for Mr. Mackey to start playing by the rules.
Elsewhere: The longer David Aceveda has been out of the barn, the less moralizing he seems to be doing (not that he was ever all that clean). Now, he’s as snakelike as they come.
Not so subtle imagery.
Tuesday’s episode of The Shield was as intense as the show gets. Unfortunately, I’m still working myself into the season and the whole thing kind of just washed over me. I’m not entirely sure what my deal is, but The Shield has yet to really grab me by the throat. It did manage to grab Guardo by the throat, however, and then proceeded to torture and kill him.
Thanks to 24’s complete overuse of Jack’s torture-lust, the technique has lost a little something as riveting television (though as you can see from the above picture, The Shield seems to be trying to at least apply some level of contemporary relevance).
What I find myself being drawn to this season is Walton Goggin’s portrayal of Shane. Since the show’s inception, the character has always been a live wire, and seems to always be the one who causes the most headaches for the strike team. After killing Lem last season, however, we’re clearly seeing a difference Shane Vendrell. He’s endlessly conflicted and his decisions are for the first time being weighed internally instead of just in an explosion of rage.
Maybe that’s the difference. Vic, as we saw in this last episode is still lashing out, but after five seasons I’ve all ready seen plenty of that. I’m ready for the fall, or for the moments when all of them have to start battling their consciences. It’s happening with Shane and its making a better show. Now that Mackey thinks he’s gotten his revenge, it’ll be interesting to see how he acts.
Eventually the tower will collapse. It has to.
Before we get down to brass tacks, let’s start with a little history. I started watching The Shield during the winter of 2005 on DVD. I blasted through the first two season in a matter of weeks. Needless to say I found the show compelling, and still find its pilot episode to be one of the greatest ever filmed (any series that kicks things off with the main character murdering his new partner screams, “I want to see another!”). Still, as fun as The Shield was to watch, it rarely crossed over into greatness.
Well before I ever tuned in, I heard about The Shield on some morning zoo-crew radio show where one of the DJs said “It’s The Sopranos but with cops.” Later that year Michael Chiklis won the Emmy. The problem is the series, in those first few seasons, never really elevated itself above exploitation. Not that that is a bad thing. The Shield has shocked me regularly. It created a Los Angeles police district that seems to house the most vicious criminals ever conjured up by mere mortals. In fact Farmington was so ruthless, our anti-hero frequently came off as a saint. One plotline that was especially troubling involved a gang leader who prayed on young girls and tattooed their faces so that they wouldn’t forget. Unless you’re Eli Roth, those are the type of images that stick with you (and this is on basic cable no less). And for those of you keeping score, Vic Mackey eventually presses the guy’s face to a stove. It’s rough. There’s more after the jump…
