The Shield

3. The Shield

Every single year, I go into the premiere of The Shield thinking this will be the turning point and the show will have a backslide in quality. And every single time I have been amazed at how much better the show has gotten over the break. The 6th season may have been the best so far. Vic was on a role, Shane is a cocksucker, and finally Ronnie was given his due. Now I am completely in favor of one more season that may finally put Shane 6 feet deep.

The ending of the 5th season of The Shield was one of the worst moments in television history ... and how is that for a statement. Shane murdering Lem in coldblood was horrifying. For an absolute piece of shit like Vendrell to actually sink to a lower level was hard to imagine yet there it was on screen for everyone to see. That single action ignited the 6th season. Everything that followed, Vic’s investigation into the murder, Vic’s imminent removal from the force, Shane’s spiral of guilt and covering up, changes to the Strike Team, the confrontation between Vic and Shane, and the team-up of Vic and Acevado has been building for seasons. Some of the storylines may have had an abrupt end but the key threads were constantly being moved along. Vic Mackey may have the most intricate character arc of anyone I have seen on television. There are changes taking place not only every season but also damn near every episode. Actions that have taken place in every previous season were plot points throughout this year. Just off the top of my head there was Terry’s murder, the Money Train, Gilroy’s Mexican contacts, Vic not killing Shane when Shane was working for Antwon Mitchell, and his fluid relationships with Julien, Wyms, and Acevado. Watching Vic first track down Lem’s killer while trying to work as a straight cop is something that only works because the audience knows just how dangerous Vic can be. You can see all his skills both for good and for evil. Vic is both the best cop on the force and a dangerous maniac. Plus him actually teaming up with Acevado to both keep his job and expose the Mexican gang ties influencing city politics makes for a sweet final season. Remember earlier where I wrote that Vic is both the best cop and a dangerous maniac, well Shane is only one of those things. Shane is a horrible cop who has only picked up the worse of Vic’s tendencies. And this shit has been going on for years. I hate that man. This time around he tries to convince himself that killing Lem is something that Vic would have done so he is just protecting his mentor. And then he compounds this by hopping right into a twisted relationship with the Armenian mob. That asshole doesn’t know how to stay out of trouble. Everything he does makes his situation worse and makes me long for the day when Vic puts a bullet in his head. The only good thing to come out of Shane’s murder of Lem was that with no one else to turn to for Vic to roll with, Ronnie finally got to show how awesome he could be. I may not know how the show is going to end but if Shane dies, as he should, and Vic goes to jail or out to pasture, Ronnie is the best possible man to run the Strike Team. He knows all of Vic’s tricks while not having Shane’s fatal asshole flaw. And honestly Ronnie just kicks ass. There were other storylines going on, the relationship between Dutch and Billings, Dutch’s obsession with Tina, Wyms trying to keep the Barn up and running, Hiatt taking over the Strike Team, Vic’s family life, etc and all of this handled just well as the meat of the show. The final year is going to be sweet.

When it comes to a consistent level of quality on television, The Shield is near the top of the heap. There has not been a bad season yet; in fact there hasn’t even been a so-so season. Michael Chiklis continues to make Vic Makey one of the most intriguing characters on the small screen. The 6th season brought on many changes but each one has moved the entire program to the much anticipated series climax. Next year cannot come fast enough.