This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/television by /u/keepfighting90 on 2024-11-03 21:54:45+00:00.
The Shield’s always been on my “will get to it someday” list of shows. I know it got a lot of acclaim and popularity when it was airing but in recent years I wasn’t really feeling like getting into a show that had a bunch of dirty, corrupt cops as its protagonists. But a few weeks ago, I decided to finally give it a shot - and instantly devoured my way through the entire series very quickly.
I can see why it’s considered as one of the GOAT cop shows and one of the best shows in general. It really is incredible - a dark, visceral and brutal odyssey acting as an exploration of greed and the hunger for power and control. It starts off solid enough - the first season is good not great, and acts as a nice introduction to the characters and the world they inhabit. But it levels up in a big way in subsequent seasons, as the stakes escalate and Vic and his crew find themselves spiralling further and further into an abyss of their own making.
The Shield reminds me in many ways of Breaking Bad in its steady escalation of just how utterly shitty things get for its protagonists. And the beautiful thing is, everything that happens can be traced back to the very first episode, when Vic makes that fateful decision to shoot Terry Crowley in the face. The consequences of that one incident reverberates throughout the entire series up until the very end. The Armenian money train story arc, Forest Whitaker’s time on the show, Antwon Mitchell etc…there are so many fantastic arcs throughout the show.
The acting is exemplary - Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey is one of the best anti-hero protagonists, ever. I think he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of other similar anti-heroes like Walter White, Don Draper, Tony Soprano etc. He’s an utterly loathsome human being, an arrogant, egotistical, corrupt asshole - but Chiklis is so damn good at imbuing him with humanity, vulnerability and even warmth that you can’t help but root for him.
The supporting cast is great, especially Walton Goggins, who is amazing in pretty much everything. Shane eventually becomes just as compelling of a character as Vic.
What really elevates The Shield to the upper echelon are two things. The first is the fact that it just gets better and better every season. The story arcs all build on themselves and create an intense pressure cooker situation that just gets more intense each episode. It’s rare for a show to have its best seasons be its final ones, but that’s exactly how I feel about seasons 6 and 7.
The second is the ending, which has to be one of, if not the best, endings to any show I’ve seen. The conclusion is devastating and powerful, and is one of the best examples of “karmic justice” I’ve seen in a show with an asshole protagonist that feels justified and well-earned.
I’m gonna be thinking about this show for a while, and hell, may even decide to rewatch it soon.