Final season starts September 2nd. This is the best series I have seen in many many years. Just wish it wasnt so long between seasons. Seems like it has been almost 2 years since last season.
This show is pretty darn good. If you like this, you should check out The Wire, I believe its from HBO or Showtime. Its like the Shield but even better IMO. You can rent Seasons 1-4 at most video stores. It kicks ass.
big fan of the shield too. for anyone who isn't into it yet, don't be put off by the first episode of the first season! it's kinda extreme... but Vic changes after that.
The shield is one of an interesting show and i am a hug fan of the show. Last season episode Moving Day was very interesting and "The Shield" looks to be building to a very exciting conclusion. This episode, as well as the previous one, are two of the best of the series so far.:cheers2:
wow! almost two years since the last post here. we get no network tv reception, no cable here, either. we don't have satellite. we started with the netflix thing a few years ago and now stream most of the time. we're almost a full decade behind the majority of tv viewers, but catching up, selectively. the shield is almost new to us. an ex-cop friend lent us dvd's of the first season just a few years ago. He called it "disturbingly compelling." we discovered it on netflix by the time we were ready for season two, then rented all the rest of the seasons. disturbingly compelling. yeah, no kidding! i was always covering my eyes, saying "i can't watch this!" but never refusing to forge ahead. as the re-watch progresses, i find i still like the show's long range view of its predominant story arc. the focus of each season's particular arc still works. the characters are well-developed and compelling as individuals and all are well-cast; i can't imagine any of them portrayed by anyone else. awesome tv.
great show...almost as good as Breaking Bad better than The Wire but I only say that because a few seasons of The Wire were not so good
Haven't been back for a while. :juggle: Been pretty busy with 8-year-old granddaughter for the past month. The Wire is another excellent cop/crime drama. It's gritty and super-realistic, like The Shield, but with a different POV. Many viewers complain that the series loses them when the second season moves its focus to the docks. The first season's attention is focused on the gang scene in Baltimore. The first season has a powerful impact on viewers, opening the series with a slam-bang attention grabber. The second season opens with a lower-key slide into its major subject, corruption on the docks and the involvement of gangs and organized crime drug distribution through the docks. Not as dramatic, but it develops into a vital link in the story's general arc over the 5 seasons. The second season is devised and presented in a very different location from the first season, but is no less well told or relevant to the overall story than the other seasons, each with its own inter-connected characters and story arcs. They work together to create a gripping tale told with highly crafted skill.
I love this show. It's probably my favorite, although it's in danger of losing it's numero uno spot by Breaking Bad. I love pretty much everything about it. On The Shield v. The Wire: I see the shows as equal(ish) in quality, but they are two different type of cop dramas. One is a kind of melodrama about the fall of a specialized unit of police with focus on the character of Vic, the other is like a television novel of how a city works where they add different perspectives every season with the focus mostly on the cops. The only reason I'd ever say that The Shield has an edge is because, IMO, they never had a season as weak as Season 5 of The Wire. Seasons 1 - 4 of The Wire are impeccable. The whole run of The Shield is incredible and the finale is probably one of the greatest final episodes of any TV show. Either way, they both rule.
I think it's the best thing I've ever seen on TV. I think Breaking Bad either intentionally or unintentionally lifted a lot of its plot points, characters and tone from The Shield. The Shield didn't have the expensive cinematography or the hype, but the writing was more consistent and never resorted to manipulative tricks like flash-forwards or the huge deus ex machina that ended season 2 of Breaking Bad. And The Shield has unquestionably the greatest series finale/final season of all time... it isn't very often that writers can tie every single element together like that... and the way they maintained a sense of impending doom starting in season 5 and continuing through season 6 and getting more and more intense throughout season 7 was masterful. Seriously top-notch writing. Best seasons: 5>7>4>3>1>2>6... but they're all great.
I liked the end of season 2 the best. I can't say what without spoilers but the very last scene and the astonished acting, was one of my favourite TV moments, ever. Liked all the Forest Whitaker season too. That chap acted his bollocks off. Top notch.
