The Shield

[thebruce44]

Anybody else religiously watch this show? The series finally is on tomorrow night, and I'm bummed it has to end but excited to see how it goes down.

 

The last 3 episodes have probably been the best in the entire series.

 

(SPOILERS) The episode where Shane tries to kill Vic and Ronnie, only to be narced on by the guy he had help him may have been the best hour of tv I have ever seen in my life. Last weeks episode where Shane's wife shot the two people and Vic confessed all his sins was probably also top 5. It was crazy to hear him sit there for what amounted to 3-4 hrs of show time and tell all the stuff he has pulled. I have always considered him a good guy, but when you hear it all at once, you realise what he really is. It makes me think they are setting up his death in some ways and getting the viewers ready for it. Also, I can't beleive he screwed Ronnie over.

[Brian the Automator]

I'm ANXIOUSLY awaiting the final episode as well. The Shield has been easily one of my top 5 favorite shows.

[JoeHova]

I like the show a lot, but something has always seemed a little off about it to me, which has kept it from being on the same level as The Wire. Maybe it's that Vic is always able to see 10 steps ahead and get away with his crazy schemes (thus far, at least, though I agree that he'll probably end up dead). OTOH, the show is loosely based on the real Rampart CRASH unit of the LAPD and those guys got away with crazy stuff for 20 years, so maybe it's not unrealistic.

 

I've been a little disappointed that they haven't had a movie star in the cast this year though. The last 3 seasons with Glenn Close, Forrest Whitaker, and Franka Potente were pretty cool. This season has been very exciting anyway. The scene that you mentioned where Vic was confessing to the ICE agent was just great TV. Do you think Dutch is really fired or did Claudette just say that out of anger and frustration?

[jwill535]

It was out of frustration, I dont think he is fired.

 

As for Vic getting away with stuff, you have to remember that they are pretty much free lancing out there and have friends everywhere. If you think it is easy for criminals to get away with crime, just imagine one who has inside knowledge of whats going on.

 

So what is your feeling on what happens to Vic and Ronnie and Shane? I both Shane and Ronnie get gunned down or to a lesser extend arrested and they end the show with a close of up of Vic's face looking in horror/disbelief and then a pan out of him just putting his glasses on and walking away. Basically an artful way of showing how everyone around him life is destroyed and yet he continues on.

[thebruce44]

My buddy is adamant that Ronnie will kill Vic, but I don't know. Ronnie has shown that he is capable of things I never thought he could do, and he is going to be pretty pissed that Vic basically set him up to go to jail for life. I also fear that Vic will do something to Corine if he finds out she was working with the cops.

 

There is so many ways this could go, its crazy right now.

 

Whatever happens, I feel like there are two parts that should definitely be in this last hour and a half episode. Vic and Shane need to square off, its been building for years now. How Maura and Jackson factor into that, I am not sure...I hope Shane finally has the sense to stop hiding behind his family, especially since Vic has shown he will kill them too if need be. Second, the storyline with Dutch and that psychopath kid needs to conclude (for that reason alone, I would think Dutch isn't actually fired). They have spent way too much time on that to not have an ending. It would be great to see that somehow factor into what is going on with the strike team.

[jwill535]

How about this for a for a plot twist. Rita or the kid has been setting up Dutch with the phone calls and they again convince him to come over. He confronts the kid but it turns out that the mom is the killer and she kills Dutch.

[bbrauch2000]

I think Shane will end up being put in a spot where he needs to take Maura in and he will give himself up thinking he can get immunity if he gives up Vic. Everything he's ever done has turned to crap and i hope it closes with Shane being behind bars and that's that. I'm in the camp that thinks Ronnie will kill Vic. He's been itching to kill Shane for what happened to Lem for a long time so I think he's capable

[jnatro]

Here are my incomplete thoughts....as Shane is about to kill Vic, Tavon show up and kill Shane. Ronnie runs off to Mexico. Aceveda wins his campaign. Forget his name but the dude on the FBI's most wanted list kills Vic.

 

Dutch finds Rita dead after being murdered by her son. The kid then tries to kill Dutch but Wims & Billings show up. Wims saves him proving she still has it, while Billings gets injured on the job. Dutch gets a spin-off.

[BrewCrewForever]

I watched religiously the first few seasons. Then I just kind of got out of it, not because it got bad I just did. My friend has all the seasons on DVD I might have to borrow them and see what I all missed. It is a great drama.

[Brian the Automator]

Wow. The whole Shane thing was powerful sad. I guess for Vic, it was a fate worse than death, so it's fitting.

[bbrauch2000]

That scene with Shane just took all the air out of the room. Really shocking, powerful stuff. I loved the scene with Claudette and Vic. I knew they'd face off at some point and this was far better than a shouting match. Really was a fitting end to what was my favorite show for a long time

[Brian the Automator]

It certainly was a fitting end, but the Andre 3000/Acaveda stuff seemed pretty forced... would have also been nice to get resolution on Dutch's case, but I guess not everything needed to be addressed.

[jnatro]

Vic always said he's nothing w/out his badge. That was pretty evident as he was sitting in his cubicle at the end.

 

Wims also did what she said she was going to do - clean up the barn.

[bbrauch2000]

Entertainment Weekly had an interview with creator Shawn Ryan after the episode I thought was pretty interesting

 

 

http://ausiellofiles.ew.c...Answers+Burning+Finale+Qs

 

I like the analogy of Vic being a shark that always needs to be moving forward

[thebruce44]

I thought the episode was amazing and very well done. Story wise, there are a few things I would have like to have wrapped up or done differently, but I can't really complain. Shane killing himself and his family was very shocking, but looking back at this season, totally in character. He has been heading in this direction and getting more unpredictable for a while, especially with all the drugs.

 

I would have liked to have seen more with Ronnie. His "ending" of being taken away was way too brief.

 

Vic's ending was perfect. The punishment he got was way worse than death or jail. He was always about family, friends (until he had to chose between the two), and his badge. All were taken away from him.

 

Has any show ever done more with silence? Between Vic's long pause in the second to last ep, the silence when they found Shane and his family, Vic when Claudet showed him Shane's note, and Vic at the end in his suit at the cubicle as the power went out...wow.