So I just finished The Shield....

Mr E

I started season 1 around Christmas, and liked it, but it was something I put on the long finger. I watched season 2 over a few months when there was nothing else on. I watched season 3 while travelling last month, and once I reached the end of season 3 there was no going back. I watched seasons 4-7 in the last 3 weeks.

I firmly believe that Season 5-7 is some of the best TV I have ever seen. S5 is cat & mouse with Kavanaugh, S6 is the fallout from the S5 finale, and S7 is Shakespearean. Thats the only way to describe it. Betrayal, tragedy and karma on the small screen. The last 2 episodes of the series were, hands down, the best thing I've seen this year. Vic's deal, Shane and Mara.... outstanding. CCH Pounder deserves an Emmy for her work on the last 2 episodes.

I know its on basquille's watch list for the summer.... you're in for a treat, Brian.

Next on my catchup list .... Breaking Bad

Basq

Mr E wrote: »

I know its on basquille's watch list for the summer.... you're in for a treat, Brian.

Yep, watched season 1 about a year back.. but never hugely got into it!

Mr E wrote: »

Next on my catchup list .... Breaking Bad

You're in for a treat there!

Gran Hermano

I picked up all the available boxsets last month for around GBP10 each
and am currently finishing off Season 5. This is some of the best American
TV I've seen in a long time and I've already pre-ordered the latest season.

I see The Wire getting a lot of praise around here but I've enjoyed The Shield more.

Mossy Monk

The Shield is fantastic television.

sweetie

Mr E wrote: »

I started season 1 around Christmas, and liked it, but it was something I put on the long finger. I watched season 2 over a few months when there was nothing else on. I watched season 3 while travelling last month, and once I reached the end of season 3 there was no going back. I watched seasons 4-7 in the last 3 weeks.

I firmly believe that Season 5-7 is some of the best TV I have ever seen. S5 is cat & mouse with Kavanaugh, S6 is the fallout from the S5 finale, and S7 is Shakespearean. Thats the only way to describe it. Betrayal, tragedy and karma on the small screen. The last 2 episodes of the series were, hands down, the best thing I've seen this year. Vic's deal, Shane and Mara.... outstanding. CCH Pounder deserves an Emmy for her work on the last 2 episodes.

I know its on basquille's watch list for the summer.... you're in for a treat, Brian.

Next on my catchup list .... Breaking Bad

Thought s4 with Glenn Close was fantastic also. Great show, up with the west wing, sopranos, wire as best show of recent years for me!

ixoy

One of the best TV shows ever. So many great moments in story, character, and acting. One of the few shows never to drop in quality and, in many ways, increase its quality over seven years. Unreserved recommendation - a mate of mine is finally watching it and he too is racing through it. Lucky git - I'm always too on the ball and have seen nearly all the modern great shows! Nothing escapes me

The Black Oil

I got into this a few months ago. I watched series 1 and went through 2-6 pretty quickly. I'll get s7 when it comes drop in price. It's a very good show, certainly better than a lot of stuff that hits our screens, including most cop shows. I don't think it's perfect, mind, so I've a few complaints.

e.g. sometimes it feels like certain threads are wrapped up too quickly and easily. However, that could be from watching 3 or 4 episodes in quick succession. Also, I feel Vic is sometimes a bit overly keen to play the role of rescuer with junkies or prostitutes. Not sure I found the development of Vic's autistic son realistic either.

Mr E

I don't know about that, The Black Oil. By the end of season 7, there were very few loose ends. I loved the way stuff from the early seasons came back to bite people in the ass in later seasons.

I agree with you about the autism storyline.... not great. I also didn't like what they did with David Aceveda in Season 4 (his roleplaying with Sara).

One thing that would have been interesting to develop -- Dutch's

homicidal tendancies.... poor kitty...

. They didn't really go anywhere with that, apart from a couple of awkward moments.

tvnutz

I only recently watched it as well,brilliant show. It's always compared with the wire but they are very different shows. They had some great actors in recurring roles,Forest Whitaker and I really liked the season with Glenn Close,I was actually disappointed she was only in it for one season.

ixoy

One thing that always puzzled me around Cassie:

How did she grow so big so quickly when it's implied that the entire show spanned over 3 actual years (in S7)

Mr E

Because she was played by Michael Chiklis' daughter, Autumn.
As executive producer, I don't think he would have allowed her to be recast....

DeepBlue

Watched S1 to S7 a while back. Enjoyable enough show. It's perhaps over-hyped and doesn't justify the claims to greatness made by some here IMHO although it's good enough to merit watching.

It's let down by some dreadful acting - Corrine Mackey I'm looking at you specifically (although Cassie and Ronnie should get mentioned here too).

jor el

Mr E wrote: »

Next on my catchup list .... Breaking Bad

I'm playing catch up on that right now, it's hilarious sometimes.

The Shield is one of the very few series that contained no filler episodes. There isn't one episode that you could skip over and not miss something important. Even The Sopranos had filler, especially in the final season (those last episodes were 50% pointless filler). I'll have to go through The Wire again, but from what I remember, every episode had a point, even the early episodes in a season where they're setting up the story and not much happens.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

you bastards

I'm on episode six of season 1 and i don't think I'm gona see a bit of sunshine this weekend as I try to finish the rest.

you absolute bastards.

T-b0n3

You've all convinced me to start watching it! Was looking for something to start watching. Just finished Chuck, and LOVED it.

jor el

Captain Mords Spiced Bum wrote: »

you absolute bastards.

You're welcome

Season 7 is absolutely brilliant by the way, so hurry up and get to it.

pickarooney

Mr E wrote: »

One thing that would have been interesting to develop -- Dutch's

homicidal tendancies.... poor kitty...

. They didn't really go anywhere with that, apart from a couple of awkward moments.

This is the one thing in The Shield that annoyed me (apart from the intentional stuff such as all the females characters connected to Vic) - they dropped this tidbit at the end of an episode and never came back to it. I was vainly waiting for a twist in the finale that would refer back to it, but alas... that minor irritation aside, the Shield is by a street the best cop show I've ever watched.

tvnutz

Another thing...I know the actor wanted the storyline dropped,but Julian's

gay storyline

was built as important for 2 seasons and then just vanished. It was an interesting story because of his religion and because he got married so I expected it to go somewhere. it didn't.

ronano

I think the actor requested it be dropped which was a bad move i think cos it could have been very interesting

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

DUTCH JUST STRANGLED A ****ING CAT

good ****ing christ..

ixoy

ronano wrote: »

I think the actor requested it be dropped which was a bad move i think cos it could have been very interesting

I think so too, someone fighting with himself and his religious values. We only

saw it briefly referenced in the finale

.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

omg... lem... no

mirwillbeback

Well.....

The Shield is my absolute favourite TV show EVER. Never a dull moment, believable characters who you sometimes love and sometimes hate.
We watched the last show in a group of about 8, and the silence mid way through was unreal. Won't give it away but it was a truly haunting moment which I was almost crying at [ leaves machismo aside for a moment ], as was the ending and then the final scene in the final credits - incredible.

Having said that, the programme is not without faults -

- some storylines were not developed fully
- some were introduced and dropped almost instantly
- some were pointless and led nowhere ( Claudette's shower love scene )
- microphones in shot in series 2 and 3

which are often forgotten, though in the grand scheme of things it was amazing show. Watched season 1 of The Wire, gave it every chance but just can not get into it at all.


I love and miss The Shield.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

just coming up to the end of season 6 and I'm really starting to like billings

he just sent dutch to the hot officers house so he'd see her shagging the new strike team lead, evil.. evil bastard. Love it

DarkJager

Probably my favorite show of all time. I envy those of you who haven't started on it yet, I'm still trying to figure out what to watch since its been finished! One scene in particular that will catch you by the balls is the final scene in S2E2 "Dead Soldiers". Yes, there are a few more brutal scenes like that in later seasons, but its by far the most perfect outburst of violence you will ever likely see in a TV show. Even the music is absolutley spot on for the scene ("Cuentan Que El" by Whitehouse is the tune for those who have an interest or have been wondering;))

Stoves FTW! \o/

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

what an ending

you rarely see something that depressing on american tv

****ing amazing. up until now I dont think I'd have rated it as highly as the wire, but after that ending....

tired now, but not sure i'll be able to sleep

Guy:Incognito

Captain Mords Spiced Bum wrote: »

what an ending

you rarely see something that depressing on american tv

Yeah, I found the second half on the finale fairly hard to watch (in a good way) . Epecially the parts with

Mara and Jackson

.

I have 1-6 on DVD but it's been since season 6 was released that I watched it. Then I acquired all of season 7 durign the week and literally just finished watching it before I came to post.

Fantastic stuff all round.

I hate when stuff ends, it just leaves a big hole. Between this and ER endin last week, I need new things

johnk123

Good to see all the positive praise for The Shield. I have all the seasons sitting on my shelf waiting until exams are finished and i cant wait to start it now

Hardrain

I found the Shane and Mora storyline in the last series amazing, I was more interested in them than Vic. Truly brilliant acting from both actor's the whole series.

Dave!

Finished season 7 last night Finished it in 2 nights btw Unemployment has it's up side !

I don't want it to end !!!

The last season was pretty f*cking epic, I must say. The whole show in general was quality really.

I was heartbroken seeing Ronnie being dragged away to jail :eek: Absolutely tragic, that. I was up late watching it, so my mind might be a bit fried, but -- was there a conclusion to the plot involving Dutch and that kid ('serial killer') who was trying to frame him? I really can't remember anything of that beyond the Captain identifying the kid as a suspect. Did they ever find the mother?

BTW I agree with the criticism of the show 'dipping' in and out of certain subplots, eg. Julien being gay. In one of the final episodes, he sees some gay couple walking down the street. But nothing else comes of it, and since his character isn't of particular import in that season you have to ask what's the point really...

Love the show though. Everyone should watch it.

madrab

Yeah its a great show & i would rate it higher than the wire

tvnutz

madrab wrote: »

Yeah its a great show & i would rate it higher than the wire

Nah...it still conformed to that same network tv style format (even though it wasn't on network tv). Its an amazing show,but in terms of depth and realism it was nothing compared to the Wire.

Cactus Col

tvnutz wrote: »

Nah...it still conformed to that same network tv style format (even though it wasn't on network tv). Its an amazing show,but in terms of depth and realism it was nothing compared to the Wire.

Realism in the Wire?

Come on ... I have only one thing to say to that

HAMSTERDAM! COME ON! A WHOLE SEASON DEDICATED TO THAT SILLINESS! And the last season with the made up serial killer ... poor beans.

I do think the Shield was far from perfect, but it is still one of my all time favourite shows. Some of the episodes in the final seasons are amazing, the best I have seen on television.

vibe666

i'd rate it above the wire too i have to say, something just grabbed me that little bit more than the wire did, altho the wire is a very very close second. i think the penultimate season of the wire was the best imho, and by comparison the last season of the wire was a slight letdown, but the shield just consistently got better and better right to the very last.

breaking bad is pretty special too, you're in for a treat if you're about to start watching that and brian cranston is legendary in it, but you'll never see malcolm in the middle re-runs the same way again.

Basq

BUMP..


Should I buy?

pickarooney

That depends... have you watched the first series yet?

Basq

pickarooney wrote: »

That depends... have you watched the first series yet?

Yeah, got through series 1 about 2 years ago. And enjoyed it!

Just never got around to getting the rest.

ixoy

basquille wrote: »

BUMP..


Should I buy?

You should only buy it if you want to watch one of the greatest cop dramas ever made.

Basq

ixoy wrote: »

You should only buy it if you want to watch one of the greatest cop dramas ever made.

Pfft... pass!!

ronano

Way to go he aint gonna buy it now

Mr E

Wow, thats fantastic value.

Brian, its one of those very rare series where every season is better than the one before it. I can't think of any other series where that's the case.

PK2008

I cant seem to watch any crime/cop drama since watching "The Wire", everything just seems to pale in comparison but I have heard good things about The Shield, think I'll check it out

tvnutz

PK2008 wrote: »

I cant seem to watch any crime/cop drama since watching "The Wire", everything just seems to pale in comparison but I have heard good things about The Shield, think I'll check it out

ye,its just not as good as the Wire,nothing is really. In a way the Wire ruins tv for you somewhat. However it is a fantastic show,I bought everything but the last season there recently,just waiting for it to come down in price a bit. Well worth getting mate.

Basq

tvnutz,

You can pick up the last season of "The Wire" for €20 off Zavvi: http://www.zavvi.co.uk/zavvi/9979695.product

Bought mine off them with a £5 voucher recently.

Biggins

The Wire, The Shield and The West Wing.
3 of THEE best shows for me that made it from start to complete storyline finish.

They don't get any better than those above.

("Firefly" I would include too but as fellow browncoat fans will know, it was cut off till a conclusion was formulated later in the film "Serenity")

tvnutz

basquille wrote: »

tvnutz,

You can pick up the last season of "The Wire" for €20 off Zavvi: http://www.zavvi.co.uk/zavvi/9979695.product

Bought mine off them with a £5 voucher recently.

Cheers,basq,but I meant the last season of the Shield. I have all the boxsets of the Wire going back years,well right after each one was released. I literally made all my friends sit down and watch it :P

I was referring to the Shield when I said I recently picked up all the seasons but the last. The last one seems to be still around 40 quid,maybe a little less online but I got all the other seasons for 12euro each. So Ill wait a while until it goes down a bit,I'd settle for a 20quid price tag

The Black Oil

TV3 or 3e appear to be showing some episodes at the moment. I think they're from series 7, but I missed the start so I'll avoid them hang on until the DVD becomes reasonable.

chalkitdown1

TV3 show it on Monday nights. The very last episode is on next week. I re-watched episode 712 this week. The ending is as brilliant as ever.