The Shield: Season 6

From the first episone of season one, until the last moment of the final episode of the series, absolutely great.This is still the only series I've ever watched from beginning to end, where the ending left me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next. And not like The Sopranos where they just cut to black mid-final-scene and you just "don't know what happens" in the next few seconds -- but wanting the story to conitue on to see what the next leg of these characters' journeys entails.Every other show I've watched to their conclusions have alway left me feeling somewhat, meh, no matter how great I thought the series was. Even when they tried to wrap up Dexter with a second, "New Blood" series finale. I was still left unimpressed.This is the one, though. The only one that didn't disappoint and still left me hungry for more.The purchase of this product was fine, too.

This is the best series I have ever watched, and this season is the best of them all. The complexity of characters and the refusal to supply us with easy platitudes of pure good vs evil keeps me riveted. In Mr. Mackey we see a portrait of a classic malignant narcissist. He manipulates everyone around him, and even the most savvy characters somehow manage to get sucked into his world. And make no mistake, in Vic Mackey's eyes it is HIS world. To him other people are merely pawns playing a supporting role. With Vic every encounter is a chance to size people up. It is a chance to find the chinks in their armor, the places where they can be exploited. It is tempting to the uninitiated to see guys like Vic as crusaders for good who need to bend the rules a bit to get things done, but that is a blatant lie. It is this tendency to want to see the good in others that corrupts the innocents in Vic's life such as his wife, Corrine and his partner Lem and gets them to do his bidding. It is all a clever seduction and con on the part of Vic, and the biggest lies are likely the ones he tells himself.It is masterful acting to see Vic give Corrine his puppy dog eyes and and use his body language to help convey some bulls*** lie. It is painful to watch cop Danny squander her chance at a happy, healthy, functional relationship by deluding herself that Vic will one day care about her and her son when in reality he just gives her enough scraps to keep her hooked in case he needs her for something down the road. The manipulation and con is so subtle that most characters don't even realize it is happening until it is too late. Lemanski's undoing was by far the most painful for me to witness. Off all the members of Vic's strike team he was the most likeable for his vulnerability and strength of character throughout the series. Of all the members of the team he seemed to have the most chance at redemption. Watching the sad, desperate ruination of Lem's life in this season almost made me vomit. It is that gut wrenching. Bit by bit we see the proverbial noose tighten around Lem's neck and we see him come to grips with just how hopeless his situation is. We see him wrangle with and ultimately recoil from the reality that there is no good way out. When the end finally came I was almost relieved that he finally found some peace.Cavanaugh's insidious descent from crusading do-gooder to a foaming at the mouth, win at all cost lunatic is acting at its finest. In the end he loses all perspective and sight of his original goal and becomes no better than Vic. In the end one is left to ponder just how the hell any of this happened and where did it all go so terribly wrong. It is tempting to feel sorry for all those manipulated and used by Vic, but fact is they all made their choices and need to live with the fallout of those choices. None of the characters is truly innocent. Any of them could have walked away. Each of them had their own reasons, but the choice to stay in Vic's sphere was their own.A personality as disordered as Vic's will never just walk away. For him to accept early retirement would mean to accept defeat in his eyes. Once again in his mind everything is all about him. He needs to stay in control of everything and everybody to feel whole.

one of his favorite tv shows

Caution: Spoilers ahead (although I personally believe that most of the people who read the reviews on this series are fans, not newcomers). The Shield: Season Five  was a shocker...while Season One opened with the details of Vic Mackey killing Terry Crowley, there's an unspoken ethic in this realm of Terry being a "rat"...yes, Vic killed a fellow cop, "but"......the same can't be said of Shane's grenade toss and the death of Lem. It was a senseless death, uncalled for...Lem spent most of the fifth season coughing up blood and drinking Pepto Bismol over the stress caused by his decision to "take one for the team."But in the world of all great Shakespearean tragedies / Greek dramas, it was the necessary catalyst for Shane's ultimate fate in the final season.In Season Six, we also get Vic's Stike Team "replacement," Kevin Hyatt. I think we pretty much know coming out of the gate that Hyatt is a weasel (as is more than abundantly evident from his post-one-night-strand behavior with Paula Garces' officer Tina Hanlon, but we also see it much earlier in the season). We also see the irony of Forest Whitaker's "Kavanaugh" meeting his final downfall for becoming Vic in order to take down Vic, and Wyms (CCH Pounder) fall to the same behavior as she lies to Vic upon Hyatt's entry in order to keep him on board in his final days, believing he has a chance at keeping his job (he doesn't). It's the same behavior, but Kavanaugh falls and Wyms rationalizes her actions. In the final season, Vic has the last laugh...sort of.In short, virtually every member of the cast makes an ill-conceived, fateful decision in this season, leading up to the Season Seven climax. A lesser show could be accused of manipulative scripting, but when it comes to The Shield...with the benefit of hindsight...these were all carefully considered, logical moves.A powerful season no matter how you look at it.

With an old rival as Captain, the Strike Team riven by internal disputes and saddled with a new team leader, Vic still has to deal with the determination of the top brass to make him a scapegoat for police corruption. Six seasons in the producers, writers, directors and brilliant cast continue to make the Shield compulsive viewing - I used every spare minute to watch the series as quickly as I could, gripped from beginning to end - and even this far in they leave it up to viewers to decide whether Vic Mackey - perhaps TV's greatest ever anti-hero - is hero or villain. It is great to be treated to another example of the kind of intelligent drama US TV is producing in the current golden age - intelligent drama which does not treat its audience as children to be lectured to, but which leaves it to them to think about questions themselves - once they get their breath back after the action! If you haven't seen the Shield yet - go back and enjoy series one - you'll be hooked! If already a fan, the new season will not disappoint!

If you've seen all the previous series, then you know what to expect from this one. It's fine if you can suspend disbelief and just go with the plot.The sub-plot twists and turns (will Vic get found out or won't he) are what keeps you watching this and are quite well done, if totally unbelievable. The other episode storylines are pretty routine cop show stuff, and the abscence of realistic dialogue - like it or not, police do swear, but not in the Shield - makes it all seem slightly old fashioned.The one critisism I would make of the whole series is tha acting of the guy who plays Vic Mackay. He is so wooden and seems to deliver his lines from an autocue. Plus, he's supposed to be this scary maveric cop, but he's a little, fat baldy that a child of 10 could outrun. Whats he going to do to you? Sit on you and steal your sandwiches>

Please disregard the strangely obsessive comments about running time; this series is a treat not a cheat. Splitting what certainly feels like one long season into two (5 and 6) does lead to a slightly perplexing carry-over of the John Kavanaugh/IAD storyline and you might need your memory refreshing if you've allowed yourself a break between seasons. In terms of criticism, that's about it. Exceptional TV making and exceptional entertainment from beginning to end.The Shield, The Sopranos, The Wire: all different, all outstanding, all hugely enjoyable. It is a little disturbing that serious and seriously violent crime should be the subject matter of such cracking entertainment, but there you are.

Having never seen this series on television and wanting something new to see, I went out and purchased Series 1 and 2 locally in South Africa. I was hooked! What a fantastic show and definitely worth watching. The episodes are extremely well written with plenty of sub plots and the cast, both regular and guest appearances is superb. I ordered Series 3 through 6 from Amazon with express shipping and wow! All four series arrived in South Africa three days later. Amazing service Amazon, well done!There are very good reviews about each individual season, (the reason for my purchase in the first place) on this site and if like me, you have never watched The Shield, you will be pleasantly surprised and even though throughout this entire series you're taken through many twists and turns, I was blown away by the final episode, a worthy finale to a superb series.

Season 6 was fantastic on TV and i loved every minute of it. When I originally read some of the reviews on here I was concerned that the region 2 DVD being sold was being edited. I ordered it none the less and found that the total running time is just under 10 hours = 600 minutes, so the running time from amazon is wrong.anyway moving onto the season.....This is a fantastic season which starts in the days after Lem's death and goes to a brilliant season finale. The finale will leave you gasping for season 7 and wondering what could happen.The acting and directing in this season is fantastic. This season is a must buy and will not leave you disappointed in anyway!