MovieChat Forums > The Shield (2002) Discussion > Finished Season 7 (and the whole series)...

Finished Season 7 (and the whole series) - Some Thoughts (Spoilers)

posted 7 years ago by Bandit-One
15 replies | jump to latest

Just finished the whole series yesterday.

What a ride it was at the end. Season 7 started pretty calm, but once it started, it never lost pace.

That fact that Shane will die was pretty clear to me. Doing it by suicide was unexpected, but in the end fits the character very well. While Vic is pretty much a master when it comes to walking the line, Shane crossed it too many times and was just was too unstable and - let's be honest - not too smart.
I found it very cowardly and selfish though that he took his wifes and kid(s') life as well. But a real tour-de-force by the great Goggins.

Aceveda getting out of the whole thing is fine with me. That's not too unrealistic too, when you look at real politicians.

I never liked the Claudette character. Even hated her more and more in season 7. Of course Vic is the bad guy, yes. But don't his rights outdo the wrongs? How would Farmington look like without his countless arrests and kills? Somebody has to do the dirty jobs, even Claudette wouldn't admit it.
In the end she just went on a personal vendetta against Vic...way too much and too far. I would compare her in Season 7 to Kavanaugh. When Kavanaugh knew he lost and couldn't get Vic he took on Lem instead. As did Claudette: When Vic got untouchable, she booked Ronnie instead. Her being sick and dying....I don't shed a tear. But great acting by CCH Pounder!

Watching Ronnie getting arrested really broke my heart. Of course he was no Lem and no saint. But he will always feel like getting back-stabbed by Vic (which is only partly true - more on that later). I would have preferred seeing him going down guns blazing in a gunfire. But of course it was also a very fit ending....the producers wanted us to be hurt by that....mission accomplished! David Rees Snell did a fine job - especially in this season. Too bad he doesn't get more work.

Let's talk about Vic. I always liked him. He always got the job done. Jobs other wouldn't do, but needed to be done. Was he dirty? Yes. Was he bad all the way? No. So I'm quite satisfied with his ending. Looking out the window....taking his gun. He's not staying in this office for three years. He will find his way....find his spot out there. I think he will be just fine.
Even though Ronne got arrested, I can't blame Vic for that. He did try to get them both immunity or run away. He only took the immunity deal because he feared for his wife and kids. He was a family man. Not the perfect husband or father, but he always tried to protect his family. And that's why Ronnie had to go down. I can't blame Vic fully for that.

I did enjoy Dutch. But I really thought there will be some follow-up after he killed the cat a while ago. I waited for a dark side. I think there was some potential there. It was an interesting case with Llyod Denton, but felt a bit rushed at the end. Wanted to know and see more.

I quite liked Billings as well. This sleazy, lazy character. There's always one of these guys in every office. I think David Marciano did a good job here.

Danny (apart from the story with her baby) and Julien were pretty useless in this season. Guess they just still had a contract.

I didn't really like Olivia Murray (Laurie Holden). She was pretty much a hypocrite. Like she didn't have dirt on her.... but I guess it's not because of the character. I'm just not a fan of Holden. Can't get over her Andrea-character in "The Walking Dead".

Completely useless I found Tina Hanlon. Every storyline would have worked without her. I guess the producers just wanted to bring some new blood into the series...or some eye-candy. But didn't do anything for me....a character I never cared about.

So, all in all a fantastic series. A real rollercoaster. We got to know and like the Strike team and their characters. And watched them breaking apart. Two down, one in prison...and Vic still standing. I think the screenwriters and producers did very well with the last season and the series in general. Where else can you watch so much character-development. That's impossible for a two-hour movie to achieve. That's why TV-series can be so great. And "The Shield" is one of the very very best. The best cop-drama for sure....but also one of the best in general.

Now I feel like some characters in the movie "The Game" with Michael Douglas. Some gentlemen discussed about having finished the game already a while ago. And they wish they could start over and just do the thing again....and feel like the first time. That's how I feel. I wished I could start over and enjoy the series again like the first time. I will watch it again eventually....but since I know all the fates now, it won't be the same. A brillant piece of TV-History!

I will go on watching "Sons Of Anarchy" next. I don't have too high hopes after "The Shield". But I want to watch many of the familiar faces I came to like in this series.

"Pizz on you and pizz on your law!"
- Rubber Duck (Convoy)-

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[–] bhammel103 7 years ago

Dutch and Claudette are my favorite characters. Shane is up there as well.

I HATE Billings.

Vic got a lot of bad people off the street... using excessive force. But he got a lot of criminals off the street. But then he also shot a cop in the face so...

With Dutch and the cat... that was it. That was the end of that particular story. Dutch strangles the cat to try and see what the Cuddler was talking about. But he didn't see anything. That's it. That was the end of Dutch trying to fully understand the mind of a serial killer. But you know what, if Kurt Sutter (creator of Sons of Anarchy) had his way, at the end of the series, he would have had the BIG TWIST of Dutch being a secret serial killer. Thank god that didn't happen. Ruin seven seasons of character development for some cheap twist.

Sons of Anarchy can be VERY good (season 2). But Kurt wants those shocking twists and Kurt doesn't have the storytelling skills of Shawn Ryan.

[–] Bandit-One 7 years ago

Billings wasn't really good at his job or really useful, but as a comic relief I found him entertaining.

Just read the Trivia Section with the entry you talked about (Dutch being a serial killer). I'm glad they didn't go for that. Just coming out of the blue like that. If they wanted to do so, they should've given more clues during the seasons. The ending is good as it is.

"Pizz on you and pizz on your law!"
- Rubber Duck (Convoy)-

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[–] yngcyn 7 years ago

Also, in a follow-up episode, Claudette asks Dutch if the stray cat is still keeping him awake at night. Definitely a reason for him to kill the cat. Anyone else notice this?

Go peddle your fish!

[–] 7 years ago

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[–] PreachCaleb 7 years ago

Of course Vic is the bad guy, yes. But don't his rights outdo the wrongs?

They don't. Not when they involve murder, particularly cop murder. That's something the police take very seriously. And for Vic to do that while hiding behind his badge is unforgivable.

It's one thing to bend the rules, but Vic was breaking the law. He really was the bad guy of the series. And it was quite satisfying to see him a broken, lonely man at the end.

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the series. If you ever get a chance, rewatch it. It's worth it. It really changes your emotions when you know how it's going to end. It's almost heartbreaking to watch the Strike Team in the early seasons and see just how close they all were and compare to how there's nothing left of them by the end.

Or to see all the mistakes they make knowing it'll all snowball for them.

Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead.

[–] Bandit-One 7 years ago

Ok, the Terry Crowley killing was cold blood. I agree. But most others were no saints....they had it coming. Vic was their Judge, Jury and Executioner. I shed no tears for them. But I think most of the time Vic at least tried not to kill without any reason or to spare innocents.

I'll surely watch it again one day. I very much enjoyed Breaking Bad as well, but for me "The Shield" is even better. Had more interesting characters (Walter White / Bryan Cranston was outstanding, but couldn't really stand Jesse Pinkman much).

"Pizz on you and pizz on your law!"
- Rubber Duck (Convoy)-

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[–] PreachCaleb 7 years ago

Vic was their Judge, Jury and Executioner.

Bingo. That's exactly why he's the bad guy. No one elected him to be those things. Cops are supposed to arrest and only kill in defense (of themselves or others). Vic kidnapped, tortured, and executed people while hiding behind the safety of his badge. The fact they were criminals doesn't change what Vic did.

But this is why I love the Shield. People can interpret Vic's actions in a number of ways. And yes, I agree, he tried not to kill innocent people. But he's still a murderer.

And yeah, I also think The Shield is better than Breaking Bad.

Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead.

[–] depaul_rules 7 years ago

I wonder how long Vic would last in today's society where everyone has a camera/video cell phone. He surely would have been caught on video many times and wouldn't last long in my estimation.

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[–] sawfan1414 7 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the series as a whole! It's definitely an all time favorite of mine.

We also seem to be in agreement regarding Walton Goggins and how brilliant of a performance he gave here. One of the most underrated actors out there. Have you seen Justified?? He's the co-lead of the show and he's maybe even better as Boyd Crowder than Shane. That would be the next best bet for you. I'd rank Justified up there as one of the best shows in terms of quality that I've seen, but I'd definitely say it's the most entertaining, the writing and dialogue are both so sharp and witty, second to none.

SOA is ok, it starts and stays strong for a few seasons but loses steam in the second half of the series. SOA's final season was one of the worst I've seen while Justified's final run was one of the more satisfying conclusions to a series.

[–] aw2893 7 years ago

Agreed - Justified is in my top 3 favorite shows of all time!

[–] Bandit-One 7 years ago

Justified sounds interesting. I'll definitely give it a go....maybe not this year anymore. But 2017 isn't far away.

"Pizz on you and pizz on your law!"
- Rubber Duck (Convoy)-

  

[–] Bandit-One 7 years ago

I remember watching Walton Goggins in "Shanghai Noon", "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Joyride" (add. footage). I'm very happy for him that his talent was spotted and got the chance to be Shane in The Shield (even though they didn't plan him to be a main character at the beginning).

Same goes for Chiklis. I've seen him first in "Wired" around 1990. I liked his performance. Little did he know that he will become a persona non-grata after this for a while. And unrightly so....he was new in the business and took a job. What's wrong with that. He did fine in the movie. But being attacked so long by John Belushi's family and friends was more than unfair. Belushi is a legend, an icon. But he's no saint. Why be so mad at Chiklis. I'm glad he got out of it, his talent got finally appreciated and eventually became Vic Mackey.

"Pizz on you and pizz on your law!"
- Rubber Duck (Convoy)-

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[–] Naphthous 7 years ago

I find your moral assessments of the characters extremely baffling.

You "hated" Claudette for obeying the law and doing her job - for trying to arrest a multiple-murdering drug-trading cop-killing corrupt cop - so much so that you think her impending early death is deserved.

You skewer Olivia because "Like she didn't have dirt on her..." as though there were some kind of equivalency between what she did and what Vic did, which isn't even remotely true. You think her confession would take hours, the way his did?

And then you "always liked Vic" (!) despite him having done vastly worse than either of those characters, especially Claudette. You know, Claudette also "always got the job done," with the one exception of not getting to bust Vic, and she never cheated to do it.

And, while Claudette's early death has you shrugging your shoulders, Ronnie's arrest for doing a bunch of terrible things "broke your heart."

That's all pretty messed up, in my opinion.

The rule of law exists for a very good reason. It is a big deal if those whose duty is to uphold the law casually disregard it, as the Strike Team did routinely. I think you need to give this a little more thought. Vic and his guys are as guilty as hell and deserved everything they got (and Vic a lot worse).

[–] Bandit-One 7 years ago

Sorry to disappoint you pal. Just one or two things. I don't think I was the only one who like the Vic-character. He was driving the series and kept people watching. He's the ultimate Anti-Hero. And that in a time where TV-Series weren't that big or straight-forward yet. Vic was / is loved by the audience. Even when the producers brought the great Forest Whitaker to show the audience how bad Vic really was....what happened? The watchers at home clearly took Vic's side....to the surprise of the producers/screenwriters.

And also I'm definitely not the only one shedding a tear for Ronnie. Read through the forums to check...

Law....exists, yes. And that's good! I don't defend Vic on killing Terry. But it takes a *beep* to smell *beep* Vic Mackey cleaned up the streets....and broke the law numerous times doing so. But he also took a load of bad guys with. The law fails how many times? Then you need guys like Vic to clean up the mess.

It it right? Well, I guess not. But the world is also not a happy and innocent place and too many criminals walk away free. That's sadly how it is....

But hey, I don't feel wrong rooting for Vic and the Strike Team. Great actors, great characters (I remind you: It's a TV-Series, not a documentary). And I don't feel wrong to dislike some of the "clean" and law-abiding characters. There's no good - there's no bad. There are only grey areas left nowadays....

"Pizz on you and pizz on your law!"
- Rubber Duck (Convoy)-

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[–] Naphthous 7 years ago

There's a difference between loving a character and making a moral judgment about him/her. Yes, Vic is a great character and drives the series. You asserted that his actions were morally justifiable, though, which is totally different. I specifically avoided your criticisms/praise of characters that were based on the quality of the character rather than his/her moral standing (you said you liked Billings as a character, for example, but never tried to justify him morally - this I have no issue with).

Question for you: What makes you think Vic cleaned up more mess than he made? That seems like a large assumption to me.

But even if we could assume that were true, it doesn't excuse his wrongdoing. Let's look at the money train alone - that money could have funded the police instead of going into his pockets. That is stealing from the public. Or perhaps knowledge of the operation could have been used to better disrupt the mob. Who's to say? Either way, it's a blow to law enforcement in order to personally profit the Strike Team.

Criminals do indeed walk free in our world - and in this show, Vic is one of them. Something else that happens in our world is law enforcement acting above the law, which results in harm to innocent people and loss of faith in our institutions.

There is a lot of gray area, but there are also things that are clearly good and bad if you reason them out.