The Shield - The Final Act!!!! Discussion

[DeToxRox]

Ugh, 12 more hours or so until the final season of the Shield begins. The trailers for this season look outrageous. I don't know what the hell will happen, but I cannot fucking wait.

Who'll be watching tonight?

[Ryan W.]

I will be there. Between this show and the Wire, best shows on TV!

[DeToxRox]

I will be there. Between this show and the Wire, best shows on TV!

QFT

[Tasan]

Good lord I can't wait. I was a late comer to this series, but thanks to our awesome library system here, I was able to catch up. All I could do every day til I finished the series was watch episodes. I got nothing done for a few weeks. When I hit the end, I was like "I can't believe its not done yet! I need completion!" So yeah, this season is eagerly anticipated.

[Barkeep49]

What is going to be the spoiler policy here? I too am quite excited about this and had a long discussion last night with a friend about which is better, The Shield or The Wire. I argued The Wire is a better television show, but The Shield is many times more entertaining.

[DeToxRox]

What is going to be the spoiler policy here? I too am quite excited about this and had a long discussion last night with a friend about which is better, The Shield or The Wire. I argued The Wire is a better television show, but The Shield is many times more entertaining.

I say spoiler tag until tomorrow so all time zones get a crack. After that the DVR crowd is on their own. And if the BS Frenchies get the episodes 2 weeks early, I want them banned!

[Logan]

Definitely, definitely in.

I watched all 6 seasons in about a month, it was sick.

[DaddyTorgo]

OMG!!! thank you for reminding me -- there's about a 0.2% chance that I might have forgot (I hadn't pre-set my DVR for it, but I would have been in front of the tv searching through the guide after dinner), but now it'll be first thing on my mind to do when I get home.


I can't wait!!! It's going to be incredible! They've got so much to wrap up in this season, it's crazy!

[sabotai]

What is going to be the spoiler policy here? I too am quite excited about this and had a long discussion last night with a friend about which is better, The Shield or The Wire. I argued The Wire is a better television show, but The Shield is many times more entertaining.

I agree with DeToX, best to just spoiler tag everything until the day after. The DVR crowd (which I will be a part of for some of the episodes) should know not to come into the thread until they see the episode. And yeah, anyone who happens to get the episodes early, kindly STFU. :)

The Shield is my favorite show, followed very close by The Wire. Sucks that The Wire is over and The Shield will be gone soon. Hopefully the writers for either show start up a new show sometime soon.

[Schmidty]

I've always wished I had started watching this show from the start. I'll have to Netflix it sometime (over the course of a few months of course).

[sabotai]

"We just sit back and watch the gang war."

And then all of the scenes they just showed....this season is going to be CRAZY!

[DeToxRox]

Oh God, this is going to be insane. Between Vic putting the gun into the wound, Shane chopping off the feet and the scenes for the rest of the year, its' going to especially brutal.

Also .. Billings fucking rules.

[DaddyTorgo]

I DVR'd and will be watching in like an hour

[Logan]

Agree with you two. I purposely avoided the scenes of what's to come, but I know it'll be insane with or without seeing them.

"Can you fill my box?"

[DaddyTorgo]

okay - my thoughts:

i didn't think this was a mind-blowing episode, but in a lot of ways I'm glad it wasn't. It's such a complex show it would have been tough to just jump back in with both feet -- i think they mixed nicely some new developments with reminding us what had gone on.

The scene with Shane chopping off Zidofian's feet was amusing -- the confrontation between him and Vic was good, and they do have a plausible reason for an uneasy alliance at this point at least.

For me I think the highlight of the episode was the fact that claudette+dutch exposed Billings' fraud.

[Tasan]

The whole "Getting Billings" is what just makes the show fun and watchable. If it wasn't for these bits, the show would be way too brutal for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the show, but without the great detectives keeping things a little lighter a lot of the time, I think my mind would just turn into a black hole watching it.

On another note, Shane is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dead. Its like the thing we better get at the end. Painfully. From Vic, hopefully very violently.

[DeToxRox]

Holy fuck was that intense. The ending .. wow. I didn't see that coming.

[Logan]

Great episode.

[DaddyTorgo]

great episode. that ending is going to really shake things up, and i absolutely did not see that coming (though maybe I should have).

loved the comment by shane to ronnie about how vic is going to get them all f*cked too.

[DeToxRox]

great episode. that ending is going to really shake things up, and i absolutely did not see that coming (though maybe I should have).

loved the comment by shane to ronnie about how vic is going to get them all f*cked too.

I feel the same as you about the ending. It seems so simple now but the way the writing is on the Shield, with how these swerves are so rare, it just floored me. Any other show and I call that right away.

[DaddyTorgo]

I feel the same as you about the ending. It seems so simple now but the way the writing is on the Shield, with how these swerves are so rare, it just floored me. Any other show and I call that right away.

i disagree - i don't think the swerves and the unexpected are rare. i think the beauty of the writing is that they manage to make them seem so natural, and hide them so well. it absolutely floored me too, and it definately put some energy back into things -- as it was before that you could almost see Vic's endgame, now it appears he's screwed all over agin.

[sabotai]

Just watched the episode, and yeah, that ending was completely unexpected. I agree with DT that these "swerves" happen a lot, but they are also always logical and reasonable, so it doesn't disrupt the flow of the show and you move right on to the next episode.

But then again, with shows like Lost (which I like, btw), they seem like they try to have 3-4 per show, so maybe they seem rare by comparison.

[DeToxRox]

Another A+ episdoe.

Dutch getting pwnd by that 16 year old at the end was hilarious

[DaddyTorgo]

watching as soon as i finish L&O:SVU in a minute

[DeToxRox]

Tavon is back tonight!!

[Logan]

That a spoiler for tonight's episode?

[DeToxRox]

That a spoiler for tonight's episode?

Yeah. From TVGuide.

[sabotai]

The writers really know how to end an episode. Another great one.

[bryce]

I was minorly (minorly!) disappointed with the first few episodes this season (only b/c I have the bar so incredibly high for this show), but last night's episode has things really picking up steam now. Should be a good ride to the end...

[BYU 14]

Wow, there are just so many balls up in the air now you have no idea how things will play out. The is the true beauty of this show, there are always multiple turns the storyline can take.

[Logan]

Does anyone know a place where I can watch last week's episode online? PM if necessary.

[DeToxRox]

Holy christ.

[DeToxRox]

Holy fuck. Shanes on the run, Vic is after him. This is going to be an absurd last month of this show.

[DeToxRox]

Dola, no spoilers here but this may've been the best episode of any TV show I've ever seen. If not the best ever, it's top 3. This was the best episode in the history of the Shield, maybe outside of the Lem death.

[DaddyTorgo]

can't wait to watch this as soon as i'm done watching law+order

[BYU 14]

Dola, no spoilers here but this may've been the best episode of any TV show I've ever seen. If not the best ever, it's top 3. This was the best episode in the history of the Shield, maybe outside of the Lem death.

I agree, things are really set in motion now for an exposive conclusion. Still you have to know there are a couple of good twists left!!

I am going to miss this show badly when it finally ends!

[sabotai]

I am going to miss this show badly when it finally ends!

Me too.

Definitely the best episode of the season so far.

[DaddyTorgo]

Me too.

Definitely the best episode of the season so far.


One of the best of the whole series I'd say. Top 3 without a doubt.

[Logan]

Finally got a chance to watch it and definitely agree. Wow, the tension when they were waiting for Two-Man to take the bait was some of the best I've seen.

[bryce]

Dola, no spoilers here but this may've been the best episode of any TV show I've ever seen. If not the best ever, it's top 3. This was the best episode in the history of the Shield, maybe outside of the Lem death.

That's almost exactly what I said after I watched it on DVR last night... I texted a friend, "Wowowowow! Best shield ever! Maybe best hour of tv ever!"

[BYU 14]

That's almost exactly what I said after I watched it on DVR last night... I texted a friend, "Wowowowow! Best shield ever! Maybe best hour of tv ever!"


It was definitely as riveting as anything I have ever seen on TV. The tension was just over the top.

[sabotai]

SO CLOSE!

[bryce]

How many episodes are left, does anyone know?

[DeToxRox]

Four episodes left I believe it said.

[DaddyTorgo]

4 left.

last night's was good. not as amazing as last week or anything, but very good.

[DeToxRox]

Holy fuck.

I am not sure what else I can say.

[DeToxRox]

I am going to say it .. I hope Ronnie puts a fucking bullet in Vic's head. In fact, I think he will. It'll be like the Wire. The cycle will continue. The first episode will replay itself out in the finale.

[sabotai]

Vic beats Claudette. I wonder if something happens that invalids his deal, he goes away forever, and Ronnie somehow escapes. Interesting that Vic's ex cooperating with the cops is what ended up fooling him into turning on Ronnie. I wonder how that will play out.

I really hope Ronnie escapes. Vic can die, Shane can (better) die, everyone else can die just as long as Ronnie makes it out of there. Just let Ronnie end up on the farm that Lem was supposed to go to, and let everyone else kill each other.

[DaddyTorgo]

Poor Ronnie. Getting fucked by Vic.

But wow...the scene with Vic in the room signing his deal and confessing his dirty deeds - the looks on the Feds' faces...priceless

[BYU 14]

Poor Ronnie. Getting fucked by Vic.

But wow...the scene with Vic in the room signing his deal and confessing his dirty deeds - the looks on the Feds' faces...priceless

No doubt, probably a little more than they bargained for :)

I think Claudette is going to totally lose it
can't believe she actually fired Dutch on the spot after they arrived too late to get Vic. Everything is coming together nicely for an explosive finale. You have to wonder how the thing with Dutch and that kid will end too, I am willing to bet there will be a nice little twist in store there as well.

I really feel sorry for Ronnie, he is in the same boat as Lem was, in the middle of a shit storm created by Vic and Shane

I am going to miss this show! I am sure sometime down the road I will get the complete series and spend a lost weekend watching it from beginning to end.

[bryce]

Wow, that was an intense episode.

I think it's fascinating how they vilified Vic in one episode, after 6 seasons of creating Godfather or Sopranos type sympathy for him - he's one of the 'bad guys,', but you can't help but pull for him anyway.

I'm going to miss this show terribly.

[Logan]

I wish they set aside two full episodes just to hear Vic confess all his dirty deeds.

Poor Ronnie, I agree it seems to be set up that he'll be the one left standing.

[atatange1]

It could be that Ronnie will be the only one left standing. Perhaps Ronnie will give up Vic to Beltran (doubt it), and then the tape won't matter as much (or at all since Vic can't be cross examined?) and he gets to skate...I don't know. Anyway, love the show, and can't wait so see how they wrap it up in 90 minutes. That leaves not much time so they have to wrap it up cleanly.

[BishopMVP]

Votes on who, if anyone, dies? I'm saying either Vic does or he has to shoot Ronnie.

[sabotai]

I'm thinking that Shane has to die, and that either Vic or Ronnie dies. Possibly all 3 to finish off the original strike team completely. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few of the supporting characters go down as well. Claudette and Aceveda have been on a storylines that could easily end with their deaths.

[atatange1]

I think Dutch will die, otherwise why would they be stringing along that kid as a possible serial killer story?

[Tasan]

This is gonna be a wild finish, I know that. I don't want the episodes to end. I do think Shane HAS to die. I'm not sure about Ronnie, Vic, and Dutch though. I could see Ronnie taking Vic out like sabotai says. Somehow I could also see Dutch taking Vic out, protecting Corrine after Vic finds out she was working with the cops and caused him to turn on Ronnie. I would hate for Dutch to die though, he's always been a favorite of mine.

[Tasan]

I just did the math, and if there are 2 episodes left, then the last episode is on my birthday! Happy birthday to me!

[judicial clerk]

i thought there was only one episode left.

that girl from ice got so played, "excuse me,... did you say you killed a police officer?"

I was not loving last season or the first half of this season as much as the early stuff, but the lasr few episodes have been great.

I am wondering if vic doesn't have an idea to try to help ronnie. Also, shane is so screwed.

My guess, shane and vic go to jail together, ronnie and dutch die, and claudette quits. Acaveda is mayor.

[sabotai]

Yeah, one 90 minute episode is all that is left.

[atatange1]

I think all this speculation alone, along with all the different feelings over the characters just proves how great this show is. I still don't understand how Forest Whitaker didn't win an Emmy for his role (I looked it up on IMDB and he wasn't even nominated!).

[Tasan]

Forgot Acaveda in my predictions. Something HAS to happen to that slimeball. I got nothing though.

[BYU 14]

Well, tonight is it. I have to say as eager as I am for this episode, I have a bit of sadness knowing that this will be it tonight.

This is really strange for me to feel this way, since I am not a big TV watcher and I have never followed a series so closely before. In fact the only other series I have seen every episode of is Deadwood, which was solid in it's own right, but could never have sustained the run The Shield has had IMO.

Hopefully they will leave just enough loose ends to make a Movie down the road.....I know that was a rumor at one point.

Regardless, looking forward to the conclusion of my favorite TV series ever.

[Logan]

I was a late adopter of the series (think we had another thread where I said I went out and bought all the DVDs when they were on sale at a crazy price -- I ended up watching all six seasons in something like 5 weeks), so it's a bit different for me in that I haven't been following very long, but definitely still bittersweet. I haven't even spent much time thinking of what will happen, and I like it that way. Just come on at 10 and keep me amazed for 90 minutes.

[DaddyTorgo]

god - i can't even concentrate on my day i'm waiting and wondering so hardcore!!!

see you guys at showtime!!

[sabotai]

Pretty excited myself. Since last night, it's all I've been thinking about. I have so many theories and ideas as to what might happen, I'm not sure I can really articulate them.

I have been a big TV watcher for a long time (not sure if that's good or bad ;) ), but I've seen so many series just die painfully. Like the X-Files, The 4400, Freaks and Geeks, Sports Night. Some of them are prematurely ended (Freaks and Geeks, Sports Night) causing a lot of awkward sped up character development and plots, or they keep them around way too long instead of ending them (The X-Files, The 4400) causing a lot of confusing, contradicting plotlines.

But now with The Shield, I am very happy they are ending. It sucks, yes, but if The Shield was continued, I think it would start going down the road of having its stories stretched way too thin, causing a lot of crappy TV. I can't imagine how good The X-Files would have been if they ended it after 5 seasons, instead of constantly changing the plot and characters and causing it to just become a parody of itself. The Wire is a good example of what I mean. It was a great series that ended at the right time. I feel the same way with The Shield.

Yeah, it sucks that it's ending, though. But the alternative of having it become absurd (relatively speaking, of course. I lot of people would say the show is absurd to begin with.) is a far worse outcome.

Now they just need to end it correctly, and it'll be a complete show. It'll be hard to top the ending to The Wire, but I think they can do it.


EDIT: And before anyone mentions it, yes, The 4400 only lasted 4 seasons. But with the pace they set in the first season, it should have been about a 3 season long story. But after the large amount of success that the first season had, they changed everything. They started to become concerned with making the series last as long as possible. The 2nd season was ok, and the 3rd and 4th seasons were terrible because they started doing what the X-Files did. However, instead of letting the show go on like the X-Files, the plug was pulled. IOW, they were more concerned with trying to make the series last 8-9 seasons instead of telling a good story, it suffered, and died because of it. That's what I mean by "too long" for The 4400. It should have been a 2 or 3 season long series. Or, at least, the original storyline had about that much fuel in it. They could have come up with a second 2-3 season long "sequel" plotline.

[sabotai]

It's starting!!!!

[DeToxRox]

Episode isn't even over yet but ..

Holy piss shit fuck ass tits cock. I knew Shane was going to do that once he said hi to his neighbor, but holy fuck it still was unreal to see

[BYU 14]

Episode isn't even over yet but ..

Holy piss shit fuck ass tits cock. I knew Shane was going to do that once he said hi to his neighbor, but holy fuck it still was unreal to see

I said the exact same thing!!

In the end I feel bad for Ronnie, he got totally hosed, though Vic's fate may be worse than prison! They managed to pretty much wrap everything up, including Claudette finally spilling the truth on how sick she is. The one part that wasn't completely resolved was the future of Acevedo.....possible spinoff? Nah, wouldn't be the same.

Back to Vic, I really don't know how to take how quietly he went out, suit, tie and a desk job for 3 years. Then again, for a character that lived all 6 seasons on the edge, that may be the ultimate twist

Fitting end to a great series.

It was also nice seeing glimpses from all the other seasons as the credits rolled as well.

[DeToxRox]

I said the exact same thing!!

In the end I feel bad for Ronnie, he got totally hosed, though Vic's fate may be worse than prison! They managed to pretty much wrap everything up, including Claudette finally spilling the truth on how sick she is. The one part that wasn't completely resolved was the future of Acevedo.....possible spinoff? Nah, wouldn't be the same.

Back to Vic, I really don't know how to take how quietly he went out, suit, tie and a desk job for 3 years. Then again, for a character that lived all 6 seasons on the edge, that may be the ultimate twist

Fitting end to a great series.

It was also nice seeing glimpses from all the other seasons as the credits rolled as well.

It was an excellent end for Vic. Being in an office pushing papers is prison for him. He has no family or friends. He's on his own without a badge and a gun. That was perfect.

And that seen with Ronnie made me cringe. Fuck you Vic

[sabotai]

I'm sad now...

mainly because of Ronnie getting fucked over. It just seemed....he was always as careful as he could be, and he should have known better than to think anything is "iron clad" before it's in writing and signed. Just seemed a bit out of character for him to not see all of the warning signs....but maybe loyally to Vic trumped that and was the reason for his downfall.

But if that never happened, we wouldn't get that "You can go now." line from Claudette......

I hate Vic now. Hate him.


Interview with Shawn Ryan about the finale (contains spoilers): SPOILER ALERT: 'Shield' Boss Answers Burning Finale Qs | The Shield | Ausiello Files | EW.com (http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/11/shield-boss-ans.html)

[DaddyTorgo]

*watching on the dvr*

OMFG...Shane. And Mara and Jackson? Wow.

[DaddyTorgo]

And Vic and ICE get Beltran...there's still plenty of shoes to drop I got a feeling.

[DaddyTorgo]

wow - that was damn intense. i agree with the sentiment that although they couldn't get Vic behind bars, between taking away his family and making him face Ronnie and hear about Shane they've done a lot to wound him. Also think the desk-job thing would be torture, especially with Olivia breathing down his neck and saying she's going to be basically demanding a certain amount of work each week (with the implied threat that if he doesn't do it he gets canned and his immunity gets tossed)

[Logan]

Damn I'm gonna miss this show. While going in I figured Shane killing himself had a decent chance of happening, I still didn't make the connection when he gave the extra money to the young cashier, said hi to the neighbor, and was overly handling the truck he bought for Jackson.

Agree with you guys in that Vic's new life is worse than if he was locked in a cell with Antwon Mitchell.

More thoughts to follow...

edit: I started reading some of the comments posted to that Q&A with Ryan shared above...those people are fucking criminally retarded, please don't waste your time reading.

[johneh]

How great was that at the end.. Vic with all he is done being led around by some HR lady to his little cubicle... "Don't touch the termostat you aren't allowed to change it. The lights are shut off at 6:15 if you are working late you must call ext 815"

[DaddyTorgo]

How great was that at the end.. Vic with all he is done being led around by some HR lady to his little cubicle... "Don't touch the termostat you aren't allowed to change it. The lights are shut off at 6:15 if you are working late you must call ext 815"

that was hilarious. best was "we ask you to label your lunch if you bring it in."

[DaddyTorgo]

As far as the acting in the finale - while Chicklis (spelling) was great, he honestly didn't have that much material to work with - not a lot of "great" lines, and most of his stuff was "reactionary".

Far and away, I thought Shane's breakdown was the emotional highlight of the finale. That and Ronnie's screaming fit in the Barn at the end, but moreso Shane, as we saw more of him throughout the episode and really throughout the series.

[sabotai]

Far and away, I thought Shane's breakdown was the emotional highlight of the finale. That and Ronnie's screaming fit in the Barn at the end, but moreso Shane, as we saw more of him throughout the episode and really throughout the series.

Walter Goggins is a great actor. I hope he ends up getting a lot of work and I see him in other shows/movies.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Walter Goggins is a great actor. I hope he ends up getting a lot of work and I see him in other shows/movies.

I thought his next project (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1114680/) was a bit ... different than I would have expected. Looks like a movie bound for Hallmark or Lifetime, co-starring Hal Holbrook, Dixie Carter, and Barry Corbin.

Okay, it's also got the minister from Deadwood but still, not what I would have expected for a guy who I would think should generate a certain amount of interest.

[DaddyTorgo]

Walter Goggins is a great actor. I hope he ends up getting a lot of work and I see him in other shows/movies.

yes

[DaddyTorgo]

hey, kudos for him for trying not to act himself into a corner as far as the types of roles that are offered to him though

[Fighter of Foo]

edit: I started reading some of the comments posted to that Q&A with Ryan shared above...those people are fucking criminally retarded, please don't waste your time reading.

read Sepinwall (http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2008/11/shield-shawn-ryan-post-finale-q.html)'s version instead.

[JonInMiddleGA]

read Sepinwall (http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2008/11/shield-shawn-ryan-post-finale-q.html)'s version instead.

Good read, even though I was never able to actually get into the show more than in an extremely casual way. Still interesting to get the insight into the thought process behind some of the things that were done.

[BishopMVP]

- Obviously it was tangential to the interesting plotline, but did I miss something with the Dutch/serial killer kid storyline? Maybe where they actually got evidence against him? All I remember seeing was them walking back in, telling him to get ready for his close-up and Dutch looking smug.

- Even knowing that it backed Shane all the way into the corner, Vic's "I'll send you the postcard from Space Mountain." line was fantastic.

- Finally, the one glimmer of hope Vic has despite all the previous problems between them - his older daughter. She is crazy and emotionally bipolar enough, how long until she had a fight with her mother and went to call/find Vic? A month, two tops?

[BYU 14]

- Obviously it was tangential to the interesting plotline, but did I miss something with the Dutch/serial killer kid storyline? Maybe where they actually got evidence against him? All I remember seeing was them walking back in, telling him to get ready for his close-up and Dutch looking smug.

- Even knowing that it backed Shane all the way into the corner, Vic's "I'll send you the postcard from Space Mountain." line was fantastic.

- Finally, the one glimmer of hope Vic has despite all the previous problems between them - his older daughter. She is crazy and emotionally bipolar enough, how long until she had a fight with her mother and went to call/find Vic? A month, two tops?


Shawn Ryan did mention that he would not be opposed to a Movie down the road and these are definitely things that could come into play.

He mentioned in his Q&A that they wanted to leave the viewer with the assumption that Dutch would get the kid, without giving him the clear cut win. Again, if anything else was made after this, it is something they left enough wiggle room on to play with I guess.

Honestly the more I think about it, the more I hope this is the end. It was strange not having Lem around the last two seasons. Now without Shane and Ronnie it would be nowhere near the same.

[DeToxRox]

There have been rumors forever FX wants to do a spin off based off Dutch.

The Lloyd thing would be a great start if they ever did.

[DaddyTorgo]

One thing I picked up, at least from the spoken dialogue about Lloyd -

Claudette told him that his mom's clothes were found in Dutch's trash can.

Later he says "I didn't set my mom's clothes on fire and put them in Dutch's trash can!"

[BYU 14]

There have been rumors forever FX wants to do a spin off based off Dutch.

The Lloyd thing would be a great start if they ever did.

That could be an interesting show, depending on how it is set up. I noticed Jay Karnes appeared to have a regular role on Sons of Anarchy too, have only seen a couple of episodes so I don't know if he is still on htere however.

[DaddyTorgo]

That could be an interesting show, depending on how it is set up. I noticed Jay Karnes appeared to have a regular role on Sons of Anarchy too, have only seen a couple of episodes so I don't know if he is still on htere however.

Nope. he got killed.

[Tasan]

Wow. Just finished it tonight. Poor, poor Ronnie. And Vic, in the end, is Vic. Him first, even though he'd tell you otherwise. And then double cross you.

Thats quite a prison they put Vic in too. Not only is it suit and tie and do this and do that which he can't BS himself out of, but it gets him off the streets and out of the loop for a very long time. It'll be very hard for him to go back to anything that he was.

Shane doing the deed became apparent early in this episode with the focus on him and being 'sad'. I was pretty sure he'd off himself, just not so sure he'd find a way to justify the family.

I'd be all over a Dutch spinoff. He was possibly my favorite character, although without Claudette, he might get a bit tiresome. Maybe him breaking in new detective Julien?

[Sweed]

Great ending to a great series.

I always thought that Shane would end up killing himself but didn't see him doing the family. Saying hi to the neighbor seemed weird but I didn't get the implication of it. However, the way he was holding the toy truck made my stomach sink. I thought he was going to shoot Mara and Jackson and then himself. When the call came into the barn I thought it would be "shots fired" at Shane's apartment. I was glad it wasn't and that he didn't shoot them so at least they didn't see it coming. It was bad enough the way it was.

Vic ends up being the ultimate asshole. Screwing Ronnie really sucked. But then it's funny how over the years you kind of pulled for these guys. One that killed another cop that was trying to do his job and the others covering it up. I mean I can't say I watched the show year to year thinking "I can't wait 'til Vic gets caught". But now it the end I'm glad to see him taken down. Deserved worse but at least he's in his own little hell.

I think mentally he's tough enough he'll do the three years. He, in his own mind, will probably justify everything he's done and be ok with it, no real guilt. But what becomes of him after three years? No job, pension, or contacts left. Certainly nothing for him in law enforcement and I don't think he could even go criminal\drug dealing etc. After all he went Fed and was part of the Beltran bust. Maybe the cartel holds a long grudge and takes him out?

[judicial clerk]

Good ending for the show. I do believe that Shane felt remorse for all the things he'd done over the years. I felt sorry for him and his family at the end.

I think vic sold out ronnie at the end because he had no other options. i think vic would still try to help ronnie from the outside.

I think vic would try to find his family, but i don't think he would hold it against his wife for hiding. I think vic would admit the shit he did was fucked up and scary.

I think it wouldn't be too long before vic got himself closer to the street. He would find some kind of leverage against his bosses. Even threatening to expose the details of his immunity deal could put pressure on them, and dont forget the blackmail box.

I think with these last few episodes the writers did a good job of making me feel dirty for rooting for vic for the last six aand a half years.

i disagree with whoever wrote that they would rather get ronnies fate than vics. Ronnie is gonna be doing some seriously hard time. inmates hate him cause he was a cop. guards hate him cause he was implicated in a cop-killing conspiracy, and antwan mitchell will have a major chubby for him (figuratively and literally).

It woul have been neat to give kavanaugh some sort of cameo. maybe show him eating his matress when he hears vic got full immunity.

[JS19]

Did nobody else get the feeling at the end that Vic decided to say "F this noise" and just took off? I totally got the feeling he decided to run rather than accept his fate behind the desk.

[Radii]

A month late, a buddy of mine had been trying to turn me on to this series for over a year now, and I finally caught on.

Having an abundance of free time is a great thing sometimes. I watched all 7 seasons over about a 2 week period, the first 4 seasons pretty much flew by, I was watching the episodes on my laptop while doing some mindless tasks in Warhammer on my desktop.

Then they introduced Kavanaugh, and everything totally changed. The intensity, emotion, and attachment to everyone got ratcheted up to levels I've never felt in any series on TV ever.

A number of sweeping comments about the entire series:

- I wish we'd gotten more of Glenn Klose. I rooted for her every time she was on the screen, which is not something that can be said for many characters on this show.

- Kavanaugh is one of the truly great bad guys of all time. He's going after guys who deserve to be gone after, and who deserve to be caught(in varying degrees of course, as we know Lem and Ronnie are much more innocent than Vic and Shane), yet he is hated. The level of hatred for Kavanaugh, the desire to see him fail was very raw and very strong.

- The emotional roller coaster the writers were able to take us on with regard to each of the members of the Strike Team was just amazing, and perfectly well done. The fates of both Lem and Ronnie were overwhelmingly painful to watch. I hated Mara for most of the series, but in the end, seeing how she ended up made me feel horrible.

- The change in the viewer's feelings towards Vic at the end was overwhelming as well. Through all the bad shit he did for 6 seasons and 11 1/2 episodes of season 7, he's a good guy who has made some bad choices. His intentions were always good, even if he took the wrong path to get to his goals. Seeing him sell out Ronnie by taking immunity by himself took him from tragic hero who is loved to pure evil in a matter of seconds. Reading the comments in the threads here as the episodes aired originally, that feeling was universal.

- The moment in season 5 when Shane drops the grenade in Lem's car is now, and probably will forever be the most amazing thing I've ever seen on a television show. As the guy who got me to start watching the series put it, "its the ultimate 'OH SHIT' moment." I don't really ever talk to the TV, pretty much ever outside of sporting events, but at the moment that I heard the grenade drop into Lem's car and realized what was happening, I believe what I said was "oh god no no no no no don't do that!" After that episode I had to go do something else and decompress for a couple hours(remember i'm rolling through 4+ episodes every time i sat down, so I went through the buildup to that moment over a very short period of time).


I'm extremely glad I finally listened to my buddy and picked this up, holy shit what a series.

[Logan]

Glad you liked it.

- I wish we'd gotten more of Glenn Klose. I rooted for her every time she was on the screen, which is not something that can be said for many characters on this show.

Read an interview with Shawn Ryan where he said one of his biggest regrets was underutilizing Glenn Close.

[BYU 14]

Radii, that is a really good summary and spot on. I will go back and watch all 7 seasons close together at some point after I am done digesting the way it ended.

I always rooted for Vic and in that last episode and a half I was like, WTF? It was like he let me down. I have never had a TV show impact me like that. Like you, the one moment that will be forever etched in my mind from this series was when Shayne took Lem out. The look on Lems face followed by an almost whispered "Shayne??" As in, why did you just do this, was beyond powerful.

I don't know that I will ever find a show that can duplicate the attachment I had to this one.