Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsRemember, the Team comes First
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2007
In LA, Farmington creates a special kind of criminal. In addition to smaller gangs trying to cash in on the money and prestige to be had, there are the bigger gangs with bigger agendas and individuals with their own problems. This creates dilemmas of all kinds and calls for cops of all calibers to stem this proverbial tide of violence. Enter Vic Mackey, head of Farmington's elite Strike Force and a true force to be reckoned with. Far from the police units that operate within the clearly-divided blue lights of "justice," Mackey operates his force like a cold and calculating mob of his own. This means he has enemies on all sides of the law and that he creates a story that is really worth watching.
When it came to The Shield, I was initially hesitant because I really detest the overflow of "Cop drama" on television. I thought I had seen all the different types of dirty cops that the network minds had to offer and I wasn't in the mood for another slice of the shield-toting pie. Then I watched the pilot, saw just how far the strike team - Ronnie, Shane, Lem, and Vic - were willing to go, and reevaluated my priorities. As I continued watching the show I found that it worked on a lot of other levels as well, making me think about the motivations of every person involved and how tempting power like the type Mackey finds himself faced with could really be. A cop with a family, a child with a disability, and a job that doesn't really appreciate the things that are done in its name; that brings up the question of where does prevention end and crime really begin?
This isn't to say that the Strike Team is the whole of the tale; far from it in fact. The 13 episodes on the disc are really the story of a lot of people trying to maintain a fine line on a personal and professional level, following two main detectives and a drove of other police officers and showcasing progression as the series goes forward. I'm writing this at the conclusion of the 6th series, too, knowing how much these people start to mean and how many of them lose small things like dignity or larger things like life. Not wanting to spoil things I have to end it there, simply saying that the show will keep giving and that Mackey always has a method in some of most beautiful forms of madness I've watched play out.
Just watch the pilot and you'll understand what I mean.
About the Set: Full-Frame, Subtitles: English, Spanish
Episodes Included: 1- Pilot. 2- Our Gang. 3 - The Spread. 4 - Dawg Days. 5 - Blowback. 6 - Cherrypoppers. 7 - Pay in Pain. 8 - Cupid & Psycho. 9 - Throwaway. 10 - Dragonchasers. 11 - Carnivores. 12 - Two Days of Blood. 13 -Circles.
Also included: commentary, "behind the shield" featurette, a few deleted scenes