Loved the show and thought it had one of the most consequential endings in TV history, but what was up with Dutch strangling that cat?
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I just finished the Shield. Can we talk about it? (OPEN SPOILERS)
- Thread starter Mekanos
- Start date
Yeah The Shield is amazing. I definitely need to do a rewatch. It was jaw dropping at times and some of the scenes literally could make you forget to breathe.
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It was a leftover from when the writers wanted to set up the idea of Dutch being a serial killer.
Loved it so much, and I'm about due for a rewatch as it's been a good four or five years since I went through it last. I own it on DVD but it looks kind of terrible (and I think it's 4:3?).
Forgot the blu ray came out, I should pick it up...
Yikes. Maybe I'll wait until it dips a bit.
Forgot the blu ray came out, I should pick it up...
Yikes. Maybe I'll wait until it dips a bit.
"Find em, kill em, make it look Salvadoran".
I love how Mackey is always scheming around the police station and his general expressions on the show. Such a great character.
"He squints when he lies"
"You're squinting now"
lol so good
It amazes me how funny this show can be too.
I love how Mackey is always scheming around the police station and his general expressions on the show. Such a great character.
"He squints when he lies"
"You're squinting now"
lol so good
It amazes me how funny this show can be too.
It kind of goes without saying, but if you haven't seen Justified as well.. please do so now. Goggins is next level in it (he doesn't do anything as evil as Shane's final acts, but he is a bad, bad dude) and Olyphant is just the absolute perfect foil. You'll find a lot to like about it for sure. FX has made quite a few of my all time favorite shows.. they probably don't get quite as much love as they deserve.
Loved it so much, and I'm about due for a rewatch as it's been a good four or five years since I went through it last. I own it on DVD but it looks kind of terrible (and I think it's 4:3?).
Forgot the blu ray came out, I should pick it up...
Yikes. Maybe I'll wait until it dips a bit.
For what it's worth, I can tell you the bluray is gorgeous and doesn't even resemble the same show I saw on DVD/Netflix a few years ago.
It's a new transfer and it absolutely shows.
The DVD collection is like 30 discs just stacked on top of eachother, while the new release cuts the number of discs way down and they're all presented very clearly in the case.
Definitely a premium release. Worth every penny.
I really need to go back and finish watching this, probably restarting at this point, I never watched it again after Lem's death cause it pissed me off so much.
This show and The Wire was running at the exact time. And The Wire always over shadowed in convwrsations on which was best.
BUT...
Thats not to say this show was anywhere but bad. This was one of the best shows during the 00's. Slept on by many because it was a FX show. I truly enjoyed every minute of it.
BUT...
Thats not to say this show was anywhere but bad. This was one of the best shows during the 00's. Slept on by many because it was a FX show. I truly enjoyed every minute of it.
So glad they decided against that. It would have been too much to ask me to believe the gang unit was entirely corrupt and one of their better detectives was also a serial killer. Thanks for the info.
I thought Dutch killing the cat wasn't scripted?
That moment fucked me up. I really thought Dutch was gonna go bad.
As outlandish as the idea may be, I actually kinda wanted them to go that way. Woulda been super dark and depressing to see him fall like that.
That moment fucked me up. I really thought Dutch was gonna go bad.
As outlandish as the idea may be, I actually kinda wanted them to go that way. Woulda been super dark and depressing to see him fall like that.
The Shield was a mixed bag for me (mostly really good). I actually quit watching it a couple times when it would hit a lull (imo) and then someone would mention how incredible the final season is so I'd go back and keep watching. I'm really glad I saw it through, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I watched the Blu-ray tbh* and also the show was just a bit cheesy at times. It had moments where it felt unbelievable (while trying to be grounded) and some of the dialogue wasn't great. Some of the actors like the ones that played Carinne and Ronnie were never supposed to have big roles, I don't think, and eventually they were pushed out of their depth and it showed.
But they hit the fucking mark with the strike team crumbling and the escalation upon escalation. I always really enjoyed Dutch and Claudette so I enjoyed their endgame treatment. The finale was fantastic.
* also should say I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more and taken a less critical eye had I watched it as it aired. I often didn't let myself get immersed in the show because it felt like an artifact at times (again, the low quality resolution didn't help for me)
But they hit the fucking mark with the strike team crumbling and the escalation upon escalation. I always really enjoyed Dutch and Claudette so I enjoyed their endgame treatment. The finale was fantastic.
I feel like his award was a long, successful career in television and even movies while most of the other actors never started in anything comparable. The Shield was where he really made his mark as an actor and as the series went on they gave him more opportunities to flex his acting muscles
I actually thought he over-acted at times. Antwon as a character was just so cheese and I did not buy him as the mastermind supervillain they presented him as. I might be alone in this
Season 5 especially. Kavanaugh was a fantastic character and Whittaker absolutely killed it. He elevated the show for me. Season 6 felt like a bridge and the latter half of season 7 was excellent as it just continued to escalate. I actually felt like the writing on the show got better in season 7 and wondered if the writing staff/creators were just so excited to finally be telling the series' climax that they put more heart into it
* also should say I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more and taken a less critical eye had I watched it as it aired. I often didn't let myself get immersed in the show because it felt like an artifact at times (again, the low quality resolution didn't help for me)
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When the switch flips when he makes the deal it's such a great moment.
I do think, like a lot of these shows featuring these sort of characters, that they get a little complacent in the middle seasons. Always another bad guy that's so much worse than them and easy ways to justify why we might root for someone like them. Some of them really flop this aspect, like Sons of Anarchy, but the Shield mostly nails it, especially in the final season.
Co-pilot is still one of the worst episodes of a serialized show I've ever seen. It actively undermines the concepts and history of the story. Such a misfire.
I do think, like a lot of these shows featuring these sort of characters, that they get a little complacent in the middle seasons. Always another bad guy that's so much worse than them and easy ways to justify why we might root for someone like them. Some of them really flop this aspect, like Sons of Anarchy, but the Shield mostly nails it, especially in the final season.
Co-pilot is still one of the worst episodes of a serialized show I've ever seen. It actively undermines the concepts and history of the story. Such a misfire.
I actually don't remember Co-Pilot breaking the continuity of the show, can you elaborate a little? I think i'm forgetting some points
Probably my favourite show of all time, and it's only competition in my mind is Breaking Bad. I really cant decide which show I love more.
I searched and didn't see any other threads on the show.
I just finished season 7 a few days ago and other than a few nit picks I thought this was a fantastic show. The final episode was tragic, but that's kinda what this show is at it's core.
A few issues I had:
Julian's conversion therapy never being brought up again. I expected they would show that conversion is bullshit, but he kind of fell off as a main character and seemed to remain married and happy. Bit gross.
Vaccines leading to autism came up, and they jumped on a lawsuit to sue. The show's creator and his wife are both proponents of Autism Speaks, and are critical of the anti-vaccine movement. Maybe they changed their ind at a certain point, as it was 2003 or so, or maybe I missed the further development of that story line.
Dutch killing the cat really made me think they might lead to him actually being a serial killer. I think the cat and the laptop with child porn he was researching going missing around the same time lead me to believe something bad was going to happen with his character. Apparently one of the writers, who wrote Sons of Anarchy, wanted to include a scene with him having multiple bodies hidden in his basement but it was shot down. On one hand I could totally see this happening. On the other the show was already dark enough.
I watched it on Hulu. Not sure if this is the new HD transfer that is on the boxed set on bluray or not.
Not sure what to watch next. I tried the first episode of Black Sails but it didn't really grab me.
I just finished season 7 a few days ago and other than a few nit picks I thought this was a fantastic show. The final episode was tragic, but that's kinda what this show is at it's core.
A few issues I had:
Julian's conversion therapy never being brought up again. I expected they would show that conversion is bullshit, but he kind of fell off as a main character and seemed to remain married and happy. Bit gross.
Vaccines leading to autism came up, and they jumped on a lawsuit to sue. The show's creator and his wife are both proponents of Autism Speaks, and are critical of the anti-vaccine movement. Maybe they changed their ind at a certain point, as it was 2003 or so, or maybe I missed the further development of that story line.
Dutch killing the cat really made me think they might lead to him actually being a serial killer. I think the cat and the laptop with child porn he was researching going missing around the same time lead me to believe something bad was going to happen with his character. Apparently one of the writers, who wrote Sons of Anarchy, wanted to include a scene with him having multiple bodies hidden in his basement but it was shot down. On one hand I could totally see this happening. On the other the show was already dark enough.
I watched it on Hulu. Not sure if this is the new HD transfer that is on the boxed set on bluray or not.
Not sure what to watch next. I tried the first episode of Black Sails but it didn't really grab me.
On this, I don't have a source at hand, but there was a suggestion that the reason this plot just wrapped up like that was because the actor didn't like the storyline and wanted it over, so the plot was dropped at his insistence.
Aside from the aforementioned 'the actor didn't like the gay stuff' rumor (maybe confirmed? I'm honestly not sure; the actor would go on to actually commit a real-life murder, so I'm fine just assuming the worst about him), this interview from when the show originally ended expands a little on what probably happens with Julian long-term:
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I made a thread about it earlier when I finished it... which apparently got bumped today:
www.resetera.com
I don't think you are meant to view the anti-vaccine viewpoint as valid.
That said, Autism Speaks sucks.
I just finished the Shield. Can we talk about it? (OPEN SPOILERS)
Wow. I've been watching this show while running on the treadmill 4-5 days a week, so it's taken some time, but I was due for one more episode after tonight's run, and decided to watch the last one right away. Michael Chiklis is an incredible actor and this last episode really showed it. So many...
www.resetera.com
I don't think you are meant to view the anti-vaccine viewpoint as valid.
That said, Autism Speaks sucks.
I made a thread about it earlier when I finished it... which apparently got bumped today:
I just finished the Shield. Can we talk about it? (OPEN SPOILERS)
Wow. I've been watching this show while running on the treadmill 4-5 days a week, so it's taken some time, but I was due for one more episode after tonight's run, and decided to watch the last one right away. Michael Chiklis is an incredible actor and this last episode really showed it. So many...
I don't think you are meant to view the anti-vaccine viewpoint as valid.
That said, Autism Speaks sucks.
Ugh, I don't know how I missed that. I'm bad at searching.
Are they a bad organization?
I think it's still underrated as a series. Feels very much like a standard network cop procedural at the start, and then everything keeps folding back to the events of the first episode, over and over again, and just becomes something much more sublime. All the cast are really solid and well-realised full characters with lots of complexities and flaws.
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They advocate autism as a disease that needs to be cured, among other things. Most autistic people disavow them. However, a lot of people support them without knowing the nitty gritty and just see them as a general autism advocacy group.
We have like 3 LTTP Shield threads don't we? Makes it hard to discuss it well since I don't even know which thread to post my thoughts in.
I recently got the new Bluray and it is stunning.
Currently rewatching the show for the first time since I saw it on Netflix/DVD a few years ago.
The show is so damn good. It's basically up there with Breaking Bad for me.
I also wanted to see Dutch go down a darker path, but a part of me would have hated it due to being too convenient and messing with a good character. After all Dutch and Claudette are more or less portrayed as the ones doing things right.
I recently got the new Bluray and it is stunning.
Currently rewatching the show for the first time since I saw it on Netflix/DVD a few years ago.
The show is so damn good. It's basically up there with Breaking Bad for me.
I also wanted to see Dutch go down a darker path, but a part of me would have hated it due to being too convenient and messing with a good character. After all Dutch and Claudette are more or less portrayed as the ones doing things right.
Vic was such a great character and the ending fit him perfectly.
It really was shocking to see what happened to the actor that played Julien though (he murdered his wife and is serving 40-life in prison for it).
Black Sails is an amazing show, especially as it goes on, Vane is an amazing character and you haven't even got to him yet really.
I would also highly recommend:
Halt and Catch Fire
Outlander
The Leftovers
Penny Dreadful
It really was shocking to see what happened to the actor that played Julien though (he murdered his wife and is serving 40-life in prison for it).
Black Sails is an amazing show, especially as it goes on, Vane is an amazing character and you haven't even got to him yet really.
I would also highly recommend:
Halt and Catch Fire
Outlander
The Leftovers
Penny Dreadful
Yeah I somehow screwed up the search and didn't see any threads. My fault. Can you compare the bluray to what is on Hulu currently? Completely different?
Yeah I was reading the IMDB trivia and it mentions the actor doing 40 to life for murdering his wife. I didn't know the actors name and was shocked when I saw who it actually was. The things he supposedly said to her after he shot her are shocking, though I don't know how they would know what he said unless he said it during the 911 call.
I've actually not seen any of those shows. Which would you recommend as the first to watch?
I heard there was an idea that Dutch was going to be revealed to be serial killer in the end but that was scraped.
Also Dutch +Billings is awesome.
Also Dutch +Billings is awesome.
There was a spitball session with the showrunner and network head for a spin-off with these two.
It lasted about ten minutes and didn't go anywhere.
Would have hilarious and incompetent!
Favourite show ever. Ending was absolutely perfect. I kinda feel that if The Shield had premiered in 2008 rather than 2002, it might have caught the Netflix wave and got even more recognition than it did.
As good as the final season was though, IMO season 5 is one of, if not the best season of TV of any show, period. The cat and mouse between Mackey and Kavanaugh all season long was incredible, eventually culminating in Lem...
As good as the final season was though, IMO season 5 is one of, if not the best season of TV of any show, period. The cat and mouse between Mackey and Kavanaugh all season long was incredible, eventually culminating in Lem...
Depends on what you want.
Halt and Catch Fire is a great show about a small group of people in early days of home computer technology in the 80's and their rise to building that up. It has some great acting from all four of the leads (Lee Pace, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, and Kerry Bishé). It lasted for four seasons and they knew going into the fourth it'd be the last so it's made for that (so no worries of a sudden ending).
The Leftovers is a show about people that are left behind after like half the worlds population just suddenly disappears. It's about them dealing with that loss and it's extremely character driven. The first season is a little rocky at the start (there are 3 seasons), I literally "almost" dropped it after a few episodes but stuck with it and boy am I GLAD I did, because season 2 is hands down one of the ALL TIME best seasons of any tv show. Just absolutely amazing writing and acting, seriously one of the most emotional and best drama shows I have ever seen. Absolutely one you have to watch, even if season 1 is a bit iffy season 2 and 3 are top notch and the show will just leave you an emotional wreck.
Penny Dreadful - This is a horror themed show with some phenomenal acting, especially by Eva Green. It's focused on a group of famous horror characters that end up crossing each others path and their stories being interconnected, Dr. Frankenstein and the Monster, The Wolfman, Dorien Grey, etc. It's a great show that lasted for 3 seasons and if you enjoy horror and drama it's right up your alley. It's not an anthology show or anything, it's mainly focused on Vanessa (Eva Green) and the story around her character and how the others play into that. The show lasted for 3 seasons, and if there's one negative thing I have to say about it it's that the last season feels a little rushed, like they found out half-way into the season that it would be the last and tried to tie up things, it's not as strong as Season 1 or 2 (which were both great) but still it's one of the best horror shows in a looooong time.
Outlander - This show is still running (comes on Starz, next season starts early 2020) it's about a woman from the 1940's who ends up finding herself somehow sent back through time to Scotland in the mid 1700's. Where she's thrust into events happening there (Scotland rebels fighting for the Jacobite risings) and comes across a Scottish man that helps her find her way in that world. It's a drama/romantic story and has some great acting and characters in it, also a great setting too (if you like Scotland and that time period). It's based on a famous book series and made by the guy who made Battlestar Galactica (the one from the mid 2000's, Ronald D. Moore).
No problem. I was just pointing out how many Shield threads we got going.
Does the version on Hulu look super grainy and documentary style? It's the style of the show to be sure but the bluray is night and day different from the DVD/what was on Netflix a few years ago. I doubt what's on Hulu looks as good as the bluray as it was a special new transfer they did, hence why it looks so damn good. It doesn't even look like the same show. It could almost pass for a 4K UHD transter.
I re-watch The Shield pretty much every two years since it came out. It's one of the top three TV shows of all time. Also, Michael Chiklis is absolutely killing it.
So i never really go past the first few eps of this show but I assume it gets better?
From what I saw it looked like just the dea half of the wire; running down alleys ways, kicking in heads and bosses saying "you're a loose cannon"
From what I saw it looked like just the dea half of the wire; running down alleys ways, kicking in heads and bosses saying "you're a loose cannon"
It gets a lot better as it goes, and that's not to say it didn't start off great.
Shit goes DOWN in this show big time.
Watch it. I don't think I've heard of anyone who watched this whole show and isn't a huge fan.