The Shield

[Herr Logan]

I don't think that this is so much something that he thinks is being hinted at so much as something he's deduced or assumed.

Vic and Shane are best friends, through thick and thin. They may get into ****, but in the end, they're friends. Remember when Vic got shot? What was it...2x03? Partners? When Shane visited him at the hospital, in his morphine induced high, Vic was like "Dude, Shane, when we retire we're gonna play golf every day." Seems to me Vic DOES have plans for Shane...but they involve a nine iron and the green.

Shane's a scumbag, but I still don't want to see Vic take a nine iron to him on the green.

 

[War Lord]

Mackey has targeted Shane as the ultimate fall guy? How so?
Do you mean that Shane is supposed to inherit all of Vic's connections and ongoing criminal enterprises, and since Shane isn't as smart as Vic, he'll probably get caught once Vic is no longer holding his hand and keeping him out of trouble? I think I've seen every episode, but I might have missed a detail or two, so please elaborate.

Why don't you get to watch the show anymore?

It's not available to me on my level of cable, I'd have to upgrade a couple of levels more to get it and I don't have the cash to do that.

The last show I saw was the Aceveda was just elected councillor.

Just based on the last season that I saw. Since Shane is the craziest mofo in the show and is totally devoted to Mackey, he'd be the natural fall guy for him. Especially if Shane gets takes too many chances.

 

[War Lord]

Shane's a scumbag, but I still don't want to see Vic take a nine iron to him on the green.

I can see Mackey taking a nine iron to him on the green.

Across his skull.

 

[Elijya]

if anyone wants when they run the marathon I can Tivo them and burn onto DVD, if anyone has missed anything. There will be a fee for my time of course but I can do that.

I have burned copies of each seasons o far, beats dropping the cash for the retail packaging

NOW you tell me

 

[Herr Logan]

I can see Mackey taking a nine iron to him on the green.

Across his skull.

Exactly. Even though Shane is a detestable and oftentimes idiotic character, I wouldn't want to see Mackey beat him to death with a golf club. That actor is so good, I actually feel sorry for him when he gives Mackey the puppy eyes and begs for help.

 

[War Lord]

Exactly. Even though Shane is a detestable and oftentimes idiotic character, I wouldn't want to see Mackey beat him to death with a golf club. That actor is so good, I actually feel sorry for him when he gives Mackey the puppy eyes and begs for help.

That's why I'm betting on Shane taking the fall for Mackey at some point in the show.

 

[oregondude]

That's why I'm betting on Shane taking the fall for Mackey at some point in the show.

Shane is a moron. That guy has caused them more trouble than he is worth. My favorite time? "I got a yammy full of Georgia joy juice that says otherwise"

 

[Lord Nemesis]

What if Tavon suddenly regains his full memory and just comes out of nowhere in the season finale and kills Shane?

 

[Philip Masse]

Then that would be awesome

 

[Elijya]

Tavon is supposed to come back...

 

[hey yo its sean]

I've heard that too.

Shane's not going anywhere for a while though, at least not if Vic has anything to say about it.

 

[That-Guy]

Did anybody watch last night? It was a great episode. Man, Army is a *****ebag. I hope they put a bullet through his head by the end of the season.

 

[oregondude]

Did anybody watch last night? It was a great episode. Man, Army is a *****ebag. I hope they put a bullet through his head by the end of the season.

yeah that dude, but hey him doing that is better for the strike team in the long run, he obviously could not have passed the lie detector. Armie is a wuss, and very selfish. I wonder if the rest of the team will find out Lem gave hims ome advice to bail from the team and if they do what will happen.

Next week looks to be very intense. You know something major will happen in the season finale.

 

[hey yo its sean]

What an episode last night. The Strike Team is BACK!

 

[oregondude]

What an episode last night. The Strike Team is BACK!

I still wanna see Lem kick Shane's ass!!!

 

[Herr Logan]

Did anybody watch last night? It was a great episode. Man, Army is a *****ebag. I hope they put a bullet through his head by the end of the season.

You're not one of those morons who actually think the members of the Strike Team are the good guys, are you? God, I hope not.

Army got mixed in with criminals because he's young and stupid. Deciding to distance himself from them is more so than covering their asses. The only valid criticism against what he's doing is how it affects the department at large and more importantly, that he's covering up his own involvement in what they've been doing.

It's one thing to sympathize with fictional characters. It's another to sympathize with sociopaths and and judge a character for not sticking up for scumbags.


Anyway, last night's episode was excellent. The chemistry between the characters is getting better towards the end of the season. It's just a shame it's over in two weeks.

 

[hey yo its sean]

You're not one of those morons who actually think the members of the Strike Team are the good guys, are you? God, I hope not.

I wouldn't say they're "bad" guys. They do good things, albeit, in the wrong way; but as the show's tagline states: The road to justice is twisted.

 

[Herr Logan]

I wouldn't say they're "bad" guys. They do good things, albeit, in the wrong way; but as the show's tagline states: The road to justice is twisted.

Vic Mackey shot another cop in the head just to keep his criminal enterprises going. Shane Vendrell is a racist half-wit who is trying to follow in his footsteps. I have no idea what's wrong with Ronnie and Lem, other than the fact that they're followers who just do what they're told most of the time.

These are bad guys. They are entertaining and interesting bad guys, but they're bad guys all the same. That's what's brilliant about the show; from the very first episode, the foremost main character did something that would forever make it impossible for him to be anything but a bad guy, and the viewers who still want to watch love him anyway. I see no problem in that premise, but I have a huge problem with the degenerate scum among the viewers who actually act as if Vic and Shane (perhaps not Lem and Ronny... yet) shouldn't be dead or in prison. Vic is a sociopath. He's got his twisted code of ethics and he's done plenty of things that are "good" in the end, but he's a sociopathic criminal nonetheless. Is he charming and charismatic? Absolutely. Most successful sociopaths in the real world are. That doesn't make what he does okay.

I don't have any love for the criminal justice system. I think it's a sick joke and a faulty crutch for society that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. My assertion that Vic is an irredeemable villain is not based on a strict interpretation of the law. Since this is a comic book superhero site, I'll put it in terms most of us can easily understand: Vic is like Venom, but worse. Venom fights evil to make himself feel good about himself (like all true do-gooders do, as well as self-righteous hypocrites) but instantly turns into a vicious murderer if someone gets in the way of his committing acts that benefit only himself (like killing Spider-Man). Vic killed a cop who threatened his criminal career, just like Venom killed several cops in his quest to kill Spider-Man. Venom is a selfish maniac who can never accept the blame for his failures and has even killed innocent people in his vendetta against the enemy he irrationally hates, but he doesn't deliberately keep drug dealers and violent criminals in business. Vic cares about only himself, people he sees as an extension of himself (his kids and his team), people he sees as property (his wife and kids) and people he can exploit (Lem, Ronnie and countless others) as far as they're useful to him.

I know society is hopeless as far as priorities go, but I reallly hate to be reminded. That's what it is when people start believing idiotic notions like sociopathic dirty cops being the good guys.

 

[Lord Nemesis]

Well said.

 

[hey yo its sean]

Vic Mackey shot another cop in the head just to keep his criminal enterprises going. Shane Vendrell is a racist half-wit who is trying to follow in his footsteps. I have no idea what's wrong with Ronnie and Lem, other than the fact that they're followers who just do what they're told most of the time.

These are bad guys. They are entertaining and interesting bad guys, but they're bad guys all the same. That's what's brilliant about the show; from the very first episode, the foremost main character did something that would forever make it impossible for him to be anything but a bad guy, and the viewers who still want to watch love him anyway. I see no problem in that premise, but I have a huge problem with the degenerate scum among the viewers who actually act as if Vic and Shane (perhaps not Lem and Ronny... yet) shouldn't be dead or in prison. Vic is a sociopath. He's got his twisted code of ethics and he's done plenty of things that are "good" in the end, but he's a sociopathic criminal nonetheless. Is he charming and charismatic? Absolutely. Most successful sociopaths in the real world are. That doesn't make what he does okay.

I don't have any love for the criminal justice system. I think it's a sick joke and a faulty crutch for society that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. My assertion that Vic is an irredeemable villain is not based on a strict interpretation of the law. Since this is a comic book superhero site, I'll put it in terms most of us can easily understand: Vic is like Venom, but worse. Venom fights evil to make himself feel good about himself (like all true do-gooders do, as well as self-righteous hypocrites) but instantly turns into a vicious murderer if someone gets in the way of his committing acts that benefit only himself (like killing Spider-Man). Vic killed a cop who threatened his criminal career, just like Venom killed several cops in his quest to kill Spider-Man. Venom is a selfish maniac who can never accept the blame for his failures and has even killed innocent people in his vendetta against the enemy he irrationally hates, but he doesn't deliberately keep drug dealers and violent criminals in business. Vic cares about only himself, people he sees as an extension of himself (his kids and his team), people he sees as property (his wife and kids) and people he can exploit (Lem, Ronnie and countless others) as far as they're useful to him.

I know society is hopeless as far as priorities go, but I reallly hate to be reminded. That's what it is when people start believing idiotic notions like sociopathic dirty cops being the good guys.

Very eloquently stated. All your points are very valid and correct.

What's brilliant about this show is that it doesn't tell you who to like; who's "good," and who is "evil." You get a chance to see all the angles, and are able to place yourself in these situations, able to think about what you(the viewer) would do. We all know Vic was "bad" for shooting Terry in the Pilot, but we know why he did it, and we can understand it. Murdering a fellow cop, just to cover your own ass is reprehensable, and i wouldn't condone it, but i understand it.

 

[oregondude]

Vic Mackey shot another cop in the head just to keep his criminal enterprises going. Shane Vendrell is a racist half-wit who is trying to follow in his footsteps. I have no idea what's wrong with Ronnie and Lem, other than the fact that they're followers who just do what they're told most of the time.

These are bad guys. They are entertaining and interesting bad guys, but they're bad guys all the same. That's what's brilliant about the show; from the very first episode, the foremost main character did something that would forever make it impossible for him to be anything but a bad guy, and the viewers who still want to watch love him anyway. I see no problem in that premise, but I have a huge problem with the degenerate scum among the viewers who actually act as if Vic and Shane (perhaps not Lem and Ronny... yet) shouldn't be dead or in prison. Vic is a sociopath. He's got his twisted code of ethics and he's done plenty of things that are "good" in the end, but he's a sociopathic criminal nonetheless. Is he charming and charismatic? Absolutely. Most successful sociopaths in the real world are. That doesn't make what he does okay.

I don't have any love for the criminal justice system. I think it's a sick joke and a faulty crutch for society that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. My assertion that Vic is an irredeemable villain is not based on a strict interpretation of the law. Since this is a comic book superhero site, I'll put it in terms most of us can easily understand: Vic is like Venom, but worse. Venom fights evil to make himself feel good about himself (like all true do-gooders do, as well as self-righteous hypocrites) but instantly turns into a vicious murderer if someone gets in the way of his committing acts that benefit only himself (like killing Spider-Man). Vic killed a cop who threatened his criminal career, just like Venom killed several cops in his quest to kill Spider-Man. Venom is a selfish maniac who can never accept the blame for his failures and has even killed innocent people in his vendetta against the enemy he irrationally hates, but he doesn't deliberately keep drug dealers and violent criminals in business. Vic cares about only himself, people he sees as an extension of himself (his kids and his team), people he sees as property (his wife and kids) and people he can exploit (Lem, Ronnie and countless others) as far as they're useful to him.

I know society is hopeless as far as priorities go, but I reallly hate to be reminded. That's what it is when people start believing idiotic notions like sociopathic dirty cops being the good guys.

You are taking the show too seriously Mein Friend. It is just a show, I could care less how viewers feel about Vic or what not. I am entertained by these guys and I know they are evil slugs deserving of a beat down. Lem is probably the least evil among them as he has not done the things Shane and Vic have, Lem does not know about killing Terry and those sorts. Still, he is a crooked cop on the take. He is bad. Do I care? nah it is just a TV show.

Dutch strangles a cat and had kiddy porn on the laptop. Why aren't you complaining about him? To me abusing children is the worst thing smeone could do.

Is there anyone on this show who is pure good? Claudette wanted to turn her back on the old pot grower. They all have dirty fingers it seems, to some degree anyway.

 

[Lt. Figgnuts]

See...I think the thing about the show is that it doesn't paint in black and white. It's all in shades of grey.

ALL of the characters have done **** that some would see as evil. Vic killed a cop. Shane went along with it. The Strike Team stole money from the mob. Dutch killed a cat. Aceveda cheated on his wife. Julien was gay (which, to some people, and Julien, is wrong).

One thing that this show is so great at is making this stuff BELIEVABLE. When we see a character do something totally nuts and bizarro - Dutch killing a cat for example - most of the time, we've been shown the character's motivations and the WHY. We can emphathize with the characters. We know what they're going through.

The only instance that I can remember this not applying is to Vic killing Terry. Why? Well, because we only got about 45 minutes of buildup before that, and none of it pointed at Vic taking Terry out.

 

[Lt. Figgnuts]

Dutch strangles a cat and had kiddy porn on the laptop. Why aren't you complaining about him? To me abusing children is the worst thing smeone could do.

To this, I would say that all we know is that he had a laptop with kiddy porn on it. He said that it was for a case. I believe him.

Why? Simply because having a bunch of kiddy porn on a POLICE LAPTOP is monumentally stupid, and that's something Dutch ain't.

 

[oregondude]

To this, I would say that all we know is that he had a laptop with kiddy porn on it. He said that it was for a case. I believe him.

Why? Simply because having a bunch of kiddy porn on a POLICE LAPTOP is monumentally stupid, and that's something Dutch ain't.

People as brilliant as him will get arrogant and make those types of mistakes. Do you also remmeber his reactions? Him turning to Danny and pleading for understanding smell of guilt to me. His expressions, everything.

 

[Herr Logan]

Very eloquently stated. All your points are very valid and correct.

What's brilliant about this show is that it doesn't tell you who to like; who's "good," and who is "evil." You get a chance to see all the angles, and are able to place yourself in these situations, able to think about what you(the viewer) would do. We all know Vic was "bad" for shooting Terry in the Pilot, but we know why he did it, and we can understand it. Murdering a fellow cop, just to cover your own ass is reprehensable, and i wouldn't condone it, but i understand it.

Thanks.

Yeah, I do think it's a brilliant show. It's also disturbing and addictive. I have a huge tolerance for many kinds of fictional violence and mistreatment, but extremely little for other kinds. This show really pushes the envelope with some things, but my morbid curiosity as well as tremendous respect for the show keeps me coming back. I was especially amazed when I recognized Chiklis as Commissioner Tony Scali in the previews before the show started. Scali was so decent and cuddly. Stand him up next to Vic Mackey and... God damn, Chiklis is an amazing actor.