The Shield

[Horrorfan]

I tried to start a topic up on this before but it sunk, but I am gonna try again. Just wondering what everyone's thoughts on Mackey and co are?

Do you see Vic and his guys as good, bad or in between and why?

 

[DarKush]

The beauty of The Shield is that they take guys that would be villians on any other show and make them sympathetic.

The show also does a good job of blurring the lines between who the real good and bad guys are. Almost, every character is flawed on the show. It's great character drama.

But as much as I sympathize with Vic, he's a bad guy, a crooked cop. Its his struggle against his inner darkness that makes him so fascinating. And he has just enough humanity and compassion to make you empathize with him. Plus, TPTB put Shane on the show to be the devil on Vic's shoulder, while Lem was the angel.

I just wish that Shawn Ryan's other show, The Unit, was as complex and engaging. That show needs a serious overhaul, but that's for another thread.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

I see Vic as a good guy, he's doing what needs to be done, yeah sometimes he uses questionable tactics, but it's also for the greater good. He isn't a crooked cop, he's not on the take, doesn't look the other way. He uses the gangs against each other.

 

[Horrorfan]

I would say he is a good guy too, but with a huge inner darkness....I felt no sympathy for Terry, partly because he was ratting on his brothers in blue, and was in a situation where anything aside from 100% trust put them all in danger. That said if Vic stayed away from the drugs, none of that would have happened....but he has cleaned up his act. Sadly though I dont see the series ending well for him, as much as I'd like it to.


Monica Rawling in season 4 understood that Vic was a good cop, and it highlighted to me that the corruption/stupidity was more in the political areas (ie police chief and aceveda 's political ambitions). and that the community were complete and utter dumb asses who seemed to care more about the seziure of drug property than being safe and crime free.

I always kinda liked shane, even though he could be a dick.

 

[Sava]

oh man, i just finished watching season 5... damn what a show!

 

[Carter]

The Shield is great, I've been watching it since the beginning.
But sometimes it can get a little tedious

 

[Horrorfan]

oh man, i just finished watching season 5... damn what a show!

Im in england too...how did you watch it? is it out on dvd yet?

 

[Sava]

Im in england too...how did you watch it? is it out on dvd yet?

bit-torrent

 

[DarKush]

I like Vic Mackey, but he's a bad guy. A bad guy with good tendencies at times. But when the Shield started, and throughout it he has at times been in bed with criminals, stolen money, and used all kinds of illegal tactics. He exists somewhere in a gray zone now, but it doesn't excuse the crimes he has committed on the show, or in the past.

Terry was doing his job. Reporting rogue cops, which the Strike Team were. How does that warrant his murder? If anything, he was the one truly doing the right thing in this.

 

[Horrorfan]

I like Vic Mackey, but he's a bad guy. A bad guy with good tendencies at times. But when the Shield started, and throughout it he has at times been in bed with criminals, stolen money, and used all kinds of illegal tactics. He exists somewhere in a gray zone now, but it doesn't excuse the crimes he has committed on the show, or in the past.

Terry was doing his job. Reporting rogue cops, which the Strike Team were. How does that warrant his murder? If anything, he was the one truly doing the right thing in this.

I just think that in a job like that you need to be able to trust each other, ESPECIALLY in dangerous situations the strike team get into..Not that it excuses the murder, but Terry sort of put them all in danger because they couldn't trust him.