THE SHIELD (Spoilers)

[Lord Voldemoo]

I have a feeling she wont have sex with Kavanaugh. He's losing it, I hope it doesn't end up with a rape or something.

Incredible...fucking...show. This season may have been the best yet. As much as I love the Sopranos, BSG, Deadwood and the like, I think this is my favorite show on television right now, though I haven't seen the season opener for the Sopranos yet.

[Man-in-the-Box]

The pressure has built up, and next week the top blows and the shit hits the fan.

Vic needs more fuckin' cowbell in his life.

Good to see ya.

It's good to be seen.
...and about the cowbell issue, I've got Vic covered.

[The Selecter]

90 minutes! I can't wait.

I loved the way they wrapped up this week's episode, touching on each of the characters' situations.

Poor Lem.

[MadCapsule]

IMO, this was easily the best episode of the season. Claudette as Capt? Hell yeah! My fiancee nearly shit when The Smashing Pumpkins started playing at the end.

[jgraphix]

Yeah...that episode was the beez kneez..

Fuckin Vic is a sadist...love it. Oh, and I thought this was the last season?

[Carolian]

I don't think it's been confirmed if this is the last season or night, but it sure as hell seems like it.

On the positive side? After next week's "season finale", there are at least eight more episodes to go! Wonder how long the break will last... THIEF's gotta complete its run, then RESCUE ME, then maybe NIP/TUCK... it could be some time before the rest of the season sees the light of day.

[jgraphix]

Wait..so next weeks season finale isn't the end of the season?

And I can't wait for Rescue Me...damn good show.

[MadCapsule]

On the positive side? After next week's "season finale", there are at least eight more episodes to go!

I'm confused. Where did you get that info? I thought seasons on F/X ran pretty short, like 13 episodes or something. I haven't been keeping track, but it certainly feels like there've been about 12 episodes already.

[jgraphix]

Alright, so just to put the confusion to bed....there is only 11 episodes this season, next week is the finale and there are no more episodes after that, unless a season 6 is announced (which it hasn't been yet).

Episode 11 Synopsis: (Slight Spoiler)

Vic arranges to get Lem safely out of the country and set up a new life for him in Mexico. Meanwhile, David and Kavanaugh, sensing a last shot to put Vic in jail, join forces and conspire to nail Vic for harboring a fugitive. Dutch, still upset with Claudette, files for a transfer and Danny confronts her baby's father. 90 min.

Should be a good one.

[Lord Voldemoo]

My fiancee nearly shit when The Smashing Pumpkins started playing at the end.

Me too. Perfect. One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite alternative bands (I know Smashing Pumpkins is a love them or hate them thing, so if you hate them pretend I'm posting in the "music I'm embarrassed to love" thread...)

EDIT: JGRAPHIX, PLEASE PUT THOSE SPOILERS IN TINY TYPE. I know there's nothing much there beyond a TV Guide capsule, but let's be on the safe side...

[Carolian]

See, I KNEW I wasn't crazy!

http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/10/19/good-news-and-bad-news-for-the-shield/

So hopefully, it should be 21 eps, not 11. They would then come back after a hiatus to finish up the season/possibly series.

[Strabo]

See, I KNEW I wasn't crazy!

http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/10/19/good-news-and-bad-news-for-the-shield/

So hopefully, it should be 21 eps, not 11. They would then come back after a hiatus to finish up the season/possibly series.

Yeah, I was under the impression the remaining episodes had been guaranteed, but apparently not. These remaining 10 episode may or may not be made. They're not even in preproduction right now. Next Tuesday may be the last Shield ever. If so, it's going to go out with a bang. Lem is gone, one way or the other. Dutch and Claudette can't function as a team any more given that Claudette is now the Captain. Ten more episodes might be nice as a denouement to give us an open ended finish to the series (as well as a taste of how Claudette will run the barn and how Vic will cope with carrying the weight of Lem being either imprisoned, a fugitive, or dead because of him), but make no mistake: next Tuesday is pretty much THE END of The Shield. An additional ten episodes probably isn't going to be much more than an epilogue.

[bigtroyjon]

Honestly, I really got to think that FX would be hyping the shit out of this thing if there is a possibilty of it ending next week. Like actually promoing it saying something about it possibily being the last one ever.

[John-Locke]

JESUS H FUCKING CHRIST ALMIGHTY ON A POGOSTICK WITH A TAMPON UP HIS ASS!!!!

BEST EPISODE EVER!!!

BEST SEASON YET!!!

AND SO ON...


WOW...

Just WOW...

They can't end it yet, they just can't.

Assevada and Kavanaugh have to end up in jail

Lem has to get off

Julian has to accept he's Dumbledore again

Claudette has to be the one who finally catches Vic

Dutchboy has to turn bad

Antwone has to get slaughtered




IF they can pull all that off in one episode I'll be happy but if not I'm going to be an unhappy bunny.

[The Selecter]

Zap2it ran a longer story on the two-part season.

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-shieldreturns,0,4634780.story

They split it up so that Chiklis could shoot a movie (FF2) over the summer (IMDB says August). There are no guarantees that the remaining ten will be made, and even if they are, I don't see them realistically airing before 2007, after the new seasons of the rest of the FX dramas air.

Whether it ends or not, it's been a great ride from the beginning.

For whatever reason (lack of advertisers?) FX tends to overpromote their series during breaks, so I was so sick of those promos (which revealed little, and didn't indicate potential greatness) I nearly didn't watch, which would have been a big mistake.

Regardless of how it ends, I can say it's been a satisfying run, and in a way glad that they will probably stop before the well runs dry.

<Flashback: the episode where the burned "body" in the car trunk moved after Danny and Julian opened it made my jump out of my seat>

[Carolian]

Thanks, Selecter! I hadn't heard about the "no guarentees" part... damn it all to hell!

I dunno, though, Bigtroyjohn's right--if this were the end of the SERIES, wouldn't FX be going apeshit with the promos? Maybe they'll just shoot a few more episodes and call it Season Six, and air it in its regular slot next year. I'd be OK with that, as long as we got some more SHIELD!

And yes, I really think this may be the best season THE SHIELD's ever had. I can't remember a single episode that didn't have at least one "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!" moment. GOD DAMN, when Vic started in on Kavanaugh's ex?!? And when he put the screws (heh) to Kavanaugh about it later? Jesus Christ!

In-fuckin'-tense just doesn't describe it.

On a related note, I don't know if I've ever felt sorrier for a TV character than I do for poor Lem. God knows he's done some shit in his day, but the way the poor bastard was coughing up blood again even seemed to take Kavanaugh aback, and when he started crying at the end, he seemed so completely and utterly broken... It hurts, man! Poor, poor Lem.

(I know, I know, poor Terry Crowley, right?)

[horace]

I have a feeling she wont have sex with Kavanaugh. He's losing it, I hope it doesn't end up with a rape or something.

Incredible...fucking...show. This season may have been the best yet. As much as I love the Sopranos, BSG, Deadwood and the like, I think this is my favorite show on television right now, though I haven't seen the season opener for the Sopranos yet.

I am thinking he'll try and he'll receive a knee in the groin and hit rock bottom. But man, Vic getting Cavanaugh's wife... thats low... but AWESOME. Defintely the best episode.... Probably the best episode of any TV show in 2006.

[RogueScribner]

This ep rawked.

That is all.

[The Selecter]

I don't think Corinne would fall for Kavanaugh's advances, but you never know; she can be gullible and is definitely the needy type.

Lem and Ronnie are both loyal soliders. I doubt either of them would have gone down this path if Vic had not led them. I think Shane perhaps aspires to be Vic, but knows that he doesn't have the stuff to do so. The conflict they set up between Vic and Shane last season was intriguing, but he ultimately caved when his ass was on the line.

The promos bill next week as a season finale, and not a series finale, so I think there's a good chance it will be back. If it was a series finale, I would have expected them to call it one, and have generated more PR for it. But, in the TV business, there are no guarantees...

[fart_master_flex]

How come no one is talking about Gina Torres' ass in the Shield this past week?!?! That thing was a sculpted beauty.

[John-Locke]

Did someone say NSFW ASS?

Enjoy

[RogueScribner]

Oh yeah, one of the shockers of the episode! I certainly wasn't planning on seeing Gina Torres' sweet chocolate rump. And apparently she tastes like sweet butter. Interesting . . .

[bigtroyjon]

I watched some of the first season that has been playing on Spike and not only is it not edited but its the original length as well. Eps are running 65 minutes or so, not cut down to an hour.

[The Selecter]

You knew this day had to come......and it's here!

And we get a talkback!?

[horace]

Oh yeah, one of the shockers of the episode! I certainly wasn't planning on seeing Gina Torres' sweet chocolate rump. And apparently she tastes like sweet butter. Interesting . . .

heh....

[ONeillSG1]

Did someone say NSFW ASS?

Enjoy

God Bless you.

[ONeillSG1]

Here comes the . . .

BOOM!!

Here comes the . . .

BOOM!!

HERE COMES THE . . .

BOOM!!!

I so wanted Vic to cap Kavanaugh.

Oh well. Here's to season 6.

[wonkabar]

I'm fucking speechless...WOW! Next season is gonna be intense

[belladonna_deadline]

o no-

tina said it best.

shane
...

[bigtroyjon]

Uh, wow.

Shane is offically one of the worst people in the histroy of television. What a fucking piece of shit.

I'm pretty sure that ending cemented another season.

Nice to see Dutch has become a pimp in training.

What the fuck is gonna happen when Vic finds out what Shane did?

[Lord Voldemoo]

it's not over, it can't be. Not like this.

God I hope Kavanaugh is back. Fucker needs to die.

Shane didn't do anything Vic hasn't done. He just doesn't have Vic's brains or charisma.

Conscience is a killer.

Think Ronnie will have a bigger part now?...

[bigtroyjon]

Just watched the replay. Couple more thoughts:

Vic's the babbies daddy right?

The seriers could probably have been wrapped up with the exact same episode except with KAvanaugh antagonizing Vic more resulting in Vic killing him. All his anger and rage comming out in one final scene, as he is getting cuffed cue the montage music with shots of the people in his life who will be affected by him getting sent to prison. (Corrine, his kids, Danny, ronnie, shane and his family, the barn, Antwon, im sure there are more)

[John-Locke]

Shane is a complete gentleman but I have to admit the way Walton Goggins acted in the scene and the cold way they played the grenade toss will leave a long lasting memory for me.

I was totally shouting at the screen for Vic to shoot Kavanaugh at the end, they even shot it like a Western, I thought Vic was going to go for his holster but hey seeing the two of them charge at each other like bulls was pretty intense too.

Great Episode, Great Season.

RIP Detective Curtis "Lemonhead" Lemansky, you will be missed. I hope Kenneth Johnson has a fine career ahead of him. I just went over to the IMDB to check out what he's got on his upcoming slate, he's got a film with Wes Bentley called The Ungodly and a TV series called Desolation Canyon with Patrick Duffy, Stacy Keach and David Rees Snell (Ronnie) coming soon, but I also just found out the dude used to be a world class arm wrestler until he stopped competing in 1995.

[Lord Voldemoo]

Just watched the replay. Couple more thoughts:

Vic's the babbies daddy right?

Same as usual, heavily implied, but not actually said (unless I missed something, I didn't watch the replay). Maybe the writers figured it didn't need to be actually stated, but to my mind there is still an "out" for the baby to be someone else's. You could interpret the exchange as Vic knowing that he's the daddy. You could also interpret the exchange as Vic knowing who the baby's daddy is (someone other than him), but respecting Danni's wishes to keep it quiet. I'm not sure whether to interpret Vic's relationship with Danni this season as secret father of child, or confidant.

[jgraphix]

A couple thoughts on last nights finale:

I like Claudette as the Captain..I though she would have been a good fit since early on when she was stripped of it.

I thought that Vic should have slapped around Emolia, that bitch.

I totally thought Kavanaugh was going to rape Corrine. Damn good thing Cassy came in.

Dutch is such a tool..he is always doing shit that perps tell him about..i.e. killing the cat/pimping..but I am interested in seeing how he uses the collateral knowing that Billings' own's the vending machines.

I totally believe that Danny's baby is Vics...It seemed so blatentely obvious, what with him giving her the money "that everyone pitched in" and the way he held him and looked at him..also with Danny saying that she'd tell him when he was old enough and asked.

I was completely shocked at what Shane did to Lem. I felt sick. Lem was such a nice guy and was willing to take the hit for all of them... I hope next season when Vic finds out, they set him up to take the fall so that he'll go to prison, be Antwon's bitch and get his face beat into a bloody pulp.

Great show though..

Thief looks promising too...What would we do without FX?

[The Selecter]

Kavanaugh is a rat bastard, but I disagree with people seeking his death. He was just doing his job -- to bring down a dirty group of cops -- any way he could. I'll admit that towards the end, he almost stepped over the line that Vic crossed long ago, particularly with the Corinne visit.

I guess it says something about the quality of the show to have people siding with the two corrupt cops who willingly murder those in their brotherhood to protect themselves, despite whatever good they do. Vic can pull it off, but I doubt Shane can, and I bet that will be examined in the coming batch of episodes. Shane showed cracks the first time. It will be fun to watch.

Ronnie and Lem are good soldiers, loyal, but not inherently evil; they just got sucked into Vic's grasp. Lem had a good heart, and the moneytrain ripoff was the start of his intense internal conflict. His loyalty eventually cost him his life, surpsingly by one of his own and not Antwoine.

I agree Vic is probably the father, and I loved the way they handled it. Not everything should be tied up nicely with a bow.

Claudette as head of the Barn should be interesting. Will her relationship with Vic be more like Vic/Acevada or Vic/Rawlings? Both are strong, smart women. Has Claudette's familiarity bred too much contempt already?

This show tends to plant seeds that germinate into unexpected plants. I wonder what else can and will turn up?

Oh year, where's Tavon?

[RogueScribner]

Wow. This show is as strong as ever.


* Dutch getting his pimphand strong . . . classic!

* Claudette as captain . . . about time!

* Former Captain Billings being an asshole . . . and an ineffectual one at that . . . and now Dutch's partner . . . what a cruel world.

* Aceveda is still playing both sides. He's the smartest guy in the room. Except for maybe Claudette.

* Vic is likely the father of Danni's baby. There's still an out, but that was way implied.

* Shane and Lem. WOW. That scene was pretty gripping even before the big bang. And Shane's reaction . . . it's like, I want to hate him, but feel for bad for him at the same time. When Vic finds out . . .

* Kavanaugh, Part 1 - he was treading some dangerous waters when he was over at Corrine's house, and I think he realizes that. They say it takes a monster to catch a monster, but he's logical enough to not cross that line . . .

* Kavanaugh, Part 2 - That doesn't mean he still won't get some digs in at Mackey's expense. He was pretty much taunting Vic at the end and it was no surprise when Vic just unloaded his fury at him. I like how everyone was watching the fight until Claudette told them to break it up.


This episode was great! I can't wait until next season to see how all of this is resolved. I hope Forest Whitaker is returning next season as well. He injected some much needed conflict in the series, and made for a better addition than Glenn Close did last year, though I loved her stint as well.

****

[ZGangsta]

* Kavanaugh, Part 2 - That doesn't mean he still won't get some digs in at Mackey's expense. He was pretty much taunting Vic at the end and it was no surprise when Vic just unloaded his fury at him. I like how everyone was watching the fight until Claudette told them to break it up.

I don't think he was really 'taunting' Vic at the end. I got the sense that Kavanaugh was deeply distressed at Lem's death. I think Kavanaugh actually did like Lem and he was being genuine when he told Lem that he never meant for all of this to fall on him, that he just was squeezing Lem to get to Vic. Sure Kavanaugh's manipulative, but I think his real personality is shining through most of the time,
I think Kavanaugh cared about Lem, he thought of him as a decent good guy, with bad friends, and was devastated when he died and blamed his death on Vic. That's what made the fight at the end so powerfull.

All in all, that was an utterly amazing episode with a twist that really threw me.

Oh and Dutch's pimpology lesson was sweet.

[RogueScribner]

Yeah, I buy that Kavanaugh liked Lem on some level, but I still think he was attempting to throw his death in Vic's face.

As much as Vic unleashed himself at Kavanaugh at the end, I can only imagine what he'll do to Shane when (I don't think there's an "and if" in this scenario) he finds out his role in Lem's death.

Poor Shane. You're dead. You just don't know it yet.

[jgraphix]

Poor Shane?...That guys an asshole.

[RogueScribner]

"If you made different choices from the beginning, none of us would be ripped up right now."


I loved the irony of Vic's line to Emolia (is that her name?, the informant). When I heard Vic say that to her, I nearly pissed myself with laughter!

[RogueScribner]

Poor Shane?...That guys an asshole.

Yeah, he's a dick, but I think half of what he does is to impress Vic (not the best of role models). The other half is to save his own ass. Obviously, Shane offing Lem was the latter.

You gotta feel for the guy, though. He keeps digging holes and Vic keeps bailing him out. Except, that isn't going to happen this time. Oh no siree bob it won't!

[jgraphix]

After Season 2 I started to like Shane less and less...then he almost killed Thevon and that was the straw that broke the camels back...Thevon was a stand up guy and Shane crossed the line.

BTW...Mara is the main cop on that new show HEIST..and she acts exactly the same.

[Lord Voldemoo]

Kavanaugh is a rat bastard, but I disagree with people seeking his death. He was just doing his job

Selecter, I love you for being a Zoner and a Shield fan, but I couldn't disagree with this more. Kavanaugh wasn't doing his job, he was obsessed, even BEFORE all the shit with his wife went down (I actually could understand him going nuts if he'd been doing his job in a detached and professional way before Vic screwed his ex).

My primary evidence: the deal with Antwone. You don't serve up a cop to get slaughtered in prison...you just don't.

[RogueScribner]

Kavanaugh is a determined man, but usually a calculated man. I think for the first time in his career, he found a mark (Vic) that could really push his buttons. Kavanaugh was eager to nail Vic, but everytime he pushed, Vic seemed to slip away. Then Vic started to make things personal, so Kavanaugh didn't respond too well. I'm not saying Kavanaugh played the game well or completely ethically, but I think he realizes he let himself get a little dirty, and that's not good for someone out to clean up dirty.

That's the impression I get anyway.

[Lord Voldemoo]

Hey, congrats on the Airwolf by the way RS!

[RogueScribner]

Danke.

Now if I can only figure out how to get an avatar to show up I'll be in business!



ETA: Look! I'm binary!

[The Selecter]

* Former Captain Billings being an asshole . . . and an ineffectual one at that . . . and now Dutch's partner . . . what a cruel world.

Don't forget Billings is the guy who ran like a sissy from the shooting at the car wash, and then tried to cover up the fact that he witnessed it and did nothing.

* Aceveda is still playing both sides. He's the smartest guy in the room. Except for maybe Claudette.

I'd say Claudette's smarter because she only reluctantly accepted the promotion to a political position after turning it down once, whereas Acevada has harbored that ambition all along.

[The Selecter]

Selecter, I love you for being a Zoner and a Shield fan, but I couldn't disagree with this more. Kavanaugh wasn't doing his job, he was obsessed, even BEFORE all the shit with his wife went down (I actually could understand him going nuts if he'd been doing his job in a detached and professional way before Vic screwed his ex).

My primary evidence: the deal with Antwone. You don't serve up a cop to get slaughtered in prison...you just don't.

Well, my impression of IAD cops (* based entirely on watching cop shows ) is that they're a special breed. Like somebody said earlier, it takes a rotten cop to catch a rotten cop.

Given that, I don't think it was out of line for Kavanaugh (whom his ex said was married to the job above all) to do what he did while going after a slippery, long time menace like Mackey. Sneaky, but not unusual.

Add in some mental instability, and Mackey's button pushing, and he eventually could have gone for broke.

As somebody else has said, Kavanaugh probabaly cared for Lem on some level, but he had to exploit every potential weakness to the maximum; when Lem wouldn't fold, he turned over another rock and found Antwoine, whom he believed used to be in cahoots with the Team, specifically Shane.

It's fair to say that serving up Lem might not have been something Kavanaugh would do in the "normal" line of duty and by real world standards. But can we be sure that it was a threat that would have been carried out if Lem had caved? There's no way to tell to tell for sure what would have happened if things had gone the other way.

The DOC inquiry initiated by Kavanaugh stirred up Mitchell, but again, it was probably a good thing in and of itself, and did not necessarily obligate them to sentence Lem to the same system.

In such a high profile bust, there would surely be some sort of latitude available in sentencing; the DA was clearly still willing to deal after Lem went on the lamb. Kavanaugh could have backed off after getting his prize. The state does the sentencing, not the police department, and not the arresting officer. In the end, every cop should know the potential consequences of crossing over the line, esp. street-hardened vets like the Strike Team. Again, no way to tell what would have happened because it didn't follow that path.

Was Kavanaugh a little bit loony and going out of bounds? Yeah, I'll give you that, and admit that it is debateable whether he was merely doing his job.

Did he deserve to die? I still don't believe he should have, even if he would have been able to play executioner. I feel more strongly about that point that whether he was just actually doing his job.

It would have made for an incredible dramatic confrontation/final battle if it had gone down that way, but if Lem didn't deserved to be served up for actually having committed robbery and being an accomplice to murder, etc., then why should Kavanaugh be subject to the same fate?

I think it's great fun to be able to watch and discuss a show in this manner.

If you guys haven't listened to the NPR interview with Shawn Ryan mentioned in the finale talkback, you should. It cracks him up how the audience ended up rooting for Vic and not the "good" guys.

And there's a heavy Small World element to this whole show, too. Chiklis' wife and Ryan's wife have known each other since childhood. Ryan, Dutch, and Ronnie have all been roomies with one or the other before, and Dutch, Ronnie, and a couple of the producers all hail from Kansas City. The myriad connections all enabled to them to all end up working on the same show, and the people who work on the show really wanted to be a part of it, which probably helps make it so good.

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

Oh God, Selector. Wrong again! In so many ways. I'll explain in full in a minute, I gotta do a few things first though.