TV: The Shield

Over the weekend, I caught up on three episodes of The Shield that had been sitting unwatched on my TiVo. I don't know why I let them sit for so long, because within the first minute of the first episode, I was riveted as always. Last week I picked The Shield as my 7th favorite TV show; had I written that entry having freshly watched these three episodes, it surely would've been kicked up a couple notches.

Looks like the Strike Team is back together. Shane's back in the good graces of the rest of the team, having demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice himself, first with his plan to kill Antwon Mitchell and take all the heat onto himself, then, when Vic stopped him before he could carry that out, with his confession to the Captain and subsequent passing of a lie detector test. His partner Army's refusal to take the same test has erased any goodwill the Captain held towards the Strike Team; Army might not survive tomorrow's season finale, I suspect.

Aceveda has been all over the map this year, and these past few episodes have seen him reach some tremendously dark places, come out the other side, and then get drawn back in again, by his rapist-turned-blackmailer. Aceveda's recruitment of Antwon to silence the blackmailer (presumably permanently) once again sinks him to the level of his hated rival, Vic Mackey, if not lower. Benito Martinez, who plays Aceveda, has done some excellent work this season, with a performance at times almost too disturbing to watch.

I wish Danny had more to do this year, although the antipathy that has developed between her and her partner Julien has been both surprising and well-developed; the bullet she took at the end of the last episode may help bring them back together, but I wouldn't count on it.

My favorite story this season has been the twisted little romance between Dutch (still my favorite character) and Vic's ex-wife, Corrine. Dutch initiated it out of spite for Vic, but may have developed true feelings for her; it's hard to tell, because every opportunity Dutch had to express those feelings -- after Vic had soured Corrine with justifiable questioning of Dutch's intentions -- he just put his foot in his mouth, just dug himself a deeper hole. He knows everything about human psychology, and nothing about people. It's a fascinating role, and a great performance by Jay Karnes, a balancing act between brilliant and pathetic.

And Glenn Close has gotten better with each episode, as her Captain Rawling has had her back pushed to the wall, with her controversial criminal seizure program in danger of being shut down. She's gone from cool, steely control to angry and defensive, and Close's performance has become intense; when Army refused to take the lie detector test, and Shane tried to smooth things over, she bellowed in fury at him, so unexpectedly that I jumped out of my skin. She wouldn't have done that just a few episodes ago. She's losing control, and it's mesmerizing.

And then there's Vic. Michael Chiklis' stellar anti-hero Vic Mackey was outstripped this year by Ian McShane's Deadwood overlord, Al Swearengen, but Chiklis is still by any measure a powerful force. Mackey tried, he tried to go clean, but Shane's dirty dealings pulled him right back down into the mud. It's as if the universe is telling him: you can't be good, don't even try.

The season finale looks to be an ass-kicker. Don't miss it.