The Shield Bids Farewell
By Wyatt Earp | November 27, 2008
Tuesday was a sad, sad day.
It was the day that one of my favorite television series of all time, The Shield, aired its finale. After seven glorious seasons, it is over. I’m pissed. Don’t get me wrong, the series constantly produced terrific, gripping episodes, and I am glad they are going out on a high note, but that fact that they are going out bums me a little. Well, okay, a lot. Here’s why:
Vic Mackey is everything that a police officer wants to be. Now, before you write that hate mail and notify Internal Affairs, let me elaborate. Yes, Vic and his Strike Team committed terrible, horrifying acts – from blackmail to murder. That part of him can be escorted out the door. However, he also got results, and that is the part about him that a lot of police officers appreciate.
Mackey got results by stretching – and breaking – the rules. He did it by foregoing search warrants. He did it by smacking around the thugs that thought they owned the streets. He did it by thumbing his nose – and giving the finger – to his supervisors. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what every police officer would like to do once in a while.
Police officers are constantly told that they should be held to a better standard, and should always follow the rules. That is true. However, there are too many times when following the rules gets you squat. You interrogate a toad that you know is guilty, but you can’t prove it. He states he wants a lawyer, and the conversation ends. And even though you know it’s wrong, a tiny part of you wants to smack him over the head. You can’t do that, but Vic can.
Take the earlier post. A man points a gun at police officers and gets released on $800 bail. That angers you, and nothing would feel better than punching him right in the smug little face. You can’t do it, but Vic can. In fact, Vic can do a lot of things we can’t do – and that is the reason we watch. We don’t condone it in real life, but we cheer him on while watching his scenes. It’s cathartic.
While I loved the series and enjoyed the final episodes, I was disappointed in the finale. I won’t release any spoilers, since I just saw the episode last night, but suffice to say that it was a sad ending. I was okay with how they settled the Vic issue, I didn’t like how they settled the Mara/Jackson issue, and I hated how they settled the Ronnie issue.
Shane? Yeah, I was okay with that.
Either way, I want to thank the actors, writers, and producers of The Shield. Seven years of entertainment earns them a 21-gun salute.
Topics: Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
November 27th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
The would have been AWESOME cops pre-Miranda and in a much less PC world, kind of like the world I stepped into in 1974… Ahhh, the good old days…
I hope you don’t mind, I am going to add your blog to my Fred’s Faves page, http://texasfred.net/freds-faves-2 been meaning to for a while, it’ll make my son, the cop, and his wife, the other cop, some happy cops, and it’ll make me pretty damned happy too…
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!
Fred
November 27th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Fred – Thank you, sir, and right back at ya. Consider the link reciprocated!
November 27th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I have a few enemies that may give you a really bad time about linking me… They say I am an anti-American racist… Imagine that… LMAO…
Thanks man… It IS appreciated!!
November 27th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
And another good show bites the dust.
I know, let’s add more talk shows, and reality shows(gags) Sorry, not a big fan of those kind of shows, hope I don’t cause an uproar over it
I’m kind of like Vic, although I never break the rules, I have been known to bend them until they scream for mercy
November 27th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
The reason you like it is because Mackey got the justice you all are so frequently denied.
November 28th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I think the best way to sum up Mackey was in the very first episode when he went to interrogate the bad guy and this exchange ensued: (paraphrasing)
Bad Guy: Who are you, the bad cop?
Mackey: No good cop and bad cop went home for the day. I’m a different kind of cop.
Mackey then proceeds to pound the thug with a phone book.
It was kinda like the scene that got me hooked on 24. The one where Jack shoots the federal witness and looks up and says, “I’m gonna need a hacksaw.”
November 28th, 2008 at 7:53 am
It was a riveting show. One thing less to watch now.
November 29th, 2008 at 3:07 am
I enjoyed quite a few of Dutch’s interview scenes, too.
I thought The Wire had the best intra-departmental politics though.
November 29th, 2008 at 4:48 am
While I love the show, IRL any cop who shoots another cop dead in order to conceal unlawful activity is worthy of a date with ‘old sparky’.
IOW, while I enjoyed the show, I don’t hold Vic Mackey up as any kind of an example for LEO’s to follow.
And I say this as the proud owner of a Smith 4506.
November 29th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Texas Fred – You know what I do for a living, right? I get called a racist every day.
E.L. – I love Vic, because he does whatever it takes to get the job done.
RT – Amen, sister!
JumpOut – Yeah, I think jack and Vic were separated at birth. And they both had terrible tastes in wives. That Corrine needed the phone book treatment.
Admiral – And with BSG going off the air this season, it’ll be another one down.
Leo – Dutch is the kind of detective I aspire to be. Almost always got a confession.
Glocksman – That’s why I wrote the disclaimer. I wouldn’t do the stuff Vic does, but it’s a nice fantasy.