Tuesday April 3, 2007
5012-05-512
With the Barn grieving over the loss of one of their own, Vic's out to avenge his friend's murder, but finds himself in the crosshairs of Kavanaugh. Claudette assigns the Strike Team to investigate the torching of a methadone clinic. Meanwhile, Julien and Tina look into a robbery/assault at a porno shop, and Dutch makes a horrifying discovery in San Marcos.
Write a Recap »I thought that this show peaked with the Season 5 finale, and couldn't get any better. I was wrong. This opening episode features some of the finest, most gut-wrenching acting of the entire series, and perfectly sets up an intriguing Season 6 story arc . hide show
I'm baaaaack! Thanks to the magic of Amazon Unbox, I found Season 6 online- thank God! I was seriously jonesin'. And boy was this episode worth the price! Michael Chiklis' Mackey is in full-on avenger mode, and this wounded bear is definitely gonna hurt somebody. Forest Whitaker matches him glower for glower as he cranks up Kavanaugh's driven vendetta to the point that it compromises his prized integrity. Walt Goggins also turns in another unforgettable performance in this one. Although I can't stand Shane anymore, this actor makes him such a figure of almost unbearable pathos that you nearly feel sympathy for him. Even Benito Martinez stepped up his game, turning in a smoldering scene with Chiklis that went far beyond his usual one-note performances. The rest of the stellar supporting were great, as usual, if a bit underutilized- but I'm sure they will fix that in future episodes. The Shield is poised to deliver another incredible season-on with the show!
Claudette: "It's a Sh*tty ending to an ugly story.” hide show
Poor Lem. Not only was he killed by one of his fellow teammates, in death he is disgraced and used as the department's scapegoat for corruption in the Barn. Lem was the cleanest member of the Strike Team, and he deserved better than that. He was a good cop. Lem didn't deserve to have his memory dishonored on television by Aceveda, who was playing true to his part to as scumbag politician. (Acaveda did appear a little regretful, though, saying that he’s “just the face of the decision”.)
Lem's death has hit everybody hard. Vic has become detached from his family and obsessed with Lem's murder. It's hurt Shane the most, though. Shane looked crushed when he found out Lem's deal with Kavanaugh was fake. Shane didn't kill a traitor; he really killed one of his most loyal friends. Shane looked on the verge of suicide throughout the entire episode; he practically sacrificed himself to save the baby’s life. He probably feels he doesn't deserve to live. Which I can't argue with, because I'm still pissed at him for freaking killing Lem!
No matter what Kavanaugh's original intentions were, he is out of control. He thinks he's above legalities, that he has a right to break the law as long as it lands Vic in jail. But the end doesn't always justify the means. Kavanaugh has now become the man he hates most, planting evidence, corrupting witness' statements. At least I have a substantial reason to hate his guts now, and I can't wait till he lands himself in a cell.
Final Notes and Quotes
- Julian and Danny hardly got any screen time this episode.
- Claudette is under pressure to cease corruption in the Barn. The department must desperately want Vic gone.
- Lem didn't get a proper police funeral. (You can see the funeral in the 15-minute online episode.)
- Wow. Was that last crime scene grisly or what? What the hell happened?
- I didn't understand why all the Salvadorians were taking credit for Lem's murder.
- Loved the Johnny Cash song ("I Hung My Head") during the opening and closing scenes.
- Billings: "I might need to take that personal day tomorrow."
Claudette: "Aw, we'll try to fill the void." Yeah, right.
-Shane: "I got leftovers older than you."
Hooker: "Yeah, but not as tasty."
- Vic: "Glad that guy's his best friend. I'd hate to see what he'd do to his enemies."
- Chief: "You can't see the line anymore."
Kavanaugh: "Nobody can see the line anymore; Mackey keeps moving it!"
Final Rating: Well-written, well-acted and genuinely emotional. The Shield came back with a bang. 4 out of 4 stars.
- Tim Bronx
Find this and many more reviews at: www.motionpicturereviews.com
Now, I'm from Canada, the show isn't airing here yet, no clue when it will. However, not hell, nor high water will ever stop me from missing an episode, so I found it online, and I can proudly say I have never been more excited to be staring at my monitor. Right off the bat, the juices are flowing when the show starts, hell, even the recap had me grinning like an idiot. The show has only gotten better, the story gets deeper, Vic seems to only get angrier (lol). I mean jumping through the skylight - epic - Kavanaugh planting the evidence - brilliant. I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like most episodes of The Shield are like season finales, not regualr episodes..I mean really, the things that happened in this episode are like....sweeps type episodes or something, nothing dissapoints me about this show (except Lem dying..piss me off). I have some predictions though for the rest of the season, Dutch is gonna get killed...you can already see Kavanaugh isn't stoked on him...just a matter of time before he off's a cop to get Vic. Shane won't say anything until they confirm whether or not the show'll have a few more seasons ( ending at 8? ). And Kavanaugh is gonna get busted, and probably kill himself. That's all for now - can't wait for tomorrow night, download the next one, cause Canada sucks when it comes to this stuff.
God it was a looOOOooong time to wait but, hell it worth every second of it ! OH YEAH ! hide show
FINALLY !
Vic's back and with him all the barn, and, frankly, I missed it !
Forest (yes, I call him like if I know the guy) is, as always, amazing, but so as Chiklis. The scene at the end when they face each other is great !
I feel like Dutch is coming back to the front row and I 'm f*****g happy about it ! Ready to watch him caught Kavanaugh (yes, Kavanaugh, you heard me !) ? He will prove that he lied and make Emolia lied and he will be fired (another vic's victim...). At the end, truely, Kavanaugh is just like Vic at his begining, but we all know that he won't have the same jouney. I heard that the next season (7) will be the last. With Vic that close to the retirement I believe these seasons are gonna be on the same year (on the story line I mean). Shane...ah, Shane. Not a big fan of the character, but I deeply respect the actor (remember the end of season 5 ? We all see it coming, but he was great !). Shane is going down, I really don't know how he will end but I can wait to see it...
Once again, it going to be a long week till tuesday...
With everything that happened I sometimes think they have to much to explore, the writers always manage to take situations and drag them out over a long period of time with interesting twists and turns. This season is off with a great start. The new season should have picked up right after the end of 5 when Vic is leaving the crime scene and says he's going to find out who killed Lem and that they were going to kill him. Instead the episode seem to take place a little under or over a week ago from the murder. Some people haven't gotten the season 5 set cause maybe they've seen all the episodes already. So we could have had Lem's funeral and quite a bit more. I tried to pretend that the episode did take place right after the murder. The song by Cash was awesome and it was if he was still making new music, I hadn't heard of that song before. The WTF meter went up a lot, the violence was surley something they didn't put in the commerical. There were some awesome lines, Chiklis was fantastic escpecially when Vic met Acevada in the bathroom.
The ending left me breathless.
Gino24
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John_Q_Public
Milks23
SrRui
