Now don't go and get that opening paragraph confused with me thinking the sixth season of "The Shield" is some kind of a masterpiece, because in fact it really isn't. This is a show that is running on fumes and based on the interviews in the disc one feature called "Saturn's Sons" the writers realize they have put the characters in this show through so many situations in only six short seasons that there really isn't much more for them to do. It is that realization that has me thinking this seventh and final season will live up to any and all hype. "The Shield" isn't leading up to any kind of pre-ordained conclusion so the ending can simply be based on letting the characters live out their lives no matter how that plays out.
"The Shield" is a show that exists at a high octane. It is always pushing the limits in terms of what is acceptable for television and what is logical in terms of storyline. The fact that the characters on the show continue to dig themselves further into corruption is where the show actually falters as it never offers the audience much of a chance to have any long term moments of sympathy for any one of them. However, based on the same feature I mentioned earlier I am all wrong, but I beg to disagree with Walton Goggins who seems to think an audience will have some level of compassion for these characters even though they have done such despicable things. Sure, the characters on the show may regret the things they have done, but they always turn to shady dealings to solve their problems, going legit is never an option and that fact alone makes it impossible to have any real level of compassion for any one of them.
Michael Chiklis who plays Detective Vic Mackey is continuing to prove that a meat headed dirty cop is the limit of his acting prowess and to even say he has that character nailed down is a stretch. Personally I much prefer the season six addition of Alex O'Loughlin as Detective Kevin Hiatt. Hiatt has morals, but still isn't afraid to cross the line on occasion but only in terms of getting the job done, not in terms of personal gain. On top of that O'Loughlin can act circles around Chiklis. Goggins is decent as Shane, but what an ass hole of a character that guy is. The only member of the original Strike Team that seems to have any kind of positive brain function is Ronnie (David Rees Snell), but he hardly gets enough time in front of the camera to really tell. Ronnie could be selling crack at the corner for all we know about his personal life.
If you look at "The Shield" as a passing interest, a show you watch once a year when the DVDs are released like I do you may be a bit more accepting than I am to all its insanity. At a onetime burst this show begins to wear on you to the point that you just don't care any longer, but I can see how watching it on a weekly basis may be a bit more tolerable as it doesn't seem like you will be putting up with Vic Mackey's childlike view of the world on such a repetitive basis. Mackey's ability to process information and think out a thorough plan that makes sense is non-existent. He operates on a spur of the moment and it is increasingly frustrating. I have no idea how the seventh season will end but I hope he gets a bullet to the dome to cap things off. It would only be right. For him to live on would not be a statement to say even the evil people in this world sometimes win, it would be a statement reminding us that the ignorant and stupid always win.
Other special features include a look at sixth season newcomer Franka Potente, which is a pretty cool story since she all but begged to be on the show because she heard it was coming to an end and she was a huge fan and a feature taking a look at the two guest directors Frank Darabont and Paris Barclay. Darabont directed a climactic episode of the sixth season and Barclay directed the season finale. This is also the first season to be offered in widescreen, at least to my knowledge, as all previous seasons are only offered in full screen format.
Even though I am ripping on this show a lot this time around after praising previous seasons I would still buy this DVD set. I first saw "The Shield" when I was sent the third season for review, following that I went back and bought the first two seasons because I liked it so much. The fifth and sixth seasons definitely weren't the greatest, but they both leave open enough holes to make the seventh season spectacular. My fingers are crossed and hoping for the best.