'The Shield' series finale: Who feels emotionally pistol-whipped?
Nov 26, 2008, 06:03 AM | by Dan Snierson
Categories: Television
Wow.
Give me a moment to collect my thoughts. I've made a seven-season investment in one of the best cop dramas in television historyâFX's The Shieldâand it all came to a head last night in 90 tense, dense minutes. I feel like I've been emotionally pistol-whipped. In a good way.
Before we talk specifics, let's move this party to the next page, out of respect for those Vic Mackey maniacs who haven't watched the series finale yet. (Advice to them: Call in sick, shave your head, hit the sofa, and cue up that bad boy immediately. And look out for spoilers in the paragraphs below!)
All clear? Good.
The first word that comes to mind is⦠S#@! As in, Holy. The second is⦠completion. As in, I felt a sense of completion when the corrupt members of the Strike Team finally got their comeuppance. And it was a type of closure that I never quite achieved from the admirable yet enigmatic Sopranos finale.
Series creator Shawn Ryan packed some capital-M Moments into the final installment, too many to mention here. I must say that I squirmed in enjoyment watching Ronnie be rewarded for his blind loyalty to Vic with a big, fat betrayal, and seeing Vic feebly apologize to him as he was taken into custody. âYouâre goddamned sorry?!?!?â retorted Ronnie. (Your anger is justified, Ronnie, but weâre kind of amazed that you made it all the way to the end, outlasting Lem by two seasons.) Of course, this season had been spent focusing on a different Strike Team relationship, Vic and Shaneâs. And the fates of those two were resolved in a way that will stick with viewers for a long time, thanks to potent performances from Michael Chiklis and Walton Goggins.
You knew it wasnât going to end well for Shane, Vicâs former partner-in-crime, but geez. The events leading up to his deathâthe curious attention he paid to the teenage clerk at the convenience store; his fixating on the toy police car and calling for pregnant wife Mara and son Jackson (âFamily meeting!â)âproved to be nice foreshadowing of grisly things to come. It was devastating enough that a desperate Shane shot himself on the toilet, leaving behind a mess of blood and pens, as well as an unfinished suicide note. But then to have Farmingtonâs finest discover the bodies of Mara and Jackson laid out peacefully on the bedâMara holding the flowers and Jackson clutching the little police car that Shane just bought at the store? Heart: Broken. Mouth: Speechless.
As for Vic? Killing the Mackey daddy probably wouldâve been too easy. Letting him get away with murderâthank heavens for all-encompassing immunity deals!âwouldnât have felt right. So Ryan crafted a nifty justice-serving demise for him: Our dirty detective loses his family to the witness protection program and is sentenced to death by desk job, courtesy of the ICE queen. (Mackey, weâre going to need that 10-page, single-spaced report on gang-related activity by 6 p.m.! For the next three years!) What a sight: Vic, dressed uncomfortably in a suit, trapped in his drab office cubicle, watching as those familiar cop cars whiz by on the streets below. But then, just before the credits roll, he pulls a gun out of a drawer, gives a tiny smile of realization, and heads out of the office with a trademark snarl. Is he off to settle a score? Is he itching for some vigilante action? And when he gets to wherever he's going, are we on his side? These are the funânot so much frustratingâquestions that we're left to ponder.
So, Shield fans, what did you read into that final moment? How do you think this finale stacks up against the farewells of other big shows? Were you bummed that Julien and Danny didnât score more screen time? Did you get misty-eyed when Claudette told Dutch that she was dying? Should the Dutchman and Billings join forces for a buddy-cop comedy? Are you now holding out hope for a Shield movie? (If you want to read Ryan's answers to Michael Ausiello's burning questions about the finale, click here.)
More on 'The Shield':
Ausiello Files: 'The Shield' Boss Shawn Ryan Answers Burning Finale Qs
Note to David Chase: This is how you end a series. (Gillian Flynn's 'Shield' review)
'The Shield': Over and Out (an in-depth look at the show from EW's fall TV preview)
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