The Shield: Season Four Reviews

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  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2005-09-14
  At the end of the third season of FX's the Shield, crooked cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his strike team split up. As the fourth season opens, the Farmington precinct meets their new captain in Monica Rawling (Glenn Close), and it's not long before she makes herself noticed. With Aceveda (Benito Martinez) on his way to political office, Rawling makes her presence felt re-organizing the force with Vic as her right hand man, and they both put their sights on charismatic drug dealer Antwan Mitchell (Anthony Anderson). In the meantime, Vic's ex-partner Shane (Walt Goggins) works vice, and gets in way too deep with Mitchell, which leads to the reformation of the strike team in an effort to save Shane, and themselves, before it's too late. Sub-plots throughout the season include Aceveda discovering a dark side he never knew he had, Julian (Michael Jace) looking to be transfered as he opposes Rawling's approach to the seizures, and Dutch (Jay Karnes) finding romance with Vic's ex-wife (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) while trying to get both his partner (CCH Pounder) and himself out of the doghouse with the DA. Many agree that the third season was a step down compared to the landmark first two, and the fourth season delivers firing on all cylinders. Glenn Close is perfect casting as the no-nonsense new captain, while Michael Chiklis is excellent as always as crooked cop Mackey, who this season, appears to be searching for redemption. The Shield is back on track, and it's once again the best original drama on cable TV. By the end of the season, there is a big change for all the main players, and it will leave you salivating for what's coming next.
  
  

• I was literally unable to stop watching this show.

  
  By A25AXWGBGJ5KBS on 2006-01-02
  Season four is yet another amazing season for "The Shield."
  
  Don't rely on the low "average" of stars as listed above...it's clear many of the reviewers have issues with things besides the show itself...(the letterbox thing, etc.)
  
  From start to finish, this season was as good as any of the others, and in some ways better.
  
  The obvious difference is Glenn Close. She brings a new vital energy into the mix, and stays away from all the cliches you'd normally expect. Don't prejudge her here.
  
  The cast remains one of the best on TV, present or past. Chiklis has created a character for the TV Hall of Fame, and he is matched in every way by his castmates.
  
  The season-long bad guy is played with startling menace by Anthony Anderson. As Antwon Mitchell, this actor primarily known for comedy will impress you beyond belief.
  
  The season begins with a dissolved Strike Team, a demoted Mackey, and the new Captain (Close).
  The old captain, played by Benito Martinez, is dealing with all sorts of personal demons.
  The two detectives, played by Jay Karnes and CCH Pounder, deal with being in the D.A.'s doghouse. While it would be easy to go unnoticed when sharing the majority of your scenes with someone as powerful as Pounder, Karnes really has a breakthrough year here.
  The two lead cops, Danny and Julien, fill in side stories that weave into the grand tapestry of the whole season.
  I must single out Walton Goggins, who's Shane character dares you to take your eyes off of him. You can't. His manic desperation, cocky bravado, and the ability to make the most creative, livid, insulting lines of dialogue sound like poetry are hypnotizing. He has the ability to engender sympathy towards a character so clearly defective in so many mental processes.
  
  The plot and dialogue are again the best in the business. The labyrinthine plot demands careful attention; I almost prefer watching with either the headphones on, or English subtitles, to catch every word.
  
  There are incidents that refer and recall those from seasons past. Sometimes trivially, often not. If you are familiar with the previous three seasons, watch the episodes by first skipping the "previously on The Shield" recaps that start them off. It increases the shock value. It also increases the number of times you'll say "No way" to your TV screen.
  
  This show forces you to examine your own beliefs on crime, punishment, race, religion, law enforcement, poverty, drugs, sex...
  
  My DVD set is fine. No problems with playback. The video quality is sterling, as is the sound. One episode is 16:9, and it looks terrific.
  The hour long documentary at the end is a fine way to end your viewing experience.
  
  I understand that this upcoming year of The Shield, beginning soon I think, will be it's last. It will be missed, but gloriously so.
  
  This show is riveting.
  I was unable to stop watching it.
  When one episode ended, I immediately started up the next one.
  I polished the box off in two days, all while being the in-house trauma surgeon at a busy urban hospital on New Year's Eve. I'd pause the show while I went to go take care of a gunshot wound victim, then return to the show when my work was done...so on and so forth until I finished the last episode New Year's Day.
  
  When somebody says they would rather watch a TV show than sleep, that says a lot. Now whether that says something about the show, or the individual I leave to you.
  
  

• As Good as Television Gets

  
  By A1VJ7HYM1EC94M on 2007-01-25
  Glenn Close is one of my favorite actresses. "The Shield" is my favorite show. Why, oh why did I approach Season 4 with such fear and trepidation? Close immediately rattled things in the Barn and presented her Monica as a tough-as-nails, no nonsense, Captain who would not allow the wool to be pulled over her eyes. One of the best things this season was watching seen-it-all/ know-it-all Mackey develop respect for his new captain, and try - as best as he possibly could - to piece together loose ends he's left, and fight his perpetually tormenting demons. Chiklis and Close. On paper Chiklis and Close seem the most unlikely of duos - and yet, perhaps even because of this, become, instead, the most riveting screen partnership imaginable.
  
  C.C.H. Pounder simply earns props for creating - and staying - one of the best damn, most straightforward, steadfast and honorable characters in any series history. She's taken an unglamorous role that in most hands could easily have become part of the scenery (and still earned Emmy nods) and instead has given us a complex, brilliant detective that can take off the gloves and go toe-to-toe with anything and anyone. She makes us care and she just rocks.
  
  I mean no slight to the rest of the company: Goggins, Martinez, Karnes, Cahlin Ryan, Jace, Dent, Johnson, Snell, and company - I've merely run out of time. I will say ALL of them, perform - nay, LIVE their roles and do so at the highest level to make this ensemble one of the most formidable casts on television. As with the premiere season, Season 4 of The Shield takes television drama to an inspired level.
  
  If you're one of those who needs their dramas nice and neat, with squared-off camera angles and movie score soundtracks, The Shield will wake you up as to how raw, powerful and soul seering television drama can be. While there have been other series that can stand alongside The Shield, none of them surpass it. It's as good as it gets.
  
  
  

• A glass half empty, glass half full season

  
  By A1K9IW99EFBZ52 on 2007-04-14
  Glass Half Empty Review: From the moment her character is introduced, it is obvious that Glenn Close's Captain Monica Rawling is positioned for a fall, and a big one. For those who have followed the Strike Team for 3 seasons, it's splintered. Suspension of disbelief is required as some elements are introduced into the season's plot. During the first few episodes, Anthony Anderson's bad guy Antwon Mitchell seems like another textbook "drug dealer hiding behind his fake community leader" facade. Glass Half Full Review: Glenn Close is good in her role...very, very good, and it showed no small amount of risk taking for creator Sean Ryan to "cleanse the palate" after Benito Martinez's Captain Aceveda's ascension to city council by introducing a strong female lead. The strength of The Shield lies in the fact that every character, from the most noble to the most evil, is flawed in some way (just like real life). Rawling is no exception. By splintering the Strike Team, Ryan has plenty of free space to peel back the layers of each character. Everyone evolves, including the Dutch-Claudette dynamic, Dutch's awkward blind date with Claudette's friend (caught on a surveillance cam and savored in the Clubhouse by Vic & friends), Dutch asking Corinne out on a date, Julian's refusal to break down the doors of a church stocked to the rafters with black tar heroin, and Aceveda's visit to...OK, that's enough teasers. The events of Season 5, particularly the Lem-Shane dynamic, pack a MUCH greater punch when you allow Season 4 to set them in motion for you. And Antwon? You'll find out that the hype surrounding this character is no hype when you hit Disc 2. Glass half empty, glass half full...a transitional season with no apologies, and still one of the best...if not THE best...shows on television.
  
  

• Anderson and Close great additions for season four!

  
  By A1JKNVM6NAU13V on 2006-07-09
  By now the quasi-criminal multi storied series "The Shield" has garnered enough fan support to trek on at a blistering pace. With season four, plotlines explode and more major changes that had built up from season three are laid out on the table with safeties off and the barrels pointing in all directions. The ricochet effect is fun to follow as we never know what is going to happen next, whether it is within a drug cartel storyline, the personal trauma outside of "The Barn" (the HQ of the Farmington police) or the character developments themselves.
  
  The latter really was a jolt as we saw some supreme changes. Forget the linear path of the ricocheting bullet, can you say, "He did a complete 360??" You'll be saying that when you witness the choices some of the characters make. Aceveda, Vic Mackey, Shane, as well as some loopy loops with a man recently let loose from prison who is trying to act like a saint for the community (Anthony Anderson as Antwon Mitchell) while building up his drug trade at the same time. Farmington will also experience death, which makes the show come across even more "realistically" than past seasons. This climatic action will couple with the actions of Shane trying to go his own with another unit only to find himself, as we saw at the end of season three, begin to backfire on him. As mentioned in the title, perhaps the greatest part of season four is the introductions of the already mentioned Antwon Mitchell and superstar actress Glenn Close! Glenn plays the new police captain Monica Rawling and her no nonsense attitude and passionate micro management style rubs elbows with many at the beginning. In the show, her past has a connection with Mitchell as she had worked with a partner who ultimately played dirty cop to put Mitchell in prison for over a dozen years. Mitchell was no saint though; don't think he was one of those guys that were "wronged". Anderson, who's played in a ton of movies and television shows, really brings out the bad side of his character in great ways. I used to love watching his funny antics and mannerisms in "Me myself, and Irene". You won't find a fun loving pudgy kid here; Mitchell is all business, dirty, down, and ready to cross any line. He's also a leader and that is what scares the department as he holds meetings with community members in telling them to take back their streets from dirty cops.
  
  Season four again shows Shane married, and now with a baby, but no longer in the department. He's now on his own with another department and quickly uses the trades of the craft of "dirty" cop he learned while working with the strike team to get close to Mitchell. Before he knows it, him and his partner "Army" (so named because he's an Iraqi war vet from the army) soon find themselves in deeper than they ever want to be. Before Shane knows what is happening, Mitchell has him wrapped around his finger, and the body of former strike team member officer Lemansky's CI (Confidential Informant) with Shane and Army's bullets in her as collateral. This plotline is superb as we see and more importantly, FEEL Shane's agony as he realizes he's in over his head. Mitchell offers him a way out that doesn't help matters: Vic Mackey's body for the girl's body. A body for a body. Little does Shane know that the Dodge Durango issued to him still has the video camera in it while he's doing some work with Farmington, and the conversation is later seen by the former strike team members. Close does a stupendous job as the new captain and at the same time she's battling her own demons on the surface. Aceveda, who formerly held the job, is now on the city council and doing everything he can to undermine her power. Her new "seizure" policy is working, but it's rustling up the natives to the point of an all out war. The policy is part of a federal law that allows the department to seize and auction off any item known to be bought with drug money. Before they know it, people are without cars and homes in many of the outlying neighborhoods, and the moral question comes into play. She sticks to her guns despite eventually finding that, like Shane, when you go down that path so long, even if you feel right about it, you can reach the point of no return.
  
  This ultimately leads up to one of the biggest and most traumatic stories of the entire series history. One-night officers Scooby and Carl don't check in with dispatch after responding to a 9-11 call. After they don't turn up, and all out search is done throughout the area the next day. Eventually their bodies are found inside a seizure house. They have both been bound and stabbed to death. The loss of these two officers enrages the police force while at the same time leaving the community reaction as "we told you so". Meanwhile, back at "The Barn", Shane has now come clean and teamed up with his old strike team so that they can make a clean sweep of the "collateral body" and find Antwon Mitchell guilty of the cop killings. Things seem to come together but then fall apart. A misunderstanding about what "horses" the body is at (the strike team think stables, when it actually means in the same park area, a carnival carousel ride) leaves the team out of time before Antwon reveals where the body is. Now they have to tell the captain what is going on and hopefully not have Shane and Army lose their careers. Mitchell is eventually found guilty of killing the girl when he needed to squeeze Shane of power, but they soon tag the hit on the dead cops on him as well.
  
  Things again take a turn for the worse: This is where Aceveda comes in. He was the former police chief now on the city council. During an altercation in a house bust in season three, Aceveda found himself outnumbered by a couple of hoods and in order to save his life he had to do something of sexual nature that was very disturbing and humiliating. The act was caught on cell phone. Jump forward to season four, now the guy is in jail and telling Aceveda that unless he gets him off that he'll tell the world AND show the picture. Aceveda turns to Antwon and lets him strike a deal with the DA to turn in the higher ups on the El Salvador arms deals that are pumping AK's into the streets. On the side Aceveda asks him to make sure for the guy who made aceveda do dirty deeds in the home to "miss the court date". Ultimately the man ends up a little worse for wear than Aceveda imagines, and Antwon goes with a plea bargain. When word of all this gets back the barn, Monica Rawlings as well as Vick Mackey (Michael Chiklis) are outraged. Oh I forgot to mention that the ordeal Aceveda went through seemingly unlocked some weird sexual fantasies of his own as he starts seeing a high-class prostitute. Yeah, like I said, he did a complete 360. I can only wonder who in season five is going to have their characters habits and actions get turned upside down!
  
  Several of my friends felt that seasons three and four were not as good as the first two, but I disagree. If we had everything like the first two, we would be done. It would become a spinning wheel in the mud and eventually bog down to an end. Instead this wheel is always moving, always finding traction, and turning at any given time, even doing a "360" now and again! Great character twists, plots that have purpose and direction with surprising outcomes, and tight writing that doesn't leave a stone, or new leaf unturned, makes season four a season to remember. I only hope that we see more of Close and Anderson in the future, even though their fates were both pretty much sealed by seasons end.
  
  
• The weak link in the chain? or a powerful journey
  By AHOLIHT1HLOG1 on 2006-05-09
  Often considered the worst and most disliked season in the series, season 4 is seen as the weak link in the chain. For a long time I agreed with this view point. But recently, after re-watching the season, I have been forced to change my mind.
  
  Taking a different path than the rest of the seasons, season 4 really focuses on the rebuilding of the strike team's friendship and trust, after the controverial path that Lem decided to take in season 3. The majority of the season revolves around Shane and his newly acquainted partner, Antwon Mitchell. Shane slowly begins to go down a dark path that he can't seem to find his way out of.
  
  This season really stands out as a showing of outstanding performances by all of the actors. This season was really Walton Goggins moment to shine as he portrays the troubled role of Shane. Glenn Close adds an incredible force to the show that was very note worthy. Kenny Johnson, Lem, and Michael Chiklis, Vic, also really have some of there best moments on the show during this season.
  
  Season 4 is a much more slower paced season than the other seasons. This season instead tries to focus more on the characters and story development.
  
  It's very highly recommended on my part.
  
  
• Season 4 Doesn't Disappoint!
  By A25MSAR7W99M1D on 2006-01-07
  The Shield is one of the most gripping shows on television and Season 4 is no exception! It was so tempting just to watch all the episodes in one sitting - I don't know how I manage when I have to wait for the new episodes to air on TV! There are plenty of other cop shows on TV but the thing that stands out to me about this show is the character development; shows like Law & Order are so episodic and really neglect to delve into the main characters, but in The Shield the characters seem more real (instead of archetypes) and the longer plot line is way more compelling than an episodic format. Furthermore, the writers challenge social norms and might even make you question our own opinions regarding law enforcement. This show has everyting - action, depth, and a killer plot!
  
  The best part about Season 4 was without a doubt the introduction of Glenn Close as Captain Monica Rawlings. Who would've known she could succesfully take on this kind of role? A pleasant surprise! Having Monica and Vic work together was an unexpected but really interesting story arc, and definitely my favorite part of Season 4. Shane's misadventures in the vice unit will also keep viewers riveted. This may be the fourth season but the show is still going strong and doesn't feel old or stale at all.
  
  
• Great show
  By A2BBSLVEG9UGB9 on 2009-01-28
  The Shield is a fantastic series, and this season was not disappointing. Bringing in Glenn Close as the Barn's captain was good - and how she is quickly swept out is great.
  I did not start watching this show until recently, and have caught up on DVD. It is an outstanding show, with a lot of gray areas to contemplate.
  
  
• This SHOW Gets Better EVERY SEASON!
  By A2UZXI8O5H2D94 on 2009-01-13
  What an AWESOME show. The returning cast is top notch, but you also get Glenn Close as well. If you've never seen the Shield before, you are lucky because you don't have to wait a week for the next episode. Start with SEASON ONE because each season builds on the previous one and gets better and better. Love the SHIELD!
  
  
• AWESOME!
  By AN62E77GHH3FT on 2006-05-01
  Love the series, can't wait for the next DVD set AND the next season to come out. Chiklis is amazing in this role, I think he's found his niche!
  
  
• Shield Season 4
  By ACTSOF7OLCCMZ on 2009-01-06
  The Shield is a great series. Surprises are plentiful, and the pace is frantic.
  
  
• Holy Smoke
  By ALOFNTZ6DEDFW on 2007-07-12
  I grew up in L.A so I am always interested in the stories that surround the city of my soul. This is the season that I first saw an episode of one night flipping chanels and just had to see the whole thing. So I bought all the seasons available and climbed aboard for the ride of my life. This show is not for the faint of heart or the seekers of moral high ground. It is just hard core and fast the "six flags" of cop shows. This was my favorite season. We all knew Glenn Close was good, but in this she was great. If your stomach can take it, this season will keep you on the edge of your seat!
  
  
• THIS SHOW JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!
  By A2XY0Q9ZDQTRS8 on 2007-02-08
  There are so many great scenes in Season Four that I don't know where to begin. But if I had to choose one, I think it would be at the very end after Monica Rawlings has been dismissed and she goes with Mackey to visit Acaveda. Watching Glenn Close confront her predecessor made me want to cheer out loud. And Mackey's last wordss to him didn't disappoint either! This show has it all -- great acting, storylines, character depth and ALWAYS good music. I've yet to come away from any episode feeling less than gratified.
  
  
• Awesome!
  By A1J5SNSFE4OVIZ on 2007-01-10
  Still the best police drama series hands down.
  Starts off a little down beat after the strike teams recent split. However things soon take a turn for the worst after Shane gets too big for his cowboy boots.
  This paves the way Vic Mackey to pull things together towards a thrilling ending hosting losts of twists and turns before the final climax.
  
  
• One of the best series ever just gets better
  By A3CYUBRXTDUCBM on 2007-01-09
  Being based in Europe and having to import this series on Region 1 due to the unbelievable fact that Fox still haven't got around to issuing anything after seasons 1 and 2 over here, all I can say is thank goodness for multi-region players and international postage!It's even worth the import duties that the government cunningly whacks on the top. The Shield just gets better and dishes up shocks and surprises like few other series can offer. It's great to enjoy an American drama that, like The Sopranos but definitely not like 24, Lost or Prison Break does not feel the need to spoon-feed its viewers and help them get the point. In other words a series where you need to use your brain and it rewards you for repeat viewings. And isn't that the beauty of DVD? That you can enjoy watching episodes more than once?
  
  Don't hesitate to buy this.
  
  
• The Shield Season 4
  By A24LIY9AWTB1KH on 2007-01-09
  Listed as used, but arrived in virtually brand new, and perfect, condition. A great buy with fast service and delivery!
  
  
• I Love this Series !
  By A17G18D8X2BSM1 on 2006-12-17
  This show is the lick. I started with season one and just finished season 4. I just discovered it accidentally because it started airing on spike tv. This show has great actors, scripts, and more realism than shows that come are on the regular networks. After watching a series like this and you try to watch regular tv........regular tv looks like a joke. Fx/The Shield, keep up the good work !
  
  
• A great step in a different direction
  By A26XCS3QLDJJWN on 2006-09-28
  Aside from its first season, the fourth go-round for "The Shield" is the most independent season: you don't necessarily have to have watched the previous seasons for it to make sense (although it certainly helps and makes for more drama when you know what's going on between all the characters and their history).
  
  Glenn Close is a wonder as the take-charge female captain in the Barn, and I think it's very interesting how Mackey works to earn her trust as she works to earn his respect.
  
  But the real "womano a mano" relationship is between Close's Capt. Rawling and Anthony Anderson in his brilliant, chilling turn as LA gang leader Antwon Mitchell. From the opening episode, where he makes a crack about having figuratively sent her former partner -- and lover -- to the grave, it's clear that she is out to get him, at almost any price.
  
  The political ramifications of her asset forfeiture program also add a social-commentary element to the show: is it fair to essentially repo someone's house because they can't PROVE it WASN'T bought with drug money? Probably not. The fact that Rawling really legitimately wants it to work -- and consequently represents the best possible scenario for what is widely considered a controversial-at-best program that breeds corruption -- makes it all the more devastating when her first repo decision just obviously isn't going to turn out well.
  
  But it's the ruthlessness of Antwon Mitchell that casts a large pall over the entire season: his ability to convince his community that he's going good and his oddly ministerial speech pattern make him all the more menacing, especially in the oft-touted "Tarbaby" episode, which quite honestly contains one of the most horrifying endings I've seen on cable TV. Not gory, necessarily, just shocking and frightening.
  
  And Anthony Anderson gets to deliver the best line of any villain, EVER. I can't print it here, though.
  
  Ultimately, Antwon's actions -- and the ramifications of his involvement with a member of the Strike Team -- set up Vic and the boys for the catastrophic developments of the fifth season.
  
  This is the greatest show on cable TV. Period.
  
  
• The Shield Series Four
  By A1SFJ054R18WAP on 2006-04-14
  Series four is up to the standard we have come to expect from Shawn Ryan. For those of you that thought that David Aceveda would be leaving Farmington to run the city council, think again, Aceveda still has the backing of the police chief and will do anything he can to make life difficult for the new captain and Vic's team.
  
  As per usual the series is filled with twist and turns, I can't wait for series five to be released.
  
  
  
• getting better and better
  By A1YJ6B0MRQYLQR on 2006-04-10
  It's amazing how this show just keeps improving every season. I've watched all four seasons in the past year thanks to DVD. Being stationed overseas doesn't allow me to watch these shows when they are first aired and I can't imagine having to wait an entire week to "see what happens next". Standouts would have to be Anthony Anderson, just watch his face when Close tells him about his son during the interrogation scene late in the season, and Glenn Close. What she does with the character of Rawlings from her first appearance to the final moments of the season is acting of the highest order. That final episode is one for the time capsule. Of course all of the ensemble were in top form the entire season, but Anderson and Close deserve high mention for stepping into that ensemble and shining in atypical roles. I can't wait until season five is released
  
  
• Shield, the best
  By AD5HSTVVMG882 on 2006-04-06
  I was in love with "The Shield" from the first Episode of and I still am. Especially Michael Chiklis does a great job.
  
  
• Still Addicting
  By A1G6R3IZQDWMA6 on 2006-03-22
  I initially got addicted to this series by renting the first series for a quiet weekend. My husband and I wound up staying awake until the wee hours because we couldn't wait to see the next episode. Our addiction continued throughout seasons 2 and 3--but we purchased them by this point. Not having cable television/the FX channel, we're so grateful for the quick turn-around in putting the series on DVD format for fans like us. We're counting down for season 5, which sounds like another stellar run.
  
  
• It just gets better. I can't wait for season 5
  By A2HS6HDTYJ44AH on 2006-02-28
  It has the "when you pop you can't stop" effect. I just could not stop watching it. I think I saw the complete season over a weekend. It has suspense, thriller and drama at their best. Glen Close deserves an Emmy for her acting here. I was sure that she would add a spice up the season and I was right. She did and did it well. Whoever wrote her lines did a great job. Of course I can not ignore chiklis the main guy there. His performance in this season is the best of all of the seasons.
  
  The story is fun and addictive.
  
  If you are not a "Shield" fan, you'll still love it.
  
  
• The Shield 4th season
  By A18AEYG0NXB6M3 on 2006-02-24
  Absolutely incredible. More twist than a bowl full of spiral pasta. Had to hurry up and watch it so I could be up to date before the 5th season came on tv.
  
  
• A Fabulous Fourth!!
  By A25E44CFFC4B7T on 2006-01-30
  The Spotlight reviews of this DVD tell you as much, if not more, than you need to know about the 4th season. The addition of Glen Close as the new Captain, Monica Rawlings, works as well as you would expect it to with this very talented actress. The Strike Team which was in complete disarray undergoes some painful healing, the bad guys keep things hoping and a lot of old "friends" in the Farmington Precinct continue their travails. Former Captain and now City Councilman Arceveda is getting to be someone you can learn to dislike quite a bit. If you have watched the first three seasons, there is nothing about this one that will disappoint you. Vic Mackey is still one of the most compelling characters to ever grace a long running series such as this.
  
  
• Bouncing Back
  By A35DUMUE3CLFZ9 on 2006-01-18
  A big fan of the show, but not a big fan of Season 3, I think this represents a very solid return to form. Glenn Close fits in with the cast waaay better than I thought she would...This sports much better writing than last season, which, I felt, often forced climactic showdowns amongst the characters for artificial dramatic effect, rather than let them develop organically...Here, we're back on much more solid ground...we're able to get a feel for the relationships, so that when things do erupt it feels much more natural...Sadly, GC is not back this season, but hopefully, the addition of Forest Whitaker to the cast will help fill that void...
  
  
• Still the best...
  By A16CU4XRIDZZ7P on 2005-12-24
  This show is still one of the best 2-3 dramas on television and the addition of Glenn Close to the cast has only added to the luster. Faster paced, more intense than almost anything else on television, The Shield benefits tremendously from DVD viewing, with multiple episodes consumed in a short period of time, where the intricate plotting that carries over from episode to episode can be appreciated. The reviewers who are rating this with low to middling scores are trying to make some misguided point as to their preference for other seasons to this one. The simple fact is, this show is a monument to television making.
  
  
• More gritty cop action!
  By A2910UTOHFJC6Y on 2008-06-19
  In the continuing saga that is "The Shield", this is yet another great season with plenty of action. As far as additional content, I am deducting 1 star for the "minisodes". There are a TOTAL waste of space and have nothing to do with The Shield. Drop them!
  
  
• Only one episode is supposed to be widescreen
  By on 2005-12-17
  Makiko Itoh, only one episode was shot for and shown in widescreen. All the other episodes are shown in their intended 1.33 aspect ratio. Before you whine, get your facts straight.
  
  
• Good one!
  By A2OQG48HWD6L75 on 2009-05-07
  Good series. Fantasy and a lot of fun. The script is full of laughs - some obvious and lots of sleepers.
  
  

• The Shield - The Complete Third Season
• The Shield: Season Five
• The Shield - The Complete Second Season
• The Shield: Season Six
• The Shield - Season 5 (4 Disks)