The Shield: Season Five Reviews

• Wow.

  
  By A276BSDSBYTULH on 2009-02-07
  Since this has been out for a while, and if you're researching season 5, hopefully you've already seen the 4 before it, I'll make it short.
  
  I've seen every episode of The Shield, and the finale of this season is one of the best episodes of TV - of ANY show - that I've ever seen.
  
  I think it's the second best season (second only to season 1) that this show has ever had.
  
  If you're a fan of the show, what are you waiting for?
  
  

• Great season, great last episode, BUT....

  
  By A1P2NBM3P3TS2X on 2009-07-01
  As much as I like actor Forest Whitaker, the man mumbles too much. His enunciation is often poor and unclear. You absolutely HAVE to watch his scenes in this season with the subtitles on. What good is it to be a fine actor if no one can understand you when you speak?
  
  So as for this Season 5 DVD -- great season, good story arcs. But you will need to use the subtitle track to understand Lt. Jon Kavanaugh's lines.
  
  

• A step sideways, not back

  
  By A26XCS3QLDJJWN on 2008-03-21
  I have to agree somewhat with a previous reviewer in that it seems the writers found out about halfway through writing S6 that there was going to be an S7, because while the first five or six episodes really start to ratchet things up, the back half sort of continually slows down, to the point where the season-ender really seems to "kill you with quiet," to paraphrase another review I'd read.
  
  Additionally, a lot of people may feel that the "big crime" plotline involving a dozen or so hacked-up bodies, an undercover agent and several shady Hispanic figures, was a little too complicated to follow. I didn't think so, but I can see where that might come from.
  
  That said, where that story eventually goes sets up a FANTASTIC plotline for the final season. However, I did find myself waiting for a lot of reckoning between different characters that never came, which reinforces my belief that maybe things were on track for S6 to cap the series, then S7 got a green light, and all of a sudden the writers had to buy a little time.
  
  Regardless, with the notable exception of 'The Wire,' 'The Shield' is still the best, most engaging cop show on TV.
  
  

• Great season

  
  By AGVO2SELMAPGW on 2009-09-08
  The Shield is a great series where you'll soon find yourself supporting the bad guys
  
  

• Amazing

  
  By A3U1CNVWWIT0E7 on 2009-08-05
  Simply the best police series on TV and this season is certainly the best so far. The writers and the actors are pure talent here. Just amazing.
  
  
• Let's Hope Season 7 Gets Things Back On Track
  By A3TQF74U2DZ32T on 2008-03-17
  I'm not ready to write off The Shield yet -- it's been a TV addiction on par with The Wire and Sopranos for five stellar seasons now -- but as much as I hate to say it, Season Six takes the show in directions that have serious shark-jumping potential. I won't get into spoilers or specifics for those who wait for the DVDs, but I will say that something just felt "off" this season: the writers seemed to be just making things up from episode to episode, new characters (like the blandly handsome Hiatt or Franka Potente's Armenian mob heiress) are flat and uninteresting, and old characters now seem ineffectual or inconsistent, especially Claudette's and Julian's disappointingly passive new roles.
  
  The Shield was always a show that skirted the limits of plausibility, often with breathtaking results, but I think somewhere, somehow the makers of the show weren't on top of their game this time. There are some still-riveting moments/episodes, but other storylines seem to limp along or go in disappointing, soap-opera-type directions. I might be wrong, but I could have sworn that on the extras for the Season 5 DVD set, creator Shawn Ryan had said that Season 6 would be the final season, but obviously we know now this isn't the case. Maybe everyone tried to stretch things out for an extra season, and some narrative momentum got lost? In any case, I really hope that when everyone regrouped to film the final season, they did so with the intention of getting back the magic and character-based tensions that made the first five seasons so special.
  
  
  
• Great season; character is destiny; great setup for Season 7
  By A318TN1Y8120Q6 on 2008-03-18
  Season 6 was great, though frustratingly short. But it was clear from the start that it was the set-up for whatever the final season is going to bring. I will also say that Season 6 is MUCH better on the 2nd and 3rd viewings-- there are some great details, subtleties, and setups that I didn't catch the first time through. And there are the usual numbers of great 'Shield' moments.
  
  
• The Sheild Season 6
  By A9KU0BFBBCX32 on 2008-03-23
  This is a season that most people will not like, I think. However, it's nothing more then a setup for the final season. Season 6 was originally supposed to be tacked onto season 5, making it one long season with season 6 to be the last. However it was felt that season 5 was too long and FX wanted it broken up. Then they asked for another season after 6, and here we are.
  
  It's still a great season with a lot to offer.
  
  
• ok
  By A2805M53S3PPS9 on 2009-10-24
  I love all their seasons and this one dissapointed me a little bit. Besides the fact that is was too short the back and forths are very passive. But it is something that happends when most shows get to season like 5 6 7....they should just stop while they have good reviews....
  
  
• Awesome -
  By A2X3BGKJSOVF2R on 2009-01-20
  I've seen it on TV and it's nice to own the DVD's now. Still love the deleted scene extra's, the special features and more that make owning the original DVD's worth the price.
  
  
• The BEST Cop show on TV!
  By A2A4J2QQACR28K on 2009-01-12
  The Shield is by far the best cop show on TV. In fact, it's probably one of the best shows PERIOD! If you haven't seen the show, you are really missing some good TV!!!
  
  
• Excellent Series.
  By A2YHKZ0QBPOY3V on 2008-07-17
  Damn fine television. Not appropriate for young ones obviously. They have done a great job painting in shades of grey for this entire series.
  
  
• The Shield Season 5
  By A2CC69Y3PQ9CU8 on 2008-07-02
  This season was great. If you have seen any other season, get this one.
  
  
• Continued Brilliance
  By A185QFJRTB5W93 on 2008-05-05
  This series has gone and blown away the mold of the police drama. Soars FAR above everything else that is currently out there. By the time Vic and the strike team are through, police shows will never be the same. This series is a must for anyone who is starving for unpredictable, unprecedented action/drama/excitement. It is never what it seems. The Shield comes at the viewer from so many different directions that it keeps the viewer guessing to the end of each and every episode. I can only give this series the HIGHEST possible recommendation!
  
  
• Delayed release?
  By A1NTMGR5YOQPPN on 2008-03-30
  This series has just come out in the U.K (although it appears to have been edited and is short about 20 minutes). Why is it taking so long to be released in the U.S?
  
  
• One of the Best Shows on TV
  By A3QEV62OHF379Y on 2008-10-17
  I really like this show. It is well written. I like all the seasons tie in together. The acting is great. The 5th season is great. The storyline is awesome, the action and drama are intense, and the conflict between Mackey & Kavanaugh is explosive. I definitely recommend this season as well as the rest.
  
  
• One of the greatest shows in television history
  By A14J1ENLELF6EN on 2008-10-03
  The fifth season of "The Shield" is on par with the previous four, which means instant greatness. Forest Whitaker brings some added acting muscle as the Internal Affairs agent out to get Vic and the rest of the Strike Team. This is essential viewing.
  
  
• Not Available Until 09/2008!
  By AEDIOL9TSC904 on 2008-03-28
  Please be aware that while Amazon shows this in stock, it is not and will not be available for shipment until September 2008.
  
  
• Behind The Sheild
  By A2KX00L5VI4AT8 on 2008-08-30
  When I recieved this package, I was a little nervous as to how it would play on my machine. I have a region 2 machine and The Sheild 5th Season I bought is on region 1. Naturally, the DVD did NOT play on my machine (although some region 1 DVDs HAVE). Thus, I have been watching this series on computer screens!! Why we cannot get ALL the info from this package on the English version is a mystery to me. Why is one episode cut shorter on the English version than the American edition? Why are there not more complants put to the company responsible about this? There NEEDS to be a solid explanation! Needless to say, this is a fantastic show that keeps the rawness of the past episodes. The commentries and tributes are good too. It always seems to me that Vic cannot be on the straight and narrow, even if he tries to. Something from his previous form will always come back to haunt him.
  Great show, but will the company involved STOP SHORT-CHANGING the fans in the UK. Give us ALL the information please.
  
  
• A slight step back - but still great TV
  By A26ZZKJY5V79LH on 2008-03-25
  As previous readers have said, after Vic learns of Shane's betrayal, the season does seem to slow up a bit, but sets up season 7 very well. That being said, my prediction is this:
  
  Either Vic or Ronnie kill Shane. I don't see him being arrested for it unless the only way he doesn't rat out Vic is because he needs Vic to protect his family while he does time (possibly from the Armenians). With that being said, here is the biggie. . .
  
  Terry's brother kills Vic. In season five, Episode nine, he says "If you're lying, God will have your soul and I'll give it to him". Plus, it would be a perfectly appropriate ending to the show. Nonetheless, Shawn Ryan is nothing if not unpredictable so who really know. Thats just my theory.
  
  

• The Shield: Season Four
• The Shield: Season Six
• The Shield - Season 3
• The Shield: Season Seven - The Final Act
• The Shield - The Complete Second Season