I just finished watching all seven seasons of 'The Shield' and I am emotionally drained. For all those years I watched the fall of the Farmington 'Strike Team' as they did everything, legal and illegal, to keep the streets safe from gangs and drugs. They killed, stole, blackmailed and manipulated anyone who got in the way of their personal goals but at the same time were very successful as a police unit.
That was what I liked about the program the most. The issues and motivations were never just black and while. Everything, good or bad, fell into the shady grey area of life and law enforcement. At any given time I could be both repulsed by the actions of these rogue cops as much as I was impressed with their street smarts and successes.
The show not only highlighted the damage the team did to themselves but also chronicled how family and fellow police officers were affected. No one was left whole after the series ended.
Michael Chiklis was fantastic as the main character and leader of the strike team, Vic Mackey. With his reputation for getting the job done, he lead a four man police wrecking crew who raised havoc on the gangs and drug dealings in the Farmington district of Los Angeles.
They broke the rules with impunity to get the job done and for many years avoided any blowback from their actions. However, life never works like that. There is such a thing as karma. If you put enough negative energy out into the universe, it's guaranteed that it will come back on you.
As much as I found the fall from grace entertaining, I also suffered right alongside the characters because I had gotten to know them so well. Such was the quality of acting and writing on this show.
Walton Goggans, as a fellow member of the Strike Team, had his own tragic arc over the seven years. There is a reason why he is one of my favorite character actors of all time. You just have to see his performance in both the 'Shield' and 'Justified' to know what I am talking about.
I watched at least one or two episodes a day for the past couple of months and I am sure that has much to do with how I am feeling now that I have seen the entire series. I am sad and drained. There was no happy ending for me - only an appreciation for a show that will stay with me forever.
The creators didn't so much re-invent the police drama, but instead gave us characters and stories with unpredictable depth. This is something that cable TV does so much better than network TV.
Like 'The Wire', I consider 'The Shield' to be one of the greatest series ever produced. I am sad that it is gone but appreciative of what I got to experience as a viewer. There can be no higher praise for a TV series than that.
