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The Shield Season One review, The
Shield Season One DVD review |
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“The Shield” is easily the only show on television that is better than Fox’s
“24,” demonstrating to television critics that basic cable does deserve a little respect, especially after
Michael Chiklis took home the Emmy for Best Actor in the show’s first season. A gritty cop drama that, at first glance, seems to be no different than the slew of clichéd good cop/bad cop shows on television, the first episode of “The Shield” establishes that Vic Mackey (Chiklis) is “a different kind of cop.”
Mackey is the show’s leading character, a soft and cuddly yet extremely crooked commish who juggles his disparate roles of family man and righteous cop while still finding plenty of rules to break and money to make along the way. His actions are under the intense scrutiny of the new police station’s captain, David Aceveda (Benito Martinez), who believes justice can be delivered just as efficiently when done legally. His view of justice is also shared by partnering detectives Claudette Wyms and ‘Dutch’ Wagenbach (CCH Pounder and Jay Karnes, respectively).
Unlike Aceveda’s pure ideal of justice, the members of Mackey's Strike Force live by his shady rules of engagement: Vic’s old partner Shane Vandrell (Walton Goggins) is the loudmouth idiot of the group (but also the show’s best accessory) and Lem (Kenneth Johnson) is the muscle. Mackey’s relationship with his wife seems strong throughout the first season, yet his heinous methods eventually lead to acts of infidelity, namely with fellow police officer Danny Sofer (Catherine Dent), who currently is training a black, closeted rookie named Julien (Michael Jace).
Because the show spins off into so many different directions, “The Shield” never loses steam, always creating some controversy within the station and shocking the viewer whenever Mackey and his team break the rules. The show’s first season only runs 13 episodes, which is discouraging considering how attached you’ll become after episode one, an average show that doesn’t take its true form until the stunningly twisted final minutes. The rest of the season plays off the first episode’s conclusion as Mackey dodges Aceveda’s insistent attempts to take him down, all while helping the other officers solve kiddy porn cases, track down serial killers and avoid public assault.
The DVD collection is also quite remarkable for a newcomer show produced by the not-so-successful FX Network. The four-disc box set splits the series up into four episodes per disc with disc four containing episode 13 and the special features. The video and audio for the show aren’t especially noteworthy, but they get the job done. The show is transferred in its aired 4:3 presentation, although it was shot for compatibility with widescreen formats. The audio presented is a Dolby 2.0 surround soundtrack that doesn’t add anything extra to the viewing experience nor does it create a cinematic effect like Fox’s release of “24,” but it sounds fine for a show shot mostly with handycams.
The special features for this release were far greater than I could have hoped for. The extras begin with 13 audio commentaries (one per episode) that can be accessed when surfing through the menu choices on each disc. These audio commentaries are not only the best I’ve heard on any TV-to-DVD release yet, but the fact that they are available for every episode demonstrates the dedication the actors and producers put into this DVD set. Practically everyone who works on the show can be heard at least once throughout the commentary tracks, including every lead actor, producers, writers, directors and crewmen with about three guests on each track, all moderated by series creator Shawn Ryan, a real-world Vic Mackey.
The remaining special features all appear on the fourth disc. “The Making of The Shield” is a 21-minute feature that uses cast interviews to recount the origin of the show, its specific look and a rundown of each character. Less important is the two-minute FX featurette that serves only as a commercial for the show, splicing the earlier interviews with clips from the show.
More fan-based favorites would be the accessibility to the show’s pilot script and eight casting auditions for the show’s lead characters. The script is unbearable to read since the font size is so small, but the audition tapes are always a pleasure to see. Although it would be really cool to see the footage of other actors who auditioned for the roles, the fairly extensive bonus made for great entertainment.
Finally, the next-best extra alongside the set’s 13 audio commentaries are the 17 deleted scenes individually introduced by Shawn Ryan with the reasoning behind their removal. Contrary to past reviewed deleted scenes, almost every one featured on this set deserves to be a part of the show if it hadn’t been for the need to chop run-time. Most of the scenes are either flat-out hilarious or help in further developing subplot relationships, and it would have been nice to see them with the show as they were originally intended.
Too bold and racy for some viewers, “The Shield” has proven to be a taste to acquire for only those interested in the material it presents, but once you watch one episode you’ll surely be drawn to the stark reality of the show’s characters and story lines. Given the ability to do so with the fantastic release of the four-disc DVD set, if you haven’t yet experienced the show or are just planning to do so again, set aside a good 10 hours to spend in front of your TV, because once you finish the first few episodes you’ll want to see more of Vic Mackey and “The Shield.” This isn’t a good show or a bad show; it’s a different kind of show.
~Jason Zingale
jzingale@bullz-eye.com
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