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A GILMORE GIRLS Writer Tackles Tonight’s New SHIELD, And Capone’s Got The Review!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
Can you believe “Mad Men” just won the Emmy for “outstanding drama” its first season out -- while its basic-cable brother “The Shield,” now in its 7th season, has never been so much as nominated in the category? (Even FX sister show “Damages” got nominated for the top drama honor in its first season!)
Could 2009 be “The Shield’s” year? Will this final batch of episodes, so brimming with exciting Armenian/Mexican intrigue, be able to pull enough votes away from “Mad Men,” “Lost,” “House,” “Damages” and even the final 10 episodes of “Battlestar Galactica” to snag the top prize? “Damages” star Glenn Close was nominated in 2005 for her role in “The Shield,” but the adventures of Vic Mackey have been roundly ignored by the TV academy since.
Ain't It Cool's Chicago boss, “Capone,” has an affinity for underdogs like Vic Mackey, and he’s got a review of tonight’s installment:
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here in Coaxial. There are nine episodes and counting in "The Shield's" Final Act. When last we left our Strike Team members, Vic (Michael Chiklis) and Shane (Walton Goggins) seemed to make an unsteady peace. So you'd probably think the rest of the series would be all kittens and rainbows and butterflies, right? Guess again, motherfuckers. Here's a rundown of episode four of Season 7.
Title?
GENOCIDE
Writer?
Lisa Randolph, writer of one previous episode of "The Shield" from last season, as well as Episode 9 of this season. She's also written one episode of "Gilmore Girls." But perhaps her most worthy credit is that she has been Tom Fontana's assistant since "Homicide."
Director?
Dean White, credited as a producer on 40 episodes of "The Shield." As a long time director of TV drams, White has also worked on such shows as "CSI," "Thief," "Prison Break," "The Nine," "Dirt," "The Unit," "Law & Order: SVU," "Saving Grace," "Shark," "Friday Night Lights," "Men In Trees," and "The Cleaner."
Where do we pick things up?
Vic shows up the morning after the previous episode to Corrine's (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) house to talk to his eldest Cassidy (Autumn Chiklis), an effort that blows up in his face. Meanwhile, Rezian's (Ludwig Manukian) safe house goes up in flames on what just happens to be the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of World War I. Rezian decides to use his second wish with Mackey, whom he enlists to set up a sit down with the Mexicans. Vic recommends he pushes the meet back; Rezian says he wants it immediately, so Vic gets sets a plan in motion to bring the two together…sort of.
How is that blackmail box holding up?
In an unexpected twist, after the Mexicans agree to the meeting only if the Armenians turn over the blackmail box, the Armenians suddenly tell Vic they indeed have it, which Vic knows is a lie, but a lie that Vic may be able to use to his advantage.
We know things are bad in Vic's professional life. How bad are things getting in his personal life?
Cassidy shows up at Danni's (Catherine Dent) house to see Vic's bastard son and to talk.
Hey, don't other people do police work at "The Barn"?
Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Billings (David Marciano) look into what appears to be a breaking and entering, self-defense killing by a high school boy. Frances Fisher guests as the clearly shaken up boy's mother. Dutch suspects there's something not quite right about the kids story or the east with which the kids shakes off what he's done, and convinces the mother to bring the boy back into the Barn for "psychological observation."
Meanwhile, Claudette (CCH Pounder) and officer Hanlon (Paula Garcés) are paired thanks to department regulation requiring the commanding officer to spend a little time on street patrol.
Who brought in the Feds?
After weeks of being a peripheral but useful force in the Strike Team's world, Laurie Holden's FBI Agent Olivia Murray plays a pretty significant role in this week's conclusion.
So how does that Armenian/Mexican sit down go?
Oh, it happens with the Strike Team present. The first item on the agenda: the Armenians have to hand over the blackmail box. So…very…awkward.
So what about the real blackmail box?
At one point, Vic convinces Aceveda (Benito Martinez) to tap into the box, which Aceveda is still hiding from Vic. They need something they can float in front of the Mexicans to make them believe the Armenias actually do have it. Our old friend the City Controller (who screwed Vic after Vic helped the guy keep his daughter's slutty activities a secret last season) just happens to be in the box, and they force his hand to do something nice for the Armenian people.
What I liked.
That really icky feeling I'm still getting the Vic's daughter is about to cause him some real pain and heartache before this season is done. Watching Vic and Shane manipulate the Mexican-Armenian sit down is a thing of beauty. They are improvising like their on stage at Second City during the actual meeting, and it's like gazing upon fine art.
What I didn't like.
That there are only nine episodes left in this mind-blowing series, and that the ratings for the show are obscenely low. Other than that, the episode is flawless.
How does it end?
Refer to my comments above, regarding FBI Agent Olivia Murray. Also, the Mexicans help Vic solve the arson case of the Armenian safe house fire, but only after they send a very clear message, via a certain public official, that helping out the Armenians is a bad idea.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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yes. yes, i can.
i agree the Shield definitely deserves a gong after all this time, though.
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The Shield doesn't disappoint this season. When this season ends I hope Chiklis will get a guest appearance in Supernatural as a hunter. That would be awesome.
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It really is amazing The Shield hasnt even been nominated, Chiklis run over the nominating comittee's dog or something when the series started?
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This is a show that feels more fresh and exciting in its seventh season than a lot of shows do in their seventh episode. As far as the Emmys are concerned they never really regognized great shows like BSG (spaceships lol!) or The Wire (didn't we pay already pay enough attention to black people with Roots?) -
When insipid shit like American Idol and the other trillion crap reality shows can generate better ratings than something like The Shield, it's hard to care much when The Emmy's ignore it. Anybody with taste and common sense can watch one episode of The Sheild and understand why it's easily one of the greatest things ever to grace the medium. For me personally, the real reward is that this show never faltered, weakened, or stumbled and every single episode has kept me entranced and wanting more. Back when people were masturbating over The Sopranos, those of us in the know were watching a REAL badass do his thing. Fuck the Emmy's and fuck shit like Desperate Housewives, Sex in the City, and Grey's Anatomy. It's almost insulting to even mention The Shield in the same breath as this type of dreck.
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In 2002, but yeah the show deserves a nomination as well as Walt Goggins for his role as Shane.
gfy -
It has to do with Chiklis, butter, pussy, and one of the Emmy Academy's wives.
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In that eveybody seems to think it's the best show ever on tv. But it's not that.
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mackey is the best character on tv. period.
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it will be as bad as her other efforts am sure
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on the night they awarded War and Rememberance ovet Lonesome Dove. And they didn't give Duvall an Emmy for his performance which most people thought he had won after viewing the fist episode.
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Once in a blue moonds, those awards ARE worth a shit!
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Last Cleric is right. When crap like the shows he listed are getting recognized, and shows like The Shield and BSG have been constantly ignored, it just proves the awards have no credibility whatsoever, if they ever did to begin with. I haven't watched one since LOTR won an oscar (the last time any intelligence was shown on one).
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So I'm not sure why some people think it will suck based on this fact. Actually, there's never been a weak episode of The Shield in my honest opinion, and the plot is guided by more than merely one writer. I'm sure it will be awesome. And by the way, last week's episode, where Vic pretended to appreciate Shane's murder of Lem, was absolutely gut-wrenching.
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It won't get an Emmy nod, it's too over the top for the squares at the Emmys. Same with BSG, way too sci-fi. Of course if the live action Star Wars show ends up being any good it will probably be nominated because Star Wars is mainstream enough.
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I've been holding out hope that the Emmy's have just been waiting for The Shield to end before showering it with awards and blowjobs. But if The Wire didn't get jack shit for its final season, I kinda doubt The Shield will either.
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I gotta go with the final scenes being a showdown between Vic and his daughter. Shane gets killed and everything gets pinned on him or Aceveda, Mackey walks away from it clean, but the price is his family. Probably one of the most gut wrenching things they could do, after all the shit Mackey did he ends up back on the streets as a regular cop completely in the clear, but it costs him his daughter.
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...yet this sounds like a terrible terrible idea.
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He's got his own Dexter/Robin to train, now.
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Agreed. But she must be something right because I hate her more than Mara. Fucking stupid brat...
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Everything I've seen that kid in comes off as incredibly transparent. As for Chiklis's daughter, most of the time she just glares and mutters and to be honest her performance hasn't struck me as even the least bit unrealistic. She's playing a bratty, rebellious teenager who's discovering that her father is a very dark and complicated man.
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Vic seems to be losing the respect and support of just about everybody, including Danny and even to some extent Ronnie. Ronnie hates Shane with a passion and really seems to resent Vic's pretending to be cool with him. Next week looks interesting and intense and it also looks like Shane is once again making a play to double cross Vic with Ronnie, though I doubt Ronnie will be open to such a partnership. It's obvious that Vic's story is ultimately a tragedy but the real question is how will that tragedy manifest?
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probably good its ending soon. not sure an 8th or 9th season would be great.
but glad we got a 7th season =) -
I have been a avid fan since first episode and I really hate to see this series come to its last season. As for the comments about Autumn Chiklis I think see has done a great job with what she has been dealt. Her part is being expanded for a reason and I hope it doesn't cause major grief
for Vic in the end but I'm afraid thats were it's headed..
I think her portrayal of Mackey's
daughter is pretty good..She dearly loves her dad but is slowly discovering what his demons
have done. She is being torn apart
in the process along with her mother.. It doesn't get much more real than that.
I just want to add that last weeks episode with Claudette giving the little gangster the N word talk was in my opinion one of the best moments I have seen on the show. I really will miss this cast and this show.. -
The last two seasons were; where's season seven goddamnit?
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because they air it once, late night on Tuedays (eastern time) and re-run each episode ONCE, at midnight on Sundays (east coast time). Fucking make the product more easily available. Great show. Wish I were catching this season.
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Sep 24, 2008 10:55:36 PM CDT
Autumn is a terrible actress, but forgivable in the
by lanemyersclassic
name of realism. Corinne is not that far behind in acting ability. IMHO these are the only two weak links in a FLAWLESS show. I gotta go now, time to pull a Billings at work.
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Why are you in those files?! They got me on that one! BRAVO!
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that neither Walton Goggins nor Jay Karnes have been recognized for their work on this show. Chiklis has his statue, Close got a nom, Pounder has her resume and a nom, but without those two guys, this show wouldn't work nearly as well. I must agree about the nepotism; Ryan's wife is passable, but Chiklis' daughter is too wooden, even with what little she is given.
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His smile in this episode, after Vic and Ronnie help Verona from Crank escape, cracked me up. Goddammit. The asshole killed Lem, fucked over the rest of the strike team multiple times, and has the worst wife in the history of women...but I can't stay mad at him.
Goddammit.
I still want to see Vic and Shane make it out alive, and playing golf every day, together, once they retire.
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I agree "The Shield" should receive far more awards. I'm often stunned and amazed by how well this show is put together. The writing, the acting, the style of directing, and the uncompromising drama that unfolds is intense, head-slamming, yet often quite moving. The recent scene where Claudette got in the face of the 14-year-old murderer, patiently at first but with rising intensity, explaining what black men and women in the past had to go through to earn what that little dentally challenged shithead took for granted took my breath away. I was literally stunned by the righteous storm Claudette invoked to steal the little fucker's thunder and bitchslap him harder than he'd been slapped in years.
"The Shield" exploits so many of these wonderfullly unexpected, character-driven scenes.
One of my favorite shows ever.
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