Season 5 wastes no time starting off with a bang. We've got race wars, riots, school shootings, the scale and production value seem to have increased this season with so many extras, further improved camera work, and I'm so excited to keep watching. Plus we still got the hilarious moments sprinkled in like when Ronnie gets hit in the head with a cross.
"Who hit me?!" "...Jesus Christ?" But most importantly there's real consequences. The entire show has been building up to this and so many things are beginning to pay off and come back to bite the Strike Team. In this show consequences do matter, and in a way it's what the entire show is about.
There's so much set up here, yet it never feels like its drowning us with exposition. The episode begins rapidly introducing us to multiple new storylines and where the characters are.
A Black vs Latino race war has been happening.
Julien is training a new rookie Tina, who shows promise but makes a lot of mistakes. She's the new pretty one, wearing earrings, and idiotically replaces her breast plate with makeup?! I definitely think her conversation with Danni will actually affect her in the future.
Danni is pregnant, she hasn't revealed who's it is and people are betting on it.
Billings is the new captain yes-man jellyfish, and he announces there are budget cuts in the department, and will be less men patrolling. Vic shows how a few cents would be able to pay for them all.
Claudette is sick.
Vic learns that he's being asked to leave the force before he reaches his 15 years, adding further strain to him.
Dutch possibly convicts the wrong student for the shooting due to his frustration.
The Strike Team is trying to get their power back in the street, even beating up the guy who hit Ronnie with a cross in the beginning. (Yeah I know you're cool Vic, but isn't it kinda dumb to leave a card incriminating you to beating up this guy?!) Jon Kavanaugh played by the great Forest Whitaker is introduced, with Lem being in trouble, he threatens Aceveda to help him, and even Terry Crowley all the way back from the pilot is even brought back!
And finally Lem is approached by Kavanaugh to rat on the Strike Team or get arrested.
This episode, like the kill clock in the actual plot of the episode, makes it feel like everyone is under a countdown, and something big is coming for them all. It expertly crafts the normal intensity of the show through plot events and characters, but also through a sense of dread of the coming consequences that they can no longer outrun.
The scale has never felt bigger, the riot outside the school was great, so many extras, people fighting, flipping cars, wrecking everything. I'm sure this is a reference to some historical event that I sadly do not know about. The fire department comes and Vic hoses people down, while Councilman Aceveda watches. As always these scenes are filled with great dialogue and social commentary, which Vic always responds with a witty comeback. Dutch and Claudette's partnership is as great as ever as Dutch tells Tina "It's okay. It's a rookie mistake."and Claudette already sees his intentions and replies with, "She's way to young for you." "I am mature and distinguished. A lot of young women appreciate that." "You really oughta cut back on the p*rn." We get to see how these gangs bring fear into the streets and get people killing each other through kill clocks, and how that paranoia affects and influences the youth even if it isn't true. There's so much going on this episode already. The kid who gets roped into having to kill blacks because of his dad, and then his little brother gets involved is a great case for the episode with a lot of intensity, and excitement, but also sad. There's some great moments like the mother slapping his son after realizing what he has done, or how he literally runs after Claudette to kill her in desperation. Now that was so sudden, but seriously intense, especially after noticing Claudette seemingly isn't feeling so well. Our hero Dutch losses it on the kid, he truly cares for Claudette. And of course we can't go a scene without putting Billings down as he pukes on him. It's revealed that the killer's little brother now has to do the kills himself and we see how he's no longer in the precinct. The way they set it up really adds to the intensity. The little brother being forced to kill and getting stabbed is pretty messed up, but not shying away the darkness and perversion of our real world is an element I love from this show. We also get to see how Vic's trying to stay clean because of everything that's been happening, but he sets up his own protection system too.
Forest Whitaker is so great as Kavanaugh already. Absolutely riveting performance (especially in the later episodes), though sometimes over the top, it only makes the moments when he's serious feel more impactful. I just love his eccentric personality, he completely commands the screen in every scene he's in. Knowing Vic's PI is working with him as he cares so much for her and her kid even willing to let her go to protect her hits extra hard. The scene with Aceveda is a great one as Kavanaugh picks at Aceveda, until he finds what works to his advantage, picking at his Mayoral ambitions. Aceveda initially struggles to choose a side, but eventually succumbs to give him information. The scene where Kavanaugh offers Aceveda gum is another entertaining moment, which it pays offs later.
"No, thank you." "Come on, this is a fresh pack, it's juicy fruit." "I said No, thank you." "Hold this out long enough, some people feel compelled to take the gum. It's a sign they'll crack under pressure." Later when Kavanaugh approaches Vic's wife with an uncomfortable lie he offers him the gum, and despite her denying it first she takes it, obviously foreshadowing she'll crack. There are so many great scenes I didn't mention as always, but this was just such a dense episode. It all beautifully concludes with Kavanaugh and Lem. Tina can't be the only one that shows off this episode as we see Lem in a towel, fittingly stuck between a frame in a frame, approached by Kavanaugh. I don't usually like when shows use a song with a montage as they feel manipulative and shallow, but The Shield always use them effectively in a way that really ties the clips together and sometimes with a sense of irony so well used in this show. In a way this episode reminds me a lot of the pilot, like with the final montage, and perhaps that's on purpose, because this is finally the beginning of the end for everyone. Kavanaugh reveals that they found Lem with the brick of tar he took last season as collateral to protect Shane and replaced it with a fake, which Lem returned, so Lem never logged it into evidence. Kavanaugh expertly directs the conversation, literally moving his hand with his words, and as much as Lem tries to row through, Kavanaugh's current is too strong. Kavanaugh says, "Why is it that the guy with the conscience always has to get caught holding the bag? And we never really want that guy, do we?" which not only works as Kavanaugh appealing to Lem, but also in a meta way Shawn Ryan working the audience into being stuck between choosing who to side with. Kavanaugh is in the right side of the law, but I don't want him to get Lem, Lem really is the conscience, the best of them. Vic definitely deserves it more than most, but he's the protagonist, we've seen what he has gone through the most, and in a way with sympathize with him even if he's truly the bad guy... But maybe that's it, like Vic has manipulated everyone else all this time, he's manipulated the audience too. And with that the stage for a truly masterful season is set. "We want the guy that put him in the motion. The one who is really dangerous... Who do you think I want?"
"Who hit me?!" "...Jesus Christ?" But most importantly there's real consequences. The entire show has been building up to this and so many things are beginning to pay off and come back to bite the Strike Team. In this show consequences do matter, and in a way it's what the entire show is about.
There's so much set up here, yet it never feels like its drowning us with exposition. The episode begins rapidly introducing us to multiple new storylines and where the characters are.
A Black vs Latino race war has been happening.
Julien is training a new rookie Tina, who shows promise but makes a lot of mistakes. She's the new pretty one, wearing earrings, and idiotically replaces her breast plate with makeup?! I definitely think her conversation with Danni will actually affect her in the future.
Danni is pregnant, she hasn't revealed who's it is and people are betting on it.
Billings is the new captain yes-man jellyfish, and he announces there are budget cuts in the department, and will be less men patrolling. Vic shows how a few cents would be able to pay for them all.
Claudette is sick.
Vic learns that he's being asked to leave the force before he reaches his 15 years, adding further strain to him.
Dutch possibly convicts the wrong student for the shooting due to his frustration.
The Strike Team is trying to get their power back in the street, even beating up the guy who hit Ronnie with a cross in the beginning. (Yeah I know you're cool Vic, but isn't it kinda dumb to leave a card incriminating you to beating up this guy?!) Jon Kavanaugh played by the great Forest Whitaker is introduced, with Lem being in trouble, he threatens Aceveda to help him, and even Terry Crowley all the way back from the pilot is even brought back!
And finally Lem is approached by Kavanaugh to rat on the Strike Team or get arrested.
This episode, like the kill clock in the actual plot of the episode, makes it feel like everyone is under a countdown, and something big is coming for them all. It expertly crafts the normal intensity of the show through plot events and characters, but also through a sense of dread of the coming consequences that they can no longer outrun.
The scale has never felt bigger, the riot outside the school was great, so many extras, people fighting, flipping cars, wrecking everything. I'm sure this is a reference to some historical event that I sadly do not know about. The fire department comes and Vic hoses people down, while Councilman Aceveda watches. As always these scenes are filled with great dialogue and social commentary, which Vic always responds with a witty comeback. Dutch and Claudette's partnership is as great as ever as Dutch tells Tina "It's okay. It's a rookie mistake."and Claudette already sees his intentions and replies with, "She's way to young for you." "I am mature and distinguished. A lot of young women appreciate that." "You really oughta cut back on the p*rn." We get to see how these gangs bring fear into the streets and get people killing each other through kill clocks, and how that paranoia affects and influences the youth even if it isn't true. There's so much going on this episode already. The kid who gets roped into having to kill blacks because of his dad, and then his little brother gets involved is a great case for the episode with a lot of intensity, and excitement, but also sad. There's some great moments like the mother slapping his son after realizing what he has done, or how he literally runs after Claudette to kill her in desperation. Now that was so sudden, but seriously intense, especially after noticing Claudette seemingly isn't feeling so well. Our hero Dutch losses it on the kid, he truly cares for Claudette. And of course we can't go a scene without putting Billings down as he pukes on him. It's revealed that the killer's little brother now has to do the kills himself and we see how he's no longer in the precinct. The way they set it up really adds to the intensity. The little brother being forced to kill and getting stabbed is pretty messed up, but not shying away the darkness and perversion of our real world is an element I love from this show. We also get to see how Vic's trying to stay clean because of everything that's been happening, but he sets up his own protection system too.
Forest Whitaker is so great as Kavanaugh already. Absolutely riveting performance (especially in the later episodes), though sometimes over the top, it only makes the moments when he's serious feel more impactful. I just love his eccentric personality, he completely commands the screen in every scene he's in. Knowing Vic's PI is working with him as he cares so much for her and her kid even willing to let her go to protect her hits extra hard. The scene with Aceveda is a great one as Kavanaugh picks at Aceveda, until he finds what works to his advantage, picking at his Mayoral ambitions. Aceveda initially struggles to choose a side, but eventually succumbs to give him information. The scene where Kavanaugh offers Aceveda gum is another entertaining moment, which it pays offs later.
"No, thank you." "Come on, this is a fresh pack, it's juicy fruit." "I said No, thank you." "Hold this out long enough, some people feel compelled to take the gum. It's a sign they'll crack under pressure." Later when Kavanaugh approaches Vic's wife with an uncomfortable lie he offers him the gum, and despite her denying it first she takes it, obviously foreshadowing she'll crack. There are so many great scenes I didn't mention as always, but this was just such a dense episode. It all beautifully concludes with Kavanaugh and Lem. Tina can't be the only one that shows off this episode as we see Lem in a towel, fittingly stuck between a frame in a frame, approached by Kavanaugh. I don't usually like when shows use a song with a montage as they feel manipulative and shallow, but The Shield always use them effectively in a way that really ties the clips together and sometimes with a sense of irony so well used in this show. In a way this episode reminds me a lot of the pilot, like with the final montage, and perhaps that's on purpose, because this is finally the beginning of the end for everyone. Kavanaugh reveals that they found Lem with the brick of tar he took last season as collateral to protect Shane and replaced it with a fake, which Lem returned, so Lem never logged it into evidence. Kavanaugh expertly directs the conversation, literally moving his hand with his words, and as much as Lem tries to row through, Kavanaugh's current is too strong. Kavanaugh says, "Why is it that the guy with the conscience always has to get caught holding the bag? And we never really want that guy, do we?" which not only works as Kavanaugh appealing to Lem, but also in a meta way Shawn Ryan working the audience into being stuck between choosing who to side with. Kavanaugh is in the right side of the law, but I don't want him to get Lem, Lem really is the conscience, the best of them. Vic definitely deserves it more than most, but he's the protagonist, we've seen what he has gone through the most, and in a way with sympathize with him even if he's truly the bad guy... But maybe that's it, like Vic has manipulated everyone else all this time, he's manipulated the audience too. And with that the stage for a truly masterful season is set. "We want the guy that put him in the motion. The one who is really dangerous... Who do you think I want?"
