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soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
Well I just bought the Box Set for the entire Series. The Shield was a show that I watched from the pilot episode to completion. I have a friend who said he watched the first season but then got busy with life and stuff. He loves the Wire and basically good television in general so I've been hounding his rear end to catch up with The Shield.

Heres the thing. He watched The Shield's first season as it aired and that is it. I'm suggesting he definitely rewatches the first season to get reoriented. If he balks (I will bash him in the face) I will definitely make him watch the pilot and probably the season finale of the first season. Are there any other KEY episodes in season one...as I know its mostly self contained episodes this time around.

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soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.

Junkenstein posted:

I think the penultimate episode leads into the finale.

Is Co-pilot in season 1 or 2?

Co-Pilot is season 2. After I posted my previous post I just kind of rewatched all of Season 1 last night albeit skimming through lots of it. I've kind of decided and I'm going to tell him that he should just watch every episode again. Man a lot of poo poo happens in Season 1 that in retrospect of the series is kind of awesome.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
God I was rewatching all the episodes in Season 1 before I handed off the full series to my friend and in the episode where Shane goes undercover at a cockfighting ring the guy they bust/get to teach Shane about cock fighting is none other than Carlos Mencia. It really threw me off because I just was kind of like, "Why is Carlos Mencia here?!?"

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.

KilGrey posted:

That reminds me, I've been meaning to find some of the old threads just to read along to some of the most :wtf: on the show.

If I recall correctly some of those threads are pretty hilarious in retrospect because of how much we all went crazy over every episode.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.

KilGrey posted:

The one I really want to see is the one scene...I don't even want to say it in spoilers, the heart rending scene that really changes things and poo poo starts to fall apart.

The fact that no one ever got recognized in the big ones (Emmy and Golden Globes) for acting outside of Chiklis first season is the biggest crime of the century.

And to share a story with you (Do not read this unless you've finished the series) The Shield was a show I saw since the first episode. When Season 5 aired I was living with 3 other roommates who were all Shield addicts. So Tuesday night was like our little book club get together. You turned off your cell phone and you shut up when the episode was on. At the time our apartment had cable but not FX so we all would go to one guys place who did.

Anyways after the end of the finale in Season 5 after the credits roll we all just sat silently for what had to be 10-15 minutes. It was just terrible and no one said anything and it was sad. It was weird but it seriously felt like we just found out a good friend died. Lem will never be forgotten!

Also the penultimate episode of that season where they are going to send Lem to hide in Mexico and it has Disarm playing over the scenes by the Smashing Pumpkins...that song is now forever linked to that episode and when I hear it, it only evokes memories of that episode and Lem's demise. I remember one time I'm in the car driving as the sun is going down on the 405 (highway in California) and I seriously felt kind of sad and it was kind of creepy.
In conclusion, The Shield is awesome.

soggybagel fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Mar 5, 2010

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
I'm aware they're circle jerks and I don't really give them any sort of major credibility but lets not forget that they can really open up new opportunities for peoples careers. After seeing Goggins perform on the high level I hope he gets a lot more opportunities as the years pass to showcase his talent.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
There is a couple shots in season 1 that come to mind. Also in Season 1 when the strike team kidnaps the basketball player there is a scene when the players random hook up chick walks in to motel room and due to the framing/blocking of the scene you see out the motel door and there is a bunch of lighting rigs and chairs and stuff visible and it looks like they even might have a monitor with a hood on it and what not.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.

SneakySneaks posted:

That's because the show was shot for a 4:3 aspect ratio and the dvds are all 16:9. All of the stuff that was initially cut out of the frame has turned up again. Shawn Ryan said the show was meant to be a 4:3 show even though the dvds clearly are not.

I totally forgot about that fact. It is interesting too that (and I previously owned them) that the original I think first two seasons released on DVD were full frame but now on the re-release they're all widescreen.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
Wow, thats a huge discount.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
I don't think Season 1 was the weakest. I really don't like Season 4. I mean, yes lots of things of legitimate substance occurred, but it still ultimately felt like it was spinning wheels. I never really liked Glenn Close's character either. I know its cliche to always have a captain that basically is antagonistic to Vic, but I never bought Close's character nor did I like how they basically abruptly closed out her story arc.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
The use of Disarm was the best music montage. This is about to sound lame as gently caress but when I was driving in Los Angeles one time stuck on the freeway the sun was going down and then on KROQ Disarm came on. I actually got chills and thought about the shield.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
The one thing in retrospect that I was somewhat disappointed in was the lack of screen time for (SPOILERS AHEAD REGARDING FINAL SEASON) Acaveda. Don't get me wrong. I liked what they gave him in the final season and I like how he was continuing to climb the political ladder in LA but I always was a big fan of the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' thing with Vic and Acaveda. The bottom line is he knew Vic was dirty and hated him for it, but he couldn't help but often work with him. They definitely explored their relationship in the final season but I wish they could have done more. It's mostly just fan boy longing for something that never happened, but none the less...I just wish they explored it more.

I miss this show.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.

EvilTobaccoExec posted:


My other favorite Ronnie bit is his weird decent into destruction in season 6 where we see his causual approach to murdering people, especially the Armenian hitman he shoots in the hotel room that Shane makes footless. After he murders him, he just has that pinpoint focus, mile long stare that's so intense that even Vic has to comment on.


Wasn't that the first episode of season 7?

And in response to my Season 7 wishes regarding Acaveda and Vic, I don't know. I think its maybe that we got so little of their rivalry in seasons 5 and 6 that in my mind I could envision an entire season dedicated to them just pissing each other off again. I can't really elaborate because I honestly loved the final season and was fine where it went, just that I really had an affinity to the cat and mouse game they played in the early seasons.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
Disarm is seared in my mind and anytime I hear it I think about The Shield.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.

Mexcillent posted:

If you're Latino/Mexican the show is hilarious because no one in the writer's room cared about correct Spanish, correct Spanish names, or anything plausible dealing with Latinos other than Aceveda. You have a guy's name change from Diego to Dieger because Chiklis can't pronounce Spanish, the Armadillo poo poo, etc.

There's one point in season 3 where a bunch of byz lats are calling men putas which I watched c. 2009 and it has in me in stiches to this day. Plus the last season Aceveda arc with an evil narcotraficante developer opening Plaza Mexico is pretty funny too.

And all the Sutter. All. The. Sutter.

When i rewatch the shield sometimes I laugh at the dialogue they give to everyone. Obviously the show is about moving along and giving you good and generally witty one liners, but some of the gang slang and random crap any gang members spout is not particularly good. It's like what a guy who has no exposure to people like that would think they may talk about.

One of my favorite character moments in the entire series was in season 7 when they set up Shane to get murdered at the junkyard but then Vic has one of those bullshit moments where he doesn't want Shane to die for some reason and tries to call him all the while Julian is in the car so Vic and Ronnie have to talk in coded language and Ronnie is full on board with Shane getting iced right then and there. Just a great moment showing how hypocritical Vic is at times and full of self righteousness.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
Well Shawn Ryan has gone on record as saying that this show takes place over (I forget now but I think just two or three years) so Julian being cured is true in that sense since Ryan explained in these sort of real life arcs they may suppress their feelings for a while until it bubbles back. So in the context of the latter half of the series he was "cured" but it was still a struggle.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
I'm loving that the AV Club is doing a 2 episode recap per week. Plenty of juice episodes to re-live.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
Season 5 is a high point in television.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
My friends and I would watch The Shield as a group. Roommates and friends would crowd in to watch it on Tuesday nights. The end of Season 5, everyone was silent in the room for what felt like 20 minutes.

When the finale ended I genuinely felt sad because this show wouldn't be on anymore. It was one of the few shows I have seen from Season 1 to the last watching every episode as it airs. The first year it was on was also the first season of 24. So you could watch 24 then watch the shield. A real good one two punch of tv programming.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
I may have already said this in the thread but I've had Disarm come on the radio when I've been stuck in LA traffic and I honestly get chills. Also it's cool to see intersections and things from the show when I'm out and about.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.

escape artist posted:

Doesn't the hooker act as a CI for him though? Which would explain why he's so desperate to keep her happy.

Been a while since I watched it, but I remember being pretty bored by all of the scenes with her too.

Either way, stick with it. The Shield's weakest season is Season 1, and it just gets better and better.

It helps feed Vic's holier than thou hero complex thing he has going on. And it also highlights how Vic's self righteousness allows himself to be manipulated. Considering he puts prostitutes in to lovely situations and gets manipulated multiple times by them.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

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The issue with Sons of Anarchy for me was it came right after the shield. I was seriously still too drained to try to get invested in a show. Also from what I've heard after the first season it just went way to loving stupid.

I didn't "like" Mara but I thought she Michele Hicks and Goggins both should have nominated for Emmy's that last season. They did amazing jobs. I think from a pure acting standpoint Michele Hicks was amazing simply because she starts out as a character that we're immediately supposed to not like. And most people did not like her but by the final season I think only a monster would not find her empathetic. The scene where Shane is trying to rob that (I think it was this) payroll place/her old office and he can't open the safe and Mara has open it. All the while one of the people they're holding up has to hold the baby. Its just loving heart breaking how pathetic things have gotten. Then of course she's hurt after the botched robbery...and then of course the ultimate ending. You can't not feel bad for her. It's also admirable in the self sacrificing way that she intends to basically Bonnie and Clyde her way to the end with Shane. I do think her performance gets lost in a sea of good performances of this show.

I think that The Shield admirably has strong female characters that can stand on their own even in the same world where the Strike Team is loving women left and right and women being treated like objects. It is also a crime that CCH Pounder never won any hardware. Her performance in the final season is loving great. I can't help but laugh when I think about her reaction in the last season.

GO ON!!! YAH HEARD!!!

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
I never understood some fans hardline take on Vic. He's obviously extremely compelling but I was pretty much disgusted with him by the end of Season 5. He's full of self righteousness and pretty loving despicable. I mean you're obviously supposed to be torn on his behavior and I'd be lying if I didn't laugh and enjoy his antics. But by the end of season 5 it becomes clear how loving awful he is. I found him despicable in a way that I enjoyed seeing what holes he would dig himself.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
Well yeah. But you're clearly meant to see him as the hero none the less. They don't really start turning different gears on him until the end of the 2nd season.

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

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Well, someone took the series finale too seriously.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2633575/The-Shield-star-Michael-Jace-detained-police-connection-shooting-death-wife.html

soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
I always felt a degree of empathy for Ronnie but he showed that he was just as down to ride the corruption bullshit train as the rest of the team. He coldly iced that dude in the motel room early in the 7th season. I had the same goofy rooting favor for him but I don't really feel all too bad for him. He's a bad dude like the rest.

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soggybagel
Aug 6, 2006
The official account of NFL Tackle Phil Loadholt.

Let's talk Football.
Finale Spoilers: One other thing about Ronnie. He was totally willing to let Vic kill Mara. Not cool no matter what you think of her.

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