tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post8989349956107865861..comments2024-03-18T13:50:45.615-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: The Shield: Shawn Ryan post-finale Q&AAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-89566283191047479882014-02-02T12:50:42.404-05:002014-02-02T12:50:42.404-05:00I've watched the show's ending in real tim...I've watched the show's ending in real time in 2008, but since I've started watching the show and until the present day, I think "The Shield" is the greatest tv show of all time, and I still enjoy watching it and reading about it now and then.<br />I can't get enough of it. I even bought the whole DVD set recently just for a few extra content it might have that I didn't already get online, and also in order to support the makers of the series (it's a shame the episodes are in widescreen, though).<br /><br />So I've just read this Q&A now, and it was great and very interesting to read.<br />It "broke my heart" a little while reading, to think that the show could be even better if Franka Potente was available for the last season (not that I remember thinking that something was missing).<br /><br />About the show not being as popular as "The Sopranos" and whatever other shows ("Breaking Bad"?), on one hand I can sympathize with Shawn and the others. It must not be so easy to make this masterpiece and see others get more credit on lesser shows, but on the other hand, it makes me feel more special, knowing and loving the series so much. They all probably know the quality of the show that they've made, and that they have many quality fans that acknowledge it.<br /><br />If Shawn, Michael or anyone else of the writers, actors or production men that helped making this show what it is will ever come across this comment - I want to say a big THANK YOU! YOU ROCK!Eran Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85308987441827346662012-04-12T17:46:09.003-04:002012-04-12T17:46:09.003-04:00Awesome show, great interview !
I just spent the l...Awesome show, great interview !<br />I just spent the last two weeks hooked into it !<br />Amazingly built with the acme right in the middle when they are looking at all the money, and how everything falls apart afterwards ...<br />I loved it, great ending, everything made sense, all the characters were consistent and real until the end, got attached to each one of them <br />THANK YOU<br />Hard to find a series to compete with it ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-14905619402778621542010-01-01T15:26:40.588-05:002010-01-01T15:26:40.588-05:00Great interview.
Also a great "post" by...Great interview.<br /><br />Also a great "post" by Vic above mine.Donaldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-22490144407246729892009-08-28T00:16:07.851-04:002009-08-28T00:16:07.851-04:00Hi everyone,
I just wanted to check in, and give ...Hi everyone,<br /><br />I just wanted to check in, and give you all an update on what has been happening since my show ended.<br /><br />The Barn fell into a mundane existence when Claudette retired and Dutch took over. The numbers were not spectacular (considering we weren't there to keep a lid on things), and the brass shut it down. Dutch is now Metro Division Commander, a plum assignment and talk is he'll be a Deputy Chief in the next 5 years.<br /><br />Ronnie. Man, I feel sick about him. He found some hotshot lawyer who convinced the powers that be a big showy trial would be bad PR for the department. Then Ronnie had a change of heart, went to trial in Santa Clarita and got himself off! He still doesn't answer my calls.<br /><br />Acevada won the election, then one year in got caught fooling around on his wife with a TV reporter. He's a slick one, managed to get all of his programs passed anyway. as much as we were opposites, you gotta respect a guy with less morals than even me.<br /><br />While I am stuck here at ICE, I have been doing some independent work on my own, to the point even Dutch calls me once in awhile for intel. Not everyone hated me at the barn, so I keep my fingers in whatever I can.<br /><br />I can't wait to get out of here, altho I do like my new boss much more than Olivia, who was transferred to Brownsville to do immigration checks.<br /><br />I'll post more when I can, right now I have to run down something from a text message I got from my daughter last night...Vic Mackeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6539341761256597012009-08-09T22:14:24.381-04:002009-08-09T22:14:24.381-04:00Great interview and really caps a good series. I ...Great interview and really caps a good series. I enjoyed The Shield even though it doesn't rank as one of the greatest for me. But it was very good and quite a fun ride with a specific feel unlike any other. <br /><br />I thought everyone understood that the ending of the Sopranos was us, the audience, getting whacked. Look back at Bobby talking about what it would be like and you'll see that is exactly what happened. We were there, in Tony's world, and then suddenly we weren't. Simple as that. As soon as I realized that I was convinced it was a genius ending.J-rodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11348149382409634033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-72854314228293628832008-12-15T10:02:00.000-05:002008-12-15T10:02:00.000-05:00I saw the finale last night after waiting to see t...I saw the finale last night after waiting to see the whole season in one strech (over this weekend). I've watched the Sopranos and thought it had a "cool" ending but after the final episode of "The Shield" I actually, physically felt sick. I fell a sleep not knowing if I felt sick because of me liking (in a weird twisted way) Vic and Shane and wishing they got away or being a shame of me liking them and wishing they got away. The closeness between Mara and Shane in the scene where he wipes her almost made me understand all the crap he's done. And the genious of Vic's office "hell" was probably the best TV I've seen. I've watched A LOT of TV series but have never been this moved by a final episode... Thanks for the interview Alan. <BR/><BR/>I think I'm going to watch the show all over again...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-4689756276643765072008-12-03T18:00:00.000-05:002008-12-03T18:00:00.000-05:00I have never missed a single episode of The Shield...I have never missed a single episode of The Shield. It was one of a kind. I cared about each one of the characters. It was always the ends justifies the means. The truth is that Lem was the most descent and I was devistated when Shane killed him, especially when Lem trying to protect Shane is what got him arrested in the first place. Then the ending for Ronnie.. devestation again. I had the vision that Shane and Vic would die and Ronnie would sort of give some narrative at the end of what the cost was. He was always the level headed one so I thought he should be able to walk away. That ending stuck with me for days. How could Vic do that to Ronnie? To me,it didn't fit his code no matter what. He could always find a way to make things work out. I kept waiting for some plan to reveal itself. I was bummed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-22369484776719716282008-12-02T15:11:00.000-05:002008-12-02T15:11:00.000-05:00Re: the sub-plot of Dutch and serial-killer-kid Ll...Re: the sub-plot of Dutch and serial-killer-kid Lloyd...<BR/><BR/>At the beginning of Claudette's interrogation of Lloyd, she says that his mother's clothes were found in Dutch's trash. Then later, Lloyd exclaims, "He burned my mother's clothes!" I immediately thought the kid had screwed himself... how could he know that the clothes were burnt unless he'd planted them?<BR/><BR/>The show didn't highlight this point... but in everything that follows, Claudette and Dutch act as if they're confident they'll convict Lloyd. Most of the forums don't mention this at all, and just assume Lloyd's guilt and fate are left ambiguous. I found only one other person who agreed with me that the "burnt clothes" outburst was a slip-up that sealed Lloyd's fate... but the show was subtle enough to let the viewers figure it out for ourselves.<BR/><BR/>Any truth to my perspective? Or did I miss something?<BR/><BR/>Stuart<BR/>http://stuart-randomthoughts.blogspot.com/stuartresnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-43450592393519464032008-12-02T00:56:00.000-05:002008-12-02T00:56:00.000-05:00Vic's appeal...? What is the clue to the love/hat...Vic's appeal...? What is the clue to the love/hate Shield fans had for our fav sociopath bad boy. Many psychobabble themes apply, but can anyone sum up in 50 words or less the intensity of Vic's appeal... Can't fully get a handle on why we pulled for a character sooo deeply bad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66788120618192904762008-12-01T18:08:00.000-05:002008-12-01T18:08:00.000-05:00Barfly, what are you talking about? The Shield fin...Barfly, what are you talking about? The Shield finale was perfect. Vic was trapped in the personal hell he created. <BR/><BR/>Its widely known David Chase despised his audience and the black out ending was his final kiss-off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37844913815273397632008-11-30T22:00:00.000-05:002008-11-30T22:00:00.000-05:00Tony Soprano is neither alive nor dead at the end ...Tony Soprano is neither alive nor dead at the end of The Sopranos. It was an open-ended conclusion. This is not a secret, and anybody who thinks Tony is 100% alive or 100% dead is only projecting themselves upon the ending.<BR/><BR/>I can't believe there are still suckers out there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34782748572808804872008-11-28T02:16:00.000-05:002008-11-28T02:16:00.000-05:00I was very satisfied with the finale. I'm not cert...I was very satisfied with the finale. I'm not certain how those saying that "this was a cop out--set up for a movie" come to that conclusion. There aren't a whole lot of avenues left to explore. Ronnie is going to end up, as Ryan said, siding with white supremacists. The Strike Team never had encounters with that sort of gang so I don't see Ronnie having any plausible means of getting Vic whacked. It would be pretty hard for him to form any alliances with any prisoners because they're either going to be there because of him or get the low down from other prisoners about Ronnie and the rest of the Strike Team. Therefore, they will, in all liklihood, not want anything to do with Ronnie. <BR/><BR/>In the final few weeks, I *thought* that Shane might do what he ultimately did. As far as what I wanted to see....well I was hoping that Olivia would let Ronnie know what Vic had done. I was hoping that they would bust Beltran together and then, as Vic was taking care of the business around the crime sce, that Ronnie would walk up behind him and kill him. Onc completed, Ronnie runs for Mexico;Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-35740228288903288042008-11-28T01:56:00.000-05:002008-11-28T01:56:00.000-05:00Great interview! It was interesting to hear Shawn ...Great interview! It was interesting to hear Shawn Ryan elaborate on Vic and Ronnie's fates. Loved the shark analogy for Vic. Poor Ronnie! In lock up with Antwon Mitchell. I'm relieved we won't get to see him with a shaved head sucking up to white supremacists to survive. That's too heart-breaking.<BR/><BR/>The only question I had was about Cassidy. I still don't understand her sudden change in behavior. They spent so much time showing her rebelling against Vic: using drugs, pimps & hoes parties, neglecting her autistic brother, pushing Corrine, confronting Danny about her father killing Terry and demanding that Billings arrest him for kidnapping Mara. I thought it would lead up to something but instead it was dropped. Suddenly overnight Cassidy started being nice to Vic and getting 98% on tests. What happened? Is there a deleted scene?<BR/><BR/>And what happened with Danny and Lee? Again, they built up this tension between Danny and Vic about shared custody and suddenly that storyline was dropped too. They spoke again. Not once!<BR/><BR/>Those were my only real gripes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-41984703451833434322008-11-27T23:07:00.000-05:002008-11-27T23:07:00.000-05:001)It wasn't my question. If you read the intro, th...1)It wasn't my question. If you read the intro, the questions in italics (and not in bold) came from a group interview session, some of which were asked by me, many not. <BR/><BR/>2)If it hadn't been asked in that session, it sure would've been asked at some point in the comments on this blog. <BR/><BR/>3)What exactly was there about the finale that you feel didn't get asked?Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87920513153984120702008-11-27T22:58:00.000-05:002008-11-27T22:58:00.000-05:00SERIOUSLY? ? ? The author of this article did not...SERIOUSLY? ? ? The author of this article did not know "X" of Concrete Blond? With the numerous things that could have been asked a question about the soundtrack!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-81263723966656906982008-11-27T15:46:00.000-05:002008-11-27T15:46:00.000-05:00Fantastic interview!Fantastic interview!J.R. LeMarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13060796760117717968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36938679133280866582008-11-27T14:50:00.000-05:002008-11-27T14:50:00.000-05:00Outstanding interview, it covered so many differen...Outstanding interview, it covered so many different questions I would have asked Ryan. I've never read your blog before Alan but I'll definitely look into it now.<BR/><BR/>As for the ending itself, if there's been a better series finale in the history of television, I haven't seen it.Clayton Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11721934128611780750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-43159117111077364182008-11-27T12:20:00.000-05:002008-11-27T12:20:00.000-05:00"Chase has said in interviews that Tony is not dea..."Chase has said in interviews that Tony is not dead."<BR/><BR/>You need to stop reading the N.Y. Daily News.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-80426140237487195992008-11-27T09:28:00.000-05:002008-11-27T09:28:00.000-05:00Great interview! I love the insight from the crea...Great interview! I love the insight from the creator after the fact. I was mad for about thirty seconds after the show. I wanted Vic to pay for all the sins and the betrayal. But then I realized, Vic might have beat jail, but he lost everything to do so!! I think I need to get the WIRE on dvd. Seems like every one that watched Sopranos and The Shield also liked that show too! Thanks Alan!Kimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09809873313644835527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-65812897944782895162008-11-27T08:55:00.000-05:002008-11-27T08:55:00.000-05:00"Chase had the balls to kill off his main characte..."Chase had the balls to kill off his main character "<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Chase has said in interviews that Tony is not dead.WWVMDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04821042075265028420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26145072515658597982008-11-27T01:03:00.000-05:002008-11-27T01:03:00.000-05:00Wow. Thanks Alan, that was just what I needed to k...Wow. Thanks Alan, that was just what I needed to keep my fix going. I love the misc back stories and trivia that leads to a great end product.xaquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08752005622452102316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-72486004855131920442008-11-27T00:17:00.000-05:002008-11-27T00:17:00.000-05:00Great Q&A. Only thing I'd be dying to ask...Great Q&A. Only thing I'd be dying to ask is if Vic's personal and professional demise at the hands of 2 women was as intentional as it <A HREF="http://middleclassandwhite.blogspot.com/2008/11/rise-fall-of-vic-mackey.html" REL="nofollow">seemed</A>.Middle Class & Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08452027410946111180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-38217253987688688492008-11-26T21:34:00.000-05:002008-11-26T21:34:00.000-05:00I have to agree with the above poster who mentione...I have to agree with the above poster who mentioned the "cop out" ending in hopes for a movie.<BR/><BR/>Ryan could have learned a lesson from David Chase. Chase had the balls to kill off his main character (and his cash cow)but did it in a poetic and beautiful way that will have all of us discussing it for years.<BR/><BR/>This finale was sound and fury signifying nothing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-11422509396694419042008-11-26T19:19:00.000-05:002008-11-26T19:19:00.000-05:00I went to bed shortly after the episode finished. ...I went to bed shortly after the episode finished. I had a really hard time sleeping, I kept thinking how bad Ronnie got screwed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53566386098777782362008-11-26T15:58:00.000-05:002008-11-26T15:58:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.com