tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post2006673993161450483..comments2024-03-19T05:50:19.572-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: The Shield: It hits the fanAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-16366376414843686932007-05-15T00:45:00.000-04:002007-05-15T00:45:00.000-04:00"How many times do I have to say this?" Even more,..."How many times do I have to say this?" <BR/><BR/>Even more, apparently.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3608849495380519332007-05-14T12:12:00.000-04:002007-05-14T12:12:00.000-04:00NubianNubianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-52569446555288725002007-05-14T00:45:00.000-04:002007-05-14T00:45:00.000-04:00This is NOT a spoiler.For anyone who's seen the Fr...This is NOT a spoiler.<BR/><BR/>For anyone who's seen the French episodes, I'm curious to see if the upcoming episode uses "nubian" or "black". It's at the 13:30 mark of the episode.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-77877336463821585322007-05-13T14:03:00.000-04:002007-05-13T14:03:00.000-04:00Ed, Aceveda's rape will be adressed in the final f...Ed, Aceveda's rape will be adressed in the final four (as will a subplot everyone thought the show was done with years ago).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-51767993446754821462007-05-13T14:00:00.000-04:002007-05-13T14:00:00.000-04:00Being very very very vague here, but Alan can dele...Being very very very vague here, but Alan can delete it if he wants:<BR/><BR/>The finale takes places in the day of Vic's hearing. I'm curious to see the reaction, it's great but it's more a huge set-up for the final season (which I'm now convinced will take place in less than two weeks) than the climax The Shield finales usually have (the one big arc of the season that does get genuine closure is Dutch's, actually everything that happens to him in the finale is so satisfying as a payoff that I suspect it plays pretty much like they had planned when it was still the final season).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36581783986631691562007-05-11T12:51:00.000-04:002007-05-11T12:51:00.000-04:00I have to think the comptroller thing was specific...I have to think the comptroller thing was specifically set up to give Mackey an out on his forced retirement. I wonder what the time frame for the remaining episodes will be. Will each cover a single day? That could compress time without dragging things out, though it seems obvious that something has to happen to Shane that doesn't give him the chance to spill the beans. My memory is fuzzy: Whatever happened to the tape of Aceveda's forced oral rape? Did Mackey know about that? I vaguely remember a scene where he returned that tape to him. Could he have kept a copy?Edward Copelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12463676135131274426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36478783115336145102007-05-11T08:15:00.000-04:002007-05-11T08:15:00.000-04:00How many times do I have to say this? NO FUTURE SP...How many times do I have to say this? <B>NO FUTURE SPOILERS</B>, no matter how much space you put in.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66035889100799449352007-05-11T00:33:00.000-04:002007-05-11T00:33:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-80362318510301254512007-05-09T22:20:00.000-04:002007-05-09T22:20:00.000-04:00The series is really building in intensity this se...The series is really building in intensity this season, something it's never lacked. But I for one will be sorely disappointed if Vic does eventually get a standard TV comeuppance (death, imprisonment, loss of family, etc.). Other satisfying resolutions are possible.<BR/><BR/>On another topic, The Black Donnellys continues to grow satisfyingly in intensity as well. True, it can only be viewed at www.NBC.com anymore, but it's well worth doing. Should never have been cancelled for the stupid Wedding Crashers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9948635732499235062007-05-09T21:50:00.000-04:002007-05-09T21:50:00.000-04:00Whoa. Vic confronts Shane last night, and tonight...Whoa. Vic confronts Shane last night, and tonight, he is in the American Idol audience?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-27309275930311795692007-05-09T13:49:00.000-04:002007-05-09T13:49:00.000-04:00Alan,Sorry about that. Since I now know you are r...Alan,<BR/><BR/>Sorry about that. Since I now know you are reading and have no private way of contacting you, one quick question. Do you have the time/inclination/personality to co-host a weekly show on television? I' in the process of setting something up and I think you would be great for it.<BR/><BR/>You can email me directly at markwoodvine@earthlink.net if you prefer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-40928572205225569142007-05-09T13:02:00.000-04:002007-05-09T13:02:00.000-04:00I meant "Everything with," not "Everything was".An...I meant "Everything with," not "Everything was".<BR/><BR/>AnonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62815691089194426682007-05-09T13:01:00.000-04:002007-05-09T13:01:00.000-04:00Everything was Shane and Vic and the Ghost of Lem ...Everything was Shane and Vic and the Ghost of Lem was great, even if the final "showdown" went down along familiar lines: <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Elr5K2Vuo" REL="nofollow">"I learned it by watching you, Vic. I learned it by watching you!"</A> Shane is right to throw Terry's murder in Vic's face, of course, but as you have noted Alan, Terry's murder has made less and less sense as we've learned more about Vic. Vic is certainly willing to kill -- I think Shane's accusation that he was just saving Vic from having to kill Lem was on point -- but usually only as a last resort. This is partially because Vic does try to operate under some (deeply compromised) moral code and also partially because killing people creates a lot of hassle. More cynically one could say Vic's really just concerned about the cost of business, but it makes him feel good to cloak those concerns in moral language. Either way, Vic's murder of Terry was atypical, and I don't feel like it's ever been properly explained.<BR/><BR/>After all, if Vic hadn't killed Terry in the premiere, could Shane really have made the argument about Vic eventually "coming to understand"? Is there any other murder Vic's committed that was so gratuitously unjustifiable?<BR/><BR/>That said, I can't wait until Vic tells Ronnie about Terry, and I want to see what Shane does with the Armenians next week. And yes, I want to know if Hyatt's stilted delivery in the scene with Dutch means he's <I>still</I> a Fed and maybe after Mackey.<BR/><BR/>And damn, Anthony Anderson was good. That little taste of Antwon Mitchell was riveting, especially the ease with which he read Mackey. Someone should have mentioned him in your <I>Running Scared</I> thread.<BR/><BR/>But the rest of the episode...Eh.<BR/><BR/>If you're Claudette, and you're trying to get rid of Mackey, WHY would you give him access to the city comptroller via a politically and personally sensitive case involving the comptroller's daughter? WHY? Claudette isn't stupid. There was no reason for the strike team to be on this -- Mackey's a great strategic thinker with lots of street knowledge, but it's not like he's a great detective. And this case didn't even need a great detective: There were bloody shoeprints at the scene, a shady character everyone in the building pointed to, and an address book lying open on a living room table. I think Billings could have solved this case. It seemed like the whole thing was set up so Vic could get some juice with the comptroller.<BR/><BR/>And while Vic was solving an easy case, Dutch had to moon at Tina. (And an aside: If Tina is only around to make sure that Danny, who got her stripes at the beginning of the season, ends up losing them at the end of the season, it'll be one of the lamest things the show has done.) Doesn't Dutch deserve a better storyline than this? Not just Jay Karnes, the actor, but Dutch the character -- I thought he had grown up enough (particularly through his relationship with Corinne) not to putter around, staring jealousy at a pretty girl through an office window. Since Dutch and Billings seem to be the only detectives in the Barn, I was hoping they'd be allowed to solve more than one case this season.<BR/><BR/>...And that leads to Mackey not retiring. It's clear he can't, so the question is how to keep him on the force. There's only two ways I see: either he solves a big case and garners a lot of personal publicity, or he gets dirt on someone high up. The only big case this season are the San Marcos murders, and the only politicians we've met are Aceveda and the comptroller. If I had to guess, I'd say Vic will end up playing some crucial role in solving the crime, and maybe that and his juice with the comptroller will tie Claudette and Aceveda's hands. Or maybe Vic will catch Aceveda in an affair or something. Worst case scenario: Vic solves the San Marcos case <I>and</I> catches Aceveda having an affair, all while Dutch and Billings go get coffee and Tina is promoted to head of the Barn.<BR/><BR/>AnonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-38814582226908563052007-05-09T12:57:00.000-04:002007-05-09T12:57:00.000-04:00Okay, I'm gonna nip this in the bud right now. No ...Okay, I'm gonna nip this in the bud right now. <B>No discussion</B> of the French episodes here, not even in vague terms like above.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-41245122209709773472007-05-09T12:54:00.000-04:002007-05-09T12:54:00.000-04:00Funny how many of us have watched the French versi...Funny how many of us have watched the French version online. The words "Cree par Shawn Ryan" now get me ridiculously excited.<BR/><BR/>I won't get into any spoilers here, but in response to Alan's fear about the next season being anti-climatic, I was feeling exactly the same way until they introduced Franka Potente. Anyone else feel the same way?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37590932265972706382007-05-09T12:44:00.000-04:002007-05-09T12:44:00.000-04:00Wallwriting perfectly summed up the monster that i...Wallwriting perfectly summed up the monster that is Shane! Last night was amazing, but I hope that the emotional pay-off in this episode isn't the last one we'll get for the entire series. Both of these men have to go down for their choices.Creehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18083375597235040043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-63737456257682473962007-05-09T11:52:00.000-04:002007-05-09T11:52:00.000-04:00Cassidy is horrrrrible, yes, but also the source o...Cassidy is horrrrrible, yes, but also the source of my all-time favorite "Shield" moment. In the pilot, Vic is grilling a child molester, and gets offended that the guy doesn't want to molest Cassidy. "What's wrong with my little Cassidy?..." Priceless.<BR/> Which leads me once again to my disappointment in this show. That character from the pilot was pure relentless id, limited only by his own self interest and his family's. It was awesome to behold. That character would have never tried to justify himself to Shane last night, and that character woud never have been on a team with a guy who would burn up the money train cash. That guy knew he was a shitheel, but he didn't care. At the time, killing Terry was not presented as a monumental, earth-shattering deed, but simply as the cost of doing business.<BR/> I understand to a point why they backed away from that. It would have been difficult for that character not to flame out. <BR/> Another question: What ever happened to the camera photo of Acevedo being mouth-raped? Is it wandering the Pine Barrens with the Russian from The Sopranos? Is Chuck Cunningham there?<BR/> P.S.. 2nd fave Shield moment: "...not even on CINqo de MAY-oo!" and calling him "AssInvader".Homertojeebushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14716825626940216299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1533530759842504392007-05-09T10:30:00.000-04:002007-05-09T10:30:00.000-04:00There's a belief that a pereson tends to see in ot...There's a belief that a pereson tends to see in others the worst things about himself. So if you're a thief, you tend to think everyone is out to steal your stuff, etc. etc.<BR/><BR/>I find it interesting that Shane, more than anyone else, immediately jumped to the conclulsion that Lem was a snitch and killed him for it. When Vic made that comment about hoping Shane gets caught, Shane's first reaction was to threaten to snitch.<BR/><BR/>It all leads me to wonder what Shane is punishing himself over. Is it just the guilt of killing his friend? Or is it also the guilt of knowing that if he were in Lem's shoes, he would have caved the moment the cuffs hit his wrists?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-44764245308777979692007-05-09T10:04:00.000-04:002007-05-09T10:04:00.000-04:00One of the things that I love about this show is t...One of the things that I love about this show is that the charactes are still referencing and suffering the consequences of actions taken in the very first episode however many years ago that was. I think they can make the last season work, particularly if they TRULY take some risks and bring Mackie down. Shane is either going to be dead, in custody, or spilling the beans (much like Chris Moltisante, I guess). If Shane tells what he knows, Vic goes down, and there would be some real consequences to what happened. I think that would be fascinating to see, and Chiklis could really do some great stuff if Vic were in jail or on the run.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61987889168302842122007-05-09T09:39:00.000-04:002007-05-09T09:39:00.000-04:00Ah, that explains why the credits were in French. ...Ah, that explains why the credits were in French. Seemed odd to me it would air in a Francophone country before airing here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-7079385653514103052007-05-09T09:28:00.000-04:002007-05-09T09:28:00.000-04:00Damn, it's hard for me to comment on the episode, ...Damn, it's hard for me to comment on the episode, while having seen all but the season finale. (Thank you, France!)<BR/><BR/>But that was an incredible scene. And I loved that it took place where last season's final act took place. Just... wow. Fantastic episode, best of the season.dark tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13461345493748899275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-65480617284263763042007-05-09T05:08:00.000-04:002007-05-09T05:08:00.000-04:00This is going to be the biggest battle of the mons...This is going to be the biggest battle of the monsters since Godzilla met King Kong.<BR/><BR/>Re: Chiklis' daughter. Has anybody told her she's playing the one Mackey kid who ISN'T autistic?<BR/><BR/>Unlike 24 rehashing the same crap over and over, somehow they manage to put Mackey in familiar situations (suspected of murder, confronting Shane in an abandoned lot, etc.) without making it feel like a rehash. Damn, this show is good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-46821185988270038382007-05-09T04:50:00.000-04:002007-05-09T04:50:00.000-04:00Yes, they are showing it in France at the moment.....Yes, they are showing it in France at the moment.<BR/>.<BR/>They have been showing 2 episodes a week and will air the finale this Thursday.<BR/>.<BR/>Can't wait!jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03752097636130110034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-19543461397544609112007-05-09T02:40:00.000-04:002007-05-09T02:40:00.000-04:00When you said "Oscar winner" I thought you were co...When you said "Oscar winner" I thought you were confusing Goggins with Whitaker (who recently won an Oscar). But after browsing imdb I found out that yes, Goggins did win an Oscar but as a producer (for the short film <I>The Accountant</I> in 2001).<BR/><BR/>I think it's time he got at least an Emmy nod. He has been stunning this whole season. <BR/><BR/>But wow...that was some scene at the end...I can't remember the last time I was so tense watching a TV show...oh right, it was the time Lem got killed.<BR/><BR/>I don't like the whole Tina storyline though...her character was always annoying, seemed to be ok for a while and now she's annoying again. And Dutch's fascination with her is creepy. Love Billings though.<BR/><BR/>Somehow, the next 3 episodes have been leaked on the internet...I think the show is airing somewhere else before it airs here.SJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01245472084190224186noreply@blogger.com