Throwback Thursday: The Shield

 Have you seen The Shield? If you answered no then go watch it. I'm not kidding, this show is great. I have seen the series in its entirety 4 times and re-watched my favorite episodes at least twice that many times. For those not familiar I'll break it down for you. The Shield follows a special task force called the "Strike Team" that specializes in anti-gang operations. This includes managing turf wars, controlling the drug trade, and solving murders. Sounds like a pretty standard Police procedural right? Well where it gets interesting is the team usually spends most of it's time trying to cover up their own crimes and maintain relevancy among the myriad gangs of  "The Farm". The precinct gets it's name from being located in the Farmington district of Los Angeles.

 Every episode of this show packs in comedy (often dark), action, and the usual police work. The story starts off quickly and never seems to slow down. With every effort the guys make to get out of the "dirty cop" hole they've dug for themselves the more off the rails the whole thing goes. Add in some less than intelligent off the job decisions by the team and a collapsing family for team leader Vic Mackey and things begin to spin out of control.  And lets not forget the constant danger of a category five "Vendrell Shitstorm" at any time.

 This is a show you really need to just watch, it feels like more of an experience than a show and that makes it one of my favorite shows of all time. The actors do a great job even in supporting roles. Walton Goggins shines as Detective Shane Vendrell(see above). Micheal Chiklis  is in the best role of his career and does so well I really can't see him as anyone else. Benito Martinez puts in a great performance that you love to hate as Captain David Aceveda. Really these are just the tip of the iceberg, if I had to list every great character on the Shield we would be here all day. Just go watch it, it's great and you won't regret it.