The Shield: Season Seven - Page 6

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

Very strong episode today. Vic finally confesses all he's done, but not before asking ICE if they have enough memory on the recorder to hold it all.

This episode had the best and worst of Vic all in one episode. He'd rather walk out and not sign a deal than to sign it without Gardocki. That's a pretty selfless sacrifice considering all he's facing by not signing the deal. Then Corrine gets in trouble, and a higher priority requires a greater sacrifice be made. Is it possible Vic, the most corrupt of all, gets the free pass while everyone else pays the price? Or does it just seem that way?

It seems there's no out for Shane. It's not looking to good for Mara now, either. What's to become of their poor kids?

Claudette continues her downward physical spiral, and the demands of her job and actions of her staff aren't helping.

Now Corrine's helping the police ends up with her in jail to maintain appearances. This is how it often goes. Those willing to help get put in really bad positions. Wear the wire (hope they don't notice it). Make the buy (Hope they don't realize it was a setup). Etc. It's one reason many people are reluctant to help. Is she really better off now than if she'd just played along with Vic's horrible stuff? It's debatable. But despite all Vic's done, I still can't see him retaliating against Corrine even if he finds out what she's up to.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

What an episode. Vic better hope the ICE bust goes like clockwork. Good thing he did decide to screw Ronnie or else Claudette would have had him.

Looks like Shane is breaking down as well and he's not going to be able to get anywhere with Mara the way she is.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

Really solid penultimate episode setting up the finale. The looks on ICE woman's face said it all as Vic unloaded his sins, which was a moment in the making for these 7 seasons as Vic had to confront his past for any chance at a future.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

So is there any legitimacy to that confession scene? Is that really how it works where you sign the immunity papers and then confess to everything and you're free and clear? Somehow I'm not buying that.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

That's how immunity works. The other way to go is a Presidential pardon, but Vic wasn't going to get that.

The gov't has Vic by the balls now. He strays one bit, and they'll dump on him.

That was one powerful episode.

My predictions for death:

Claudette blows a fuse
Dutch gets sliced by the psycho kid
Shane is one dead mother.
Vic is killed by Gardocki.
And, Mara either dies or goes to prison.

That sends Gardocki to prison, and Aceveda? I dunno...I think he probably ends up with losing his political career.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

But I've never heard of immunity consisting of "everything you've ever done." It's usually for a specific crime or series of crimes related to a specific event. And there is no way ICE wouldn't know about the IAD investigation of Vic for the murder of Crowley, the money train, etc.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

What about for supergrasses like Henry Hill?

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

Of course, Mara, Shane and Gardocki can get the chair.

But how about:

Claudette retires on full pension.
Dutch catches psycho kid, and gets promoted.
Shane gets Mara and the kid to Mexico.
Things go pear-shaped for Vic on the take-down; he manages to escape with Ronnie.
Billings wins the lottery, pays off the lawsuit, and retires.
Aceveda becomes mayor.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

That's a good point, but I'm pretty sure there were specific drug charges they had against Hill that would be dropped if he testified. As far as I know, he wasn't given immunity for every crime he committed in his life to that point.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

There are all types of immunity deals. If I'm testifying against the local weed dealer and I ask for immunity against prosecution for my own weed sins that will come to light, they'll probably grant that as long as he's a bigger fish than I am. But if I ask for immunity against murder, they probably won't. If the benefit is greater than the cost, they'll consider it -- up to and including a blank check like Vic got (consider what he's offering them). It was important for Vic to come clean because that was the terms of his deal. They wanted to wrap cases and know exactly what they were giving up in exchange for the Cartel. BTW, it isn't just the president that can give pardons. I know at least Governors can also do it. Of course Governor pardons make less (no) news.

It was really something seeing the range of emotions Vic went through during the confession scene. There was a bit of struggle to bring up things he's so successfully buried (emotionally). Then there was resignation. Then there was a big of pride. And then finally a different type of resignation. No sense telling him how evil he is -- he already knows.

The insanely interesting part about Vic's character is He'll do anything up to and including murder, but he's not the kind of person who's out to prey on the innocent or weak. He never broke into an innocent's house, stole their belongings, and used his badge to cover it up. If he did something like that, it was from a drug dealer, someone who'd stolen the money from someone else, or some other bad guy. But that's just where he started. Those borderline acceptable acts were wrong, and thus put him in danger of losing things (freedom, job, family, money), and when Vic is in danger, that's when whatever morality that guides him goes out the window. We've had the pleasure of watching that all unfold, and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I feel a sense of loss that this series is ending.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

It seems like most people think Dutch is going to get it from the kid or his mom. Which is entirely possible, but it doesn't really seem to be "fair" or really follow naturally from what has come before. Whatever happens to Shane/Ronnie/Vic/Mara (and Acaveda) can at least be seen as payback for past sins AND follows logically from what has happened up to this point. Obviously you could say Lem's death wasn't "fair" but it at least seemed to be the inevitable conclusion to his storyline...having a serial killer off Dutch in the last episode seems completely random and not really all that satisfying an ending for the character IMHO.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

And it doesn't even seem like it would be that difficult for the Gov't to find a way to nullify Vic's deal. Surely in Vic's long list of crimes, there must have been something he forgot to confess that they could find out if they looked (I wonder if he mentioned burning Armadillo's face on a stove off screen). Hell, they can probably nullify the deal if they catch him pissing in a bush.

I'm actually wondering if someone is going to sabotage the drug shipment plan so that Vic can be taken down.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

That's what I'm thinking.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

I apologize for reporting that there would be a 2-hour episode
prior to the finale. I obviously misheard the show's tag last week.
We are all on the same page now that there is a 90 minute finale
next week.

What a hell of an episode. You know, I always sympathized
with Vic for no other reason that despite all the bad things he
has done, he is still the focal part of the show and part of me
just wants him to be able to walk away unharmed.

But watching this week's episode really damned his character
for me. For him to shit on Ronnee and take the immunity deal
for himself and then sit there and confess every damn crime just
so he covers his immunity clause was a real eye-opener.

Claudette's reaction was unreal.

There are very rare moments in television where you just sit there
and go...WOW! This was certainly one of those moments.

I really have no predictions for next week. It seems from the
previews that...

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

Dutch has always been fascinated by and attracted to murder/death. Even to the point of senselessly strangling his cat to death (a bizarre scene that was never really followed up). Finding himself at the end of a serial killer's dagger seems fitting.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

I noticed a pretty interesting goof in last night's episode upon a second viewing. Right after Vic leaves Aceveda's office, we see Shane walking down the street just before he assaults that drug dealer. If you watch closely, just as two guys pass by Shane, a camera is visible to the right of the screen... I've never seen a goof like that in the show before.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

The whole scene with Vic confessing was, for me at least, the best TV moment I've ever seen...And yes indeed, it served as a shaking reminder of who this guy we've all rooted for these past years really is.

What an amazing show.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

Not me! I've been rooting against Mackey since season one, episode one. I think that's actually added to some of the enjoyment for me.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

Well, it's not that he wanted to screw Ronnie over. He thought that his wife was busted because of him and Ronnie lost so that he could save, as far as he was concenred, the mother of his children. However, it's going to be real interesting if he finds out that Corrine was really helping the police and that he sold Ronnie out for nothing.

I'm wondering if Ronnie is going to find this out and and ruin the drug bust to nullify Vic's deal. Perhaps Claudette will actually tip Ronnie off that Vic cut a deal.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

One more episode to go
The Shield has been something special - one of the few shows I know to go for seven years and be consistenly good (at least IMO). The confession scene was brilliant.

Will be much missed when its finished.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

I don't know...I think Vic was secretly thrilled when he realized he had an excuse to throw Ronnie under the bus. I thought this episode really showed what Vic is all about in that he was loyal to Ronnie...when he was actually there...but as soon as he wasn't around was another story. Vic is such a sociopath he really doesn't care about his family (even if he believes he does).

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

I disagree. I always thought Vic's supposed "loyalty" was just a front for his sociopath ways. He was more than happy to stab Ronnie in the back to save himself. Just look at his mannerisms during the confession. He was practically laughing. No remorse whatsoever. Doesn't necessarily mean he's one dimensional though.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

I think he rationalized everything he did as being for someone else (his wife, kids, Lem, the strike team etc, etc) when in reality it was all done for him. His loyalty was only to himself.

Re: The Shield: Season Seven

I don't see that at all. Vic has no negative feelings towards Ronnie.


You're leaving out the plot developments. It's not a matter of there or not. He'd have done what he did even if Ronnie had been standing right there, but with a look on his face saying, "I'm sorry." The difference between not abandoning Ronnie, then abandoning him, was what happened with Corrine. Loyalty to his friend and partner is one thing, but is he really supposed to leave his kids without a mother OR a father?


I don't believe this either. He spends way too much time and energy when he could have effectively abandoned them with nothing more than alimony and child support (based on his cop's salary... money he can easily make up for elsewhere). Just because you don't put the needs of your family above your own at every stop doesn't mean you don't care about them. And just because you convince yourself your actions won't have ramifications for your family doesn't mean you don't care about them.