Fox addicts me again: THE SHIELD (1 Viewer)

[Simon Massey]

The two seasons sat on my shelf for ages but once I started watching them, I went through both boxes very quickly.

I have the R2 versions which are 16:9 anamorphic. I do not know what the creator's intended aspect ratio for the show is, but I have seen the 4:3 version as well and both versions seem to work just as well to me. Given the camerawork is largely handheld (I think) and constantly moving, I never felt like there was dead space around the actors, such as in Buffy 16:9 for example.

 

[TravisR]

I assume that they intend the show to be seen in 4:3 since FX airs some of their other shows widescreen. That might be a big assumption though.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I think the series airs in 4:3 normally. I do recall the creator saying that he perferred 4:3 as the DVD aspect ratio on one of the commentaries from the S1 set.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Keith_R]

Another Shield lover here!

I've been watching the show since it first premiered on FX and it is definently one of my favorite shows on Tv. I think all of the seasons have been great and I have favorite moments/episodes from each. Season 3 is particularly cool since the main villan in that season is very creepy and it is the only season that the writers painstakingly planned out rather than spontaneously throwing ideas in. Definently try to catch up by March 15th so that you can watch the 4th season.


it's true. I believe it has something to do with the intenseness of the show and the desire for them to make the viewer feel closer to the grittiness of the show. I find it very effective particularlly in the interrogation scenes.



If you like "The Shield" may I recommend giving some of the other FX series a shot, particularly a show called "Rescue Me" which follows the lives of the firemen in a NY firehouse affected by 9-11 and the day-to-day struggles of the job. It stars Dennis Leary as a vetran fireman who's only coping method of the stress from the job is through alcohol and the ghosts of the various people he's known through the job like his dead cousin. It just ended it's first season a couple months ago but definently give the DVD a rent when it comes out. I think it's some of Leary's best work.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I have 4 more episodes to watch in Season 2.

Can you believe I have watched almost two seasons
of this show in a mere 5 days?

This is how hooked I am on this show. It's
absolutely incredible. Not a bad episode over
the 22 I have seen thus far.

Two things....

First, during Season Two there is an episode
(that I just finished BTW) where they go back
and show characters and events that happened
14 months earlier before the events of Season
One. Do you think this was the show's original
pilot or that they actually went back and filmed
this segment and brought back old characters during
the middle of the second season?

Second, I am awfully surprised by the amount
of profanity and brief nudity shown throughout
this show. I said to myself, "this couldn't
have aired on the Fox network." I now discover
through your remarks that this was a FX show.
I am presuming that FX is a Fox channel that
allows for more risque material to be shown on
their network? It's funny, I have FX on my
DirecTV lineup, but I have never watched it.

If you have made it down this far, I urge you
to take out your wallet and give Season One
a purchase. This is a damn good series.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Ron , the shield is very similar to the sopranos where I find I can can go thru entire 13 episode seasons in a day if I put my mind to it, the eps go very fast. The Flashback episode confuses alot of my friends also, but it was filmed during that season. It mainly builds more on their backgrounds, and helps define the characters actions later in the season. It's interesting how Naive Mackey is there, but you can see his character turning to the dark side. Season 3 will be released on Feb 22nd it's available at Amazon.

 

[TravisR]

I think that they just brought back the old characters and it wasn't an original pilot. However, I bet it was that it was the backstory that the creators had worked out before they started shooting the series. The one thing I wondered about from that flashback episode is that to me it seemed like The Barn had been there for more than 14 months.

If you think the language is 'bad' in the first two seasons, wait until Season Three If I remember correctly, they say 'cocksucker' a few times. It seems like FX has a rule that you can't say the F-word and everything else is fair game. Hooray for basic cable!

Can't wait for the S3 DVDs!

 

[R. Kay]

Just a word on comparing 'The Shield' to 'Rescue Me' ...

Rescue Me is a watchable show. Better than most on TV these days, but ...

It isnt in the same league as 'The Shield'.

Be prepared ... The Shield isnt for the faint of heart. It can be quite intense. But for those who can handle its violence ... by all means, watch it.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Well one thing I was unsure about on Rescue Me was the "Gimmick" if you've watched the show you know what I mean, but they don't overdo it, Six Feet Under eventually abandoned this "Gimmick" and I think that show should keep it and Rescue Me might be better off losing it.

 

[Gord Lacey]

Ron, don't forget to listen to the commentary tracks on season 1. They are almost as entertaining as the series, and Shawn Ryan does an amazing job of moderating everything. There's also a great track on the season 2 set where he's joined by some of the network people.

Gord

 

[Greg S]

Also watch the behind the scenes feature on Season 1.

Watching it I got that the cast really enjoys working with one another and seem to get along well. I personally like seeing this -- casts getting along well (ala Farscape, Serenity, etc.) because to me the performances are so much better! Afterall if you can't stand the people you work with than it usually will show in your performance.

Can't wait for Season 3 since I never caught it on air.

Greg

 

[Ian_H]

When The Shield first came on the air there was a listing on IMDB for something called "The Barn" that had most of the same actors (although some with different character names) I think that was the original pilot. The Season 2 "Pilot" was shot for Season 2.

I wanted to see this show from the very first ads I saw on FX when the show was called "Rampart". Rampart is an actual L.A.P.D. division that has the gang CRASH unit that has been accused of some of the same things you see portrayed by Mackey and his strike team.

--Ian

 

[TravisR]

I'm pretty sure that the show was originally pitched and sold as "The Barn". Then FX thought it would sound like a western so they changed it to "Rampart" and then finally "The Shield".

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

The nudity was blurred when the episodes aired. I'm not sure about the language. Actually I've always thought this would be a good sales angle for some network and basic cable TV shows - an "uncensored" edition on DVD (maybe both using seemless branching) available only on DVD. I'll bet it would increase sales for Nip/Tuck.

Regards,

Joe

 

[TravisR]

It wasn't blurred when I saw it on TV.

 

[PhilipG]

Update - my season one set finally arrived yesterday (got the R2 because it was cheaper). Thought I'd just watch the pilot... and ended up watching the first eight episodes in a row!!

What a terrific series! Thank you all so much for the recommendation.

I'm ordering the R1 seasons 2 & 3. I liked the widescreen framing in s1, but could tell I wouldn't be missing anything in 4:3.

 

[Andy_Bu]

will be joining the cast for Season 4 (which can't get here soon enough)

Andy

 

[Jonny P]

I just want to say that "The Shield" ranks as one of my all-time favorite cop shows...and all-time favorite shows period!

When the first season debuted, I really didn't get to see much of the show. It was on FX (a channel that I really didn't watch too much). I had liked Chiklis on "The Commish" and had hopes for "The Shield."

A buddy of mine told me how good "The Shield" was. As season 2 approached, I was eager to pick up with the show.

In order to prepare, I picked up Season 1 on DVD. What I loved about the DVD was that it was "affordably" priced at around $45. To me, that was a price that made a "blind buy" worthwhile.

I absolutely loved the DVD. Not only was the show very compelling melodrama, but the commentary tracks provided great insight into the show and the actors (as I recall, season 1 has commentaries on all 13 episodes).

What I enjoyed the most was knowing that a basic cable network was making a show that was the same caliber as premium channels like HBO. Yet, they were making a great show at a fraction of the cost of those bigger ventures.

And unlike shows like "The Sopranos," the season sets didn't cost $90. I got into "The Shield" because the Season 1 set was affordably priced at $45.

In my mind, the "coolest" and "buzzworthy" shows are now on FX. "The Shield," "Nip/Tuck," "Rescue Me," and even the short-lived "Lucky" (starring John Corbett) are all on par with the best that HBO has to offer.

Season 2 of "The Shield" is still my favorite. They worried less about being "controversial" in that season, and came up with several compelling story arcs. In my mind, it is the most well-rounded season. Season 3 is good, but Julien's character seemed to be an afterthought, and they took Dutch in a direction I think was all wrong. Regardless, Season 3 was still incredibly compelling.

Season 4 looks excellent. I will be interested to see what transpires.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Jonny,

Have not seen Season 3 yet (it arrives
within the week) but my story is very
similar to yours.

I also took a dive into "The Shield"
after hearing how great a show it was
from those that saw it.

I went through Seasons 1-2 on DVD in
less than two weeks and I am going to
ract through the upcoming Season 3 DVD
in preparation for Season 4 on FX.

When exactly does Season 4 begin?

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I believe 3/6