The Shield: Season 3

"The Shield" seems to up it a notch with every season. I remember watching the very first season and thinking to myself that there was no way this show could get any darker, more intense or more outrageous. I was proven wrong when I saw the second season, but yet again I made the wrong assumption and thinking there was no way in the world that the next season would be more devastating and brutal.

After seeing Season 3, I have finally learned my lesson and will no longer make that silly assumption. This is because "The Shield: Season 3" takes you even further down the rabbit hole that is this amazingly dark and take-no-prisoners cop drama that pretty much breaks all of the rules. You are given some deeply flawed characters... and yet, we still want to learn more about them and even care what happens to them.

After successfully robbing the money train, the heat is on the Strike Team more than ever. Vic needs to keep his team in line until the dust settles, but that proves to be an impossible task as emotions and paranoia run high among the other participants. Captain Aceveda is still trying to maintain his political career while taking care of The Barn, but something horrific will happen to him that will leave him never being the same again. Claudette is still striving for the position of the "top dog" at The Barn and doesn't make things easier for Vic when she decides to include a Decoy Squad, while keeping a close eye on Vic and his team. Still, Vic has other problems to deal with, and I'm not even talking about his family issues. The Strike Team is in constant danger of being the latest victims of the Armenian Mob, who is willing to kill anyone involved with the whole money train robbery. This is only a small part of the fun that lurks in this explosive third season.

The show is still extremely dark and brutal at times, but it still gets in a lot of the ironic humor in it as well. Fans of the first two seasons will most likely enjoy this new season, as each episode is engaging and addicting. The great writing and execution is still there and by the time you finish these 15 episodes, you'll want more. Michael Chiklis does an excellent job of playing "Vic," and even though there are times you really hate him, there are also times where you cannot help but root for him.

This show is not for those who get offended easily or are extremely sensitive. Just like the other two seasons, these guys pretty much get away with ANYTHING (the only exception I've seen is the usage of the F-word). This is definitely something you'd think you would catch on HBO. There's a lot of violence, language, disturbing situations and content, and there is a pretty horrible rape scene... but it's not what you would think. Anyways, just be cautious. If you can handle the first two seasons, then you shouldn't have too many problems dealing with Season 3. Extras included are commentary on selected episodes, deleted scenes and a making-of documentary.

"The Shield: Season 3" delivers the goods when it comes to addicting and mesmerizing TV. All of the episodes are highly entertaining and you will find yourself having a hard time putting the DVDs away. Once you start, it is VERY hard to stop watching. If you haven't seen the other seasons, then I'd recommend checking those out first, although it is possible to get the gist of what's going on without doing so. "The Shield" has definitely kept its edge, and Season 3 proves that big time. -Michael Crane

As the third season of The Shield unfolds Mackey's (Michael Chiklis) family falls apart and his team continues to face pressure regarding the stolen drug money earmarked for their "retirement" fund. Clashes abound between teammates, lovers and family members making tackling criminals even more complex than ususal. The "Armenian money train" case continues to worry the team forcing Lemon (Kenneth Johnson) to solve their problem and, in the process, creating more problems for the strike team. More bodies show up with their feet missing as the bad guys get closer to the discovering who took their money. Meanwhile Wyms (CCH Pounder) works undercover to bust a child porn film ring.

The Shield continues to be one of the best written, directed and acted series on basic cable. The series' ultra realistic look with the use of handheld cameras, grainy film stock and gritty locations continues to create an environment full of powerful drama. Usually a series will begin to drop in quality over the course of its run but the fact that the series runs only fifteen episodes helps keep the writing and directing quality high. There's also a number of high profile guest star turns particularly in the David Mamet directed episode where Mamet's "regulars" Rebecca Pidgeon and Clark Gregg appear turning in outstanding performances. While the Mamet episode is definitely good it's not the best episode from the third season and that's saying quite a bit about this terrific show.

In addition to a number of deleted scenes with optional commentary we also get a terrific documentary on the third season. Breaking Episode #315 gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the production and collaborative method of writing the series. To access the documentary you have to select the episode On Tilt and select Special Features which is a bit odd for a boxed set. We're taken through all parts of the process for an episode of the series from pitching ideas for the multiple storylines to the actual shooting on location and the set. On the production side of things we see the difficulty in creating a stunt involving a wolf for a particular sequence. The 60 minute documentary spends the bulk of its time in the writer's room watching them come up with the various ideas that will might show up in a particular episode. Additionally, there's a preview of what's to come with Glenn Close playing Det. Ronnie Gardocki during the fourth season of the series. You do have the option of playing the episode without the recap of each episode which is a nice touch.

The commentary tracks are all recorded with various cast and crew members together. It works much better doing it this way as the banter and synergy created by the "team" creates a much more interesting commentary track. There's few performers, writers or directors that can provide a commentary track that will keep your interest beyond 10 minutes so this team approach will keep viewers much more involved with interesting behind-the-scenes observations about performances, the writing and how it changes from page to screen and the production touches that continues to keep this show cutting edge.

Once again Fox comes up with a winner with The Shield. 15 high quality episodes with strong performances, a great documentary on the creation of an episode and deleted scenes with optional commentaries makes this one of the best values out there. We also get deleted scenes with optional commentary. The packaging is nicely done with each disc housed in a Thinpak DVD case. I'm definitely looking forward to season four.

As season three of FX's controversial cop drama The Sheild opens, Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis, soon starring as the Thing in the Fantastic Four movie) and his Strike Team have scored all the money they could have ever dreamed of after their hit on the money train. Now, Vic and co. have to keep their actions on the downlow, as they get a new member and Acevedo (Benito Martinez) struggles to maintain control over the precinct as Claudette (CCH Pounder) prepares for her new role. The precinct also tracks down a sexual predator for a majority of the season, which at times seems contrived and written to fill in time at some spots. With that fact in tow, it's practically unanimous among fans of the show that the thrid season of the Shield is a step down from the excellent and groundbreaking previous two seasons, but this is still the best drama on basic cable. By the time that someone's conscience catches up with them by the last couple episodes, the events that unfold in the season finale find Vic and co. sitting on a powder keg that will leave you salivating for the upcoming fourth season. All in all, the third season of the Shield may not be the best the series has offered thus far, but the show is still the best drama on basic cable TV today.

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