The Shield: Season 4

At the end of the third season of FX's the Shield, crooked cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his strike team split up. As the fourth season opens, the Farmington precinct meets their new captain in Monica Rawling (Glenn Close), and it's not long before she makes herself noticed. With Aceveda (Benito Martinez) on his way to political office, Rawling makes her presence felt re-organizing the force with Vic as her right hand man, and they both put their sights on charismatic drug dealer Antwan Mitchell (Anthony Anderson). In the meantime, Vic's ex-partner Shane (Walt Goggins) works vice, and gets in way too deep with Mitchell, which leads to the reformation of the strike team in an effort to save Shane, and themselves, before it's too late. Sub-plots throughout the season include Aceveda discovering a dark side he never knew he had, Julian (Michael Jace) looking to be transfered as he opposes Rawling's approach to the seizures, and Dutch (Jay Karnes) finding romance with Vic's ex-wife (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) while trying to get both his partner (CCH Pounder) and himself out of the doghouse with the DA. Many agree that the third season was a step down compared to the landmark first two, and the fourth season delivers firing on all cylinders. Glenn Close is perfect casting as the no-nonsense new captain, while Michael Chiklis is excellent as always as crooked cop Mackey, who this season, appears to be searching for redemption. The Shield is back on track, and it's once again the best original drama on cable TV. By the end of the season, there is a big change for all the main players, and it will leave you salivating for what's coming next.

Season four is yet another amazing season for "The Shield."

Don't rely on the low "average" of stars as listed above...it's clear many of the reviewers have issues with things besides the show itself...(the letterbox thing, etc.)

From start to finish, this season was as good as any of the others, and in some ways better.

The obvious difference is Glenn Close. She brings a new vital energy into the mix, and stays away from all the cliches you'd normally expect. Don't prejudge her here.

The cast remains one of the best on TV, present or past. Chiklis has created a character for the TV Hall of Fame, and he is matched in every way by his castmates.

The season-long bad guy is played with startling menace by Anthony Anderson. As Antwon Mitchell, this actor primarily known for comedy will impress you beyond belief.

The season begins with a dissolved Strike Team, a demoted Mackey, and the new Captain (Close).

The old captain, played by Benito Martinez, is dealing with all sorts of personal demons.

The two detectives, played by Jay Karnes and CCH Pounder, deal with being in the D.A.'s doghouse. While it would be easy to go unnoticed when sharing the majority of your scenes with someone as powerful as Pounder, Karnes really has a breakthrough year here.

The two lead cops, Danny and Julien, fill in side stories that weave into the grand tapestry of the whole season.

I must single out Walton Goggins, who's Shane character dares you to take your eyes off of him. You can't. His manic desperation, cocky bravado, and the ability to make the most creative, livid, insulting lines of dialogue sound like poetry are hypnotizing. He has the ability to engender sympathy towards a character so clearly defective in so many mental processes.

The plot and dialogue are again the best in the business. The labyrinthine plot demands careful attention; I almost prefer watching with either the headphones on, or English subtitles, to catch every word.

There are incidents that refer and recall those from seasons past. Sometimes trivially, often not. If you are familiar with the previous three seasons, watch the episodes by first skipping the "previously on The Shield" recaps that start them off. It increases the shock value. It also increases the number of times you'll say "No way" to your TV screen.

This show forces you to examine your own beliefs on crime, punishment, race, religion, law enforcement, poverty, drugs, sex...

My DVD set is fine. No problems with playback. The video quality is sterling, as is the sound. One episode is 16:9, and it looks terrific.

The hour long documentary at the end is a fine way to end your viewing experience.

I understand that this upcoming year of The Shield, beginning soon I think, will be it's last. It will be missed, but gloriously so.

This show is riveting.

I was unable to stop watching it.

When one episode ended, I immediately started up the next one.

I polished the box off in two days, all while being the in-house trauma surgeon at a busy urban hospital on New Year's Eve. I'd pause the show while I went to go take care of a gunshot wound victim, then return to the show when my work was done...so on and so forth until I finished the last episode New Year's Day.

When somebody says they would rather watch a TV show than sleep, that says a lot. Now whether that says something about the show, or the individual I leave to you.

Glenn Close is one of my favorite actresses. "The Shield" is my favorite show. Why, oh why did I approach Season 4 with such fear and trepidation? Close immediately rattled things in the Barn and presented her Monica as a tough-as-nails, no nonsense, Captain who would not allow the wool to be pulled over her eyes. One of the best things this season was watching seen-it-all/ know-it-all Mackey develop respect for his new captain, and try - as best as he possibly could - to piece together loose ends he's left, and fight his perpetually tormenting demons. Chiklis and Close. On paper Chiklis and Close seem the most unlikely of duos - and yet, perhaps even because of this, become, instead, the most riveting screen partnership imaginable.

C.C.H. Pounder simply earns props for creating - and staying - one of the best damn, most straightforward, steadfast and honorable characters in any series history. She's taken an unglamorous role that in most hands could easily have become part of the scenery (and still earned Emmy nods) and instead has given us a complex, brilliant detective that can take off the gloves and go toe-to-toe with anything and anyone. She makes us care and she just rocks.

I mean no slight to the rest of the company: Goggins, Martinez, Karnes, Cahlin Ryan, Jace, Dent, Johnson, Snell, and company - I've merely run out of time. I will say ALL of them, perform - nay, LIVE their roles and do so at the highest level to make this ensemble one of the most formidable casts on television. As with the premiere season, Season 4 of The Shield takes television drama to an inspired level.

If you're one of those who needs their dramas nice and neat, with squared-off camera angles and movie score soundtracks, The Shield will wake you up as to how raw, powerful and soul seering television drama can be. While there have been other series that can stand alongside The Shield, none of them surpass it. It's as good as it gets.