tell me about the shield
#51
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Re: tell me about the shield
I'm going to be critical of The Shield, which you should know is probably my favorite series ever.
Some of the show toward the end (I think it's the first half of season 7, but I'm a little confused on the seasons since they kept changing the ordering and labeling of the seasons as they went along) isn't as good as the other seasons.
Some of the actors in the show took a little while to really dial in their characters (Karnes and Martinez), but when they got them dialed in they were utterly fantastic.
Some of the other actors who are related to principals of the show (namely the daughter of Michael Chiklis and the wife of Shawn Ryan) are not good actors to terrible actors. Ryan ruins a few scenes she is in as Mackey's wife while Chiklis ruins pretty much every scene she is in as Mackey's daughter, particularly later in the run of the series.
Some of the show toward the end (I think it's the first half of season 7, but I'm a little confused on the seasons since they kept changing the ordering and labeling of the seasons as they went along) isn't as good as the other seasons.
Some of the actors in the show took a little while to really dial in their characters (Karnes and Martinez), but when they got them dialed in they were utterly fantastic.
Some of the other actors who are related to principals of the show (namely the daughter of Michael Chiklis and the wife of Shawn Ryan) are not good actors to terrible actors. Ryan ruins a few scenes she is in as Mackey's wife while Chiklis ruins pretty much every scene she is in as Mackey's daughter, particularly later in the run of the series.
#52
DVD Talk Legend
Re: tell me about the shield
I'm going to be critical of The Shield, which you should know is probably my favorite series ever.
Some of the show toward the end (I think it's the first half of season 7, but I'm a little confused on the seasons since they kept changing the ordering and labeling of the seasons as they went along) isn't as good as the other seasons.
Some of the actors in the show took a little while to really dial in their characters (Karnes and Martinez), but when they got them dialed in they were utterly fantastic.
Some of the other actors who are related to principals of the show (namely the daughter of Michael Chiklis and the wife of Shawn Ryan) are not good actors to terrible actors. Ryan ruins a few scenes she is in as Mackey's wife while Chiklis ruins pretty much every scene she is in as Mackey's daughter, particularly later in the run of the series.
Some of the show toward the end (I think it's the first half of season 7, but I'm a little confused on the seasons since they kept changing the ordering and labeling of the seasons as they went along) isn't as good as the other seasons.
Some of the actors in the show took a little while to really dial in their characters (Karnes and Martinez), but when they got them dialed in they were utterly fantastic.
Some of the other actors who are related to principals of the show (namely the daughter of Michael Chiklis and the wife of Shawn Ryan) are not good actors to terrible actors. Ryan ruins a few scenes she is in as Mackey's wife while Chiklis ruins pretty much every scene she is in as Mackey's daughter, particularly later in the run of the series.
#53
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Re: tell me about the shield
So did I, especially since Vic had two other kids with autism. I never had a problem with the actress who played Vic's wife, though.
#54
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Re: tell me about the shield
Some of the other actors who are related to principals of the show (namely the daughter of Michael Chiklis and the wife of Shawn Ryan) are not good actors to terrible actors. Ryan ruins a few scenes she is in as Mackey's wife while Chiklis ruins pretty much every scene she is in as Mackey's daughter, particularly later in the run of the series.
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Re: tell me about the shield
Ryan is a not good actor because she isn't as good as the others on the show. With her, it's mostly just that you want a little more range. It is usually most apparent when the daughter is also on screen. When you have Chiklis in a scene with Ryan as his wife and his daughter playing his daughter, the lack of acting talent from the female side of the equation is just way too evident.
#57
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Re: tell me about the shield
so im on season 5 now. i wasnt really a fan of glenn close in season 4, glad she is gone. forest whitaker however is really good. overall im loving the show (obviously as you can see how fast im burning through the eps). although sometimes i find myself not really caring about the cases going on that are wrapped up each episode. i guess im more about the drama side of the show.
question...does anything ever happen with julian being gay? it seems like that was totally forgotten, actually his whole life outside of the precinct has been forgotten. dont spoil anything...i just wonder if its something they decided to ditch.
question...does anything ever happen with julian being gay? it seems like that was totally forgotten, actually his whole life outside of the precinct has been forgotten. dont spoil anything...i just wonder if its something they decided to ditch.
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#59
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Re: tell me about the shield
Yeah that was pretty much ditched. With all the shit going on I can't blame the writers. That particular storyline was never that compelling anyway IMO.
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Re: tell me about the shield
it was an OK storyline. it was interesting though how he had to use the gay porn to donate sperm. thought maybe something was going to become of it. but yea its not that big of a deal really.
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Re: tell me about the shield
I don't think it was so much ditched as always there and an explanation for why Julian didn't do more to go after Vic the dirty cop who he disapproved of. I don't think it was supposed to be much more than that.
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#63
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Re: tell me about the shield
The Shield isnt even in the same universe as The Wire. The Wire is the greatest drama in television history but the Shield is good but not great. The problem I had with the Shield was that the characters outside of Chiklis had decent to poor acting skills. This especially rang true with the guys on Mackey's team. Every single cop on Mackey's team are guys that will likely never work on a steady series again. Sure, it was nice to see some of the storylines reflecting Los Angeles culture and some of the stories were great but it comes across as an amateur show. I kept watching it and hoping it would get better once Glen Close and later Forest Whitaker came on board but the ancillary actors are so bad that it takes away from the solid plotlines.
I would recommend Breaking Bad if you want better plotlines and acting.
I would recommend Breaking Bad if you want better plotlines and acting.
You are wrong on so many levels.
#64
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Re: tell me about the shield
and i guess them showing him jerking to gay porn kind of ended it. he wasnt fixed like he said but he lived the lie anyways.
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Re: tell me about the shield
Some of the other actors who are related to principals of the show (namely the daughter of Michael Chiklis and the wife of Shawn Ryan) are not good actors to terrible actors. Ryan ruins a few scenes she is in as Mackey's wife while Chiklis ruins pretty much every scene she is in as Mackey's daughter, particularly later in the run of the series.
#66
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Re: tell me about the shield
IIRC, Michael Jace (the actor who played Julien) didn't like that they made his character gay, and I think that's why Julien sort of fades into the background. I did some googling, but couldn't find anything. If it's true it actually works in the character's favor, since he always seems to waver between being hesitant and lashing out.
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Re: tell me about the shield
I think I once saw a blind item that strongly suggested Jace was concerned the homosexuality angle was going to hurt his career, but I seem to recall there was at least one other show playing around with that at the time so it wasn't 100% clear it was him.
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Re: tell me about the shield
I can gauge someones intelligence just by hearing whether they prefer "The Wire" or "The Shield".
I stand by my statement that the acting(other than Chiklis and Pounder) is extremely poor. Great story lines, solid direction but the actors are poor at their craft.
As for the comparison of actors of The Wire vs. The Shield and their subsequent roles. Gimme a break. The Wire has 30 main characters and a lot of them are getting work but few of them would be the type for leading roles. With The Shield, other than the guest actors(Close and Whitaker), Chiklis and Pounder......the general actors might get a role here and there as a lead role but the series that were mentioned are a joke.
I stand by my statement that the acting(other than Chiklis and Pounder) is extremely poor. Great story lines, solid direction but the actors are poor at their craft.
As for the comparison of actors of The Wire vs. The Shield and their subsequent roles. Gimme a break. The Wire has 30 main characters and a lot of them are getting work but few of them would be the type for leading roles. With The Shield, other than the guest actors(Close and Whitaker), Chiklis and Pounder......the general actors might get a role here and there as a lead role but the series that were mentioned are a joke.
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Re: tell me about the shield
Every single Cop on Mackey's team will likely never work on a steady series again??? Uhhh Hello, Walton Goggins (Shane) is on Justified as a series regular. One of the best new dramas from last season. And you didn't think Goggins was good on The Shield? ..Good Lord. 
Kenny Johnson (Lem) was a series regular on Saving Grace
David Rees Snell (Ronnie) has worked steadily as a special guest star on various TV series. He did multiple episodes of Shawn Ryan's other series The Unit.
Alex O'Loughlin (Kevin Hiatt, even though it was only 1 season) is the lead on Hawaii Five-O
And not to mention Chiklis being the lead on No Oridinary Family on ABC. Pretty much all the other supporting actors including CCH Pounder, Benito Martinez, and even Jay Karnes have worked steadily since the show ended at least as special guest stars.
If you look at The Wire and The Shield's casts. More actors from The Shield have went on to work steadily in TV and film.

Kenny Johnson (Lem) was a series regular on Saving Grace
David Rees Snell (Ronnie) has worked steadily as a special guest star on various TV series. He did multiple episodes of Shawn Ryan's other series The Unit.
Alex O'Loughlin (Kevin Hiatt, even though it was only 1 season) is the lead on Hawaii Five-O
And not to mention Chiklis being the lead on No Oridinary Family on ABC. Pretty much all the other supporting actors including CCH Pounder, Benito Martinez, and even Jay Karnes have worked steadily since the show ended at least as special guest stars.
If you look at The Wire and The Shield's casts. More actors from The Shield have went on to work steadily in TV and film.
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#71
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Re: tell me about the shield
As for the comparison of actors of The Wire vs. The Shield and their subsequent roles. Gimme a break. The Wire has 30 main characters and a lot of them are getting work but few of them would be the type for leading roles. With The Shield, other than the guest actors(Close and Whitaker), Chiklis and Pounder......the general actors might get a role here and there as a lead role but the series that were mentioned are a joke.
Saving Grace with Kenny Johnson as a lead opposite Holly Hunter ran 3 seasons and was considered a successful show for TNT.
Alex O'Loughlin's role on the Shield was really insignificant, but he's the lead on one of the most high profile new shows this Fall and he's been an in demand actor since he left the show.
Last edited by DJariya; 07-19-10 at 09:00 PM.
#72
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Re: tell me about the shield
Fantastic series with top notch acting. Season 5 is my favorite.
#73
Re: tell me about the shield
Shawn Ryan said something along the lines of, dealing with a situation such as Julien's won't necessarily be handled within the time frame of the show (a couple years), and that he still has those issues but they aren't at the forefront. It was in an interview sometime after the finale.
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Re: tell me about the shield
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