The Shield Season Four

[December 28th, 2005] If, for some strange reason, you have yet to watch the FX series The Shield, then you haven't seen one of the best television shows of all time (which you should know by now, 'cause I keep saying it). With the fourth season out on DVD, and the fifth season getting ready to start next month, there's no better time to get in on the fun.

When we last saw hardboiled LAPD detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), he and the rest of the corrupt Strike Team were reeling from the fallout of the Armenian money train they robbed (see the second and third seasons for details). As the fourth season opens, the Strike Team has been broken up, with its members reassigned to various details. The new captain at the Farmington Precinct, Monica Rawling (Glenn Close), decides to shake things up by allowing Mackey to reassemble a new Strike Team. Part of Rawling's plan to clean up the crime-riddled streets of her precinct is to enforce a new policy that allows her to seize any property where drug activity is taking place. This doesn't sit well with the community, politicians, or Antwon Mitchell (Anthony Anderson), a former gang leader turned community activist who may or may not still be involved in dirty dealings.

The first three seasons of The Shield were unrelenting, but the fourth season, rather than coming out with guns blazing, is more about building tension—unbearable tension. With everyone out to cover their own ass, new alliances are formed, and former allies stand to become deadly enemies. In the center of it all is Mackey, who has a contract on his head and a failed marriage on his mind.

The four-disc DVD set features all 13 episodes of The Shield's fourth season, audio commentaries on select episodes, 42 deleted scenes and several behind-the-scenes featurettes.

With television shows this good, there is no need to watch movies.