The Shield - Season 1 [DVD] [2002]

I wasn't disappointed. The big wad of 'previously on' at the start was a good sign that this wasn't a cop show which liked to wrap everything up in 60 minutes a la CSI. In fact, at times it seems to go out of its way not to wrap everything up.

Anyway, back to the DVD. It contains all 13 episodes of season 1, which is a very good season. I can't really highlight any 'key' episodes because they're all of pretty much the same quality, and almost all contain character development. Obviously because of the nature of the show Vic Mackey is the central character, gets the most time on screen and is probably concentrated on in articles and reviews, but him being a 'bad cop' isn't what makes this show good. What makes this show good is the writing - all the characters are deep and fairly complex. For instance, Vic Mackey isn't a 'bad cop'. He breaks the rules and he does bad things, but it is all wrought from the desire to do good (and make money on top of that). Which is why Mackey's battle with Captain David Aceveda is so interesting throughout season one. Vic Mackey is doing the wrong things for the right reasons, while David Aceveda is doing the right things for the wrong reasons. He doesn't want to nail Mackey because he believes Mackey is a bad cop and wants him off the street, he wants to nail Mackey because it will help his political career. I really find the moral undertones of the show interesting - it doesn't judge anybody, instead leaving the viewer to analyze the situation. Perhaps the best character of the bunch is 'Dutch', a homicide detective who yearns for the respect of others. He is a very cerebral detective, using psychology to catch and interrogate criminals. In an early episode, he picks up on an attack on a prostitute and tries to prove that the attack was part of a serial killer on the loose. Flash forward a couple of episodes and it turns out he was right. Stories and guest characters are frequently brought back throughout the season.

The boxset really is very impressive. While elsewhere people might just be content to stick the episodes on DVD with a few extras, The Shield includes a commentary on every episode and plenty of deleted scenes. The commentaries are fairly varied, ranging from humourous banter to more in-depth discussion. The Shield's creator, Shawn Ryan, commentates on most of the episode and is usually joined by at least three other members of the crew. It really seems as though they got anyone who ever worked on the show to do a commentary - one of the episodes is commentated on by the cameramen and director of filmography, while another is commentated on purely by the team of writers. The cast members also put in their fair share of commentary.

At the risk of sounding like some cop show addict (yes, my two favourite shows of the moment are both cop dramas), this comes highly reccommended if you're a fan of the show.