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Post by qb on Jun 15, 2005 1:20:55 GMT -5
Ok, can I be honest? Did anyone else think this ep was a snoozer?? We already knew Rawling was going to be fired because of the spoiler reports weeks ago that (1) Close was not coming back next year and (2) she *might* be making an appearance now and then--meaning her character wouldn't get killed. So where was the promised shocker in this ep? The most exciting thing that happened in this ep, if you ask me, was Lem nearly getting killed early on. I was really freaking out for a moment there but then pretty much assumed they wouldn't kill off Lemansky at the beginning of the season finale. Good acting, though. I love the rough and tumble stuff! The only other scene I found remotely interesting was Vic and Rawling saying goodbye. That was an endearing moment. Very touching. I knew there was a strong bond between them. As for the closing scene in the bar....wasn't that just the cast party after filming the final scene?? It seemed inappropriate to be celebrating when two cops are still dead and the best Captain they ever had has been fired. So where was the drama? The Shield is always contrasting fun and misery... so you know what I wanted to see? Forgive me, Copperhead, but I wanted to see Rawling with her gun in her mouth while her former troops partied. Maybe the bang and maybe not. I am not sure she's the type to kill herself so maybe she wouldn't have done it afterall...but it would have left us guessing! And why not just have her kill herself?? Will token appearances next season be the least bit productive... or just a draw for fans who followed her to The Shield this season? I suppose my idea is totally contrived but I wanted something to knock the breath out of me...something that would leave me writhing on the floor with anticipation, knowing it will be at least 9 months to learn more.
It's really too bad that Glenn won't be back. Rawling is just getting fascinating! Kind of losing control...that Cruella DeVille look in her eyes...["Seize that house!! Skin those puppies!!"] I want more of her now than ever before!!
And poor Lem. How ironic that he's probably the most honest guy on the Team and he's the one who will get busted by IAD. H-cutter being a snitch for IAD was the only surprise, really, and this will be a good place to pick up in Season 5.
My only fall-on-the-floor moment was when the Asst Chief asked Dutch to be interim Captain...woo! It was very noble for him to turn it down, but that's not very fun for us. Wouldn't you love to see him go for it?? (though he really is totally wrong for the position) I wanted him to smile and look interested or give no answer at all. Having him turn it down and walk away sapped all of the potential out of that moment.
In the meantime, I kept glancing at my clock... wondering when a big moment was going to happen. Instead, it kind of went *poof* for me. In short, I am disappointed. Last week's ep was so much better if you ask me. I guess I was expecting an earthshaker to finish out a season that was on par with S01.
Well, when I watch the ep a second time tomorrow it might grow on me. They usually do. For now, I give this one a B...with none of the other S04 eps getting less than an A from me. As a season finale, I have to give a C.
Oh, and if Cassidy Mackey is still "eleven" -- I am only a few days shy of 21!! Autumn Chiklis really matured since we saw her last and is clearly a young woman now...closer to 14 or 15. I think I laughed out loud when the dialogue including one (or was it two?) references to her pretend age of 11! Why not leave that out and capitalize on the audience disinterest in the proposed time frame?
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Post by leadinvestigator on Jun 15, 2005 9:38:07 GMT -5
I have to agree on some accounts, Cc. This finale wasn't exactly high energy, but I think a low-key set up for next season might have been the only goal. The promos did it a great diservice by making us think, expect and wait for some kind of shocker when there wasn't going to be one. I hope whoever creates the previews knocks off the misleading glimpses and the outright spoilers that we've had all season. Very annoying. The Shield is a great series without the artificial hype.
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Post by Peach on Jun 15, 2005 15:04:40 GMT -5
Just a quick point of information: IMDB.com lists Autumn Chiklis birthdate as 9 October 1993 - which makes her...eleven. Maybe its her height that makes her look so much older?
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Post by leadinvestigator on Jun 15, 2005 15:40:48 GMT -5
Wow! Good checking Peach! She certainly does look older. Kind of growing out of that awkward preteen look, so I was fooled too.
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Post by CopperHead on Jun 16, 2005 10:54:26 GMT -5
I have to agree that the season finale was not what I expected. Here is my view on things and of course I have a tendency to put it in realistic terms from a cop's point of view:
First of all, I don't think Capt. Rawling was "fired" per sey. You don't just get terminated without a review board and just the mayor asking for your resignation isn't how it's done. They didn't ask for her badge and weapon and she didn't offer it. The Deputy Chief had no remorse or any kind of reaction when he was in the office w/Acevada. I felt that Rawling's reaction was somewhat subdued for being fired after what 22 years of service?? To me, this was all planed and here's how I think it was suppose to play out.
Rawling was brought in to straighten out the department and personally she put the seizure policy into play for her own benefit. Sort of going out (retiring) on a high note. Second, she was given a directive to shut down Vic and the Task Force which probably couldn't have been done from HQ because of possible lawsuits against the department. I truely believe that her priority was to terminate that group. Rawling brought in IAB to investigate and you might remember him entering the bar at the "celebration" scene. Why is it that no one asked Rawling to come have a drink w/them and side with her regarding her termination? Remember Rawling asking Vic if he ever thought about how it all would end? Her reaction when he left the house and she closed the door told me that she knew something was going to happen to him and she was the reason and she was having regrets. She came to care for Vic and have some respect for him and his way of doing things but..........
Rawling's reaction to her termination just bothered me. Even though she's a somewhat disaplined person, I know that I would have been a little bit more "upset" if I were terminated after all those years of service. She told Vic that if she fought it she would loose her pention. I don't buy that. When she called for the foster care house to be seized, part of that was personal but the other part I believe was "what the hell, I'm outa here".
And what kind of meatball idiot of a Deputy Chief would even consider Dutch as interim? You wouldn't just come up to him and ask him anyway. Somethings just don't add up for me, sorry, but I think Rawling will play a vital story line in the first few eps of the next season.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!
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Post by leadinvestigator on Jun 16, 2005 12:02:39 GMT -5
Very good reality check, Copperhead! I really appreciate your point of view on things and I am glad to know you will stick around through the hiatus. We can discuss other programs here, I assume?
I was wondering if Rawling was *fired* or *forced to resign*. I was never clear about that. If she was fired, is her arrest of Antwon even legit?? If she was forced to resign, how could her pension be an issue?
The scene of Rawling and Mackey saying goodbye was moving. I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned that she knows Vic might go down because of her actions... and, yes, Rawling would need to reappear next year to follow up on this storyline. Maybe testify? I bet she does something to help the Strike Team escape the noose yet again. The brass has lost her support on anything now.
I thought her reaction to being fired/forced to resign was appropriate. She seemed close to tears with Vic and I would have liked to see him hug her. But the handshake was professional, which Rawling is all around.
She did say she would stay in her place another 6 months, right? That gives her time enough to reappear next season in that time frame and then move to wherever she plans to retire.
I heard someone complaining that she seemed to beg for her job with the Asst. Capt. and Acevada... I don't think she did at all. She was in disbelief that both of them bailed on her and that cops wouldn't stand by her. She was too stunned at that point to say or do much else.
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Post by Maggie1956 on Jun 16, 2005 20:07:25 GMT -5
Pure speculation on where they're going w/ Rawlings: from the moment she & Vic entered her place until the credits rolled, I was waiting for the front of the house to be hit w/ gunfire or a molotov cocktail. Antwon may be locked up tight, but he has plenty of minions on the streets of Farmington. I'm guessing that next season Rawlings will be injured or killed in her home in da hood.
I liked the scene where she said goodbye to Vic. I think she was going as far as her ethics will allow in warning him to walk the chalk, and he knew she was telling him something she wouldn't say straight out. At some point perhaps he'll connect her veiled warning with the oddly non-authentic heroin...but by that time the Strike Team will already be deeper in trouble. Meanwhile he'll keep trying to rescue that soulless traitor, the H-cutter. This part is actually so predictable I want them to do something different just to surprise us. This show used to be so good at throwing curve-balls, and I miss that.
Not-gonna-happen-but-we-can-wish: Dutch and Claudette capture a serial killer with a taste for big-eyed brunette harpies, but only AFTER he murders the H-cutter, Mrs. Aceveda, and best of all--MARA! Hurray!
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Post by qb on Jun 16, 2005 22:48:36 GMT -5
Rawling clearly felt some compassionate toward Vic. She knows he seldom if ever does things by the book, BUT he serves up a mean helping of justice on the streets and often looks out for the downtrodden if they really need his help. Sometimes even I have to remind myself that Vic shot another cop in the face!
Rawling also knows that she has set into motion Vic's downfall and I think she might still feel it was the right thing to do. She's been in law enforcement for many years, fighting for the good cause, and Vic is just plain corrupt. I think Rawling still believes in following the letter of the law (maybe with some creative spelling here and there) and getting rid of crooked cops is the right thing to do.
Maybe that's why it hurts all the more that her own superiors sold her out when she was doing the right thing...because Rawling still believes in the right thing... which means turning on Vic, even though he was the only one who supported her.
If in fact The Shield is based on what really happened on the Rampart force, then "justice will find" Vic in the end.
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Post by CopperHead on Jun 17, 2005 10:09:04 GMT -5
I have some more questions to ponder from the finale:
I thought that Rawling "bought" the house in Da Hood? She states that she has 6 months left on the lease???
If Rawling was relieved of duty, she would not be able to make that arrest of Antwon. However, they never said her termination would take place immediately or when.....
And yes, I was waiting for something to happen to the house as she was drinking a beer. Maybe that will be in the season opener??
All in all, Glenn Close and Rawling have opened up a whole new venue and have set a standard for things to come.
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Post by fju2112 on Jun 17, 2005 18:44:18 GMT -5
let's not forget that cops were sent to her office to escort her out of the building. to me, that makes it pretty clear she was fired outright (that's why her appeal would result in the loss of pension, which i found to be strange and cruel if it's true on any police force). she had one last piece of business to take care of, and that was reading antwon his rights; the escorts understood that and allowed it before she had to leave the building for good as a fired ex-cop. considering those factors i'd say she was simply fired.
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Post by CopperHead on Jun 21, 2005 18:27:38 GMT -5
When you're fired you turn in your badge/ID and weapon on the spot. You are relieved of duty. Period. Of course that is again in real life. I still believe that something else is up and it's going to come to head probably in the season opener. In reality, Rawling would have turned over her credentials, had an officer escort her back to the station house to collect her personal items and then they would have driven her home since she had to leave the "company car".
I know, I know.....I have a hard time seperating reality from Hollywood. One of these days I'll just learn to enjoy TV!!
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Post by fju2112 on Jun 22, 2005 9:02:01 GMT -5
That's exactly what the cops were doing - getting her badge & gun. I'm just saying it was pretty clear she was fired, because there seemed to be some ambiguity there, according to some. They allowed her a tiny bit of latitude to arrest her last collar. I'm sure it's something that occurs in real life from time to time. If you can't enjoy this show, not sure what show that's on the air at the moment you'll be able to enjoy without poking holes in the little things...I mean, I loved X Files, and it revolved around aliens, let alone the ridiculous idea of the FBI keeping alive a department of one individual with a helper assigned to take him down who ends up taking his side...see what I mean...?
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Post by qb on Jun 22, 2005 20:56:06 GMT -5
I don't think Copperhead was saying she didn't enjoy the show... she just notices these things. I had a friend in the military who was always pointing out the mistakes and improbabilities in combat scenes... but my friend still enjoyed the movie. It's just a little harder for them to suspend disbelief than it is for us! Copper, I am glad you are here to lend your experience and expertise to the evaluations. Maybe we need to get you on the set as a consultant! Come to think of it, I just had a wild idea for our next Captain!! She has beautiful reddish-auburn hair... sound familiar, Copper?? ;D
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Post by chemikalman on Jun 22, 2005 22:07:38 GMT -5
OK, this really sucks. I replied to this thread earlier today, and a fairly lenghty reply at that, and now it's gone!? Here's what I remember: I totally agree with CHIKchick that the party was inappropriate. But, I'll have to admit that it didn't occur to me when I watched the ep. What did occur to me was the reason given for Monica's firing: because the DEA got shown up and their egos were bruised? I don't think so. The scene with Phillips offering the Captain position to Dutch was flaky, contrived. Even worse was Dutch taking all of 1.7 sec to turn it down. Not to mention the short cuts they took in Monica's termination. Good points by copperhead. I didn't understand, and still don't, what appealing a termination has to do with one's pension. That doesn't sound like the USA to me. I also liked the scene between Vic and Monica and was glad Vic showed her respect with a handshake instead of a hug. I didn't really see anything out of character with her momentary breakdown after Vic left. I think it would have been out of character for her to join the revelry at the bar. Some have said they half expected Monicas house to get shot up while Vic was there. I was sort of thinking the same thing might happen at the bar. I'm glad neither scenario materialized--that would have been kind of uncreative. I like CC's proposed ending of Monica putting her piece in her mouth or near her temple. Or maybe some disgruntled perp whose property was seized breaking in and threatening her? Like CC said at least we would have been left with some level of suspense and either of those endings would be more on par with those of previous seasons. As it was, the ending was very ho-hum. For an episode I give it a C+/B- (on The Shield scale); as a season finale I give it a D. P.S. LI, sure it's OK to discuss other shows--whatever keeps this group going during the season. Well, almost whatever--I'd like to avoid political discussion, my little quip about Matthew notwithstanding .
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Post by chemikalman on Jun 22, 2005 22:18:42 GMT -5
Not-gonna-happen-but-we-can-wish: Dutch and Claudette capture a serial killer with a taste for big-eyed brunette harpies, but only AFTER he murders the H-cutter, Mrs. Aceveda, and best of all--MARA! Hurray! Oh, forgot a couple of other points: I like Maggie's proposal for getting rid of the three harpies--esp. Mara! But then they'll have to come up with some other bitch we will love to hate. Remember Lannie Callis, the auditor? She was a real pearl. Autumn Chiklis 11? Though she did seem to get a lot taller all of a sudden it wasn't exactly that aspect that makes her look older to me. Maybe she should reduce her intake of hormone-juiced poultry and beef? Finally, I heard that ratings were up 30% this year--I think we can thank Glenn Close for a good portion of that.
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Post by fju2112 on Jun 23, 2005 10:44:02 GMT -5
I guess I just relax, watch the show, and if something is ridiculously unbelievable, I'll notice it, but I don't dwell on it. Short of Vic taking out a Star Trek taser and capturing Antwan, then beaming him up to the USS Enterprise...I mean, when I watch TV, what am I doing...? I don't want to see "real life"; real life is boring. I want to see someone's imagination; "real life squared", whatever you call it. As real as we think the Shield is, even Vic's real life counterpart would do paperwork for hours on end at some point, but the cameras have no interest in showing that. We see the most dramatic moments in life on TV, that's what the directors want to convey. So, since what we're seeing is fiction, even though it has to be "believable", I still buy most of what I'm seeing...I'm naturally an inquisitive person, so I do notice these things, but TV for me is just a way to unwind.
I guess we can't say what those individuals would have done in real life during the season finale - have the party or not have the party - it just seems like the writers needed that scene in there to wrap things up.
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Post by leadinvestigator on Jun 23, 2005 13:58:59 GMT -5
I am completely able to suspend disbelief when I watch The Shield. I think because I love the series! Sure, a lot of it is total bullshit but it's fun as hell. I have always liked Star Trek, too, and it's a load of fiction, too!
I knew Rawling wouldn't kill herself and I seriously doubted there would be any last minute shoot outs at her place or at the bar in the closing scene. That would be "jumping the Soap" if you ask me. Soaps are always pulling these big drama scenes to keep the viewers in suspense, only from week to week. Having season five go out like a lamb was a little lame but better than a contrived attempt to shock us. We'll be back next year anyway!
The worst thing to happen to this season were the leaks about Glenn leaving. That should have been kept top secret so her firing would have been the finale shocker. Well, if next year is the last--the writers can go wild and do something drastic with our favorite characters. Can you imagine Vic getting busted for murdering a cop and all of the other corruption?? That would be a wow.
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Post by CopperHead on Jun 24, 2005 10:52:44 GMT -5
I think we were left with a lot of possiblities for what's going to happen next season. The big anticipation for me is, of course, who's going to fill Capt. Rawling's shoes. CHICK, thanks for sending in my resume but I don't think I'd even get an interview!!
There's no way in hell that a department that big would send a couple of unis to retrieve a Captain's weapon and credentials. Maybe in some small town department but I'm not buying that. Anyway, we'll just have to wait and see......
One other question: Did anyone see the guy from IAB enter the bar during the party scene? What do you think about that??
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Post by qb on Jun 25, 2005 10:43:46 GMT -5
I think it's pretty obvious that the internal affairs guy is checking them out. Like watching his prey interact with the herd before picking them off with a high-powered rifle! Not the fall-out-of-my-chair cliffhanger I was lusting for...BUT maybe the subtle ending portends of a final season in which Vic Mackey finally goes down. All of that smiling and laughter may well be blood and tears in Season 5!!
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Post by chemikalman on Jun 25, 2005 11:36:36 GMT -5
LI, very good point that all the advance publicity about Close leaving ruined what could have otherwise been a big impact finale. As it was, they threw that little glimpse of the IAD guy going into the bar and looking around sneakily. I was watching a taped episode of Law and Order the other day and they REALLY screwed the suspense out of a future episode by saying something like "And you won't believe who gets shot" or something like that, then showing one of the lead detectives getting shot! Well, um, I guess we WILL believe it now! What are these people thinking?
"Jump the Soap"--ha ha, good one.
By the way, speaking of the IAD guy and Law and Order, I knew I had seen him somewhere before and I'm pretty sure it was on Law and Order.
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