For six seasons, viewers have watched self-proclaimed "different
kind of cop" Victor Samuel Mackey get away with murder, corruption,
and other sick and twisted crimes too numerous to mention. In the
series' penultimate episode, "Possible Kill Screen," Mackey summons
from the depths of his tortured soul all of his crimes and abuses as
part of an immunity deal he has cut for himself with the Feds at the
expense of his unwitting partner, Ronnie (David Rees Snell).
Referring to his interrogator's recorder, he asks, "How much memory
does that thing got?" How do you solve a problem like Vic? Do you
kill him off? Send him to prison? What would be just comeuppance for
a character, who, through it all, has somehow compelled our rooting
interest? "You have to pay some kind of price," his ex-wife Corrine
(Cathy Cahlin Ryan) wails. Suffice to say, without spoilers, that in
this Emmy-worthy final season, Vic will be held accountable in a way
that does his character (and the audience's investment in him)
justice and leaves this groundbreaking series' proud legacy
untarnished. It is an understatement when one character notes,
"There is a lot of [stuff] going down at the Barn right now." To
cover their tracks from the Armenian money train robbery, Vic and
his guys orchestrate a gang war that quickly spins out of control.
Shane (Walton Goggins), estranged from the Team, is forced to go on
the run with his pregnant wife and young son. Corrine agrees to help
Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) bring Vic down. As
the Strike Team sinks further in the hole they've dug for
themselves, viewers can take some comic relief in Det. Steve
Billings' (David Marciano) pathetic attempts to defraud the city in
the wake of his "injury," and solace in the solid police work of
Dutch, Claudette, Danni (Catherine Dent), and Tina (Paula Garces),
who is approaching the anniversary of her first year on the force.
Stand-alone cases (a missing student whose mother won't cooperate
with the investigation) and personal dramas (Claudette's failing
health) further enrich each gripping episode, leading to an
immensely satisfying series finale that fires on all cylinders. This
four-disc set includes a wealth of extras, including convivial
episode commentaries, deleted scenes, a genuinely moving featurette
that goes behind-the-scenes of the series finale, in which Chiklis
pays heartfelt tributes to the ensemble, and a season retrospective
that fittingly, gives Chiklis the last word: "We know what we have.
We have one of the great television series of all time on our
hands." The Shield, we salute you. --Donald Liebenson
Vic confronts Shane and deals with threats to
his family, including Armenian hitman Ari Zadofian. A
federal agent arrives to investigate a recent wave of
violence in Farmington.
Corrine finds herself in legal trouble, Vic
works an angle to make himself valuable to the Armenian mob,
and Tina targets a producer of adult entertainment.
Cassidy's rage causes her to violently lash out at her
mother.
Following a fire at an Armenian safe house,
Rezian asks Vic to set up a meeting with the Mexicans.
Meanwhile, an angry Cassidy goes to Danny with questions
about her father, and Dutch questions a teenager that shot
an intruder.
When the daughter of a drug kingpin is
kidnapped, the Strike Team must free her without drawing
attention to the fact that Agent Olivia Murray is following
them. Meanwhile, serial killer Kleavon Gardner, soon to go
on trial and defending himself, hits a nerve when he deposes
Claudette; Dutch continues his effort to unmask teenager
Lloyd as a potential serial killer, Danny pressures Vic to
sign away his parental rights to their child, and Shane
tries to turn Ronnie against Vic.
Vic and Ronnie set up a Mexican-Armenian
meeting, but tell the two sides different things, while
keeping some pertinent details from Shane. Shane and former
Strike Team adversary
Tavon Garris team up uneasily as a six-year-old murder
case heats up. Ellis Rezian is gunned down and Shane barely
makes it out alive, realizing that he was set up to be
killed along with Rezian by Vic and Ronnie. Ronnie gets a
warning from Claudette about Vic's freelancing, and a naked
sleepwalker is found in a warehouse with blood on his body
that isn't his own.
Vic's review board hearing is moved up
unexpectedly, putting new pressure on his mission to take
down Pezuela, which hits another snag when the Feds take
over the investigation of Robert Martin's murder. Meanwhile,
Vic ramps up his quest to stay in his infant son's life,
Shane tends to private business as he probes a prostitute's
murder, and Dutch is disturbed by what he finds at
Claudette's house when he and Billings investigate a
neighborhood break-in.
Vic and Ronnie escape attempts on their
lives, and when Ronnie's assailant is caught, Shane must
think and act quickly. Meanwhile, with barely a week to go
before he must turn in his badge, Vic offers Olivia a
business proposition. He also has some dirty work to do for
Pezuela, involving a priest whose church is in a location
Pezuela finds inconvenient.
Vic closes in on Shane, Mara, and their sick
young son, Claudette dismantles the Strike Team, Pezuela
offers Aceveda "assistance" for his mayoral campaign, Rita
Denton comes on to Dutch, and Billings' ex-wife and daughter
are fearful when a registered sex offender moves into their
neighborhood.
While Shane remains held up in L.A. with Mara
and Jackson, Corrine decides to cooperate with Dutch and
Claudette, who are now spearheading the LAPD effort to bring
down Vic. Meanwhile, Vic plays Aceveda, Pezuela, Beltran and
ICE against each other. However, Ronnie's tempted to simply
give up and run to Mexico, recommending that Vic run as
well.
Corrine agrees to be Vic and Shane's
go-between, and also agrees to cooperate with Claudette and
Dutch as she does so. Meanwhile, Vic comes to an
understanding with Aceveda and seeks one out with Olivia.
Claudette assigns Ronnie to work with Julien in order to
investigate the murder of a high-school football star. This
keeps Ronnie out of the Barn, resulting in him being unable
to intercept the letter Shane sent to Claudette detailing
one of the Strike Team's "sins."
Olivia joins forces with the remnants of the
Strike Team to catch a Mexican drug lord, and stop his
shipment. Meanwhile, Dutch is thrust into a position to
clean up Billings' mess. Vic confesses to all his prior
crimes, including the execution-style slayings of Terry
Crowley, Margos Dezerian, Guardo Lima, and many others, in
the hopes that he will be protected under ICE's immunity
deal, provided he helps secure Beltran's takedown.
Vic attempts to secure his immunity by going
after Beltran and his incoming drug shipment. Shane becomes
increasingly desperate as his situation worsens. Cops in the
Barn investigate a woman's disappearance.
