The Sheild - The Complete Fifth Season - DVD Review

In what is widely regarded as The Shield's best season, the show now works at it's very peak, building on what came before and making good on the promise of repercussion. On that note, why I think The Shield tends to be so highly regarded relates back to how the actions of Vic and the Strike Team have ripple effects. The series does have a strong procedural element, which is fine, but many fans place it among The Sopranos and The Wire and I finally realise why - even though I'm not sure if I myself would place it that highly, so far, anyway. It's the really intense shit that just builds and builds until it finally breaks. I also feel like maybe I understand Sons of Anarchy a little more after my Shield revelation. The shows work in the same way, much like, to give you some perspective, The Sopranos and Mad Men or Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life. I could have used comparisons that share the very same auteur-vision, but these examples are more helpful as they're about writers who aren't the key creative vision on a show, but who later create a show of their own that shares not superficial traits, but ones relating to tone, aesthetic, theme and style, with that of their old show. Both shows work on the idea of a group of folks that find themselves under threat while also trying to find their way out of whatever clusterfuck they've got themselves into. I didn't get the problem/solution thing in the first season of Sons, but now I think I do. After that long-winded and semi-off-topic rant, I'd like to formally welcome you to my review of The Shield season five.

After Monica Rawling's (Glenn Close) effective, but let's face it, essentially fruitless stint as captain drew to a close and gang leader, Antwon Mitchell (Anthony Anderson) gets thrown in prison, things started to look up for Vic and the team - not great, but there was a stability that they've been a stranger to lately. That gets shaken up very quickly when Jon Kavanaugh (Forrest Whitaker) shows up as an Internal Affairs agent tasked with the job of finding out the truth behind Terry Crowley's murder. That's really all the exposition you need as this story is the driving force of the season.

I won't go too deeply into the plot of the season, because, like last season it builds to a climax that really needs to be experienced. That said, there are many twists and turns not unlike last season. I keep comparing this season to the last and I'll talk a little about that. For my money, seasons four and five are the best of the show so far (I have yet to see six and seven). Season four had killer guest stars and an intense plot that combined bits of past events with truly shocking and suspenseful plot-developments. It was the best season the show could have done at that point. After doing that, Shawn Ryan and his writers smartly re-evaluated the show, knowing that it was an excellent season and that trying to repeat it would be a backwards step. They looked back to the pilot and devised a five-act tragedy, ala Shakespeare, combining the inciting incident in the pilot, the money train, Shane getting into bed with Antwon, and what each member of the strike team represented to the team on a whole. This reinvigorated the show and determined the rest of the series.

Unlike earlier seasons, the sub-plots running along Kavanaugh vs Strike Team are much weaker than the main story. Julian dealing with new recruit Tina's incompetency was neither inspiring or compelling. Then she was shuffled over to Dutch where he assists her in a matter of sexual harassment in the workplace. There are a few good Dutch moments to be had, but overall the story just didn't click with me. I hope Tina has a more solid arc in season six so this wasn't all for nothing.

The rift between Dutch and Claudette was the most involving of the supporting plots, half due to the strong performances from Jay Karnes and CCH Pounder and half owed to the backbone that's been created over the course of the series, having these two characters together in the majority of the episodes. The execution left a little to be desired, as I retread an old criticism, because the plot wasn't given enough screen time. Last time I made the criticism I noted that a supporting plot lacked weight as well as screen time - well, now it's just screen time.

Anyway, this season is really about Kavanaugh and the past actions of Vic and the Strike Team, and this is where its strength lies. Whitaker turns an exceptional performance as Kavanaugh, and you can really see him enjoying his craft. He has this very jazzy acting style which is complimented by a large dose of vigorous intensity.

The set houses 4 single-sided, dual-layer discs and clocks in at 524 minutes. There are english subtitles as well as descriptive English captions for the hearing impaired.

Video

In keeping with the previous releases, the video is 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. I watched it up-scaled on my HD television and Blu-Ray player and the transfer looked fantastic. Obviously there are flaws, but they're from the source footage and not the transfer.

Audio

Dolby Digital 2.0. Lacks the complexity of 5.1, but perfectly fine nonetheless.

Extras

Special Features:

• Audio commentary on every episode

• Deleted scenes with optional commentary

• 'Delivering the Baby' - a special feature-length behind-the-scenes making of episode 65

• 5 additional behind-the-scenes featurettes
  

• 'Wins and Losses' - a 'promosode' prequel to season 6

These Shield releases have always stepped it up when it came to extras and this set is no exception - in fact, it might be the best. While some of the featurettes have a little too much of the obligatory wanking of the show and the actors, they are still very interesting and absolutely worth a watch. 'Delivering the Baby' in particular is occasionally moving and offers insight into how the actors feel about working on the show. There are also good interviews with key creative staff. The promosode/webisode is an excellent addition to the extras and bridges the gap between seasons five and six well. Obviously it's not required viewing, but if you're a fan then you'd be missing out.

I don't want to spoil any developments of the arc, but I assure you it's very satisfying. The re-watch value of this season is perhaps a little less than the previous ones - but its still probably the best season yet. If you're a fan of good television drama, then you owe it to yourself to check out this very engaging season of television. If you've never seen the show then catch the earlier seasons because it's worth it.