“Pilot”

The Shield. Anyone who has seen this show can tell you that this is, if nothing else, an exciting show. While it is difficult to get involved with this show mid season or even mid series, it is well worth the entertainment value to buy season 1 on DVD. Season One introduces us to the main characters and sets up the thematic elements and overall plot for the rest of the series.

Episode one begins with the introduction of Police Captain David Aceveda(Benito Martinez) in a press conference talking about his district, Farmington in Los Angeles, California. This is intercut with the chase of a drug dealer by the strike team which is a special 5 member drug and gang task force. The Strike Team is led by Vic Mackey(Michael Chiklis). The other members include Shane Vendrell(Walton Goggins), Curtis “Lem” Lemanski(Kenny Johnson), Ronnie Gardocki(David Rees Snell) and Terry Crowley(Reed Diamond). During the chase, the drug dealer eats the drugs and when done, turns to the team and says “too late”. This is replied to with a punch to the gut by Vic followed by pulling the suspects pants down in the street and finding a bag of dope taped to his bag which is quickly, and painfully, removed by Vic before being led off with his pants still around his ankles.

In the next scene we are greeted by the side view of a dead naked woman who was obviously stabbed. Investigating the murder are Detectives Claudette Wimms(CCH Pounder) and Holland “Dutch” Wagenbach(Jay Karnes). The first officers on the scene are Dani Sofer(Catherine Dent) and Julian Lowe(Michael Jace). Through the victim’s sister, we learn that a child is missing.

Back at the station, aptly named “the barn” we learn that there is only one working restroom and we get the first allegations of excessive force by the strike team by a drug dealer who shows a bruise allegedly left by Vic and a pair of pliers.

Eventually we get to the point where Aceveda meets with Terry in a park to discuss taking down Vic. Terry quickly agrees and David brings in a Federal Agent. After some negotiating on what Terry will get, the sting is on. We also get our first glimpse of Aceveda’s political ambition.

As Claudette and Dutch continue to look for the missing girl, we see them work with Vic for the first time as a lead takes them to a local crack house where Vic gets the suspect who initially doesn’t remember killing his ex and selling his daughter but later admits to it. They then track down the man who bought the girl and question him. He says he bought the girl but traded her to another person for an older girl to be named later. They find the man who bought the girl and it happens to be a doctor and a tough cookie to crack. As Claudette and Dutch argue about how to prodeed, Aceveda grabs Vic telling him “I need your help”. We see him begin the interrogation by bringing in a bag containing some assorted things like a bottle of what might be whiskey, a lighter and a phone book. We watch David, Dutch and Claudette look on in shock as Vic uses force to get the information quickly from the Doctor in time to save the girl who was in shock. Back at the station we see the tension mount between Vic and Dutch.

Julian and Dani are called to a domestic disturbance where the ex-boyfriend of a very portly woman slashed the tires of her new boyfriend’s car. The ex-boyfriend admits to slashing the tires and is arrested.

The strike team gets set for a big bust on a drug dealer and Vic agrees to let Terry in on it instead of only driving. They enter the house and after a gunfight ensues, the dealer is shot dead. Terry walks towards the bathroom where Vic and Shane are standing over the body. Vic and Shane turn around and Vic looks mad as he raises the dealer’s gun and shoots Terry once in the face. We see Terry have some consciousness as Vic walks up and stands over him. The final shot is from Terry’s point of view looking up at Vic, who is smirking and shaking his head, before blurring and fading to black.

All in all, this is a fantastic episode which doesn’t bore you to tears with setting up the rest of the series or even the next episode. While we don’t fully know the answers to how the Strike team knew about Terry yet, it seems to be someone on the inside… but who?

I grade this episode as

A+