American Folk Mediums and The Shield

I love television. Unlike many people I know, tv in my opinion is a better medium for entertainment than film. Though much of what is on the tube is crap, there are those rare shows that outshine anything on the silver screen. Mostly comedies like Sienfield, Arrested Development, The Simpsons and 30 Rock, but also a few dramas like The Shield. I have to admitt that when I first saw the sheild I thought that it was another cheesy show about renagade cops. But after I picked up on the threads that were running through the show from the begining, I was hooked. I liked the Wire, but no other show was as compelling from start to finish as the Shield. As the last season became more and more intense, I dreaded seeing the results. I held the last disc on Netflix for a week before I could watch it. My girlfriend thought I was being rediculous, but after watching every episode in order from start to finish i couldn't bare to let it go. And unlike the Wire, I knew it was going to be bad. And it was. At first I was disappointed in the ending, but it turns out that it was an inevitability. The strike team was just too guilty from the beginning, and would have to be caught. I liked how there were those times when the strike team tried to send one of their own off to a farm in Mexico, as if it was the ultimate prize for the corrupt cop. It never worked. Anyway true fans will understand the agaony I felt over the demise of Shane, Lemme, Ronnie, and Vic. Its hard to explain to non-devotees. I hope Shawn Ryan or Michael Chilikas will be able to create a new show of such quality. One thing is for shure though, that almost shakespeareanesque tragedy is rarely presented on the big screen. And for good reason. One needs a lot of time and space to create a dynamic universe that the viewer can immerse onself in and essentially become a part of. Maybe this will create an audience demand for more intense tv drama. So yeah Shield ( and by the way I know the series ended a year ago or so, but it was just recently released on DVD, and I have no cable.)
Thanks and I will be with you next time with the entries "How 30 Rock Save TV Comedy" and "Sarah Palin Must Die"
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