RARA-AVIS: Re: The Shield

From: Dave Zeltserman ( davezelt@comcast.net)
Date: 04 Apr 2005


>
> I was just thinking about this as I watched the show last week. I
> think it was a mistake to start the series off with Mackey killing
> another cop, since he's never come close to that level of
corruption
> again.

Craig,

As shocking as it was watching him shoot Reed Diamond, watching him griddle that child rapist/druglords face was maybe even more shocking. And robbing the Armenian money train was up there as far as corruption goes - along with causing the aftermath that follows.

>In fact, the more the show goes on, the lighter and more
> viewer-friendly Mackey has become.

Again, can't agree with that. From the start they've humanized Mackey even as they show him as corrupted. One of the things that was so well-done in the shooting of Diamond is the look of sadness on Mackey's face when he does it. To me Makcey's character has been consistent since the first show - and he's paid a price so far, losing his wife, his homelife, his team, and all the money he stole. There's no question he's damned - we just got to watch him dance for a while!

I don't think he'll ever be soft and
> cuddly, but he's much more easy to identify with. Maybe if some
sort of
> repercussions would have come out of his killing of Reed Diamond
in the
> very first episode, the show would have a bit more grit to it?

There have been plenty of potential repercussions - the whole first season had Mackey scrambling like crazy to avoid them. One of the best episodes (I think second season) is a flashback one that shows Mackey as an honest and dedicated cop taking his first shortcut. The start of his downfall. The great thing about this season - all Mackey has left is being a cop, and you can already see any chance he has of redeeming himself is going to be shortcircuited by his past actions (and Shane!)

-Dave Z.

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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 04 Apr 2005 EDT