(I also am almost done with BtVS and Angel. So expect rankings for those soon also)

I recently discovered The Shield on DVD, and was instantly mesmerized by the by the amazing acting, edgy and engaging storytelling, and all around quality production that was sitting before my eyes. Honestly, I'm not exaggerating; the show really is that good. I have yet to see a bad performance by an actor on the show. Even the guest stars give amazing performances. If you haven't checked out this show yet, do yourself a favor and rent it! It's one of the best shows on
television, and after five seasons it hasn't seized to amaze me.

After two months I am finally caught up with all the five seasons on DVD, and am eagerly anticipating the sixth to premiere on FX in April. Here are my rankings of the seasons so far: (Spoiler warning for the season descriptions)


#5) Season Four
Despite it being the worst season on my list, I still love it. Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson added so much to the show this year as new series regulars. Anderson was a great villain; one of the best the show's had, and Close gave an Emmy award-winning performance. The two of them unarguably made the season better then it should have been, as the season (as a whole) felt disjointed for me. Maybe I just hated the strike team being apart and bickering for so long, but for the majority of the season something felt a little off. But the writers still managed to wrap things up in a great finale, and set up season five beautifully.
Favorite Character: Monica Rawling, hands down. She instantly won me over, nervous and stumbling through her speech to The Barn in episode three, and her seizure policy proved that she actually cared about Farmington and strived to make it a better place. She was ten times the captain Acceveda was, which is probably why he disliked her so much. Her shining moment had to be the final five minutes of Judas Preist when she finally yelled at Acceveda and called him out as the scum he really is. Glenn Close was perfect for the role, and proved only more how much of an amazing actress she is.

 



#4) Season One
The Shield had a great first season. The shocking ending of the pilot episode had me desperately intrigued to find out what would happen next. While the first season was ground breaking television, I don't think the writers were as comfortable with the scripts as they became in later seasons. The season didn't have much of a big season arc like latter seasons would. Yes, the Gilroy thing was pretty nerve racking for Vic in the season finale, but it was nothing compared to what later seasons would bring.
Favorite Character: Claudette. CCH Pounder is such a talented actress, and she brought depth and zest to her character. I instantly liked Claudette, and I particularly like her more this season (before she started meddling in Vic's affairs).

 




#3) Season Two
The writers and actors, with a full season now under their plate, became much more comfortable with the show and the characters this season and it showed. The characters became stronger, relationships grew depth and some became twisted, and the arcs held more of an impact. I loved the uneasy alliance Vic and Accaveda formed this season, with Claudette on their asses to
figure out what was going on. I didn't care much for the gang banger tire-burning plot, but the money train one definitely had me intrigued, and
culminated into a fantastic finale that would only have greater impact on later seasons.
Favorite Character: I got to give credit to Michael Chiklis. Vic holds the show together, and in season two he officially warmed up to me. Yes, he does bad things. But I refuse to think of him as a bad guy. He cares for his family deeply and is the glue holding together the Strike Team and keeping them from possibly turning on one another. Chiklis is the perfect actor for the part, and there would be no Shield without him.







#2) Season Five
I just finished season five, and it was fantastic. The IAD plot kept me riveted for the whole season. Kavanaugh was a great new character; he was so easy to hate, despite him being actually one of the good guys. I loved how the writers tied this season to the pilot episode and to all the previous seasons, and the shocker of an ending astounded me. I kept believe Shane killed Lem!!! And now Vic has vowed to kill him! Season six can't come soon enough.
Favorite Character: Lem really came alive this season. I was so proud of the way he stuck out for the team. He never betrayed them despite how hard Kavanaugh was on his ass to do. He didn't deserve to die the way he did.





#1) Season Three
It was hard to choose a favorite season, but I eventually came to the conclusion it was season three, mostly because of that emotional finale between the members of the strike team. This season was full of so much
emotion, and I loved the consequences the money train had on the team. Yes, it was painful to watch, but it was truly excellent drama and outstanding acting. The season finale was the best hour The Shield has produced in my opinion, and while the writers may have conceived better plots since then, never have the emotions been so true then those final moments when all the members of the Strike Team let out their bitter, angry,and hurtful feelings at each other that they had withheld for so long.
Favorite Character: This was truly a character defining season for Dutch as well. Dutch grew so many more dimensions this season, and while many hate
him for the incident with the cat, it only showed how lonely and misguided an individual Dutch is. It was this season where I truly felt I understood him for the first time.



(I know many people don't watch the show, so I'm not really expecting any comments for this blog. But seriously, check the show out.)