(S07E13) "Family meeting!" - Shane
Seven seasons, 88 episodes, and it all comes down to this. Vic Mackey, one of television's greatest anti-heroes, finally got what was coming to him. The Shield is over and Tuesday nights across America just got a little less exciting. Shawn Ryan has crafted some masterful Vic Mackey moments since 2001, but this episode (and Michael Chiklis' acting in it) easily stand apart as one of the show's greatest achievements yet.
For the most part, "Family Meeting" played out exactly as I expected it to. There weren't a lot of crazy WTF moments. Much of it was logical. Even the ending was something I had considered, however, I didn't put much stock in it. In my mind, Vic Mackey had to go down in a stream of blood and bullets. That being said, the lack of blood in Vic's final "resting place" was just as powerful.
Picking up where we left off last week, Vic spilled his guts to Olivia and Chaffee, effectively hanging Ronnie out to dry. Now he needs to come through on his promise to deliver Beltran to save himself while stringing Gardocki along. It was so painful to watch the entire episode, knowing that Ronnie would either die or be hauled off to jail. Even Vic had more potential endings than him. I've said it before and I'll say it again - David Rees Snell deserves some serious props for what he did with Ronnie over the span of this show. From a guy with no lines in the pilot to this. Amazing.
Moving on to Shane, was anyone really that surprised at the murder/suicide? Sure it was shocking, but the second he gave all his extra money to the cashier at the Korean grocery, you knew exactly what was going to happen - poison Mara, Jackson, and the unborn Francis Abigail, and then shoot himself.
After he spoke with Vic, Walton Goggins' face was brilliant - the minute he realized it was over when Vic told him about the deal with I.C.E and Olivia. The second they got home, it was as if the Bonnie and Clyde lifestyle they had been living for the past few weeks vanished immediately and the fear of what would happen to the kids set in. For Shane, a guy who's always been a coward (how can you forget the way he killed Lem), this really was the most appropriate end for him. He'll never have to answer for all the pain he caused. Pathetic.
Let's get the rest of my thoughts on the finale out of the way before we discuss the end...
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I found it odd that Shane used Billings as a middle man to deliver his message to Claudette. Why didn't he just call The Barn? Once he got home, you knew a neighbor would report it, so his location was no secret.
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Speaking of Billings, how about his "bitch dyke" attorney? She was strikingly beautiful! It honestly crossed my mind that Billings had maybe hired an actress (or hooker?) to try and seduce Dutch into writing Steve a more favorable report for his case against the department. Guess not though, since that really was his lawyer. Nice that Dutch seemed to hit it off with her. (The actress who played Steve's lawyer, Julia Campbell, is Jay Karnes' wife.)
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And speaking of Dutch, I was a little disappointed with how things played out with him and Lloyd. You knew the kid was going to kill his mother and the way he tried to set-up Dutch was certainly admirable, but I had been hoping for a bit a of a bigger showdown between the two. Regardless, seeing Claudette rip the little shit apart in the interrogation room more than made up for it. Lupus be damned, she's still got it.
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The only other disappointing moment in the finale for me was when Julien checked out those two guys while on patrol with Tina. It was a reaffirmation that he's gay, but also a reminder that we really didn't get any closure to his story.
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What did everyone else think of Andre Benjamin's Huggins? Comic book store owner turned mayoral candidate. I bet he would have given Aceveda a run for his money... makes you wonder if David may have had any involvement in his murder.
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In a nod to his hometown of Rockford, Illinois, Shawn Ryan sent Corinne and the kids there - the home of that giant T-Rex is the Burpee Museum of Natural History which is in Rockford.
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My mouth actually got dry because my jaw hung open for what seemed like forever as Claudette showed Vic the crime scene pictures from Shane's apartment. That was one of the best scenes this show has ever had. Vic's eyes were like shards of glass.
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Clark Johnson, who directed the pilot, also directed this episode and popped up right at the end as the "Handsome Federal Marshal." Know what other influential series he directed the book-ends for? The Wire.
OK - let's talk Vic. For argument's sake, he may as well have ended up in prison because for him, sitting in a tiny cubicle, isn't much better. In prison, he might have actually had a few friends (maybe not). But the second Shane told him that Corinne was working with the cops and said Vic was "alone," that was the key right there.
Ronnie got dragged off, Shane is dead, his family is in witness protection, and he has a job where no one is ever going to be sitting next to him in the break room. The ironic thing about the picture with Lem on his desk (he had to cut Ronnie and Shane out) is that had Lem still been alive, Vic probably would have screwed him over too. Sooner or later, "me" always comes before "you."
The look on Vic's face when Olivia told him that he has a desk job - not a plainclothes beat - was amazing. Vic was angry, hurt, and saddened all at the same time. Best of all, he knew he had no choice. The final scene - again, Michael Chiklis' eyes - was amazing. All that pain and suffering whittled down to a new daily mantra: wear a suit, do your job, and go home. It's the complete antithesis of who he is. Excuse me - who he was.
So what does everyone think? Did Vic Mackey get what he deserved?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
11-26-2008 @ 10:35AM
Kate said...
I am so glad you put your review up as quickly as you did. I have been sitting on my couch, staring at the television screen, unable to think. After seven seasons, I am emotionally and mentally exhausted. I cried when Lem died and I cried when Shane killed himself though I knew it was going to happen. I could not help myself. David Rees Snell and his acting as he got dragged off was just incredible as was CCH Pounder. Walt Goggins and Michael Chiklis both HAVE to be nominated for their acting this season. I have been with this show since the beginning and now, just like that, it is all over and I admit. I am a crybaby over this finale. I could not stop crying over the tiniest thing. Just Claudette and Dutch in her office and her telling him to be her friend like he always has been. This finale was everything I thought, and hoped, it would be. Thank you to Shawn Ryan and to everyone who worked on this show. My Tuesdays will be empty now. Maybe I should go back to my DVDs and start from the beginning.
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11-26-2008 @ 10:47AM
sam said...
that sounds like me; i have no idea what i'll do with my tuesdays from now on.
11-26-2008 @ 10:36AM
Brian Burns said...
Vic Mackey in a desk job?
Better than death...
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11-26-2008 @ 10:36AM
vince said...
i cant believe its over. i hated to see vic end up like a caged animal. you could see the trouble in his heart when he heard the string of cop cars going by. that woosss move by shane killing his family was lame. i felt that was lower than when he killed lem. i didnt want jackson to get hurt. but chalk that up to vic making the comment about visiting the kids once a year to remind them of what "ma and pa" were really like. the show is over and im at a loss for how a feel. almost like a part of me died with the show. now i gotta find something else to watch. been watching sons of anarchy, but i dont think it will fill the void. guess we will get a movie in a few years eh?
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11-26-2008 @ 10:36AM
Anthony said...
All I can say is Damn, I'm going to miss this show. After 7 seasons, countless illegal and immoral deeds, nail biting suspense, and heroic moments we finally saw Vic for what he is: a man addicted to and corrupted by power. Considering that the alternative was death or life in prison, Vic got off easy. Yet while average joes like us would be wiping the sweat off of our foreheads, breath a sigh of relief, and happily type our reports for a measly 3 years, all Vic can do is think of the power he no longer has and stare longingly at the police cars speeding down the street.
There's so much more to say, but I'm still shook up. Maybe I'll collect my thoughts and post something else later
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11-26-2008 @ 10:45AM
willy the impeached said...
I didn't get that at all. It seemed like the ending with the gun was to show that he had been forced to face all the evil he had done and at the end of it he simply hadn't changed. They can give him a desk job, but thats not going to stop him from doing what he does. Like so many other supervisors, she made the mistake to assume he would go quietly.
11-26-2008 @ 10:36AM
Rich said...
Thought for a minute Vic would put the gun in his mouth when he pulled it out of the lock box. The ending was truly reminesent of The Sopranos. (not as good tho) Even though somewhat unsatisfying it leaves you to finish the story. Just as we can imagine Tony S. continuing to dodge metaphorical and real bullets we can do the same for Vic. Perhaps he will ride out his three years at the desk and move on and perhaps they will come to him for help on a case that he is uniquely qualified for, who knows that's the beauty of the ending. You fill in the blanks. As a fan from episode one I can say I have mixed emotions. I would like to have seen Vic get his due however as I stated the ending is good enough to leave me with a sense of closure.
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11-26-2008 @ 10:37AM
Nick said...
All I can say is wow! An end that actually did justice to the best television show of all time. In the end, each member of the strike team paid for their sins. Vic may be "free" but will forever live with the burden of knowing he put Ronnie away. This act was no worse than when Shane killed Lem in my opinion.
1-22-2009 @ 7:44AM
noah millheim said...
not as good as the sopranos? The Sopranos finale gave us the single most compromising act in television finale history, David Chase didn't really say anything, he simply left it up to our interpretation. It's definitely implied that tony was killed in that diner, but only implied. The shield did not cop out.
11-26-2008 @ 10:37AM
weath451 said...
Vic got off light-but he has no one left. I would have preferred Ronnie to kill him, but this ending was better.
I never thought I would be sad for Shane, but I really am.
I felt bad for Ronnie as well. He reminded me of the Thanksgiving turkeys in the recent Sarah Palin video.
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11-26-2008 @ 10:37AM
Matt said...
Out of the two men who formed the monster, I wanted Shane to live. He was a coward, but he was the only one willing to reform. He wanted to take his family and go. That's the only thing he wanted anymore, and he couldn't even have that. I, for one, did not see the entire family dying. I definitely pictured Shane taking a bullet, but not necessarily at his own hands, and I didn't see his family going with him. I was shocked, and left speechless until the show resumed from break.
Poor Ronnie. He was Vic's pawn the entire time, and now he gets to suffer for the rest of his days for Vic's sins. Ronnie could have stopped any time, but he was sucked into the tornado, much like Shane was, and it was far too strong for either of them to get away no matter how hard they may have wanted to.
The most brilliant part of Shawn Ryan, and the job the writing staff did over seven years, is how my attitude shifted as the series went on. I went from cheering Vic and loving how he continued to dodge bullets to wanting him to fall the hardest. Did he? That's open for debate. He's the only "free" person left in his family and Strike Team crew, but he has to live with that same knowledge, and if he has any conscience left, it will eat away at him for the rest of his life. To some, that's a punishment worse than death.
I'd go into my other thoughts, but this comment is getting way too long, so I'll just end it by saying that the last seven years have been an amazing ride, and I'll miss this show more than any that have come and gone. What Shawn Ryan and the cast and crew did was craft an experience that went above and beyond the limits of a mere television show. These were people you loved, hated, cared about, and wanted to see fall. That's powerful stuff, and I believe it will be a long time before we see anything that hits as hard as The Shield again.
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11-26-2008 @ 10:37AM
Bobbaft said...
I was waiting for them to reveal Dutch being Rita's killer but pinning it on the kid. I would have loved it if they showed Dutch hovering over Rita's dead body in his basement....that would have closed the deal on the "Why did he kill the cat"...he became what he was determined to put behind bars...the same thing that eventually made Vic what he was. Plus it would have put a little more "realisim" to the story as it occurs in our society today: Dutch looks down upon Vic for what he did, but then goes home and does his dirty little deeds behind closed doors. Just like everyone else here...
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11-26-2008 @ 10:37AM
Bob Baft said...
Amazon has season 6 on sale for $16.
I wanted them to reveal Dutch actually killed Rita, thus closing up the "Why did he kill the cat" question.
That would have shown another cop becoming exactly what he locks up...just like Vic.
And MAN did I want Aceveda to walk into the Beltran sting and get shot....after he found out Huggins beat him in the race for Mayor. Too bad they didn't show his wife...I always enjoy seeing that hot beatch!
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11-26-2008 @ 10:38AM
danny said...
Very good finale. I'm glad you gave a shout out to Clark Johnson. He was great as Gus on The Wire, but Ive been a big fan of his work since Homecide Life on the Street. Obviously he has proven himself to be a fine director but is still a very underrated and under used actor.
As far as Vic's punishment, anyone who thinks a boring desk job is like being in prison has never been to prison.
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11-26-2008 @ 10:38AM
danny said...
NICE TO SEE A S SHOUT OUT FOR CLARK JOHNSON. IVE BEEN A BIG FAN OF HIS SINCE HOMICEDE LIFE ON THE STREET.
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11-26-2008 @ 10:38AM
Morrolan said...
Did Vic get whats he deserved? In a word, No. In fact his fate was remarkably similar to Marlo Stansfield from The Wire.
I guess his fate was true to a character who cheats death and jail at every time and turns everyone around him to shit but I still find it unsatisfying.
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11-26-2008 @ 10:38AM
Redrady1 said...
Oh.... I'm still in shock. But not for WHAT happened, as much as what WASN'T answered. I REALLY thought there would be some sort of SHOW DOWN between Lloyd and Dutch, (I thought they'd bring up the cat incident). So much emphasis on Billings? Why? and where had Danny gone? Vic still has that kid... Yet they didn't even touch on that.
and even though Shane was a total screw-up, and I hated Mara from the beginning - I can't get the picture of Mara and Jackson on the bed out of my head. VERY disturbing.
Bests:
The stone-cold looks from Olivia to Vic. Her disgust is evident even without her speaking.
Claudette's performance with Lloyd. Bravo
Ronnie's 'take-away' scene. Priceless - him fighting them as they haul him away!
And my most favorite scene:
the absolute HORROR on Vic's face after viewing the pictures from Shane's house! UUUUUmph!
All in all, it was an exciting final episode... it just left alot to one's imagination.
Farewell to my 'Shield' friends. Thank you for the wild 7 year ride. Tuesday nights will be boring... I can always DVR '24' to try and fill the void - but it will NEVER be the same!
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11-26-2008 @ 10:38AM
Lee451 said...
The ending was amazing (and I am watching the 12:30AM repeat on FX as I type this). Vic was always a great anti-hero and the ending showed that he is truly a sociopathic personality; he has little or no conscience for anyone. He was hurt to turn on those who trusted him and to lose his family but he is the type who can rationalize it and shrug it off. His only worry now is that Olivia will be watching him as a hawk, praying that he does something, anything, so she can fire him and rescind his plea bargain.
I will be sad until another show comes along that can compare to this one.
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11-26-2008 @ 10:39AM
Chad said...
Ronnie has been favorite guy since Season 2. His lines and involvement grew. He was the one guy who did not get what he deserved. They should have let him run. They could have left wonder about his character with that. I'm imagining that Vic went to spring Ronnie while all the cops were out with the 2-11 to which everyone in the Barn responded.
This is the only show in which I have seen every episode beginning to end.
It had a soap opera trend to it, but the gripping nature of the situations they were put in made it a "page turner."
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11-27-2008 @ 8:56AM
Robert said...
Chad -
Interesting take that Vic would go to break Ronnie out of jail. I didn't even consider that!