Series overview The Shield

1 series overview

1.1 season 1
1.2 season 2
1.3 season 3
1.4 season 4
1.5 season 5

1.5.1 wins , losses


1.6 season 6
1.7 season 7

series overview

season 1

season 1 consisted of 13 episodes. premiered on march 12, 2002, , concluded on june 4, 2002. david aceveda assigned new captain of barn, in farmington district ( farm ). 1 of top priorities detective vic mackey, leader of experimental anti-gang unit called strike team, off streets. aceveda suspects mackey involved in corrupt, illegal activities favoring drug dealer rondell robinson, control local drug trade. capture him, aceveda asks newly appointed member of team, terry crowley, gather evidence mackey s prosecution. although reluctant, crowley agrees, unaware mackey knows assignment.

aceveda s long-term ambition become mayor of los angeles. this, must first elected city council. farmington district has traditionally been held black politicians, given increase in latino population, aceveda thinks can pull off upset , elected district s first latino council member. however, latino community distrustful of law enforcement , support police officer if had exposed corruption in police force. aceveda s motives are, therefore, not altruistic.

during raid on house of two-time (a drug dealer rival of rondell s), mackey uses two-time s gun murder crowley, vendrell witness. aceveda convinced mackey responsible crowley s death, starts internal investigation of mackey , strike team. shane guilt-ridden , struggles come terms it. meanwhile, assistant chief of police ben gilroy tries cover mackey s tracks.

another sub-plot involves julien lowe, rookie officer training under experienced danny sofer, tries settle job. due inexperience, lowe makes mistakes, causes tension danny. lowe devout christian , closeted homosexual, , struggles reconcile two. witnesses crime committed mackey , strike team, aceveda tries use capture mackey.

finally, detectives dutch wagenbach , claudette wyms try track down elusive serial killer whom dutch thinks responsible @ least 4 murders. while dutch becomes obsessed case, claudette tries divert attention other cases.

season 2

season 2 premiered on january 7, 2003 , concluded april 1, 2003, consisting of 13 episodes. season revolves around brutal new drug lord, armadillo — sadistic child rapist likes set rivals on fire using tire necklace , gasoline — begins take on drug trade in farmington. meanwhile, officer sofer involved in shooting of muslim man , has deal fallout. season heavily concerned strike team s plan rob money train of armenian mob, ends happening in season finale.

season 3

season 3 premiered on march 9, 2004 , concluded on june 15, 2004, consisting of 15 episodes. season revolves around aftermath of money train heist , effects on strike team, armenian mob , david aceveda begin suspect strike team of having carried out. inspired save team, curtis lemansky burns majority of money, leading confrontation causes strike team split in season finale. armenian mob sends margos dezerian wipe out strike team; dezerian leaves trail of murders, resulting in own execution @ hands of mackey. claudette promised promotion captain , maintains supervising role throughout season, while aceveda prepares move on city council. near end of season, public defender shot, , ensuing investigation leads wyms , dutch discover victim had been heavy drug user past 3 years. wyms explores further , becomes unpopular d.a. , around barn, because reopens (against orders) defender s lost cases. results in being denied promotion captain of farmington district had been promised.

season 4

season 4 premiered on march 15, 2005 , concluded on june 14, 2005, consisting of 13 episodes. glenn close joined main cast taking on role farmington s new captain, monica rawling. season dealt fallout strike team s disbandment. shane vendrell, new partner armando army renta (michael peña), enters dangerous situation when trying control major drug lord antwon mitchell (anthony anderson), , seemingly accepts order kill vic mackey. police outraged after 2 officers kidnapped , subsequently found murdered. in end, strike team re-formed , manages put antwon in prison. season deals controversial asset-forfeiture policies of new captain; julien lowe s opposition these policies; , city councilman david aceveda s dealing psychological aftermath of sexual assault incident previous season. season concludes capt. rawling s losing job on dispute dea.

one of season s secondary plots involves claudette wyms , dutch s marginalization detectives, because of wyms refusal apologize da reopening cases of public defender discovered have been functioning drug addict. wyms moral stand resulted in many of prosecutors cases being overturned. cost wyms shot @ becoming farmington captain. dutch attempts resolve situation making back-room deal da keep claudette in line , favors office in return breaking action. unfortunately causes rift between wyms , dutch forcing dutch confront wyms.

season 5

season 5 premiered on january 10, 2006 , concluded on march 21, 2006, consisting of 11 episodes. season revolves around internal affairs division lt. jon kavanaugh (forest whitaker) s investigation of strike team, representing 1 of greatest threats team has ever faced. result of kavanaugh s turning 1 of mackey s informants, iad became aware of lem s stealing heroin never turned in. finding heroin gave iad sufficient evidence arrest lem, kavanaugh wants him incriminate whole strike team , has him wear wire. lem warns team wired, , use embarrass iad. dutch discovers wyms has chronic illness around same time serial killer past returns forcing wyms breaking point in order confession. kavanaugh, applying pressure team in way can, finds out mackey s share of money train haul , arrests lem, having made deal antwon mitchell, gang leader team had put in prison. mackey supports lem , gets bail, while vendrell worries lem give evidence against team. wyms gets opportunity promotion captain of barn, accepts on sole condition gets run barn way. season concludes vendrell, fooled aceveda believing lem going turn on strike team, murdering friend , fellow team member hand grenade.

wins , losses

the producers of shield produced 15-minute promosode , premiered on google on february 15, 2007, bridge gap between seasons 5 , 6. episode focuses on aftermath of lem s death, including funeral , flashbacks co-workers reflect upon det. lemansky s life. episode said have cost between $500,000 , $1 million produce. on bud.tv 4 weeks , later released aol , other media outlets. promosode 1 of special features included on season 5 dvd set.

season 6

season 6 premiered on april 3, 2007 , concluded on june 5, 2007, consisting of 10 episodes. continuing directly after season 5, mackey , strike team distraught on lem s death. vendrell, overcome guilt, becomes reckless , suicidal. kavanaugh refuses let case die , resorts mackey s tactics of planting evidence , coercing witnesses lie strike team, mackey. dutch , wyms begin suspect kavanaugh s integrity. kavanaugh confesses actions , finds himself under arrest. mackey learns wyms chief plans force him retirement — , vows wreak bloody vengeance on lem s killer before losing badge. wyms learns barn shut down if no improvements made time quarterly crime statistics released. acevada finds new backer mayoral campaign learns might in on head. season concludes breakdown of mackey , vendrell s friendship, vendrell admits having killed lem. vendrell threatens mackey revealing illegal exploits should mackey attempt arrest him lem s killing. vendrell tries protection armenians , reveals mackey ringleader behind money train robbery putting mackey s family in danger. in final minutes of last episode acevada , mackey agree work find source of acevada s backers.

season 6 intended aired second half of season 5 (in same way hbo split last season of sopranos); fx decided refer these 10 episodes season 6 instead.

season 7

season 7 premiered on september 2, 2008 , concluded on november 25, 2008, consisting of 13 episodes. mackey , acevada discover acevada’s mayoral campaign being quietly backed mexican drug cartel intent on controlling farmington though mackey , acevada s alliance disintegrates. mackey , vendrell agree work start gang war between armenians , mexicans fight cartel , save mackey’s family, though mackey vows gardocki kill vendrell. after botched attempt mackey , gardocki have vendrell killed in shoot-out between mexican , armenian gangs, vendrell recruits local criminal make hit on gardocki, while vendrell prepares ambush , kill mackey. plot exposed, , vendrell goes on run, along wife mara , son jackson. dutch has problems of own while dealing teenaged serial killer. mackey tries circumvent forced retirement working u.s. immigration , customs enforcement promising take down major cartel boss while acevada attempts use ice guarantee election. mackey s ex-wife corrine has learned of many crimes , agrees work dutch , wyms try send him prison. gardocki implicated in process. part of immunity deal engineered ice, mackey admits every crime strike team has committed, beginning murder of terry crowley, , implicates vendrell , gardocki enough send them jail life. after learning there no way escape prison, vendrell poisons pregnant wife , two-year-old son, , commits suicide police arrive. vendrell s death there no longer risk of mackey s being sent jail, since mackey spilled ice late gardocki. when gardocki thinks going go free arrested disgusted dutch in front of mackey, @ barn. wyms reveals terminal status of illness dutch, promises stand friend. desperate escape mackey, corrine , children shown new life in witness protection . aceveda stands on verge of being elected mayor. meanwhile, mackey reassigned routine analysis desk job @ ice, loathed co-workers, including agent olivia murray (played laurie holden) , ostracized fellow cops, want nothing him many crimes have been exposed. last moments of saga depict mackey retrieving gun desk lock box , preparing leave ice building, presumably following police sirens in distance. final credit sequence interspersed clips show, under concrete blonde s long time ago .