The Shield: Season Three (www.the-usher.com)

Playing Tight
The Strike team's attempt to play by the book comes to an abrupt end when they discover that two gangs, the Byz Latz and the One-Niners are attempting to alter the balance of power by acquiring MP5s. Claudette and Dutch investigate the murders and feet decapitation of four Armenian men by the Armenian mob in their search for the stolen cash from the money train.

Blood And Water
Tension within the group begins to mount as the Strike Team attempt to rectify a mistake Vic made when he decided to use some of the cash from the stolen money train during a botched gun-running sting. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette seek the help of a college honor student named Esteban who was the only survivor in the murder of two latin gang members, one of them being his close friend.

Bottom Bitch
A prostitute seeks the help of the police in her quest to bring down her pimp. Claudette assigns Vic against his wishes to the case, which puts him on the verge of going over the edge. Dutch uncovers a disturbing trend of rapes and a politician is arrested for solicitation.

Streaks And Tips
The newly arrived Decoy Squad and the Strike Team go head to head in the investigation to solve a car-jacking case. Dutch gets in over his head on an attempted murder case. Mum Vic struggles with Claudette's new supervision of the Strike Team. Marked bills lead Aceveda and a federal agent closer to the truth about the Armenian money-train heist in an episode with a recurring motif of people not reporting crimes against them.

Posse Up
When the ex-wife and child of Julien's former partner, Tommy, are murdered, Tommy becomes a suspect, prompting Julien to team up with Mackey to conduct their own investigation. Elsewhere, Shane goes undercover to catch a group attacking gay prostitutes, and Claudette and Dutch investigate a rape case against Aceveda's orders.

Safe
Vic and the Strike Team decide to take risky measures to protect themselves from being linked to the Money Train heist. Unfortunately, their plan is interrupted when one of Vic's open cases is suddenly linked to a Narco Corrido song.

Cracking Ice
An oversight puts Waylon and Trish in serious danger during an undercover job and Claudette is to blame. Meanwhile, Tommy makes a drastic decision when he realizes nobody in the Barn can help him get back on the job.

Slipknot
When two high profile murders are linked to each other, Aceveda orders Wyms to get the entire Barn involved before gang and racial violence breaks out. Mackey uses the case to leverage himself and the Strike Team back into the streets of Farmington.

What Power Is…
Aceveda finds himself in a near fatal confrontation, and enlists Vic to help him take down the suspects in order to help service his own personal agenda. Meanwhile after losing her position of power, Claudette rejoins Dutch on the search for the cuddler rapist as they get a stunning break in the case.

Strays
During a routine bust on bangers, Vic and the Team discover a money laundering ring that reaches far and wide in the crime community. Meanwhile, Dutch takes the chilling confession of the man who was arrested in the serial-rape case, and Danny goes undercover.

Riceburner
When Aceveda assigns the Strike Team to serve a high-risk warrant against a mob killer to service his political agenda, they find themselves embroiled in a hostile struggle with the Korean community. Now the Team must find out how to put an end to the situation before they end up casualties of a racial feud. Meanwhile, one of Vic's informants works with Danny on finding stolen chairs, while having eyes for her.

Fire In The Hole
When a mole in the treasury department is discovered and the framed suspect in the Armenian money train robbery turns up missing, the Strike team race to find the suspect before their cover is blown. Meanwhile, Claudette attempts to make amends with the Decoy Squad by going undercover to help them on a case.

All In
With an Armenian hit man hot on their trail, the Strike team sweeps the streets of the Armenian community to find him before he finds them. After catching a break, Aceveda's suspicions grow about the Strike Team's involvement with the Money Train robbery. Meanwhile, Dutch and Claudette investigate a case that could repeal hundreds of convictions, which leaves Claudette having to choose between her conscience and her career.

On Tilt
When Aceveda confirms that the Strike Team is the target of an Armenian mob hit, Mackey must take matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, Wyms' career is on the line when she disobeys Aceveda's orders to put a case to rest that may prove the innocence of convicted felons.

When it comes to naming the great characters that have graced television screens over the years, there is one police officer that will standout and his name is Vic Mackey.

Shawn Ryan's 'The Shield' has changed the face of cop shows since its debut in 2002. There have been shows that have dealt with corruption and crooked cops over the years but the story of Vic Mackey and the Strike Team patrolling the streets of Farmington in Los Angeles brings a new level of realism to the genre. The mix of hardworking cops and ones out for personal gain mean this is a show that deals with the real issues of life on the streets of Los Angeles and how even the best of us can be tempted to cut corners or break the law to make the job a little easier or even get ahead.

The epitome of this is Detective Vic Mackey, leader of the Farmington Strike team and the man who runs the streets of his district. It is Vic who determines the level of organised crime on his streets, putting drug dealers in place and taking his cut of their ill-gotten gains. As the main protagonist of show, he is a character who you definitely shouldn't be rooting for but you could argue while he is looking out for his own agenda, he keeps the streets saver than they would be under gang control. His actions do not go unnoticed however, especially after the events of the second season that saw Vic, Shane, Ronnie and Curtis steal from the Armenian mob's money train. Bringing his character to life is an actor who has become one of the most respected dramatic actors working on television today, Michael Chiklis. After making his name during the 90s on the hit show 'The Commish', Chiklis moves onto a completely different kind of law enforcer in Vic Mackey and makes him one of the most memorable and despicable police officers to ever grace the small screen.

The third season of 'The Shield' deals with the repercussions of the Strike Team stealing from the Armenian mob. We also witness David Aceveda's (played by the excellent Benito Martinez) rise to political power. Claudette and Dutch, played by CCH Pounder and Jay Karnes, on the trail of a serial killer. The Strike Team is also pressured by the arrival of the Decoy Squad, who have an even better arrest rate than them and put the team under even more scrutiny.

'The Shield' is one of the best 'Cop' shows ever to hit the small screen. With riveting storylines and an outstanding ensemble cast, this is a show that grips you from the off. Creator Shawn Ryan has changed the way police shows are perceived and in Vic Mackey, he has created a character who is destined to become a classic.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 16x9 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the series looks great.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentaries
Every episode of the third season has a commentary track with contributions from series creator Shawn Ryan, co-producer Dean White, producer Glen Mazzara and stars Michael Chiklis, Benito Martinez, Walton Goggins, Jay Karnes, Michael Jace, Catherine Dent, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, Kenny Johnson and CCH Pounder. Each track is informative, chatty and in some part funny as the cast and crew get together to reminisce about the third season.

Breaking Episode 315 (1hr 19.30 mins)
Series creator Shawn Ryan, writers Glen Mazzara, Kim Clements, Charles Eglee and Adam E. Fierro, producer/director Scott Brazil and stars Michael Chiklis, Benito Martinez, Walton Goggins, Jay Karnes, Catherine Dent, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, Andre Benjamin and CCH Pounder take you behind the scenes of the third season finale. This comprehensive documentary looks at all of the storylines running throughout the show and the problems and behind the scenes secrets that were revealed during filming. This is an excellent documentary that all fans of 'The Shield' will revel in.

OVERALL

With excellent commentaries and a fantastic behind the scenes documentary about the final show of the season, this is a DVD package that fans of 'The Shield' will be extremely pleased with.

DVD

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