Things have been steadily spiralling out of control for Vic Mackey's strike team on The Shield, ever since the series premiere concluded with Vic murdering new member Terry Crowley, after learning he was wearing a wire for the Feds. The series protagonist committing a cold-blooded murder of an innocent in the series pilot immediately made you question your loyalties. Who was this sick son of a bitch, running his team like some kind of gang? The answer was that Vic Mackey was a stand-up guy who cared about protecting people, would do anything for his family, got numerous scumbags off the streets and would occasionally do murder when it was necessary. And just occasionally when it wasn't. The bottom line was that you wanted Vic to succeed. The backhanders and beatdowns didn't matter and you overlooked the collusion and evidence planting because, well, nobody's perfect and he got the job done. Vic knew that the streets were war and that the rules don't always apply. But even in war, certain shit you just don't do. And the murder of Lemansky in the season five finale broke every protocol in Vic's book. He says he'll kill whoever did it. But what happens when he finds out it was Shane who pulled the pin on the grenade? Can Vic off his most loyal redneck racist murdering bastard lieutenant?

"What happens when he finds out it was Shane who pulled the pin on the grenade? Can Vic off his most loyal redneck racist murdering bastard lieutenant?"

Shane seems determined to save Vic the hassle in the early episodes of season 6 racked as he is by suicidal guilt over murdering his friend. Vic chases around after Guardo the Salvadoran grenade fetishist who Shane stole the grenade from. Naturally enough, Vic believes Guardo killed Lem. Also standing in the wrong-as-fuck corner is Jon Kavanaugh, the creepy internal affairs guy, convinced that Vic murdered Lem. Having come within inches of busting Vic in season five Kavanaugh totally loses the plot by planting evidence and leaning on witnesses to lie about Vic's role in the murder.

"Dutchy and Claudette dissect the morbidly obese sleepy-eyed shitsack's story to a point where he confesses all."

But you don't get much past Dutchy and Claudette who dissect the morbidly obese sleepy-eyed shitsack's story to a point where he confesses all. Kavanaugh seems to gain a kind of peace from his arrest - finally Mackey is out of his life. He muses on the irony of being caught the first time he plants evidence when an old hand like Vic covers his tracks so expertly. Yeah, suck it up fat boy. Nobody likes a goody-goody.

"The Shield has left an indelible stamp on the TV landscape. Every subsequent show depicting morally murky cops is in its debt."

With Vic on the warpath, a guilt-ridden Shane and Claudette in danger of losing her job just months after taking charge it promises to be an eventful 6th season. The Shield has a good track record of tying up its loose ends and bringing home the big confrontations. We can expect Vic to confront Shane about Lem's murder in what will surely be a series highlights. My money is on the storyliners finally giving Ronnie something interesting to do by having him pull the trigger on Shane. Whichever way it goes, The Shield has left an indelible stamp on the TV landscape. Every subsequent show depicting morally murky cops is in its debt.

The best thing about it: Dutchy and Claudette. Sole owners of the show's moral compass

The worst thing about it: Julien. He's a shit actor and he doesn't do much does he?

The verdict on The Shield Season 6: The Wire's punk-rock younger brother

Marks out of 10: 8

Like the review? Buy the e-books.

Contact Aerial Telly