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DNForrest
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26 Nov 2008, 3:38 am

Well, what did you all think? I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it wasn't quite as satisfying as I would have liked.

*semi-spoilersy*

Shane - I was not expecting this, fairly messed up.

Ronnie - I felt bad for him, he always seemed like the most innocent of the team, just caught all of Vic's s**t.

Vic - His fate felt like an appropriate hell, though not nearly as graphic as one would expect.



ScrewyWabbit
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26 Nov 2008, 10:32 am

IMHO, from reading other sites on the net, there were some people who simply wouldn't be satisfied with the ending unless Vic ended up dead or in jail. Some people are comparing it to the ending of the Sopranos because there's no final resolution. To me, that's ridiculous. The ending was perfect. Vic's not dead, and he's not in jail, but he's in his own personal hell. Family? Gone. Friends all dead or in jail. Badge (his Shield)? Effectively gone. His life as a cop? Over. His life on the street? Over. All he's got left is a job that he hates but he's trapped in. Everything else he cares about is gone. I don't know what Vic thought would happen when he cut the deal with ICE, but for him to think that they'd let a confessed cop killer out on the streets was a bit naive, IMHO.

There were so many great moments in the finale. The whole phone call between Vic and Shane - first Vic telling Shane that he's got immunity and Shane's leverage is gone. Then Shane telling Vic that Corine betrayed him. Just great stuff. Then later, Vic walking into the barn to find Ronnie crying - but not for the reason that Vic thinks. Ronnie, who even more so than Vic couldn't forgive Shane and wanted vengence against him, is crying over Shane's suicide. Poor Ronnie doesn't even know that the worst is yet to come. And then the whole sequence with Claudette reading Vic Shane's note, showing him the photos, Vic taking out the camera, then Claudette telling Vic the first payment is due now. And then arresting Ronnie. "Arrested for what?" "Uh, the last three years?!?!?!" Freaking perfect. And David Rees Snell then gives us the best acting perhaps of the whole series with his reaction.

So yeah, this is going to take a while to sink in but right now I am very satisfied with how it ended. 7 seasons worth of episodes and I don't feel let down in the slightest. Just sad to see the show end.



t0
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26 Nov 2008, 5:11 pm

One thing that was remarkable about the series was how they made Vic likeable even though he murdered a fellow officer in the first episode. His betrayal of Ronnie to ICE took us back to how bad a guy Vic really is. I thought the betrayal was uncharacteristic of Vic based on his previous loyalty to Lem and the team - even though they tried to justify it as protecting his family.

I agree that Vic's fate was fitting. Seeing him in that coat and tie while being told all the rules he had to follow was priceless. I have no doubt that Vic would find a way to stay at ICE (no matter how crappy) for the full 3 years to keep his immunity.

I thought it odd that they didn't tie up Dutch's case with the "serial killer." We've seen Dutch do some pretty weird things (strangling a cat, for example). I thought they could have played with this more and had some final resolution to the case (imagine if Dutch was the real killer).



jkennedy293
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26 Nov 2008, 8:11 pm

Wow, what an episode!! When Shane went back to the apt, I thought he was just going to turn himself in. The suicide caught me off guard. Vic being stuck at ICE with no family, friends, or job satisfaction is definitely a better ending than killing him or throwing him in jail. With the latter two scenarios, I think Vic would have come off as a martyr.

Dutch's ending helped establish that life goes on at the Barn. Oz had a similar ending, and it seems to work.



ignisfatuus
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09 Dec 2008, 3:40 pm

Quote:
Ronnie - I felt bad for him, he always seemed like the most innocent of the team, just caught all of Vic's sh**.


Ronnie, the most innocent member of the Strike team? Nope, the group's moral conscience was murdered at the end of season 5.

I never understood why Julien's character development was abandoned, it was a missed opportunity. The show kind of went down the toilet quality wise after season 3 though.


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DNForrest
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09 Dec 2008, 7:24 pm

ignisfatuus wrote:
Quote:
Ronnie - I felt bad for him, he always seemed like the most innocent of the team, just caught all of Vic's sh**.


Ronnie, the most innocent member of the Strike team? Nope, the group's moral conscience was murdered at the end of season 5.

I never understood why Julien's character development was abandoned, it was a missed opportunity. The show kind of went down the toilet quality wise after season 3 though.


Oh I know he was a bad person that deserved what he got, I was commenting more on the show's ability to make you like horrible people and his relative position compared to Vick and Shane.



jkennedy293
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12 Dec 2008, 1:22 pm

DNForrest wrote:
ignisfatuus wrote:
Quote:
Ronnie - I felt bad for him, he always seemed like the most innocent of the team, just caught all of Vic's sh**.


Ronnie, the most innocent member of the Strike team? Nope, the group's moral conscience was murdered at the end of season 5.

I never understood why Julien's character development was abandoned, it was a missed opportunity. The show kind of went down the toilet quality wise after season 3 though.


Oh I know he was a bad person that deserved what he got, I was commenting more on the show's ability to make you like horrible people and his relative position compared to Vick and Shane.


Ronnie was more innocent before Lem died. The first couple of seasons he seemed more like a victim by being associated with Vic and Shane. After Lem died, Ronnie took center stage as Vic's number 2, and started to become more badass.



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13 Dec 2008, 2:37 am

I absolutely loved the show, though I got started with it in year 5 or 6 I guess.

Didn't you notice that Vic still had a gun at the end? I think he went back to prowling the streets at night.

I always liked Raoul Dukes quote in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas": "Never burn the natives".

Well, Vic burned everyone. All the time. Over and Over. Did anyone cross him that didnt suffer?

Remember what the ICE lady said in the second last episode?

"Do you know what you have done to me?" and Vic says "I've done worse." He destroyed her career. She advocated for a mass felony cop killer. Her chances at advancement were shot. Her conscience was tormented.

Everything he touched turned to s**t. But he persisted. Do you think he escapes his office space hell? I bet he does.


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