"Good cop and bad cop left for the day. I'm a different kinda cop." With this one line in the pilot, The Shield sets its stall out from the beginning - this is one guy you do not want to mess with. The poor unfortunate soul at the other end of this thinly veiled threat happens to be a child molester, automatically voiding any kind of sympathy you may have had for him and immediately letting us know that Vic Mackey is not only a different kind of cop, he's a different animal altogether. As with many great shows, The Shield's genius lies in its refusal to tell the viewer how they should feel about its central character. On the one hand, we see him battering child molesters and rapists to within an inch of their life. On the other, we find him stealing evidence to sell, making deals with local drug dealers and generally being a very naughty boy. Yet this is what makes his character so appealing and, ultimately, so badass. Vic Mackey will do whatever it takes to exact his own brand of justice and there is nothing as satisfying as seeing a sex criminal getting his ass handed to him by a cop unshackled by the bureaucracy of the police force. Most Badass Moment The aforementioned introduction is pretty badass, but it doesn't compare to the moment in Season 2 when Mackey burns a guy's face on a stove. The camera does not cutaway so we see it all in disturbing detail as Mackey strong-arms the perp, then forces his cheek onto the burning stove. It's a brutal scene and Micheal Chiklis' fantastic performance leaves the viewer in no doubt of the extremes this guy will go to if deemed necessary.
An opinionated gamer and movie lover. When not writing about Movies, Games and TV, I am usually watching/playing Movies, Games and TV and occasionally trying to be funny on stage. All published articles will be linked to my twitter so feel free to follow me @mark_woodrow