So, I picked up THE SHIELD, all seven seasons of it in an attractive case that has the dvds set in file folders and it looks all super-cool.

And last night, I finished the seventh and final season.

It's a pretty damn fine show. I'll get it out of the way: No, it is not as good as THE WIRE. But, it is very, very entertaining (no way I would've watched it for seven seasons if it weren't). The characters are all great, even though they go through periods where you hate them (Claudette, Acevada... I'm lookin' at you!), but never enough to really damage the show.

The most satisfying part of the show is how it builds to the ending. In season five, the Strike team meets Forest Whitaker playing an Internal Affairs officer called Kavanaugh. That season sets of a chain reaction of events that create a wonderful three-season climax that is terribly exciting and painful to watch.

Lots of fun.

(The journal title is a line from the theme song. The theme song was the only thing in the show I hated, actually.)