I think the downfall of The Unit was the dumb plots that the wives got into. Well that and trying (in season 4) to turn the show into 24 but coming across as a parody instead. I didn’t like the Mamet episodes all that much because I found them to be too focused on snappy but meaningless dialog. It was stuff like:
Jonas: Do you know what happens when the black bird flies at midnight… upside down?
Bob: Ahh, the black bird!
So instead of being “give the audience a clue” it was “give the audience no friggin’ clue whatsoever”. I did like that Bob worked in the “Coffee’s for closers” line from GGGR.
FWIW I thought the best episode of The Unit was the hour-long gunfight at the logistics base in Afghanistan. It was the only episode with no wives plot.
Topic: I love the Shield but it is a hard show to discuss without spoiling plot points. But in general, I loved that the show had lots of action but the talk scenes were just as good most of the time. One that comes to mind is from the first season when Dutch is interrogating a guy who may or may not be a serial killer. Nothing but two people talking for several minutes but what an incredible scene.
So let’s discuss some favorite scenes. The final scene between Shane and Lem of course, but what about the final confrontation between Shane and Vic?
Instead of a shootout or brawl like we expected, it was equally as damaging over the phone. Shane reveals to Vic that his wife sold him out, and Vic makes it clear to Shane how he’ll never get to see his kids again, and that they’ll find out about all the horrible things he did. At this point Shane vows that Vic will never see his kids. It seems this phone conversation is what pushed Shane over the edge and led to his end.
The other great moment from Walton Goggins was during the Antwon story arc
This one used to be on youtube, but I couldn’t find it. Shane decides he’s going to jail either way, so he might as well kill Antwon in the process. He gets in the interrogation room and pushes Antwon’s buttons to try to taunt him into attacking him so he can make shooting Antwon justified. He taunts him about his gay son dying in prison. “But you know with all that money, all that power, at the end of the day, you’re still just a nigger! With a faggot nigger son!” Antwon realizes what Shane is up to though, collects himself, and sits down. Shane seems to be steeling himself for what he needs to do until he’s interrupted by Vic.
Agreed. The dialogue was often so good that you didn’t realize just how good it was, if that makes sense.
Along those lines, though the final episode was incredible, IMO the single greatest scene in the entire series came in the second-to-last episode: Vic’s confession to Olivia. Again, just two people in a room, but it was absolutely riveting.
That exchange is amazing made better by the two actors, the look in Vic’s face is so cold… at that point my opinion of him changed.
And the confrontation between Vic and Shane brought up so many emotions in me, just instinctual reactions, that’s when you know you’re watching something well written and well acted.
What I love about that scene is that it starts with Vic so scared shitless that he can’t even put the first sentence together. He sits there for about 30 seconds before he can even start talking…but by the end of the confession, he’s laughing and making jokes and acting all proud about everything he’s done.
Those two just owned their roles. They were Vic and Olivia. They were terrified and expectant (respectively) and later relieved and terrified (still respectively). The emotions were so raw and clean and clear, there was no doubting what they were feeling. You can’t really call that acting- they were demonstrating.
It was fantastic. Only Glenn Close’s freakout on Damages comes close for other recent TV examples.