Spoilers For The Season 6 Premier Of The Shield

The last new episode of The Shield aired at the end of March 2006, and in that time since then, creator Shawn Ryan has established the highly successful CBS show The Unit and has expressed concern that splitting his duties would somehow diminish the quality of The Shield. Less anticipated was the April 2006 death of director Scott Brazil, who has helmed so many of the show’s finest episodes since its beginnings and really shaped the style and atmosphere of the entire series. The season premiering this week was meant to be the second half of Season 5, but this 10-episode run will be the show’s Season 6, and continue with a concluding seventh season in 2008.

The running storyline throughout this season is Vic and the team investigating and dealing with the death of one of their own at end of Season 5. As he walked away from the bombed-out SUV containing the mangled remains of Curtis Lemansky, Vic swore death to whoever did the deed. Little did he know, that his fellow strike team member Shane Vendrell did the deed for fear that Lem has turned on his teammates and given them up to Kavanaugh. He hadn’t, and a combination of Shane’s guilt and Vic’s rage are what fuel this year’s unbelievable episodes.

Ain’t It Cool News has posted spoilers on the first episode of The Shield airing tonight. Don’t click any farther if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Episode 6.1 – On the Jones
The Strike Team isn’t done with Lt. Kavanaugh just yet. Although the previous investigation into their wrong doings over the years is essentially over, Kavanaugh convinces the brass to let him have a desk in The Barn to help Dutch investigate Lem’s death. Not surprisingly, Kavanaugh suspects Vic; also not surprisingly, Vic leads his own covert investigation into Lem’s death that focuses on the El Salvadoran angle, since they are known to use hand grenades to kill their victims. To distance themselves from Lem’s admission to his own wrongdoing, Lem is painted by the brass as a dirty cop and not given a police funeral. Vic attacks Aceveda for his part in Lem’s death by making people believe Lem had turned (Aceveda did this at Kavanaugh’s prompting). Perhaps in the most shocking moment of the first episode of Season 6, Kavanaugh becomes what he has beheld in order to nail Vic for Lem’s death by carrying out some truly deplorable shit. If I ruined these moments for you, it would be unforgivable on my part. Oh, and I think there’s a scene where Danny brings her new baby into work (I don’t remember this happening, but at some point in Season 5 they must have confirmed who her baby’s father is; in case I’m wrong, his identity is revealed early this season).