Just wanted to ask you to say ...

Question: Just wanted to ask you to say "I told you so." I was skeptical that I wanted to revisit The Shield after so long of a hiatus. Well, you told me to hang in there, and I gotta say it was worth it. I am drawn completely back into the whole Vic Mackey saga. I can hardly wait for the rest of the season. From the looks of the previews, it is going to be a doozy. Thanks for the encouragement!
Answer: Glad you're enjoying it, and I'd encourage anyone who's drifted away to come back for the final ride. The Shield is without doubt awfully complicated right now, with Vic playing the Armenians against the corrupt Mexicans and holding onto the magic blackmail "box of sins" like it's the unholy grail. My notes for this week's fourth episode (I've seen the first eight) are especially full of comments like "such tortured, convoluted scheming" and "kind of ludicrous," but also peppered with exclamation points at some of the more shocking plot twists, and there are several, as there are every week. This week gives us a particularly strong and creepy case for Dutch, a reminder that as great a showcase The Shield is for Michael Chiklis, it's also at its best as an ensemble show, with great turns by Jay Karnes (Dutch), CCH Pounder (Claudette) and Catherine Dent (Danny). The show gets even better in weeks to come, as the tension within Vic's Strike Team, especially Ronnie vs. Shane, builds to some unbearably suspenseful twists.