Good cop and bad cop have left for the day.

The Shield is back tonight.

It was more than a year ago when the show ended its fifth season with a heartbreaking finale that saw Lem – The Shield’s true moral center, voice of reason and most guilty conscience – murdered at the hands of Shane. Tonight we get to see the fallout of Lem’s death, the guilt and rage that will result, and the 20-episode (10 now and the final 10 in 2008) arc that will spell the end of the series.

I rarely have the time I’d like to have to watch movies on DVD that I already own, so I’ve never felt the motivation to purchase a boxset of a TV show before. But a few weeks ago I came across Season 1 of The Shield for a decent price and bought it on the spot – obviously out of love for the show, but also because I think I was subconsciously preparing myself for the ultimate ending of the show.

I just finished watching the last of the 13 original episodes at about 1:45 am this morning. And boy howdy but I am primed and ready for tonight.

It’s actually pretty fascinating to watch Season 1 again now, knowing what’s to come. There’s a lot packed into that freshman season – from Vic Mackey’s original murder of Terry through the painful arc of Julien’s sexual conflict to Dutch’s pursuit and capture of a serial killer all the way through Gilroy’s betrayal of Vic and the subsequent departure of Corrine from their marriage. Wow! And that’s not even to speak of the important setup in the first season of such pivotal supporting characters as Connie, Tio, Kern, Margos and even Julien’s blanket party buddies. It’s a lot of heavy lifting, but the show’s creators and amazing acting ensemble has been more than up to the task ever since.

I also think that the show’s first season accomplished the difficult task of ultimately providing Vic with his redemption. That’s not to say that he’ll walk away after next season as a happy man; in fact I feel pretty certain that he either 1) won’t walk away at all and 2) if he does, he won’t be a happy man. Vic is an intriguing, complex character, but at the end of Season 1 we see exactly how far he’s already come – because he refuses to kill Assistant Police Chief And Executive A-Hole Gilroy. In fact, we’re even treated to a flash-forward as Vic and Shane struggle with the decision of whether or not to shoot Gilroy in the head when Shane says

I’ll do it. Let me do it. For you, Vic.

…and the look on Vic’s face is just stunning. He can’t believe that Shane would offer this; that his murder of Terry has all but taught Shane – who functions as Vic’s tagalong, desperate-to-please little brother – how dirty cops get the job done. Vic steps back from the brink here, refusing to murder another cop or let Shane go down that road as well. It’s an incredible, series-changing moment; it sets up the fact that Vic will, from this moment on, try again and again to choose the right path. He won’t always make it; he will often falter and rely on the old tricks, especially in the planning and execution of the doomed money train heist – but ultimately, Vic will keep trying to redeem himself.

But of course we know better, and Lem learns the lesson the hardest of all.

There’s a whole mess of Shield-related chatter I’d like to share with you today in preparation of what will certainly be an amazing season opener tonight:

• I’ve spent a lot of time skulking around The Shield Season 6 forum here. Sometimes new bits of information and resources can be found there; other times it’s simply a nice place to chat with fans.
• There’s a terrific contest at TV Squad where you can win Season 5 on DVD. And while I’m reluctant to send you there because it’ll decrease my chances of winning, the list of fans’ favorite moments from the show, told through the comments, is truly a terrific read.
• Here’s a long roundtable discussion at IGN with Chiklis, series creator Shawn Ryan, Walton Goggins and CCH Pounder. Great stuff, including a surprising revelation from Chiklis of what he believes is the show’s most shocking moment.
• Here’s an early review of the season opener from last week’s Variety. It references “a torture sequence that would make Jack Bauer blush”. I. Can’t. Wait!

And there’s a whole lot more stuff out there. If you’ve found something you like, be nice and share.

The Shield’s Season 6 kicks off tonight at 10:00 pm on FX.