He doesn’t like Vic for the sole reason that he knows Vic is dirty. The combination of the above traits has not only allowed Mackey to avoid being caught thus far, but has actually contributed to the downfall of some of his rivals. In both the modern world and modern fiction moral right and wrong are a fry cry from black and white – not only are there shades of gray, but there are so many shades that one can scarcely tell black from white at times. The greatest difference between Vic and Shane is restraint. Mackey's training officer and first partner was Joe Clark, who taught him how to deal with violent street criminals and how to bend the laws to his advantage. Internal Affairs Department Lt. Jon Kavanaugh (enemy), Detective Shane Vendrell (high), Councilman David Aceveda (low) although they spend most of season butting heads they don’t seem to work against each other all that much and they do eventually rally against Kavanaugh, Sergeant Danielle “Danny” Sofer (low) arguably high, but since they don’t cross paths much this season and each have their own major problems I went with low, Antwon Mitchel (low), Acting Captain Billings (low, but at least Billings thinks it’s high), Emolia the informant (low). Aceveda, Dutch, and Wyms all somewhat suspect the Strike Team’s involvement in the Armenian Money Train heist, but no one is able to prove it. The ACC then shared the information with HuffPost, which ran a lengthy profile of Casarez. He tends to wear fairly ordinary clothing jeans and T-shirt while on the job occasionally donning a bullet proof vest when things get heavy. He is extremely fierce looking and can intimidate most criminals with, but a mere glare. Though originally the picture was of all four members of the Strike Team at a celebration, Vic cropped Shane and Ronnie out of the frame, unable to reconcile himself with his own betrayal of Ronnie. ", In the aftermath of Beltran's arrest, Captain Wyms summoned Vic and Ronnie back to their former precinct. Season 1 characters, Season 2 characters, etc. Captain Monica Rawling: “Oh come on, Roy. Vic Mackey was seen as a pattern of more violent anti-heroes on television. Although Aceveda privately detested Mackey, he was not above breaking the law himself. He later told Vic he wished he had involved him and that he probably could have helped Vic deal with it better than Shane. He is often depicted justifying his crimes as a means to an end. Two of the victims were violent gangsters, though the first was an undercover officer trying to put Mackey and his team behind bars. Aspirated on his own vomit.” (looking at a file) “Christ, this guy was the Assistant Police Chief ? Though originally, the picture was of all four members of the Strike Team, Vic seemed to have cropped Shane and Ronnie out of the frame, unable to reconcile himself with Shane's betrayal of Lem and subsequent suicide. Hearing police sirens, Mackey looked out the office window. HELP !” Chiklis plays Ben Clemens, a retired U.S. Border Patrol agent who is forced to work for the very people … Claudette is the self-appointed voice of morality at the Barn and often butts heads with Vic over his tactics. Vic Mackey (Character name used: Vic) 36, white… He’s intimidating, yet personable. He would love to have Mackey and his team removed, but realizes that it wouldn’t be in his best interest so he eventually tries to help Mackey to an extent to keep the negative PR off his doorstep in order to further his political ambitions. Kavanaugh's story fell apart when Claudette managed to get the CI alone in interrogation, causing the Lieutenant to break down and confess to the fabrication. Believing that they were both safe forever, Ronnie was shocked when Dutch Wagenbach arrested him for "the last three years." Certainly not your typical television protagonist, as the character shot and killed a fellow police detective in the pilot episode of the series, without any remorse of regret. Shane decided to retaliate by blackmailing a small-time pimp into murdering Ronnie and preparing to murder Vic himself. Along with his partner, Detective Claudette Wyms, Dutch is widely considered to be the moral center of the show due to his willingness to do the right thing in spite of the temptation to engage in illegal police activities.Dutch is the best interrogator on the series, and second only to Wyms as far as detectives go in the series. Vic and Shane, however, calmly stuck to their original story and Kavanaugh's crusade ultimately changed into a personal vendetta which destroyed his career. Victor "Vic" Mackey. The dog had a piece, he was gonna use it.”, (To a witness) “A lot of people wanna know what evil looks like.”, Holland Wagenbach: “You ever hear of a Canadian super pot ?” Navigation. The second series prequel 'Co-Pilot' shows them working together as partners on a murder investigation. Later, while Vic and Strike Team members Shane Vendrell and Crowley were raiding the home of a rival drug lord (named "Two Time"), the dealer stepped out of the bathroom with a pistol and was promptly gunned down by Vic and Shane. Part of the reason we watched each week was to see if this … His character given his shorter stature, yet fierce demeanor has been compared with that of a pit bull. This and other things led to a constant downward spiral of Mackey and his team having to cover up some of their more extreme practices to save their own hides. Mackey is a corrupt yet effective police officer; he steals from drug dealers, beats suspects and has committed murder on at least three occasions. At the end of season six, Shane kidnapped Vic's family and locked them in a cargo container. During the formation of a new Strike Team, Claudette offered Julien to Kevin Hiatt as a possible addition to the team. When Dutch Wagenbach and Claudette Wyms exposed his actions, Kavanaugh was stripped of his badge and imprisoned. He is fond of claiming that his team is a "family," though he plans and executes the murder of a teammate in the pilot episode, to stifle an internal investigation against him. Lem was notably closer with Terry as shown by his reaction to the news of his death, and was acknowledged by Vic and Shane as being the most conscientious of the team, both facts which would prove problematic. A typical example is using a criminal investigation into one party to get information or influence that helps him leverage another person. Vic’s greatest strengths may be his powerful force of presence and his ability to juggle multiple complex situations simultaneously. Advantages: Ronnie felt panic at the thought of Shane, by then a fugitive, being arrested and confessing to the many crimes committed by the Strike Team and even considering running to Mexico. In particular Aceveda and Mackey have gone from having a Low Connection to Enemy no less then a dozen times. Mackey is played by Michael Chiklis. Vic and Shane then rigged the crime scene evidence, claiming that "Two Time" stepped out of the bathroom, shot Terry, and was slain by their return fire. Hey, hey Smitty. 6093 in-depth character profiles from comics, games, movies. Yet, none of them ever truly pulled their heads out of their asses until perhaps the last episode. At the end of season six, he refused to parade his autistic children in front of a department review board, despite the fact that Aceveda told him that it could save his job. Horrified, the teenager said, 'You can't do that, man!" But in the real world, I don’t answer to you. Mackey is an extremely complex character and is a perfect example of what modern law enforcement officials refer to as “noble corruption” or corruption with a higher purpose. Charisma: 07, Detective (counterfeit recognition): 03, (clue analysis, police procedure): 04, (legwork): 07, Martial artist: (EV): 04, (AV): 05, Medicine (first aid): 03, Military Science (demolitions): 03, (danger recognition, field command): 05, Thief (Stealth): 05, Vehicles (land): 04, Weaponry (firearms, melee weapons): 05. As previously stated there is a lot of moral ambiguity in this series and thus listings of any connections would need constant updating as they rapidly change not just from season to season, but from episode to episode. Vic Mackey: “Looks like you’re going to die a bad speller.”, Vic Mackey (after he identified Ben Gilroy’s body) “How’d he die ?” Subsequently, Kavanaugh used a CI that had turned against Mackey to make up a story of how Vic utilized the Salvadorans to kill Lem by threatening to kill her son. As Aceveda succinctly put it, no one truly understands how insidiously manipulative Mackey is until they have had Vic look them in the eye, lie to them, and make them doubt themselves even when they *know* he’s full of shit. As a result, Vic resigned from the Department, and Ronnie returned to regular detective duty. He’s got his mother’s looks.” Mackey participates in one raid, and realizes this type of occupation is both dangerous and unnecessarily cruel. Cop: “These your men ?” Vic Mackey is an LAPD officer, leader of the Strike Team, and an iconic TV antihero. Not today, not tomorrow, not even on Cinco de Mayo.”, Vic Mackey: “You still got that boyfriend ?” You're not a witness, then you're an arrest! Shane and Vic reconciled after Shane got involved with the drug lord and gang leader Antwon Mitchell, who killed a young girl using Shane's gun. He is one of Vic Mackey’s main rivals, although often they have forged uneasy alliances for various reasons. That to me at least felt like I wasn’t just trying to make two more episodes of The Shield, it … Connections (Season 3): Since her death, Mackey occasionally checks in on her son, Brian, who is in foster care. However, Dutch Wagenbach did not believe the CI's story and was suspicious of the convenient presence of evidence in Vic's house considering the hate held by Kavanaugh in addition to the lies that the Lieutenant made up regarding the CI's whereabouts. He is a short bald man that is fairly well built. And this is just about enough to make you a trafficker!" Agent Olivia Murray and advised her that taking Vic's children away was the best means of hurting him. Enraged and devastated by Vic's betrayal, Ronnie shouted profanity at his former mentor and demanded to know whatever happened to protecting the Team, pointing out Vic's hypocrisy. Vic Mackey: “Just that is great to be back in the States.”, David Aceveda: “It doesn’t bother you, the things he does ?” After he had detailed all of his crimes, a horrified Agent Olivia Murray told Vic that he had, "implicated Detective Gardocki in enough shit to send him to prison for the rest of his life." But with Vic unable to fulfill a deal with Antwon Mitchell to ensure Lem's safety, Vic made Lem go fugitive. Any other connections that Vic has are tenuous at best. Although Vic was devastated, he restrained himself from reacting emotionally to the material when he noticed the surveillance cameras that Wyms was watching him on. When those ties are cut or stretched thin later, he can’t manage as he did, and he has to keep cutting corners while at the same time trying to reestablish his street cred. The main character and leader of the Strike Team. Once you have Vic’s loyalty, you have it until you turn on him. Claudette is the best damn detective in the series. Ronnie was generally left out of the most questionable of the Team's illegal activities due to his less active role within the team, though this would eventually change as he became closer to Vic. He's a big tough guy, makes fun of 'losers' like Dutch, ran circles around Acevada and later Billings, and often gets laid. The bad cop ?” Despite this (and more), Vic attempts to do right by his family, the officer… Then, Vic and Shane's issues came to a head with Shane accusing Vic of taking other people's side against him when they are supposed to be best friends, and Vic calling Mara a bitch who has got Shane so twisted that he cannot think straight anymore. A patrol officer who aspires to become a detective. After being assured that Mackey was going to be moved out of the team, Julien accepted the promotion, and is now an official member of the Strike Team. In-universe categories; e.g. Vic Mackey: “Because you’re the last honest guy we know.”. However, events took a wild turn, as a graphic photo taken by Juan Lozano of Aceveda's rape suddenly reappeared in the hands of Pezuela, who gave it to Vic as a way to save his job. The loyalty of Detective Ronnie Gardocki to Vic and the Strike Team was tested several times, such as when crime lord Armadillo Quintero burned Ronnie's face and threatened to file an excessive force complaint unless Mackey forced Gardocki to recant his statement. He also didn’t have Guilt either. This is his only redeeming quality. Vic Mackey's and Shane's morality - thoughts. His crimes include drug dealing, extortion, police brutality, and murder. Vic Mackey: “Thank God !”, Captain Monica Rawling: “Let me guess – you’re either with Vic Mackey or you’re against him.” As his fellow officers kicked down the door, Shane shot himself in the head. [Vic puts a notepad and a pen in the suspect's hands] Vic Mackey : L. I. F. E. New word, new word! Mackey later returned with the memory card, the background story of the photo, and all the existing copies. Claudette Wyms: “Neither am I.”, (Vic is trying to scare a suspect in a third floor apartment) This essay will examine the character Detective Vic Mackey from the TV series, "The Shield" (Ryan, 2002) using Freud's personality theory (p.308-309) and the big five-personality theory (Wood, Wood, Wood & Desmarais, 2008, p.318-319). Shane contacted Vic to meet him alone. Vic Mackey: “That coke that had Tio’s guy bleeding from every orifice ?”, (To Captain Aceveda after he’s just ordered him to write a report) “Well maybe in your own mind, amigo. Connections (Season 6): Farmington’s citizens, largely Black and Hispanic, live in near-poverty and are understandably distrustful of the predominantly white police force that has … Cirrhosis, malnutrition, official cause was suffocation. What people want these days is to make it to their cars without getting mugged. Negotiating truce with gangs, shoot outs, major drug and mafia related busts and going after the worst criminals in society are all in a days work for Mackey an his crew. “Vic Mackey” refers to himself as the “HBIC” or “Head Bowl In Charge” and has earned a … A terrified Julien caved in to Vic's demands. After a failed attempt to seek revenge against Vic Mackey by attempting to assault Corrine Mackey and (supposedly) allying with Antwon Mitchell to send Lem to a prison under Mitchell's control, Kavanaugh planted evidence in Vic's home, implicating Vic in the murder of Lemansky. In particular, in the wake of Shane's confession to Lem's murder, Ronnie pressed Vic to kill Shane even when Vic had second thoughts and tried to halt their first assassination attempt. As Vic then watched in horror, Ronnie Gardocki, his last remaining friend, was placed under arrest by Detective Dutch Wagenbach inside the Strike Team's former Club House. This was most tellingly illustrated recently in the separate falls from grace of Detectives Kavanaugh and Hiatt. Character Wiki. The series came to its climax as Vic resigned from the police force and set out to insulate himself from prosecution by hunting down and murdering Shane and Mara Vendrell. Whether these are legitimate negotiations or an attempt to gain an edge on the opposing party is entirely up to character motivation. He is brought in as Vic’s replacement when Vic is forced into retirement. Mackey is shown to believe that his actions are justified if they produce the desired results. Lauren Riley: “You still got that wife ?” However, when Julien was offered a position in the Strike Team, he at first refused, saying that he did not wish to work alongside Mackey. Share articles on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Victor Samuel Mackey, played by Michael Chiklis, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the highly acclaimed FX crime drama series The Shield, which ran for seven seasons.Mackey is a corrupt and brutal detective in the Los Angeles Police Department.His crimes include drug dealing, extortion, police brutality, and murder. As a result of Vic's taunts, Shane murdered his pregnant wife, Mara, and his son Jackson by poison. While speaking over the phone, Aceveda expressed satisfaction that ICE had realized that, "they have a reptile working for them." However years of being part of the legal system have embittered him. Shane Vendrell: “It’s all tied up in the coke shipment.” The Ace: Vic Mackey especially in season 1. It’s a well-known secret he’s corrupt, but no one can prove it. She then brought Vic into the interrogation room and read Shane's suicide letter aloud, while showing him photographs of the Vendrell bodies. Vic Mackey: “No. There are other members/associates that have been identified and others yet to be identified, but the big fish is the de-facto leader who hides behind the alias “Vic Mackey,” a reference to a character from the popular cop show The Shield, noted for his corruption and racism. At the last second, Vic tried to call off the hit on Shane, but was unable to reach Shane on his cell phone. What did they do ?”, Officer: “You guys have anything to declare ?” You still got that boyfriend ?”, (Vic doesn’t do anything and the suspect starts screaming)