This 15-minute "season six prequel" was produced to give "The Shield" fans something to hang on to during season breaks and to promote the show on the internet.
It shows the immediate aftermath of the season 5 finale (SPOILERS if you haven't watched up until this point): Vic fights for an official police ceremony for the burial of Lem, but is denied. Instead, Lem gets a small private ceremony. Vic tries to make good on his promise to find the killer(s) of Lem by trying to unearth the whereabouts of Salvadoran crime lord Guardo Lima, hereby intervening in an investigation of Dutch. This ongoing storyline is inter-cut with flashbacks to two years prior, where we see Lem competing in an arm wrestling contest that, despite being injured on the job the same day, he wins for "The Barn".
This mini-episode plays as both a look into the frustration of Vic after the murder of his friend and a nice reminder of why Lem's character was such an important part of the show. His dedication and loyalty, even against better instincts, is perfectly captured in the arm-wrestling storyline. As usual, acting and production is top notch.
This mini-episode is featured as a bonus item on the season five box set and serious "The Shield" fans are encouraged to seek this out.
It shows the immediate aftermath of the season 5 finale (SPOILERS if you haven't watched up until this point): Vic fights for an official police ceremony for the burial of Lem, but is denied. Instead, Lem gets a small private ceremony. Vic tries to make good on his promise to find the killer(s) of Lem by trying to unearth the whereabouts of Salvadoran crime lord Guardo Lima, hereby intervening in an investigation of Dutch. This ongoing storyline is inter-cut with flashbacks to two years prior, where we see Lem competing in an arm wrestling contest that, despite being injured on the job the same day, he wins for "The Barn".
This mini-episode plays as both a look into the frustration of Vic after the murder of his friend and a nice reminder of why Lem's character was such an important part of the show. His dedication and loyalty, even against better instincts, is perfectly captured in the arm-wrestling storyline. As usual, acting and production is top notch.
This mini-episode is featured as a bonus item on the season five box set and serious "The Shield" fans are encouraged to seek this out.