Rushing to a Very Dark Place

James Hibberd, a senior reporter for The Hollywood Reporter, posted a spoiler-free review of the first eight episodes of The Shield's final season. at his blog.

Here are a few snippets that really stood out for me:

• ...gives viewers exactly what they want.
  
• Some old faces return to tie up loose ends...
• ... the highly effective premiere...
  
• ...Vic Mackey immediately seeking retribution against his longtime partner Shane Vendrell.
• ...the Strike Team devolving into a cannibalistic game of survival.
  
• ...hugely suspenseful...
• ...leaves viewers impatient for each new episode.
  
• ...Mackey... his every move to save himself only sucking him further down.
• On “The Shield,” we are rushing to a very dark place.
• ... "The Shield" has returned to demonstrate how serialized television is done.

You can read Hibberd's entire piece here.