The Shield: The Complete Series (2002-2008)

[Batman90]

Originally Posted by DVD Josh

The cuts to Mum absolutely disrupt the flow of the episode. But ultimately whether it disrupts your enjoyment of the series is a far more personal question.

Right now as a DVD series owner its the price that's stopping me, and out of curiosity as to whether they will reissue the disc with the proper cut of Mum.

It’s not just the Mum episode that’s cut the episode where Vick burns the cartel leaders face on the stove is also censored and the series final is also shortened. The version we got is the European censored version.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by Batman90

How did Shawn not know that there was extended episodes and episodes that wasn’t censored? Creators of shows know if there’s things that have been added or not. 6 hours ago he said he is looking into it and if he doesn’t decide to fix it and do a disc replacement program I’ll just throw my set away. No point in owning a censored version of a show. I know they had to censored the show and shorten episodes when it aired in Europe cause he said so but this is not Europe.

Again, it’s supremely hypocritical to “throw your set away” because a few scenes are slightly altered, but you have no issue with all 7 seasons NOT being OAR and thus having the entirety of the picture altered for the worse. You know that, but it doesn’t fit on your soapbox. But please, continue your faux outrage meltdown.

[Batman90]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Again, it’s supremely hypocritical to “throw your set away” because a few scenes are slightly altered, but you have no issue with all 7 seasons NOT being OAR and thus having the entirety of the picture altered for the worse. You know that, but it doesn’t fit on your soapbox. But please, continue your faux outrage meltdown.

The show was shot in Widescreen safe so nothing has been cut except scenes in certain episodes. And besides I’m not a fan of black bars on the side when I buy a HD version of a show. I don’t believe in censorship. There’s a lot more that’s been cut besides one scene in this series. The US shouldn’t have gotten the European censored version of the show.

[DVD Josh]

Originally Posted by Batman90

It’s not just the Mum episode that’s cut the episode where Vick burns the cartel leaders face on the stove is also censored and the series final is also shortened. The version we got is the European censored version.

Again, that cut takes away from the intensity of the episode as well as the motivation for that character in subsequent episodes. So that would be another reason for me at this time.

[The Bronx Bull]

Originally Posted by Batman90

It’s not just the Mum episode that’s cut the episode where Vick burns the cartel leaders face on the stove is also censored and the series final is also shortened. The version we got is the European censored version.

Is there confirmation that those other episodes are cut? I've only seen proof of "Mum" thus far.

[The Bronx Bull]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Again, it’s supremely hypocritical to “throw your set away” because a few scenes are slightly altered, but you have no issue with all 7 seasons NOT being OAR and thus having the entirety of the picture altered for the worse. You know that, but it doesn’t fit on your soapbox. But please, continue your faux outrage meltdown.

I responded to your message about this a few pages back, but you didn't acknowledge it:

These are not mutually exclusive. I think the best solution is they offer a way to watch the show in both aspect ratios on the blu-ray. Myself, I prefer the OAR, but I understand the intent behind utilizing the widescreen format. The same applies to The Wire. However, I do NOT understand the intent behind trimming graphic content from a home media release. I also find this comment you made fairly disconcerting: "And for the record, the "edits" don't alter the scene as the events still happen and intent is still present, just not as graphic". If what you're saying is that censorship is somehow less egregious so long as it doesn't impact the story - then I do not agree with that sentiment.

Additionally, if you wanted to restore the OAR for The Shield set, you can simply tape two black pieces of cardboard to the right and left of your screen, since it was filmed in a widescreen-aware format and that's what's presented here. It is not possible to recover the footage that was censored out of the episodes.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by Batman90

The show was shot in Widescreen safe so nothing has been cut except scenes in certain episodes. And besides I’m not a fan of black bars on the side when I buy a HD version of a show. I don’t believe in censorship. There’s a lot more that’s been cut besides one scene in this series. The US shouldn’t have gotten the European censored version of the show.

Doesn't matter, it's OAR is 1.33, that's how it aired (or aired for most seasons), so every episode is altered, not just a few with a few seconds of missing content. Altered is altered.

Not to mention, the composition looks terrible most of the time, now that we are seeing edges of frame that were never meant to be seen. We see characters right at the edge we aren't supposed to see who haven't even entered scenes yet, camera shadows etc. None of which we see in its CORRECT and PROPER 1.33 aspect ratio.

Again, you can't whine that a few episodes are altered when ALL the episodes are altered from OAR and magically give that a pass. Sorry bud.

Originally Posted by The Bronx Bull

I responded to your message about this a few pages back, but you didn't acknowledge it:

These are not mutually exclusive. I think the best solution is they offer a way to watch the show in both aspect ratios on the blu-ray. Myself, I prefer the OAR, but I understand the intent behind utilizing the widescreen format. The same applies to The Wire. However, I do NOT understand the intent behind trimming graphic content from a home media release. I also find this comment you made fairly disconcerting: "And for the record, the "edits" don't alter the scene as the events still happen and intent is still present, just not as graphic". If what you're saying is that censorship is somehow less egregious so long as it doesn't impact the story - then I do not agree with that sentiment.

Additionally, if you wanted to restore the OAR for The Shield set, you can simply tape two black pieces of cardboard to the right and left of your screen, since it was filmed in a widescreen-aware format and that's what's presented here. It is not possible to recover the footage that was censored out of the episodes.

They are 100% mutually exclusive. An alteration is an alteration, period. These episodes are changed from how they were composed and originally aired, so you can't pick and choose which alterations are important. Again, that's hypocrisy 101. And yeah, I don't like "censorship" (this isn't censorship though) — but a few extra seconds of a BJ doesn't change the intent of the scene, since the rest of it is there and the act still happens. If cuts change intent, THEN it's censorship.

And I shouldn't have to "tape" my TV to get the creator's original intent. It should be on disc. However, I did add a 1.33 to the pilot in Premiere and all the beautiful compositions are back. It's just a shame they aren't included here. But since every episode is altered, then content alterations go hand in hand, since NONE of these are the exact original episodes the way they aired on TV.

You can argue it all day, but I will always be right and nothing will change that fact.

It's a shame people aren't more vocal about preserving original compositions and OAR the way they are about a man-on-man BJ.

And the fact that people "want the full episodes like the "originally aired" but don't want it OAR 1.33 like it originally aired is, as I've said, the biggest byunch of hypocrisy I've ever seen. And no one can even defend that because it's so asinine and ridiculous. But it's a good lesson in teaching people what "original episodes" means - the whole package, OAR and all.

[Batman90]

Originally Posted by The Bronx Bull

Is there confirmation that those other episodes are cut? I've only seen proof of "Mum" thus far.

Yes on reddit and even Shawn has confirmed the series finale has been cut in facted he’s confirmed that we got the European censored version.

[The Bronx Bull]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Doesn't matter, it's OAR is 1.33, that's how it aired (or aired for most seasons), so every episode is altered, not just a few with a few seconds of missing content. Altered is altered.

Not to mention, the composition looks terrible most of the time, now that we are seeing edges of frame that were never meant to be seen. We see characters right at the edge we aren't supposed to see who haven't even entered scenes yet, camera shadows etc. None of which we see in its CORRECT and PROPER 1.33 aspect ratio.

Again, you can't whine that a few episodes are altered when ALL the episodes are altered from OAR and magically give that a pass. Sorry bud.



They are 100% mutually exclusive. An alteration is an alteration, period. These episodes are changed from how they were composed and originally aired, so you can't pick and choose which alterations are important. Again, that's hypocrisy 101.

And I shouldn't have to "tape" my TV to get the creator's original intent. It should be on disc. However, I did add a 1.33 to the pilot in Premiere and all the beautiful compositions are back. It's just a shame they aren't included here. But since every episode is altered, then content alterations go hand in hand, since NONE of these are the exact original episodes the way they aired on TV.

You can argue it all day, but I will always be right and nothing will change that fact.

I don't think you know what 'mutually exclusive' means - because there are plenty of people on here that are not bothered by the aspect ratio change but are extremely bothered by the censorship. What you are saying is that these alterations are mutually exclusive for yourself. You don't get to force your opinions on everyone else, though - they can decide for themselves. For me, personally, I said I would prefer OAR (or the option to select it), but I'm still willing to watch the widescreen version. That said, I stand firmly against any type of censorship on a home media release. So this means these two alterations are *not* mutually exclusive for me.

[Fat Phil]

Originally Posted by Batman90

Yes on reddit and even Shawn has confirmed the series finale has been cut in facted he’s confirmed that we got the European censored version.

That's not what he said. I think he's saying that he insisted they use the longer version of the finale for the blu-ray release (he's worded his explanation slightly awkwardly though)

I've included his full post here to save people searching for it -

Hi all. Shawn Ryan here. Was alerted to this thread. My understanding is/was that everything on this Blu-Ray release was going to be as it originally aired on FX. I will definitely be looking into this, though with the holidays it's very possible that I might not be able to get some answers until next week. I can assure you that nothing was intentionally done to change/censor any scenes. Since the early 2000s there has always been some confusion as the FX versions and Sony versions (for international release) were occasionally different for time purposes (and perhaps content purposes, though I was never told of this). I have been battling these differences for awhile. For instance streaming had the longer two part Series Finale that we had to create since International wouldn't accept the very long running time of the finale that ran on FX. I insisted that this new Blu-Ray go back to original FX Version. Will be back here with answers when I have them.

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by Batman90

Yes on reddit and even Shawn has confirmed the series finale has been cut in facted he’s confirmed that we got the European censored version.

I’m confused by this. This is what I’ve seen Shawn say on Reddit:

For instance streaming had the longer two part Series Finale that we had to create since International wouldn't accept the very long running time of the finale that ran on FX. I insisted that this new Blu-Ray go back to original FX Version.

The two-part finale was created after the original FX airing. The blu ray has the original 75 minute single episode, not the subsequently edited two-parter.

Edit: ^^ what Phil said

And before anyone starts - Postpartum isn’t the U.K. cut either, seeing as that clocked in at 48 minutes instead of the intended 70, which it is in this set...

[Fat Phil]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Postpartum isn’t the U.K. cut either, seeing as that clocked in at 48 minutes instead of the intended 70, which it is in this set...

Thanks for that. As an owner of the UK DVDs, finally having an uncut version of the finale and Postpartum is a big deal for me.

[LexInHD]

I'll make it clear. The OAR for The Shield was 16:9 widescreen. It was shot in widescreen and kept safe for that, so Sony could release all of the show that way in the international markets, while it was kept 4:3 for FX in America, because Shawn Ryan felt (or rather, knew) that widescreen TVs were not the norm for American homes, which they were not, until after the show had ended. In Europe, widescreen TVs were surprisingly common after the DVD era began and widescreen broadcast content was quite common there by the time The Shield was shown, especially on the digital side of things, where set-top boxes fed content to the consumers.

[Renascent]

Can people PLEASE link their sources when they refer or talk about something x or y said?

edit: found it https://old.reddit.com/r/TheShield/c...sodes/ed49qnp/
edit2: Almost sounds like they got cut out after the fact. It seems weird that Shawn wouldn't make some noise if those scenes weren't apart of the restoration process. The final episode shows that it wasn't "We got the EU version" as some heavily implied.
edit3:

And the fact that people "want the full episodes like the "originally aired" but don't want it OAR 1.33 like it originally aired is, as I've said, the biggest byunch of hypocrisy I've ever seen. And no one can even defend that because it's so asinine and ridiculous. But it's a good lesson in teaching people what "original episodes" means - the whole package, OAR and all.

Neh, not buying it. You didn't respond to my comment about the audio and so far I can't see you mentioning the sound by one word. You want the whole package, but gladly gives up the original soundtrack 2.0 for 5.1...? That makes you a big hypocrite.
There are differences to what G.L. did with StarWars. Making the sound better and the lightsaber/gun effects look better v.s. to "Han shot first" and copy pasting Hayden as a ghost in the last scene.¨
It is also worth mentioning that The Shield is shot in a different way than most tv-shows at the time. The handheld shaky cam glosses over most of the issues I could have had if Shawn shot it the way of a normal tv-show.

edit4: Shawn said, in the same reddit thread I linked, in response to:

Originally Posted by StrikeTeamForLife;

Also I’ve tried to contact mill Creek by phone but haven’t been able to get through

Originally Posted by ShawnRyanTV;

wouldn't be a Mill Creek issue, this would be a Sony issue (at least for the time being).

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Bronx Bull

“Any reason to complain” being home media releases censored for graphic content? That sounds like a substantial reason for complaint. Would you have the same response if MGM released censored copies of the older James Bond films removing the sexist content? Or slightly cut scenes from a Blu-Ray release of The Hateful Eight to trim out some of the more graphic violence? Interesting perspective.

It depends. Sure, everyone prefers a release that replicates the original version. Or, at least, the version they've seen and are used to. On the other hand, some people prefer after-the-fact directors' cuts, and don't care if they ever see the original version again.

At any rate, I would say that if the studio or home video label is the one dictating the removal of graphic content, then it's an issue worth complaining about. If it's the filmmakers themselves that are doing it, it's a stickier situation.

In this case, it's quite possible that Shawn Ryan changed his mind about how he wanted Aceveda's rape to be presented. Maybe because of the current socio-political attitudes toward sexual assault, or maybe because he felt it was more graphic than it needed to be.

In either case, I'm OK with it. I watched the two versions of the scene from the links provided by a user on the reddit forum (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheShield/c..._the_episodes/). Quite frankly, I can live with the cut version of the scene.

[mrlanphear]

Originally Posted by jayembee

In this case, it's quite possible that Shawn Ryan changed his mind about how he wanted Aceveda's rape to be presented. Maybe because of the current socio-political attitudes toward sexual assault, or maybe because he felt it was more graphic than it needed to be.

No. In this case, and in the thread linked directly above, Shawn states that any inclusion of shots that differ from what originally aired on FX was either a mistake and/or oversight on Sony's part. He has not changed his mind about how and what he wanted to present. He says specifically that he wanted everything shown as it originally aired on US television.

In addition, I really wish people would stop using the word "censorship" when talking about this release. Censorship is typically done by governments, not private companies, and accidentally including the incorrect version of an episode is a mistake, not censorship. Censorship requires intent.

[Renascent]

Originally Posted by mrlanphear

In addition, I really wish people would stop using the word "censorship" when talking about this release. Censorship is typically done by governments, not private companies, and accidentally including the incorrect version of an episode is a mistake, not censorship. Censorship requires intent.

Disagree to some extent. When you think about it, you have to censor brutality to receive a specific age rating for your movie.

[Show spoiler]PG-13 means no blood for instance. (This is incorrect as pointed out by others)

The shield is now back to 109,9$. I do wonder what Shawn will say next week, if anything. He was supposed to get back to us on the region A thing, but I can't see him mentioning it anywhere. Probably because it is region free and he don't want to stir things by mentioning it in public.

edit: Depending on his answer to the reddit thread, I'm considering pulling the trigger and get it.

[mrlanphear]

Originally Posted by Renascent

Disagree to some extent. When you think about it, you have to censor brutality to receive a specific age rating for your movie. PG-13 means no blood for instance.

You don't have to. At least in the US, the ratings system is not legally required in any way, nor are TV ratings. They are voluntary standards that the industry has decided to adopt. A company might choose to cut footage to get a more commercially viable rating, but again, that's their choice. It is not an edict imposed on them by any regulatory force.

Also, PG-13 does not mean "no blood". There are not written rules for what causes ratings to be assigned. It's left up to the individual who's screening the film for the purposes of rating -- this is why ratings are so inconsistent from film to film. For more on how backwards this is, check out THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED.

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by Renascent

PG-13 means no blood for instance.

[slop101]

If Ryan was so hands on with this release as he claimed, how could these edited episodes make it all the way through the process and end up in this "definitive" set?