10. Armadillo Quintero
It never feels right to like a villain. When you do, it almost feels evil or like you’re dirty. But I have to say that Armadillo Quintero was an unbelievable villain for the start of season two. He was cunning, smart, and brutal all wrapped into one drug dealer. His actions were reprehensible. Armadillo burned T.O. to death, raped women, and had his own brother killed. Ultimately, Armadillo met his demise when Vic and the Strike Team got him killed in the holding cell, but he proved to be an awfully great foil to him and his crew for a large chunk of the season.
9. Connie Reisler
In season one, I cringed when Connie came on the screen. Her presence was annoying and felt like she made the plot go stagnant. In season two, when she got clean and became a CI, she became a character I was excited to see. What’s so sad is that once she became likable, she was killed. And that sucks because she was clean and was trying to do the right thing by helping Vic nab a kidnapper.
8. Tavon Garris
As I’m watching season three, I’m starting to like Tavon even more. His presence was a bright one in season two. When he essentially tells Lanie Kellis to fuck off when she’s trying to get him to roll on Vic, I knew he was a great character. Then, he pulls off one of the most badass moves I’ve seen in the whole show when he fakes putting a bullet in his revolver and forces information out of a suspect. That’s when Vic really took a liking to Tavon.
7. Ronnie Gardocky
From season one to season two, Ronnie became more of a pivotal character, especially in the Armadillo plot because Armadillo nearly killed Ronnie when he returned the favor of grilling his face on Vic’s stove. Despite him being sidelined for a few episodes, he was huge in ripping off the money train with Shane and Curtis while they waited for Vic.
6. Curtis Lemansky
When the stakes rise in season two, Curtis Lemansky rises with them. In the money train episode, he’s the most cautious of the Strike Team. He’s reasonable, which is needed because Vic looks at the big picture and Shane is a hot head. Having Curtis be more cautious is perfect for the Strike Team’s overall dynamic and he plays the role of a gentle brute perfectly.
5. David Aceveda
A lot changes between season one and season two. Mainly, the biggest change is in my outlook on Aceveda. He agrees to somewhat turn a blind eye to Vic and the Strike Team in turn for having his support in the Barn. It’s a mutual agreement that proves beneficial to both parties. And once I saw that it wasn’t Aceveda who was ratting on the Strike Team and that it was Lanie, I grew to like Aceveda even more.
4. Danny Sofer
Danny Sofer ditches her annoying tendencies in season one and becomes an awesome character that evolves into a martyr as the season concludes. Her firing due to her getting blamed for the death of Armadillo was upsetting, but as a viewer, you could almost feel that coming. When she shot and killed an Arab man and his wife harassed her, it felt like the writing was on the wall. It’s great that she does become a more palatable character and that continues into season three.
3. Dutch Wagenbach
Building off what I said about Dutch last time, he’s still arrogant in season two and at times too smart for his own good, but he’s still a likable character. His prowess on the serial killer case was great, and it is always fun that Dutch is on the heels of Vic, but doesn’t fully know it. His investigation into the Armenian money train nearly implicates Vic and he has no clue.
2. Shane Ventrell
Despite him being a hot-head and a wildcard, Shane Ventrell is an awesome character. While I could go on and on about the reasons I like Ventrell as a character, there is one reason I almost dropped him in the ranking. That reason is because of how he treats Tavon. Tavon is an all-around great character that makes the show better and because of Shane’s racial bias and the fact that Vic took a liking to Tavon, Shane’s a dick to him. Nevertheless, he’s still an awesome character.
1. Vic Mackey
As the episodes roll on, one aspect of The Shield stays constant. It’s that Vic Mackey is the man. He was the man from episode one and continues to be the man, even when his life begins to crumble with divorce, he stays being a badass character. His big picture thinking that leads to the money train makes for one of the greatest scenes I’ve seen in television history. While the money train is the pinnacle, he has smaller moments that continue to make him a great character like the moment Connie gets killed or getting Armadillo murdered.
