MovieChat Forums > The Shield (2002) Discussion > i think the show wanted us to really lik...

i think the show wanted us to really like Dutch and the finale reflected

posted 10 years ago by nuclear-7
52 replies | jump to latest

Anyone else think that the show was eventually trying to get us very hard to get behind Dutch and root for him and see him as a truly likable character? I mean, he seemed to spend much of the series struggling with not getting enough respect from anyone in the Barn besides Claudette and taking the lion's share of the Strike Team's abuse whenever they decided to direct it at someone not in their gang. Then there was some particularly frightening scenes when he was trying to catch some infamous serial killers. And then in the finale, the ending they give him is basically a Disney fairy tale one next to what the Strike Team and others get. Which to me seems like they wanted to convince the audience that he deserved this very happy, by Shields standards, ending and we were ideally meant to get behind him. Is it just me?

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

Considering he didn't do anything near what the Strike Team did, yeah, he deserved it.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] MEhrmantraut 10 years ago

Jog my memory--how did the series end for Dutch? I remember the young serial killer wannabe trying to frame him.

[–] keyvenx 10 years ago

It was a somewhat upbeat ending because the rest of the endings - Mackey, Claudette, Ronnie, etc - were kinda a downer. I guess we were supposed to root for him - he was a good cop who was generally overshadowed by Mackey's showboating.

Mackey always had the limelight but maybe the message was that "good, honest detective skills" could be just as effective as the ST's aggressive tactics, and the department would continue to function with or without the ST.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Sir_Digby_Chicken_Ceasar 10 years ago

It was implied that Dutch was about to get the kid to confess but it was not shown.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 9 years ago

But they got the kid to talk about his mom's clothes being burned. He shouldn't have known that as they never told him. He gave himself away, and that's how we know they were going to nail him.

Please stop.

[–] resmat-1 10 years ago

I'm not sure why you feel it's a revelation that Dutch is meant to be sympathetic. Myself, and I assume most viewers, were behind him since the very beginning. I mean, he was one of the lead protagonists of the B story, week after week. He was a 'good guy' and the only bad thing he ever did is kill a stray cat. He was also an exceptional detective, a caring partner to Claudette, humble enough to pass on the Captain's job, smart enough to make Vic squirm, and an all-around underdog.

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

smart enough to make Vic squirm

I love that Vic gets worried Dutch is looking into the his schemes.

He may pick on Dutch and not respect him personally, but he respects his skills as a detective.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] DJMykee 10 years ago

That focker did the worst thing of the entire series. He killed a cat. He should by hung

Did anyone else think that he killed the kid's mom? When Claudette started vouching for him with the kid I thought for sure it was going to blow up in her face and we find out he actually did it.

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

Not at all.

[–] return_of_cathedral 10 years ago

Dutch killed the cat because he was driven by curiosity and his desire to be a better detective, I believe. The serial killer earlier had told him what it was like to watch an animal die, so Dutch, being Dutch, had to know for himself. He was obviously guilty about it afterwards, and even made up for it at the end of the season by adopting the runt kitten that nobody else wanted.

[–] leon123 10 years ago

Meh...I thought the better ending for Dutch would have been the one where HE himself is revealed to be the killer of that lady and others. Imagine now if after his speech to Ronnie about "The last three years!" we were treated with a similar speech by someone else (Danny?) to Dutch about how they were investigating him all along and tied the murder of the lady to other murders that led them to Dutch. Yes, it would have been tragic, and a downer...but much more "Shield" like!

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

Nah. The main focus of the Shield has always been Vic and the Strike Team.

Having Dutch be arrested would take the focus off what happened to Ronnie.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] Cujoseph 10 years ago

Honestly I thought he was the one who killed Rita.

[–] spookstreet 10 years ago

Nonsense - that would be incredibly unShield-like! One of its great strengths is the reality of its characters, and that would have been totally OUT of character for Dutch - ask Claudette!

[–] Affirmative_Dave 10 years ago

I had the same feeling in the finale episode. If it wasn't for Claudette, defending Dutch all the time (her judgement being affected by a heavy stress), the ending tended to make us believe Dutch was the murderer, and the boy was innocent. That would have been consistent with most other main characters falling apart. Also, the cat killing and other weirdies from Dutch's past contribute to give Dutch a mysterious personality.

As said above, in the finale the writers didn't want to steal the show from the Strike team, especially Ronnie at the end, and didn't conclude on Dutch realities.

[–] balthazar_bee 10 years ago

If it wasn't for Claudette, defending Dutch all the time (her judgement being affected by a heavy stress), the ending tended to make us believe Dutch was the murderer, and the boy was innocent. That would have been consistent with most other main characters falling apart.

But it wouldn't have been consistent with Dutch's character, which had been pretty well established over the past seven seasons. It was, what, three episodes earlier when he refused to help Billings with his little dirty deed? He didn't just refuse -- he balked at it. Because it was wrong.

I'm a bit amazed that people would take that from the conclusion of the show. I mean, aside from choking the poor widdle kitty and using a department computer to look at questionable material -- which simply had to be on the up-and-up as far as his explanation, if for no other reason than the alternative would be so brazen that it's practically a cry for help.

Having said that, I remember thinking that it would probably take more than Claudette stepping up on Dutch's behalf to remove the air of suspicion. But her words ring true. And all three of them know who the real killer is. He's going down.

At no time did I think Dutch killed the boy's mom. It would've been a cheap parlour trick tossed into an all-time-great series finale.

[–] spookstreet 10 years ago

Well said, Sir! 😃

[–] TheColossalAvenger 9 years ago

I'm not sure why you feel it's a revelation that Dutch is meant to be sympathetic. Myself, and I assume most viewers, were behind him since the very beginning.

Yeah, Dutch was always my favorite character. I'm glad they never went through with that possible ending for the character I've heard they briefly tossed out.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] kmay144 10 years ago

No, Dutch was great, and even though I didn't like him for some reason when I first got into watching this, he grew on me. Vic and others treated him like garbage, and he was awkward at times, but he was a great detective. The most memorable scene was him getting the serial killer in an earlier season to admit killing 17 people, while the whole department watched in the other room. The words spoken to him about social awkwardness by the killer got to Dutch, so after being congratulated, he went out to his car and cried. Jay Karnes did an amazing job.

[–] shivalrous 10 years ago

If not for the fact that this was a Vic Mackie-centric show and made us as the viewer feel sympathy for Vic's corruption I don't think there was anything particularly unlikeable about Dutch to begin with. His detective skills were nothing short of awesome...his integrity unquestionable, and he had a solid work ethic...I just feel that the writers had to make him the "nerd" to Vic's "jock" hence the social awkwardness...the date-less wonder, and slightly creepy serial killer leanings that were written into his character...I prefer to remember the fear all the Strike Team felt once they knew that Dutch had even the slightest whiff of their shenanigans, they knew he would get to the bottom of things.

[–] normrmf5889 10 years ago

I honestly think as a show they were trying to tie up all loose ends. Dutch busting that budding serial killer, was their way of showing us how good of a detective he was. Even though he had problems of his own lol.

[–] smoko 10 years ago

@normrmf5889 Dutch busting that budding serial killer, was their way of showing us how good of a detective he was.
But Dutch didn't bust the budding serial killer Lloyd. That was one of the loose ends of the series.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 9 years ago

[–] jennifer_libby 10 years ago

I agree. We were supposed to be happy that the good guys came out on top. Meanwhile, Dutch made my skin scrawl. I hated Claudette also but I think that is a testament to that woman being an great actor.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] saskbill 9 years ago

That was the genius of the writing and CCH's portrayal (similar to ADA Patterson in SOA).

Claudette was a hard-working, honest cop, who was courageous and admirable in her professional and personal life. But we were always led to root for Mackey - he was the Roadrunner to her Wiley Coyote but (unlike Bugs Bunny) we never longed for the pursuer to win!

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] tvaddiction 10 years ago

Dutch got to arrest Ronnie! LOL "For what?!"

Dutch: For the last three years!!

LOL

I think this is the episode of Three's Company where there is some kind of misunderstanding.

[–] Mister_Anderson 10 years ago

Dutch was a complex character played very well by Karnes. He was mostly sympathetic because he meant well and was a good detective. Yet, he had certain unsettling moments. He gave off creepy vibes to some of the women. And he killed a cat because he wanted to feel what a serial killer felt. Also, didn't the department find child porn on his work computer that he claimed he had downloaded for a "research project" no one knew about? At the end when the mother goes missing, I think for a moment you are supposed to wonder if Dutch had anything to do with it, since she had turned him down. But then it becomes clear, although not explicitly stated, that her son did it.

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