MovieChat Forums > The Shield (2002) Discussion > WTF with the timeline?

WTF with the timeline?

posted 8 years ago by Jan_El_Senor
15 replies | jump to latest

The first four seasons are pretty straight forward. Each season occurs in the respective year it was aired in. Seasons 5,6, and 7 all appear to take place within a few months. It's kind of annoying when all the kids still age three years in the meantime....

EDIT: The children are only one aspect of the problem.

Season 1 is clearly set in 2002 and Season 4 is clearly in 2005. Danny is not even (or just barely pregnant) at the end of Season 4, and ready to pop at the beginning of 5, making Season 5 at least 7-8 months after Season 4. This would make it, at the very least, 3 1/2 years after Terry was killed. It's mostly likely 4+ years at that point.

Yet, at the beginning of Season 5, Kavanaugh says Terry died 2 1/2 years ago. That makes no sense. At the end of Season 7, Dutch tells Ronnie he's under arrest for the "last three years", which also makes no sense. The show, at minimum, covers four years of events. More likely five.

Please stop.

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

Can't be helped. Children grow up.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 8 years ago

Lol. It can be helped. There are many ways to deal with that issue, including steering the story away from featuring the children, having the timeline accomodate their ages, or recasting age appropriate actors.

Please stop.

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

None of those were what the writers wanted to do. So the children growing couldn't be helped.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 8 years ago

They chose not to deal with it. It could be helped.

But the children are only one aspect of the problem.

Season 1 is clearly set in 2002 and Season 4 is clearly in 2005. Danny is not even (or just barely pregnant) at the end of Season 4, and ready to pop at the beginning of 5, making Season 5 at least 7-8 months after Season 4. This would make it, at the very least, 3 1/2 years after Terry was killed. It's mostly likely 4+ years at that point.

Yet, at the beginning of Season 5, Kavanaugh says Terry died 2 1/2 years ago. That makes no sense. At the end of Season 7, Dutch tells Ronnie he's under arrest for the "last three years", which also makes no sense. The show, at minimum, cover four years of events. More likely five.

Please stop.

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

They chose not to deal with it. It could be helped.

Not if they're not interested in recasting.

The show, at minimum, cover four years of events. More likely five.

Filming covered seven years. The story, only three. Give or take. It's no big deal. Actors age.

It was a problem for me at first, but it's nothing that brings down the quality of the story telling.

It'd be like complaining Bart Simpson should be in his 30s by now.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 8 years ago

Not if they're not interested in recasting.

Actually, they did recast Matthew after Season 4 and still didn't get his age right.

Filming covered seven years. The story, only three.

I've already demonstrated that's not the case. The writers messed up on the timeline.

It's still my favorite show, but there's no denying the timeline is all screwed up on it. It's the only area where I'd say they dropped the ball.

Please stop.

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

I'd say the only area they dropped the ball was Co-Pilot. Which I guess does tie in to a messed up timline.

Ok, fine, timeline was clearly not their strong point.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 8 years ago

Co-Pilot screws with the timeline as well. But I get why they did it. A few small changes could have made it work a little better. I still like the episode though.

Please stop.

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

The only thing I don't like about it is how makes the Strike Team active for only a few months, possibly even weeks, before the show proper.

Had it been set at least a year earlier, it would've fit in better.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 8 years ago

That, and Julien shouldn't have been in it, seeing as how he says he's only been on the job for three weeks in Season 1.

Please stop.

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

Agreed.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 8 years ago

Watching Season 7 now and it's even more apparent. Cassidy should only be 11/12 years old at this point according to the timeline the show lays out. However, the plot is written as if Cassidy is the actress's age (15/16) with her being in high school, getting into drugs, having sex parties, etc.

Not only is the timeline an issue because of the age of the children, they specifically highlight the issue with this storyline.

Please stop.

[–] sawfan1414 8 years ago

It never really bothered me for one major reason, Vic's primary driving force in the show is to protect and provide for his family. If the writers take that away from him by writing them out then you lose a huge chunk of Vic's character. In fact, one of the more interesting subtle points of S7 is the parallels between Shane and Vic's families and their loyalties. Plus you lose the emotional impact of their betrayal in the finale if you take them out early.

Anyway, the storyline from Seasons 5-7 is so good (possibly the best television I've ever watched), that it's easy to forgive them for something so minor. Autumn Chiklis's acting however, I cannot forgive...

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

Her acting's not as bad as some would make it out. I think it's just because she's on the same show as power houses like Chiklis, Goggins, Pounder, and Glenn Close that her weaknesses stand out more.

But real bad acting is relegated to Sofia Coppola in The Godfather III. That one really is as bad as people say.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Klockard23 8 years ago

Don't forget that four years have apparently passed in between seasons 3 and 7 lol. S3 aired in 2004, so they mention a Presidential motorcade coming through town. S7, which aired in 2008, does the same thing. But there is NO WAY four years takes place within that time!

Tina has also only been a cop for two weeks at the start of S5, yet in the series finale (roughly five months after, which is itself a timeline error), she is celebrating her one-year anniversary as a police officer. Uh-huh.