Talk:Vic Mackey

Personal Information
Citations needed for this section —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.197.23.206 (talk) 06:39, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Victor?
Where was it confirmed that Victor is Vic's full name? I mean, it makes sense, but we need some kind of citation.

Steven Hildreth, Jr. 13:46, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

In the second to the last episode. When he confesses all of his crimes on tape, he is first asked to state his full name and replies "Victor Samuel Mackey".(Vehement (talk) 11:38, 12 August 2010 (UTC))

Gay?
A citation for the assertion that it's been implied that Mackey is a closet homosexual, or that it's been hinted at by Shawn Ryan in interviews, would be nice. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.3.11.47 (talk) 08:21, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, that looks like the typical "he's gay" wikivandalism added by an anon. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.217.121.57 (talk) 07:46, 17 December 2007 (UTC) Are we sure about that? Ive read that too. The overcompensation, and closet frustration could fit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.148.192 (talk) 23:17, 4 January 2010 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Vicmackey.jpg
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BetacommandBot 05:00, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

This article needs to be cleaned up a bit
This article needs some cleaning up; e.g. the information is unsourced and the article itself contains a lot of intricate details about the television character. I will try to edit in some sources/references and remove unsourced material. Talsurrak (talk) 08:08, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. This article pretty much tells the whole story. At least we could remove the bits of dialogue and Shane's suicide letter. A lot of the information should be moved to articles on the other characters.(Vehement (talk) 11:41, 12 August 2010 (UTC))

Morality section - original research?
I added the template since the section is filled with unsourced speculations and ideas. Unsourced information should be removed; perhaps the entire section should be removed? Talsurrak (talk) 20:53, 5 October 2008 (UTC)

There are sources that reach for conclusions about Mackey's morality and personal drives, e.g., "Training Day and The Shield: Evil Cops and the Taint of Blackness" by Robin R. Means Coleman and Jasmine Nicole Cobb (also posted here: ):

"There are a significant number of moments in Mackey’s life where he is driven more by the need to catch the bad guy at all costs than by selfishness." 115

His selfishness gets eclipsed by the "consequentialism" (ends justify means reasoning) mentioned in this section.

"In another theft scheme, Mackey desperately wants ill-gotten money, but for the purpose of sending his autistic son to a special school and getting him a skilled tutor. It should be recalled that this is a denial of self that Alonzo does not evidence as he portrays evil-for-itself."

The narcissist tag should probably be deleted or recognized more clearly as contested insofar as there are a number of moments where Mackey goes beyond sheer and pathological love for self.

"Mackey’s crimes are never purely self-serving as he eventually expresses some remorse about the manner in which he has to, or is forced to, to conduct law enforcement. Additionally, Mackey is tempered by his fellowship with his strike team, colleagues, and other more forthright detectives. In the end, it is Mackey’s allegiance to others - his sense of fellowship - that requires him to consistently choose what he believes is the good that serves others rather than himself." (116)

Not sure if Mackey hits the heights of "tragic hero," though he is mentioned with that phrase in a number of places. This opinion of his possessing a "tragic flaw" and of his "heroism" is echoed in a course description at NUS Singapore University: : "But the real failed hero may once again (like the many alternative heroes) be a very recent development, and seen in figures like dynamic (if not outrightly heroic) cops like Vic Mackey in The Shield...."

See also the explicitly "heroic" elements identified with Mackey: "Although corrupt, Mackey is portrayed as very effective and audience members identify him as heroic. Many storylines illustrate the paradox between being a 'bad' and 'good' cop." Van Piercy (talk) 20:29, 20 April 2014 (UTC)

Ending similar to Sopranos
the ending of the show left Mackey's fate uncertain, with him walking out with his gun. It was a Sopranos series finale in the sense that we don't know what happens to the main character. In a way, it's annoying because there's no closure with Vic's character as there was no closure with Tony's character. Zarbon (talk) 05:39, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Evil?
Morisato 40, 'evil' is subjective. The point of the show is that viewers can decide for themselves how good/bad a person is. Slow down a little plz, kthx. Jimmycracker 01:12, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

I put evil in the summary? I'm sorry, didn't mean to. I'll try and remain more objective. Thanks for the heads up. Morisato_40 17:07, 07 March 2006 (UTC)


 * so, dude straight stole some drugs from a bust once. almost got caught. can anyone incorporate this aspect of his character into this article. "he's corrupt sometimes", ok. but "he sees it as a means to an end"? not in this case. I dunno. it's a little tricky. good show, as many have said. there are shades of gray. Kzz Rzz  Knocker  06:09, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

How is that "tricky?" He's a thief (In the loosest sense, since what he "stole" is not legally protected) and a drug dealer. Nothing gray about it.24.107.163.121 (talk) 05:17, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Murder #
Vic has definitely "murdered" more than 3 people. vic only personally murdered 3 ppl although he is responsible for many more. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.201.208.114 (talk) 19:56, 17 March 2009 (UTC)
 * The definition of "murder" is doing it yourself.   Ravenswing  06:33, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Absolutely not. People who conspire to commit murder are guilty of murder. So are those who pay to have a murder committed, and even those who help to cover up a murder after the fact are all guilty. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.148.192 (talk) 23:15, 4 January 2010 (UTC)


 * That was a good start, but also people who commit another crime in which someone gets murdered are guilty of murder. People who cover up a murder afterward are accessories after the fact, not guilty of murder.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.171.176.190 (talk) 05:12, 11 July 2010 (UTC)

Trivia Section
After seeing this edit war I have to wonder why is the section gone? Lack of sources? If that is the case most of the sites articles including this one should be removed because there is ALOT of information that isn't sourced. I am debating on restoring the Trivia section. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286486/trivia and http://theshield.wikia.com/wiki/Vic_Mackey and http://www.tv.com/the-shield/show/8261/trivia.html have all the information that was in the original Trivia section before it was deleted. Maybe I am alone on this but shouldn't all fictional characters have Trivia? Xsyner (talk) 04:36, 8 March 2010 (UTC)
 * As per WP:TRIVIA, trivia sections are discouraged. All three references you've provided above are from other wikis and user-generated sources, in other words, there are no reliable sources showing these trivials bits to be true. More importantly, even if there were, there's no reason to include trivia in the article. If it doesn't fit in the article itself, there's no reason to have a separate section on it.


 * Since the consensus (check the edit history) is clearly that this section doesn't belong, I respectfully ask that you revert your edit and continue this discussion on this talk page.


 * I'm trying to assume good faith here, however, it should be noted that is an account that's been dormant for more than a year that only became active again tonight, shortly after an admin was kind enough to semi-protect this page. Dayewalker (talk) 05:53, 8 March 2010 (UTC)


 * The sources are reliable if you took the time to look them over. More so only 1 was a wiki based site and even then it had references. Trivia maybe discouraged but isn't against Wiki's guidelines. Furthermore I think you are incorrect when you say "If it doesn't fit in the article itself, there's no reason to have a separate section on it". When people want information they go to Wikipedia. If I watched an episode of The Shield and I wanted to know what kind of car Vic Mackey was driving I would expect to find it in The Shields/Vic Mackeys Wiki. The information in the Trivia section has to do with what the article is about and that is Vic Mackey. Therefore there is a place for that information. It should also be noted that believes I am somehow responsible for the recent vandalizing that recently took place on this article since he reported me to 2 separate other Wikipedia Admins. Xsyner (talk) 06:11, 8 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Yes, I do. However, I disagree with you on placing trivia sections in wikipedia articles. Dayewalker (talk) 06:14, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

Capitalization errors
Season does not need to be capitalized. I have tried to fix most of the errors, but there may still be some within the page. ContributingCarol (talk) 04:00, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

No relationship with Dutch?
Considering the ongoing tension, the lack of respect Vic shows for Dutch as a man compared with his respect for him as a detective, and also the competition over the same women, Danni and Corinne, I'm surprised there's no section on this. A project for me over the next couple of weeks, maybe. 220.101.168.65 (talk) 05:07, 11 February 2013 (UTC)