I can’t stop thinking about Tuesday night’s episode of The Shield, the series finale. It was a perfect and nervewracking conclusion to a gripping season, which was itself the culmination of an amazingly consistent series. I still think the season with Forest Whitaker was the best, and among the best seasons of television I’ve ever seen, but this final season came close. There was a scene in the penultimate episode that was so perfect it almost hurt.

I’ve said many times before that it was one of the best shows on TV, and Salon recently named it the most underappreciated show on TV (alongside past winners like Battlestar Galactica and The Wire). If you’re looking for a good series to watch, or if you think you’ll have some free time over the holidays, or if you’re just annoyed at having missed out on one of the best shows on TV, go rent the first season and dig in to the twisted world of Vic Mackey.