The Wire

Go Coogs' · Post by **Go Coogs'** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:01 am

Just started watching this. I ordered Season 1 on Netflix. First two episodes were really fucking good and you have to pay attention 'cus every scene has a purpose. No fillers like you get with most 1 hour shows.

Can't believe it's taken this long to watch this show, but now I'm watching it. Better late than never.

PSUFAN · Post by **PSUFAN** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 1:01 pm

Well, if you're just starting, you have a lot to look forward to.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 1:55 pm

Read Homicide too and then watch the TV series when you're done with the Wire.

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:36 pm

PSUFAN wrote:Well, if you're just starting, you have a lot to look forward to.

yup.

SunCoastSooner · Post by **SunCoastSooner** » Sat Jul 31, 2010 2:53 am

You just discovered The Wire?

Life fail on your part Coogs, Life Fail!

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Sat Jul 31, 2010 2:51 pm

SunCoastSooner wrote:You just discovered The Wire?

Life fail on your part Coogs, Life Fail!

well, he will get to experience for the first time the temptation in one's daily life to end every sentence uttered with "feel me?"....and want to call the guy taking too long at the stoplight a "shitbird". and "sheeeeeeeeeeiit". for that, i'm a bit jealous.

Bizzarofelice · Post by **Bizzarofelice** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 2:51 am

last season is a disappointment. mcnulty's project was stupid. almost as disappointing as Treme. but nothing is as disappointing as Treme.

jiminphilly · Post by **jiminphilly** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:20 pm

Itunes has a deal $13 per SEASON of the Wire.

DVD set is easily over $100 or so per Amazon.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:42 pm

Yeah, just got into this myself. Love Omar.

"Hey yo, Bey. You come at the king, you best not miss."

Go Coogs' · Post by **Go Coogs'** » Tue May 31, 2011 1:30 pm

Just finished this series. Un-fucking-believeable show. Wasn't too thrilled with the McNutty thing in season five, but I understood the angle due to his frustration with the department.

Season three was my favorite.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Tue May 31, 2011 1:45 pm

McNulty. And yes, I agree with you on season 3.

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Tue May 31, 2011 3:24 pm

season 3 is mighty.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Tue May 31, 2011 8:50 pm

Big fan of Season 4. The shit with the school system was amazing and soul crushingly depressing at the same time. 3 was good, the only thing that was a little goofy was Bunny legalizing drugs.

Through 1 disc of Season 5. Season 2 felt like a completely different show. I think they could have found a way to introduce the Greek without taking the side track with the Steveadores.

Only complaint so far is with the Omar storyline. Isn't there any other way to get information on him/call him out then torturing his allies?

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:05 pm

not a lot of sunshine in Season 4. it's pretty dark.

i do agree the union thing in season 2 is a bit odd....but, they seem to be working the failure of the institutions of civil society angle....unions, schools, press/media, etc.

Go Coogs' · Post by **Go Coogs'** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:25 pm

The show is a microcosm of almost every private and public sector institution or system. While individuals are trying to make change for the better, the suits or deciders are thumbing them down because of money or damage control.

It's always a numbers game. The Wire captures this in the schools, the papers, politics, the streets, and the police department. It's always someone from way up above that is pulling the strings.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:57 am

Rumps is right. It's numbers and CYA.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:45 am

Oh for sure. That is the hardest part to watch about this show. Each season, you see [insert group] make a difference by doing something a little different, but they are eventually stopped by higher ups for budgetary reasons, political reasons, or outright lazy attitudes. The Baltimore school system depicted on that show is a great allegory for corporate america. If people stick around long enough, keep moving them up even if they aren't ready.

Even though Season 2 was off the beaten path, it's one of the reasons I like this show so much. They kept it fresh every season by introducing a new sector and focusing on the problems they have in relation to the drug world. It's why this show is so much better than any other show, including The Sopranos.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:15 am

While the Sopranos was groundbreaking television and one of TV's classic shows, the Wire is far and away such a superior, and almost revolutionary, program it's not even funny. When you think about it, the Sopranos was just classic mob movies extended into multiple television seasons. The Wire took aspects of Homicide (superior character development and dialogue between institutions) and amplified the show exponentially. The freedom of HBO obviously helps tremendously.

It is amazing there are so many people who have seen all of the Sopranos seasons but have never seen a minute of the Wire. I chalk this up to the Sopranos having easily accessible storylines white people can relate to: family and work. On the other hand, the Wire has the same storylines, family and work, but since most of the characters are poor balcks, nobody cares.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:45 am

Screw_Michigan wrote:While the Sopranos was groundbreaking television and one of TV's classic shows, the Wire is far and away such a superior, and almost revolutionary, program it's not even funny. When you think about it, the Sopranos was just classic mob movies extended into multiple television seasons. The Wire took aspects of Homicide (superior character development and dialogue between institutions) and amplified the show exponentially. The freedom of HBO obviously helps tremendously.

It is amazing there are so many people who have seen all of the Sopranos seasons but have never seen a minute of the Wire. I chalk this up to the Sopranos having easily accessible storylines white people can relate to: family and work. On the other hand, the Wire has the same storylines, family and work, but since most of the characters are poor balcks, nobody cares.

Looking back on it, the only way that The Sopranos was ground breaking was that it was the first cable TV drama that attracted a wide audience and proved that those stations could compete with network TV. It also forced the other stations to step their game up, and you now have shows like Dexter, Weeds, Californication, Sparticus, etc. The first 2-3 seasons were excellent story telling, but I think David Chase ran out of ideas. You're point about it being one long mob movie is perfect. I think Chase really struggled with the concept of not having a "bad" guy to play opposite Tony's "good" guy. He tried it with Junior, Richie Aprile and a few others, but he seemed to run out of steam and settle into cliched TV when the first two seasons were anything but.

I hate shows that grab a following and then just settle into a rut because it's safe. I'll take it one step further with your point about The Wire and that white people can't relate to it; I think it scared the shit out of people because it was so real. The Sopranos was safe because while we've all heard about the mob, how many people have actually dealt with it? You can't just go out looking and find "the mob." You want to see shit that's shown in The Wire? Take a fucking drive into D.C. or I'll drive 3 miles into Detroit and that shit is as real as it gets. Turn down the wrong street and you'll see a Wee-bay, Marlo, Poot, etc. But I bet you won't find Paulie fucking Walnuts anywhere.

mvscal · Post by **mvscal** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:19 am

Screw_Michigan wrote:but since most of the characters are poor balcks, nobody cares.

Exactly. Why waste time on a show about people you wouldn't cross the street to piss on if they were on fire?

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 5:01 pm

Just finished Season 5. What a fucking show. Loved that the "good guys" didn't win in the end. The cycle continues, and will continue until the end.

Did like Michael taking over Omar's role.

T1B

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