The Wire

General Mannerheim · Post by **General Mannerheim** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 9:37 am

I know there a lot of fans on here so I thought it should warrant its own thread?

I am about 6 or 7 episodes into the fifth and final season – & im thinking, while Im mega excited as to what becomes of Omar, Prop Joe and Marlo, im also thinking this is the weakest of the 5 seasons? Mainly because of all the journalistic content this time, im just not adhering to the new characters or their plights!? Their sections in the episodes a just too long and boring for me. Not just because they are new, i liked the Sabotka’s when they turned up, I was well tuned in to what they were up to!

So anyway it got me thinking, what has been the best season of what is without doubt the 2nd best TV show ever, (im still Sopranos)

For me it was the 4th – The one with the school! Some of them child actors were immense, especially young Randy, who was let down massively by the cops, and dukie the scrubber! It was also one of the most violent seasons with Marlo’s soldiers slaughtering folk for fun!

I also like 3, and the whole hamsterdam business.

So, I reckon to put them in order, id go; 4,3,1,2,5.

Lord Kangana · Post by **Lord Kangana** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 9:48 am

I s'pose I might aswell get this off my chest, then I can ignore the thread and leave you guys to it.

But...

What do you see in this? I've tried watching it a couple of times, and it strikes me as the usual formulaic, clicheed modern American cop bullsh*t.

General Mannerheim · Post by **General Mannerheim** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:24 am

Lord Kangana wrote:I s'pose I might aswell get this off my chest, then I can ignore the thread and leave you guys to it.

But...

What do you see in this? I've tried watching it a couple of times, and it strikes me as the usual formulaic, clicheed modern American cop bullsh*t.

Thats exactly what its not, which is what makes its so good!

Where's william?

William the White · Post by **William the White** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 1:47 pm

Lord Kangana wrote:I s'pose I might aswell get this off my chest, then I can ignore the thread and leave you guys to it.

But...

What do you see in this? I've tried watching it a couple of times, and it strikes me as the usual formulaic, clicheed modern American cop bullsh*t.

It simply isn't. The quality of the writing, its brilliant depiction of deeply-flawed characters, its moral ambivalence, the intelligence and boldness of its dissection of post-industrial american society makes it almost unique. It is breathtakingly good.

so which formulaic cop show deals with great thoroughness with the decline of the working class (series two and the dockers), the chaos in schools (series four), political corruption on a grand and petty scale (throughout), alternatives to cop 'crackdown' (hamsterdam etc) and honesty and dishonesty in the press. Each episode poses pressing moral issues, dramatically powerful because they are usualy ambiguous, never easy to answer.

Add to this the sheer quality and originality of the story telling - of which Omar's journey is the most striking. We are used to the good cop ploughing his lonely furrow in a corrupt world, bending and breaking the rules as he goes - here we have the vicious killer holding fast to a version of morality that is fundamentally positive, a kind of mean streets, but the 'honest man' walking them is a murderer and drug dealer.

Nothing is easy here - which side are you on is never easy to answer. The boundaries between good and evil are constantly blurred.

Formulaic? Bullshit, LK.

Hard one to call, General, between Sopranos and The Wire. Up until series 4 of the Wire I thought the Sopranos had it. But after four I'm really conflicted.

General Mannerheim · Post by **General Mannerheim** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 1:49 pm

William the White wrote:
Lord Kangana wrote:I s'pose I might aswell get this off my chest, then I can ignore the thread and leave you guys to it.

But...

What do you see in this? I've tried watching it a couple of times, and it strikes me as the usual formulaic, clicheed modern American cop bullsh*t.
It simply isn't. The quality of the writing, its brilliant depiction of deeply-flawed characters, its moral ambivalence, the intelligence and boldness of its dissection of post-industrial american society makes it almost unique. It is breathtakingly good.

so which formulaic cop show deals with great thoroughness with the decline of the working class (series two and the dockers), the chaos in schools (series four), political corruption on a grand and petty scale (throughout), alternatives to cop 'crackdown' (hamsterdam etc) and honesty and dishonesty in the press. Each episode poses pressing moral issues, dramatically powerful because they are usualy ambiguous, never easy to answer.

Add to this the sheer quality and originality of the story telling - of which Omar's journey is the most striking. We are used to the good cop ploughing his lonely furrow in a corrupt world, bending and breaking the rules as he goes - here we have the vicious killer holding fast to a version of morality that is fundamentally positive, a kind of mean streets, but the 'honest man' walking them is a murderer and drug dealer.

Nothing is easy here - which side are you on is never easy to answer. The boundaries between good and evil are constantly blurred.

Formulaic? Bullshit, LK.

Hard one to call, General, between Sopranos and The Wire. Up until series 4 of the Wire I thought the Sopranos had it. But after four I'm really conflicted.

Aha, there you go - what he said!

Lord Kangana · Post by **Lord Kangana** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 1:51 pm

One man's meat. Looks the same as alll the other cop crap that comes over the pond to me. There you go.

General Mannerheim · Post by **General Mannerheim** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 1:59 pm

yeah season 4 swung it for me too. I mean i really love the Sopranos, but the wire is just that much deeper - The Sopranos is just them, all the way through every episode give or take, the feds only have a very small part. But the wire gives them both equal story telling, plus another faction like the education dept or the docks - you dont just get a glimpse, you get the full invovlement in everyone!

Tombwfc · Post by **Tombwfc** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:29 pm

I started watching it a few months ago, watched the first season and two thirds of the second season, and then kinda stopped. I will go back and finish it, but I'm in no rush. I kinda see where LK is coming from, it's not bad by any stretch, but I'm not sure it justifies the hype.

Don't get me wrong, it has it's moments (any time Omar is on screen for example, is TV gold), but there are whole episodes which you could take out and lose nothing.

This might all change as it goes along, apparently season four is incredible like the general says. At the minute though, it doesn't hold a candle to the Forest Whitaker season's of The Shield. Perhaps the shows are that similar, whichever one you watch first you prefer.

as · Post by as » Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:32 pm

Forest Whitaker in the Shield acted everyone else off the screen, it was borderline embarrassing!

The Wire series 2 was the best for me, closely follwed by series 4, sadly number 5 and the McNlty storyline did get a bit silly.

William the White · Post by **William the White** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:45 pm

as wrote:Forest Whitaker in the Shield acted everyone else off the screen, it was borderline embarrassing!

The Wire series 2 was the best for me, closely follwed by series 4, sadly number 5 and the McNlty storyline did get a bit silly.

No spoilers, since the General has not yet finished the series, but i agree with this. liked the stuff about journalistic integrity a lot, but thought McNulty's trajectory here took us into different (and dramatically more insecure) territory. For the first time, I didn't really believe it, and, to give an undeserved nod in the direction of LK, there is a hint of the formulaic here. Although there are some outstanding set pieces at the very end, I felt it was a rush to get there. You could sense the ends being tied. The Sopranos did better with the last episodes, I feel. Enough! The General is probably catching mere glimpses as he fights against the perma-tiredness of new parenthood...

To which, to give a hint to the General, when my youngest - now 18 - was tiny and i was on middle of the night duty, there was a piece of music that would utterly transfix her, after her feed. It's about 4 minutes long. She was hardly ever awake after halfway through a second playing. This was the overture to Verdi's 'La Traviata' - she got so she would just hear the opening bars and immediately stop wriggling, and would relax in my arms, listening intently, and dropping off to sleep.

It was magic...

She holds classical music in high contempt now, of course, and is often up in the middle of the night being a teenager...

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:47 pm

TANGENT ALERT

Did your daughter go to Bath in the end WtW or is that next year? If so, is she enjoying it?

William the White · Post by **William the White** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:50 pm

Verbal wrote:TANGENT ALERT

Did your daughter go to Bath in the end WtW or is that next year? If so, is she enjoying it?

She goes next September. She's doing a foundation diploma in art, as a preparation. At Blackburn. Have to say her mum and I are glad she's at home for another year. But I'm confident she'll love bath.

ratbert · Post by **ratbert** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 9:42 am

I tend not to find it cop show formulaic, far from it; I want to like The Wire but with far too many storylines and mumbling characters... it's all a bit too much hard work. The hype doesn't help, something I tend to react against.

Prufrock · Post by **Prufrock** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 9:48 am

ratbert wrote:I tend not to find it cop show formulaic, far from it; I want to like The Wire but with far too many storylines and mumbling characters... it's all a bit too much hard work. The hype doesn't help, something I tend to react against.

Hmmm I sor tof agree. I'm probably one of the b*stards who do it, but it does tend to take over a conversation in a way no other TV programme does, and when you haven't seen all of it, never mind none of it, it can be very off putting; it has an almost cult-like following. Though...that is because it IS that good.

Agreed with what WtW said word for word regarding season 5. McNulty stroyline is weak, but it is tied together very well, and...

[spoiler]the whole ring composition ending, nothing has changed, insignificant pawns etc etc I thought was excellent[/spoiler]

3,4,1,2,5 for me.

seanworth · Post by **seanworth** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:29 pm

Haven't seen the series but it is the next one up, so haven't read this thread. I have heard almost nothing but raves regarding the series though. Have been warned that I need to watch a few episodes before I will get into it. I find that is the case with most good TV series.

Athers · Post by **Athers** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 1:11 pm

Five is easily easily the worst series of the lot as it doesn't live up to the standards previously set.

General Mannerheim · Post by **General Mannerheim** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 10:47 pm

well i was about to watch the very final episode the other day when i dropped & broke my portable hard drive!!! the last frickin episode!!! i was so gutted i panicked & immediately ordered the dvd box set off play.com - 60 notes!

really picked up over the last few episodes of the 5th season tho i thought, young Marlo is one ruthless dawg!

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 10:52 pm

Got series 5 at Christmas meaning I now have 1, 2, 3 and....................................5

d'oh

Lord Kangana · Post by **Lord Kangana** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 10:53 pm

Buy 4.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 10:58 pm

Lord Kangana wrote:Buy 4.

£8 online

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