Author Topic: The Wire (Read 1429 times)

dobler · « **on:** May 21, 2009 at 05:04 PM »

This thread is dedicated to the universally acclaimed television drama, The Wire

Five seasons' worth of dense, novelistic storytelling about Baltimore, the war on drugs and institutional failure - from government to family. -- Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle

To start things off, here's an April 2009 inteview by Bill Moyers of series creator, David Simon

watch here

Pareng X44, better late than never. Enjoy!

X44 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 22, 2009 at 06:36 PM »

Ah my life just found new purpose.

I will keep this thread alive until I convert everybody to this magnificent show.

Specially Chuck fans.

dobler · « **Reply #2 on:** May 22, 2009 at 07:05 PM »

Quote from: X44 on May 22, 2009 at 06:36 PM

Ah my life just found new purpose.

I will keep this thread alive until I convert everybody to this magnificent show.

Specially Chuck fans.

Dude, no need to mention Chuck. I enjoy that show too. Hehe...
Anyway back to Baltimore, where to begin? Favorite characters? Storyline? Symbolism?

To quote McNulty: What the crap did I do?

X44 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 22, 2009 at 08:34 PM »

Haha. Sorry dude. Don't get that show much.

OK. Desperate Housewives fans,then.

Favorite characters is tricky . . .

. . the show is so densely populated and so well-written that I actually end up liking all of them at some point . . .

McNulty is of course everybody's default favorite. At syempre si Omar, whom I probably like a little more than McNulty. But really, I like all of them for different reasons.

Bunk. Stringer Bell. Bodie. Bubba. Marlo (of couse). Avon Barksdale.Bunny. The Greeks. Valchek. Prez. Lt.Daniels, of course. The Sobotkas. Even Rawls, specially in that scene from Season 1 where he "comforts" McNulty over the f**ked up sting. One of my favorite scenes from the entire five season run, that.

But if I had to pick one , it'll be . . . Clay Davis if only for the way he says "Shiiiiiiiiiiyyeeeeeeettttttt."

d**n, now I want to lock myself in my room and watch all five seasons again. Hehe.

dobler · « **Reply #4 on:** May 22, 2009 at 08:54 PM »

Oo nga eh. In terms of the characters across five seasons, walang patapon. But gun to my head though,

OMAR! Indeeed!

Pinaka kawawa naman pre? Lahat din? Hehe... but the kids from season 4, especially Randy and Dookie...

X44 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 22, 2009 at 09:45 PM »

Dookie actually.

I thought the deeper melancholy of its series finale was haunting, it stayed with me for days- - - no oohs and aahs and twists and bells and whistles. Life just goes on. But even as one character shuffles off to a new plane, another takes his place. A new McNulty, a new Omar, a new Bubba, a new Daniels.

And you have to salute a show that packs so much emotion and heartbreak and catharsis in a scene of a guy walking up a flight of stairs to have dinner with his sister. May nakalusot na ilang hikbi sa akin sa eksenang yun.

dobler · « **Reply #6 on:** May 22, 2009 at 10:30 PM »

Mismo pre, the cyclical nature of things. One of the many aspects I appreciated about the finale was that every character's eventual redemption was earned.

Except for Omar at first but after reading interviews of David Simon and Michael K. Williams, it was clear that what happened to Omar was preordained. It was forshawdowed with a younger Kenard wanting to be Omar playing with the other kids after the stash house shoot out. But still, Kenard! craping Kenard! Hehe...

Next naman, Marlo... a pathetic sociopath standing there at the corner.

wedge · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2009 at 02:33 PM »

Of the characters, McNulty's the "superhero" cop with obvious faults and baggage. And yeah, he's the model of the show's protagonist, though I wouldn't say that he's the good guy. After all, even on the other side of the street you can see another mix of "good guys" in D'Angelo, Omar....and maybe Brodie. The only bad guy I can see that is consistent is Stringer Bell and probably most of his lieutenants (Wee-Bey).

What about Freamon? I guess he's just the methodical cop. But there is something interesting in his character.

X44 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 23, 2009 at 03:25 PM »

Avon Barksdale is more of a straight-up "bad guy" than Stringer Bell actually. Or maybe Marlo. Or even the Greeks. Stringer's a businessman mostly. Ahh, but yes, that thing he did to Dee . . . him and Avon squaring off, that was Shakespearean almost.

Freemon's the detective. And he is very very interesting because of it. (And not quite as "methodical" in Season 5, if you remember)

"Real poh-lice" as Bunk would say.

X44 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 23, 2009 at 03:27 PM »

And I take back that Desperate Housewives quip.

I will keep this thread alive until I convert - - -

. . .so-called TV fans.

What'll it take, people?

5 seasons of exquisite TV at a steal - -you know where you can get it. This is the bomb - - - and the entire world has said so. Still no takers? Can't pull you out of Apprentice reruns just for a bit?

dobler · « **Reply #10 on:** May 23, 2009 at 10:52 PM »

Quote from: X44 on May 23, 2009 at 03:25 PM

Avon Barksdale is more of a straight-up "bad guy" than Stringer Bell actually. Or maybe Marlo. Or even the Greeks. Stringer's a businessman mostly. Ahh, but yes, that thing he did to Dee . . . him and Avon squaring off, that was Shakespearean almost.

Freemon's the detective. And he is very very interesting because of it. (And not quite as "methodical" in Season 5, if you remember)

"Real poh-lice" as Bunk would say.

Yeah, Stringer Bell was trying so hard to be the businessman. One of the many ironic outcomes of the final season was Marlo ended up with what Stringer wanted the most. And Marlo was totally a fish out of water...

X, si Brother Muzone? A total force of nature! That showdown with Omar and what they did to Stringer! Man, if I could sell what it felt like to watch that the first time, the world would be a better place. Hehe!

BTW, were you bothered by what McNutly did in Season 5 to get attention? Some critics complained how far fetched it was. For me though, it was the funniest subplot of the whole series.

X44 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 25, 2009 at 05:59 PM »

Brother Muzone Vs. Omar is one of the finest pieces of television EVER. And I mean EVER.

dobler · « **Reply #12 on:** May 25, 2009 at 07:28 PM »

Have you read this interview: Nick Horby and David Simon

http://www.believermag.com/issues/200708/?read=interview_simon

sardaukar · « **Reply #13 on:** Jun 14, 2009 at 03:10 PM »

What's the best episode for me to check out to know if this series is for me or not?

Reuven Malter · « **Reply #14 on:** Jun 14, 2009 at 10:22 PM »

Season 4 got me hooked. Perhaps because it highlighted the public educational system.

dobler · « **Reply #15 on:** Jun 15, 2009 at 03:58 PM »

Quote from: sardaukar on Jun 14, 2009 at 03:10 PM

What's the best episode for me to check out to know if this series is for me or not?

It would be difficult to choose a single episode. The Wire is unlike anything on TV. It doesn't wrap things up at the end of the hour. Think of it as a really good novel about Baltimore, each chapter/season devoted to an aspect of the city.

Season 1 - the illegal drug trade
Season 2 - the city's ports and longshoremen
Season 3 - city hall and politics
Season 4 - the educational system
Season 5 - the media

sardaukar · « **Reply #16 on:** Jun 16, 2009 at 04:33 PM »

Thanks Reuven! Any particular episode that stood out?

Thanks dobler. To be honest, I tried the first episode of season 1 and decided not to continue with it. I wanted to give it another chance so I'm looking for an episode that will hook me in so to speak.

Reuven Malter · « **Reply #17 on:** Jun 16, 2009 at 05:58 PM »

This might help Best Moments from The Wire. Plenty of spoilers 'though. The season 4 pilot got me hooked because of the kids and the sad fate that awaited them.

dobler · « **Reply #18 on:** Jun 16, 2009 at 08:00 PM »

Quote from: sardaukar on Jun 16, 2009 at 04:33 PM

Thanks Reuven! Any particular episode that stood out?

Thanks dobler. To be honest, I tried the first episode of season 1 and decided not to continue with it. I wanted to give it another chance so I'm looking for an episode that will hook me in so to speak.

This blog might help. It has one of the most in depth reviews of the whole series:

http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Wire%20season%201%20(Newbies)

The writer's the same TV critic mentioned by Reuven Malter

sardaukar · « **Reply #19 on:** Jun 17, 2009 at 03:04 PM »

Thanks guys. Will check them out.

X44 · « **Reply #20 on:** Jun 17, 2009 at 03:40 PM »

Quote from: sardaukar on Jun 16, 2009 at 04:33 PM

Thanks Reuven! Any particular episode that stood out?

Thanks dobler. To be honest, I tried the first episode of season 1 and decided not to continue with it. I wanted to give it another chance so I'm looking for an episode that will hook me in so to speak.

Like dobler said, every season is laid out as a novel. And each season feeds into the next.

So picking one episode is sort of like reading a random chapter. Tricky asnd bound to be even more confusing.

For example, one of my favorite episodes is somewhere in Season 3 , but the reason it was so powerful has to do with context and knowing the characters and events that led up to it from Seasons 1 up until that point. And to divulge why would be spoilerish.

I mentioned Brother Muzone Vs. Omar a few posts back. If you just see it without watching any other episode, it's bound to leave you cold - - nothing much happens,at least for the casual viewer, and on paper as well - - -"Brother Muzone and Omar meet in alley and talk a little." sort of sums it up - - - but if you knew who Omar was ,who Muzone was, what their seprate histories are, what their history together was ,what their bearing in the universe of the series was and all the events that led up to this point,then this thing just comes thrillingly alive over its few short seemingly inconsequential minutes onscreen.

I did watch Season 2 first before I watched Season 1 and had very little problems adjusting but ideally one should start chronologically as the whole thing pans out as one massive piece.

It usually takes about three episodes of the first season before you get hooked.

My theory is that if nothing happens by Episode 3 of Season 1 (or Season 2,as the case may be, I don't think it's advisable to start with any season later than the second), then I'm afraid the series isn't for you as the rest of the seasons is more of the same, except better - - - that last bit, of course, is the opinion of an overzealous fan who thinks the world of the show but I think my theory is sound, though I know one or two friends who took until halfway through the first season before they got hooked but by then they were crack addict-hooked.