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The Wire
http://forum.theobelisk.net/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4081
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Author:  h.p. taskmaster [ Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Just finished watching the last episode of The Corner. It was pretty good as a precursor to The Wire, and kind of showed how good David Simon is at making you root for a character and then completely tossing that character into the gutter, which of course is kind of a regular move on The Wire. Good story, either way.

And that line McNulty has about Dead Meadow was pretty good. "What's wrong with the Ramones?" or something like that.

Author:  Bullio [ Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

"There are two types of people in this world. Those who love The Wire, and those who haven't seen it yet."

Finished.

I am sad that, aside from these prequels, I have nothing else to look forward to in this show. But I'm also very satisfied with the finale, and given the quality of the previous seasons I wasn't sure I would be. I'm also sure I don't want the show to be resurrected, should that ever happen. I think that's a pretty high compliment considering I was rabid for more after each episode during the first 3 seasons and to a very slightly lesser extent with the last two.

I can see how people might have a problem with the final season, and I would rank it just ever so slightly below the other four just because of the suspension of disbelief required for the main plotline. It felt like the writers strayed from the "realism" to tell their fantasy of the way things ought to be. But in doing so showed that even if things go that way, nothing ever changes and it all turns to shit anyway.

This is the best TV show I have ever seen. It most likely will remain the best TV show I have ever seen.

You need to watch The Wire.

Author:  Crutch [ Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Bullio wrote:
"There are two types of people in this world. Those who love The Wire, and those who haven't seen it yet."


This.

Quote:
...in doing so showed that even if things go that way, nothing ever changes and it all turns to shit anyway.



...and this. But I will add that I think, all things considered, the hypotheticals are presented as realistically as they could.

Author:  dutch gus [ Thu Mar 22, 2012 3:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Deep in S3 on my first re-watch.
Took longer to find its feet in S1 than I remember, and had much love for the dock boys whereas first run I thought S2 was a bit of a dip. I love tired old Freamon in S3, no longer raging to get out from under pawn shop, stuck doing the same old DNRs when the crews have all changed their practices and struggling to find an edge. Starts becoming a bit of a company man now he's got his feet settled under the table too - chain of command! Tension between Avon (who's just got out) and Stringer is good, that and Stringer starting to get fucked over by the suits in his expansion into development. He's never dealt with crooks like that before!

As Lovely Mrs H pointed out last night, I really can't remember what becomes of Bubbles, but I fear it's nothing good, his lifestyle doesn't exactly give him a good life expectancy. No spoilers please!

Author:  Bullio [ Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Finished rewatching this tonight. I obviously adored it my first time through, but I found the second time through much more rewarding. Already knowing the basic plot points and all that shit, it was easy to get sucked into the finer details. As is the case with any good story that you're re-experiencing, I suppose, which follows the whole "visual novel" description the show gets tagged with.

Season 4 established itself as my favorite season this time around. Enthralling, absolutely heartbreaking television. Season 5 was a completely different experience. I was able to sit back and enjoy the abundance of absurdist comedy that played out on my TV. By far the funniest season. Season 3 felt like it dragged, 2 was much stronger and more enjoyable, and 1 was about the same as the first time through (though a little easier to follow and more rewarding overall). I blew through the whole thing much more quickly this time around. Took me about 2.5 weeks to get through it whereas it took me about 2 months the first time.

Curious to see how my third viewing goes. Since I only made it roughly a year between viewings, I think I'm going to make this my new yearly thing to do after midseason TV ends and I wait for shit to start back up again in the fall.

Author:  Crutch [ Wed Jun 26, 2013 8:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

^^ I could not possibly agree with this more regarding season 2. There's a lot of nuance and brilliant in there that I missed on my first viewing. I liked it, but not as much as I like it now. To the point where it is truly one of the stronger seasons of the show.

But in truth, I think the show is the closest thing to perfect. I might have to partake with another go into the show. But probably after I finish watching the Sopranos.

Author:  Adam [ Fri Sep 06, 2013 3:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

I think its about time I give this show another round. Greatest series ever, IMO.

Author:  Bullio [ Sun Sep 08, 2013 7:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Agreed. Every time I hear someone refer to something like The Sopranos or Breaking Bad as the best TV drama of all time, all I can think is "someone hasn't seen The Wire yet." And there's no such thing as a bad time to rewatch it.

Author:  Arzgarth [ Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

We wrapped up our first watching of The Wire a couple of weeks ago. No doubt one of the finest examples of how writing, acting, and direction can and should work together.

Author:  Bullio [ Sat Sep 06, 2014 9:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

In case you haven't heard, HBO is planning to run The Wire in widescreen HD on HBO Showcase. It was supposedly going to start this past week, but there was some technical issue or something that had to be worked out. Not that anyone needs an excuse to rewatch this, but this is as good of a reason as any to do so.

Author:  Arzgarth [ Sun Sep 07, 2014 7:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

It's also available on Amazon Prime

Author:  Adam [ Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Arzgarth wrote:
It's also available on Amazon Prime


It's why I jumped at Amazon Prime when deciding for a streaming service...but i have yet to actually get to it. Only the final season of The Shield right now, maybe once I get through that I will finally get around to re-watching The Wire.

Author:  Bullio [ Fri Sep 12, 2014 12:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Adam wrote:
Arzgarth wrote:
It's also available on Amazon Prime


It's why I jumped at Amazon Prime when deciding for a streaming service...but i have yet to actually get to it. Only the final season of The Shield right now, maybe once I get through that I will finally get around to re-watching The Wire.


Curious to hear what you thought of The Shield's finale after you finish it.

Author:  Adam [ Fri Sep 12, 2014 12:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Bullio wrote:
Adam wrote:
Arzgarth wrote:
It's also available on Amazon Prime


It's why I jumped at Amazon Prime when deciding for a streaming service...but i have yet to actually get to it. Only the final season of The Shield right now, maybe once I get through that I will finally get around to re-watching The Wire.


Curious to hear what you thought of The Shield's finale after you finish it.


Oh boy...now you got me worried that I am in for a letdown. Don't want to know so I won't bother checking this thread again until I see it (in case someone starts discussing it) but I got my fingers crossed that it won't be one that leaves me too frustrated.

Author:  Adam [ Sun Sep 14, 2014 9:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Just finished The Shield....

First off, wow. That was some heavy shit with how they closed out Shane and his family's storyline. All in all, I actually thought they did a really good job closing the show out. I was rooting for Ronnie to be able to come through it in one piece but knew that wasn't happening. I figure they had him kill that goon at the motel this last season to set his fall up some, so the viewer couldn't feel he that he was innocent (relatively) in the whole mess and feel too bad for him getting busted. As for Vic, I expected his finale to be full of fireworks, whether good or bad, but think they had a great ending for him....as he really looked to be in his own personal hell landing where he did and being the one responsible for bringing down Ronnie.

I kinda wanted to see how Hutch's case with that teenage killer played out but leaving it open ended isn't eating at me like I would think it would.

Author:  Bullio [ Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

"Family Meeting" is without a doubt my favorite series finale, and it's one of the absolute finest hours of TV one could ever see. It's so good that it retroactively makes the entire series better (not that it was bad to begin with, because it wasn't). The stuff with Shane...anytime someone mentions that phrase I feel sick. I don't know how, or even if, anyone in the audience still rooted for Vic up to that episode, but I really hope no one was afterwards.

Chiklis was incredible during the closing scene, especially that moment where everything that's happened in the last few years is finally catching up to him. And then he's like "fuck this, I'm Vic fucking Mackey". I'm happy with how the series closed, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at all curious to see just what exactly Vic did that night after leaving the office. Also have to give mention to Chiklis's acting in the confession scene in the previous episode. The way he just let the tension build with that long silence, and how he laid everything out, and Murray's reaction throughout the whole thing...

Ronnie surprised me the most. He always seemed to just kind of be there, but when he was taken care of in the Barn I couldn't help but feel for him. That actor played that entire scene perfectly.

I don't recall Hutch's plot being that open ended? It was ambiguous for most of the season, but I recall the finale being pretty straightforward with its resolution. On top of everything else that happened in that episode, I don't know if I could have handled Dutch setting the kid up.

I watched the show for the first time last year, so I obviously didn't watch it in the context of the times it originally aired. I liked the first four seasons enough, but it always felt like it was trying a little too hard to be edgy (Rape! Rape for everyone!). Something about season 5 immediately felt very, very different though. The first episode of that season hooked me hard, and it never let up until the finale.

Author:  Adam [ Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Wire

Whoever the costume person was responsible for Vic's outfit in that closing scene did an amazing job. He looked so awkward, stiff and uncomfortable in that suit and I think that had a huge affect on the intensity of that final scene. I mean the idea of a costume/outfit being able to affect a scene would have seemed ridiculous to me prior to watching that scene, but it made an impression with me for some weird reason.

And totally agree, they absolutely nailed scene where Vic confessed all his past crimes to the FBI.

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