The Wire

[deepak]

Any of you Wire viewers watch Oz? It's not as good (no where near), but I'd be curious about what people thought of it. I am half way through S3 of Oz and it's not bad; it touches on many of the same issues as The Wire.

[grawk]

I liked what I saw of oz, but it's been a long enough time that I couldn't talk in much detail about it.

[postjack]

I liked what I saw of oz, but it's been a long enough time that I couldn't talk in much detail about it.

 

^^^this. i remember enjoying it when it was on. might have to crack into hbo go and rewatch it.

[blessingx]

I really liked season 2 and think it was excellent.  I take a fair amount of shit for this.

 

You aren't alone (see comments). 

 

http://sabotagetimes.com/reportage/top-four-seasons-of-the-wire/

And... The Wire + Oz = Clusterfuck

[Wmcmanus]

Season Two really breaks the bubble of a lot of potential 'they' thoughts - age, race, class, locale ("the streets", Baltimore, US, etc.). Suppose the entire series is about scope, but I think season two really keeps the conversation from getting too comfortable on these issues. 

 

Haven't seen in a long time and don't want to excuse any pacing problems, but just wanted to state the likely obvious - a pacing change may be appropriate for the "change in scenery."

 

Trying to avoid spoilers, but this post is really directed toward those who have seen the entire series...

 

The pacing problems were part of the oddity of Season 2 relative to the rest of the series, but I sort of gave Season 2 a "passing grade" thinking that it would be better integrated in Seasons 3-5, but then it really wasn't.  

 

I felt that Beadie's character was much too thin and could have been used as a linking pin to better integrate 2 with 3-5; felt that they left a lot on the table in that regard.  It's hard to "discuss" this here, given that many people on this thread have not seen the entire series.  But had she been a more substantial character, she could have been of much use on the po-po side of things, which then could have made certain plot twists more palatable than the route the writers took vis a vis the pursuit of Marlo.  

 

That said, the way they took it allowed the homeless issues to be addressed, which was certainly credible given that's another aspect of the whole equation which had yet to be explored.  Just thought overall that there was a big investment in the dock characters in Season 2 that never came back in a significant way to help move the story along.

Edited July 27, 2013 by Wmcmanus

[shellylh]

Trying not to spoil to much but... not happy about the end of Omar.

[blessingx]

Do not disagree with any of that Wayne.

And Shelly probably the perfect writers unromantic choice for the series main romantic character, no?

[Wmcmanus]

Do not disagree with any of that Wayne.

And Shelly probably the perfect writers unromantic choice for the series main romantic character, no?

 

Exactly.  Brutal reality of the world he lived in.  Nobody is above the game.

[shellylh]

Do not disagree with any of that Wayne. And Shelly probably the perfect writers unromantic choice for the series main romantic character, no?

I suppose you are right. It just seemed very unrealistic at first (that Omar would have his guard down). Going through the events leading up to it, like Kenard seeing Omar as a weak before this, it seems slightly more realistic.

[shellylh]

Finished the Wire.  Couldn't have asked for much more with the ending.  

 

Now, I feel like starting over again with Season 1 - perhaps it's time to buy the box set. 

[blessingx]

So who ended up being your favorite character(s)?

http://blogcritics.org/top-25-characters-from-the-wire/

Considering not a ton of screen time, surprised Snoop has been on my mind as much as she has since seeing. Then again shes been in the news a bunch since the show for arrests. Suppose she's the inverse Omar (including writers going opposite with "How's my hair?").

[postjack]

Top Five Favorite Characters

 

1. Omar

2. Bubs

3. Chris Partlow (& snoop, if I can do a twofer)

4. Cutty

5. Bodie

[deepak]

Steve Earle was one of my stand out favorites

[shellylh]

Omar and Lester are definitely my top two. I would have to think harder about the next three. There are too many good characters.

[postjack]

season 4 spoiler:

 

the scene where Chris beats Michael's dad to death is one of my favorite scenes in the series, and cements Chris as one of my favorite characters.

Edited July 28, 2013 by postjack

[laxx]

1. Bodie

2. Omar

3. Slim Charles

4. Snoop

5. Stringer Bell

[TMoney]

The weather wasn't great this weekend so now I'm through all of season 3.

 

Gotta say, one of my favorite parts of the series so far is when Lt. Daniels lectures McNulty on how closing the case will never "be enough" and the he will never really find satisfaction in doing what he is doing.

 

When you think about it, its not just Daniels talking to McNulty but also the writers of the show making a joke at the expense of the audience. We as viewers will also never quite "have enough" when the case closes. We also also unsatisfied and are going to want another case.

 

Good writing. Good acting. Good show.

 

On another note, I was sad to see Stringer taken out at the end of S3. I really liked that guy too. The guy had real screen presence.

Edited July 29, 2013 by TMoney

[postjack]

The weather wasn't great this weekend so now I'm through all of season 3.

 

Gotta say, one of my favorite parts of the series so far is when Lt. Daniels lectures McNulty on how closing the case will never "be enough" and the he will never really find satisfaction in doing what he is doing.

 

When you think about it, its not just Daniels talking to McNulty but also the writers of the show making a joke at the expense of the audience. We as viewers will also never quite "have enough" when the case closes. We also also unsatisfied and are going to want another case.

 

Good writing. Good acting. Good show.

 

On another note, I was sad to see Stringer taken out at the end of S3. I really liked that guy too. The guy had real screen presence.

 

season 3 spoiler:

 

string is one of the best characters, but how beautiful was that execution? one of the best moments in the series IMO, in a series of hundreds of epic moments.

[shellylh]

I loved Stringer's character (one of my top 5 probably) and I was pretty disappointed and surprised when it happened.  This is what Simon had to say about it:

 

Mr. Simon said the blueprint for Stringer's death was created two years ago. That the drug dealer became a must-watch figure is of little consequence, he said. "Holding on to a character and then twisting the story to serve the character?" he said. "There's no gratification in that for anyone. We're not doing a soap opera here."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/13/arts/television/13wire.html

[The Monkey]

1. Lester

2. Bunk

3. Bunny

4. Stringer

5. Bodie

[The Monkey]

One of my all-time favorite scenes:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lElf7D-An8

[shellylh]

1. Lester

2. Bunk

3. Bunny

4. Stringer

5. Bodie

Great list!

Mine would probably be very similar except Bodie's spitting drove me crazy so he would'nt make my top 10. The other four and Omar might be my top five. I also really liked D'Angelo too though.

Edited July 30, 2013 by shellylh

[The Monkey]

Now we need to cast Head-Casers in The Wire...

[laxx]

The Bunk is my avatar on a bunch of other forums!

[cutestory]

One of my all-time favorite scenes:

 

That was fucking amazing.