The Wire -- How long until I'm hooked?

[squarecut1]

Another thing that is so good about BB is that the writing is so tight and focused, and the dialogues so interesting. None of that filler stuff to pass time and drag the show for commercial reasons. Everything is there in it for a reason.

 

[zinfamous]

Those who can't get into The Wire for whatever reason, are doing yourselves a tremendous disservice by missing out on seasons 3 and 4.

I love BB quite a bit (though I still prefer Deadwood when it comes to writing and characters; what we had of it, anyway), but I don't think there has been a show that, overall, surpasses the content of seasons 3/4 of The Wire.

 

[momeNt]

You have summed it up very nicely. I'd also add the backgroud music and choice of songs.

I know what will happen if I start watching The Wire. Inevitably comparion with BB will be made and most likely it will fall well short.

It doesn't fall short for a lot of people FYI. So you should give it a try.

 

[squarecut1]

Thanks guys. Are season 1 and 2 really dull? 🙂

 

[sze5003]

Season 1 is alright, 2 is kind of dull. When Omar shows up you will like it a lot more. After you are done the show completely look up on YouTube the the wire rpg. I'm currently trying to find time to get back into the shield. I forgot where I left off.

 

[momeNt]

Thanks guys. Are season 1 and 2 really dull? 🙂

I'd say no. Just dive in. If you a real story about crime and justice, you should like it. If you like to watch peoples' stories, you will like it.

 

[It's Not Lupus]

Watch until you see the crime scene investigation in season 1 episode 4.

Season 5 sucks though. It focuses on journalism or whatever.

 

[MongGrel]

I might try it again, for things I re watch Boardwalk Empire, Generation Kill, and Game of Thrones once it goes off again of course.

Still like digging out the old Fireflies too 😛

Looking forward to Empire starting up again soon, the wife still watches True Blood, but gave up on it a couple years ago myself.

 

[TwiceOver]

I never could get into it. I forced myself to watch through the whole thing waiting for this masterpiece show that everyone talks about. It never showed.

But then again, that's because I like The Shield.

 

[Dari]

Also, it is a great series to watch again after a year or so of seeing it the last time. I have seen it all the way through 4 or 5 times and each time I catch new things. A lot of action takes place off camera and is referenced casually in places.

IMHO, the best crime series ever. (currently binge watching breaking bad and that is almost as good as the wire but not quite).

This is very true. They always eventually fill in the holes, but not exactly when you expect it (it could be many seasons later). Therefore, you have to watch the whole thing to really understand what's going on. Also, each episode by itself means little, not unlike a chapter in a book. You have to watch the whole thing to really appreciate this show.

The one thing that I absolutely love about the show is the character development. You really start to like these characters, good or bad.

 

[Dari]

I never could get into it. I forced myself to watch through the whole thing waiting for this masterpiece show that everyone talks about. It never showed.

But then again, that's because I like The Shield.

The Shield was good, not great. Lots of interesting characters but there was very little development of them and they were mainly one dimensional. Also, the camera work bothered me.

EDIT: I stopped watching The Shield after the police chief ( or CO) got raped. I mean, whoever wrote that series (and that very episode) just doesn't like cops. I mean, that's just weird and doesn't happen IRL. Too over-the-top for me.

 

[mrjminer]

Watch until you see the crime scene investigation in season 1 episode 4.

Season 5 sucks though. It focuses on journalism or whatever.

Yea, and Season 4 is largely about the new mayor and an inner city school; it sucks, as well. On S4E12 now, and throughout this season there's been MAYBE 25 minutes of police work in sporadic and meaningless chunks, and 30 minutes of the criminal operations that are spread out over a total of a few minutes per episode and have little to no depth to them, usually involving a few of the kids from the inner city school. They also largely cut out the cast from the first few seasons, replacing them with nothing of interest. Shit, Omar has more screen time than all of the cop cast combined, and most of it is just things he's planning -- his scenes are mostly uneventful.

This series is underwhelming, to say the least. I am going to skip season 5 because I don't see anything even remotely interesting coming up; I was expecting a cop series, but it's pretty obvious they decided to take it into the direction of pushing a social agenda instead of delivering a crime series.

 

[Dari]

Yea, and Season 4 is largely about the new mayor and an inner city school; it sucks, as well. On S4E12 now, and throughout this season there's been MAYBE 25 minutes of police work in sporadic and meaningless chunks, and 30 minutes of the criminal operations that are spread out over a total of a few minutes per episode and have little to no depth to them, usually involving a few of the kids from the inner city school. They also largely cut out the cast from the first few seasons, replacing them with nothing of interest. Shit, Omar has more screen time than all of the cop cast combined, and most of it is just things he's planning -- his scenes are mostly uneventful.

This series is underwhelming, to say the least. I am going to skip season 5 because I don't see anything even remotely interesting coming up; I was expecting a cop series, but it's pretty obvious they decided to take it into the direction of pushing a social agenda instead of delivering a crime series.

If you've ever listened to the creator of the show he will tell you exactly what the show is about, namely the deterioration of society (or something like that). That is why each season focuses on different aspect of the problem.

 

[squarecut1]

I understand George Pelecanos is one of the producers or writers of The Wire. I have read some of his books. They are all about inner city DC. Some are good, some not so much. Still better than most pop fiction out there. Based a lot on characters ...

 

[mrjminer]

If you've ever listened to the creator of the show he will tell you exactly what the show is about, namely the deterioration of society (or something like that). That is why each season focuses on different aspect of the problem.

I don't give a shit what the creator of the show thinks. I care if the show delivers, and all it delivers is constant disappointment, on all fronts.

 

[HendrixFan]

This series is underwhelming, to say the least. I am going to skip season 5 because I don't see anything even remotely interesting coming up; I was expecting a cop series, but it's pretty obvious they decided to take it into the direction of pushing a social agenda instead of delivering a crime series.

The show was social commentary from S1E01 onward. I don't know how you missed that up until season 4.

The Wire is like an onion and each episode peels off layers revealing just a little bit more each time. The series starts with cops at the bottom level. As it progresses you see each level of hierarchy and the corruption that plagues it. The cops versus the streets are just pawns in a bigger game, and all throughout the series lines are blurred between good an bad.

It sounds like you enjoy playing checkers instead of chess.

 

[Dari]

I don't give a shit what the creator of the show thinks. I care if the show delivers, and all it delivers is constant disappointment, on all fronts.

Well, the creator of the show has an agenda and it is plain as day. If you're expecting something else then you have no one to blame but yourself. Talking about how America has forgotten the inner city with its serious drug problems, terrible education, loss of jobs, and politicians who only care about themselves in a manner that's educational and entertaining is an agenda I can get behind. The show is a masterpiece. Maybe you prefer Jerry Springer.

 

[squarecut1]

There is nothing more boring than a pure cop book, show or movie. It has to have a larger meaning behind it

I am liking what I'm hearing about the show. The degradation of the American society, something I feel strongly about. A show with a social agenda and message, apparently

 

[sze5003]

The Shield was good, not great. Lots of interesting characters but there was very little development of them and they were mainly one dimensional. Also, the camera work bothered me.

EDIT: I stopped watching The Shield after the police chief ( or CO) got raped. I mean, whoever wrote that series (and that very episode) just doesn't like cops. I mean, that's just weird and doesn't happen IRL. Too over-the-top for me.

Yea I'm a few episodes past that. At first I didn't like how Mackie is always a tough ass crooked cop but as the show progresses you learn to like the characters. But their unfolding is very predictable. Still pretty good and I needed to watch something after Dexter and finishing the wire.

Oz is another good show if you haven't seen it.

 

[mrjminer]

The show was social commentary from S1E01 onward. I don't know how you missed that up until season 4.

The Wire is like an onion and each episode peels off layers revealing just a little bit more each time. The series starts with cops at the bottom level. As it progresses you see each level of hierarchy and the corruption that plagues it. The cops versus the streets are just pawns in a bigger game, and all throughout the series lines are blurred between good an bad.

It sounds like you enjoy playing checkers instead of chess.

Of course it was obvious social commentary, but they did it primarily through the police work and criminal activity and maintained some sort of continuity that wasn't forced.

The real issue I have is that everything it attempts to do is done universally poorly. I mean, shit, Oz had better insight into society than this show, and did a much better job of covering their social commentary. The lines aren't blurred between good and bad, it's just primarily the same stereotypical shit from every cop show or "social commentary" show, but done worse. Corrupt politicians? Check. Police leaders just worrying about stats? Check. Schools teaching to the test? Check. People in the ghetto deal drugs? Check. Kids deal drugs to support their druggie mom? Check. Politicians play political games? Check.

This show just comes across as not knowing what it's trying to do, and whatever direction it does end up randomly going ends up subpar. It tries to cover way more shit than it possibly can effectively, which is extremely obvious in S4. Now, I'm about to watch the final episode of the season, and by this point they've pretty much just abandoned the focus on all the characters / stories they've been focusing on throughout this season, or they've just been pushed to have meaningless roles while they hastily try to wrap things up. Simply put, they have way too many random plots going on for how much time they dedicate to their social agenda aspects.

Before I start it, my guess is that the Mayor / ADA stories will end up in a sort of "to be continued" format since there's obviously not enough to do anything else with them and they've been filler for this entire season -- while simultaneously being done poorly and accounting for approximately 30% of the season's run time. The inner city school angle is pretty much over, so there goes the other 35% of what they focused on throughout the previous 12 hours of their season.

It's hilarious how they completely abandon pretty much everything in the other 35% of the show constantly by treating it as filler, then just shift back to their poorly-done social commentary. Now, as I near the end of the season, their meaningless social commentary undoubtedly has been mostly wrapped up, so they're going to press on through everything else they've largely ignored as though they were the primary focus of the season. At least the first few seasons continually maintained focus, but I think it's obvious they've abandoned that starting with this season to try to subvert the show to make it a half-assed documentary for their social agenda under the guise of a police / crime drama.

From my near completion of Season 4, it doesn't surprise me that the show only lasted 5 seasons with the direction it has obviously taken.

 

[Dari]

Of course it was obvious social commentary, but they did it primarily through the police work and criminal activity and maintained some sort of continuity that wasn't forced.

The real issue I have is that everything it attempts to do is done universally poorly. I mean, shit, Oz had better insight into society than this show, and did a much better job of covering their social commentary. The lines aren't blurred between good and bad, it's just primarily the same stereotypical shit from every cop show or "social commentary" show, but done worse. Corrupt politicians? Check. Police leaders just worrying about stats? Check. Schools teaching to the test? Check. People in the ghetto deal drugs? Check. Kids deal drugs to support their druggie mom? Check. Politicians play political games? Check.

This show just comes across as not knowing what it's trying to do, and whatever direction it does end up randomly going ends up subpar. It tries to cover way more shit than it possibly can effectively, which is extremely obvious in S4. Now, I'm about to watch the final episode of the season, and by this point they've pretty much just abandoned the focus on all the characters / stories they've been focusing on throughout this season, or they've just been pushed to have meaningless roles while they hastily try to wrap things up. Simply put, they have way too many random plots going on for how much time they dedicate to their social agenda aspects.

Before I start it, my guess is that the Mayor / ADA stories will end up in a sort of "to be continued" format since there's obviously not enough to do anything else with them and they've been filler for this entire season -- while simultaneously being done poorly and accounting for approximately 30% of the season's run time. The inner city school angle is pretty much over, so there goes the other 35% of what they focused on throughout the previous 12 hours of their season.

It's hilarious how they completely abandon pretty much everything in the other 35% of the show constantly by treating it as filler, then just shift back to their poorly-done social commentary. Now, as I near the end of the season, their meaningless social commentary undoubtedly has been mostly wrapped up, so they're going to press on through everything else they've largely ignored as though they were the primary focus of the season. At least the first few seasons continually maintained focus, but I think it's obvious they've abandoned that starting with this season to try to subvert the show to make it a half-assed documentary for their social agenda under the guise of a police / crime drama.

From my near completion of Season 4, it doesn't surprise me that the show only lasted 5 seasons with the direction it has obviously taken.

The show was about the inner city and the cast was dominated by black actors. It never won a single fucking emmy and was shut down after only 5 seasons. Many that watched it loved it. Many did not care for it because they could see what the show was talking about when they walked outside or turned on their television. It was too real, too strong, and too in-your-face for most of America to give a damn about. So, yeah, it didn't last long because it wasn't an escape for many. But it was damn good.

To show you how realistic it was at the end of season 5 a black female character becomes mayor of Baltimore through bartering and her "waiting her turn". In the real Baltimore a couple of months after the show ended the black female mayor was indicted for corruption. Again, too real for most of America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Dixon_trial

 

[mrjminer]

The show was about the inner city and the cast was dominated by black actors. It never won a single fucking emmy and was shut down after only 5 seasons. Many that watched it loved it. Many did not care for it because they could see what the show was talking about when they walked outside or turned on their television. It was too real, too strong, and too in-your-face for most of America to give a damn about. So, yeah, it didn't last long because it wasn't an escape for many. But it was damn good.

To show you how realistic it was at the end of season 5 a black female character becomes mayor of Baltimore through bartering and her "waiting her turn". In the real Baltimore a couple of months after the show ended the black female mayor was indicted for corruption. Again, too real for most of America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Dixon_trial

So, the people that watched it liked it? What a surprise that people watch shows they like. Not winning an Emmy somehow proves the show was so good that it was simply too real for America? Please. That's ridiculous.

The show is obviously not anywhere nearly as good as the praise some people give it. I'm sure Killer Klowns from Outer Space has a cult following, too, but I don't think the reason it didn't win an Oscar was because it was just too damn good for the public at large to appreciate.

 

[sze5003]

I liked it but it took me a while to get in to. The episodes were pretty long too. It was too political for my taste but it all made sense towards the end. Nothing has grabbed and kept my attention as much as breaking bad though. I recently read an article where Cranston may be open to more episodes so we'll see where that goes.

 

[HendrixFan]

The show is obviously not anywhere nearly as good as the praise some people give it. I'm sure Killer Klowns from Outer Space has a cult following, too, but I don't think the reason it didn't win an Oscar was because it was just too damn good for the public at large to appreciate.

Yes, Killer Klowns and The Wire are very similar. You make an excellent point.

 

[Dari]

So, the people that watched it liked it? What a surprise that people watch shows they like. Not winning an Emmy somehow proves the show was so good that it was simply too real for America? Please. That's ridiculous.

The show is obviously not anywhere nearly as good as the praise some people give it. I'm sure Killer Klowns from Outer Space has a cult following, too, but I don't think the reason it didn't win an Oscar was because it was just too damn good for the public at large to appreciate.

You misunderstood me. They didn't win an emmy, imho, because the show had a cult following but not a general one. A good percentage of the cast was black and it was a show about the inner city and about today's problems, a complete non-starter for America. It was not a fantasy and there were no super good guys or underdog or cool bad guys. Just people. Therefore, it stayed niche. But it was great. If you stuck to it it rewarded you. The show had a huge following in the AA community and is regarded as a classic today. Scarface is also regarded as a classic today but it never reached critical acclaim when it originally came out either (for different reasons, obviously).

Also, the drug war is real and so is the insular politics of the inner cities. These topics don't serve as an escape like the typical television show. There is nothing sexy about The Wire.

Look, if you don't like The Wire, that's fine. But don't denigrate it because of some prejudices that you had before watching it.