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-   -   Movies and TV "The Wire" fans (https://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=206100)

Brock 04-18-2009 11:53 AM
"The Wire" fans
 
Download the "The Wire" bible. Early conceptual drafts of what, who, where, and when. Fun reading by David Simon.

http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/The_Wi...re_-_Bible.pdf

Baby Lee 04-18-2009 12:21 PM
fapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfap guh!!!

Buzzsaw 04-18-2009 12:27 PM
Incredible find. Thanks!

Reaper16 04-18-2009 12:43 PM
Sweet as.
Thanks.

keg in kc 04-18-2009 12:45 PM
That's really cool. Never had a chance to look through a show bible before.

Buck 04-18-2009 12:57 PM
LOL

MCARDLE

Buck 04-18-2009 12:59 PM
And Herc isn't a steroid addict.

Buck 04-18-2009 01:03 PM
Aaron Barksdale...

This stuff is great.

Brock 04-18-2009 01:03 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaCenterJunkie (Post 5681855)
And Herc isn't a steroid addict.
David Simon says he is. So he is.

Buck 04-18-2009 01:10 PM
Stringy Bell

That was great, thanks.

Rep

Reaper16 04-18-2009 01:21 PM
"Stringy" Bell = a legit laugh-out-loud.

Buck 04-18-2009 01:23 PM
Could you imagine???

Aaron Barksdale: "Stringy, I need you to take care of Omar."
Stringy Bell: "You got it Aaron."
Aaron Barksdale: "Thats why you my man Stringy."

Reaper16 04-18-2009 01:26 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaCenterJunkie (Post 5681912)
Could you imagine???

Aaron Barksdale: "Stringy, I need you to take care of Omar."
Stringy Bell: "You got it Aaron."
Aaron Barksdale: "Thats why you my man Stringy."
D'Angelo: "Where's Wallace, Stringy? Where the **** is Wallace?"

Buck 04-18-2009 01:28 PM
I wonder why they changed all those names?

I bet they started shooting and it just sounded weird.

McArdle, Stringy, Aaron.

Mcnaulty, Stringer, and Avon all sound more badass.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 01:30 PM
I thought it was really interesting that the city initially wasn't going to be named. The show Bible is all like "This city has such and such architecture" that totally describes Baltimore, but not once in the show Bible did it say that Baltimore was the setting.

Buck 04-18-2009 01:31 PM
I agree, but they had to name it somewhere, and I bet a fake city name would have lessened the show.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 01:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaCenterJunkie (Post 5681938)
I agree, but they had to name it somewhere, and I bet a fake city name would have lessened the show.
It definitely would have weakened it.

Buck 04-18-2009 01:36 PM
Did I mention I love this ****ing show?

I bought the Complete Series some time in Dec/Jan and I just finished it earlier this month.

I bought it sight unseen, and it is my 2nd or 3rd favorite TV Show of all time.

I told my friend he had to watch it and he was so skeptical.

Hes now watched the first 5 episodes and is hooked. I'm making him watch every episode with me so I can watch it again. Its crazy how awesome the first season is especially after watching all the other seasons.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 01:56 PM
I watched the series for the first time last December in only six days. I was literally doing nothing but watching The Wire for 12 hours a day or so.

Brock 04-18-2009 02:03 PM
The first 3 seasons were epic. The 4th season is just too depressing to revisit for me, and the 5th didn't really grab my attention all that much.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 02:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brock (Post 5682003)
The first 3 seasons were epic. The 4th season is just too depressing to revisit for me, and the 5th didn't really grab my attention all that much.
You fail at TV watching.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 02:05 PM
I seriously have never heard a single cogent argument against The Wire being the best television show ever.

KcMizzou 04-18-2009 02:14 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaCenterJunkie (Post 5681957)
Did I mention I love this ****ing show?

I bought the Complete Series some time in Dec/Jan and I just finished it earlier this month.

I bought it sight unseen, and it is my 2nd or 3rd favorite TV Show of all time.

I told my friend he had to watch it and he was so skeptical.

Hes now watched the first 5 episodes and is hooked. I'm making him watch every episode with me so I can watch it again. Its crazy how awesome the first season is especially after watching all the other seasons.
I've got a buddy who refuses to even check it out.

"I just don't care for cop shows."

:banghead:

His loss, I guess.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 02:15 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by KcMizzou (Post 5682027)
I've got a buddy who refuses to even check it out.

"I just don't care for cop shows."

:banghead:

His loss, I guess.
That the thing about the show -- its ten trillion steps beyond every other police procedural.

Baby Lee 04-18-2009 02:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5682008)
I seriously have never heard a single cogent argument against The Wire being the best television show ever.
I think Deadwood was better, and the first seasons of NYPD Blue and Homicide, but that's about it.

There were moments on Friends and Seinfeld that were more entertaining, but I can't say they were better, too much apple/orange dissimilarity.

I've only gotten to see the first two seasons of Hill Street Blues, but given the time frame it was made in, it's truly AMAZING how good it is.

The only other one that gives a similar level of satisfaction is ER, for it's groundbreaking early seasons, then it's mature, unprecedented ability to credibly show characters growing from neophytes to masters of their field over the years [think John Carter, then subsequently Archie Morris, and don't forget Neela].

But yeah, The Wire is up there.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 02:20 PM
And I still haven't.

Baby Lee 04-18-2009 02:22 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5682046)
And I still haven't.
You have, you just don't have the discernment to know it. ;)

Reaper16 04-18-2009 02:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Lee (Post 5682051)
You have, you just don't have the discernment to know it. ;)
This is a bald-faced lie.

Baby Lee 04-18-2009 02:27 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5682055)
This is a bald-faced lie.
Grab your grubby 'The Wire' tube sock and go to town.

Look, you can search back in the archives and I've given some of the most empassioned and detailed hailings of the show anyone has, but credit where credit is due. Fer****ssake, Homicide is basically, The Wire: The Prequel, written with as much passion by the same guy who crafted The Wire.

There's hardly a man on earth who David Simon takes a back seat to, but IMO David Milch is one such man [albeit by the slenderest of margins]. He dinged himself with John From Cincinnati, but Blue and Deadwood stand testiment to his abilities.

Keep it up and you're gonna call out the West Wing acolytes and then we're really gonna have a ruckus. FTR, I liked TWW a lot and watched it all the way through, but I never found it as transcendent as those who truly love it did, mainly because I'd seen Sports Night and could see the strings, which by the time he got around to Studio 60, there was more 'strings' on the screen than plot or character.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 02:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Lee (Post 5682072)
Grab your grubby 'The Wire' tube sock and go to town.
*Does so*

*comes back*

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Lee (Post 5682072)
Look, you can search back in the archives and I've given some of the most empassioned and detailed hailings of the show anyone has, but credit where credit is due. Fer****ssake, Homicide is basically, The Wire: The Prequel, written with as much passion by the same guy who crafted The Wire.

There's hardly a man on earth who David Simon takes a back seat to, but IMO David Milch is one such man [albeit by the slenderset of margins]. He dinged himself with John From Cincinnati, but Blue and Deadwood stand testiment to his abilities.
I don't get why Homicide being a prequel to The Wire (I agree that it basically is; The Corner even more so) would in any way diminish what The Wire achieved.

I think Deadwood is ****ing great, but better than The Wire? I can't see how. No show besides The Wire is as relevant to the problems of America; no show packs the kind of documentary-like punch of stark realism that The Wire packs while offering such strong fictionalized/dramatic content to make the bleakness slightly palatable; no show offers such a thorough, sustained examination and argument about its topic as The Wire offers; plenty of shows have great, nuanced, sublimely human characters (in fact man shows have flat-out better characters) but no show has smart, realized characters in addition to the intellectual and artistic merits that The Wire achieves.

In many ways its unfair to compare The Wire to other TV shows; viewers have to approach it in such a different way than they do other television. Its a whole lot more like reading a novel than watching a TV drama.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 02:46 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Lee (Post 5682072)

Keep it up and you're gonna call out the West Wing acolytes and then we're really gonna have a ruckus. FTR, I liked TWW a lot and watched it all the way through, but I never found it as transcendent as those who truly love it did, mainly because I'd seen Sports Night and could see the strings, which by the time he got around to Studio 60, there was more 'strings' on the screen than plot or character.
Oh, I think that I get your perspective now. If a show is more about the intellectual or political argument -- the strings -- than its plot and characters (which The Wire is, overall), then its a weakness in that show for you.

To me, that's like knocking a Bertolt Brecht play for being written in the Epic Theater style. His plays were overtly political to the point where the politics trumps the characters (in a more severe way than The Wire does). That doesn't stop Brecht, for me, from being one of the absolute greats.

Baby Lee 04-18-2009 02:50 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5682124)
Oh, I think that I get your perspective now. If a show is more about the intellectual or political argument -- the strings -- than its plot and characters (which The Wire is, overall), then its a weakness in that show for you.

To me, that's like knocking a Bertolt Brecht play for being written in the Epic Theater style. His plays were overtly political to the point where the politics trumps the characters (in a more severe way than The Wire does). That doesn't stop Brecht, for me, from being one of the absolute greats.
No, the strings in Sorkin's work are his plot devices, the obscure name for something all the principle's know by reference and then get's revealed over the course of the episode, the same stock tempermental and personality squabbles he adpats to sports set, to the oval office, to the set of a 'comedy' show, the solipsizing over 'gems of our culture' etc. Oh, and let's not forget his increasingly strident exorcising of his own personal demons through plot and dialog.

For The Wire -vs- Deadwood, it's like saying whether a perfect filet mignon or a perfect creme brulee is the ultimate repast.

The Wire tied things together over the course of a season, and really rewarded a viewer for paying attention to all the little pieces, but it could slow down in spurts where either the gravity of the scene isn't yet revealed or it dwelled on one or more of the storylines that weren't as resonant with you.

OTOH, Deadwood had plot, scene, cinematography, shock value, and nearly Shakespearian scripting. I never spent a minute watching Deadwood other than bolt upright and engaged, a lofty standard The Wire fell 'just' short of.

I could be cynical of myself and muse that the situations of black folk didn't resonate as much as a bunch of old cowboys, but The Wire was, IMO it's most . . . what, slow? meandering? plodding? [relative terms all] when covering the Sobotka storyline, whereas I could eat up every minute Snoop or Omar were on screen.

Buck 04-18-2009 04:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brock (Post 5682003)
The first 3 seasons were epic. The 4th season is just too depressing to revisit for me, and the 5th didn't really grab my attention all that much.
What the **** is wrong with you?

My favorite Seasons in order - 4, 1, 5, 2, 3 (4 and 1 are basically a tie, as well as 5 and 2)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Lee (Post 5682133)
I could be cynical of myself and muse that the situations of black folk didn't resonate as much as a bunch of old cowboys, but The Wire was, IMO it's most . . . what, slow? meandering? plodding? [relative terms all] when covering the Sobotka storyline, whereas I could eat up every minute Snoop or Omar were on screen.
The Sobotka storyline was ****ing epic. ****ING EPIC.

Every season was great, and I really liked the Sobotka storyline. Sure it was slow at the beginning of the season, but tell me which season didn't start off slow?

The Sobotka storyline had all the same intellectual intricacies as the rest of the seasons, I think. I can't wait til I get to season two to watch that storyline again.

Reaper16 04-18-2009 04:44 PM
Season 2 is so brilliant. The Sobotka family/docks environment initially hit me as, well, not-as-good as the Barksdale world. But I soon came to appreciate that world, especially after the season was over and I could piece it together into the larger project of The Wire. When I re-watched Season 2, I was losing my shit at how good it was.

Brock 04-19-2009 07:55 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaCenterJunkie (Post 5682378)
What the **** is wrong with you?

My favorite Seasons in order - 4, 1, 5, 2, 3 (4 and 1 are basically a tie, as well as 5 and 2)
I found season 4 so sad and depressing because of what happened to the boys. I just wanted to adopt them all and get them out of that hell they were living in. It's pretty unusual that a TV show can affect my mood, but that particular series of events sure did. My favorite season is actually the one on the docks.

Ultra Peanut 04-19-2009 08:34 AM
I don't feel worthy of looking at it.

ZootedGranny 04-19-2009 08:44 AM
I'm not sure how I'd rank the seasons, but the 4th was my favorite and the 2nd was my least favorite.

Ultra Peanut 04-19-2009 08:55 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5681987)
I watched the series for the first time last December in only six days. I was literally doing nothing but watching The Wire for 12 hours a day or so.
That sounds like... heaven.

Reaper16 04-19-2009 10:55 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brock (Post 5683968)
I found season 4 so sad and depressing because of what happened to the boys. I just wanted to adopt them all and get them out of that hell they were living in. It's pretty unusual that a TV show can affect my mood, but that particular series of events sure did. My favorite season is actually the one on the docks.
That's why Season 4 is the best of the series. Everyone finds it utterly heartbreaking and depressing. Its so powerful.

Brock 04-19-2009 11:05 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5684195)
That's why Season 4 is the best of the series. Everyone finds it utterly heartbreaking and depressing. Its so powerful.
I understand that's the desired effect. I don't like the desired effect, that's why I haven't watched it again.

WilliamTheIrish 04-19-2009 11:31 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brock (Post 5683968)
I found season 4 so sad and depressing because of what happened to the boys. I just wanted to adopt them all and get them out of that hell they were living in. It's pretty unusual that a TV show can affect my mood, but that particular series of events sure did. My favorite season is actually the one on the docks.
I hear ya, Brock. I have found two or three shows in my ife that profoundly affected my mood in this manner: The Wire, some early episodes of St. Elsewhere and very early episodes of ER.

The last two I would not watch as I worked night shift and didn't want to be at work after seeing an episode with some dramatically depressing ending. I'd VHS record them and watch them in the AM when I got home.

Buck 04-19-2009 10:25 PM
This scene is awesome.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MUp6wCBcuXI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MUp6wCBcuXI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Buck 04-19-2009 10:34 PM
More Awesome Season 1 Scenes

NSFW Language

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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/S1HUlTKvDUI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S1HUlTKvDUI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sJhUDdxWEh8&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sJhUDdxWEh8&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cryMVK1PwuQ&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cryMVK1PwuQ&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Buck 04-19-2009 10:41 PM
Scenes that make me sad. I'm putting spoiler tags on this because the names of the vids reveal stuff if you haven't seen all the seasons yet.

Spoiler!

Reaper16 04-19-2009 10:43 PM
Don't watch any of those spoiler-tagged clips if you haven't seen the show. Don't watch a single damn one of them.

Buck 04-19-2009 10:51 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5686131)
Don't watch any of those spoiler-tagged clips if you haven't seen the show. Don't watch a single damn one of them.
Good Idea

<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DBI4TSbihrE&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DBI4TSbihrE&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>

Buck 04-19-2009 11:39 PM
ROFL

<object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rBjaL935_Nk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rBjaL935_Nk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object>

Ultra Peanut 04-20-2009 12:55 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5686131)
Don't watch any of those spoiler-tagged clips if you haven't seen the show. Don't watch a single damn one of them.
Just seeing the title of the first video made me tear up.

In looking back, I think Season 1 may be my favorite season. It's like picking your favorite child, though.

Miles 04-20-2009 02:06 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Lee (Post 5682072)
Keep it up and you're gonna call out the West Wing acolytes and then we're really gonna have a ruckus. FTR, I liked TWW a lot and watched it all the way through, but I never found it as transcendent as those who truly love it did, mainly because I'd seen Sports Night and could see the strings, which by the time he got around to Studio 60, there was more 'strings' on the screen than plot or character.
I watched all of The West Wing last summer cold and had seen some of Spotsnight and all of Studio 60. While it was pretty damn good overall, it was also uneven and agree on the obvious "strings" aspect.

Miles 04-20-2009 02:09 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5682008)
I seriously have never heard a single cogent argument against The Wire being the best television show ever.
Deadwood, Rome and Twin Peaks are the only I would hold up there with The Wire with no real preference among them.

noa 04-20-2009 12:54 PM
I think my two favorite TV scenes of all time are that scene where Dee explains chess and the scene in Deadwood when Dan fights Captain Turner.

Baby Lee 04-20-2009 02:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by noa (Post 5687488)
I think my two favorite TV scenes of all time are that scene where Dee explains chess and the scene in Deadwood when Dan fights Captain Turner.
Bullock beating the fock out of Alma's father.
Cy beating Veronica Mars cross-eyed.

Buck 04-25-2009 11:05 AM
This is possibly the best picture on the internet.

http://www.duttyartz.com/wp-content/...09/01/clay.jpg

Ultra Peanut 04-25-2009 11:21 AM
http://claydavisisyournewvibrator.com/

http://j.photos.cx/claydavisvm-47a.gif

Buck 04-25-2009 11:23 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultra Peanut (Post 5705028)
Awesome

:clap:

irishjayhawk 04-25-2009 11:24 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultra Peanut (Post 5705028)
ROFL

Reaper16 04-25-2009 11:26 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaCenterJunkie (Post 5704964)
This is possibly the best picture on the internet.

http://www.duttyartz.com/wp-content/...09/01/clay.jpg
Yeah... that is immediately being used as my Facebook profile pic.

Buck 04-25-2009 11:29 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5705044)
Yeah... that is immediately being used as my Facebook profile pic.
I was gonna make it my avatar, but I don't feel like resizing it.

beavis 04-25-2009 01:15 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5684195)
That's why Season 4 is the best of the series. Everyone finds it utterly heartbreaking and depressing. Its so powerful.
Yeah, it was, but I found it pissed me off more than compelled me. Those kids never stood a ****ing chance. I found the docks storyline almost dry compared to the Barksdale side of things. Marlo is just a psychopath. I've just started season five, but right now, I'd rank my favorites in this order.

3, 1, 4, 2

Still, there is nothing better than a drinking scene with McNaulty and Bunk.

Reaper16 04-25-2009 01:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by beavis (Post 5705640)
Yeah, it was, but I found it pissed me off more than compelled me. Those kids never stood a ****ing chance.
And its even worse in real inner-city life.

What The Wire does is present an incredibly accurate depiction of the American city, but its fictional elements work to "lighten up" the subject matter just a tiny bit so that the show is somewhat palatable to watch. Season 4 & 5 are the bleakest & hardest to handle, though. I think that's why the may be the best.

Buck 04-25-2009 06:27 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by beavis (Post 5705640)
Yeah, it was, but I found it pissed me off more than compelled me. Those kids never stood a ****ing chance. I found the docks storyline almost dry compared to the Barksdale side of things. Marlo is just a psychopath. I've just started season five, but right now, I'd rank my favorites in this order.

3, 1, 4, 2

Still, there is nothing better than a drinking scene with McNaulty and Bunk.
Theres one in like every episode.

beavis 04-26-2009 11:20 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5705681)
And its even worse in real inner-city life.

What The Wire does is present an incredibly accurate depiction of the American city, but its fictional elements work to "lighten up" the subject matter just a tiny bit so that the show is somewhat palatable to watch. Season 4 & 5 are the bleakest & hardest to handle, though. I think that's why the may be the best.
I've wondered that while watching this series - if they had actually tamed a lot of it down. There is obviously some dramatic flare thrown in... Omar is almost the equivalent of a ghetto Batman.

beavis 04-26-2009 11:21 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaCenterJunkie (Post 5709348)
Theres one in like every episode.
Except in Season 4 when Jimmy stopped drinking. He was almost non-existent that year, and it really pissed me off, as I think he's an epic character.

Reaper16 04-26-2009 11:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by beavis (Post 5717750)
I've wondered that while watching this series - if they had actually tamed a lot of it down. There is obviously some dramatic flare thrown in... Omar is almost the equivalent of a ghetto Batman.
That's a superb observation. You're right on the money, imo. Omar is, by far, the most unrealistic aspect of The Wire. He's also the most popular. He's a superhero. The audience loves his antics and can breath a sigh of relief when he's on the screen. I think Omar exists primarily for emotional release; a small but necessary respite from the crushing bleakness of the rest of the show.

beavis 05-06-2009 04:36 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5717759)
That's a superb observation. You're right on the money, imo. Omar is, by far, the most unrealistic aspect of The Wire. He's also the most popular. He's a superhero. The audience loves his antics and can breath a sigh of relief when he's on the screen. I think Omar exists primarily for emotional release; a small but necessary respite from the crushing bleakness of the rest of the show.
I felt like I got punched in the gut when they took him out. He is in my top 5 characters of all time.

"Packa Newpowt"

Buck 05-06-2009 04:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by beavis (Post 5745573)
I felt like I got punched in the gut when they took him out. He is in my top 5 characters of all time.

"Packa Newpowt"
Soft Pack

KCUnited 05-07-2009 06:37 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by beavis (Post 5745573)
I felt like I got punched in the gut when they took him out. He is in my top 5 characters of all time.

"Packa Newpowt"
Foul-mouthed lil hopper and shit.

Baby Lee 05-07-2009 06:51 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by KCUnited (Post 5746746)
Foul-mouthed lil hopper and shit.
Who dat think he Omar?


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Buck 05-07-2009 08:04 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Lee (Post 5746768)
Who dat think he Omar?


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Huh...I never realized that was Kenard.

irishjayhawk 07-11-2009 09:23 AM
Just finished the entire series. Epic is one word that comes to mind.

I'm not sure how to rank them just yet because I'm having a hard time with season 5. It just doesn't seem to fit the rest. The rest were realistic while 5 felt over the top. Yet, many of the ideas behind 5 are powerful. I'm gonna have to think about it.

My gut says: 4 & 1 (tie), 3 & 5 (tie), 2. But let's not pretend that says much. There's almost no distance between any of them, really.


Also, UP, you are correct when describing 10-12 hour days of The Wire. It is heaven.

Buck 07-11-2009 11:55 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by irishjayhawk (Post 5893384)
Just finished the entire series. Epic is one word that comes to mind.

I'm not sure how to rank them just yet because I'm having a hard time with season 5. It just doesn't seem to fit the rest. The rest were realistic while 5 felt over the top. Yet, many of the ideas behind 5 are powerful. I'm gonna have to think about it.

My gut says: 4 & 1 (tie), 3 & 5 (tie), 2. But let's not pretend that says much. There's almost no distance between any of them, really.


Also, UP, you are correct when describing 10-12 hour days of The Wire. It is heaven.
Awesome. Did you like season 2? I noticed its last on your list.

Rewatch and see if you like it better, thats the case with most people. I loved it the first time through.

I need to re-watch this show.

Reaper16 07-11-2009 12:22 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by irishjayhawk (Post 5893384)

I'm not sure how to rank them just yet because I'm having a hard time with season 5. It just doesn't seem to fit the rest. The rest were realistic while 5 felt over the top. Yet, many of the ideas behind 5 are powerful. I'm gonna have to think about it.

My gut says: 4 & 1 (tie), 3 & 5 (tie), 2. But let's not pretend that says much. There's almost no distance between any of them, really.
It is still literary fiction (in TV form), so Season 5's plot was working fine on an artistic level. I wouldn't say that the serial killer plot was any more unrealistic than the Hamsterdam plot or the entire Omar story arc.

Thig Lyfe 07-11-2009 12:24 PM
I'm on disc 3 of season 4. Amazed how they're able to come up with fresh storylines without abandoning what made the show great in the first place. I'd like to see more McNulty, though.

Reaper16 07-11-2009 12:26 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by SportsRacer (Post 5893671)
I'm on disc 3 of season 4. Amazed how they're able to come up with fresh storylines without abandoning what made the show great in the first place. I'd like to see more McNulty, though.
It ain't about what you like, holmes. Its about what serves the story.

Thig Lyfe 07-11-2009 12:27 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuckinKaeding (Post 5893634)
Awesome. Did you like season 2? I noticed its last on your list.

Rewatch and see if you like it better, thats the case with most people. I loved it the first time through.

I need to re-watch this show.
I thought season 2 was friggin' great despite being way different than the other seasons. Focusing on Sobotka rather than Barksdale was risky but paid off. The season was essentially filler to lend some realism to the Barksdale timeline (they couldn't just turn around and get Avon out of prison the next season), I think, but it was amazing, well-crafted, meaningful filler.

irishjayhawk 07-11-2009 12:42 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuckinKaeding (Post 5893634)
Awesome. Did you like season 2? I noticed its last on your list.

Rewatch and see if you like it better, thats the case with most people. I loved it the first time through.

I need to re-watch this show.
Like I said, it's much like UP's simile: its like picking your favorite child.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5893667)
It is still literary fiction (in TV form), so Season 5's plot was working fine on an artistic level. I wouldn't say that the serial killer plot was any more unrealistic than the Hamsterdam plot or the entire Omar story arc.
While I found the fake serial killer plot to be somewhat unrealistic, comparatively (I don't see a problem with legalization - in fact that is one of the aspects that made Season 3 rank higher than 2. I loved the thought behind that decision. It made sense. As for Omar, I'm not sure what's unbelievable about his story arc.), it was more that the season seemed contrived. It was paced faster and written almost truncated. They knew they were ending and it's like they decided to race towards it. I LOVE the ideas behind all the arcs in the season, but they felt rushed and almost betrayed because of it. For example, while I understood Gus' plight with Templeton, it seemed emotionally unattatched. I mean I wanted Gus to win but the loss (the girl reporter) I felt was unemotional and a "who gives a shit" moment. I hated the managers of the paper - like you were supposed to - but I felt like they had a side of the story that wasn't completely told.

I'm half-tempted to rank them like so: 4 & 1, 3, 2, 5. But I don't think I can because there's much of 5 to like. And 2 seems like the black sheep in that many of it's storylines don't continue. Sure, the Greek comes back and has a job in the later seasons but aside from that, it didn't offer the overlapping storylines that made most of the seasons great.

Like I said though, it's a tough choice regardless because each has their own merits. I loved the dock setting, for example.

Buck 07-11-2009 12:47 PM
I have a tough time ranking the top 2, but I think I go

4, 1, 2, 5, 3

Buck 07-11-2009 12:48 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16 (Post 5681919)
D'Angelo: "Where's Wallace, Stringy? Where the **** is Wallace?"
ROFL

Ultra Peanut 07-11-2009 12:49 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by irishjayhawk
I'm half-tempted to rank them like so: 4 & 1, 3, 2, 5. But I don't think I can because there's much of 5 to like. And 2 seems like the black sheep in that many of it's storylines don't continue. Sure, the Greek comes back and has a job in the later seasons but aside from that, it didn't offer the overlapping storylines that made most of the seasons great.

Like I said though, it's a tough choice regardless because each has their own merits. I loved the dock setting, for example.
I find such exercises unnecessarily difficult and ultimately pointless.

http://j.photos.cx/emot-smug-23a.gif

Reaper16 07-11-2009 01:01 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by irishjayhawk (Post 5893697)
Like I said, it's much like UP's simile: its like picking your favorite child.



While I found the fake serial killer plot to be somewhat unrealistic, comparatively (I don't see a problem with legalization - in fact that is one of the aspects that made Season 3 rank higher than 2. I loved the thought behind that decision. It made sense. As for Omar, I'm not sure what's unbelievable about his story arc.), it was more that the season seemed contrived. It was paced faster and written almost truncated. They knew they were ending and it's like they decided to race towards it. I LOVE the ideas behind all the arcs in the season, but they felt rushed and almost betrayed because of it. For example, while I understood Gus' plight with Templeton, it seemed emotionally unattatched. I mean I wanted Gus to win but the loss (the girl reporter) I felt was unemotional and a "who gives a shit" moment. I hated the managers of the paper - like you were supposed to - but I felt like they had a side of the story that wasn't completely told.

I'm half-tempted to rank them like so: 4 & 1, 3, 2, 5. But I don't think I can because there's much of 5 to like. And 2 seems like the black sheep in that many of it's storylines don't continue. Sure, the Greek comes back and has a job in the later seasons but aside from that, it didn't offer the overlapping storylines that made most of the seasons great.

Like I said though, it's a tough choice regardless because each has their own merits. I loved the dock setting, for example.
1.) It would be very difficult to set up a Hamsterdam area for a number of weeks and not have anyone catch on, in "real life" that is. Just about as hard as it would be to fake some murders. As for Omar... stick up men don't do the superhuman shit that he does, nor do they live for nearly as long as Omar did. Not the ones that target the wolves at night like Omar did, anyway.

2.) Odd that you say the media plot of season 5 was emotionally unattached, as it was the most personal of plots for David Simon. I understand the criticism that the editors were not portrayed as fully as other characters, but they aren't the first ones. Characters like Andy Krawchek or Commish Valcheck are similarly one-note. It doesn't serve the story to reveal more about them, and I would argue that we don't need to know. We can easily extrapolate what the motivations of the editors might be; what "their side" would be.

3.) It didn't serve the story to continue following the dock workers. Nothing changed about their situation. All the necessary follow-up was found in the season 5 cameos: Nick Sobatka complaining about the same ol, same ol with riverfront development & about the robots taking away even more jobs, and also Johnny Fifty's cameo as one of the homeless under the bridge that McNulty saw. Having Vondas and The Greek pop up a few times was conducive to the story because they were the connect. But it would have done nothing to further the messages of the show to continue following the dock workers just to follow them. Simon & Burns said what they wanted to say.


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