The Wire season 2

[superjohn]

So I' started my second viewing of The Wire the past couple of weeks. Just finished up season 2 which most people seem to not like very much or at least consider the weakest of the 5 seasons. I liked how it was a departure from the other seasons with all the docks/Union stuff but still incorporated the street drug game. Frank Sobotka is one of my favorite characters.....enjoying the show just as much, maybe even more than the first viewing.

 

[Husky25]

You just knew it wasn't gonna end well for Zigi. The only way he could have gotten away with calling longshoremen 30 years his senior "useless f ing humps" (and having them laugh) is if he was the boss's kid.

 

[August_West]

So I' started my second viewing of The Wire the past couple of weeks. Just finished up season 2 which most people seem to not like very much or at least consider the weakest of the 5 seasons. I liked how it was a departure from the other seasons with all the docks/Union stuff but still incorporated the street drug game. Frank Sobotka is one of my favorite characters.....enjoying the show just as much, maybe even more than the first viewing.

The wire has better rewatch value than any show ever created imo.

I'm 10 times through and still pick up stuff


The greatest show ever done.

 

[August_West]

And just how deep and layered is the Wire's storytelling? They pay attention to EVERY detail. It took me about 6 or 7 viewings through the entire series to catch the following:

They tell a story with a single character who appears in just ONE scene per Season over the last 3 seasons:

In season 3 there is a suburban girl buying blow from her car in Hamsterdam:
http://i.imgur.com/KbFz5Da.png

In season 4 there is a Hooker working for her drug dealer buying something at the Bodega (which is a drug front):
http://i.imgur.com/538Yrxo.png

In Season 5 There is a woman with a small mixed race child (probably from her drug dealer/pimp) at Bubbles NA meeting.
http://i.imgur.com/sgKWmOQ.jpg

Same Girl!
In those 3 tiny insignificant scenes over the course of 3 seasons a story of addiction, bottoming out, and the path to redemption is told without saying a word.

I can never say enough about the genius of The Wire.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

So I' started my second viewing of The Wire the past couple of weeks. Just finished up season 2 which most people seem to not like very much or at least consider the weakest of the 5 seasons. I liked how it was a departure from the other seasons with all the docks/Union stuff but still incorporated the street drug game. Frank Sobotka is one of my favorite characters.....enjoying the show just as much, maybe even more than the first viewing.

I'm definitely in the group that considers it the weakest of the seasons, though compared to most other shows, it's still very good. When it comes down to it, I've just never been able to get invested in the dockworkers storyline. The only character I really care about what way or the other is Ziggy and it's not in a good way.

 

[Husky25]

I'm definitely in the group that considers it the weakest of the seasons, though compared to most other shows, it's still very good. When it comes down to it, I've just never been able to get invested in the dockworkers storyline. The only character I really care about what way or the other is Ziggy and it's not in a good way.

I liked 2 (especially in hindsight) because there could not have been more of a departure from the drug dealing arcs. I also think the show runner's decision to do it so early in the series life cycle took cojones.

I wasn't really a fan of Season 5 and was somewhat disappointed the show ended on that note. For me, Seasons 3 and 4 are tied, then come 1,2,5.

 

[John]

I was originally disappointed in S2, but in retrospect they needed to do the season like they did. S1 was so mind-blowingly awesome that they had to do a 180 degree turn on the story, setting and characters becuase if they hadn't then S2 would have just been S1-A.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I liked 2 (especially in hindsight) because there could not have been more of a departure from the drug dealing arcs. I also think the show runner's decision to do it so early in the series life cycle took cojones.

I wasn't really a fan of Season 5 and was somewhat disappointed the show ended on that note. For me, Seasons 3 and 4 are tied, then come 1,2,5.

Season 4 is easily tops for me. The focus on the schools and their interaction with the drug gangs from such a young age is heart-wrenching. I'd also agree that 5 is one of the weaker seasons, though they did a phenomenal job of wrapping the series up in the last couple of episodes. 4 stands apart for me, followed by 1 and 3, then 5 and 2 bring up the rear. But again, this is all relative to the rest of the show. Any one of these compared with almost any other show would stand on it's own as an excellent season of television.

 

[John]

Season 4 is easily tops for me. The focus on the schools and their interaction with the drug gangs from such a young age is heart-wrenching. I'd also agree that 5 is one of the weaker seasons, though they did a phenomenal job of wrapping the series up in the last couple of episodes. 4 stands apart for me, followed by 1 and 3, then 5 and 2 bring up the rear. But again, this is all relative to the rest of the show. Any one of these compared with almost any other show would stand on it's own as an excellent season of television.

4 was a heartbreaking season. I was most impacted by the kind-hearted kid who got labeled a snitch and went to the home for boys.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

4 was a heartbreaking season. I was most impacted by the kind-hearted kid who got labeled a snitch and went to the home for boys.

Randy, side note, I assume that if the show had continued, he was going to be more of a focus. They never actually deal with the relationship between him and Cheese in the show beyond them having the same last name. I've always assumed that was his son.

The worst is their story at the end. Other than Namond, they pretty much all step in as the next generation players in the drug game. Seeking Dukie become a crackhead absolutely kills me every time.

 

[August_West]

Randy, side note, I assume that if the show had continued, he was going to be more of a focus. They never actually deal with the relationship between him and Cheese in the show beyond them having the same last name. I've always assumed that was his son.

The worst is their story at the end. Other than Namond, they pretty much all step in as the next generation players in the drug game. Seeking Dukie become a crackhead absolutely kills me every time.

Dookie not crackhead, Heroin junkie.

Every season was great in its own way. But seasons 3 and 4 both could standalone as the best season of TV of any showever. I flip/flop between 3 and 4 and which I like better. I really like where they went in season 3 with Bunny Colvin "legalizing" drugs. That was written at least a decade ago and rings even truer today then it did then.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Dookie not crackhead, Heroin junkie.

Every season was great in its own way. But seasons 3 and 4 both could standalone as the best season of TV of any showever. I flip/flop between 3 and 4 and which I like better. I really like where they went in season 3 with Bunny Colvin "legalizing" drugs. That was written at least a decade ago and rings even truer today then it did then.

Good call. Been a while since I watched the end. And I totally agree, Bunny Colvin is definitely one of my favorites. The legal zone is just such an interesting "what if?" proposition.

 

[Husky25]

Good call. Been a while since I watched the end. And I totally agree, Bunny Colvin is definitely one of my favorites. The legal zone is just such an interesting "what if?" proposition.

There are a few behind the scenes videos posted to YouTube. The idea of "Hamsterdam" was a real idea and the mayor who supposedly supported it got national attention. According to the video, the same former (at this point) mayor played the character who pitched it to Royce as a viable option.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

There are a few behind the scenes videos posted to YouTube. The idea of "Hamsterdam" was a real idea and the mayor who supposedly supported it got national attention. According to the video, the same former (at this point) mayor played the character who pitched it to Royce as a viable option.

Now I want to see that. I actually just pulled my DVD set out and I'm going back through the whole series again. Been a while and always forget how much I love this show.

 

[Husky25]

I'm trying to find video, but watch Season 3, Episode 11: Middle Ground. It's toward the end.

First appearances[edit]
This episode marks the first appearance of Kurt L. Schmoke as Baltimore Health Commissioner. Schmoke is a real-life former mayor of Baltimore and has strong views against the drug war and in favor of drug decriminalization. He acts as an advisor to the fictional mayor after Major Colvin has legalized drugs in a portion of the city and his character's feelings mirror his own politics.[3]

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I'm trying to find video, but watch Season 3, Episode 11: Middle Ground. It's toward the end.

First appearances[edit]
This episode marks the first appearance of Kurt L. Schmoke as Baltimore Health Commissioner. Schmoke is a real-life former mayor of Baltimore and has strong views against the drug war and in favor of drug decriminalization. He acts as an advisor to the fictional mayor after Major Colvin has legalized drugs in a portion of the city and his character's feelings mirror his own politics.[3]

I'm almost done with season 1 so I'll be there soon enough. I'll have to remember this.

 

[FASTEDDY]

Based on all the rave reviews of THE WIRE that Iread on the Boneyard, I started watching the show. I'm on episode 7 of Season # 1. I love the show. I try to watch an episode a day before going to bed. Very very good. Can't wait for season # 3 since everyone feels its so awesome.

Thanks!

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Based on all the rave reviews of THE WIRE that Iread on the Boneyard, I started watching the show. I'm on episode 7 of Season # 1. I love the show. I try to watch an episode a day before going to bed. Very very good. Can't wait for season # 3 since everyone feels its so awesome.

Thanks!

It definitely takes a while to get into because of the complexity of the storyline and the number of characters but once you do, it's addicting. I think by the end of season 3 or 4 you'll be the extolling the greatness of The Wire to anyone who will listen. My friends and family get kind of sick of it but I feel a duty to get them hooked. The ones who actually gave it a chance are right there with me now.

 

[August_West]

Im actually rewatching again! Im in middle of season 2 right now. (which is usually peoples least favorite along with 5) It has grown on me. I like season 2, too! Literally this might be series rewatch number 10 for me and it is still fresh. Still picking stuff up.

 

[John]

It definitely takes a while to get into because of the complexity of the storyline and the number of characters but once you do, it's addicting. I think by the end of season 3 or 4 you'll be the extolling the greatness of The Wire to anyone who will listen. My friends and family get kind of sick of it but I feel a duty to get them hooked. The ones who actually gave it a chance are right there with me now.

sounds like my conversations with my wife about it. I'll go on and on about it and she'll say "I don't like police shows". Then I'll say it's not about police. But then when I tell her about it, it is about police. It's hard to describe to people who haven't watched it exactly what it is.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I made the mistake of discovering The Wire in HD on HBO In Demand about two months ago. Needless to say, I just finished watching the entire series....for about that 6th or 7th time.

Season 2 was my least favorite the first time around, now I think it is one of the top two seasons of the show. I will judge again when I re-watch the entire series again in a year or so.

 

[progrocks]

When I watched season 1 when it first aired my thought was that The Wire is a fantastic show. After season 2 I thought it was a better show than The Sopranos.

Moving away from the game and to the docks showed us that the canvas was the entire city and its problems, not just dealers and real po-leece. Never piss off a polish cop.

 

[James]

When I first watched season 5 I had thought the show was gonna end on a boring note . Second viewing revealed one of my favorite episodes in the entire series : the Dickensian Aspect . Mcnulty is in some new show on max?sho? Not sure but he's such a good actor

 

[Husky25]

When I first watched season 5 I had thought the show was gonna end on a boring note . Second viewing revealed one of my favorite episodes in the entire series : the Dickensian Aspect . Mcnulty is in some new show on max?sho? Not sure but he's such a good actor

McNulty was the lead guitarist for Steel Dragon in Rock Star.

 

[August_West]

When I first watched season 5 I had thought the show was gonna end on a boring note . Second viewing revealed one of my favorite episodes in the entire series : the Dickensian Aspect . Mcnulty is in some new show on max?sho? Not sure but he's such a good actor

Season 5 is still great TV if you compare it to anything else. Its is just compared to itself. I like it. It contains my favorite scene in the whole series:

McNulty goes to quantico to meet up with the FBI serial killer profilers, Well there is no serial killer, it is McNulty manipulating naturally dead homeless people as a way of getting the PD to free up some money for investigations.

So anyway, the profiler starts reading off the traits of the serial killer and McNulty realizes they are describing himself to a T. The look on his face is so priceless as the guy keeps reading off the traits. Perfect scene!

ah hell, here: