The Wire | Page 2 | The Boneyard

The Wire

I am halfway through Season 2. I like it, but I don't consider it as good as Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, West Wing or Game of Thrones. Even ER at its peak was better than the Wire. I like Omar and the Barksdale crew, bit some of the cops are a bit stereotypical.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
I am halfway through Season 2. I like it, but I don't consider it as good as Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, West Wing or Game of Thrones. Even ER at its peak was better than the Wire. I like Omar and the Barksdale crew, bit some of the cops are a bit stereotypical.
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They were based on real cops. One of the writers was a Baltimore detective, the main writer was a police reporter in Baltimore. Actually most of the characters were based on real people.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
I am halfway through Season 2. I like it, but I don't consider it as good as Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, West Wing or Game of Thrones. Even ER at its peak was better than the Wire. I like Omar and the Barksdale crew, bit some of the cops are a bit stereotypical.
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get back to us after seasons 3 and 4. You may feel differently. Or maybe not.
 
meyers7 said:
They were based on real cops. One of the writers was a Baltimore detective, the main writer was a police reporter in Baltimore. Actually most of the characters were based on real people.
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Bunny Colvin's lieutenant in the show is the real Jay Landsman.
 
Husky25 said:
Bunny Colvin's lieutenant in the show is the real Jay Landsman.
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Yea, there were a lot of "real life" people in the show. The Deacon, who was Colvin's friend, helped Cutty, was a drug king-pin (Melvin Williams) and was actually arrested by Ed Burns (the former detective writer) years before. He was who Avon Barksdale was based on.

Snoop (Stanfield enforcer with Chris) was played by an actress actually named Snoop. She was a drug dealer in Baltimore and was as a youth, in prison for murder.

Steve Earle who played Walon, the recovering heroin addict who was Bubbles sponsor was/is a recovering heroin addict. He is also a folk/country/rock recording artist (Guitar Town, Copperhead Road)
 
meyers7 said:
Yea, there were a lot of "real life" people in the show. The Deacon, who was Colvin's friend, helped Cutty, was a drug king-pin (Melvin Williams) and was actually arrested by Ed Burns (the former detective writer) years before. He was who Avon Barksdale was based on.

Snoop (Stanfield enforcer with Chris) was played by an actress actually named Snoop. She was a drug dealer in Baltimore and was as a youth, in prison for murder.

Steve Earle who played Walon, the recovering heroin addict who was Bubbles sponsor was/is a recovering heroin addict. He is also a folk/country/rock recording artist (Guitar Town, Copperhead Road)
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Steve Earle sang one of the versions (5th season, if I recall) of The Wire's theme. Tom Waits sang season 2.

There is a story (I first read it on Wikipedia, but later on IMDb) where Andre Royo (Bubbles) was in character one day and an actual heroin dealer tried to sell him drugs. He considers the interaction his "Street Emmy."

Sometimes stereotypes are stereotypes because they are true.

I have watched the series in its entirety at least 4 times (Some episodes more than that, but each one at least that many.). The 2nd season is underrated and has grown on me. It is just so different than the other four. I think it was kind of ballsy to make such a wide departure so early on.
 
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nelsonmuntz said:
I am halfway through Season 2. I like it, but I don't consider it as good as Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, West Wing or Game of Thrones. Even ER at its peak was better than the Wire. I like Omar and the Barksdale crew, bit some of the cops are a bit stereotypical.
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Get back to us when you complete the series and if you still feel the same way I'll tell you that you have no taste. I liked it so much I watched the whole series a second time and liked it even more on the repeat viewing.
 
superjohn said:
Get back to us when you complete the series and if you still feel the same way I'll tell you that you have no taste. I liked it so much I watched the whole series a second time and liked it even more on the repeat viewing.
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Its even better the 3rd. Go for it. :-)
 
Don't get me wrong. I like the show a lot, but I don't consider it the best show in the history of shows. Probably Top 10 though.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
Don't get me wrong. I like the show a lot, but I don't consider it the best show in the history of shows. Probably Top 10 though.
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No doubt the show is dated. It's tough to reconcile common flip phones and pagers in the age of High Definition, pervasive Wi-Fi, and smart phone technology. But when you get beyond that, the writing, acting, and character development elevate The Wire high than just top 10. That said, I did not get into West Wing (may see if it's available on Netflix one of these days) or Game of Thrones (From what I hear of it, I Really have zero desire to start.).
 
nelsonmuntz said:
Don't get me wrong. I like the show a lot, but I don't consider it the best show in the history of shows. Probably Top 10 though.
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If you think it's top 10 and you're not done with s2 yet, then I'm sure you are on the righteous path. ;-)
 
Husky25 said:
No doubt the show is dated. It's tough to reconcile common flip phones and pagers in the age of High Definition, pervasive Wi-Fi, and smart phone technology. But when you get beyond that, the writing, acting, and character development elevate The Wire high than just top 10. That said, I did not get into West Wing (may see if it's available on Netflix one of these days) or Game of Thrones (From what I hear of it, I Really have zero desire to start.).
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Dated? That's such a silly term when talking about any art medium. Of course it's dated as is any show that is not currently being produced. Technology changes, fashion changes, lingo changes but an amazing product will always be an amazing product.
 
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superjohn said:
Dated? That's such a silly term when talking about any art medium. Of course it's dated as is any show that is not currently being produced. Technology changes, fashion changes, lingo changes but an amazing product will always be an amazing product.
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Are you agreeing with me? I can't tell. Seems like you are hung up on the first of three sentences.
 
superjohn said:
Dated? That's such a silly term when talking about any art medium. Of course it's dated as is any show that is not currently being produced. Technology changes, fashion changes, lingo changes but an amazing product will always be an amazing product.
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I kinda agree with this, especially with the wire. If you are getting hung up on the datedness of the cellular technology and what not you are mostly missing the point. And here is the flipside: The social commentary (war on drugs/legaization benefits from season 3) and Education issues in the inner city (season 4) are probably MORE relevant today than when they were created over a decade ago.
 
August_West said:
I kinda agree with this, especially with the wire. If you are getting hung up on the datedness of the cellular technology and what not you are mostly missing the point. And here is the flipside: The social commentary (war on drugs/legaization benefits from season 3) and Education issues in the inner city (season 4) are probably MORE relevant today than when they were created over a decade ago.
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Did you got hung up on the first sentence as well?
 
Husky25 said:
Did you got hung up on the first sentence as well?
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Nope,
I read your whole post. I saw and understood what you said and realized you werent making that complaint, which is I why I didnt quote you. I took the opportunity to discuss a common compaint that Ive heard in general from people watching these days for the first time.
 
Season 3 ending was pretty cool, and it was the best all around season of the show. Hamsterdam.

I have one little quibble with the direction. They have an awful lot of reaction shots in the show. This is not a 1980's sitcom where we need to see a character reacting to know the last line was funny. The dialogue and story is so strong, I don't know why the directors do that.
 
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Season 3 and 4 were the 2 best season, IMO. I liked them all (was only so-so on Season 2), but those 2 were my favorite.
It's funny, ever since I watched the series I now see The Wire references or connections all the time.
 
Halfway through Season 5. SPOILERS BELOW






A little Soprano-y in that it is clear from the beginning of the season that the show is going to kill off a lot of key characters. I was very disappointed in the way the show killed off Proposition Joe. Joe outsmarted Barksdale and Bell, who were much smarter than Marlo. Joe would have seen Marlo coming a mile away, especially once Butch was killed. A guy like Joe can skip town in about 2 hours if he needs to. I thought it was a lazy way to get rid of him. Also, the Greek would never have anything to do with a renegade street thug like Marlo. The show should have been a little smarter about both developments.

Anyone who has read the dynamics of gang wars knows that if one group emerges more powerful, the other gangs typically go after that group to restore balance. All these gangs have muscle, yet they are all sitting around a Best Western waiting for Marlo to take over their territory one at a time.

I also don't get the plot line with McNulty and the fake serial killer. I can see a cop taking that kind of risk to cover his own ass, but would a cop really risk extended prison time just to take a shot at taking out a drug dealer? Especially since no one believes it.

Finally, the idea that the city would kill an investigation of a crew that had left 22 bodies is crazy, even for a fictional TV cop show.

The story was so tight the first 4 seasons, but it feels like the writers got lazy in season 5.
 
I don't think they got lazy, so much as they ran dry on material/had no idea how to end the series.

But season 5 definitely knocked the show down a little bit for me. It's still on my Mount Rushmore of shows, but the weak final season put it below BB in my eyes.
 
UConn990411 said:
I don't think they got lazy, so much as they ran dry on material/had no idea how to end the series.

But season 5 definitely knocked the show down a little bit for me. It's still on my Mount Rushmore of shows, but the weak final season put it below BB in my eyes.
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The entire Baltimore Sun story line should have been left on the cutting room floor.
 
John said:
The entire Baltimore Sun story line should have been left on the cutting room floor.
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David Simon, the creator, showrunner and writer for The Wire, was a crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun. Most of the story lines were from his experience. The whole Baltimore Sun story line was said to be the most realistic portrayal as anything ever done on a newsroom.

I'd agree though, Season 5 wasn't near as good as the prior seasons.
 
I couldn't find anything that linked the fake serial killer plot line with anything that really happened, but would have to assume something spurred that on.

A couple pieces that were based on real situations? There was really a "Hamsterdam" and the guy who Omar was based on did jump off a building to escape once....except it was allegedly two floors HIGHER than what they showed in the episode.
 
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nelsonmuntz said:
I am halfway through Season 2. I like it, but I don't consider it as good as Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, West Wing or Game of Thrones. Even ER at its peak was better than the Wire. I like Omar and the Barksdale crew, bit some of the cops are a bit stereotypical.
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Season one was the best...
 
Welcome aboard, but I've gotta ask...That's how you come out of the gate? A 5 word post about a 7 year old TV show? At the end of the day, this is a UConn sports message board. Everything else is filler (Including one of the best shows in television history). No issues...Gotta crawl before you walk.
 
Husky25 said:
Welcome aboard, but I've gotta ask...That's how you come out of the gate? A 5 word post about a 7 year old TV show? At the end of the day, this is a UConn sports message board. Everything else is filler (Including one of the best shows in television history). No issues...Gotta crawl before you walk.
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I gave him his first like. I'm now his Daddy.
 
Season 5 closed better than it started. I wasn't expecting happy endings, particularly with some of the most popular characters, so I was OK with how everything ended. I particularly enjoyed the last meeting of the New Day Co Op ("You just cost us 900").

I am sure it was realistic, but I thought the Baltimore Sun story line was a waste. Why introduce such a broad new storyline and setting in the last season?

As for the actors,

Bad: I thought the cast was very strong with a few exceptions.

I didn't like Littlefinger as the mayor. He has a strange accent which was not appropriate for a guy that should have grown up in a big city.
I am not a Sonja Sohn fan. I didn't understand the character after 5 seasons despite the fact that she got a ton of screen time. She seems to just recite lines rather than act.
I thought Chad Coleman sucked as Cutty, and apparently so did the writers because they dropped the character about halfway through the last season.
Paul Ben-Victor's fake Eastern European accent was kind of funny.

Good:

Isiah Whitlock was awesome as Clay Davis. That was a hard character to act and if he went too far it could have resulted in a lot of unintentional comedy. He nailed it.
Dominic West was excellent as the de facto lead. Playing a screw up so credibly is difficult.
Michael Kostroff killed it as Maurice Levy.
 
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