"The Wire" fans

[Brock]

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

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

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]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

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]

Originally Posted by Brock

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)

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

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]

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]

Originally Posted by MediaCenterJunkie

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]

I don't feel worthy of looking at it.

[ZootedGranny]

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]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

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]

Originally Posted by Brock

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]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

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.

[WilliamInnerCircle]

Originally Posted by Brock

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]

This scene is awesome.

[Buck]

More Awesome Season 1 Scenes

NSFW Language

[Buck]

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]

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.