The Wire Appreciation Thread

[DMN in the House]

Sorry to bump this, but I'm just getting around to watching The Wire, midway through Season 3, and, while it's not my favorite show ever (Sons of Anarchy probably still has that), it might have some of my favorite characters. I just love the way that comedy is placed in with all this heavy shit, especially the 'working relationship' between Carver/Herc and Bodie/Poot. Bodie might be my third favorite character, behind Omar (obviously), and Stringer.

Wee-Bay and his fish are class too.

[apsham]

I've been thinking about it recently - and I think I have to put down Season 3 as my absolute favorite of the entire series. But man - that is a really hard call to make.

[GoGo Yubari]

Season 4 for me. Perfect season of TV.

[MalaCloudy Black]

I've gotta go with 4 as well. I can't even really articulate why, if I had to give it a stab I'd say it was something to do with the whole "Boys of Summer" dynamic being set in lower-income Baltimore, and I found the stuff with the school system to be pretty fascinating.

[GoGo Yubari]

Yeah, I think the narrative with the four kids is incredibly strong, and the commentary on how the school system is broken is particularly strong for me since, well, I've been through that system, both the teaching for the test model and the alternative education model (though not nearly the same as the one in the show).

[TheSqauredCircleMessiah]

Sorry to bump this, but I'm just getting around to watching The Wire, midway through Season 3, and, while it's not my favorite show ever (Sons of Anarchy probably still has that), it might have some of my favorite characters. I just love the way that comedy is placed in with all this heavy shit, especially the 'working relationship' between Carver/Herc and Bodie/Poot. Bodie might be my third favorite character, behind Omar (obviously), and Stringer.

Wee-Bay and his fish are class too.

Herc/Carver running into Bodie/Poot at the movie is just quality TV. They were like The Midnights and Rock and Rolls, just four people made to work together.

[DMN in the House]

So, nearing the end of Season Five, and I'm pretty much feeling about The Wire the same way I feel about Sons of Anarchy and Game of Thrones (particularly the books)... nothing good ever happens... and

everybody dies

Excellent show, though. Still behind SoA for me.

[Skummy]

DMN - Season Five spoilers, so if you're not finished yet, probably best you don't read this just in case, but relevant to your point;

I absolutely love how nothing is ever really resolved in The Wire. Every season, it ends with nothing really having changed. Season Four barely even feels like it has an ending. And I love how many deaths are utterly inconsequential, or seemingly random; like, how after so much build-up, Omar just gets taken out in a scene that, on the surface, doesn't seem to have had any significance - until you look back and see every scene that kid has had, and what his relationship to Omar actually is, and then it's phenomenal.

But, yeah, season five ends...and, like, for everything that's got better, something's got worse. The system never changes, and the game never stops. And that's perfect, because it would just be so disingenuous to have ended it with everything all smelling of roses.

[DMN in the House]

Finished the whole thing...

Yeah, Skummy, thats how I feel about the whole thing. Every character just seemed to get replaced by someone else, and no one really got a happy ending. Michael becomes the new Omar, even Marlowe, who could have gotten out, couldn't stay out. It was a fitting ending.

[TheSqauredCircleMessiah]

Finished the whole thing...

Yeah, Skummy, thats how I feel about the whole thing. Every character just seemed to get replaced by someone else, and no one really got a happy ending. Michael becomes the new Omar, even Marlowe, who could have gotten out, couldn't stay out. It was a fitting ending.

Re: "Happy Endings"

There are some people who do end up better. Daniels passes the bar and becomes a lawyer and I'm guessing any law firm would pay good money to have a former Police Commissioner as a criminal defense attorney and seems to have a stable relationship with Pearlman, who becomes a judge. Carver becomes a Lieutenant, Greggs and Bunk seem happy in homicide and Lester retires with that former stripper and gets a pension and Bubbs is allowed to eat with the family. There are no typical TV happy endings because this was never a typical TV show but shows how people can naturally progress in life.

Edited July 13, 2013 by TheSqauredCircleMessiah

[MalaCloudy Black]

That scene with Bubbles and his family at the end had me tearing up, for real.

[Alex.]

Sorry for the bump, but I watched this show for the first time in August, and I've watched the entire series now twice. Greatest show created imo. Season 3 and 4 are the pinnacle of television.

[Benji]

The entire series is currently on Sky+ for free download.

[apsham]

There is never a need to apologize for bumping a The Wire thread.

[Alex.]

The death that always got me was Bodie. At first, I disliked him for killing Wallace, but he grows on you as the series continues. When he is sitting in the park with McNulty, about to become an informant on Marlo, he goes back to the chess game, stating he's a pawn. Also, when he says that he feels old, you just know its gonna be the end for Bodie.

I saw an analysis recently on his death that people compare to an actual chess game where Bodie is a pawn, Chris and Snoop were Bishops and O-Dog was a Knight. Terrific analysis, terrific show.

Nowadays, I just watch episodes randomly. I always find myself rewatching the 11th episode of Season 3. My favorite episode of the series.

[apsham]

Fuck it. I'm doing this again, season 3. Know what character I have not paid much attention to until now? Slim Charles. For sure my factor in the Barksdale crew.

[apsham]

In related news - the HD release for digital is out this coming Monday. But no date on the bluray!? GAH.

[HC]

Watching this through for the first time. Almost done with season 3 and it's pretty great. Maybe not the GOAT it gets championed as,but I like it a lot, and the characters are as captivating as they come. Season 2 has been my favorite by far, although it's low on a lot of people's lists. I really got into Frank Sobotka's story.

[MalaCloudy Black]

No it's pretty much the GOAT it's touted as.

[apsham]

I've been curious and looking for the links to the HD versions that are supposed to be on sale today - maybe they're not out until noon or something?