TV: The Wire All Purpose Thread Part 3: World just keeps turning, right?

[Ceremony]

I wanted to post about The Wire but the old thread (made before I joined the site, even) is over 1000. So, here we are.

So, I know that S5 is generally considered the weakest, or least favourite, of the show by lots of people who watch it. Various reasons are given for this, the seeming implausibility of McNulty's fake serial killer stuff being a turn-off to fans who were captivated by a world more realistic than anything else on television. I also know that S2 isn't considered fondly compared to the others, this time seemingly because it goes from S1 introducing a storyline and characters who're so engaging into having another system entirely as the focus.

I have to ask though, does no-one think the premise of the docks and the amount of illicit activity channelled through them is ridiculous? Beadie Russell drives her beat around the docks with headphones on the entire time. This is despite entire shipped containers disappearing from the system purely by virtue of the people in charge of unloading them deciding they want them. Such a system is obviously open to abuse which allows the Greeks in to make money (and to subsequently help supply the drug trade which so much of the show revolves around), but even the regular cargo which just goes missing - how? How do clients, shipping companies, how do they use this port so regularly and not point out that stuff never seems to go where it should? How is a system open to such abuse any more plausible than McNulty making stuff up to get money from a corrupt system too busy focusing on the minutiae to realise he's full of ****?

Or hey, maybe that's it.

Click to read more...

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Wanting to bump this thread because I have been going through another rewatch/listen as somewhat white noise while I work. This is one of the only shows I will continue to go back to because of how amazing the writing and acting is in the entire series.

How did Andre Royo not win an Emmy for his performance as Bubbles? That is one of the best story arcs in the history of television. As much as the series focuses on the police department and its war against the drug trade, there is an incredibly moving story about one man's struggle with addiction, poverty, and human depravity.

 

[discostu]

Wanting to bump this thread because I have been going through another rewatch/listen as somewhat white noise while I work. This is one of the only shows I will continue to go back to because of how amazing the writing and acting is in the entire series.

How did Andre Royo not win an Emmy for his performance as Bubbles? That is one of the best story arcs in the history of television. As much as the series focuses on the police department and its war against the drug trade, there is an incredibly moving story about one man's struggle with addiction, poverty, and human depravity.

Bubbles' redemption almost single handedly saves season 5.

Wire got zero Emmy attention, so no particular snub is ever surprising. However, I am surprised he hasn't gotten any big roles since The Wire. He pops up in smaller bit roles here and there, but that's it.

 

[Philly85*]

He acted Bubbles out heart and soul for 5 years. It was incredible to watch.

Lots of The Wire actors have been type cast, or get small roles in stuff but for the most part it's tough sleddin.

 

[clefty]

I think Grey's Anatomy has more Emmy nominations than The Wire and Deadwood combined. So, yeah. Network television was still getting the lions share of the attention at the time, with the exception of The Sopranos (and maybe Six Feet Under). And even that show lost out a bunch of times to stuff like 24 and Lost.

 

[sully1410]

I think Grey's Anatomy has more Emmy nominations than The Wire and Deadwood combined. So, yeah. Network television was still getting the lions share of the attention at the time, with the exception of The Sopranos (and maybe Six Feet Under). And even that show lost out a bunch of times to stuff like 24 and Lost.

Dexter got some attention too....it got shunted aside once Mad Men came along though.

It's still amazing to me that Michael C Hall never got an emmy for that show.

 

[Ceremony]

I forgot how infuriating Herc is.

 

[sully1410]

I forgot how infuriating Herc is.

Whereas Carver is awesome.

 

[member 51464]

Dexter got some attention too....it got shunted aside once Mad Men came along though.

It's still amazing to me that Michael C Hall never got an emmy for that show.

Dexter was generally awful and he only seemed good in it because of the exceptionally atrocious acting happening around him.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Dexter was generally awful and he only seemed good in it because of the exceptionally atrocious acting happening around him.

Agreed. Michael C Hall's performance as David Fisher in SFU was magnitudes more impressive than anything he was given to work with/did during Dexter's run.

 

[Habsfunk]

I have to ask though, does no-one think the premise of the docks and the amount of illicit activity channelled through them is ridiculous? Beadie Russell drives her beat around the docks with headphones on the entire time. This is despite entire shipped containers disappearing from the system purely by virtue of the people in charge of unloading them deciding they want them. Such a system is obviously open to abuse which allows the Greeks in to make money (and to subsequently help supply the drug trade which so much of the show revolves around), but even the regular cargo which just goes missing - how? How do clients, shipping companies, how do they use this port so regularly and not point out that stuff never seems to go where it should? How is a system open to such abuse any more plausible than McNulty making stuff up to get money from a corrupt system too busy focusing on the minutiae to realise he's full of ****?

Or hey, maybe that's it.

They were stealing cargo that were meant to be stolen. The Greeks would give them the number, and they would make it disappear from the system. When Ziggy stole the legitimate container with the cameras, Frank gave him ****, because that's the kind of stuff that scares people from using the Baltimore port.

Of course, there's probably theft at every port in the world, so pick your poison if you're a shipper.

 

[sully1410]

Dexter was generally awful and he only seemed good in it because of the exceptionally atrocious acting happening around him.

It was only generally awful in the later seasons. And by that I mean 7 and 8. Season 6 was awesone. Season five not so much, but 1-4 were all really good. And I jut don't agree about the acting. Both Michael C Hall and Jennifer Carpenter were really good in it.

 

[Shareefruck]

Dexter was generally awful and he only seemed good in it because of the exceptionally atrocious acting happening around him.

Agreed.

 

[Philly85*]

I wouldn't say Dexter was awful but it was overrated, and SFU was obviously one of the best shows of all time and a part of it was because of his performance.

 

[Kurtz]

And I jut don't agree about the acting. Both Michael C Hall and Jennifer Carpenter were really good in it.

Really? I thought she was one of the worst actresses I've ever seen.

 

[sully1410]

Really? I thought she was one of the worst actresses I've ever seen.

To each their own. I thought she was amazing, especially with how the character was really an open book emotionally.

Anyways...back to the wire.

 

[heutZe]

So discussion time, which season had the best ending montage?

Personally, I would rank them:

1. Season 5
2. Season 2
3. Season 1
4. Season 4
5. Season 3

Funny how it's almost the reverse of how I would rank the seasons themselves.

 

[WhiskeySeven*]

Shipping companies have entire departments dedicated to graft and value-loss. Every port in the world has thievery, every port in the world is permeable.

The volume that is shipped makes it pretty much impossible to stop contraband from passing into, or through, a port without crippling the entire legitimate business. Those containers is big, just one of 'em even a third full of cocaine will do a lot of damage for a long time.

In either case - S2 is the best season.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I just finished watching The Wire a couple of weeks ago, and I am a huge fan. It's one of the few shows I was able to watch the entirety of. It starts off a bit slow, but then just gets better and better. It's one of those shows that you gain an even greater respect for once you sit back and reminisce each season. The writing+ the acting+ the rawness= an amazing experience.

I was in Vegas over in July. At this point I was about half way through the series. I'm not the binge watching type of person, so this series took me all summer to watch. Anyways, I bumped into a man who is a high ranking officer in the police force of Chicago. I can't recall what his exact rank was, but he was up there. Of course I asked him if he had ever seen The Wire. His response was "Of course I have. That show is the most accurate portrayal of how things operate. If there was one show I could say without a doubt captures the realism of the politics, law enforcement, etc...It's be The Wire." I'm paraphrasing a lot, but I'll never forget how quick he was to say how accurate The Wire is to reality.

The show's so raw. I love it.

Ranking the seasons:

4
3
2
5 (Bubs story made this season)
1

Every season was great, though.

 

[Vikke]

Currently on season three on this re-watch.

 

[ap3x]

Considering the sudden bump of the thread, it's fitting that I just saw a documentary about recent Baltimore. Looking at the footage of the ghettos and the interviews, memories flushed back and I instantly had to think about the show. Sad to see how much seems to be still the same.

 

[F L Y E R S]

Marlo, Chris, and Snoop still GOAT people!!!!

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Bodie is my favorite character. Hard to really say why, I just like him.

 

[Ceremony]

Bodie is my favorite character. Hard to really say why, I just like him.

 

[bobbythebrain]

This show had me at SNOT BOOGIE