"The Wire" on HBO

it's in season 2, when the greeks & stevedores figure out that all their phones are being tapped, spiros whips out like a palm pilot or some shit & sends a text message and they're all like "huh..." -- one dude in the room even says "my kids do it all the time"

when did SMS take off in the US

also spiros gets a text in greek, which was very swag

feel like it was later than in the UK, maybe a cost thing?

SMS took off way later here than in the UK. I don't really remember anyone doing it until QWERTY keyboards were commonplace.

AT&T didn't even really have MMS capability until the iPhone came out.

until after, that is

http://i.cdn.hbo.com/assets/images/series/the-wire/character/the-law/stanislaus-valchek-160.jpg

"Opportunity plus instinct equals profit."

http://i.cdn.hbo.com/assets/images/series/the-wire/character/the-law/stanislaus-valchek-160.jpg

It never hurts to suck up to the boss.

http://i.cdn.hbo.com/assets/images/series/the-wire/character/the-law/stanislaus-valchek-160.jpg

"The flimsier the product, the higher the price."

http://i.cdn.hbo.com/assets/images/series/the-wire/character/the-law/stanislaus-valchek-160.jpg

"Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack."

http://i.cdn.hbo.com/assets/images/series/the-wire/character/the-law/stanislaus-valchek-160.jpg

"Employees are rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them."

Watching S2 I kept thinking that if anyone ever wanted to make a movie about the life of Jeff Buckley (heaven forbid), James Ransone would be the guy.

if they ever do a Jeff Buckley biopic they should really cast Ransone, both because he looks close enough and because afaict JB was about as obnoxious as Ziggy irl

― some dude, Saturday, January 15, 2011 5:22 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I thought it was a bit of groaner when Zig was in the public library looking something up on the computer that Nicky came by and Zig had to explain to Nick what a search engine was in 2003.

xpost Leee you forgot my favorite: Never Place Friendship Above Profit

Just started watching this for the second time through with my gf who has never seen it. I forgot so much great stuff and im totally picking up new things and loving it

XP horseshoe, ah well great minds etc:

every season of this show is awesome

otm

5 wasn't as bad as it's sometimes made out but i'd put it somewhere beneath "awesome"

yeah that's otm

Sub-awesome?

One of those shows I want to hate b/c of my inherant iconoclastic nature, but ultimately it's v well written and p shocking at times. I still think the first season is the only one worth watching, though, (indulging in my urges.)

5 was the most wack but I think it got resolved in a way that still makes it awesome.

My personal vote goes to season 2. Couldn't stand the characters, couldn't stand the cliches, couldn't stand how obviously inspired it was by things I had already seen (it was like they took On The Waterfront and stretched what was done excellently in 2 hours into 12 hours of "Ok, I get it") .

Took me a while to pick up Season 3, but definitely feel so far that it was the 2nd best season - the return to "the streets" was much appreciated, and definitely the reason I remembered I was watching this series for in the first place.

idk man, for as impressively intricate the story is (and will get, i'm sure), on a scene-by-scene basis there's still tons of groaners from a writing/acting perspective

― J0rdan S., Sunday, January 16, 2011 6:36 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark

there were def groaners in the 1st season cause they were following the police procedural type format too closely. like I remember the prez solves the mysterious beeper code!! part really facepalm-y, also the character of prez was just way too cardboard. it's in season 2/3/4 when they stop following that format and let it ~play out on its own~ that it becomes really excellent and transcendent.

btw julliard is a music school, not an acting school

I also met an ziggy-type person last night, I wanted to punch his lights out so bad

yeah prez is one of the characters on this show for me that goes from a *rolls eyes* to a dope character

totally

btw julliard is a music school, not an acting school

btw juilliard also has a drama school. crazy chinese mother's husband went there.

I also met an ziggy-type person last night, I wanted to punch his lights out so bad

He was showing off his dick, wasn't he?

Hated Prez when he was first introduced, total idiot but by the end of season 4, I was all <3

xpost did he have a duck on a leash?

btw julliard is a music school, not an acting school

btw juilliard also has a drama school. crazy chinese mother's husband went there.

― Zsa Zsa Gay Bar (jaymc), Sunday, January 16, 2011 10:51 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

hoisted on my own petard ;_;

looking at the alumni list on wikipedia the only names that jump out at me are robin williams and christopher reeve

so

pretty sure i have heard robin williams say "true dat"

wait... val kilmer & kevin kline & ving rhames & kevin spacey as well

wait til j0rd finds out mcnulty is british

When I think of Julliard I think of Flashdance. that's all I got

wait til j0rd finds out mcnulty is british

― dayo, Saturday, January 15, 2011 10:00 PM (22 seconds ago)

i was like nooooooooooooo when i first learned this

don't tell him about any other brits

still amazed there are americans who didn't find out mcnulty was british the first time they heard his character speak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIvu1yg3bU

Once I knew, I could totally hear it, but yeah, at first I had no clue at all

i know my small objections here are pretty subjective btw -- like i could point out specific scenes or strings of dialogue when i'm watching where things seem too writerly i.e. characters conversing in ways that humans don't -- idk, it's minor but in my mind i'm always comparing this to the sopranos which is pretty much perfect obv so \(o_O)/

i get what you're saying jordan. the dialogue and some of the acting is kind of rough around the edges, almost amateurish. it's definitely not a perfect show.

you shut up

cosign :)

i actually didn't notice how english west was until i found out he was. but in hindsight, snat boogie is so obvious.

SNAT BOOGY?

No agreeing with Jordan. the Wire is made by angels and he hasn't even finished watching the series so ...

<3 u Jordan

</3

that opening scene is a good example of the 'writerly' style that probably rubs j0rd the wrong way.