"The Wire" on HBO

I'm so glad to be able to go into this thread now w/out fear of spoilers (I had the misfortune of hearing about some major deaths thanks to youtube and the wire website).

Funny DFW's take on this should be mentioned. I spent last Sunday just watching the wire partly as relief from the shock of his death.

But honestly, as someone who doesn't really watch TV anymore, has there ever been anything on TV that comes even close to this? (and don't even try to say The Sopranos).

Biggest disappointment about the Season 5 DVD: hearing the actor who plays Norman's real voice (high pitched and whiny!) in the special features.

they both had pretty bad reputations in the dept, i don't think anyone outside the situation would be surprised to see them go

Freamon was older and everyone would have probably believed he was just going to do dollhouse miniatures full-time. McNulty may have had a bad rap in certain circles but I can't imagine that people would have just accepted his retirement without asking questions. I assumed that maybe there was a cover story I missed, but maybe they left it unsaid.

dude

everybody always makes up shit after people quit anyway. have you ever worked at a job?

what do you think the cover story was for busting whatsisface back to the copy desk?

"irreconcilable differences"

dude I KNOW they made an excuse up, I was just wondering what the excuse was!

Watched all of it over the last month and it was great up until the end. Season 4 my absolute favorite.

It kind of seems like at least a couple people knew why McNulty and Freamon were leaving - Landsman at least seems to have reconciled himself with it after bitching at McNulty for so long. Or something. That's just the vibe I got at the fake wake.

Also, fuck this guy:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/The_Wire_Templeton.jpg/250px-The_Wire_Templeton.jpg

I didn't find the Sun stuff as compelling as the rest of the season's narrative are; here's where I felt David Simon's bitterness strangle the development of situations beyond the most obviously cartoonish. The McNulty-Templeton Secret Sharer stuff felt cheap.

*the rest of the season's narrative ARC

The McNulty-Templeton Secret Sharer stuff felt cheap.

yeah, but without it you don't get this:

"You... you can't be serious"
"You're right. I'm a joke. And so are you."

One of the most powerful elements of the show was how very few got what we thought they deserved. Namond was the last kid in season 4 anyone would have picked to be saved, but he was the one who gets a second chance at life. The Jayson Glass character gets the Pulitzer while his honest colleagues get the shaft. Valchek makes commissioner. Poot stays alive and becomes a taxpayer while Wallace (and to an extent, a redeemed Bodie) die in the game.

But at the same time, there was a hopefulness and optimism to the show; bad things happened to good people and good things happened to bad people, but unlike Oz, which reveled in piling on sadness and despair, there was always a layer of sanguinity on The Wire. Enough to make it tolerable but not enough to make concessions to the viewer.

Eh. Generally you're right, but in the newspaper scenes I suspected that, for Simon, shit happens = truth. You know, that old canard about how sad songs say so much.

I noticed that the kid who played Mike is in that new excruciatingly-well-intentioned and painfully-awful-looking Queen Latifah movie.

Michael was also playing lacrosse in the 2 minutes of the new 90210 that I saw.

Michael as the new Omar and Dukie as the new Bubs was kind of awesome / sad / expected.

and randy as the next... bodie?

Don't forget Sydnor as the new McNulty

Biggest disappointment about the Season 5 DVD: hearing the actor who plays Norman's real voice (high pitched and whiny!) in the special features.

What? No. Smooth and deep. Here:

I'm watching the Wire all weekend at the Curzon in Soho! SO HYPED!

pls let Dominic West be in character at the bar after.

The Wire Weekender Schedule

Saturday 20th September
10.30am
Ticket collection, coffee and croissants available at special rate.
11.00am
EPISODES 1 and 2 plus Q&A # 1 – David Simon and Misha Glenny on crime writing
3pm
EPISODES 3 and 4
5.30pm
Episode 5 Short intro by David Simon
6.30pm
Book signing by David Simon and informal drinks at the Curzon Soho bar

Sunday 21st September
9.30am
Ticket collection, croissants and coffee available at special rate
10am
EPISODES 6 and 7plus Q&A # 2 – David Simon Mark Billingham
2pm
EPISODES 8 and 9
4.15pm
Q&A # 3 Dominic West and David Simon in conversation with Kirsty Lang from Front Row. 5.30pm.
EPISODE 10
7.00pm
DVD signing and informal drinks at the Curzon Soho bar.

So here's what I know so far:

Season 1 = about the drug trade
Season 2 = about the port
Season 3 = about how Daniels looks with his shirt off

Season 4 = how Daniels looks like in a kepis.

Season 5 = How McNulty looks in a spacesuit.

Rawls: "McNulty, you've done good work here, and I just want to make sure you don't end up where you don't want to be."

cut to Freamon watching through porthole as McNulty picking up space-junk. "You never learn, McNulty."

Seriously, though, that guy must work out a LOT

Yeah, he has one of those comic book hero bodies.

Saw Freamon on the way out of Chris Rock at the Apollo; dude couldn't walk five steps without someone giving him love. He's a smooth dude.

let's not custos the wire thread, gents

Aren't you supposed to be packing up your stuff?

anyway I laughed at thought of mcnulty in space suit

but of course I would

only thing i'm taking with me is my name, el-t ^_^

Saw Rawls again at brunch -- think it must be his regular place/time.

http://tcgayhockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/bgbrunch_flyer.jpg

ha hah ha - awesome!

For the record, he was with a woman that looked to be his wife or SO.

Doesn't mean you can't hit on him.

Just finished this yesterday.

*spoiler*
there's no way that they keep shitty reporter's stuff quiet in the newsroom. You can't just ship the two people off and tell 'em to shut up. That feels like Simon's grudge against Evil Newspaper Bosses coming through. Loved that final EP though; way more satisfying than I thought it would be after ep 9.

I haaaaaaaaate the bad reporter so much that I hate the actor too

he did direct that bad "the visitor" film so maybe he deserves it

Homina homina homina December 9!!!

Product Details
Actors: Wire
Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English, Greek

I'm betting that with the economic situation I'll be able to find used copies under $100 post-Christmas.

Season 1 = about the drug trade
Season 2 = about the port
Season 3 = about how Daniels looks with his shirt off

Season 4 = about how this all becomes WAY more vexed and depressing when you factor in loads of children

Loads of children + Daniel with his shirt off = recipe for disaster

season 4 was my favorite season. Those kids were amazing.

keep seeing this maryland lottery commercial with the bodie actor

:/

Actor getting paid = good

Brits are obsessed with this show.

Much of Lance Reddick's young life was spent with instruments, not acting; he studied piano as a kid, and majored in classical composition at the Eastman School of Music. He switched to pop upon graduation, then turned to stage acting to further his music career, eventually attending Yale's drama school.

wow!