The Wire-finally finished

[coolhandgopher]

During this past week my wife and I completed watching the entire five seasons of The Wire, over several months. I've taken a few days to reflect upon the show, and I do believe it is the finest TV show ever done, certainly the finest drama I've ever watched. The intricacy and complexity of the series elevated it far beyond standard television. It's not for the faint of heart, it's certainly not escapist fare, and there's very little feel-good about the show, but it is an incredible portrayal of inner city life, the drug trade, the failings of the public education system, the gutting of the newspaper industry, the crumbling of blue collar jobs and a whole lot more. Highly, highly recommended, if you are alright with very salty language.

[From the Barn]

The cheese stands alone...

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Fantastic show. HBO is to be commended for bettering television with this and other shows.

[Winnipegopher]

Easily the best tv I have ever watched. I found it gruelling getting through five seasons though.

The acting was so good that I actually felt betrayed when I saw an interview with McNulty and he spoke with a posh British accent. I never would have thought he was not a native of the area.

[From the Barn]

Easily the best tv I have ever watched. I found it gruelling getting through five seasons though.

The acting was so good that I actually felt betrayed when I saw an interview with McNulty and he spoke with a posh British accent. I never would have thought he was not a native of the area.

Good thing you didn't hear an interview with Stringer.

[Rouser]

Great show. My 2nd favorite. Six Feet Under is still my all time favorite. Especially the final episode..

[monk10]

Like Sopranos I couldn't make it through the first four episodes, and couldn't get back to it. Even though countless people told me I needed to weather the beginning episodes.

[From the Barn]

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[Gopher4Life]

Is The Wire better than Weeds?

[rychart45]

Yes, and it's not close. And I like Weeds.

[Gopher4Life]

Thanks. I'll have to Netflix it.

[monk10]

Thanks. I'll have to Netflix it.

I struggled to watch the acting portrayed by the "good guys". I thought the concept was interesting, but once I started spending more time complaining about the characters then watching the show I had to give up on it. Hopefully you have more patience then I did.

[coolhandgopher]

You didn't like the cops? Although McNulty (the main character in the show) is a pain in the ass from the beginning and someone who I had ambivalent feelings towards during various points of the series, Dominic West does a bang up job of portraying the character and really inhabits the role of the rogue cop fighting personal demons throughout the series.

As for the other cops-Bunk, Kima, Freamon, Carver, Prez, and Daniels, well each of those characters developed into wonderful, complex, interesting portrayals as the show advanced. Not always moral, either in their personal or professional lives, but damn interesting.

[Rick Mons]

The Wire is great when you're able to watch it "in series." I found it harder to keep track of the various story lines and characters watching it once a week when it was originally on HBO.

David Simon (one of the Executive Producers) has written a couple of non-fiction books about Baltimore police. Another Producer is George Pelecanos who is one of my favorite mystery/crime novelists. And, Dennis Lehane was one of several writers on the show ... Lehane is top-notch fiction writer as well. Talent shows.

[coolhandgopher]

Great point Rick-having Pelecanos and Lehane involved (two of my favorites, particularly Pelecanos) really ratcheted up the quality of writing for the show.

[monk10]

I don't know it was too much of exact stereotypes right off the back. Young cops with stereotypes, old cops who didn't care, the rogue cop, the cop trying to get promoted put in an impossible situation.

Like I said I didn't get through to the point where their characters got more complex. I felt like I was predicting lines by the fourth episode.

[From the Barn]

And what do you think happens to the young cop?

[Rick Mons]

Cool,

The Given Day was one of those books that took me back to the days when I was a kid and would just get captivated by a book. I think I read it in two days and stayed up way too late reading it.

Both kids and wife have read it (well, not Alec). Wife's not of Irish descent but even she got into it.

[Rick Mons]

you tube cut of 100 quotesnice reference. I wonder what we'd do without the f-word? Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeittttttttttttttttttttttt. ... :D

[Ski U Master]

I also recently finished The Wire. Damn good storytelling right there. 5th season not as strong as the rest, but still good.

[From the Barn]

nice reference. I wonder what we'd do without the f-word?

Solve fewer murders?