The Wire

Garret · Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 1837 Location: St. Paul, MN

Decided it should have it's own thread.

This show is amazing. The more I watch it the better it gets. The more I learn about the cast and writers and how they do things, the more amazed I am. The level of detail and reality of what is going on is absolutely astounding. They don't spoon feed it to you either.

If you aren't watching the show, definitely start from the beginning. It's a very complex show and has a huge cast of characters. I think it's somewhere in the neigbhorhood of 30-40 primary characters who all play important roles at one point or another. I tried jumping in the in middle of season 3 and quickly found myself needing to jump back to the beginning to really understand how things developed.

I also really enjoy how each season is a story unto itself. They explore a theme for the 12 episodes and definitely wrap up that theme. They then leave the door open with other storylines that get expanded the next season.

Missy Bigbritches · Joined: 21 Sep 2003 Posts: 976 Location: Minneapolis

I've read a lot about the show but I think it would break my heart, this season especially.

rahpower · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 2876 Location: NYC

The best show on television at the moment.

EmD, MD · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 1604

I'm really afraid they're going to kill Bubs this season.

Garret · Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 1837 Location: St. Paul, MN

I like Bubbles too, he's a survivor. Eventually the street is going to get him though.

sad poseur · Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Posts: 566 Location: Evanston, IL

Mrs. Poseur and I are going to see David Simon speak at Northwestern tomorrow night. Will pass along pertinent info.

'Snoop' scares the crap out of me. Where'd they find her?

Garret · Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 1837 Location: St. Paul, MN

"Snoop" was actually until relatively recently a street thug. Some how or other she met Ed Burns who was a big advocate to get her on the show. Only heard vague details and that was about it.

Also, the deacon who helped the boxing coach and the former major, his name is Melvin Williams. Back during the 60's, 70's and early 80's he was a major drug lord in Baltimore. Ed Burn's arrested him in '84 and he went to prison for a while. He's now involved with several Baltimore church groups and speaks out against violence and drugs.

Other notable figures: Detective Ed Norris is a former Baltimore Police Commissioner. The head of the Health Department that was in several meetings with the mayor during season 3 was actually the real mayor from that time period of the city.

Pete Scholtes · Guest

Wish I had HBO to get the current season. I talked a lot about it with Pelecanos this year:

http://citypages.com/databank/27/1337/article14551.asp

http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/2006/07/george_pelecano.asp

But the real interview I should get is with Big G, who plays Slim Charles. God he's good.

sad poseur · Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Posts: 566 Location: Evanston, IL

Just got back tonight. Nothing in the way of spoilers (other than S5 will be about the media); nothing about the post-Katrina pilot Pelecanos mentions.

Some highlights:

*The show was always conceived as a five-part look at the idea that "every moment, human life is worth less":
S1: abject failure of the war on drugs
S2: death of work and the destruction of the middle class
S3: corruption of government institutions
S4: erosion of opportunities
S5: the institutions that are supposed to crusade against these failures, and their inability/unwillingness to do so well.
("So y'see, it's a lighthearted comedy.")
So even if the fourth and fifth seasons were absolutely huge and HBO threw tons of money at them for a sixth, unless some writer came up with a new, great theme, Simon wouldn't do S6.

*because character arcs are determined so far in advance, actors aren't allowed to ad lib much -- they don't want to paint characters in corners. This came up in a question about Snoop's season-opening scene buying the nail gun. She's very interested in acting; working with a coach; and was brought on because she was authentic, but it was understood that she had to be on-book.

*on working with children who are given such outrageous things to say and do (esp. this kid Kenard, whom I haven't seen yet but apparently cusses like a sailor) -- " I don't know how I sleep at night sometimes."

finally, he's way down on the Tribune Company, for "taking wheelbarrows of money" out of the Sun and apparently ruining the paper.

Garret · Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 1837 Location: St. Paul, MN

Yeah, I'm looking forward to hearing more of the New Orlean's show. The Wire will end, but I hope David Simon keeps working. All of his shows feel so real. I haven't seen The Corner yet, but I loved Homocide.

EmD, MD · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 1604

They had The Corner on HBO On Demand right before the new season of The Wire started, but I missed it. Now it's on our Netflix queue.

sad poseur · Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Posts: 566 Location: Evanston, IL

Something about The Corner...I dunno, but I found it the least satisfying of all the Simon TV stuff. Maybe it didn't live up to the interminable wait for it to hit DVD. It's worth seeing, if only for the real-life cameos, but halfway in they were the only things keeping me interested.

The book's great, of course, and pretty clearly a template for The Wire. Bunny's paper-bag speech when he introduces the Hamsterdam plan is taken almost verbatim.

Yuck Foo · Joined: 09 Sep 2003 Posts: 1610 Location: Minnesota

The entire season was leaked, and now I can't stop watching the entire season 4. The rest of the episodes, I've watched so far, do not dissapoint.

Garret · Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 1837 Location: St. Paul, MN

Just saw the final episode of the season last night. Absolutely amazing stories. I'm glad they're planning for at least one more season, so much I want to watch unfold. The quote at the beginning of the last episode is one of the best I think.

EmD, MD · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 1604

Garret, did they for sure get picked up for one more season?