People Complain that The Wire is 'Humourless' and too 'Grim'?

K4t

After reading a few of the older threads where people gave reasons why they couldn't get into the Wire I became more and more dismayed. They compared it to the Sopranos and argued that it lacked the humour and 'funny scenes' of the Sopranos. And I have to disagree completely. The Sopranos is damn funny, in nearly every episode if I'm being honest. 'Pine Barrens' was one of the greatest comedy performances in the history of television. But wouldn't you agree that you needed to know the characters to understand the jokes? The Wire, it takes a while to get to like the characters and to understand them. As the characters mature and you grasp the storylines, you start to get the jokes. The Sopranos is easier when you have characters like 'Paulie Walnuts'. Paulie seems too stupid, too crazy to be real if I'm being honest, but he is a great character and usually involved in the jokes in the Sopranos. The jokes in the Sopranos are more obvious in the Sopranos too whereas there is a more subtle approach in the 'Wire'.
e.g. The scene in the Wire where McNulty is discussing the 'Serial Killer' with journalists and says "He's maturing". I guffawed but my brother who was in the room at the time but had never seen Season5 yet had seen other seasons was looking at me with a face that said 'you weirdo'. You had to know the storyline to get the joke. That is seldom the case in the 'Sopranos'.

There are many funny scenes in the Wire throughout all the seasons.

Season 1 - Yes it's grim, especially with Creggs being shot but we are also treated to the banter between Herc and Carver, the scene where they are pushing the cabinet through the door is hilarious. So simple but funny!

Season 2 - Ziggy steals the show. Any scene he is involved in you are nearly sure of laughs. The drunk duck!

Season 3 - it's been a while since I've seen it but I'm sure Rawls was on McNulty's case as usual and Landsman was coming up with his usual quips!

Season 4 - haven't seen this season in a while either but the

Season 5 - McNulty to Landsman when Jimmy's being pressurised to solve the case, "Jay, I can't make this **** up can I?" and the look from Bunk! These are the moments I treasure on the Wire and they are damn funny.

McNulty and Daniels in the elevator, complete silence and then Daniels gets out and says in that hushed voice of his "To be continued"
If you didn't undertsnad fully the storyline there would be no way you would get that. It wasn't a joke but it was funny.

The Wire is a show that needs time. You need to devote time to it to get the best out of it. But when you give that time and stick with it (even if you are a bit bored for the first few eps of Season1) you will be entrapped by it. The characters will grow on you, you will think about them in your day to day life even? I nearly said to a teacher of mine the other day "**** did I do?!

The wire is not all doom and gloom. It has it's moments of humour during each episode, each season. But it was never advertised as being a sitcom either.

Dero

I agree completely that the Wire has some excellent lighter moments. One that really stands out (having just finished watching series 5) is the lie detector scene in the first episode. I creased up at that.

Also, I used to love Stringer Bell's meetings: "The chair don't recognise your ass". Class.

rovert

I enjoyed a lot of the office banter from the police scenes

The Sparrow

I may have been one of the people in the previous threads that the OP was referring to. I wouldn't normally notice this forum but I saw this thread on the front page.

I came to The Wire with high expectations after numerous people saying how great it was. So I was expecting something good.

But I just couldn't get past the grimness which to me seems like the main element of the programme. I watched the whole first season and I found almost nothing humorous or light. I don't mind grim but for a show to be great it has to have lots of elements. Hence why The Sopranos was so brilliant.

I stuck with The Wire for the first season but after that I had no inclination to watch anymore.

Boom_Bap

Any scene that has The Bunk with a few shandies in him is hilarious.
Also the ones where McNulty drives drunk and trys to make the corner for a second time, and when he see some young lads commiting a crime, jumps out of his car, falls on his ass and starts laughing to himself.

The humour may not be obvious in The Wire, the characters are not there to be funny but have thier funny moments, like all of us. Whereas compared to the Sopranos, there are some characters there just for comic purposes.

lostexpectation

its the banter with teh corner kids that the ight in the first series...

at the end of the day its meant to be grim

rovert

Prop Joe's facial expressions were often hilarious too in an understated way.

Lafortezza

Bunk in the pink bathrobe in the bathtub trying to burn his clothes!

Wreck

Despite the fact that its setting and subject matter is very grim, there is some very witty dialogue, and lots of comic moments in the Wire. The one that had me really cracks me up is in the 5th season when the FBI psychologist is

describing the serial killer and he perfectly describes McNulty

, it's such a funny scene. And who could forget the classic McNulty Bunk fcuk scene.

Auvers

Just a few from my favourite character, The BUNK

Bunk: Boy, them Greeks and those twisted-ass names.
McNulty: Man, lay off the Greeks. They invented civilisation.
Bunk: Yeah? and Ass-fcuking, too

McNulty: You know why I respect you so much, Bunk?
Bunk: Mm-mmm.
McNulty: It's not 'cause you're good police, 'cause, y'know, fcuk that, right?
Bunk: Mm. Fcuk that, yeah.
McNulty: It's not 'cause when I came to homicide, you taught me all kinds of cool sh1t about . . . well, whatever.
Bunk: Mm. Whatever.
McNulty: It's 'cause when it came time for you to fcuk me, you were very gentle.
Bunk: You damn right.
McNulty: See, 'cause you could have hauled me out of the garage and just bent me over the hood of a radio car, and - no, you were, you were very gentle.
Bunk: I knew it was your first time. I wanted to make that fcuk special.
McNulty: It was, man. It fcuking was


Bunk: The Bunk can't swim. I ain't too good at floatin' either.


Herc: I lost a surveillance camera that I took without my Lieutenant's permission and the evidence that I had found, I it attributed to a made up informant.
Bunk: Son, They gonna beat on your White ass like it was a Rented Mule

uberpixie

woooo232 wrote: »

I may have been one of the people in the previous threads that the OP was referring to. I wouldn't normally notice this forum but I saw this thread on the front page.

I came to The Wire with high expectations after numerous people saying how great it was. So I was expecting something good.

But I just couldn't get past the grimness which to me seems like the main element of the programme. I watched the whole first season and I found almost nothing humorous or light. I don't mind grim but for a show to be great it has to have lots of elements. Hence why The Sopranos was so brilliant.

I stuck with The Wire for the first season but after that I had no inclination to watch anymore.

Really comes down to how much you like gallows humour.

Myself and my mate watched the first episode and broke our shoite laughing at the fcuked nature of the characters, the police force, the petty politics etc.. We knew we had to watch the rest of the show after that 1st episode.

Another house mate watched the 1st episode, got all depressed and never went back to it.

I like the wire because it even though it is dark in place and it is very gritty, it does have moments so messed up you have to laugh or you will cry!

Some people just don't get the humour or like gallows humour and hence will find the wire far too grim.

Still I think two of my favorite moments are:

1) McNulty in the 1st episode going into Rawls office with Rawls giving him the finger on each hand telling him "these, these are for you McNulty, these are for you how ever long it takes to get you back ....."

I love it because in most cop shows you get the standard angry Sarge routine lots of yelling and swearing, this takes you by suprise and feels like a proprer "I'm the boss, you have angered me and I am going to get you" You see McNulty try to fob his way out of it and fail as both he and Rawls know exactly what he did.

2) Omar getting cross examined by the defense lawyer in the 2nd season giving off smart answer back to the lawyer.

The lawyer pointing out how Omar is a scum bag who makes a living based on the profits of crime, Omar then of course points out that as a Defense Attorney: the laywer too makes his living based on the profits of crime!

"I got my shot gun, you got your brief case, its all in the game..."

landmonster

I think it's well known that anyone who doesn't like The Wire is clearly retarded.

The Sparrow

landmonster wrote: »

I think it's well known that anyone who doesn't like The Wire is clearly retarded.

Not as well known as the old proverb that anyone who says:

"anyone who doesn't like [insert anything] is clearly retarded"

clearly needs to expand their vocabulary.

luckat

God, I found it funny the first time I watched it, but the humour was secondary to the brilliant storylines and character. But then I gave someone the whole thing for Christmas, and started watching Season 1 with them all over again, and I was falling around laughing! The Baltimore way of putting things has the same kind of subfusc irony as the Dublin wit.

Tristram

woooo232 wrote: »

I don't mind grim but for a show to be great it has to have lots of elements.

In kaleidoscope land maybe. Some people cannot appreciate some things because they dont get it. C'est la vie.

Tristram

Also, TV/films/music, art in general can be great without being entertaining. Entertainment is not the criteria of "greatness".

(Some would argue that it's not even a criteria).

The Sparrow

Tristram wrote: »

In kaleidoscope land maybe. Some people cannot appreciate some things because they dont get it. C'est la vie.

LOL the same argument as every other fanboy in the world... if you don't like it, it's because you don't get it.

At least try and take the time to explain what exactly it is that I and others seem to be missing.

Tristram

Perhaps you would find the post that followed enlightening. I don't think you got my posts.

(chuckle?)

Also, I dont think those posts could really be understood as an argument

Photi

The funniest moment in The Wire has to be Snoop buying the nailgun in the hardware store.

Boom_Bap

Photi wrote: »

The funniest moment in The Wire has to be Snoop buying the nailgun in the hardware store.

Forgot about that one, the look of confusement on the shop assistant when Snoop talks and when he give him the wad of cash and tells him to keep the change.

Tristram

Boom_Bap

Gonna throw a spoiler on this just in case......

When they dump the nail gun and Snoop tells the other badass dude (whos name i cant remember right now) that he owes her 800 bucks

m83

Boom_Bap wrote: »

Forgot about that one, the look of confusement on the shop assistant when Snoop talks and when he give him the wad of cash and tells him to keep the change.

Snoop's a girl :eek:

godtabh

m83 wrote: »

Snoop's a girl :eek:

There is a few threads on this already

Unearthly

I agree there is humour in this show, you just need to know the characters or storylines

I always loved the scenes with McNulty and Rawls

rovert

m83 wrote: »

Snoop's a girl :eek:

How much of this show have you watched?

m83

rovert wrote: »

How much of this show have you watched?

What does that have to do with anything? Snoop is a girl! I've seen all but season 5.

rovert

m83 wrote: »

What does that have to do with anything? Snoop is a girl! I've seen all but season 5.

Yes Snoop's gender isn’t completely apparent initially but gender is revealed well before Season Five in numerous ways.

Jay Ru

One of my favourite funny scenes is during series 4 where Bunk turns to another cop and tells him how he made Lester "limp like that"

and what about Herc going into the Mayors office after he seen the secratary given him head?

or in series 5 when Bunk, Gregs and Lester plan there bank job, "in every plan a week link"

Robbo

Fuzzy Dunlop.

Holsten

Jay Ru wrote: »

One of my favourite funny scenes is during series 4 where Bunk turns to another cop and tells him how he made Lester "limp like that"

Ha I was listening to the commentary for that episode last night. That was totally un-scripted.

All Wendell Pierce, legend!