Satisfactory ending? Spoilers.. Surprisingly.

Sútalún

Well.. Just after finishing the box set. What did everyone think of the ending?
Without giving my full thoughts, I felt it was about as a "good" an ending as anyone could have expected. I mean there's still so many loose ends but some of the character development towards the end was incredible. Especially Michael and Dukie, almost turning into the next Omar and Bubbles. So disheartening yet it's the truth, and the truth and realism is what The Wire always aimed to portray. And McNulty's last line "Let's go home" or some variation there of was so poignant. I mean despite all the pitfalls, the heartache and the poverty Balitmore, for so many people, is just that. Home.

What did everyone else think??

pappyodaniel

I felt awful after I finished it, not because of the despair and never ending cycles of life in the ghettos but because I had nothing else to watch. There's no tv show that comes close to the sheer quality of The Wire.

I tried to replace it with The Shield but gave up on it after about 5 episodes.

Penn

I like to interpret the ending as being a way of showing that, all these characters have come on this incredible journey, all for different reasons.... but nothing has changed in the city of Baltimore. All the wiretaps and investigations by the police, but people are still being killed. All the drug dealers who were killed or arrested, but there's always someone to take their place. Even though Omar was killed by a kid, there's always going to be another Omar.

These people are products of their environment, and even though the main characters made these huge personal changes to their lives, the environment is still the same.

Thats just my take on it though

Sútalún

pappyodaniel wrote: »

I felt awful after I finished it, not because of the despair and never ending cycles of life in the ghettos but because I had nothing else to watch. There's no tv show that comes close to the sheer quality of The Wire.

I tried to replace it with The Shield but gave up on it after about 5 episodes.

Yeah, so true. I'm thinking of watching Dexter or the Shield but after what you've said.. Not sure now! Nothing will replace it.

amacachi

Sútalún wrote: »

Yeah, so true. I'm thinking of watching Dexter or the Shield but after what you've said.. Not sure now! Nothing will replace it.

Nothing is as good but The Shield is still ****ing excellent. As is Dexter, other than Season 3, though it's worth getting through for Season 4. Get Breaking Bad too if you haven't already.

Funkfield

pappyodaniel wrote: »

I felt awful after I finished it, not because of the despair and never ending cycles of life in the ghettos but because I had nothing else to watch. There's no tv show that comes close to the sheer quality of The Wire.

I tried to replace it with The Shield but gave up on it after about 5 episodes.

I was one of the only people on the planet that never watched The Sopranos. So after The Wire I started watching that.

Its the only thing I've watched that has come close.

Penn

Funkfield wrote: »

I was one of the only people on the planet that never watched The Sopranos. So after The Wire I started watching that.

Its the only thing I've watched that has come close.

Really? I've watched 3 seasons of The Sopranos but I just can't get into it. I just couldn't care less about any of the characters. None of them engage me in any way. With The Wire, you had characters that, no matter what side of the law they were on, you felt for them. Not all of them, but a lot of them.

With The Sopranos though, I can't think of one character, maybe with the exception of Dr.Melfi, whose death I'd be saddened at.

Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the excellent writing and some of the stories, but I just don't care

TarfHead

I finished Season 5, for the first time, last month. I hesitated before watching the last episode because of how it would feel once it ended.

Having watched The Sopranos, there is no other show, that I know of, that I could ever watch with the same level of anticipation.

Morzadec

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

I like to interpret the ending as being a way of showing that, all these characters have come on this incredible journey, all for different reasons.... but nothing has changed in the city of Baltimore. All the wiretaps and investigations by the police, but people are still being killed. All the drug dealers who were killed or arrested, but there's always someone to take their place. Even though Omar was killed by a kid, there's always going to be another Omar.

These people are products of their environment, and even though the main characters made these huge personal changes to their lives, the environment is still the same.

Thats just my take on it though

Well put.

I think Dookie shooting up at the end of the montage was possibly the most depressing scene of the whole series, and the most extreme example of these people being products of their environment.

Jay Ru

Morzadec wrote: »

Well put.

I think Dookie shooting up at the end of the montage was possibly the most depressing scene of the whole series, and the most extreme example of these people being products of their environment.

With that said (and i totally agree) the scene with Bubbles finally gets to come up the stairs and eat with his sister was one of the happiest scenes of the entire show. Andre Royo hats off to ya for a legendary performance of the worlds favourite snitch!

godtabh

Morzadec wrote: »

I think Dookie shooting up at the end of the montage was possibly the most depressing scene of the whole series, and the most extreme example of these people being products of their environment.

I think that was the show despite all the effort a new generation of users are around the corner and that the drug war will never end.

Not that you can even call it a war. Wars end.

Jesus Juice

I liked in the final episode they had like prolonged shots of random parts of Baltimore.Nice touch.

I dont think they could've ended it any other way tbh!I think because each story line in The Wire is strung out over such a long time, the last episode was more like tying up lose ends.