nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

The Wire-Is it any good?

billyhead

I was a big fan of the Sopranos when it was shown on tv and I often here people compare both and say the wire is just as good if not better so I was wondering is it worth watching the series form 1 to whatever season it finished up with

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

mikhail

I haven't read the whole thread, just the opening couple of pages, but I didn't see anyone comment on The Wire as social commentary. It's a show about how and why ****ed up systems stay ****ed up. Anyone who tries to do something different is brought to heel or crushed. I've never seen anything like it on that front.

jesus_thats_gre

BrentMused wrote: »

I initially watched The Wire about 15 years ago.

Thought it was amazing and whilst looking for a new show to watch a few months ago herself revealed she had never seen it so we had to rectify that!

There was an awful lot I couldn't remember and we've just finished it this afternoon.

All I can say is wow. It's still as good as I remember all those years ago.

Despite all of the deaths, tragedies etc, the one thing that always sticks with me (and is one of the few scenes I clearly remembered from my initial watch) is
Dukie shooting up
in the final scene. So, so sad

The whole series is just an unbelievable piece of art.

Gets better with every watch. I won't admit how many times I have watched it and The Sopranos at this stage.

Mantis Toboggan

Couldn't get past season 1, just wasn't for me.

BrentMused

I initially watched The Wire about 15 years ago.

Thought it was amazing and whilst looking for a new show to watch a few months ago herself revealed she had never seen it so we had to rectify that!

There was an awful lot I couldn't remember and we've just finished it this afternoon.

All I can say is wow. It's still as good as I remember all those years ago.

Despite all of the deaths, tragedies etc, the one thing that always sticks with me (and is one of the few scenes I clearly remembered from my initial watch) is

Dukie shooting up

in the final scene. So, so sad

The whole series is just an unbelievable piece of art.

jack presley

Nice to hear the actor who plays Clay Davis use "sheeeeit" in the new Spike Lee film Da 5 Bloods.

steve_r

That's mad, literally just watched that episode last night

rubadub

Penn wrote: »

Just note, the first few episodes of each new season can be quite jarring considering they introduce new characters, settings etc.

I only watched it this year and went onto wiki and read the plot after each episode. I did this as a rule even if I thought there was no need, thinking I had caught everything, even then there was invariably something I did not twig that was going on.

Some of the wiki plots are overly detailed though, here is a long one but they nicely break it up into different sections.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliances_(The_Wire)

I don't think there were any spoilers if you stuck to strictly reading the plots and did not read trivia or other stuff on the pages. There is a bit of a spoiler in that if a new character has their name highlighted, to show they have their own wiki page, then you know they are a fairly main character. That could be seen as a good subtle spoiler though, you know they are one to watch out for.

If you went looking for characters pages obviously there are spoilers, and even if you went to see actors wiki pages it would be spoiled if you spotted the years that they were in the show.

Penn

Acosta wrote: »

Yeah? Season 1 was class, so that's good news.

Just note, the first few episodes of each new season can be quite jarring considering they introduce new characters, settings etc. But after a few episodes where you start seeing how everything is connecting, it's incredible.

jack presley

golfball37 wrote: »

Hard to believe Waylon inflicted Galway Girl on the world

Don't blame Earle for Mundy's butchering of that song.

golfball37

jack presley wrote: »

Yeah, I especially like the Season 2 one with the Steve Earle (Waylon) song 'I Feel Alright'.

Hard to believe Waylon inflicted Galway Girl on the world

jack presley

Deleted User wrote: »

The montage in the last episode of each season is incredible

Yeah, I especially like the Season 2 one with the Steve Earle (Waylon) song 'I Feel Alright'.

[Deleted User]

Acosta wrote: »

Just finished season 1. It took a few episodes to get into, but it is very good. Spent about 15 years telling people ''Yeah, I'll watch it at some point...''

The montage in the last episode of each season is incredible

Acosta

golfball37 wrote: »

Congrats it gets much much better too.

Yeah? Season 1 was class, so that's good news.

golfball37

Acosta wrote: »

Just finished season 1. It took a few episodes to get into, but it is very good. Spent about 15 years telling people ''Yeah, I'll watch it at some point...''

Congrats it gets much much better too.

Acosta

Just finished season 1. It took a few episodes to get into, but it is very good. Spent about 15 years telling people ''Yeah, I'll watch it at some point...''

jack presley

steve_r wrote: »

I'm doing the same, however I like to do an episode a night so now I'm up to S3e7.

I do like the two podcasts hosts, they've insights there about race that I would never have appreciated. They've clearly done their homework also in terms of cast research, and reading books around the series.

I'm still listening to the podcast but I don't like the way they keep bringing it back to NBA comparisons. I know Jemelle Hill from her ESPN days so it's something she's comfortable talking about but I have 0 interest in basketball and don't care that Stringer Bell is like James Harden or whoever.

steve_r

jack presley wrote: »

I started listening to this as I rewatch the series It's not as good as the Talking Sopranos one as it isn't hosted by cast members and they don't have guests from the show on but it's interesting enough. They're only at the end of series one now and I think they do 2 a week so it shouldn't take me too long to catch up

I'm doing the same, however I like to do an episode a night so now I'm up to S3e7.

I do like the two podcasts hosts, they've insights there about race that I would never have appreciated. They've clearly done their homework also in terms of cast research, and reading books around the series.

jack presley

2smiggy wrote: »

https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/1249709899686137856

I started listening to this as I rewatch the series It's not as good as the Talking Sopranos one as it isn't hosted by cast members and they don't have guests from the show on but it's interesting enough. They're only at the end of series one now and I think they do 2 a week so it shouldn't take me too long to catch up

mojesius

Just finished my second run of The Wire. I binge watched it first time but took it a bit slower this time (hard to do that on season 4!) Its up there with the Sopranos for.me.(which I've watched about 8/10 times at this stage)

Loved season 2 of the wire second time around. As others have said, Frank Sobotka is such a great character.

Prez is another one, pinnacle character in Season 4. Hardest scene for me was Carver with Randy in that season (won't give it away). Carver in earlier seasons comes across as a bit scummy. Randy brings out his humanity.

El_Duderino 09

rubadub wrote: »

It was funny but she tips the guy about $150 which was ridiculous. I was sure when Freamon copped onto the nail gun that he might go asking about "has anybody suspicious every bought a nail gun in here? gangster type" -"YES, I will never EVER forget this mad female gangster flashing cash around and knew about guns" (as she was rattling off about calibres etc.)

I finished watching it for the first time, liked it but thought I was going to be blown away from all the reviews I heard. It was rare that I was itching to watch the next episode, some might see that as a good thing as they do not like cliffhanger gimmicks, but I went away from it for several days without being a hurry to go back.

Fair one. It really doesn't rely on cliffhangers. It doesn't get that dramatic. The real fun comes in the rewatching. The story is a bit convoluted so it takes a lot of your attention. So when you rewatch you can focus more on the characters and the Interactions between them. That's the real gold in The Wire.

rubadub

meeeeh wrote: »

Edit: I never liked Snoop but the scene when she is buying nail gun is a classic.

It was funny but she tips the guy about $150 which was ridiculous. I was sure when Freamon copped onto the nail gun that he might go asking about "has anybody suspicious every bought a nail gun in here? gangster type" -"YES, I will never EVER forget this mad female gangster flashing cash around and knew about guns" (as she was rattling off about calibres etc.)

I finished watching it for the first time, liked it but thought I was going to be blown away from all the reviews I heard. It was rare that I was itching to watch the next episode, some might see that as a good thing as they do not like cliffhanger gimmicks, but I went away from it for several days without being a hurry to go back.

meeeeh

Regarding Marlo:

Marlo is forced to go legit. He gets what Stringer always wanted but couldn't achieve. His altercation with corner boys shows that unlike Stringer he never wanted that, he feels alienated trying to operate legitimately and very comfortable dealing with corner boys.

cdgalwegian

Dots1982 wrote: »

He had two kids at least as he refers to “Both his baby’s mamas” in one scene.

Whoah, that's some memory; I meant he had no family to speak of (though I don't remember that, even though I've seen the whole series twice).
Thinking about it, the The Wire was spot on regards Marlo and where he ended up; turns out, 'they' reckon that many CEO's are psychopaths, a trait that is a good fit in cut-throat industries, so the drug trade gets the cream of the crop, psychopath-wise. So at the end of the series, Marlo 'pivots' into legitimate business (well, he makes a move to; his instinct is to dash out and take on some corner boys).
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/08/the-science-behind-why-so-many-successful-millionaires-are-psychopaths-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to-be-a-bad-thing.html

Dots1982

cdgalwegian wrote: »

Also, Marlo was a robot; in the cold psychopathic non-empathy way. He had no family- I'd think he would have seen them as unnecessary- so had no weak links. As a robot, a backstory is surplus to requirements (unless you're in Westworld).

He had two kids at least as he refers to “Both his baby’s mamas” in one scene.

Slippin Jimmy

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

Ok to watch the whole series a 6th time?

Absolutely!

Large bottle small glass

cdgalwegian wrote: »

Also, Marlo was a robot; in the cold psychopathic non-empathy way. He had no family- I'd think he would have seen them as unnecessary- so had no weak links. As a robot, a backstory is surplus to requirements (unless you're in Westworld).

The security guard scene shows that better than
any other scene.

"But it's the other way"

Ok to watch the whole series a 6th time?

Mr.Nice Guy

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

When ye have the wire finished watch treme.
“Play for the money boys.play for the mother fcukin money”

Just finished the first season of this. I thought it was alright and at times good, but it didn't grab me the way The Wire did. I also found it quite tough seeing Clarke Peters and Wendell Pierce and not immediately thinking of Lester and Bunk. It was nice to see Steve Earle again though. I've other shows I want to watch so I'm going to give the other seasons a miss but I might give it a look again one day. The music is nice.

I did like the fun little reference to The Wire in one of the episodes when someone says to Sonny, a Dutch character, "Not like Holland or Hamsterdam or wherever you're from."

cdgalwegian

Penn wrote: »

I think it just stemmed from the idea that Avon, Joe etc... they weren't the only dealers in the city. As we saw with the New Day Co-op, there are about a dozen high-level dealers operating in the city with their own territory.

Thing is though, they mostly respect each other's territory. Don't sell on other people's corners etc.

That's why Marlo started to stand out. He started taking corners, with people like Chris behind him. He started going to war with other dealers like Avon, because while the others were happy to keep the peace, Marlo wanted the crown. So he gained his power through fear, because he was willing to do what the other dealers weren't.

Also, Marlo was a robot; in the cold psychopathic non-empathy way. He had no family- I'd think he would have seen them as unnecessary- so had no weak links. As a robot, a backstory is surplus to requirements (unless you're in Westworld).

Joe_ Public

Penn wrote: »

I think it just stemmed from the idea that Avon, Joe etc... they weren't the only dealers in the city. As we saw with the New Day Co-op, there are about a dozen high-level dealers operating in the city with their own territory.

Thing is though, they mostly respect each other's territory. Don't sell on other people's corners etc.

That's why Marlo started to stand out. He started taking corners, with people like Chris behind him. He started going to war with other dealers like Avon, because while the others were happy to keep the peace, Marlo wanted the crown. So he gained his power through fear, because he was willing to do what the other dealers weren't.

Thats true but I was talking more about marlos life. Who's his family, where's he from etc. Like with Avon, we know his history, his family, all his various loyalties. Stringer i think was his childhood pal. All i can remember about Marlo was he liked pigeons.

I interpret this as deliberate. We dont need to know about Marlo because he is almost devoid of these things, doesnt seem to even have emotions. Joe tries to "civilise" him and ends up with a bullet for his troubles.

Which i think is the writers way of saying if you think avon and stringer were bad, wait till you see this fcker. This thug has no code at all. To use a modern analogy, if the barksdales were a virulent strain of flu, this guy is the full blown covid, there's no telling how bad he could be. What makes him so skin crawlingly terrifying.

Just my interpretation anyway.

Adam9213

One of the best shows ever made hands down.