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Also Gen Kill is great as well. Even funnier when I found out the journalist is one of the un-named Jurnos in Big Red Son.
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Jul 19, 2021 07:01
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My favorite Generation Kill fact is that critics found Fruity Rudy to be a completely unbelievable casting decision and characterization for a force recon marine. Except whoops, the person playing that character is also the literal (ex) force recon marine the character is based on.
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Jul 19, 2021 08:43
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Orange Devil posted:My favorite Generation Kill fact is that critics found Fruity Rudy to be a completely unbelievable casting decision and characterization for a force recon marine. As a general rule the characters in a David Simon show are often less outlandish than the real life characters they're based on.
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Jul 20, 2021 11:29
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In a show full of highlights, can we just pause again to remember in holy reverence, how loving funny the Herc/Mayor storyline is. "Mr. Mayor, that's a good, strong dick you got there, and I see you know how to use it."
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Jul 20, 2021 11:34
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algebra testes posted:In a show full of highlights, can we just pause again to remember in holy reverence, how loving funny the Herc/Mayor storyline is. Herc knocks on door. Royce: Come in. Herc: Are you in there? Royce: Come in. Herc: Okay. Herc hesitates Herc: Okay I'm coming in now. Herc slowly opens the door, waits a beat, then steps inside. He is a very subtle man.
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Jul 20, 2021 12:38
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Watching Homocide: Life on the Streets, also based in Baltimore. Its definitely not The Wire, but they have a printer-lie-detector scene too in it, so wonder if this is a cop story or just a homage. happyhippy fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Jul 20, 2021 |
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Jul 20, 2021 22:58
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From memory Simon writes about it as an actual thing detectives did in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets?
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Jul 20, 2021 23:06
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Jerusalem posted:From memory Simon writes about it as an actual thing detectives did in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets? It is in the book.
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Jul 20, 2021 23:10
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happyhippy posted:Watching Homocide: Life on the Streets, also based in Baltimore. These spin-offs are getting out of control
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Jul 20, 2021 23:42
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Syrian Lannister posted:It is in the book. iirc, the anecdote from the book was Baltimore PD in the book didn't do it, but (I think) the Detroit Homicide department got caught using it once
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Jul 21, 2021 14:32
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Department in Pennsylvania too, if snopes is to be believed
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Jul 21, 2021 14:51
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Just got to season 5 on my first watch. After episode 2 , all I can say is, what the gently caress, Jimmy? I really enjoyed McNulty's arc up to this season and was happy to see him settle down with Beadie. I even thought he'd learned something and be able to keep his poo poo together in major crimes. No, now he's loving it all up again. I don't think I've ever been so angry at a TV character.
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Aug 5, 2021 12:39
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The gently caress did I do?
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Aug 5, 2021 12:40
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werdnam posted:I don't think I've ever been so angry at a TV character. He has the same effect on his bosses! And his co-workers! And his ex-wife! And his girlfriend! Which is made all the more frustrating by the fact he's bewilderingly likeable in spite of that 
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Aug 5, 2021 13:22
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werdnam posted:Just got to season 5 on my first watch. After episode 2 , all I can say is, what the gently caress, Jimmy? People like that rarely change, and when they refuse to even recognise they're loving up and try and fix their behaviour 'rarely' turns to 'never'. It's sad but true, and I was impressed by The Wire getting it right
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Aug 5, 2021 13:23
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Serious question though, how does one become a person like that in the first place?
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Aug 5, 2021 13:47
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werdnam posted:Just got to season 5 on my first watch. After episode 2 , all I can say is, what the gently caress, Jimmy? The season five serial killer arc was the one point of the show that stretched credulity a little bit, I don't know — maybe something like that could really happen. Orange Devil posted:Serious question though, how does one become a person like that in the first place? I think that description of the "suspect" from the profiler almost breaks the fourth wall it's so meta.
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Aug 5, 2021 14:28
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Jimmy's got a bright future with the CIA if the whole detective thing doesn't pan out
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Aug 5, 2021 15:12
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Orange Devil posted:Serious question though, how does one become a person like that in the first place? Childhood trauma usually
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Aug 5, 2021 15:35
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I do like how Bunk and a few other people try to gently nudge Jimmy to realize that he's treating Beadie the same way he treated his ex until he shuts them down. It's a nice touch to have his friends try to help him but also know that nagging him won't make a difference.
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Aug 5, 2021 16:17
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I've never minded the fake serial killer thing at all. It's entertaining and is within the theme of all the rest of the stuff they do, some of which like Hamsterdam is at least as out-there. I have an easier time imagining a few disgruntled police would mislead the department to get focus on cases they prefer and have overtime paid out than that a whole section of a city could operate without drug laws for more than a day before getting shut down. I think people roll their eyes about it because serial killers are such a common plot device on crime shows, but the entire serial killer angle is bullshit and that's the point. It's not a serial killer storyline, it's still a story about broken policing like the rest of the show is basically about. On a character level, Jimmy would do this. He's angry and self-destructive. Lester, well maybe. He presents himself as The Wise Man, but even within the show that's an affectation people give him poo poo for sometimes. He's just as dissatisfied with how things are done as Jimmy and has been exiled for rebelling before, so why not? I think it all works. roomtone fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Aug 5, 2021 |
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Aug 5, 2021 16:32
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I think it works in the context of the show for all the reasons you mentioned, but I also think it doesn't work because of what you mentioned with serial killers and television. The shows airing then like The Shield or Dexter had entirely different tones that used (or would have used) a cop-faking-a-serial-killer plot to drive stories, so to see the Wire try something similar caused a lot of whiplash, despite previously unrealistic sequences like Hamsterdam or the Omar/Muzone Team-up in season 3. Your point about the serial killer story actually being another broken police story was really astute, and David Simon was obviously aware of the serial killer thing with the wink to Dexter in season 5 so, I mean, he knew what he was doing -- but that doesn't mean it necessarily worked, especially after seasons like 2 and 4 that might as well have been creative non-fiction or documentary.
Eason the Fifth fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Aug 5, 2021 |
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Aug 5, 2021 19:18
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werdnam posted:Just got to season 5 on my first watch. After episode 2 , all I can say is, what the gently caress, Jimmy? He's an addict. He can't stop.
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Aug 5, 2021 21:12
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I mean the problem is the show has been hammering broken policing for so long and I feel like that went on a silly direction for a pretty mediocre payoff. But that’s season 5 for ya
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Aug 5, 2021 21:23
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I think the faux serial killer plot might’ve gone down better if the parallel newspaper plot felt less like David Simon Owns His Old Bosses And Colleagues. When both big plots are at like 85% it sticks out more than if one was 100%. That said, I always enjoy season 5 more than I think I will on a rewatch, so maybe it’s fine?
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Aug 6, 2021 00:31
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Season 5 was good. I really appreciate how the McNutty and newsroom stories are both paralleled and intertwined. The "skip the newsroom scenes" crowd are insane.
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Aug 6, 2021 02:33
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Nah, s5 was abysmal.
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Aug 6, 2021 13:36
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They also didn’t really intertwine. There was crossover sure but the point of neither arc really mattered to the other
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Aug 6, 2021 13:53
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Well both were about how people take shortcuts, or manipulate the system to get the results they want, and the higher ups will either ignore the problem, or actively sweep it under the rug to avoid any embarrassment.
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Aug 6, 2021 14:56
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I thought the point of the serial killers thing is people only care about flashy poo poo nutty has been taking short cuts for his whole career. Like I think his introduction with the judge is him taking a shortcut
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Aug 6, 2021 15:29
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That kind of explains why Rawls and others don't just can his rear end. McNulty, despite being an impossible person, is well liked by those he started at the bottom with that went on to become powerful people (Bunny Colvin, The Judge). Is it outright stated that he and the judge are pals from when he was a prosecutor or did I just make that up?
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Aug 6, 2021 16:39
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IIRC at one point McNulty tells him that he "shouldn't talk dirty now that [he's] a judge" which to me implies that his position is fairly recent, and that McNulty knew him before but I don't think anything is specifically states
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Aug 6, 2021 17:50
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I softened on 5 this go around because I've taken Gus to be David's portrayal of himself through a Scott Templeton lens. The too perfect quotes being an example. Like, there's something to the season if you consider the bad writing to be kind of meta.
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Aug 6, 2021 18:09
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The serial killer angle doesn't do anything for me but I like the pulitzer chasing storyline and Gus's arc of exposing Templeton and getting demoted for it, but still working at the paper in the end. I don't know if it would have made it work all the way, but it would have helped if they had seeded the paper storyline in seasons 3 and 4 by bringing in some of the characters to cover the Hamsterdam / Schools / Election stories. I think it would be fun and help with buy-in if we saw Scott, Alma, or Gus butting heads with Carcetti or the police brass before being brought fully into their world.
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Aug 6, 2021 18:24
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Yeah -- I think the biggest fault with season 5 is that it's a short season. The extra few episodes could've given the plot the time it really needed to add more layers to the characters and weight to the story. 5 has some great long-form payoffs, like with Bubbles, but everything new to the season felt like it was there to settle a grudge.
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Aug 6, 2021 18:41
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I mean fundamentally Gus is the same character as McNulty but without his flaws so it’s not hard to see why he’s annoying. Like imagine if he was just hero cop protecting the streets for the children
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Aug 6, 2021 18:51
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The newspaper crew might not be as well written, but they're well acted, which goes a long way for me. Templeton is so petulant when he gets called out on his poo poo, it's great. I also really like the scene where Jimmy meets with the newspaper staff about the call and finds out Templeton is full of poo poo. And of course as soon as I YouTube The Wire all sorts of recommended videos start popping up. I think I remember the context, but I don't remember this scene AT ALL. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIbu1lHqrEo
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Aug 6, 2021 18:55
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werdnam posted:I do like how Bunk and a few other people try to gently nudge Jimmy to realize that he's treating Beadie the same way he treated his ex until he shuts them down. It's a nice touch to have his friends try to help him but also know that nagging him won't make a difference. Those friends are also doing their best to enable his worst tendencies. He was happy and functional as a beat cop until they dragged him into a murder case.
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Aug 6, 2021 18:59
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CharlestheHammer posted:I mean fundamentally Gus is the same character as McNulty but without his flaws so it’s not hard to see why he’s annoying. I don't think Gus and Mcnulty and that similar. Gus is willing to play management's game to a point, is in a leadership / mentor role, and generally doesn't seem to be a workaholic. If anything he's more like Daniels season 1 and Alma is playing Mcnulty.
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Aug 6, 2021 18:59
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Randallteal posted:I don't think Gus and Mcnulty and that similar. Gus is willing to play management's game to a point, is in a leadership / mentor role, and generally doesn't seem to be a workaholic. If anything he's more like Daniels season 1 and Alma is playing Mcnulty. Yes that’s the flaws I was speaking if. Those things gently caress McNulty over more than helping his cause
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Aug 6, 2021 19:51
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