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Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Dec 22, 2005

GET LOSE, YOU CAN'T COMPARE WITH MY POWERS
I guess in my head there are 10 other versions of season 2 where half their team is doing buy-busts on street-level dealers and it gets them nowhere, and daniels should see those odds plainly as well.

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Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

To be fair, Daniels is pretty smart - if their buy-busts went nowhere (i.e, had no obvious connection to the docks) I imagine they would have just scratched it off the list and concentrated their endeavors in different areas. You gotta cast a wide-net to start and then slowly refine your methods as certain avenues prove to be dead ends.

YF-23
Feb 17, 2011

My god, it's full of cat!


Like Jerusalem said, it's a bullshit detail; all they know is a. Sobotka, b. lots of cash. You can't really focus that too much anywhere, you've go to spread out and try to find a lead to pick up on. That's why they work both on figuring out the regional drug trade hierarchy and also looking into stuff like missing cans and so on. For all Daniels cares (or any of the involved officers for that matter) the bullshit detail might not actually lead to anything; Sobotka's a nobody that's getting picked on because Valchek is Valchek, and even when he is involved in something shady, he is not the target that actually matters. Getting him locked up for the smuggling means nothing, much like locking up a bunch of dealers means nothing. The Greeks certainly seem to do fine in the Baltimore drug trade only a few years after the detail almost catches them and with having lost their port connection.

grilldos
Mar 27, 2004

BUST A LOAF
IN THIS
YEAST CONFECTION
Grimey Drawer
There is actually dialogue that says a version of the above post.

Alec Bald Snatch
Sep 12, 2012

by exmarx
Yeah Valchek's meltdown and Prez punching him out is a direct result of him being informed Frank Sobotka's not the main target any more.

ScipioAfro
Feb 21, 2011

Rupert Buttermilk posted:

I know I shouldn't be posting in this thread yet, since I'm doing my first watch (there will be MANY more) and I'm only on S5E4, but does Prez come back? :ohdear:

I'm not planning on reading what I can only (seriously) assume is some great dissertations you goons are writing until I'm ACTUALLY done.

Yeah you see him again, with a pretty great aesthetic addition to his character.

I am looking forward to this generation kill thread! It always seemed like it was a more Ed Burns led show.

ShaneMacGowansTeeth
May 22, 2007



I think this is it... I think this is how it ends
The entire reason for the detail is that Valchek, scumbag that he is, is at a loss to figure out how a dying union could afford a pretty pricey stained glass window in the church and when explaining the detail to Daniels he does say "could be drugs, I think". You do the buy-busts in an attempt to get the street dealers to roll up on whoever delivers the g-packs, watch that guy and figure out where he's getting them from and so on until you can make some sort of half-arsed connection to Sobotka. And even the remotest hint of some sort of drug connection to the docks would have been enough to get the union investigated or at least have Sobotka arrested. At least that's how I interpreted it, and it would have been fine until the bodies showed up in the can

freebooter
Jul 7, 2009

Watching s5 again and was looking forward to McNulty's FBI profile (which is probably one of the funniest moments of the series) but I'd totally forgotten the hilarious scene before that where the FBI serial killer hunter is trying to impress them, and one of the other agents namedrops that he was on the Unabomber case. And Kima says "didn't that case run like, 18 years?" And McNulty adds "yeah, and then his brother turned him in or something?" It's not even that funny when you write it down, but the actors' facial expressions are perfect.

freebooter
Jul 7, 2009

OK, just finished season 5 again, and there's a massive thing which I hadn't noticed the first time around. Pearlman tells Levy that if they find Marlo on the street again, they will push the case through, even if it means exposing all the illegality and sending a couple of detectives to jail. Marlo then goes and starts that corner fight, and the implication is that he won't be able to give up the game.

Simultaneously, Sydnor goes to Phelan and complains about how the legal side of things is loving poo poo up. Watching that the first time, you just sort of smile at the reflection there, at how Sydnor has now become McNulty, etc. Watching it the second time, I actually paid attention to what he was saying: he's basically urging Phelan to look closely, because they have enough evidence to put Marlo away, and it's a political stitch-up.

Those two things together make me think that maybe it's not actually happy ever after for McNulty and Freamon. (Although I'm confused why Sydnor would be pushing it, since he's just as implicated in an illegal wiretap as they are.)

Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Dec 22, 2005

GET LOSE, YOU CAN'T COMPARE WITH MY POWERS
Was there anything indicating it was Marlo he was talking about?

freebooter
Jul 7, 2009

Yep, silly me, I just went back and looked at the old recaps in this thread and realised he's talking about a different case. I guess I missed the first sentence or two; the way the rest of the conversation plays out it sounds like he's talking about Marlo.

Still, Marlo going back to the street doesn't bode well. I always saw that scene originally as what it said about Marlo, and who he truly was, rather than thinking about the flow-on effects to other characters,

POLICE CAR AUCTION
Dec 1, 2003

I'm not a princess



Any word on the bluray rerelease? Google doesn't say poo poo and amazon has it on sale for $86. Been holding off a rewatch since the dvd video quality sucks so badly.

Rupert Buttermilk
Apr 15, 2007

🚣RowboatMan: ❄️Freezing time🕰️ is an old P.I. 🥧trick...

POLICE CAR AUCTION posted:

Any word on the bluray rerelease? Google doesn't say poo poo and amazon has it on sale for $86. Been holding off a rewatch since the dvd video quality sucks so badly.

For any Canadian goons who have Bell (heh), you probably already have CraveTV (https://www.cravetv.ca), and they have somehow struck a deal with HBO to allow pretty much anything new and old on there. poo poo, not even HBO Canada was doing that, so I'm pretty impressed. The Crave app also does Chromecast, if you have that. It's how I watched The Wire this past month for the first time, and the quality was great. Also, all 5 seasons were widescreen.

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

POLICE CAR AUCTION posted:

Any word on the bluray rerelease? Google doesn't say poo poo and amazon has it on sale for $86. Been holding off a rewatch since the dvd video quality sucks so badly.

I bought it but haven't watched it yet, but every review I read says it's worth every penny. And my coworker who is a total video/audio quality snob said it's outstanding.

Mira
Nov 29, 2009

Max illegality.

What would be the point otherwise?


Bought it and rewatched the first two seasons. Pretty fantastic quality.

freebooter
Jul 7, 2009

Something that has occurred to me - why do they make such a big deal of how impossible it is for Rawls to be commissioner because he's white, when the commissioner in the first season is white? Chalk it up to poetic license?

twerking on the railroad
Jun 23, 2007

Get on my level

freebooter posted:

Something that has occurred to me - why do they make such a big deal of how impossible it is for Rawls to be commissioner because he's white, when the commissioner in the first season is white? Chalk it up to poetic license?

In the first season the Mayor was black as well.

It's also a matter of whether the Commissioner is the Mayor's handpicked choice (as Rawls would have to be if he were getting a political payoff) vs just some guy who comes up the ranks (like Valchek).

Rupert Buttermilk
Apr 15, 2007

🚣RowboatMan: ❄️Freezing time🕰️ is an old P.I. 🥧trick...

Does anyone else come in here and complain about how this show has ruined other shows? I guess it can be argued that they had it coming, but now EVERYTHING sounds fake and acted.

Edit: Oh, and don't forget "plots twisting for convenience-sake".

Gargamel Gibson
Apr 24, 2014
I'll always love and hate my former roommate for introducing me to The Wire. After blasting through the series in a couple of weeks I tried in vain to get my fix with other shows. Battlestar Galactica can eat poo poo, and Homicide: Life on the Street, while pretty good, looks cheesy and terrible after The Wire.

Symetrique
Jan 2, 2013




A friend of mine finally watched the series. He loved it, but tried to argue that Stringer's death scene would've been better if he had a gun and fought back. I didnt even know what to say.

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

Rupert Buttermilk posted:

Does anyone else come in here and complain about how this show has ruined other shows? I guess it can be argued that they had it coming, but now EVERYTHING sounds fake and acted.

I used to love Law & Order until I watched The Wire :smith:

To be fair, the Briscoe/Curtis dynamic could make anything work :swoon:

grilldos
Mar 27, 2004

BUST A LOAF
IN THIS
YEAST CONFECTION
Grimey Drawer
Any show would be better if influenced by this one. Are you sure you weren't trying to post in the Lost thread?

Or do you mean this show is so good that it's set a standard for you that most other shows can't meet?

Edit: The latter is exactly what you mean.

Yes. Yes it has. Dialogue in particular has always been a pet peeve of mine and this show has rendered plenty of others unbearable.

grilldos fucked around with this message at 12:43 on Jun 20, 2015

computer parts
Nov 18, 2010

PLEASE CLAP

Rupert Buttermilk posted:

Does anyone else come in here and complain about how this show has ruined other shows? I guess it can be argued that they had it coming, but now EVERYTHING sounds fake and acted.

Edit: Oh, and don't forget "plots twisting for convenience-sake".

The Wire absolutely sounds fake and acted. That doesn't mean bad.

Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Dec 22, 2005

GET LOSE, YOU CAN'T COMPARE WITH MY POWERS
As far as writing goes I think True Detective is on its level, and that's about it of the shows I've seen.

Otis Reddit
Nov 14, 2006
lol

Thaddius the Large
Jul 5, 2006

It's in the five-hole!

Rupert Buttermilk posted:

Does anyone else come in here and complain about how this show has ruined other shows? I guess it can be argued that they had it coming, but now EVERYTHING sounds fake and acted.

Edit: Oh, and don't forget "plots twisting for convenience-sake".

Depends on what you enjoy, the Shield is just as fun for me as the Wire (fun being used in a very loose sense), just for different reasons, I'm not expecting lifelike dialogue or wholly realistic narratives/plot, I'm expecting Vic Mackey to bust some heads, be a terrible person, and do crazy poo poo to stay out of trouble.

Rupert Buttermilk
Apr 15, 2007

🚣RowboatMan: ❄️Freezing time🕰️ is an old P.I. 🥧trick...

Thaddius the Large posted:

Depends on what you enjoy, the Shield is just as fun for me as the Wire (fun being used in a very loose sense), just for different reasons, I'm not expecting lifelike dialogue or wholly realistic narratives/plot, I'm expecting Vic Mackey to bust some heads, be a terrible person, and do crazy poo poo to stay out of trouble.

Absolutely, I agree. I was really referring to that level of show quality that's below The Shield, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Wire. New stuff like Daredevil and Sense8 just don't do it whatsoever for me, mostly because everyone is saying the right thing at the exact right time, and it feels like a lot of stuff is glossed over. I know that it's not actually the aim of these shows to show all of that detail like The Wire, they're after the Big Picture, but I guess that's really not working for me anymore.

I still have no problems with Game of Thrones in this regard, since the whole thing seems outlandish to begin with.

Also, while I think Lance Reddick is awesome, he DOES seem to be playing the same character as he does in Fringe, and his non-Jamaican scenes in Oz.

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

I'm enjoying The Americans on a similar level. It has some really goofy costumes though.

POLICE CAR AUCTION
Dec 1, 2003

I'm not a princess



Got the remastered bluray version from amazon today and it looks loving GREAT, goddamn. The one thing I hated about this show was the dvd video quality and aspect ratio. Looks fantastic in 1080p widescreen.

Aces High
Mar 26, 2010

Nah! A little chocolate will do




I have had friends ask me to describe The Wire and all I have to say is "it's unlike any other show I have seen and trying to compare it to other shows is disingenuous, however if you're into Game of Thrones Littlefinger becomes mayor"

However I still like watching trashy tv, which is why I still watch Arrow and Grimm. Although I will say that watching Netflix shows leaves something to be desired, like Orange Is the New Black.

frenton
Aug 15, 2005

devil soup
HBO consistently puts out great original programming. The Wire may be the pinnacle for most of us but the Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and True Detective are just a few examples of absolutely top notch TV. HBO is great!

twerking on the railroad
Jun 23, 2007

Get on my level

computer parts posted:

The Wire absolutely sounds fake and acted. That doesn't mean bad.

My own opinion is that the wire is truer to life than anything else that's been on TV. This doesn't mean it's some true life thing, I mean there's foreshadowing and big arcs and splotches of bad acting or writing, but there's a certain amount of artifice that the rest of TV traffics in and the wire simply doesn't.

freebooter
Jul 7, 2009

I think it's truer to life in that it accurately represents, for example, state corruption and black ghettoes. And minor stuff like people actually using a computer with a mouse.

The dialogue is not at all realistic because no dialogue is ever realistic in any fiction, because people in real life talk messily. Listen to a conversation between two people and attempt to transcribe it, and you'll notice that they talk over each other, trail off, change their train of thought halfway through, say things like "but, I mean" because their mind is catching up with their words, etc. Nobody reading a book or watching TV wants to watch that. It's not how fiction works. It's poetic license, it's fine.

More notably, though, I'd say the dialogue is unrealistic because it occasionally verges on Sorkinesque. No cop like McNulty is ever going to go on some of the long-winded rants he goes on. And I haven't spent a lot of time in the black ghettoes of America, but I doubt they speak in such grandiose terms as they so often do in The Wire. I have a theory that the street argot in The Wire, for white viewers, is sort of like the Old English used in Shakespeare: it gives a layer of exoticism to the text, and even if you don't quite understand what it means all the time, you can gather it from context and it gives it a sense of verisimilitude. Some of the quotes from characters like Avon or D'Angelo or Slim Charles sound, to a white ear, more profound for being delivered in a dialect language. Or possibly, the fact that it's delivered in a dialect language marks the fact that it sounds like dialogue, like a scripted profundity.

And again, none of that is a bad thing.

snucks
Nov 3, 2008

Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
The best part of season 5 was the untold thousands of jabs at Simon's past coworkers.

freebooter posted:

It's fascinating how rewatches focus your attention. I'm approaching the end of my first re-watch, in which I kept a close eye out for the first appearances of Slim Charles and Cheese - characters introduced early who later turn out to be very important. And now I know that on my third rewatch I'm going to be keeping an eye out for Fat Face Rick. ("You kill Joe?... Didn't think so.")
Just finished my first viewing of the show, and I knew him only as Fat Shaq. The Co-op is one of many organizations that features a lot of recurring faces, few moments where they're addressed by name, and very little sense of their eventual importance.

snucks fucked around with this message at 00:23 on Jun 30, 2015

brylcreem
Oct 29, 2007

by FactsAreUseless
I'm watching episode 4 of season 1 again.

Lester got a pager number off the wall of the stash house, and uses it to page D. And D calls back to Lester's cell phone.

But... since they're using that code thing, how come the call goes through? If D uses the code on a regular number, it's just random.

MAH IMMERSION!

Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Dec 22, 2005

GET LOSE, YOU CAN'T COMPARE WITH MY POWERS

brylcreem posted:

I'm watching episode 4 of season 1 again.

Lester got a pager number off the wall of the stash house, and uses it to page D. And D calls back to Lester's cell phone.

But... since they're using that code thing, how come the call goes through? If D uses the code on a regular number, it's just random.

MAH IMMERSION!

Does it actually show the call go through? I don't remember, I know he sees D use the phone.

brylcreem
Oct 29, 2007

by FactsAreUseless

Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:

Does it actually show the call go through? I don't remember, I know he sees D use the phone.

Yeah yeah, I just watched it, man.

hhhmmm
Jan 1, 2006
...?

brylcreem posted:

I'm watching episode 4 of season 1 again.

Lester got a pager number off the wall of the stash house, and uses it to page D. And D calls back to Lester's cell phone.

But... since they're using that code thing, how come the call goes through? If D uses the code on a regular number, it's just random.

MAH IMMERSION!

The codes are for the callback numbers, not the pagers?

brylcreem
Oct 29, 2007

by FactsAreUseless

hhhmmm posted:

The codes are for the callback numbers, not the pagers?

Yeah, and the callback number was Lester's cell.

Anyway, Season 3, episode 11. I'm going to spoiler this.

They finally get a wiretap on Stringer Bell's phone, and then they hear:

- Oh, an' that other thing
- Huh?
- Them two hitters you asked after. They good with it.
- Not on the phone.

http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=the-wire&episode=s03e11

What two hitters are these? Stringer's plan wasn't to shoot Avon, but to get him caught by police.

Avon told Omar and Brother Mouzone where he was and when, so they could shoot him. Did they make a mistake on the show, and showed Avon talking on Stringer's phone?

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YF-23
Feb 17, 2011

My god, it's full of cat!


It was for Clay Davis.

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