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One of my favorite parts of season 5 is when the money finally flows for the serial killer case it basically thrusts McNulty into a managerial position in charge of how the funds are spent. He does some good with it at first, and is enjoying himself, but you can tell he comes to hate it and he ends up making a lot of the same decisions "the bosses" made in earlier seasons. And everything comes full circle.
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Aug 13, 2021 16:39
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Mike N Eich posted:Season 5 definitely has its warts, the shortened season made everything slightly rushed, I never gave a crap about the journalist storyline and the serial killer stuff was just slightly far fetched enough that it didn’t feel like it matched the verisimilitude of the rest of the series. Yeah, it's impossible to talk about season 5 without talking about the serial killer and newsroom parts, and they're weak, but the rest of the season is as good as any other for the most part imo. We also are treated to herc dispelling any disbelief for any idiot that might have still been entertaining the notion that he became a cop because he wanted to help people
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Aug 13, 2021 16:53
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But there's also that scene with Herc and Carver where Carver has to decide what to do with officer Collichio (after he assaults the guy in the car I think) and if Carv should bring the hammer down on him. Herc backs him up on his decision and basically says if you think that's the right thing to do, then it's the right thing to do. It's not a redemptive moment for Herc by any means, but its still a nice moment between the two.
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Aug 13, 2021 17:28
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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 of thumb for that series, you can tell who the actual marines were by the fact that they are some serious specimens. Eric Kocher and Rudy are both huge
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Aug 13, 2021 17:29
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zenguitarman posted:But there's also that scene with Herc and Carver where Carver has to decide what to do with officer Collichio (after he assaults the guy in the car I think) and if Carv should bring the hammer down on him. Herc backs him up on his decision and basically says if you think that's the right thing to do, then it's the right thing to do. It's not a redemptive moment for Herc by any means, but its still a nice moment between the two. I like that he and Collochio aren't the same kind of shithead cop. Herc genuinely supports his friends, backs them up, and willingly takes all the heat on himself when he tanks his career because he doesn't want to bring down anyone with him. I don't think Collichio would have done that.
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Aug 13, 2021 17:51
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Herc and Carver meeting Poot and Bodie at the cinema is another fantastic scene that I just remembered. I really need to do another rewatch of this show. It has been too long.
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Aug 13, 2021 17:57
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All of my life since watching the Wire has made clear to me that the vast majority of cops in real life are Hercs with a handful of Pryzbylewskis sprinkled in.
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Aug 13, 2021 19:53
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To be fair I don’t think Herc at his worst would molest teenage girls apart of the ride along program so I think that is a bit unfair to Herc
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Aug 13, 2021 20:10
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It’s incredible how differently I felt about Prez by the end, even though he’s never really held accountable for the stuff he does at the start
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Aug 13, 2021 20:13
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Mike N Eich posted:All of my life since watching the Wire has made clear to me that the vast majority of cops in real life are Hercs with a handful of Pryzbylewskis sprinkled in. Don’t forget fat old dudes just trying to do as little as possible until retirement.
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Aug 14, 2021 11:36
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Bird in a Blender posted:Don’t forget fat old dudes just trying to do as little as possible until retirement. Augustus Polk we salute you 
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Aug 14, 2021 11:41
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Mike N Eich posted:All of my life since watching the Wire has made clear to me that the vast majority of cops in real life are Hercs with a handful of Pryzbylewskis sprinkled in. Some are Colicchio's and Walker's. christmas boots posted:It’s incredible how differently I felt about Prez by the end, even though he’s never really held accountable for the stuff he does at the start That's very fundamentally what privilege is. Prez undeniably becomes a much better person and has a real positive impact on other people. He also beat out a child's eye for no reason and with no real consequences to himself. The difference is primarily which institution he is a part of. Most people do not get to choose which institution they are a part of, and do not get to avoid consequences when they do some poo poo. We see plenty of other characters who get to avoid real consequences ofcourse, a lot of them politicians but certainly not all. Davis, Carcetti, Levy, Marlo and the Greek are some examples. Power is the common factor. Prez' power comes from being white and connected. It wouldn't shield him from everything, but it was enough to shield him from the poo poo he did. Marlo is very likely about to overstep how far his power can protect him. Davis and the Greek aren't even close. And the people who get to avoid nothing are those with the least power. The children being the best example. Bubbles is amazing because he has no power but manages to confront the consequences of his decisions and his inner demons head on and come out on top of that struggle. At least for now. Prez' character has growth, but Bubbles has growth if you know what I'm saying. Orange Devil fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Aug 14, 2021 |
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Aug 14, 2021 13:06
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Jerusalem posted:Augustus Polk we salute you Daniels: Glad you landed okay. Polk: Yeah, beats working.
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Aug 14, 2021 14:48
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One of my favorite little moments that I haven't seen mentioned much is in season 5 when Bunk brings Lester is to talk some sense into McNulty and instead Lester instantly jumps on board and starts to scheme with Jimmy and Bunk just can't believe it.
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Aug 14, 2021 20:57
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Jerusalem posted:Augustus Polk we salute you Who signs our overtime slips?
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Aug 14, 2021 21:20
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Human Tornada posted:One of my favorite little moments that I haven't seen mentioned much is in season 5 when Bunk brings Lester is to talk some sense into McNulty and instead Lester instantly jumps on board and starts to scheme with Jimmy and Bunk just can't believe it. Bunk's "Lester what the gently caress" face is classic. "We need to kill again."
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Aug 14, 2021 22:20
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DasNeonLicht posted:Who signs our overtime slips? Love that Mahon's retirement scheme is to go in halves on a video store.... in the mid-2000s 
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Aug 14, 2021 23:55
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algebra testes posted:Bunk's "Lester what the gently caress" face is classic. Bunk's "I am not falling into Jimmy's poo poo, I'm going to do some police work" is consistently entertaining in S5.
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Aug 15, 2021 00:11
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It enrages me so much when McNulty is being all smug when Bunk comes and asks him to put in the approval to run the DNA from the vacants bodies. I wanted him to haul Jimmy up by the collar and scream at him that he has to ask because Jimmy's bullshit serial killer case has bumped the ACTUAL murders to the back of the forensics queue 
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Aug 15, 2021 00:16
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Just finished the last episode. Wow, that was depressing. And a bit frustrating that the ones who deserved it landed well, and the ones who didn't got wrecked. But it's not about deserving, right Snoop? I'm legitimately disappointed that the newspaper story, for all it looked to be building up to a climax, turned into a big nothing in the end. Now I'm wondering how long I can wait to start a rewatch. This is the first series I've ever felt I could get anything substantial out of a rewatch. Also, I've been going back to read a lot of the episode write-ups early in the thread, that's some quality reading.
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Aug 15, 2021 14:00
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Jerusalem posted:It enrages me so much when McNulty is being all smug when Bunk comes and asks him to put in the approval to run the DNA from the vacants bodies. I wanted him to haul Jimmy up by the collar and scream at him that he has to ask because Jimmy's bullshit serial killer case has bumped the ACTUAL murders to the back of the forensics queue I mean, the "serial killer's" victims are still plenty dead and ain't nobody going to convince me they weren't murdered by capitalism. When you think about it, the biggest serial killer of all.
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Aug 15, 2021 19:50
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werdnam posted:Just finished the last episode. Wow, that was depressing. And a bit frustrating that the ones who deserved it landed well, and the ones who didn't got wrecked. But it's not about deserving, right Snoop? I'm legitimately disappointed that the newspaper story, for all it looked to be building up to a climax, turned into a big nothing in the end. The fact that most of the endings are so unsatisfying makes it that much sweeter for Bubbles, imo. I mean if you had to pick just one character to get a happy ending he's the one.
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Aug 15, 2021 20:59
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Bubbles' entire arc is perfect including the final montage.
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Aug 15, 2021 21:45
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Is the rest of Simon's ouevre (Generation Kill, Treme, etc) worth a watch?
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Aug 15, 2021 23:39
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Generation Kill is a good watch if you're interested in seeing an alternate universe where Ziggy left Baltimore and joined the Marine Corps 
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Aug 15, 2021 23:49
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James Ransone is so, so good in Generation Kill. The show is good. Show Me A Hero is really good, too (and short). I watched a couple episodes of Treme, but never got hooked.
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Aug 16, 2021 00:13
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+1 on Generation Kill. Seen it thrice I think? Probably gonna watch it again sometime.
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Aug 16, 2021 00:34
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werdnam posted:Is the rest of Simon's ouevre (Generation Kill, Treme, etc) worth a watch? --GK is an impossibly accurate look at the invasion of Iraq from the perspective of infantry Marines. The details, attitudes, and general vibes that Simon got right are amazing. --I really like The Deuce. I think it's the third best thing he's done after The Wire and Generation Kill. The 70's-80's New York in that show is so filthy you can almost smell it. Plus there's some incredible acting from just about the whole goddamn cast. But it's really depressing. --Like other people itt, I thought Treme was good but it didn't hook me past the first season. The music is fabulous though. --I tried to watch The Corner but couldn't, because it was a little too real. --I haven't watched The Plot Against America. I hear it's pretty good, but it's one of those shows about fascism that came out under Trump and I wasn't much in the mood (sort of like watching The Leftovers during covid lockdown) --I'm really looking forward to the next show he's doing on the corrupt baltimore task force. I get the feeling it's going to be an incredible companion piece (if not a coda) to the Wire. Eason the Fifth fucked around with this message at 01:34 on Aug 16, 2021 |
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Aug 16, 2021 00:37
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werdnam posted:Is the rest of Simon's ouevre (Generation Kill, Treme, etc) worth a watch? Generation Kill is very good at documenting what it wants to document. You will not feel good at the end, but it's an excellent mini-series. Treme starts out with a sense of purpose about a specific place at a specific time--broad and meandering, sure, but it has a focus--but it slowly just becomes a love letter to New Orleans and its characters (fictional and otherwise) in later seasons. It's not bad at all, and the music is consistently phenomenal, but there's an aimlessness about it. The Plot Against America is also really good, but I've only seen it the one time. It captures a slice of American history in the late 30s that a lot of Americans would rather not remember. I haven't seen The Deuce or Show Me a Hero, but Simon is one of the most consistently quality showrunners in the business.
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Aug 16, 2021 00:41
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Capitalism makes criminals of us all
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Aug 16, 2021 01:11
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Show me a hero and Gen Kill are both great. The "At least my mom took me to Nascar..." bit will be with me until the end of time. algebra testes fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Aug 16, 2021 |
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Aug 16, 2021 02:28
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The Deuce is great and the most The Wire-like thing he's done since then I think. It also ties crime to police / government, but with fewer procedural elements / less cop show stuff. Unfortunately it's a little hard to watch a show about sex exploitation starring noted acting coach creep / teen seducer James Franco. It's an ensemble show, but he has the biggest part (playing two characters) and also doesn't bring a lot to the table, acting-wise. If you can get past that the rest of the show is definitely worth investing in.
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Aug 16, 2021 04:11
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werdnam posted:Is the rest of Simon's ouevre (Generation Kill, Treme, etc) worth a watch? Show Me A Hero, Generation Kill & The Deuce are all excellent loving television.
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Aug 16, 2021 11:07
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Eason the Fifth posted:--I haven't watched The Plot Against America. I hear it's pretty good, but it's one of those shows about fascism that came out under Trump and I wasn't much in the mood (sort of like watching The Leftovers during covid lockdown) I had forgotten that this was also Simon. It was a good show with the exception of the ending. First, the fascists end up being Right All Along because the Jews did have a secret plot to kill Limburgh. And more topically: It works as they thought it would. They remove Lindburgh and everything goes back to normal and FDR wins. Despite all his protests to the contrary the last episode is 100% What Libs Thought Would Happen in 2020. But also I'm Jewish so I have a soft spot for shows with unapologetic Jewish characters doing Jewish things and pandering to Jewish Americans.
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Aug 16, 2021 13:02
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HootTheOwl posted:I had forgotten that this was also Simon. It was a good show with the exception of the ending. First, the fascists end up being Right All Along because the Jews did have a secret plot to kill Limburgh. And more topically: It works as they thought it would. They remove Lindburgh and everything goes back to normal and FDR wins. Despite all his protests to the contrary the last episode is 100% What Libs Thought Would Happen in 2020. It was the brits who set up the assassination of Lindbergh. The show also ends with agents burning ballot boxes so it's up in the air weather or not everything goes back to normal
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Aug 16, 2021 17:21
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Alhazred posted:It was the brits who set up the assassination of Lindbergh. The show also ends with agents burning ballot boxes so it's up in the air weather or not everything goes back to normal Rothschilds are back, baybee
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Aug 16, 2021 18:29
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Human Tornada posted:One of my favorite little moments that I haven't seen mentioned much is in season 5 when Bunk brings Lester is to talk some sense into McNulty and instead Lester instantly jumps on board and starts to scheme with Jimmy and Bunk just can't believe it. In my opinion Lester is the single biggest reason the serial killer plotline doesn't work. Drunk McNulty juking some stats, I can believe that, he was always a self righteous twat who would use anybody to get what he wants so it is perfectly consistent for him. But Lester was not McNulty. Lester was the guy who learned the hard way that McNultys bullshit didn't work, he spent all those years in the pawn shop and came out with a lot of perspective on police work. Remember this exchange: Lester: Tell me something, Jimmy. How exactly do you think it all ends? McNulty: What do you mean? Lester: A parade? A gold watch? A shining Jimmy-McNulty-day moment, when you bring in a case sooooo sweet everybody gets together and says, “Aw, poo poo! He was right all along. Should’ve listened to the man.” The job will not save you, Jimmy. It won’t make you whole, it won’t fill your rear end up. McNulty: I dunno, a good case - Lester: Ends. They all end. The handcuffs go click and it’s over. The next morning, it’s just you in your room with yourself. McNulty: Until the next case. Lester:Boooooy, you need something else outside of this here. Its a pivotal scene in the whole series, Lester speaking from experience and trying to teach McNulty that it isn't all about the cases, that they are not worth all the backstabbing and trouble that McNulty thinks needs to be done. Do you really think that that Lester Freeman happily gets involved in a fake serial killer scheme? Remember when Rawls was gutting major crimes and was speaking to Lester, told him that perhaps Lester could face it out but was he prepared to sacrifice the others? Lester wasn't McNulty, he had the perspective to know it wasn't worth it to fight, that it was better to admit defeat and avoid the clash with Rawls. He took the deal and moved back to homicide where he just got on with things. McNulty would have bucked and tried to prove himself right anyway, Lester just let it go, he knew better. The Lester Freeman portrayed in the rest of the series would not have gotten involved in that serial killer scheme and to be honest I think it really took away from some of the earlier scenes to have him do a complete 180 in the final series.
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Aug 16, 2021 23:05
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Lester found his happiness outside the job. He was close to being done anyway and saw a chance to do actual PO lease work. He wasn’t looking for a lester freeman day he was going out on his terms
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Aug 17, 2021 01:48
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Bit like Bunny tbh
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Aug 17, 2021 10:19
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werdnam posted:
For me, The Wire basically required a rewatch it was so dense and layered. There was a lot of stuff I put together the second time that flew totally over my head on the first watch. Also, if you like episode recaps, Jerusalem has some great write ups in the Sopranos thread. Agree that Lester was all wrong for Jimmy's accomplice in that whole fiasco. If it were someone like Herc it might have gone down easier but, aside from the interactions with McNulty and Templeton, the entire plot was a low point. E: Also, I keep forgetting to check out Generation Kill BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Aug 28, 2021 |
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Aug 28, 2021 13:07
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