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I still can't quite believe DeAndre as Lamar. He was just another excellent, very human minor character in the show until I read The Corner and realized the Wire had nothing on these people's real lives.
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Dec 28, 2012 06:36
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chesh posted:I guess that's my problem right there - Dominic West was the STAR AND CENTRAL CHARACTER of an HBO show. He really wasn't though. McNulty might get the most screen time and the "rebel detective" might normally be the protagonist, but he wasn't the main character. There was an entire season where we barely see him. The Wire was such an amazingly ensemble work that it actually makes sense to me that nobody's career got jumpstarted. When every single character is putting in brilliant work, nothing stands out.
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Jan 28, 2013 00:09
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The scene with the Deacon being horrified at Hamsterdam was one of the lamest in the series imho. Like this streetwise deacon hasn't seen worse, or couldn't understand the good it was doing. It would have made much more sense if it was a straightlaced city council member being shocked at *gasp* drugs being sold without threat of incarceration! Charity groups doing needle exchanges! The horror!
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Feb 7, 2013 04:59
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I think it's weird that people say Gus is "right about everything". He isn't some super journalist: if he was, the season would have ended with him exposing his bosses' idiocy and he would have gotten promoted and saved the newspaper. Gus is just a smart character that (like David Simon) is well aware of the bullshit in his industry.
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Mar 21, 2013 20:37
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Jerusalem posted:I'm more than happy to do the write-up (I will happily do ALL the write-ups, I never need an excuse to rewatch this show!) and you can get the next one. I love your write ups a lot (although I think you're a little too hard on DeAngelo) and I hope you do them forever and then put them in a blog and send them to David Simon. Also if you haven't, you need to read The Corner RIGHT NOW. Do it. It will give you such a good perspective for writing future updates. My biggest mistake in life is not reading that book sooner.
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Mar 24, 2013 05:28
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Boywhiz88 posted:After all, the FBI is overjoyed about busting the Union. But the Union was the only thing keeping that area intact. Nick says he is proud to be from Locust Point. That area is now super hip and has gentrified like crazy, I'm not sure he could afford to live there now.
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Mar 29, 2013 05:58
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Kill My Landlord makes an excellent companion piece to reading/watching David Simon's work.
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Apr 1, 2013 03:07
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escape artist posted:
This shot never fails to break my heart. It just screams innocence and childhood lost in the saddest way.
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Apr 3, 2013 17:44
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escape artist posted:I beat you Wallace was doomed from the moment he said "he aint no president." Too cute to live 
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Apr 5, 2013 23:37
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Hearing the words "It's America. You gotta let em play" immediately followed by WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE GARDEN is like the summoning ritual for the god of narrative. It sends a chill up my spine. Also I was getting spoiled on regular updates cheese and crackers posted:The kids who did dope would be sick just hours after dosing, and in less than a day they would be pouring sweat and leaking an ungodly amount of tears and snot, yawning to the point their lips split open, puking, making GBS threads, unable to eat or sit still or even think straight. Then there is depression, suicidal ideation, restless leg syndrome, etc... they were pretty much unable to function until they got high again. I agree that a shot of Bubbles on the toilet is unnecessary, The Wire definitely leaves some of these elements out but that might be because they were exhaustively explored in The Corner, which you should watch. the black husserl fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Apr 9, 2013 |
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Apr 9, 2013 04:06
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BattleCake posted:It's a bit soul-crushing how the ending to each season is mostly depressing, or at best bittersweet. There are no (or at least very few) "happy endings" on this show. It's part of why the show is so compelling and entertaining (not in the schadenfreude way or anything) to watch, but sometimes it can get a bit too heavy. A friend of mine once described the feel of the show as being "too real" and in a way I have to agree. The endings of Wire seasons have made me believe that montage is the highest of all art forms. Randomly Specific posted:Cutty gets the gym and the girl. Carver gets moved up the chain and maybe learns something from what's come before. Prez has found his ideal niche in life. McNulty may even stay on the wagon afterward. The happiest part of the ending is that Sydnor is the new Mcnulty. The legend never dies!! the black husserl fucked around with this message at 22:33 on Apr 14, 2013 |
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Apr 14, 2013 22:27
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Jerusalem posted:The way ratings are worked out is such a lumbering dinosaur, one of the smartest things HBO ever did was look deeper into the details/motivations of their viewers. They found out that while The Wire rated relatively poorly, the vast majority of those who were watching had subscribed SPECIFICALLY for The Wire and nothing else. HBO realized that if they dropped The Wire and replaced it with another show, they were going to lose a good number of paying subscribers. There weren't enough of them. Simon still seems really bitter about the contemporary OMG LOVE for the Wire because well, where were those people when the show needed it? He was always fighting for more, there absolutely could have been a sixth season.
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Apr 16, 2013 17:40
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cletepurcel posted:The ending for McNulty was perfect as it was though I think, at least as long as he was going to have him hit rock bottom in the way that he did. I'm not sure it is definitive - just like Marlo, he's a man without a country. Not being on the police force is definitely better for his life, but is he really self-reflective enough and not self-destructive enough to always recognize this and keep himself together? I am biased because I don't like the character but I'm not sure. The montage at the end of season 5 seemed to be at least partially shown from Mcnulty's perspective. He reflects on his decisions in the police force and on the city, it overwhelms him. And then he drives the guy home. It seems like he's learned something.
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Apr 17, 2013 00:53
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Boywhiz88 posted:The idea of open market dealing is crazy to me. Clearly you have never been round the way.
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Apr 17, 2013 19:17
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There's a huge gulf between McNulty and Nick in my opinion. Nick is part of a real community, it's just falling apart. The only community McNulty has is "cops who rule at their jobs". That's the only group he counts himself a member of, otherwise he stands alone and doesn't mind doing so. Darko posted:The odd thing about Season 5 is that I have given the newsroom storyline a little more credit after getting to know a newspaper reporter. She basically stated that, while many felt it was exaggerated and black and white, that's pretty much exactly how newsrooms -are- to the point that she could draw direct parallels with people she knew. I don't understand why people think Gus is a caraciture of a "know it all editor". Sometimes people are really just that smart/no bullshit. David Simon certainly was.
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Apr 18, 2013 18:16
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Thanks for picking up on how much of an rear end in a top hat Nick is. "They're decent people". Well at least someone is, jerkbag.Frostwerks posted:Marlo not getting his is kinda like Chigurh not getting his at the end of NCfOM. Sometimes the bad guys don't get their proper comeuppance. It drives people loving bananas. Marlo gets his in the most brutal way ever. Nobody remembers him but the legend of Omar will never die. Sure he got lucky taking that corner but Marlo is dead + forgotten within a year. Lotta people wore the crown for a short time... the black husserl fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Apr 22, 2013 |
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Apr 22, 2013 18:28
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Febreeze posted:Yeah I loved the ending Marlo had. He reached his top, which was all he gave a poo poo about, and ended up meaning nothing. It weirds people out because Marlo is definitely happy at the end, but that's exactly what damns him. Who could be happy as a low level street killer, running up on random corners? Only someone really hosed up, a pure force of greed, a person with nothing inside. A bird lover. Avon and Stringer were different. They had dreams.
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Apr 23, 2013 06:09
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Randomly Specific posted:Stringer definitely, but Avon was just a less lethally-focused Marlo. That's why he was so firm about the corners with Stringer, because he cared less about the sensible business practices and more about maintaining his domain. Avon and Marlo are polar opposites. All Marlo cares about is his name, while Avon doesn't want anyone to know his name, as long as he keeps his territory. Avon represents the forces of traditional capitalism (sort of a famliy business thing) where Marlo is modern capitalism: pure greed in search of ever increasing profit, at any cost. The reason Avon didn't want to abandon the corners is because he believed they belonged to his family, not because he wanted his name to ring out. Also Stringer didn't really know anything about business. the black husserl fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Apr 24, 2013 |
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Apr 24, 2013 02:05
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I think people seriously misinterpret Stringer's actions too. He wasn't some misunderstood genius who could have led Avon to better thing: he was scheming since season one to gain more power and he betrayed Avon/abused his privilege pretty much every chance he got. And he didn't understand poo poo about actually running things: remember Avon laughing at his impotent rage when Davis punks him? Avon was wise, he just couldn't handle Marlo and the police at the same time. Plus Stringer selling him out.
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Apr 24, 2013 03:52
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On a side note, I dig the discussion of Gatsby in Season 2 that gets referenced later when McNulty finds out Stringer's books are "uncut".
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Apr 24, 2013 04:24
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Cape Cod Crab Chip posted:I couldn't disagree with this interpretation of Avon more. Time and again you'll hear Avon talk about how weak he looks, about how the boy Marlo's punking him, about how he wants his corners. When it came to the streets, Avon absolutely wanted everybody to know who he is ("You know the name?" "Every mothafucka up in them towers know the name!") The name was "barksdale" instead of Avon. Big difference between hearing your name ring out and keeping the west side dynasty going. It was Avon's father that really started the Barksdales and he respects that tradition and history. I agree in that Avon definitely takes it personally, and he wants to be respected and feared on the street. But he and Marlo mean two different things when they say 'name'.
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Apr 25, 2013 03:00
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Holy poo poo. The whole time I thought Avon was just being cruel and domineering by commanding him to "Walk away", but he's actually giving him a chance to exit the situation without having to challenge Avon. He's letting him keep (what remains of) his authority and self-respect. Avon's definitely still being an rear end in a top hat, but I see it in a whole different light now.
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Apr 25, 2013 04:47
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Wow, that is really stupid. It's almost like "Young Wire" or "Baltimore Babies" or something. The dialogue is so awkward coming out of that kid's mouth. I'm very glad there hasn't been any attempt to extend the Wire 'brand'.
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Apr 30, 2013 02:02
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EvilTobaccoExec posted:Theres one for Omar that's just as terrible and ham-fisted. My god, it's horrible. It's scary to think that the Wire could have turned out like this.
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May 1, 2013 01:56
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ChairMaster posted:D'Angelo's mother basically convinced him to go to jail for 20 years because she wanted to keep getting paid by his cousin. How does this make her an rear end in a top hat? She isn't getting paid by his cousin, she's a woman in a world dominated by violent men. This is her family, this is her life. She did what the corner teaches women to do, and that's how she survived and prospered. Taking 20 years in prison wasn't just part of DeAngelo's job description, it was part of his blood. Of course she expected him to do it. Someone should post that long essay form The Corner about how "we would do better", because judging Breanna for not advising DeAngelo to snitch and go to college or whatever really misses the point. the black husserl fucked around with this message at 03:18 on May 3, 2013 |
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May 3, 2013 03:14
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ShaneMacGowansTeeth posted:David Simon's going to talk about The War On Drugs at the Royal Institution. If I lived near London, I'd be all over this I've been to a similar version of this talk. It's awesome and depressing. ally_1986 posted:Simon has been in the squad rooms and probably sure this is what it is pretty much like. While it kinda of sucks from a single sitting point of view, you should think of the characters themselves. Their jobs requires that if they take everything seriously your probably going to burn out quick and most people find that by laughing it off they can deal with it better by really not dealing with it. At least they are working to get their wrong doers! No I really disagree. None of the cops in the wire really give a poo poo about the women (the slaves), they're just more stolen property to bust someone over. Their casual dismissiveness is absolutely a part of it.
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May 9, 2013 16:24
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Jerusalem posted:The sound of sirens and the cries of "ONE TIME!" (police who only show up for a particular incident and aren't regular fixtures down on the corners) Sorry but this is wrong. You call them 'one time' because you only get one look at them - look twice at the cops and they'll think you're suspicious and haul you in. It's not slang for any special police, it's just slang that means "I see the cops". You're awesome at these write ups but it is really cute to see a definition of american slang that you don't get  I recommend Urban Dictionary for all your future needs: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=one%20time the black husserl fucked around with this message at 04:27 on May 15, 2013 |
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May 15, 2013 02:43
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Aces High posted:This brings up one of the couple things that I didn't "get" after finishing the series. I didn't full understand why Bodie did what he did at the end of the fourth season where he got released again and just went to his corner, threw a hissy fit, pulled a gun and got shot dead. Was he just tired of the Game and went out the only way he knew how? Did he have a plan and it just went to poo poo once he saw what had become of his crew? I think the shortest answer is that he had to pay for killing Wallace. For better or for worse (unlike Poot) he never really got over that. It aged him prematurely, and he was ready to die a soldier.
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May 17, 2013 01:17
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The answer is really simple: Koutris is looking to advance his own interests because that's what the institutional culture has done to him. You don't advance in the FBI by abstractly 'protecting society', you advance by putting dope on the table. No matter how many dead women get in your way.
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May 19, 2013 18:29
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Jerusalem posted:Glekas goes down and Ziggy follows him, finally seeing what he's wanted to see, Glekas staring back over his shoulder in fear of HIM - Ziggy has finally gotten somebody to fear him, taught them a lesson about respect, forced them to acknowledge him as somebody important. Glekas begs him,"PLease!" and Ziggy fires one last shot into his face, calling him "Malaka" before turning to leave. He spots the assistant lying on the ground with a belly wound, attempting to call the police, and drops the money - always unimportant/secondary - next to him, then walks out of the store. The camera takes us into Ziggy's headspace, everything seems blurred and shaky, sounds aren't filtering through, he moves with determination towards his car but his mind is clearly in a daze until a noise finally registers - his parking meter has run to show TIME EXPIRED, a fairly obvious bit of symbolism. He climbs into the car and tries to start the engine, but his auto-pilot is off now and he's come back to himself and massive enormity of what he has done. He grabs his cigarettes and tries to light one, but his hands shake and the cigarette falls out of his mouth, and as the sound of police sirens grow louder he cluthches his hands together and press them to his mouth, looking almost as if he is praying. Tears fall from his eyes as he breaks down, he's just killed one man, perhaps fatally wounded a young innocent and ruined his own life to boot. It's one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen in a show filled with them. This is one of the most amazing scenes I've ever seen in a dramatic production. In ANY other show, Ziggy's actions would be incredibly badass - he even gets the one-liner in as he shoots Glekas. But it doesn't work that way in the Wire, or in real life. I can't rewatch that scene without wanting to throw up. edit: Oops, I double posted this instead of editing it into my other post, sorry guys
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May 19, 2013 18:59
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Edgar Death posted:I love the following scene with Landsman too, just because he's completely solemn and respectful towards Ziggy in a way that's never seen before. Compare it to when Bird is in the interrogation room and he's just goofing off and talking poo poo. Not to hate on Landman but if you've read Homicide you will know exactly why he's acting that way - the police are always friendly, solemn and respectful if you're willing to do them the simple favor of confessing to murder. Hey, for changing a name from red to black, they'll even go get you some cigarettes. Landsman doesn't have an ounce of sympathy for Ziggy - he sees an easy kill and he gets it.
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May 19, 2013 22:06
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One of the biggest mistakes in the Wire is that we never see anything more of Ziggy. HIs story wasn't completely over, and I think the perspective of someone incarcerated for life (who wasn't a career solider like Bey) would have been interesting.
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May 24, 2013 07:20
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Stringer really revealed how ignorant he is of the deeper game in this episode. Without Avon, he would have died on his first corner. Unrelated, on re-watch the Greek is kind of an 'unrealistic' character (and intentionally so). I mean, what does that guy do all day? Sit in a dirty cafe and make millions for no discernable purpose? He really is just pure capitalism. the black husserl fucked around with this message at 02:40 on May 27, 2013 |
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May 27, 2013 02:37
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DarkCrawler posted:Marlo sat in a dirty courtyard and made millions for no purpose. Joe spent his days on a dirty shop repairing toasters while he made millions. Avon spent his days on a dirty backroom of a strip club, making millions. Stringer is the only one who really tried to do anything with his money. Not at all? Prop Joe (and even Marlo) are surrounded by their community and family. Avon works with his nephew, his best friend, and clearly has strong family ties, as well as dreams. He's as human as they come, just ambitious and cruel. You're missing my point. The Greek has nothing, no place, no dreams. He doesn't even have a name. The Greek does not look like he enjoys any pleasure beyond Vodka and vague menace. edit: I don't think the Greek has a real life with kids like Chris does. I think we are seeing the Greek's real life. Heck, even throat-sllitter Vondas betrays a moment of weakness when it comes to Nick. the black husserl fucked around with this message at 17:26 on May 27, 2013 |
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May 27, 2013 17:22
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comes along bort posted:Wasn't the Greek the one who told Frank to spend a little of his money on some nice stuff, asking what's the point if you can't enjoy your riches a little? Which i pretty ironic, considering it's not something Frank or the Greek would ever do.
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May 27, 2013 20:43
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He means liberal in the sense of a liberal capitalist. The Wire is about how liberal capitalism does not hold the promise America believes it does.ScipioAfro posted:Talking about The Greeks life outside of work, while there isn't a much directly about his life, he does seem to understand that people need something outside work. Whether it's base appeals to things you can touch, or at the end when he realises that Vondas is attached to Nick he basically tells him to find something outside business (The job won't save you I guess), I sort of see him talking from experience in this. I think the worry beads he carries work as a sort of metaphor for that side of him, its not a direct implication 'oh he carries the beads for his kids' or whatever, but rather the beads are stuck on his character to remind the audience to think of that side of him, he dismisses them easily at the end, but there isn't nothing there. I'm pretty sure that dismissing the beads was indeed a symbol that nothing is there, considering that his only characteristic has been discarded. Also didn't David Simon explicitly state that Marlo and The Greek are abstract forces of capitalism? That point is just more obvious in the re-watch.
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May 29, 2013 02:12
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Carcetti is just saving up all that political capital until the last month of his second Presidential term. Then you'll all see...
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Jun 15, 2013 08:50
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Season 3 is pretty amazing for it's realistic depiction of how a public official transforms into a professional politician.
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Jun 22, 2013 01:36
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How can anyone call Slim a psychopath after he shoots Cheese "for Joe"? He's one of the most sentimental characters on the show!
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Jul 3, 2013 19:52
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3spades posted:Don't you think you would have a stick up your rear end being in his position? His character has probably wanted to be a cop (or come from a cop family) since he was a kid. All of a sudden his boss declares drugs are not only a 'paper bag' nuisance, but requires his presence at the border to sanction the area an open air drug market. Collichio just wanted to scream at black kids and Hamsterdam got in the way of that. He's a scummy fucker.
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Jul 14, 2013 22:48
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