Topic: The Wire

[Najemikon]

The Wire: Season One
5 out of 5



While I'm pretty sure this isn't the-best-TV-show-ever, just as The Sopranos wasn't the-best-TV-show-ever, despite what naive knee-jerk journalism says to the contrary, it is superb. The 13 episodes make up a single operation as Baltimore form a unit specifically investigating one local dealer and his soldiers. Much has been made of The Wires brilliant conceit of following both sides of the law with equal conviction, but actually they go even deeper into Baltimore politics, so you get the lawyers and judges too. The lead character is McNulty (Dominic West) and he bridges the strands as a ground-level detective, with a judge as a friend and lawyer as a lover. We also see some of the personal lives and again he is the central one, dealing with a messy divorce and custody of his kids.

It's thorough stuff, doggedly following each strand of the story and realism is always key. I can't think of a single scene that was just there for the sake of it. Still, while it is serious stuff, the writers do find room to have fun. Take this moment of investigating a crime where the two detectives have only one word for each other...



While they aren't afraid to show detail, what impressed me was the lack of blood or action set-pieces. You only see what's important, except what you do see is meticulous. It's also fairly unpredictable, without ever resorting to convenience or trying to guess what the audience wants. In fact, David Simon's and Edward Burns' screenplay treats the viewer with a great deal of intelligence. Some parts of the story are left trailing for several episodes before coming to a resolution and often that resolution is tackled in an adult way. The final episode is a rollercoaster of emotions and no character seems to come out of the situation quite as they or you would expect.

The cast are great and very individual and while the clip I linked is... limited(!), be assured the dialogue is fantastic stuff. Mind you, I did find myself continually switching subtitles on for the scenes with Barksdale, D'Angelo and their crew. 'Cos, you be trippin', yo, if you think that shits easy to follow, you feel?  .

I can't wait to get into season two. You know, I think it might just be one of the best-TV-shows-ever... 

Here's another clip to give you a fairer idea of a typical moment:

[Dragonfire]

I heard about this one, but I haven't seen it.

[goodguy]

I'm a big fan of HBO's dramatic shows (well, some of them) and The Wire is something I definitely want to watch sometime. But most people who hail the The Wire also hail The Sopranos and I'm sorry to say, but I found the latter rather disappointing. Also, The Wire is at its core a crime show, which is something that holds almost no interest for me. Yes, I've read that it is much more than that, very complex and authentic, etc. Still, like the mafia stuff in The Sopranos, it tends to bore me.

On the other hand, if I take a sneak peek into S1 and happen to like it, there are 5 seasons to watch. That's kinda a no-win situation for me and the reason why I've been putting it off for a very long time.

[MEJHarrison]

I watched the full run of the Sopranos and enjoyed the earlier seasons.  But I thought it dragged on too long, got too popular for it's own good and was a mediocre effort overall.  Having seen it, I feel I can easily go the rest of my life without ever watching it again.  And I love HBO dramas (I even own John From Cincinnati ).  I've either own or plan to pick up every series I've ever seen.  But the Sopranos is by far my least favorite (and will never be purchased).

So when I say The Wire is an awesome show, I hope that helps a little.  Is it "the greatest show ever" as I've heard many, many times?  Not in my opinion, but it's certainly up there.  I still think I prefer Homicide: Life on the Street (another David Simon project), but they're hard to compare.  It would be in my top 10 for sure, and possibly my top 5.

As for taking a sneak peek into The Wire, that would be hard.  It's the most book-like show I've ever seen.  Even serialized TV these days have an A and usually B story going on in every episode in addition to touching on the overall story.  The Wire doesn't really do that.  Each episode is more like a chapter from a book.  You really need to watch the whole season to see the story come together.

I can say that each season is very self contained.  There are 5 seasons, but I needed a break in between each season just to let it all process.  Unlike something like Lost, you won't feel compelled to immediately start on the next season (it's more like 24 in that respect).  What's interesting is that each season touches on a whole new part of the city.  Each season looks at the drug problem in Baltimore from a new angle (blue collar workers, politics, education, media).

If you don't like crime shows, it's hard to recommend.  But it is a whole lot more than just a "cop" show.  It examines crime from the 10 year old lookouts up to the highest level in government.

[Najemikon]

Thank you, Mark! I appreciate you posting that.

Now I did like The Sopranos, but there were occasional lapses in judgement I thought and an oft repetitive nature. However, all things being equal, I loved it. To me the big difference between the two is that The Sopranos looked inward, while The Wire looks out. The former at its best resembled a morality play about a man trapped in his own circle of hell. Tony was a complicated man, a powerful and enigmatic monster, who acted like a spoilt child. So despite it's realism, it could sometimes be a fantasy, with dream sequences and flashbacks leading the viewer into his perverse world.

The Wire on the other hand, uses McNulty as its focus point in a story about Baltimore. It picks at characters, but never solely focuses on any one. They're all part of the same situation and it's fascinating.

[Critter]

I actually caught about 3/4 of an episode of this show on telly last night. I enjoyed it well enough even though I didn't really know what was going on (it was the last 3/4). I might try catch a whole episode now.

[snowcat]

Hmm The Wire is a show that me a the TV show club sat down to tried to watch, a few of us just couldn't get into it myself and Venomsinner included :S I guess its just one of those shows that you either love or hate :S

[Najemikon]

I actually caught about 3/4 of an episode of this show on telly last night. I enjoyed it well enough even though I didn't really know what was going on (it was the last 3/4). I might try catch a whole episode now.

I strongly recommend you don't. This is very much an ongoing story and you should start page 1, chapter 1, episode 1. Anything else, you're going to get lost very quickly!

[goodguy]

BTW Jon, do you have the UK DVDs? They seem to be quite affordable, but I've read about transfer issues.

[Najemikon]

I do have the UK ones. It was to all intents and purposes a blind buy, so I have no base of reference, but I have no issue with the quality at all. Maybe if I saw another region, I'd think wow, that is better, but these are as good as I'd expect them to be...

[Critter]

I strongly recommend you don't. This is very much an ongoing story and you should start page 1, chapter 1, episode 1. Anything else, you're going to get lost very quickly!

Thanks for the heads up. I really only watched it last night as I was flicking through channels and nothing else was on.

[MEJHarrison]

I actually caught about 3/4 of an episode of this show on telly last night. I enjoyed it well enough even though I didn't really know what was going on (it was the last 3/4). I might try catch a whole episode now.

I strongly recommend you don't. This is very much an ongoing story and you should start page 1, chapter 1, episode 1. Anything else, you're going to get lost very quickly!

I second that suggestion.  This is the most book like show I've ever seen.  You really do need to start at the beginning.  In my opinion you don't really have to watch the seasons in the proper order (though I'd recommend it), but within a season, you really can't just jump around.