Jump to content

The Wire: Continued


Reposado

Recommended Posts

With regards to Season 2, it was a bit disappointing on first watch since it focused a lot less on the Barksdale crew that we came to know in S1. It was still great television though, and much better on rewatch.

I always meant to tell you this that I hated Stringer Bell he was a cold mofo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, S2 feels like a drastic change but it sorta works eventually (although I think the drug dealers are more interesting for the most part).

The problem is the show then dives right back into the S1 story and never comes back to the docks and so S2 feels like a useless diversion from the real story.

If they'd kept drastically changing the scenery every season, you'd see less complaints imo, but cause they only do it once it stands out.

These are basically my thoughts and also, with the introduction of so many new characters, storylines and the setting, season 2 feels a bit cramped at times as it tries to address both the new characters and the ones left over from season 1. I still think it's a good season and overall better than season 5, but I definitely place it as one of the two weaker seasons. I would suggest that anyone new to the show should still watch it as some of the stuff becomes important later on and it's still good TV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't like season 2 at first because I wanted more of the same, but it was a very good season and I would rank it pretty high as well.

Me too. At first I was hesitant with the focus away from the Barksdale crew and McNutty on a boat but they knocked it out of the park. I'm doing a re-watch now and just finished season 2 and it was as good, if not better than I remembered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Big fan of season two the first time around, and I enjoyed it as much - if not slightly more - on subsequent re-watches. I would also disagree that it's disconnected from the other seasons, in terms of the plot. It's tangential, surely, but the relationship between Prop Joe and Spiros & The Greek (and later Marlo and those two) most definitely has an effect on the narrative that seasons one, three, and four are more heavily focused on. With that in mind, I think "useless diversion" is a bit harsh, and that's to say nothing of the quality of the content itself.



I'd probably rank the seasons...



4 > 3 > 2 > 1 > 5


Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't help but wonder what the true nationality of the Greek is. I know it's inconsequential, but not knowing bugs the hell out of me. I wish it had been revealed.

His people seems to have an historical animosity towards the Turks (as evident by his meeting with the ship's captain), so if he's not Greek. my best bet would be Armenian.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Odd. I always thought S5 was acknowleged as the worst (or, weakest of a very high run of quality) season, mainly due to the newspaper angle not really working and the far-fetchedness of McNulty's storyline.



S2 was reasonable, though probably still the second-weakest season. I liked the fact that the dockworkers, not being hardened criminals, were completely inept at avoiding police surveillance compared to the drug gang, although this did mean they had to delay the police investigation starting proper until about episode 7, which gave us a bit too much filler in the earlier episodes. There's also the fact that whilst the dock story feels disconnected from everything else, it does tie in: the events of the last two episodes lead McNulty back to reopening the investigation into Stringer Bell, which leads directly into Season 3 (and actually helps Season 3 to hit the ground running).



Also, S2 had the finest moments of that lunatic police commander Valchek, and introduced Beadie Russell, who I thought was a superb fit for McNulty. Without seeing Season 2 and Beadie (who barely appears in later seasons), a lot of McNulty's later character development from the end of Season 3 to the end of the series doen't really track.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

You all probably know by now that my opinion of the Wire is that it is a good show, but incredibly over rated here on these boards. I have only watched the first season and episode one of the second season. My opinion was questioned the other day as being invalid as I have not seen the whole show, and since I have a little time, and the show was decent enough, I will give it a watch.



I started over on episode 1 of the second season, and I remember now why it was so easy for me to walk away. I don't like how they represent union labor in the slightest. Union members and leaders are so stereotypical as to be comical. I wish for once, a story containing organized labor wouldn't cheapen itself by including corruption.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

You all probably know by now that my opinion of the Wire is that it is a good show, but incredibly over rated here on these boards. I have only watched the first season and episode one of the second season. My opinion was questioned the other day as being invalid as I have not seen the whole show, and since I have a little time, and the show was decent enough, I will give it a watch.

I started over on episode 1 of the second season, and I remember now why it was so easy for me to walk away. I don't like how they represent union labor in the slightest. Union members and leaders are so stereotypical as to be comical. I wish for once, a story containing organized labor wouldn't cheapen itself by including corruption.

I'm sure there are non corrupt unions. But those don't make for good stories. Just get over it and finish the show

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, very overrated. S2 was good. The news/politics content was interesting. The street content was boring and predictable, but was obscenely accurate.

Hahaha, again with this shit. Someone isn't fond of inner city folk.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't think the Wire's treatment of unions or union corruption is stereotypical. At the very least I think you should finish the whole season before deciding you don't like their representation of union labor.

The big thing I think is that it's not making any sweeping generalizations about unions. This union is corrupt in these ways for these reasons, and the story of the season works from there.

I have been re-watching the first season with my girlfriend, who is a newbie to The Wire. I don't think she has reached the point where she's really into it yet, which makes me a little sad, but I guess that's life. Last episode we watched is the one where Omar goes to see Brandon's body.

Standing out to me in this re-watch is the amount that certain things were foreshadowed all the way back in the opening episodes. The biggest one is McNulty asking in I think the second episode, "What does someone have to do to get kicked out of this department?" What, indeed, Jimmy.

There's also Stringer Bell being all up on D'Angelo's baby mama from the very first scene where she is introduced. Avon wants to go talk to D, and Stringer is all there to be friendly and lead her off to wherever.

Such a masterwork.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...