The Wire: Continued

[Black Wolf Smith]

That's awesome. Forgot how shocking the show was, since I've seen it multiple times.

There are so many shocking/WTF moments. There were some like Wallace, you saw coming for weeks, others you knew one character or the other was going, but then they did something like this, out of no where. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rWuJ3eD6Qc

[Pinkie Baelish]

Heh, it's fun to see your enjoyment in my suffering :P I had the same feelings when my friends watched shows like Breaking Bad and GOT. I can just imagine you smug bastards smirking while saying that Stringer was going to do terrible shit in season 5. By the way, I was just kidding when I said I was angry for you guys luring me into a false sense of security. In fact, I'm grateful that you did. It made that moment so much better.

Stringer totally had it coming, and deserved his fate, but I still felt bad for him in his last moments. Avon was right. He really was a man without a country. Too much of a businessman to be a gangster, and too much of a gangster to be a businessman. RIP String, even though you had D'Angelo killed, you asshole.

I finished season 3 last night, and was overall pleased with it, although I felt that the payoff was a bit too rushed. Otherwise, it was still an excellent season, and I liked the Iraq War parallels.

On to Season 4!

[Mr. E]

There are so many shocking/WTF moments. There were some like Wallace, you saw coming for weeks, others you knew one character or the other was going, but then they did something like this, out of no where. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=7rWuJ3eD6Qc

Oh, I don't know if that was out of nowhere. Cheese was an idiot, hitched his wagon to Marlo - whom nobody liked - and was directly responsible for Prop Joe's death, whom everyone respected. I was fully expecting him to die once Marlo fell.

[JonArryn]

Count me in with those who were glad String died. After killing my favorite character, D, and sleeping with his girlfriend, he deserved it.

And yeah, never cared much for Mouzone either. But I loved Omar on the other hand, as most people do. Even though he has little screen time, his character is so developed and his quotes are always spot on with the life they're living.

Just has to say this, even if it's in The Wire thread. But I think The Sopranos is better.

[Spring Bass]

I just finished it last night. Great show, although Season 5 was definitely the weakest for me looking at it as a completed whole. I actually found it much more fascinating to watch before the "fake serial killer" plot got underway, with the Baltimore PD struggling under steep budget cutbacks and political pressure to get the crime rate down by any means necessary.

[Lord Flashheart]

There are so many shocking/WTF moments. There were some like Wallace, you saw coming for weeks, others you knew one character or the other was going, but then they did something like this, out of no where. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=7rWuJ3eD6Qc

I always liked Slim Charles, but this put him on another level of awesome.

Just has to say this, even if it's in The Wire thread. But I think The Sopranos is better.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Just let me say that yours is wrong :)

[Mr. E]

I think they're too different to compare. The Wire's different from anything else on television. And I don't mean that to say OMGZ greatest TV show of all time! My personal belief is that Buffy's the best TV show of all time (and David Simon agrees, believe it or not). But The Wire DOES occupy an especially distinct place that's separate from other entertainment. I'd call it a fictionalized documentary, and this caveat makes it difficult to compare to other shows.

[Mr. X]

Buffy's the best TV show of all time (and David Simon agrees, believe it or not).

Wait, really? Far out.

And yeah, "fictionalized documentary" is a fairly accurate description of The Wire. As someone else mentioned further up the thread, Omar and Brother Mouzone sometimes seem like they were thrown in there to remind us all that this was really a work of fiction, not a reality show.

[Mark Antony]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Just let me say that yours is wrong :)

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, But the Sopranos is definitely better :P

[JonArryn]

What seals the deal for me as to why I think The Soparnos is better is that it has so many standout episodes that are really good. It has a much larger number of very good episodes than I think The Wire has. The Sopranos can have this brilliant episode in the middle of the season, in a stand alone way too. I usually don't like stand alone episodes that much in these shows, but The Sopranos does them so well written and so well amde, that it's like watching a really good 50 minute movie most of the episodes. It has a lot to tell about human nature too, which is a preference of mine in stories in general.

The Wire has six or seven episodes that while well written, can be a bit slow because they build up to the last few episodes. But The Sopranos puts out something like "College", "Commendatori", "Soprano Home Movies" or "Mr. and Mrs. John Sacrimoni Requests" which in the beginning or in the middle of the season can just blow your mind. Not to say The Wire is bad, it is amazing television, and maybe a better overarching story than The Sopranos, but I just like the subject better with The Sopranos, and how they handle and delve into the characters.

[Black Wolf Smith]

Oh, I don't know if that was out of nowhere. Cheese was an idiot, hitched his wagon to Marlo - whom nobody liked - and was directly responsible for Prop Joe's death, whom everyone respected. I was fully expecting him to die once Marlo fell.

Slim Charles is one of my fav's and I love this clip but in that scene, Cheeze seems to be gaining control, take a place of leadership, and seems to have gotten away w/ it, and then out of nowhere Slims gun is out, and he isn't really in the "shot" until after he pulls the trigger.

[Honey Badger]

Just has to say this, even if it's in The Wire thread. But I think The Sopranos is better.

As a box set it's an inferior show to The Wire. The Sopranos as a novel has 3 excellent seasons then falls off a cliff for season 4 and on, especially with that really slow final ten episodes plus non-ending. Really soured me on the experience and made me glad they finally put a bullet in it Old Yellar style. Steve Buscemi was really good as the cousin, and Tony's divorce was well handled. Other than that the show went way too long.

The Wire as one novel was tight from beginning to end. It unraveled a little at the end with David Simon's newspaper scenes and the fake serial killer bit (especially Lester's involvement; he's better than that), but was a cohesive story all the way through.

[RumHam]

As a box set it's an inferior show to The Wire. The Sopranos as a novel has 3 excellent seasons then falls off a cliff for season 4 and on, especially with that really slow final ten episodes plus non-ending. Really soured me on the experience and made me glad they finally put a bullet in it Old Yellar style. Steve Buscemi was really good as the cousin, and Tony's divorce was well handled. Other than that the show went way too long.

The Wire as one novel was tight from beginning to end. It unraveled a little at the end with David Simon's newspaper scenes and the fake serial killer bit (especially Lester's involvement; he's better than that), but was a cohesive story all the way through.

In defense of The Sopranos, the death of Nancy Marchand really threw the writers for a loop. All the stuff they had planned about Liva turning states evidence had to be thrown out the window. That might have broken the pattern of having a new "Richie Aprile" each season.

[JonArryn]

In defense of The Sopranos, the death of Nancy Marchand really threw the writers for a loop. All the stuff they had planned about Liva turning states evidence had to be thrown out the window. That might have broken the pattern of having a new "Richie Aprile" each season.

The thing was that they didn't even need a new Richie Aprile for each season. For season 3 and 4 Ralphie was a half-antagonist and he wasn't really a threat against Tony, just a pain in the ass. In season 4 as much focus was on the divorce. In season 5 there wasn't an antagonist, the focus was on Adriana's involvement with FBI, and in 6a and 6b we had Tony's worst threat yet in Phil Leotardo. So while I agree that it would have been very interesting too see what they did with Livia still in the show, I think they'd already done the most important part with season 1 where she suggested to Jun that Tony should be killed. So I don't think that made the writers have a hard time, I don't see how Livia could be a threat against Tony again, the other antagonists would have been there anyway.

And I don't think The Wire is better as a boxset either. I watched both in the same way, seeing two - three episodes a time, and for me The Sopranos is still the better show. And I think The Sopranos had a much better last season than The Wire too. The last 9 episodes were amazing, and probably my favorite season of the show. Season 5 is also excellent, but I can agree that it declined some in quality during season 3 and 4, but the highs are still so good that it didn't matter for me. Anyway, it's probably unnecessary to go on longer in this thread so we might as well start a new The Wire vs The Sopranos thread where people can go ballistic and flame each other.

[SerMixalot]

Rawls comforting McNulty is one of the single best scenes in all television.

That monologue right there? That is what's missing from the newspaper arc.

which is equaled by the conversation after Omar is shot, the editor and chief reporter were so disconnected from their beat that they weren't aware that a local legend had died. that was another major theme of season 5

[Pinkie Baelish]

Finished season 4 yesterday, and two episodes into the final season.

Season 4 - wow. Before the last 2 episodes, I still wasn't getting the hype for the season. I mean, it was fantastic, but I still felt it was on par with season 3, rather than being even better.

Until the last two episodes. Goddamn that was depressing. Randy asking Carver whether he would look out for him was just heartbreaking, as was mah nigga Bodie's death :crying: :crying: :crying: (loved the callback to the chess scene in season 1 though - Bodie was fighting diagonally like a pawn, but got killed by a man travelling in the L formation that a knight uses). But the final montage hurt the most. Seeing Dukie on that corner and Michael becoming a soldier was as bleak as the show's ever been. Really impressed at how well they were able to wrap up all the different arcs, as well as set up for the final season with McNulty deciding to return. There was just this overwhelming feeling of hopelessness in the finale that was just amazing to watch. Funnily enough, arguably the least sympathetic boy of the 4(Namond) was the only one who received an optimistic ending, while the other three were left to be consumed by society.

I didn't think that the show would be as compelling after the exit of Avon and Stringer and McNulty being sidelined. But I was dead wrong, and thank goodness I was. What a season.

PS. FUCK MARLO STANFIELD. But I like Partlow for some reason. I got used to Snoop as well, to the point where I could understand almost half of what she said. But man, Marlo is just ruthless. Unnecessarily ruthless.

[The Monkey]

PS. FUCK MARLO STANFIELD. But I like Partlow for some reason. I got used to Snoop as well, to the point where I could understand almost half of what she said. But man, Marlo is just ruthless. Unnecessarily ruthless.

Chris is just as ruthless as Marlo, why do you like him?

[Independent George]

Chris is just as ruthless as Marlo, why do you like him?

Chris is just a soldier, though; he's just doing what soldiers do. A professional. Marlo's the one calling the shots.

Plus, he beat Michael's dad to death instead of just shooting him. I give him points for that.

[Consigliere]

Plus, he beat Michael's dad to death instead of just shooting him. I give him points for that.

Didnt just beat him to death. He stomped his face in. That was brutal. Even Snoop was taken aback.

[The Monkey]

Chris is just a soldier, though; he's just doing what soldiers do. A professional. Marlo's the one calling the shots.

Plus, he beat Michael's dad to death instead of just shooting him. I give him points for that.

"Soldiers", yeah... The complete apathy shown by Chris towards murder makes him an even bigger monster in my mind. At least Marlo did what he did for a reason (albeit bullshit reasons for sure)