A subtle but powerful scene in the show: When Bunny Colvin took the 3 f-up class students to Ruth's Chris and the culture shock stole their excitement and their appetites.
Greatest ...
Show ...
Ever ...
Seasons 3 and 4 is the best TV has ever seen and I have watched Mad Men, Sopranos, LOST etc.
A subtle but powerful scene in the show: When Bunny Colvin took the 3 f-up class students to Ruth's Chris and the culture shock stole their excitement and their appetites.
Bunny was my favorite character. _________________ 14-5-3-12
I liked Bunny. I'm actually reminded of Hamsterdam when I read about the ATF stunt that sent guns to Mexico lol.
Also subtle but powerful scene in the show: Michael and Dukie's goodbye. When Dukie reminisced about the piss balloons and Michael clearly couldn't remember.
Also subtle but powerful scene in the show: Michael and Dukie's goodbye. When Dukie reminisced about the piss balloons and Michael clearly couldn't remember.
Amazing scene. Dukie's fate really got to me. Just wrenching. _________________ 14-5-3-12
Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 5463 Location: Long Beach
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:04 am Post subject:
phayze one wrote:
I liked Bunny. I'm actually reminded of Hamsterdam when I read about the ATF stunt that sent guns to Mexico lol.
Also subtle but powerful scene in the show: Michael and Dukie's goodbye. When Dukie reminisced about the piss balloons and Michael clearly couldn't remember.
Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 5463 Location: Long Beach
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:04 am Post subject:
ocho wrote:
phayze one wrote:
Also subtle but powerful scene in the show: Michael and Dukie's goodbye. When Dukie reminisced about the piss balloons and Michael clearly couldn't remember.
Amazing scene. Dukie's fate really got to me. Just wrenching.
Me too. To watch him go down that path, the kid had potential.
Non-spoiler
F***. This scene is beyond brilliant in every aspect of production value even if you haven't seen the show. And if you have seen the show, then you know it says everything about these two officers and it also fits right in with the show's attitude.
This moved the show, in my mind, from "great" into the immortal category of cinema. I had been watching one episode of the first season every night. After this, though, I ran through the rest of the series in less than 2 weeks. Before this scene I had never seen anything in a movie or on TV that projected into me the tension, the concern, and the disgust of every single character on the screen. Simply outstanding. _________________ http://chickhearn.ytmnd.com/
Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 19866 Location: Prarie & Manchester, high above the western sideline
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:38 pm Post subject:
Most intriguing character: Stringer. He grew up in the game but through education he realized that to reach true prosperity he needed to evolve by separating himself from the corners. He almost succeeded in ripping that world out of his soul.
Funniest character: McNulty. McNulty was designed from the movie cop hero archetype. Alcoholic, insubordinate, womanizing, divorced, bumbling at times but brilliant when necessary, and everyone thinks he's an a-hole...especially the higher ups. Easy as hell to write for and damn well executed.
Least favorite character: Marlo. Cold and recklessly megalomaniacal especially when it came to loose ends. Boring, too--no screen presence.
Funniest character: McNulty. McNulty was designed from the movie cop hero archetype. Alcoholic, insubordinate, womanizing, divorced, bumbling at times but brilliant when necessary, and everyone thinks he's an a-hole...especially the higher ups. Easy as hell to write for and damn well executed.
I read an interview from "The Wire" creator David Simon, a former police journalist who got to know the top notch detectives in the Washington/Baltimore area, and said he found it interesting that the best detectives, the ones that doggedly pursue a case and had an unrelenting perseverance in solving them were not often the greatest of people and often complete screw-ups. They were good at solving crimes because it was a personal obsession -- they hated the thought of being outsmarted by the criminal, and it was not out of some sense of justice or compassion for the victim, which is most often seen in TV/Movie cops. The reason the real world detectives were so good at their job, hated being one-upped by anyone, is the same reason they often aren't very well-adjusted in society. Simon recalled one particular detective who was amazingly good but at the same time, a down-and-out bigot. The irony is that he would solve a lot of crimes for African-American inner city communities and would get awards and commendations from these same communities, but he said if anyone spent 5 minutes around the detective, they would be shocked at the things he would say about minorities.
The detective that were good and did things out of compassion and sense of duty, were good at the jobs, but the ones that really excelled, like fictional McNulty, were the ones where solving the crime is an obsession. They don't care about the victim or the crime, just that they have to solve it. Look at what happens to McNulty when he can't be a detective -- he is lost.
Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 18222 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:30 am Post subject:
Most intriguing character: Lester Freamon
Funniest character: Bunk Moreland - No one's funnier than the Bunk. Funniest duo is Carver and Herc.
Least favorite character: Snoop Pearson - God she was annoying!
Best arc: Major Crimes vs. Stringer Bell
Best minor arc: Omar Little vs. Stringer Bell _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 90307 Location: Formerly Known As 24
Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:35 am Post subject:
One of the cleverest scenes ever:
A complete scene using only the F word _________________ “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel
depressing...... such a complete series, the time span allowed us to divulge into the characters personal lives and be able to see each part of the communities views throughout each season (as each one focused ona different part) .... just complete has to be right up the top with sopranos as best series' ever _________________ Jerome James being asked what he thought about his coach calling him selfish, his response was:
"I don't have the first clue who he is talking about, because all I worry about is Jerome."
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:08 pm Post subject: Re: The Wire
akk7 wrote:
No basketball or school, so I decided to finally watch this show after years of trying to find some time. I remember a few years back people on LG talking about it. I must say it was one of the few things I have ever watched that made me think about it days after watching. I'm sad that I finished it all
Thanks for posting this on here. I had heard of this but just started watching it after this post. Absolutely hooked. Great show.
I really like finding out that Ed Burns was an actual BPD cop and used a lot of cops and criminals as the talent in this show.
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 90307 Location: Formerly Known As 24
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:41 pm Post subject: Re: The Wire
pierremonkey wrote:
akk7 wrote:
No basketball or school, so I decided to finally watch this show after years of trying to find some time. I remember a few years back people on LG talking about it. I must say it was one of the few things I have ever watched that made me think about it days after watching. I'm sad that I finished it all
Thanks for posting this on here. I had heard of this but just started watching it after this post. Absolutely hooked. Great show.
I really like finding out that Ed Burns was an actual BPD cop and used a lot of cops and criminals as the talent in this show.
David Simon, his writing partner and the chief brain behind the show, worked the city desk for the Baltimore Sun for 12 years, so between them they know all the stuff the show is about in a very real way. _________________ “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 90307 Location: Formerly Known As 24
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:43 pm Post subject:
stojan wrote:
depressing...... such a complete series, the time span allowed us to divulge into the characters personal lives and be able to see each part of the communities views throughout each season (as each one focused ona different part) .... just complete has to be right up the top with sopranos as best series' ever
I love the Sopranos. Truly great series. But once I saw the Wire, there was no comparison. That's how good the Wire is. It makes other great shows look as bad as they make bad shows look by comparison. _________________ “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel
depressing...... such a complete series, the time span allowed us to divulge into the characters personal lives and be able to see each part of the communities views throughout each season (as each one focused ona different part) .... just complete has to be right up the top with sopranos as best series' ever
I love the Sopranos. Truly great series. But once I saw the Wire, there was no comparison. That's how good the Wire is. It makes other great shows look as bad as they make bad shows look by comparison.
I would argue that stojan was, as Bubbles would say, equivocating like a mother (bleep). _________________ 14-5-3-12
I have watched this series five times now ... trying to let some time pass so that the next time I geek out on it I can have somewhat fresh eyes again.
The Wire turned out to be absolutely my favorite television-watching experience.
My favorite scenes --- Omar schooling Maurice Levy in court in season 2 (?) and Bubs walking upstairs to eat with his sister at the table like a real person in the last episode of the season. That right there still gets me.
24 wrote:
stojan wrote:
depressing...... such a complete series, the time span allowed us to divulge into the characters personal lives and be able to see each part of the communities views throughout each season (as each one focused ona different part) .... just complete has to be right up the top with sopranos as best series' ever
I love the Sopranos. Truly great series. But once I saw the Wire, there was no comparison. That's how good the Wire is. It makes other great shows look as bad as they make bad shows look by comparison.
I would argue that stojan was, as Bubbles would say, equivocating like a mother (bleep).
okay okay you got me ill admit, freamon sways my vote, dam love that guy, has ot be best character on that so bar none _________________ Jerome James being asked what he thought about his coach calling him selfish, his response was:
"I don't have the first clue who he is talking about, because all I worry about is Jerome."
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 90307 Location: Formerly Known As 24
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:46 am Post subject:
stojan wrote:
Quote:
24 wrote:
stojan wrote:
depressing...... such a complete series, the time span allowed us to divulge into the characters personal lives and be able to see each part of the communities views throughout each season (as each one focused ona different part) .... just complete has to be right up the top with sopranos as best series' ever
I love the Sopranos. Truly great series. But once I saw the Wire, there was no comparison. That's how good the Wire is. It makes other great shows look as bad as they make bad shows look by comparison.
I would argue that stojan was, as Bubbles would say, equivocating like a mother (bleep).
okay okay you got me ill admit, freamon sways my vote, dam love that guy, has ot be best character on that so bar none
Well, that's another difference between that show and the Sopranos. Everyone is going to have their favorite characters, but if you ask people who the best performed, most valuable character in the Sopranos was, that's a short list. Ask Wire fans, and you'll get a huge list, because even minor characters were so central and well written/acted. If you watch the show again, pay attention to the small characters. They have backstories and complete, 3 dimensional natures. You have to look real hard to find a character thart is just there to advance the story. The Sopranos has great central characters, but tons of bit players you never care about, or even know much about. You know everybody in the Wire, and that, IMO, is its crowning achievement.
My personal list of the most important Wire characters, in no particular order:
McNulty- The conscience of the show in many ways, and also the object lesson that even the conscience is deeply flawed and can be its own worst enemy.
Omar- brilliant move to make a stone killer the moral center of the story. The only character who both has a moral code, and unfailingly follows it. His death is also the centerpiece of the entire message of the show, the randomness and ignominy of it all.
Stringer Bell- The "man without a country", symbolizing the fact that the worlds of the good guys and bad guys are defined by politics, but that they are no different in many ways.
Chris Partlow- the "gentle" killer who takes no pride or pleasure in what he does, but does it anyway, even trying to make the evil he must do humane for the victim. The only true emotional savagery he commits is against a child abuser he kills as a favor.
Bunk and Landsmen- no way a show like this resonates without counterbalancing the tragedy with a sense of humor, and these guys nail it.
Bubbles- The humanity of the show, in all its painful glory.
Freamon- represents both the good of the police, and the failure of the system.
Wow, I have to stop, because I have about 10 more on my list, and as I write one down, I think of 2 or 3 more... _________________ “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 90307 Location: Formerly Known As 24
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:14 am Post subject:
ocho wrote:
^Cant' believe you left out Bunny Colvin.
I didn't leave him out. I just quit in the middle because there was no way to make even a medium sized list of the most important characters:
Bunny
Duquan
Michael
Snoop (who, amazingly, was found on the street by the actor who plays omar, brought to the set, and they built her character around her)
Pryz
Stanfield
Prop Joe
Augustus Haynes
Scott Templeton
Rawls
Daniels
Carver
Carcetti
Wilson
etc., etc. _________________ “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel
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