Comments on: The Wire

By: The Warhead Chicken

The Warhead Chicken — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:30:51 +0000

Thanks for your comments, it’s a good sign for the future of this part of the site that people like you are out there willing to voice critiscisms in an intelligent and coherent way. You make a good point and I will be very interested to read any comment you have on one of my future articles or for that matter to read any article you might choose to write.

By: Moe Berg

Moe Berg — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:46:23 +0000

SPOILERS

The problem with Prez is his character has almost zero consistency. One episode he is a bastard racist cop, permanently blinding some kid, the next episode he is a loveable math whiz, etc. He was a very strong character at certain points, mainly when they dealt with his sort of ‘unconscious racism’ visa vis the storyline where he shot that black cop. The problem is, making Prez a loveable math whiz was the default & they only brought up the ‘bad side’ of his personality when it happened to serve the storyline.

As for Marlo, I can’t see why Prop Joe would mentor Marlo when it was obvious that Marlo was gunning to be the top dog. I don’t know why the Greeks would be persuaded to work with Marlo when they had been working w Prop Joe for years. Etc. Again, it is a situation where the nature of the characters becomes distorted to serve the storyline.

As for the preachiness issue… the entire Newsroom storyline was underdeveloped, every character in it was underdeveloped, … it would’ve taken two full seasons for that element of the show to really get fleshed out. They tried to do it in one [short] season. Why? Because David Simon wanted to take a giant piss on the Baltimore Sun. & that is exactly what he did. Maybe ‘preachy’ isn’t the right descriptor but the whole Newsroom Story Arc is obviously melodramatic to a certain degree so as to display with greater OOOMPH the tattered state of American Journalism as David Simon [a jaded man with an obvious vendetta against the Baltimore Sun] views it. This isn’t even a knock against Simon, really. The Baltimore Sun probably deserves a mouthful of piss. Problem was, the whole bit was underdeveloped to the point that it became very, very, very ‘unsubtle.’

Anywho, I enjoy the show quite a bit as well, but I have grown exceedingly frustrated with reaction to the show. There seems to be no critical examination going on when people write about the show. This isn’t a shot @ you, because I don’t think your aim with this piece was to be critical, I’m more just howling @ the moon so to speak.

have a good day & a good life.

By: The Warhead Chicken

The Warhead Chicken — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:35:56 +0000

You’re in for a real treat, the last three seasons (season 4 in particular) are even better than the first two. Hope you enjoy them.

By: The Warhead Chicken

The Warhead Chicken — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:32:43 +0000

Good luck! I have to admit it’s got one hell of a ‘just one more’ factor, my flat mate almost passed out after binging the second season. It’s the sort of show that would make a really good marathon, need to try that sometime.

By: Griff

Griff — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:49:43 +0000

After hearing lots of good things about The Wire, I bought the first two season box sets for $15 a pop from my local JB Hifi. Watched both series during my Nam holiday over the last two weeks mainly during down time and travel time. Absolutely loved the shit out of it. How have I never watched this show before. I’m going to pick up series three on my way home tonight. I believe JB Hifi still have them cheap! Loving it!

By: Iain Best

Iain Best — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:48:36 +0000

This is one of my favourite shows of all time. I’m not going to be anywhere near as analytical about it as the above comments – I just really enjoyed the depth and breadth of the characters and storyline. Next lot of holidays I have, I intend to sit and watch all 5 seasons in a row. Coming out only for food, drinks and toilet breaks.

By: The Warhead Chicken

The Warhead Chicken — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:22:36 +0000

Can’t reccomend it highly enough. Since you’re a fan of other HBO shows I have no doubt you’ll enjoy this.

By: Bruce Moyle

Bruce Moyle — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:55:09 +0000

I have been meaning to watch this show. I keep hearing good things about it, so will pickup the first season if I see it on the shelf.

By: The Warhead Chicken

The Warhead Chicken — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:05:03 +0000

Whoops! Please read ‘coherent’ as ‘incoherent’.

By: The Warhead Chicken

The Warhead Chicken — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:02:05 +0000

SPOILER WARNING
I have to say I agree to many of your complaints, though not all.
Firstly let me deal with my point of the show’s realism. Certainly Brother Mouzone is unrealistic, though I have to disagree with you on Prez, and would be interested to know why you found him coherent. I also disagree that for the greeks and prop joe it is against their best interests ‘coddling’ Marlo, since a continued barksdale relationship seems increasingly unlikely to succeed in the long term.
Again I completely agree that I was wrong to claim every single character was continued in the way I stated. But I’d like to make the point here that I was trying to limit the article to 1000-ish words and I think I edited out a section dealing with that, admittedlyh I should not have done so since it makes a false statement as you pointed out.
I don’t consider the press arc from season 5 preachy. Though I do consider it, to say the least, unsubtle.
You’ve clearly watch most or all of the show so I’d like to thank you for your feedback, I really love this show (hell, I think it’s the best show ever made for television) and welcome any critiscism of my writing when it is presented like yours (i.e. in a helpful manner). If you have your own takes on the areas you have highlighted I’d love to hear them.

By: Moe Berg

Moe Berg — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:01:44 +0000

“this show is stunningly realistic.”

Stunningly, really? Omar is “stunningly realistic”? Brother Mouzone? Prez, a completely incoherent character, is stunningly realistic? The Greeks & Prop Joe coddling Marlo despite the fact it obviously goes against their best interests is stunningly realistic?

“Every season of â‚¬Å“The Wireâ‚¬ adds extra groups of characters to the proceedings, and with the exception of the dock workers introduced in the second season they all keep going right up till the final episode.”

False. Prez, Cutty, Bunny, Namond, & Randy were all written out of the 5th Season despite being major characters in the 4th. Avon, Avon’s Sister, Wee-bey, every Barksdale player who didn’t die was reduced to the occasional random cameo after S3.

“â‚¬Å“The Wireâ‚¬ doesn’t preach to it’s audience, it just presents life as it is,”

I mean, if you don’t think the entire Journalism plot arch is “preachy” you shouldn’t be using the word preachy in the 1st place.