The Wire

[mostlikely2]

I have this theory about television, specifically popular television drama. Shows that are wildly popular -- not cult programs, but seriously nationwide popular -- have a thing that they give us. You go back to the same restaurant twice a month because you expect a certain dish or a certain flavor, right, so what keeps people coming back? What is

Comments

[calliope_nyc]

I thought BSG was the greatest show on television - until I saw "The Wire." I remember one of your BSG posts from season three; you had been complaining about the poor quality of a few episodes and I guess some readers were saying that even the best shows have some off moments. And you said no, there's no excuse for that, that a great show should always be great - and that's The Wire. That show never had a weak episode, not once. Some people weren't so thrilled with Season 2, and there were some legitimate complaints about the newspaper story in Season 5, but those were about plot, not execution. The acting is superb and the character development makes, dare I say, even BSG pale by comparison. And I love BSG

[spectralbovine]

That show never had a weak episode, not once.
Yeah, I always say the show doesn't have a bad episode because it can't. It's not really about "episodes." It's just a very long story presented in episode-size chunks. And since you're only as strong as your weakest link, every episode maintains a standard of consistent quality. Plus, there is so much going on that you can never point to a bad "episode." Maybe some scenes that didn't work as well, but that's it.

In all seriousness, this show makes you love characters you should hate, gives nuance to even the worst bad guys, and never pretends that the good guys are always good while at the same time letting humanity shine through at all times.
Well put.

[calliope_nyc]

Exactly how I feel - there are no "episodes." It's amazing to me that there were even different writers. Everything runs together so fluidly (and that being said, it's also worth noting the incredible attention to continuity!).

And thanks! =)

[spectralbovine]

It's amazing to me that there were even different writers.
Right?? If you take a look at the first couple seasons, though, David Simon has a story credit on every single episode. I think that works well.

(and that being said, it's also worth noting the incredible attention to continuity!)
It's one long story, after all!

No robots in Baltimore

[texasannie]

The characters on The Wire definitely aren't robots, although plenty of them probably wish they could be. The show always gave me the sense that they were exploring and exposing a lot of the problems in American society, but not in a hopeless way. It's more like an intervention -- "When I see you doing this, it makes me feel like this, and I just know you're better than this" -- than an enraged "fuck it, we don't deserve to live." And no, it never had that "woo, we're super hardcore cable dudes!" vibe either.

"Whenever anybody says something is "just good," with no qualifications or explanations, that's a flag that you're dealing with people's actual inside-the-head stuff."

That's how Farscape is for me. This may mean I'm nuts, but that show is what the inside of my head looks like all the time. Even moreso than with Buffy, and I didn't know that was physically possible.

Re: No robots in Baltimore

[mostlikely2]

Assume agreement, obviously, on the in-the-head stuff. I could not, given ten years, explain the allure of Farscape beyond the "utopian civics lesson" : "anonymous sex in a sewer" :: Star Trek : Farscape thing.

[kdiddy]

The Wire is incredible. I really can't express how deeply amazing it is as both a work of art and an exploration of America. and there are no robots. for what it's worth, I've been weeping at the end of many episodes, but laughing and cheering along with the characters when they've experienced rare moments of triumph. watch it. you will not regret it.

[chicating]

You know that cliche', "You'll laugh, you'll cry," and mostly it's all bullshit? On The Wire, it's true, and not just because I think Jimmy McNutty, uh, McNulty, is so hot I wrote an essay about it.
Also, I love that native Baltimorons can make "now" a word with three sounds in it. And Wendell Pearce. And Stringer Bell...aw hell,{{{Wireverse Balmer}}}
I think Ms. pearson, in addition to being a for-real stick-up girl who really made her bones as a girl, is butch, rather than tranny.

[spectralbovine]

WHY HELLO THERE.

[chicating]

huh...(laughing at self) it's like somebody flashed the "Motherfucker" Signal isn't it? Although it's an accident and i'm not sure how I got here from my bunkocvictor lj.
Yes. no. maybe.
(Of course, if there were an MF-signal, it'd only work about a third of the time.
Fuckin' bosses.)

[turandot]

I'd say watch it. What I like about the show is that it does not take sides, but it clearly cares about the characters. If there is a moral center at all, it resides with Bubs, a recurring but not major character. He's got the classic outsider looking in perspective: he's not a cop, he's not a dealer. He's a junkie, which for better or worse means that he takes abuse from all sides. In five years, he tries to quit using twice, one time he fails, the next he succeeds. In some ways, staying drug-free is actually tougher for him, but as the series goes on, he finds more and more reasons to try

Wire

[ext_108611]

Jacob, I'm going to post your inquiry on my group Wire blog and request that our posters answer you. One of our favorite posters is David Simon hissownself so maybe you'll get lucky.

I doubt it will happen but even so, The Wire not robots. It's America. This much I'll say up front. And if you reall want to go deep, watch Homicide Life on the The Streets. Those are the roots.

Athenae emailed me you were recapping Generation Kil and I am thrilled. I can't wait to see your stuff.