If you haven’t watched The Wire, you really should. The scripts are genius, the acting is sublime, and the research on the various characters — decent cops and broken ones, drug dealers and their long-suffering and/or grasping families, community leaders and sell-outs, flawed politicians and the people who bribe them – has been so spot on, beyond anything you usually see in the sterilized, shorthanded, cardboard cut-out "cop and law" shows.
This season, the show’s creators turn their razor-sharp analytical scripts on the media’s role in all of this, and I cannot wait to see the storyline unfold. To see how they peel back the layers of corruption and tainted attempts at change, bit by bit, as the weeks move forward.
Far too much of television — and politics — these days looks at everything from a stereotype, find the easy solution, or sound bite basis. What The Wire does brilliantly is lay out why none of the enormous problems facing this country have easy solutions — and why anyone who is trying to sell you that line of bullshit is either a moron or a huckster. And I love them for it.
This is a show that will make you think. And will haunt you for days afterward…the best shows always do. I’ll be watching, and setting the Tivo for a second viewing. If they take on the media like they have every other facet of public corruption and criminal intent, it’s going to be one helluva ride while it lasts.
For more:
– On Lester Freamon and his "follow the money" investigative genius.
– From USAToday, a great summary review and a number of questions on why this show hasn’t made more of a viewer breakthrough.
– An actor/director’s eye view of the show in the NYTimes.
– And, finally, why I love this show, in a nutshell, from the SFChronicle:
…Season 5 is the culmination of brilliant, nuanced storytelling, exceptional acting and the fearlessness of Simon and his writers from the get-go in telling novelistic stories on television without pandering….
As for this grand finale, "The Wire" doesn’t disappoint (has it ever?). Simon returns to his familiar themes of institutional incompetence, soul-crushing bureaucracy, retrograde human behavior and the perseverance it takes to survive and the sadness that comes when you can’t.
All the regulars who weren’t either killed off or cashiered at the end of Season 4 are back, more desperate than ever. For all the danger that exists in "The Wire" – drug dealers, rogue cops, kids who kill for thrills, ignorance, the brutality of capitalism – it’s always the desperation of failed systems that drives people toward doom….
…using the media as the big-picture idea in Season 5 also serves a greater good for the writers. "The Wire" needs some kind of closure. Simon and his gang of novelists and former journalists have been illustrating the dire failings of Baltimore (and American society) for some time now, so it’s fitting to see how that story can be missed even by the very people paid to tell it.
Brilliant, haunting television. Can’t wait…
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LOVE this show!
There is a piece in the Globe about this today. We get the DVDs and see it a season at a time, sans commercials. It is positively brilliant. It should be required viewing in every Sociology class. (I could also see it as a brilliant computer game, should someone want to do one. It shows also the complexity of all these different urban contexts – groups and individuals!!
Never seen it. I guess I should check it out. Haven’t had anything good to watch since West Wing ended.
Morning Christy!
I loved Lester Freamon cell phone sting. Brilliant stuff.
The shows treatment of politics is beautifully layered, ultra-clever.
Can’t wait for this evening!
Richmond — Me, too. It so clearly illustrates so many of the problems we face, in all their painful, convoluted, craptastic glory. Poverty is so harshly, starkly put on the screen. One of my favorite characters is the druggie that works as a stooge for the local cops to earn more dope money while he tries to get his shopping cart travelling t-shirts through the neighborhood business started. The actor who plays that character is brilliant — and I have seen that particular person in real life more times than I can count, and have had the same frustrating fight to get them back on the right track that the female cop who works with him has had throughout the run of the show.
Far too many people in this country have no idea how the other half lives. This show puts it right in everyone’s face…the creators are a former journalist for the Baltimore Sun and a former cop, and they put their real world experience right out there in every show. It’s brilliant stuff…I would force every elected official to watch it if I could.
*ducking* Boston Legal is my remedy for loss of west wing, which wasn’t as good after 9/11, but i watched it anyway. it was “my show”
not “my Show” is boston legal
it makes me laugh out loud and actually has much better politics than west wing did
Countdown to New Hampshire: 2 days
Countdown to Michigan: 9 days
Countdown to Nevada and SC GOP primary: 13 days
Countdown to SC Dem primary: 20 days
Countdown to Florida: 23 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 30 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 303 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 380 days
newton — Absolutely. The storyline last season about the election, and how low people were willing to go to win it: the bribes, the payoffs for getting someone to shiv your opponent at just the right time, the smarmy nature of the fellow who won the mayoral election and the equally smarmy nature of the folks he was trying to beat…
Real world writ large screen.
been reading about the wire though and saw an interview recently with the writer/director. thanks for the reminder.
i meant to write “now” my show is boston legal
not that anyone cares
We were given the complete first season on DVD for the holidays. May actually start watching it today. My question is; As good as the Sopranos? Better?
Dammit. I don’t have HBO. *kicking tin can*
Better than the Sopranos. Better even, than Deadwood. IMHO.
And isn’t the shopping cart stoolie druggie the brother of the female cop? I seem to remember that from way back in the beginning. But I may be misremembering…
Political quip of the day : “98% of the American people are honest and hard working. 2% are lying thieves, but we have only ouselves to blame. We elected them.”
AAAG! No spoilers!!!
OK, I’ll refrain from talking about The Wire on The Wire thread. ;)
So what’s the football score?
The best show ever on television– and I really and truly never watch t.v. Hubby got me hooked this year: we just wrapped up viewing the last season last night. I don’t live/work in a big city, but the PTSD, depression, oppositionalism and despair in kids and the overwhelm in teachers (last year focused–partly–on schools) is so perfectly rendered (in my experience as a psych. working with juvenile offenders). If you haven’t seen this show, take time to look into the interviews and info on the DVDs after you view them. The amount of heart and thought that went into the making of the Wire is phenomenal.
Also, WD, I think you disremembered (his sister has a little daughter, remember?)
No. (Menopause!)
But thanks for setting me straight!
I just bought the Season 4 DVD collection of “The Wire”. I already have the first three. An astonishing volume of first class quality work.
7-7
That was such an amazing part of last season — the focus on how poverty devastates children, and makes the job of reaching out to them and teaching them that much more difficult. Amazingly detailed and you are so right that the PTSD and neglect issues compound with the violence surrounding these children — I saw it time and time again with so many of the juveniles and abuse and neglect cases in my caseload. Trying to find some way to unravel the mess is next to impossible…but the desire to try is so very strong, and needs to be so in all of us.
Really brilliant stuff.
Rent it. But a warning: it’s so fascinating it’s hard to stop…I’ve amazed the Better Half by staying up ’til 2 or 3 a.m. watching this show. It also takes a lot of time–for me, at least–to process. I’ve taken Wire breaks and not watched for a month or so, because I needed to sift and digest….
OT: Down to the wire in New Hampshire -
Here’s a rather aw shucks, gee willikers, golly gee, feel good story about the army of Obama volunteers out to save the world:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7173634.stm
I feel ya Redd.
AMEN. I am so glad to see this show is finally getting a larger audience. What the entire crew has done–writers, producers, actors–is a five year-long massive public service. What a richness of education, artistry and compassion.
The thing that’s so amazing to me is the sheer volume of work. A theatrical movie project now takes — what? — half a decade from pre- to post-production and $200 million to complete two hours of final cut. These cats have will have rolled out close to a hundred hours of ass-kicking writing, acting, cinematography, SFX, and editing in the same time span. Just amazing.
Is Michigan losing delegaes @ Dem cinvention for having their primary so early?
YES! And to think that some of the most amazing actors are folks from the very streets/lives the Wire is portraying. Truly, this is television as a revolutionary act.
My daughter and I agree that The Wire is the view of America that John Edwards embodies. If you like the show, you should be supporting John Edwards. His gut-wrenching realism and determination to fight on DESPITE everything is the truths we need to teach our young.
I forgot to mention that, Laura, yeah, that’s directorial genius at work, getting pro performances out of regular peeps.
Beer
I think they’re in the same boat as Florida- they’ve got a problem and it will probably get resolved one way or the other at the convention.
The gooper side of the Michigan question is even more interesting- could hang in the balance for Willard.
14-7 Giants
Way too early for Eli to start throwing to the other team.
halftime
That’s where things sit at the moment, I think. There will likely be whining…the question is which camp will be doing so the loudest when all is said and done.
It’s strange in FL because nobody’s comming here or building organizations or doing anything. Somebody oughta be working at getting people to the polls in case the delegation gets seated, no? it could be a big pickup earned with very few votes since the turnout will be pretty low. There’s other stuff on the ballot so some people will come out. Because nobody’s doing anything at all it leads me to wonder if there is really any chance of the delegation getting seated. The Dems have already hurt themselves here. Too late.
Beerfart — This is why the Dems are not campaigning in Florida, FYI…
Fart
I suspect that the delegation will be seated- no point in punishing the delegation for the actions of the gooper legislature. Trouble is- if it makes a difference in who wins the nomination- there will be a fight.
FL Dems are not happy. They shoulda worked somethin’ out. it’s beyond whining. people are mad to have essentially been disenfranchised – and after we’re told how important FL is? Whoever the Dem nomimee is… good luck in FL.
The goopers are also penalizing states for holding early primaries. MI, FL, NH, and SC are all supposed to be losing half of their delegates.
Funny how it appears to be only the Dem side of the equation that ever gets any mention.
The cart guy IS brilliant. And I love how he and scar face (forget the name, the one with the diagonal cheek marks) and the female black cop humanize, normalize and complicate gays. I have come again to admire the complexities of cop life (esp. the internal politics), and of politicians and community groups. One more thing – the complex and brilliant engagement of the economics of the underclass – and how smart they are with what little they have.
By prohibiting campaiging in Florida, Dems are keeping Florida media outlets from the financial windfall that was the reason for moving the primary up in the first place.
Once they punish the media outlets- they may as well seat the delegates.
I’ve never seen this show. Do you need to see previous seasons first, or is this a new set of characters starting tonight?
Yeah, I know the party wouldn’t let them come here but couldn’t they have had people doin’ something, like, “independently” ? I mean, great, they got alot more people in Iowa to show up for the caucus. It isn’t helpful that so many people in FL are disenfranchised and are not happy w/ the national party. Obama might have a chance. Otherwise, color FL red.
solai — It’s the same characters, so there is backstory to know in terms of the interplay. But, at the same time, each season has been fairly encapsulate in terms of starting out with an entirely new focus on several levels.
So it’s a richer story if you have seen the prior seasons but, IMHO, it’s not essential. It’s something you can pick up later if you get intrigued.
I may give it a try. I see on HBO on demand I can watch last season.
That’s what wer been sayin’! Don’t punish us for what the R legislature did. They did anyway. Yeah, the R’s took away delegates, but tere’s still somethin’ to fight over and the candidates are comming here and collecting money and getting covered on TV and in the papers. For the Dems? Nuthin’. It’s just not good for the party.
Christy if there is one issue I wish we could fix it would be the poverty + medical issues of “our kids”. Whats happening is appalling, the kids are the future our country. If things go on the way they have been this country is doomed to oblivion. What a shame! The best and brightest experiment in individual freedom will be lost to the corporatist, who if they can will never support nay thing to alleviate this tragedy! All they want is mo money and fuck the common man… they are replaceable ya know. I think that is the bottom line of whats is wrong with the government we have ended up with.
I feel the first step in fixing this problem is to first Impeach this administration and then prosecute the entire administration from top to bottom.
Then we need to change the lobbing laws so no corporate money can be used in any way to influence our government or elected officials.Only limited money from individuals should be allowed in the election process!
I know this is just a beginning but it is an important first step. The fact that any citizen can’t get a decent primary school education and proactive medical care would be next. Of course the list is much longer and all class inequities need to be addressed. And Oh by the way we need to raise the “Death Tax” as our fonding fathers knew was essential to a functioning democracy for ALL of her citizens and not the well off.
“I’ve never seen this show. Do you need to see previous seasons first, or is this a new set of characters starting tonight?”
_____
You can dive in anywhere, but then you’ll wanna get the DVDs, it’s so compelling. The storyline threads (e.g., the lives of the ongoing characters) running across all the seasons are simply spectacular.
How did I miss this for 5 seasons? Better than West Wing and Boston Legal?
There was a caller on c-span this a.m who was rankin’ on Hilarry because, among other things, she’d never repeal the death tax. he descdibed himself as a “wealthy man.” Screw him, ya know.
nahant, you’re an edwards person,no?
Whew! Thanks for the warning, I don’t want to be haunted for days.
Repulicans: The party of War
Democrats the party of peace
That what I get from having only watched the Dems yesterday and the Rs today
The party of war will ignore our country’s needs:
Healthcare, infrasructure; water, wastewater, flood control,food, shelter,clothing, education and jobs. These together are multi trillion dollar needs that can fire our economy out of recession, provide jobs and the spending power to reignite the economy and pay of the debt.
I do not watch The Tube I can’t take it another subject. I write my own script.
Ya think???
The Dems in FL didn’t get that memo. We’re the ones who feel punished.
Watch it from jump street, it matters.
Just guessin’ Actually, i thought I saw you mention that.
The BBC clearly has an agenda in the US primaries./Snark off.
Here’s something really inspirational.
I can’t help it. Every time I watch this, it makes me laugh more. Pythonesque is the only word for it.
Bush’s up coming world tour victory lap should make for really compelling viewing. We should all feel honored to pay the costs.
New Ian upstairs.
Why Financial Crises Will Keep Happening
What F happened??? FDL just kept trying to load the new data and just sat there for 5-10 minuets … I hope the techies in the back room can get the kinks out of what ever is screwing the site up before Tuesday and then the final push to the elections!!
It sure is frustrating to just sit there out in limbo!
After following reality itself and reading about what happens to others, why in the world would I want to watch a razor sharp show about it?
I don’t have cable, so I don’t know what HBO or others like it do. I did hear great things about “Deadwood” so I did rent the dvd…then returned it after viewing only 3 episodes. Same reason. Too grim, too desperate, and Hickok got it right off at the beginning!
But enjoy anyway. I’ll go rent Babylon 5 again.
The rumblings I’ve heard is that many of the Ds in the state legislature were complicit with the Rs and helped to write the bill that moved the primay up, so if they are all professing ignorance, they just might not be telling the complete and total truth.
Starbuck — Have you seen the follow-up B-5 movie yet? I just noticed it on our on demand movies, but haven’t watched it yet. I have a good friend who worked with JMS on the last season of B-5 and Crusade (as long as it lasted, damn TNT.) It was wonderfully written work…
Christy my son has the entire collection including the movies… I completed watching all of them before Christmas! My only disappointment is they did not cover Delen and John’s son. We we were left with Londo giving them a Minder as a birth gift for their son and then almost nothing he is only mentioned in passing. This is one of my favorite programs with lofty ideals for mankind.
I totally agree.
No. I haven’t seen the movie yet. There is a release earlier this year covering some aspect, I think it’s about the son.
The very last episode when John dies is really powerful. My SO didn’t particularly like the show but it grabbed her as well. The groundwork for the final episode was laid quite early in the series, so early that the producers had a devil of a time making it believable with footage shot years earlier. I saw the discrepancies, but the filming is covered in the extra material on that last disc.
A little aside: One of the episodes has a woman named Lois Nettleton as a character. Lois is a former Miss Chicago (1948) who my dad photographed (he liked to do glamour photos when I was growing up), entering her photo as a possible contestant during a search for contestants. It was fun seeing her in that episode and comparing her now to the photo my dad took, which I have in my collection.
Truly awesome show. I have watched the first 4 seasons on dvd in the last month and a half. Every aspect of the show is superb from the scripts to the acting to the videography, to the music selection. The sad thing is the cycle of great HBO shows that started with Oz, through The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Carnivale, Deadwood and The Wire, is over with The Wire being the last and best of the bunch. Tremendously satisfying drama.
I guess I’ll have to rent it and see for myself.
For those who have never seen “The Wire”: It is indeed the best show on television. But that also means it’s not like any other show. You really have to WATCH it and pay attention to what’s going on. It’s not like “CSI: Miami”, where everything is spoon-fed to you.
As to the questions of whether or not you can start watching Season 5 if you haven’t seen any of the previous seasons, the answer is a qualified yes. The seasons tend to be somewhat self-contained, so you should be relatively okay. There will be spoilers, though. If you start with Season 5 and then go back to Seasons 1-4, you’ll quickly realize that the “new” characters in the first 4 seasons are the ones who didn’t survive to season 5.
Be warned, though: You can’t really start watching in the middle of any of the seasons and expect to follow the show. Each season is like a novel, and each episode is like a chapter to the novel. You can’t read random chapters of a book and expect to enjoy it. It’s the same way with “The Wire”.
No need to wait until tonight. On HBO On Demand right now.
I suspect that there will be a late scheduled primary in Florida IF it actually would make a difference. They won’t seat delegates for a primary in which they didn’t compete (nor should they). The delegation from the early primary will only be seated after all the other primaries have run their course IF it actually makes no difference in the outcome.
FYI–
David Simon also wrote HOMICIDE, the book on which the NBC series was based.
And he wrote THE CORNER, another non-fiction book (about the drug market on Baltimore street corner), which became a miniseries. (And I should add, a terrific miniseries, just as it was a terrific book–as was HOMICIDE.)
For several years, Simon was part of the HOMICIDE TV writing staff, and eventually learned producing from the executive producer of the program, Tom Fontana. (Fontana is also responsible for OZ.)
As somebody whose career in certain respects resembles Simon’s (reporter, screenwriter, novelist) all I can say is that those of us in the same trade regard with awe.
Thanks.
FYI–
David Simon also wrote HOMICIDE, the book on which the NBC series was based.
And he wrote THE CORNER, another non-fiction book (about the drug market on Baltimore street corner), which became a miniseries. (And I should add, a terrific miniseries, just as it was a terrific book–as was HOMICIDE.)
For several years, Simon was part of the HOMICIDE TV writing staff, and eventually learned producing from the executive producer of the program, Tom Fontana. (Fontana is also responsible for OZ.)
As somebody whose career in certain respects resembles Simon’s (reporter, screenwriter, novelist) all I can say is that those of us in the same trade regard with awe.
Thanks.
Great post Christy.
This show is worth every bit of the work and attention it takes to watch. Which is why seven of us progressive bloggers decided to blog the last season over at The New Package
Athenae and Scout of First Draft
Racy Mind
Nancy Nall
Ray in New Orleans
Ashley Morris
and blogmisstress Virgotex.
David Simon’s already dropped by. Come give us a visit-it promises to be a great project. I only hope we can do the show justice.