The Wire

Ledbetterman10

The Juggler said:

MayDay10 said:

I started finally watching this show.  I am 9 episodes in.  

It is pretty good.  I'm not sure it lives up to the hype I hear about it (yet).  Its still good though.  I get the authenticity needed, but a lot of the time I cant understand what people are saying, whether its the dialect of the people from the projects, or the police talking about procedures and ranks.  Its almost like I need subtitles to walk me through and untangle it all in real time.  

One thing I do like is the characters.  I pretty much like all the characters and feel strongly about their fates.  

20 years though, it hasnt aged too well.  The "Wire" is technology-based and things have come a long way since then!  Also, shows of the 2010s and 2020s have come more tightly-packed than this one.  

Mr. Mayday....with all due respect, you're in no position to judge the show yet. Season 2 is better than 1. Season 3 is better than 2. Season 4 is better than 3. 

I really liked season 1, but this is the only show of it's caliber I have ever seen where I felt like it only got better and better the deeper you got....with 5 being the exception (still good, just not out of this world good like the previous few).

You have let it breathe. 

I didn't like season 2. I had no interest in the guys on the dock, especially Ziggy, who is the worst character in the history of television. It did teach me the word "Stevedore" though. My name is Steve and I never heard that term until season two of The Wire, so it was a little educational. I just didn't like how some of the stuff I was invested in from season 1 got put on the backburner to service these new characters I didn't care about. And every Ziggy scene made me cringe and think "I wish I was watching a Stringer Bell scene right now." I cannot stress how awful of a character Ziggy was. Just the fucking worst. 

Cliffy6745

Ledbetterman10 said:

The Juggler said:

MayDay10 said:

I started finally watching this show.  I am 9 episodes in.  

It is pretty good.  I'm not sure it lives up to the hype I hear about it (yet).  Its still good though.  I get the authenticity needed, but a lot of the time I cant understand what people are saying, whether its the dialect of the people from the projects, or the police talking about procedures and ranks.  Its almost like I need subtitles to walk me through and untangle it all in real time.  

One thing I do like is the characters.  I pretty much like all the characters and feel strongly about their fates.  

20 years though, it hasnt aged too well.  The "Wire" is technology-based and things have come a long way since then!  Also, shows of the 2010s and 2020s have come more tightly-packed than this one.  

Mr. Mayday....with all due respect, you're in no position to judge the show yet. Season 2 is better than 1. Season 3 is better than 2. Season 4 is better than 3. 

I really liked season 1, but this is the only show of it's caliber I have ever seen where I felt like it only got better and better the deeper you got....with 5 being the exception (still good, just not out of this world good like the previous few).

You have let it breathe. 

I didn't like season 2. I had no interest in the guys on the dock, especially Ziggy, who is the worst character in the history of television. It did teach me the word "Stevedore" though. My name is Steve and I never heard that term until season two of The Wire, so it was a little educational. I just didn't like how some of the stuff I was invested in from season 1 got put on the backburner to service these new characters I didn't care about. And every Ziggy scene made me cringe and think "I wish I was watching a Stringer Bell scene right now." I cannot stress how awful of a character Ziggy was. Just the fucking worst. 

I don't get the season 1 hate and I did really like season 2 (though i did stop during season 2 on my frist watch), but very much agree Ziggy is the worst character of all time

dankind

Merkin Baller said:

The Juggler said:

I have two episodes left of We Own This City. Is there a separate thread? The wife and I are enthralled with it. It's fascinating and so depressing at the same time, knowing it's a true story. But it's so well done. 

I haven't started yet, but am pretty excited to dive in when I can make some time. 

True story being that Boston sucks? I mean, I've been saying that for nearly 25 years now.

Merkin Baller

dankind said:

Merkin Baller said:

The Juggler said:

I have two episodes left of We Own This City. Is there a separate thread? The wife and I are enthralled with it. It's fascinating and so depressing at the same time, knowing it's a true story. But it's so well done. 

I haven't started yet, but am pretty excited to dive in when I can make some time. 

True story being that Boston sucks? I mean, I've been saying that for nearly 25 years now.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. 

Ledbetterman10

Cliffy6745 said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

The Juggler said:

MayDay10 said:

I started finally watching this show.  I am 9 episodes in.  

It is pretty good.  I'm not sure it lives up to the hype I hear about it (yet).  Its still good though.  I get the authenticity needed, but a lot of the time I cant understand what people are saying, whether its the dialect of the people from the projects, or the police talking about procedures and ranks.  Its almost like I need subtitles to walk me through and untangle it all in real time.  

One thing I do like is the characters.  I pretty much like all the characters and feel strongly about their fates.  

20 years though, it hasnt aged too well.  The "Wire" is technology-based and things have come a long way since then!  Also, shows of the 2010s and 2020s have come more tightly-packed than this one.  

Mr. Mayday....with all due respect, you're in no position to judge the show yet. Season 2 is better than 1. Season 3 is better than 2. Season 4 is better than 3. 

I really liked season 1, but this is the only show of it's caliber I have ever seen where I felt like it only got better and better the deeper you got....with 5 being the exception (still good, just not out of this world good like the previous few).

You have let it breathe. 

I didn't like season 2. I had no interest in the guys on the dock, especially Ziggy, who is the worst character in the history of television. It did teach me the word "Stevedore" though. My name is Steve and I never heard that term until season two of The Wire, so it was a little educational. I just didn't like how some of the stuff I was invested in from season 1 got put on the backburner to service these new characters I didn't care about. And every Ziggy scene made me cringe and think "I wish I was watching a Stringer Bell scene right now." I cannot stress how awful of a character Ziggy was. Just the fucking worst. 

I don't get the season 1 hate and I did really like season 2 (though i did stop during season 2 on my frist watch), but very much agree Ziggy is the worst character of all time

Who's hating on season 1? I haven't noticed any posts hating on it, though I am new to this thread and only looked at the last page. 

For me, I loved season 1 and it was a bit of a bummer seeing Barksdale and even Stringer take a bit of a backseat to the dock guys during season 2. Actually, other than hating Ziggy and not caring about the rest of the dock guys, the only thing I really remember from season 2 was D'Angelo getting strangled in jail, while Stringer bangs his girlfriend. Poor D'Angelo. 

The Juggler

Ledbetterman10 said:

Cliffy6745 said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

The Juggler said:

MayDay10 said:

I started finally watching this show.  I am 9 episodes in.  

It is pretty good.  I'm not sure it lives up to the hype I hear about it (yet).  Its still good though.  I get the authenticity needed, but a lot of the time I cant understand what people are saying, whether its the dialect of the people from the projects, or the police talking about procedures and ranks.  Its almost like I need subtitles to walk me through and untangle it all in real time.  

One thing I do like is the characters.  I pretty much like all the characters and feel strongly about their fates.  

20 years though, it hasnt aged too well.  The "Wire" is technology-based and things have come a long way since then!  Also, shows of the 2010s and 2020s have come more tightly-packed than this one.  

Mr. Mayday....with all due respect, you're in no position to judge the show yet. Season 2 is better than 1. Season 3 is better than 2. Season 4 is better than 3. 

I really liked season 1, but this is the only show of it's caliber I have ever seen where I felt like it only got better and better the deeper you got....with 5 being the exception (still good, just not out of this world good like the previous few).

You have let it breathe. 

I didn't like season 2. I had no interest in the guys on the dock, especially Ziggy, who is the worst character in the history of television. It did teach me the word "Stevedore" though. My name is Steve and I never heard that term until season two of The Wire, so it was a little educational. I just didn't like how some of the stuff I was invested in from season 1 got put on the backburner to service these new characters I didn't care about. And every Ziggy scene made me cringe and think "I wish I was watching a Stringer Bell scene right now." I cannot stress how awful of a character Ziggy was. Just the fucking worst. 

I don't get the season 1 hate and I did really like season 2 (though i did stop during season 2 on my frist watch), but very much agree Ziggy is the worst character of all time

Who's hating on season 1? I haven't noticed any posts hating on it, though I am new to this thread and only looked at the last page. 

For me, I loved season 1 and it was a bit of a bummer seeing Barksdale and even Stringer take a bit of a backseat to the dock guys during season 2. Actually, other than hating Ziggy and not caring about the rest of the dock guys, the only thing I really remember from season 2 was D'Angelo getting strangled in jail, while Stringer bangs his girlfriend. Poor D'Angelo. 

Give season 2 another go. Ziggy sucks, I think that is universally accepted, but the story is compelling. And the subtleness of learning that The Greek is the one who basically makes the wheels turn in that whole city was pretty cool to see....and then see again a few season's down the road. 

Yeah, I missed the Barksdale crew too, but that is also why I think the show is so great. They had the balls to make their main characters take a backseat for pretty much an entire season so they could tell the story the way they wanted to tell.

But I guess if I watched it in real time when it first aired and didn't realize they'd go back to those guys in season 3, I might feel differently.

Merkin Baller

The Juggler said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

Cliffy6745 said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

The Juggler said:

MayDay10 said:

I started finally watching this show.  I am 9 episodes in.  

It is pretty good.  I'm not sure it lives up to the hype I hear about it (yet).  Its still good though.  I get the authenticity needed, but a lot of the time I cant understand what people are saying, whether its the dialect of the people from the projects, or the police talking about procedures and ranks.  Its almost like I need subtitles to walk me through and untangle it all in real time.  

One thing I do like is the characters.  I pretty much like all the characters and feel strongly about their fates.  

20 years though, it hasnt aged too well.  The "Wire" is technology-based and things have come a long way since then!  Also, shows of the 2010s and 2020s have come more tightly-packed than this one.  

Mr. Mayday....with all due respect, you're in no position to judge the show yet. Season 2 is better than 1. Season 3 is better than 2. Season 4 is better than 3. 

I really liked season 1, but this is the only show of it's caliber I have ever seen where I felt like it only got better and better the deeper you got....with 5 being the exception (still good, just not out of this world good like the previous few).

You have let it breathe. 

I didn't like season 2. I had no interest in the guys on the dock, especially Ziggy, who is the worst character in the history of television. It did teach me the word "Stevedore" though. My name is Steve and I never heard that term until season two of The Wire, so it was a little educational. I just didn't like how some of the stuff I was invested in from season 1 got put on the backburner to service these new characters I didn't care about. And every Ziggy scene made me cringe and think "I wish I was watching a Stringer Bell scene right now." I cannot stress how awful of a character Ziggy was. Just the fucking worst. 

I don't get the season 1 hate and I did really like season 2 (though i did stop during season 2 on my frist watch), but very much agree Ziggy is the worst character of all time

Who's hating on season 1? I haven't noticed any posts hating on it, though I am new to this thread and only looked at the last page. 

For me, I loved season 1 and it was a bit of a bummer seeing Barksdale and even Stringer take a bit of a backseat to the dock guys during season 2. Actually, other than hating Ziggy and not caring about the rest of the dock guys, the only thing I really remember from season 2 was D'Angelo getting strangled in jail, while Stringer bangs his girlfriend. Poor D'Angelo. 

Give season 2 another go. Ziggy sucks, I think that is universally accepted, but the story is compelling. And the subtleness of learning that The Greek is the one who basically makes the wheels turn in that whole city was pretty cool to see....and then see again a few season's down the road. 

Yeah, I missed the Barksdale crew too, but that is also why I think the show is so great. They had the balls to make their main characters take a backseat for pretty much an entire season so they could tell the story the way they wanted to tell.

But I guess if I watched it in real time when it first aired and didn't realize they'd go back to those guys in season 3, I might feel differently.

I recall early in S2 wondering WTF was going on & not enjoying it, but as the season progressed, I appreciated it more. 

Felt the same when plotlines shifted to city hall, but they keep it moving / interesting. 


Sounds like we all agree just how much Ziggy sucked though. Every f'ing scene couldn't be over soon enough. 

F Me In The Brain

Hahaha.  Ziggy sucks, so hard.
Still one of the best shows.

Ledbetterman10

The Juggler said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

Cliffy6745 said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

The Juggler said:

MayDay10 said:

I started finally watching this show.  I am 9 episodes in.  

It is pretty good.  I'm not sure it lives up to the hype I hear about it (yet).  Its still good though.  I get the authenticity needed, but a lot of the time I cant understand what people are saying, whether its the dialect of the people from the projects, or the police talking about procedures and ranks.  Its almost like I need subtitles to walk me through and untangle it all in real time.  

One thing I do like is the characters.  I pretty much like all the characters and feel strongly about their fates.  

20 years though, it hasnt aged too well.  The "Wire" is technology-based and things have come a long way since then!  Also, shows of the 2010s and 2020s have come more tightly-packed than this one.  

Mr. Mayday....with all due respect, you're in no position to judge the show yet. Season 2 is better than 1. Season 3 is better than 2. Season 4 is better than 3. 

I really liked season 1, but this is the only show of it's caliber I have ever seen where I felt like it only got better and better the deeper you got....with 5 being the exception (still good, just not out of this world good like the previous few).

You have let it breathe. 

I didn't like season 2. I had no interest in the guys on the dock, especially Ziggy, who is the worst character in the history of television. It did teach me the word "Stevedore" though. My name is Steve and I never heard that term until season two of The Wire, so it was a little educational. I just didn't like how some of the stuff I was invested in from season 1 got put on the backburner to service these new characters I didn't care about. And every Ziggy scene made me cringe and think "I wish I was watching a Stringer Bell scene right now." I cannot stress how awful of a character Ziggy was. Just the fucking worst. 

I don't get the season 1 hate and I did really like season 2 (though i did stop during season 2 on my frist watch), but very much agree Ziggy is the worst character of all time

Who's hating on season 1? I haven't noticed any posts hating on it, though I am new to this thread and only looked at the last page. 

For me, I loved season 1 and it was a bit of a bummer seeing Barksdale and even Stringer take a bit of a backseat to the dock guys during season 2. Actually, other than hating Ziggy and not caring about the rest of the dock guys, the only thing I really remember from season 2 was D'Angelo getting strangled in jail, while Stringer bangs his girlfriend. Poor D'Angelo. 

Give season 2 another go. Ziggy sucks, I think that is universally accepted, but the story is compelling. And the subtleness of learning that The Greek is the one who basically makes the wheels turn in that whole city was pretty cool to see....and then see again a few season's down the road. 

Yeah, I missed the Barksdale crew too, but that is also why I think the show is so great. They had the balls to make their main characters take a backseat for pretty much an entire season so they could tell the story the way they wanted to tell.

But I guess if I watched it in real time when it first aired and didn't realize they'd go back to those guys in season 3, I might feel differently.

I’m actually doing a full-rewatch right now on HBO Max. Zipped through season 1 in a few days, took a few weeks to get through season 2 because it was hard to stay interested, and I’m in the middle of season 3 now. 

I agree though that it took balls to present season 2 in the manner they did. Hell, I still remember watching the first episode of season 2 back in the day and thinking for a few minutes that HBO fucked up and was broadcasting the wrong show when The Wire was supposed to be on. 

At least we all seem to agree Ziggy was awful. I really do believe he’s the worst TV character ever. Primarily because he appears on one of the best TV shows ever. You’d expect bad characters like him on bad shows, but not on a show like this. 

Bentleyspop

Yesterday June 2nd was the 20th anniversary of the premiere of The Wire on HBO. In honor of that I present one of the greatest scenes ever filmed for television (volume down if kids are around)  ...

https://youtu.be/O5JAlmjXN9c

Merkin Baller

pjsteelerfan said:

Hope Wire fans check out We Own this City.  Almost a real life version of the show. First two episodes have been great. 

1 episode left... what a show. 

John Bernthal is great in his role... legit scary. 

Bentleyspop

Sad...

Lance Reddick, star of 'John Wick' and 'The Wire,' dead at 60  https://www.npr.org/1164399166

https://twitter.com/ForYourRefPod/status/1636827594799841280?t=R_rljiCvYi4ou8WfYULheQ&s=19

F Me In The Brain

Yup.  So good in this, in Bosch, in many other things.

The Juggler

Way too young. Such a shame. 

Really need to give this another rewatch some time soon. Always pick up on new stuff.

Gern Blansten

Damn...great actor

Bentleyspop

The Juggler said:

Way too young. Such a shame. 

Really need to give this another rewatch some time soon. Always pick up on new stuff.

I do a rewatch every year and have since it's inception.  I always notice a new thing or 2.

Cliffy6745

They never explained his skeletons in the show, right?

But yeah, definitely too young 

Bentleyspop

Cliffy6745 said:

They never explained his skeletons in the show, right?

But yeah, definitely too young 

They alluded to him taking some money. But never followed up on it.

Burrell: You want to talk about dirt? Have at it. Talk some shit about your Eastern district days. Talk about what was going on back when you was running wild in the DEU.
Daniels: That's just talk.
Burrell: Just talk? FBI field reports. You came into a lot of money, quick....
Daniels: You wanna put my shit in the street? Feel free. But the Eastern had a lot of stories. Mine ain't the only one. A lot of people came through that district.

Daniels worked the Drug Enforcement Unit in the Eastern District, and like most of the characters on the Wire, he's done some dirty stuff himself. In his case, as drug money is an easy target and hard to trace, it was likely that he confiscated some of it himself, enough to afford a fairly lavish lifestyle for a police lieutenant.

Cliffy6745

Yep yep, that makes sense 

Bentleyspop

https://twitter.com/WendellPierce/status/1636815621861064723?t=qTjez0-sL0gIDmKT3tK7lA&s=19