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Topic:
The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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Zaz
Title: Manager:
The Amphitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
12/27/06 11:37pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
- Date Edited:
12/28/06 12:02am (2 edits total)
Edited By:
Zaz
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EW had a list of the 10 best TV shows of the year by two separate critics this week. "The Wire" was number one on both lists:
Gillian Flynn:
"1 The Wire
The drug invading Baltimore is called Pandemic, and the implication is apt: On HBO's The Wire, every limb of the American big city — police, politics, schools, business, drugs — is sick, and each infected part is horrifically linked. Cash-strapped mayoral hopeful Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is told to ''hit your numbers or die in this room,'' while on the street, middle-management drug dealer Bodie (JD Williams) is also feeling the economic pinch: An encroaching gang seems ''like Wal-Mart coming to town.'' As dealers and politicos drum up business, the nominal good guys — cops and teachers — are defanged, forced to listen to consultants with catchy acronyms and no solutions.
Raucous, dying Tilghman Middle School is the heart of The Wire's fourth season, which follows four inner-city eighth graders as they stumble toward futures as gangsters, row-house losers, or, perhaps, survivors. The Wire is a wrenching, brilliant indictment of pragmatism and complacency, but it's never miserable to watch. The diverse, buoyant characters put up a good fight: drunken howls at the moon, quiet sketches in a junked-out textbook, tiny gestures of humanity, like trying to salvage at least one kid from the heartbreaking wreckage. The actors are flawless; the writing is lined with empathy, insight, and quick, shocking slaps. Never has a good gutting been more appreciated."
Ken Tucker:
"1 The Wire HBO
No other show makes you care so much about its protagonists, be they ''bad'' or ''good'' people; no other wrenching drama is also so deadpan funny. No other show leaves you drained and exhilarated at the end of every episode. Every episode."
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DVader316
Registered:
Feb '00
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Date Posted:
12/28/06 7:37pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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I couldnt agree more, but then again, Im biased. The Wire is my favorite show.
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Zaz
Title: Manager:
The Amphitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
12/31/07 5:07pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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New season starts Thursday:
9-10PMHBO, TV-MA Season Premiere
"The Wire"
"In the series fifth and final season, ''a new day is not dawning.'' The police department is underfunded, The Baltimore Sun is understaffed, crime rates are on the rise, and the drug trade business is booming. It’s not too late to check out the last chapter of this critically acclaimed series."
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KnightWriter
Title:
Administrator Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '01
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Date Posted:
12/31/07 7:19pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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Without even looking, SPOILER ALERT for all those (like myself) who haven't gotten through the first four seasons.
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"There's a special place in Hell for women who don't support other women."--Sarah Palin
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DVader316
Registered:
Feb '00
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Date Posted:
1/1 12:12pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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Perhaps you should avoid this thread until you've caught up then (although I do thank you from saving it from the depths). 
Anyway, did the three or four others here besides me watch the S5 premiere On Demand ? I saw it yesterday and I thought that it was a great start to the final season. Simon and Co. once again prove how brilliant they are at tying together even the most thin of plot threads and making them into something both surprising and compelling.
Speaking of which, I wonder why Chris was at the courhouse looking up information on Sergei Malatov ? Talk about a blast from the past !
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Coruscant
Registered:
Feb '04
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Date Posted:
1/14 6:21pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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This Christmas, I got a whole dump of tv show DVDs. My brother Mike, from whom I've heard consistently good praise about it, gave me The Wire, first season.
It didn't disappoint. Even with the endless amount of praise given it, the first season definitely met my expectations. Before Wire, I watched the first season of Sopranos (interestingly enough, given to me by my more Sonny Corleone-like brother as opposed to the more reserved, thoughtful Michael). Both shows were equally compelling and I'm thankful to have the unusual dilemma of having to choose one of these shows' second seasons to watch next. Tough, tough decision. Ultimately, it'll come down to which show has the better second season. Mike likes Wire's second season best of them all. I know nothing about the quality of Sopranos' second season, though. Any insight, fellow JCers?
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Zaz
Title: Manager:
The Amphitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
1/14 8:31pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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The EW's readers' poll chose this show as the best on television...
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DVader316
Registered:
Feb '00
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Date Posted:
1/15 10:18am
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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Coruscant posted:
This Christmas, I got a whole dump of tv show DVDs. My brother Mike, from whom I've heard consistently good praise about it, gave me The Wire, first season.
It didn't disappoint. Even with the endless amount of praise given it, the first season definitely met my expectations. Before Wire, I watched the first season of Sopranos (interestingly enough, given to me by my more Sonny Corleone-like brother as opposed to the more reserved, thoughtful Michael). Both shows were equally compelling and I'm thankful to have the unusual dilemma of having to choose one of these shows' second seasons to watch next. Tough, tough decision. Ultimately, it'll come down to which show has the better second season. Mike likes Wire's second season best of them all. I know nothing about the quality of Sopranos' second season, though. Any insight, fellow JCers?
Well, to be fair, its hard to compare the two since they are such different shows, but I honestly dont think that you'll be dissapointed with either show's second season. The second season of The Wire is in many ways very different from the first, but the majority of the characters from the first year are back, as well as some great new ones, too. The Sopranos second season is great, but it was probably their last truly great season, IMO, whereas The Wire only gets better as the seasons go along.
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Boba_Fett_2001
Registered:
Dec '00
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Date Posted:
1/22 8:03pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
- Date Edited:
1/22 8:03pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Boba_Fett_2001
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I recently finished watching the first season and I enjoyed it very much. Acting, story, characters, humour, all top notch. Lots of memorable scenes too like when D'Angelo explains chess to the kids or the F word scene (which I just added to my YouTube favourites).
I'll definitely be picking up Season 2 in the near future and eventually the rest of them.
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KnightWriter
Title:
Administrator Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '01
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Date Posted:
1/22 8:11pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
- Date Edited:
1/22 8:16pm (3 edits total)
Edited By:
KnightWriter
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Boba_Fett_2001 posted:
I recently finished watching the first season and I enjoyed it very much. Acting, story, characters, humour, all top notch. Lots of memorable scenes too like when D'Angelo explains chess to the kids or the F word scene (which I just added to my YouTube favourites).
I'll definitely be picking up Season 2 in the near future and eventually the rest of them.
Superb! Glad you liked it  . I treaded very carefully in here just now (I've gotten spoiled in nickel and dime fashion ever since I started watching the first season, in various places), but I figured you wouldn't be posting about Season 5 just yet (or four, for that matter).
The F-word scene: A more memorable sequence using that word you shall never find, I think. It's not a scene you'd watch indiscriminately just to count with, but the word must have been said in its base form at least two or three dozen times.
Season 1 was better than I remembered it when I re-watched it recently (this time with someone else, rather than just by myself). I've had to put Season 2 on hold halfway through my re-watching of it, but should get back to watching next week. Season 2 has most of my favorite scenes in the series, but I recently realized that an episode of Season 3 has my single favorite scene in any TV series or movie. It's so breathtaking and powerful, yet the full import can slip right by for a time.
Anyway, not to go on. I look forward to your thoughts on Season 2 .
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"May you live all the days of your life"
"There's a special place in Hell for women who don't support other women."--Sarah Palin
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DVader316
Registered:
Feb '00
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Date Posted:
1/24 5:23pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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What season 3 scene are you referring to ?
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KnightWriter
Title:
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Nov '01
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Date Posted:
1/24 5:40pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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DVader316 posted:
What season 3 scene are you referring to ?
Not going to say it here. It would spoil B_F, just like Season 4 and 5 stuff would spoil me.
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"There's a special place in Hell for women who don't support other women."--Sarah Palin
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DVader316
Registered:
Feb '00
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Date Posted:
1/24 5:43pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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Do the ol' HTR trick. Works every time.
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KnightWriter
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Date Posted:
1/24 8:01pm
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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It's in the second to last episode of the season. The ending is phenomenal, when Stringer Bell meets his end. That's not it, though. The scene I refer to is when Stringer and Avon are on the roof or balcony, overlooking the city. They talk, share memories of good times and talk of the future. Just one thing: These men are both trying to kill each other. It takes The Godfather Part II's Roth-Corleone business to a different level. It's understated yet intensely powerful at the same time, seeing the two friends turned mortal enemies pretend to be nice while also endeavoring to destroy each other. In my mind, I see them having rotated around in a slow circle for three seasons, and in that episode, it all comes full circle. Brilliance beyond anything I've ever seen.
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"May you live all the days of your life"
"There's a special place in Hell for women who don't support other women."--Sarah Palin
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Zaz
Title: Manager:
The Amphitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
2/10 12:03am
Subject:
RE: The Wire : The Best Show on TV You (Probably) Aren't Watching
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9-10PM HBO, TV-MA
"The Wire"
"Yes, I'm listing it every week. So? (I may be a wuss, but I'll box over The Wire. Who wants some?)"
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