So I finally sat down to watch the first two episodes of The Wire last night. Got to say, 1) it rings true, and 2) I'm glad I didn't watch it when I was living in New York. During the show's run my girlfriend was a teacher in the lowest-of-the-low-income neighborhoods, my best friend worked for a nonprofit specializing in finding housing for people with mental disabilities, my cousin was a cop who got shifted from anti-drug to counterterrorism/cybercrime, another friend became a cop in inner-city Houston, and still another friend was a community activist who worked for the board of education. In short, I knew all too much about institutional corruption, red tape, inner-city violence, racial tensions and the drug trade. Last thing I wanted to do was watch a show about all of the above for entertainment. Now that I'm a little bit removed, I'm making it a point to watch the whole series. So far, so good. Except for McNulty's awful accent.
I think it just gets worse. There is one memorable episode where McNulty has to "play" an Englishman trying to get a prostitute to proposition him. High comedy there....
That is a piece of modern art that. Why does Holder need another TV series when he is living the real version
I thought the actor was Irish. Anyway, that was actually one of my favorites in terms of humor. Lotta good laughs in that one.
Keep us posted on your thoughts. I have seen the whole series twice, and probably won't do it again. Maybe when I get old and lose my mind, I'll do it again - cause I will have forgotten and it will be like the first time. It's a damn masterpiece, and I am jealous you get to see it all for the first time. Just know that it develops arcs over multiple seasons, so while some of it seems slow and superfluous in the early going, it's actually quite economical and all in service of the story and the characters.
I just started season 5 and am getting kind of bummed that there's only 9 episodes left. So far it's one of the best tv series ever.
Dominic West is English with Irish-Catholic parents, and he studied in Dublin. So yeah, it's kinda funny when he says "Snot Boogie".
Oh, and just saw an episode of Body of Proof. Nice to see Sonja Sohn in a recurring role post Wire. She was my favorite in the first 2 seasons. Had the best closing of any episode. "Good night feind. Good night hopper..."
Nope; he's English but he studied acting at Trinity College, Dublin. Aiden Gillen (Carcetti) is Irish, mind. EDIT: PhatHat beat me to it.
Forgive me for namedropping, but speaking of actors from the show, I got to work briefly with Frankie Faison (Commissioner Burrell) earlier today. About the most laid-back, friendliest, un-Burrell-like guy you'd ever meet. Also, Dominic West is in BBC 2's The Hour, which is nothing like Mad Men, insists the execs at BBC, who think you might like the show if you enjoyed Mad Men: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InILSU-ZV9M"]YouTube - The Hour Trailer - New Series - BBC Two‏[/ame]
That episode was directed by Dominic West. This isn't really a name drop, I don't think, but a couple weeks ago I went to see Erykah Badu give a short performance at the Roxy up on Sunset. Afterwards she had a DJ Set, then a few other DJ's joined her up on stage and they took turns putting on tracks to close out the night. Up on stage with them was a guy wearing shades who looked like a young Delroy Lindo. He eventually picked up a mic and started playing hype man, rapping along to 2Pac and Biggie songs, saying things like, "YEAH!" "IS DC IN DA HOUSE?!?" "IS NEW YORK IN DA HOUSE?!?" He was actually pretty funny to watch especially when he would reach over the DJ's shoulder to turn down the music so he could bleat, "UHH!" "ONE TWO ONE TWO!!" and what not. We were kind of having a laugh over him and then he took off his shades and we realized it was Idris Elba (Stringer Bell). Talk about not having the same personality as the person you played on TV. Apparently he DJ's around LA sometimes.
I have tried twice to watch it but cant get past the first three episodes. I just need to take the leap I guess. I might do that tonight as I have the entire first season on my PC.
I am also (finally) watching the first season, and I have to say that it's worth it -- so far. I had a little trouble getting into it at first too.
If nothing else, watching for the 4th season - the schools (and there are some pretty strong lead ins, so you'll have to watch it all the way through).
The 4th season (that's right, season ) is the best season of any TV show. [Clough]Or at least in the top 1. [/Clough]
Damn, did I say that? Just went though most of the thread...I said elsewhere other characters were better. Just goes to show how good the show is that things like that change.
Seriously? I'd call the first 4 seasons classic, and the 5th only suffers in comparison to what came before. And from what I've seen it's very common that it takes several episodes to really get into it, I had the same reaction. I haven't rewatched it yet (just saw it for the first time during the past year), but I've heard those first few are a lot more enjoyable on rewatch because you're already immersed in the world.
No way. As a teacher of those type of kids, many of the things they got spot on, if condensed. And Prezbo wanting to help out and figuring out how to, but seeing all many of his efforts got waste was about right.