Its good to see that this thread is alive and kicking. I think this season has been as great as other seasons, but you have to remember, Simon and West actually wanted 13-14 episodes while HBO only wanted to make 8, therefore they came to a settlement of 10. Since thats 3-4 hours less of script, some of the storylines are more rushed. A couple of observations: 1) I am not digging the whole media thing. Its starting to make sense now after a few episodes, but at first it seemed like it was out of place. The storyline seems too simple and predictable there. 2) The street and police scenes are still great. 3) I am loving the cameos by past cast members. They are really throwing a bone to the fans who have paid attention to every single storyline/plot twist since the series started.
I sent my son this email after watching The Wire 1. Best of the season 2. FBI 3. Korean Grocer 4. After the corner 5. 2 episodes left :-( Hopefully doesn't give too much away.
OK. It's been broadcast, so this is not a spoiler. But, man, Omar? I was gutted when Bodie went down at the end of last season, but I never thought we'd see the end of Omar. And taken down by a 6? year old? But as bungadiri said above, Omar broke his word and went against his code when he took out Savino Bratton. And in the David Simon's world, that's usually it. And for high comedy, how about the FBI's Quantico report on McNulty's serial killer? One of the funniest things, watching him watching them describe him to a T.
Omar got got. McNulty, at least he is aware of how ********ed up he really is. And I really don't see how he gets himself out of this one.
What an episode. Omar- I thought he'd be the last man standing. McNulty- should have known there was no way Griggs was going to go along. You could see in Freamon's face that he understood that. A lot of heads (not just McNulty's) are going to roll on this one.
What a downer to have Omar gone.. and by that little punkass kid no less.... I think what they're trying to show is that no matter what.......there's always another Marlow waiting in the wings..... Several very surprising/shocking things about this episode: 1) Kids about to burn a cat alive 2) Poot working in a shoe store (!) 3) The Junk Man has a horse (?!) Not much Wire left... and you just can't see it ending well for just about any of our heroes....even though Simon promised that all storylines would be ended and tied up, I sense a "typical" HBO ending... the "life just goes on" type for many folks...
I agree and disagree. I think the writing for this season has been weaker than in seasons past. However, I think Omar's death was one of the few points they've risen to the occasion. Omar's death began long before he was actually shot--when he was out on the street challenging Marlo it was an act of desperation that exposed him more conclusively (and at the weakest point in his adult life) to the dangers he'd been facing all along. The kid that shot him was the same one who called him a lame-ass mother********er (or something like that) after he held a gun to Michael's head. I also think that the anticlimax of his death was probably more "real" than the other obvious options (showdown with Marlo or him surviving). Also The final scene in the morgue and the dismissal of his death as news (at the Sun offices) were a good indication of their thinking: Omar may have reached mythical proportions in some ways but he was no more than the streets he'd operated in. I'm disappointed he's gone, but I'm relieved that they didn't try to force some grand climax for him (not that you were arguing for that, either).
Yeah, I was hoping for him staring Marlo in the face and then says, "Hast la vista, baby." as he blasts him through a window with his sawed-off. But yeah, this works too.
Just more evidence that Simon and company are not writing a TV show. The resolution of Omar's storyline is an example of what makes "The Wire" a great show. It's not realistic, I won't go that far, but it's things like that that make it feel real. That being said, I was gutted when Omar went down.
Considering Omar was supposed to be killed in the first season & his lack of hubris in gunning for Marlow's crew, I'm not surprised this went down the way it did. Though I am shocked that it was that foul-mouth Kenard that did him in. McNulty's lack of hubris is going to do him in as well. To a certain extent, he and Omar have been living on borrowed time given their willingness to buck the system for their own code and purposes.
Almost everyone's favorite character on the best TV show ever made has been killed, uncerimoniously in a korean grocery store, and nobody batted an eyelid... not Bunk, not McNulty, nobody.... and Kenard, that little shithead you want to just kick in the face (and it would be so easy at his height) does it.... it hurt, but at the same time you just knew it... you're looking at the next Marlow... and there will be plenty after him. I think that's the point they were trying to make.
I didn't think it was lazy writing either. I took at as more of a "everyone in this lifestyle gets theirs" and not in a glamourous way. Shot by a kid while buying cigarettes. Not exactly the blaze of glory anyone was expecting.
Could we get a "No Spoilers" note in the title of the thread, on the off chance that some un-named [insert the personal attack I would have put in here if I wasn't a mod] might get the message and NOT POST STUFF THEY'VE SEEN BEFORE THE GENERAL SUNDAY NIGHT AIR TIME FOR THE SHOW? I feel like much of the suspense for this coming Sunday's episode has been ruined for me because of an irresponsible post I saw here last night. Thanks to the mods for binning it, by the way.