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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11818

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On 3/9/2023 at 9:23 PM, Chuckie Finster said:

Finally finished the series for the first time about a month ago. Obviously up there with my favorite shows of all time.
I know the last season gets a bad rap, but the way they brought back key characters for brief final season cameos was as good as I’ve ever seen it done. None of them felt forced and they included damn near everyone I wanted to see.

I’d kind of like to see a Clone Wars-esque viewing guide for folks doing a rewatch. While I personally liked Season 2, it’s universally the most hated season. Also the school segments in Season 4 really drag. 
 

I do agree with the posters above. Stick with it, and watch the entire series one time. 

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Po-lice did Bernard a favor. So long season 3. You were kickass. Got DAMN this show is good. Better than GoT or Sopranos or any other big show you want to put it up against. I’ll always love Deadw

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Safe to say this is one of the better pieces of mail I've ever received. In response to a comment I made on Twitter. 

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TwiceHorn

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32 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I’d kind of like to see a Clone Wars-esque viewing guide for folks doing a rewatch. While I personally liked Season 2, it’s universally the most hated season. Also the school segments in Season 4 really drag. 
 

I do agree with the posters above. Stick with it, and watch the entire series one time. 

S2 is only hated by first-time viewers who are shocked that the story line doesn't pick up where S1 left off.  I think S5 is the most universally disliked by first-time and multi-pass viewers.  Because it is the worst of the five seasons.

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Seasick Sailor

Seasick Sailor 3747

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Season 2 is my favorite. It is jarring the first time you watch the series, but it's the one I've enjoyed the most over multiple re-watches.

I re-watched Season 5 for the first time a while back. It's easily the worst of the 5, but it was a lot better than I remembered. It's the worst season of The Wire, but it's still better than all but the best of other prestige TV shows. 

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henrygandorf

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19 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Yeah, with The Wire you spend the first half of the first season or so trying to convince yourself that everybody else was wrong and it is overrated, but you're going to stick with it just to say you did. Then somewhere around the back half of the first season you look back and realize how well they have built everything up and that it really is one of the greatest. Also, Deadwood needs to be on your list of shows to watch.

not only that, but on your first rewatch, the front part of s1 suddenly becomes...awesome and perfect?

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South Austin

South Austin 53222

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On 3/15/2023 at 7:37 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

Also the school segments in Season 4 really drag.

I really liked Season 4.  It tugged at me because it was centered around the kids, and what an awful environment they experience at such a young age.  And I liked seeing Prez's character with some humbling redemption. 

Each season has a little bit that's better-than or worse-than for the particular viewer.  But I don't think there is a season that isn't thoroughly enjoyable and well done.

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Dutch

Dutch 4577

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On 3/15/2023 at 6:17 PM, Incredulity said:

Also, you’re gonna be pissed at the start of Season 2.  Stick with it.

When you finish season 2, you're going to say to yourself "man, that season was overrated; sort of a letdown from S1."  Finish the series and watch it again, and then you'll begin to see the greatness of S2. 

On 3/9/2023 at 5:10 PM, TheStoicPaisano said:

 

Bubs getting invited upstairs to dinner is one of my favorite moments of the series.

Edited by Dutch
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YGIFS

YGIFS 19458

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A generation later and I will still never understand the hate for season 2.  Show expressly about embedded institutions in a dying American city covers labor/union/organized crime institutions in dying American city and viewers are shocked.  Shocked, I tell you.  
 

Season five was just fucking stupid but for a few character redemptions. 

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Covri

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3 hours ago, YGIFS said:

A generation later and I will still never understand the hate for season 2.  Show expressly about embedded institutions in a dying American city covers labor/union/organized crime institutions in dying American city and viewers are shocked.  Shocked, I tell you.  
 

Season five was just fucking stupid but for a few character redemptions. 

If you can't see how season 5 was as good as any of them while making your point about season 2, then you can probably figure out why people didn't like season 2 as much when it premiered or when people first watch the wire. Season 2 deviates a lot from the characters and story archs you just got familiar with in season 1. By season 3 you expect that and also see how they actually tied 1 and 2 together. By 5 you should know it's about the final piece that is tying it all back together to share with the public what's been really going on. And that goes along exactly with David Simon's background and ties to Baltimore to begin with being a repeat for the Baltimore Sun. If you haven't seen the Corners miniseries it also examines Baltimore's issues from his perspective and it came out a few years earlier on HBO.

The Wire in 5 seasons:

S1:the corners (and the police)

S2:the docks/unions

S3:the police (and the corners)

S4:the schools/politics

S5:the media ties it all together 

 

RIP Lance Riddick 

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ConferenceRoom

ConferenceRoom 6214

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1 hour ago, Covri said:

If you can't see how season 5 was as good as any of them while making your point about season 2, then you can probably figure out why people didn't like season 2 as much when it premiered or when people first watch the wire. Season 2 deviates a lot from the characters and story archs you just got familiar with in season 1. By season 3 you expect that and also see how they actually tied 1 and 2 together. By 5 you should know it's about the final piece that is tying it all back together to share with the public what's been really going on. And that goes along exactly with David Simon's background and ties to Baltimore to begin with being a repeat for the Baltimore Sun. If you haven't seen the Corners miniseries it also examines Baltimore's issues from his perspective and it came out a few years earlier on HBO.

The Wire in 5 seasons:

S1:the corners (and the police)

S2:the docks/unions

S3:the police (and the corners)

S4:the schools/politics

S5:the media ties it all together 

 

RIP Lance Riddick 

All the pieces matter. 

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WhatTheBuck

WhatTheBuck 28929

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6 hours ago, Dutch said:

When you finish season 2, you're going to say to yourself "man, that season was overrated; sort of a letdown from S1."  Finish the series and watch it again, and then you'll begin to see the greatness of S2. 

Bubs getting invited upstairs to dinner is one of my favorite moments of the series.

That and McNulty meeting with the profiler. 

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WhatTheBuck

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2 hours ago, Covri said:

If you can't see how season 5 was as good as any of them while making your point about season 2, then you can probably figure out why people didn't like season 2 as much when it premiered or when people first watch the wire. Season 2 deviates a lot from the characters and story archs you just got familiar with in season 1. By season 3 you expect that and also see how they actually tied 1 and 2 together. By 5 you should know it's about the final piece that is tying it all back together to share with the public what's been really going on. And that goes along exactly with David Simon's background and ties to Baltimore to begin with being a repeat for the Baltimore Sun. If you haven't seen the Corners miniseries it also examines Baltimore's issues from his perspective and it came out a few years earlier on HBO.

The Wire in 5 seasons:

S1:the corners (and the police)

S2:the docks/unions

S3:the police (and the corners)

S4:the schools/politics

S5:the media ties it all together 

 

RIP Lance Riddick 

2, 1, 3, 4, 5

The reason 5 was the worst was because the basic premise was a stretch. It was the most implausible and really out of character for what we’d come to expect from McNulty, first of all, and then even more so from Freamon. I suppose you could argue that what was going on in the newsroom also wasn’t that compelling of a story even though it reflected real changes going on in the newspaper industry like the local paper being taken over by a company from another state, cutting, affecting editorial decisions, etc.

But once you accept the premise, the storytelling is still as strong in 5 as in the rest of the series. And it has some of the best moments in the whole show. Saying it’s the least of the five seasons isn’t that much of a slam because the worst season of The Wire is better than the best season of most any other show, if not every other show. The writers of The Sopranos only dreamed of developing characters and resolving storylines like they did in The Wire. But it’s still, I think, an indisputable judgment that the last season was the “worst” of the five. 

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Celery Man

Celery Man 21095

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Best in class at disapproving looks. Damn.

so much meat left on the bone in his backstory. Every character on the show had multiple dimensions, every character evolves - they didn’t even need to talk in specifics about his story for you to understand it

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shadow_operative

shadow_operative 15932

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On 3/15/2023 at 5:03 PM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Yeah, with The Wire you spend the first half of the first season or so trying to convince yourself that everybody else was wrong and it is overrated, but you're going to stick with it just to say you did. Then somewhere around the back half of the first season you look back and realize how well they have built everything up and that it really is one of the greatest. Also, Deadwood needs to be on your list of shows to watch.

 

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semitired

semitired 83

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3 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

2, 1, 3, 4, 5

The reason 5 was the worst was because the basic premise was a stretch. It was the most implausible and really out of character for what we’d come to expect from McNulty, first of all, and then even more so from Freamon. I suppose you could argue that what was going on in the newsroom also wasn’t that compelling of a story even though it reflected real changes going on in the newspaper industry like the local paper being taken over by a company from another state, cutting, affecting editorial decisions, etc.

But once you accept the premise, the storytelling is still as strong in 5 as in the rest of the series. And it has some of the best moments in the whole show. Saying it’s the least of the five seasons isn’t that much of a slam because the worst season of The Wire is better than the best season of most any other show, if not every other show. The writers of The Sopranos only dreamed of developing characters and resolving storylines like they did in The Wire. But it’s still, I think, an indisputable judgment that the last season was the “worst” of the five. 

This is right on for the seasons. Five sucked.  

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 32076

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5 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

I can get not liking it as much as the rest of the series, but I'll never understand people who just objectively don't like season 5. It was still great.

Mostly I think because McNulty's arc was so incredible.  The newspaper part was pretty good, actually, although Scott got to be irritating, but no more so really than Ziggy. Although Ziggy was more fun.

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shadow_operative

shadow_operative 15932

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On 3/15/2023 at 7:37 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

I’d kind of like to see a Clone Wars-esque viewing guide for folks doing a rewatch. While I personally liked Season 2, it’s universally the most hated season. Also the school segments in Season 4 really drag. 
 

I do agree with the posters above. Stick with it, and watch the entire series one time. 

season five is universally accepted as the worst season, and season 4 is my favorite route season, my mom's favorite season, and the favorite season of half the cast. season four is outstanding imo. of course i'm a former educator and my mom is currently in her 43rd year coaching and teaching at the same school, so.

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shadow_operative

shadow_operative 15932

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On 3/15/2023 at 5:03 PM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Yeah, with The Wire you spend the first half of the first season or so trying to convince yourself that everybody else was wrong and it is overrated, but you're going to stick with it just to say you did. Then somewhere around the back half of the first season you look back and realize how well they have built everything up and that it really is one of the greatest. Also, Deadwood needs to be on your list of shows to watch.

i thought that i posted this yesterday, but apparently not:

 

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Lazarus Bocanegra

Lazarus Bocanegra 312

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Posted (edited)

Just finished S3 on the latest rewatch.  A couple of new revelations 

Spoiler

Somehow I never caught on that Cutty going to Bodie for the meet with Avon was the catalyst that led to Stringer's cell phone.  

The call with Stringer where they "catch" him - I think it is Shamrock says something like "those two hitters, they're cool with it" and Stringer says "not on the phone."  This comes just after Avon waved him off of having Slim Charles hit Clay Davis.  I'm guessing Stringer was still trying to go forward with some assassination shit 

the end of S3 is just so good.  Had they gotten cancelled, it would have been a somewhat decent end to it all.  I was just sitting there, needing a moment to decompress, before carrying on with S4.  I probably started three or four mindless shows and immediately stopped them.  Just couldn't do it, so I forged ahead.  And then immediately get Snoop in the hardware store in the cold open to S4.  Absolute brilliance.  

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Homercles

Homercles 10206

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Not surprised, he has a commanding presence…even way back when those prep school boys used to pee themselves when they say old Bunk coming at em

Edit:  Speaking of The Wire alum, even if the show was good but uneven, seeing Downtown Clay Davis in Your Honor was a highlight 

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Celery Man

Celery Man 21095

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36 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

I've watched the show four times. Watching season 2 for the first time with that fucking halfwit Ziggy and his stupid fucking duck was an absolute slog. But after multiple viewings I understand why the story of season 2 needed to be told and have come to appreciate it and even enjoy it. Certainly more than season 5 and the homeless murder shenanigans. But having an appreciation for a flawed season (when compared to the rest of the series) does not mean you elevate it above 3, 4 or 1. 

This opinion is bad and you should feel bad. Season 2 is not just necessary but is great, regardless of your feelings about Ziggy (who is a great character). 1-4 are tightly clustered but it’s an easy argument to put 2 in the #1 slot.

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BHMCruiser

BHMCruiser 1828

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1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

This opinion is bad and you should feel bad. Season 2 is not just necessary but is great, regardless of your feelings about Ziggy (who is a great character). 1-4 are tightly clustered but it’s an easy argument to put 2 in the #1 slot.

"but it's an easy argument to put 2 in the #1 slot" = worst take ever

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