When I finally started watching The Wire
I was a big fan of Homicide: Life on the Street
That casting and writing mentality – that the ensemble is bigger than the sum of its actors – is the great separator, in my mind, between The Wire and just about any other show I’ve seen in any genre. The acting is strong, the dialogue is strong (still stylized, just not as much as your standard formulaic network crime drama), the plotting is intricate, but at the end of the day, it is the idea that the stage that unites all of these players is the true center of the show that makes The Wire such compelling viewing.
For the four or five of you who haven’t seen this series, season one follows an ad hoc task force in the Baltimore city police department as they identify and investigate a large drug-dealing operation in the city’s housing projects that is also responsible for up to a dozen murders. The show gives more or less equal time to the members of that drug cartel, all African-American, running their criminal operation in an efficient, business-like manner, led by Avon Barksdale and his consigliere Stringer Bell. The good guys can be bad, the bad guys have some elements of good, and there is no question where Mr. Simon’s sympathies lie on the twin subjects of the war on drugs and drug decriminalization – but it’s never preachy the way most network shows (I’m looking at you, Law & Order: SVU) are when they try to get topical. Season one of The Wire shows the impact of the war on drugs and lets those results speak for themselves.
You have to dig fairly deep into this show to find poorly drawn or stock characters – over the course of 13 rich episodes, the writers show us multiple sides of at least a dozen central characters, most amusingly Wee-Bey, and show significant development of at least half of those, including cops Pryz (screw-up nepotista to dedicated researcher) and Carver (clock-puncher to hardcore surveillance guy … but with a twist in the final episode of the season) to Barksdale lieutenant and nephew D’Angelo (grows a conscience) to addict/confidential informant Bubs. Yet even those stock characters have their value, such as personal favorite Proposition Joe (whom I quoted in last week’s chat) or Ed McMahon-in-uniform Jay Landsman.
And then there’s Omar Little, whom I think is the show’s most popular character – a violent, ruthless thief who also speaks unusually formally (never swearing), abides strictly by his own set of ethics, and is gay. He only appears in a handful of episodes in this season before absconding, but he’s the best example of the series’ stylized speech – you may never encounter someone who speaks like this, but it is so memorable and so clever that I can forgive the departure from reality.
For my money, though, the star of season one is Stringer Bell, played (to my shock) by an English actor, Idris Elba, now the star of Luther
Some scattered remaining thoughts from season one:
* Many of you have told me you consider this the best series in TV history, but I haven’t seen anywhere near enough television to offer that judgment. I actually don’t like most scripted TV series; the medium isn’t the problem, but the industry serves the mass audience a product that just doesn’t speak to me. The best TV series I’ve seen isn’t a series by our standards – that would be Foyle’s War
* So I mentioned the other day that Unforgiven
* Speaking of Andre Braugher, if you haven’t seen his FX series Thief, for which he won his second Emmy for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series, the entire six-episode run is available for free on imdb.com. Braugher is the clear star here, but the plotting on The Wire reminds me more of this series than any other I’ve seen.
Idris Elba is absolutely amazing. Stringer Bell is probably my favorite TV character of all time.
I’ve seen all 5 seasons of The Wire and watched them back to back. I can say without a doubt that it is the most deep and well written shows I have ever seen (not surprising considering it is HBO) and I am in agreement with the norm, Omar is my favorite character in the series. Omar reminds me a little of Dexter with his “code” and so forth but the fact that Omar is gay brings a whole new demension to character. The Wire also succeeds in not going with the same format from season to season but although I can appreciate the intelligence and the authenticity, the last season does get a little predictable.
As for other TV shows that are genius, (or at least entertaining), Suits on USA has caught my attention. It might not be as brilliant as The Wire but it’s definitely entertaining.
It doesn’t take away from your point in anyway, but it was Gene Hackman’s character, Little Bill, that beat the tar out of English Bob.
I personally preferred the final two seasons of the show. They were different yet similar in so many ways. I think you’ll continue to see a show that excels even as some of the novelty is gone.
Being a native of Maryland and employed at a hospital in downtown Baltimore which is give or take 5 blocks from where any of the action takes place, I’m a hardcore fan of this series. The writers were locals(one a former police chief of Baltimore, the other hosts a radio show here)this series pushes the limit to where any show can go, ranging from political, to social, to downright entertaining. That said, season 1 was merely a taste to wet your lips Mr. Law. The proceeding 4 seasons are fantastic, and ultimately what ended the show. I 100% agree with you that Stringer Bell is the best character, but McNulty is a close second for me.
Season one is outstanding. Only slightly eclipsed by the amazing third season and flawless season four (the best of all five). Season two is definitely the most underrated season, but still no less outstanding. I just finished season five for the fifth time or so and the only negative I can say is that it’s too short, being only ten eps.
It’s an incredible show that only will get better. Look forward to your thoughts on the rest of the series. Enjoy!
Great thoughts, and I’m sure that you will enjoy the ride as the series progresses.
My one quibble, and its a small one, has to do with the retroactive credit to David Simon for Homicide that has sprung up since The Wire started to show its brilliance. While Simon’s book was certainly a fantastically written inspiration for the series, the series itself was very much the baby of Paul Attanasio, Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson. Simon did not join the series as a writer or producer until the fifth season.
The Wire’s depiction of our social institutions truly changed my outlook in life. I’ll contend that season 4 is the greatest season of any television series ever, and I’m not sure there will ever be anything to top it…
I think a lot of the devotion to Omar comes in later seasons but Stringer is absolutely 1a to most people. I love a lot of characters on this show though.
Keith, I think you may have missed the point of Unforgiven, and especially of that scene. It is widely believed that Unforgiven is Eastwood and screenwriter David Webb Peoples’ attempt to counter the typical glorification in westerns. Gene Hackman’s character, the sheriff “Little Bill,” actually delivers the savage beating you reference, and the urination isn’t meant as comic relief, but instead is the terrified response of the audience’s surrogate when placed in close proximity to the level of violence it ostensibly came to see the movie to enjoy. I admit, though, that this anti-violence message is undercut by the revenge Eastwood’s character takes at the end of the movie, which I find gloriously entertaining every time…
In full disclosure, Unforgiven is one of my all-time top 5 movies.
Oops, that should read “the typical glorification of violence in westerns.”
Here’s an interesting blogpost by Roger Ebert on violence in Unforgiven: http://blogs.suntimes.com/foreignc/2011/06/unforgiven.html
That scene in Unforgiven was a little silly. It was Hackman’s character who beat English Bob down, by the way. But the rest of the film was sooo good. I hope you’ve seen the rest of it since. And yes…the use of someone pissing themselves for comic relief should be outlawed.
Great read, Keith. I can’t wait to read how you feel about the remaining seasons as you finish. The way each season layers and builds upon the previous ones is amazing. You still have so much good tv ahead of you.
Also regarding Unforgiven, the urination takes place BEFORE Little Bill beats the tar out of English Bob, so it’s not intended as comic relief to relieve the trauma of the beating.
I’ll just add on to what Chris mentioned in #10. The whole point of Unforgiven is to show the brutality and reality (?) of the violence in westerns. Usually in the typical western, you see a bunch of guys shooting guns and someone occasionally falls down dead (with no blood shown).
Unforgiven shows people truly getting the shit kicked out of them. It shows someone dying slowly of wounds. It shows how, especially with English Bob and his writer, how the myths were built up and what the sad reality was behind them.
In short, its an amazing movie.
Currently working through Season 4 of the Wire, and I love the series, however, I am still hard-pressed to decide between that and The Sopranos as best TV drama. Both of them are very good, although I’ve found myself more emotionally invested in the Sopranos’ characters than I have those of the Wire. For me, the Wire is simply a top-shelf excellent cops & robbers & politicians show.
I guess my memory of a movie I saw – well, partially saw – 19 or so years ago is pretty hazy. Sorry for the errors.
As someone who’s not crazy about westerns, though, I’m not surprised I didn’t get the significance of the film. I’ve seen The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, which was fine, but I don’t think I would rate it as highly as the critical consensus has it – again, probably because of genre, not film quality.
Enjoy the ride, Keith. It’s tremendous and the way people play season against season for favorites and weaknesses is like trying find the holes in a five-tool Hall of Famer. The fact that it never one a single Emmy shows what a farce that awards program is.
Keith, you also stopped watching Unforgiven before Hackman’s speech to the self-urinating writer about the B.S. wrapped up in the mythologizing of the West, a speech which makes the movie’s message really obvious. The later scenes in which Eastwood and the Kid kill the two cowboys who harmed the prostitute at the beginning are absolutely brutal. Had you seen the whole movie, you still might not have liked it, but you would’ve gotten the idea.
Also, if you’re not a big fan of westerns or brutal violence, you should probably ignore all of the recommendations you’re probably getting to watch Deadwood (though I think it’s the only show I’ve seen that I like more than The Wire).
For a lighter recommendation, if you haven’t watched Parks and Recreation, check it out, and while you should start at beginning, it doesn’t really hit its stride until several episodes into season two. It’s got the heart that the more critically acclaimed 30 Rock and Community lack…
I know it’s not news to KLaw, as he’s mentioned “The Hour” on Twitter, but also English: Dominic West as McNulty. As Lovitz would say, “Ack-TING!”
I finished season 1 and am gearing up for season 2.
A few thoughts that KLaw didn’t touch on…
* I could do without some of the over stylized cinematography. A few too many “clever” shots that didn’t really add anything. Doesn’t really impact the viewing, but I just don’t generally understand such touches (see a similar comment regarding shaky cam on the “Black Swan” post)
* The pacing might be the single greatest element of the show. I find it almost excruciating… and I say that in a good way. After so many shows (cough*Lost*cough) can’t maintain consistent pacing and rely on going too fast and then leaving shitty cliff hangers, the Wire’s patience is fantastic. It makes me take a bit longer to plow through the show, since I feel it really requires 100% attention, so you can’t really half-ass watching it. The mark of a great show.
* I’m in the same place as KLaw in terms of whether it’s the best show ever. I simply haven’t watched enough to say that. I do think it lacks rewatchability, for what I mentioned in the previous point, but that isn’t necessarily a knock. It’s just a different type of show.
But, yea, it’s fantastic. I’ve heard Season 2 is the worst of the bunch, but I just had a friend loan me the full box set so I can hopefully keep up with KLaw and his reviews (impossible with Netflix and my schedule).
BSK – It is the best show ever and quite rewatchable, I’ve seen it all twice through plus other viewings.
As to season 2, people may say it’s the “worst”, but that’s basically the claiming reverse of the old tallest midget adage, maybe it’s not the best, but it is still very good and ultimately important in the story arc over 5 seasons.
Thanks, John.
I suppose what I meant by “rewatchable” is that I can’t just tune in, mid-episode, after plopping down on the couch after work. That’s not an insult. It just speaks to the “type” of show it is. I’m sure I would enjoy watching Season 1 again and would probably pick up on a ton of stuff I missed. I just meant that it is not exactly “light” watching. And the “lighter” the show, the generally easier it is to digest and re-digest. Personally, I’ve welcomed “The Wire” has something more substantive. It just takes a different mindset for me to settle in, something I don’t have often enough nowadays. That’s a knock on me, not the show.
Even though, as you said, the Wire has been covered to death, I know I’m still certainly happy to read your thoughts on the show. While season 3 and especially season 4 are the best seasons of this fine show, I do always hold a special place for S1 as it tends to be the most raw and gritty and realistic season.
As for season 2, while yes, it is arguably the weakest season(I’d still take S5 for weakest, personally, but “Clarifications” and especially “Late Editions” tend to make people forget the first 7 episodes), it is still outstanding television, and the only season where we get to see Chris Bauer’s incredible performance as Frank Sobotka.
I do love that to this day there is still debate over Stringer v. Omar as the best character. Personally, I would choose Stringer, as Elba’s performance as well as the design of the character are both just so incredible, but I certainly can’t quibble with anyone that loves “The Code” and the flair for the dramatic of Omar Devone Little. Speaking of Omar, while he certainly is one of the two characters in the show(you’ll meet the other in S2) that exists in a somewhat heightened sense of reality as you mentioned, I always read that as Omar being reminiscent of someone like Anton Chigurh in No Country, representing an idea, in Omar’s case, the idea of the competence and effectiveness of someone free from institutional constraints. And of course, the noose tied around the neck of McNulty and D’Angelo (and obviously other characters in later seasons) by institutions is probably the central theme of the series.
BSK- You are correct in that if you were going to re-watch it, you’d probably have to dedicate yourself to it just as much as the first time and you would catch a TON of stuff you missed. Its not rewatchable in the definition you gave of just hopping in mid-episode.
John- I think season 5 is pretty clearly the “worst” (again, not a big knock on that season). Season 2 is the most different probably, but its a great season and is maybe the most vital in setting up future seasons.
KLAW-
Off topic, but what “city” are you considered to be local for when it comes to MLB award voting? I’m guessing Phoenix/Arizona, right? And formerly Boston? I didn’t realize that was how the voting was structured. Does that mean you are limited to NL votes for the time being?
I love the Wire, but am I the only one who wasn’t really a fan of Omar? In a series that prided itself on authenticity and realism, he just stood out like a sore thumb to me. Then again I’m pretty much the only person who liked Ziggy Sobotka. Top 5 characters: 1) Stringer; 2) Prop Joe; 3) Prez; 4) DeAngelo; 5) Norman Wilson (cracked me up every time he opened his mouth).
Season ranking from best to worst: Season 3, Season 4, Season 2, Season 1, Season 5.
BSK – I see what you’re saying, it is a bit of an all or nothing endeavor
Yes, Stringer Bell is a great character. Klaw, wait until you hear his best quote ‘A 40 degree day’. Season 3 Episode 3 “Dead Soldiers’. Unreal analogy. Just wait and savor klaw. Just wait and savor.
Keith, I recommend reading Alan Sepinwall’s comprehensive reviews on his old website (www.sepinwall.blogspot.com) as you watch it or even well after (since you’re just starting out, i’d go to the season 1 for newbies link, as they don’t contain spoilers). they’re long reads but he delivers great insight into a lot of the story arcs and characters.
I agree with BSK that you really do need to be fully committed to get the most out of the show. i’ve probably seen each season more than 5 times now, but I would say the second time through is almost as good as the first, as you pick up on subtleties that you may have missed the first go around. PSEUDO SPOILERS FROM HERE ON DOWN. For example, season 2 is the season that just gets better and better the more you watch, especially as you realize how important it is to the overall story. Some real heartbreaking stuff as well, as i got pretty attached to some of the dockworkers.
I kinda agree with Duff – Omar is probably the most interesting and complex character on the show, but maybe a tad over the top unrealistic in contrast to the other characters. I became a big fan of Bodie, Prez, Carver, D’Angelo, Frank Sobotka (I too liked Ziggy), Dukie, Randy, Cutty and of course the Bunk, McNutty and Wee Bay for the comedy. Some great comedy throughout the series considering how serious the themes are.
Best seasons from best to worst: 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, but only with Omar’s gun to my head. The final two or three episodes of season 5 were amazing. Best parts about rewatching one is seeing how the team comes together, and remembering how worthless some of these humps were, like Prez, Carver and even Lester.
Okay, I’m off to go find some Lake Trout!