Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Through reading all these comments, to me, it seems as though other people are having as difficult a time describing why the Wire is great. It is just hard to describe why this show strikes a chord with its most loyal viewers, and why we consider it to be truly trancendent television.

Yeah, maybe you either get it or you don't, and maybe it just isn't your thing. CSI isn't my thing (I actually blame the Wire's realism for this), but most of America loves it. But I think that it should be clearly difficult for anyone not to recognize how truly special this show is. Or how radical. Or challenging. Or thought provoking. Or just plain heart breaking.

To me, it is sort of like Band of Brothers in a way. You may not like war films, but there is no denying that Brothers is not a masterpiece and maybe even the best thing ever made for television. The quality is apparent in every frame.

David Simon, the creator, describes the seasons a 'novels' with each episode being a chapter. But like some great novels, each chapter isn't independent and everything interconnects. Then there are connections through the 'sequels'. Things that were minor in the first chapter can become monumental in the final chapters. Cases don't get solved in an hour, or a season, or even five. Characters who were barely mentions in the first season, or who were just seen in the background, become important players as other characters change, or die, or rat, or just move on. No one is safe because they are good for ratings, and every actor/character is part of the story...as opposed to the story being a vehicle for the actor. It's challenging television that requires attention, and thought, and patience.

Hell, I think there were something like 87 major speaking parts in the second season of the show. Eighty-Seven....

But what gets me the most, and the reason I kept coming back to the show and will watch it repeatedly is a connection to a 'real' Baltimore or any-inner city U.S.A., their stuggles, their lives, etc...and how those things actually affect me. Or maybe how perhaps up until this point in my life, I have ignored that aspect of life because it didn't intergrate with my own.

To me, it is just gut wreching stuff...and real. It isn't 'A body was found stuffed in a waste receptical and was covered in a unique moss only found in the southern parts of Florida...let's solve it in a hour so America can go to bed feeling safe." It's so beyond that...and to me, beyond television. It is important television, the kind of show that might actually change something because it dared to expose what may really happen in an unseen, untalked about sector the America.

Plus, its entertaining!!!

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Knowing your political persuasion you should definitely give it another shot.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I just finished watching the second season. What few, utterly negligible flaws the first season had were obliterated in the second. Fucking masterful television.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

That's funny because most seem to think that S2 is a step behind season S1. I personally love season 2 for what it is and in the grand scheme of things it fits in perfectly with the rest of the show.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I like Season two the best actually. And each season does focus on a important aspect of society. A near perfect show but I can see why people can't get into it.

That being said, I still say that the show did have some elements that I did not like. It was always generally easy to predict that one thing on the show would lead to another, and then what you predicted eventually happened. Examples being evidence and certain character actions.

The final episode of season four and most of season five is damn depressing to boot!

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Season 4 ended exactly how it had to though. Any other way just wouldn't have been true to the show. Still though And what eventually happened to

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Well, I don't know how it'll fit in to the other three seasons yet, but I thought that the first season, though just about perfect, was just an teensy bit derivative. Of course, that was all pretty much because of the setting (black dealers in run-down projects, etc.), and I'll be damned if I'm gonna write a show off as derivative because it works within a given frame. But the second season manages to broaden the scope, introduce almost as many new characters as the pilot did (when just everyone who didn't die showed up from the last season as well), but it never lost its sharpness. Sure it talked about the dock business over the drug trade, but that was the point: by focusing on the economic strife of the working class "unskilled" stevedores, it showed not only how the drugs made it into Baltimore but another side of the socioeconomic strife of American cities. Whereas the black dealers had lived in projects for generations and turned to drugs as an escape either through selling them or taking them, the dock workers enjoyed a decent wage until the Modern Age rendered them irrelevant. I thought it was fascinating.

But again, I've not seen the whole show, so take this for what it is.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I never thought it was as good as people made it out to be, but it was always well acted and a cohesive, comprehensible storyline, a tough find these days on TV.

Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

I've watched the first 7 or 8 shows and don't quite see what all the fuss is about. I don't think it's bad, but it seems a little by the numbers to me and I don't find any of the characters or the stories all that interesting. There hasn't been one "wow moment" yet.

So, my question...does the show take a while to really kick in? I have the first season on dvd and will probably finish it. Not sure if I should pick up the following season(s) or not.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Yeah, it does take a while, but it will reward you the further you get.

Hang in there, its worth watching the entire series.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

by the numbers? are you serious? wow. just wow.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Personally I like the show but I really don't think its as great as a lot of people say it is. HBO has produced better series in my opinion (Six Feet Under, The Sopranos) and personally I found The Shield to be a better show all around for a show that's sorta similar in tone. I'd say finish the first season and see how you feel about it because the show basically calls back to itself throughout the entire series and if you don't like the first chances are you won't like the rest. A lot of people are likely going to disagree with me but really I just don't see why its so great either.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Like I said I've only seen the first seven or eight shows, but yes I'm serious.

And don't call me Shirley.


The Shield was a show that I was interested in from the start, although I never got to finish the first season. It's next on my list after the Wire to watch.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

The Wire is not your typical show. It takes it's time, but after a while, it lingers, and you appreciate its sublety and it's nuances.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Give it to at least the end of first season. You will appreciate it more as the show continues, trust me.

It's was one of the greatest TV shows in history, and i'm sure you'll find a lot of people on this forum that would agree with me.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

I watched the entire first season and it never did much for me. Like you said, it's not bad, just really slow and kinda boring.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

You got that right. You are way off.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

You're definitely doing them in the right order. I loved both, and there's a lot of similarities in both, but if you compared them The Shield is like The Wire's crackhead cousin. :lol:

And The Wire is definitely slow at times, but the show has amazing characters and growth. IMO it does require patience.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

I disagree. I thought the show was excellent from the first episode, it doesn't require patience to "get going". If it hasn't grabbed you by the 8th episode, then you probably won't enjoy the rest of the run.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

This.

There are a ton of characters and rather than just jump in (like the Shield) this show takes the build momentum route. Part of it may be that the investigation really takes a while to get going in terms of them making progress (which is intentional), but that definitely picks up as the season goes on.

I would give it to the at least the end of Season 1, if at that point you still think it's paint by numbers, then maybe it's just not for you.

Oh and on a really random, yet somewhat related note - if you plan to continue watching and for some reason also watch Top Chef All-Stars on Bravo... steer way clear of Anthony Bourdain's blog about the show... he draw parallels to one of the Top Chef episodes and The Wire but completely gives away some massive plot points about things that happen in later seasons on The Wire.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Agreed. I couldn't stop watching this show once I saw the first 2 episodes. My guess is the op won't like the rest of the show.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Okay its called having an opinion. I have mine and you have yours.. I guess I'm another that just found it to be a bit slow for my tastes. I like when there's an arc that ties everything together but at times in this show I just wanted it to get going already. I didn't necessarily say it was a bad show either I just said I don't think its as great as a lot of people say it is, but it is a good show and better than most crap on television. It just isn't my first choice of show to watch. The show for me is kind of like Mad Men. I can appreciate that its a very good show but at times the slowness of it all kills it for me and I really need to be in the right mood to watch it.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Watching The Wire is like reading a great American novel. Slow burning and wholly satisfying.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

After watching all seven series of the Shield in like a month, i started the Wire. Haven't got through the first episode yet, I know i need to give it another go

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

I bought season one, and finished it in about a week. When I was done I was, "Well, it was good, but I don't see what all the hooplah's about."

I then bought season two. Within the first four episodes, I was hooked for life. Before I had even finished that particular boxset, I had gone out and bought seasons three and four.

Your mileage. It may vary.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

The Wire is the closest you'll ever get to a shop about police, crime and how the two blend with the world around it. The show tackles unions, education, drugs, politics and education and blends those complex elements seamlessly into its police vs. crime theme.

You can't compare it to The Shield because it is rooted much deeper into actual police work. The Shield will have multiple gun fights an episode where as The Wire won't ever have one. It's like comparing the West Wing to 24... two totally different animals.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

I disagree. If anything they're the only two series I can think of that had the most sensible and drastic character developments/changes/evolutions over their series. But again, The Shield is usually on crack in comparison to how The Wire plays out. ;)

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Not to bring you down superfro...but The Shield and "Most sensible....character developments," Seriously? I love the Shield and watched every episode, but to think that anything about that show was realistic is giving it too much credit. You said it yourself when you spoke of the fact that the Shield was on crack.

The Wire on the other hand is perfection. Yes, it does take time to get going but it is an eye opening experience about true police work, buracracy, inner city life, drugs...etc. For those of us who connected with it, it just cannot be undone as the best television we've ever seen.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

"The Shield" actually didn't have very many "gun fights" at all. Guns were drawn, perps arrested and interrogated, but fire fights weren't happening every other episode.

I'm on season two of "The Wire," and while I can really appreciate how the show connects police, local government, and the world of crime together, I can't get past my lack of immersion with the characters.

To that end, I see this show in the same vein as "Law & Order." if you really enjoy the process of intricately solving a crime (rather than the characters solving it), "The Wire" is for you. And if you like a show that features a handful of characters who you feel deeply connected to and invested in, you'll likely be unsatisfied.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Not to make this a Shield thread all of a sudden...but "on crack" as far as the pacing and hyperbole of storytelling, but as far as characters go, yeah..I definitely feel things made sense. People changed on that show, both personally and professionally, and those changes made sense as a natural progression based on the story of the show IMO. If you look at where people are when The Shield starts and where they are when it ends it's a much different landscape, but you can trace back how people got where they are. I feel that same way about The Wire. I don't about any other shows I can think of at the moment.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

The characters were great on the Shield... but the show resembles true police work as much as Nip/Tuck represents plastic surgeons. The Wire had characters that functioned in a world with real physics, politics and consequences. The Shield was pushed, blended and muddied stuff so it was entertaining... but not real.

If the Mackey lived in the same universe that the Wire did, after the 2nd episode you'd see him just filling out paperwork for the next four episodes at his desk before getting suspended, going home, doing yard-work, getting drunk, and then hanging himself.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

I really tried getting into this when it would air after episodes of Six Feet Under or Oz and I just couldn't get into it. I'll never blind-buy it so maybe I'll have to put it in a Netflix cue someday. But to the original poster's question, it probably sucks you in as you continue but I tried about as long as you did and it just didn't work for me.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Could you please explain this. How even in the first 7-8 episodes is the show "by the numbers". That would imply that it is exactly like a number of other shows, so please post what shows are exactly like the Wire. I can understand the show being to complex for people, to boring to people because it is so drastically different from everything that has ever been done in the genre, but "by the numbers" is something I have never seen, or can even fathom calling this series. Even in the first season.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Homicide is the only show that comes close (which makes sense considering the writers/actors/producers have a strong cross-over).

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

you sound like me. i watched half of the first episode of the wire 4 yrs ago and turned it off. it was so damn boring. a few months ago i watched the entire series of the shield in 3 weeks...i couldnt stop watching. someday i will give the wire another shot but it wont be for a long time.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

The Wire didn't really "click" for me until the kitchen scene where they look for the bullets while only saying the word "shhhiiiiiiiiiiiit" over and over again. That little spark opened my eyes wide enough to start letting the show really sink in.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

They say "fuuuuck" not "shhhiiiiiiiiit". That's Clay Davis's line. :)

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

That's where it got me as well. And as chaos has said. It was actually 'f***'

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

If you don't feel connected to these characters then this show definitely isn't for you. I don't know if I can think of a show that made me feel more connected with the characters. These characters all feel like real people.

Don't read unless you've seen up until at least the 4th season.

Re: Does the Wire take a while to get going?
 

Same here.

But then I pulled a Wire marathon two summers ago and enjoyed The Wire even more, even after almost giving up on it during the plodding dock storyline...had zero interest that season's "villains" and I'd yet to fall in love with the series regulars.

Seasons three to the end are the best TV I've ever seen. Why?

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/images-7.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/images-6.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/images-1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/images-2.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...images-5-1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/images-8.jpg

Best ensemble cast in TV history. (With Omar being my all-time favorite character.)

Stick with it.