re: Ranking seasons of The Wire (FULL SPOILERS st. Pg 4)- Final bump

quote:

---

I saw something the other day on the Wire that I never noticed or thought of and need to confirm on a rewatch but it was that the police in the wire only fire a gun like 3 times or so and I think it was all Prez with his accidental discharges. I need to rewatch and double check for myself.

---

We mostly see detectives, or McNulty who got relegated to BS duty.

Not really surprising nobody fired their service weapon.

Just FYI for anybody that doesn't know there was a miniseries before the wire called the corner.

Here's the first episode.

LINK

Man, the scenes where McNulty and Moreland are processing a crime scene are priceless. Endless barrage of frick-varieties.

Just finished up S4 last night. For the sake of discussion we can do spoilers but ideally would only be through S4 as mentiond in the title.

The finale of 4 was just outstanding. I'm still thining about it this morning at work, there were just SO MANY big time major things that happeend all in one episode. Bubbles hanging at the very begining, then potentailly finding redemption (maybe?) at the end. Bodie dying. Namond exiting the game. Michael entering it for real. Poor randy and Carver's storylines. The drug trade and the streets continuing on as usual. Carcetti facing dilemma after dilemma. What a ride.

I'm feeling a bit down since all I have left is 5, which on one hand I'm excited to see what the show has in store for me as a final sendoff but kinda pre-let down considering most peopel call it by far the worst season. Oh well.

To go along with the title of the thread, I don't really know how I'd rank them in concrete rirhgt now. I've been binging which makes it a little tough since a lot of it runs together. I think instead of a legitimate ranking I'd do tiers instead, with 1/4 and the top and 2/3 slightly below. I don't DISLIKE 2 or 3, I just don't think I can put them on even footing with 1 and 4.

Finished up my first full watch of the show yestrday, what a ride. I hate that it's over I'm not ready to be done yet ha.

S5 I can absolutely see why it's regarded as the worst. Still not "bad" by any means but not really in step with the others. If the drugs are the primary story in each season, S5's main secondary story was just really weak. The docks, the politics, and the schools all were so multi-faceted and intriguing and really engaging on multiple levels. The newspaper thing was simply boring. The only real main arc was the one guy making up stories which is obviously kind of a big deal but it's not necessarily captivating TV.

With Marlo, I really wanted him to face the music although he's the only one of his gang that ends up still free. And we see tha tthe business development lifestyle isn't for him and he ends up right back on the street. Ther'es no way he can last there long though IMO..he's lost his muscle and suits told hm point blank that he's free for now but once elecdtions come if he's still dirty he's fricked.

With Omar, man I really wantaed a differnet end but I totally get it. The viewers all wanted this big high noon showdown on main street between omar and marlo but that't not real life. Real life is you could go at any time, any second, by anyone. And big bad omar just so happened to get done in by this little shithead that's barely 3' tall with a gun as big as he is. Life int he streets I guess.

And what a redemption for Bubs. The whole 5 season series he's down but will show a glipse of gettigng out, then backslide. But we all pulled for him. Then it finally seems like he's gotten clean for good.

quote:

---

The newspaper thing was simply boring. The only real main arc was the one guy making up stories which is obviously kind of a big deal but it's not necessarily captivating TV.

---

David Simon basically used Season 5 as an axe to grind against his former profession.

quote:

---

were any of the newspaper storylinse in S5 based on some of his real life newspaper experiences?

---

Some of it was (and a few of the side characters shared names with his real colleagues).

quote:

---

Rank ‘em! Marlo was a piece of shite but was one of my favorite characters

---

I mean is there a character on the show that isn’t a piece of shite?

quote:

---

At first I was not a fan of 2 but the more I rewatched, the more i loved season 2, some of the best characters in the show down at the docks.

---

Season 1 really takes its time building (as noted by the poster above who found it “slow”) and at the end of S1 the action really takes off and then you go right into S2 and it feels like starting over a bit

That’s why I think people tend to dislike season 2 on first watch, and usually people who rewatch the series rank that season very high if not at the top, because you aren’t noticing that shift as hard on the second pass and you know where it’s leading and can really enjoy it instead of wondering when McNulty is gonna get back on the case

Also as a first time watcher you are assuming the plot in S1 is the overarching plot that is building towards resolution, when the point of the show is to build a mosaic of the multiple layers of issues within the city of Baltimore and it’s drug trade. You don’t want to care about Ziggy and the docks because all you think that matters is the Barksdale operation

It must’ve been a really tough sell by Simon to HBO to make such a bold creative decision, but ultimately I think that is what makes the show an all timer vs being a really good detective show

ETA whoops looks like that poster I referred too was in the other wire thread going on