new wide screen HD presentation of "The Wire" (?)

You sound right on track to me. All will be revealed.

 

I think the "hard reset" for Season 2 was jarring to many (myself included).

It makes more sense as the series moves along.

 

It also takes more than one, or two viewings. You can miss a raised eyebrow, and miss a lot. For seasoned veterans, think about a nanosecond visual in a gay bar...that was never mentioned again, but gave the viewer something to think about from that moment on.

 

Haha yes I remember that, one of many "holy sh...." moments in the show.

 

My 31 year-old son absorbed this series, and after my own re-viewing recently on DVD, we spent days talking about moments here and there. It is easily the most impressive series ever aired on American television.

 

Yeah, probably the only dramas that come close for me are Treme and Mad Men.

 

Well, I was told to keep a sharp eye out for things, so I've been watching intently. I even spotted the different shot glasses. There's the shot glasses with the fill line at the low-rent bars the dock workers frequent, and then the glasses without the fill lines at the bar McNulty and Bunk are at. I don't know if that has anything to do with much, but I was thinking, "Oh yeah, this seems right, because only dive bars have fill lines...the cheap bastards."

 

I hope it shows up on HBOGo in the new version....

 

Treme is also David Simon, as is The Corner, and Homicide: Life On The Street.

 

This is the only show that (with very few exceptions) I can't distinguish from real life. I haven't viewed it for sometime and will start with episode one this weak. I wonder how it has aged.

 

Season 2 is considered by many (including those who love the show) to be the sort of oddball season because it takes a major step to the side. However, it's still a significant piece of the puzzle and some might say it's more enjoyable after you finish the series and start again from the beginning. You have to bear in mind that more than anything else The Wire is the story of a city, and the docks happen to be a crucial, defining aspect of that city.

 

I thought of one more...

- The life of an addict (i.e., Bubbles)

Almost everything in The Wire is a backstory... Bubbles is a minor character, but he's there the whole time.

One (relatively non-descript) scene that sticks with me is when we bump into one of the (former) street corner sellers working as a sneaker salesman in a "Foot Locker". My first reaction was "Isn't that ???" but then the character who wandered into the store asks him "Why are you here?" and he replies with something about how he couldn't get hired by a legit employer when he was younger... No real dramatic explanation... the kid just apparently grew up and we aren't told "why?" he moved away from an occupation that was very likely to have gotten him killed.

I also liked it when one of the drug dealers mentions how he went to high school with a high ranking police officer.
His criminal companion then asks for more information and he replies with something like "Same as he was then, dumb as a door knob." The idea that the good guys and bad guys were all once part of the same community is yet another opportunity for Simon to blur the line...

 

I'm too blue collar to know anything about wine, so I'll just use an example most of us understand : your grandmother's pot roast, put in the frig overnight, given time to marinate...

 

No, not IMO. Obviously many here liked a lot more than I did, but I'd give it a solid 7.5/10.

 

Season 4 of The Wire is the best season of any TV show I've ever seen. For those just starting to watch but unsure: stick with it.

Even season 2 plays much better after seeing the entire series, when you know how everything is connected. It's a beautiful thing, The Wire.

 

What is Breaking Bad -- chopped liver? I think Breaking Bad is ten times better as a show. No question, The Wire was well-done, but I think BB is in a whole 'nother level.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDqGAUvWKkU

 

I dunno. I really enjoyed Breaking Bad, but I can't see myself rewatching it every 18 months or so like I do with The Wire. The Wire improves with repeat viewing, whereas I don't have any desire to rewatch BB - the enjoyment from that show was all from the drama of not knowing what would happen next. Once you know...

 

Bahahaha! Awesome.

 

Personally, I don't think so. But others here have brought up some valid points on why they prefer it and I respect that. I just think that Breaking Bad was the Beatles of television - head and shoulders above anything else.

 

Apples and oranges. For all its considerable virtues, BREAKING BAD is a conventional thriller. Well-done, but formulaic.

THE WIRE is a contemporary take on the Victorian novel along the lines of Dickens or Hugo: a huge, immersive portrait of an entire city.

 

I actually tuned out after episode 2 or 3 of Season Two...and never watched it! I re-joined for Season Three and stayed to the end. I intend on getting back to S2 when it shows up (if it hasn't already) on Amazon Prime.

 

Agreed about the monumental impact of season 4.

The change of direction at the start of season 2 is really jarring (the season seems to be dealing with smaller and more lurid issues than previously during the first couple of episodes) but the way it winds up, and what becomes of the three Subotkas, really shook me.

 

I don't know, I've never seen it.
Follow your own advice : " Just my own personal opinion, so calm down. "

 

I've seen these debates before about one television series versus another...

I tend to agree with what Steve Jobs said about Pixar when he first started dabbling in the film business.

Jobs said that unlike computers, there wasn't a fight for one (and only one) spot on someone's desk. Films , could rise or fall on their own merit - and that TWO films - could succeed simultaneously.

Just because one film was successful at the box office (e.g. Toy Story) didn't mean that another one had to remain unwatched (e.g., Babe). I understand that the entertainment dollar does have a cap - but it's just not that difficult for the movie going public to juggle several dollars and see one film one week and a competing film the next week.

With respect to a television series - in a world with DVRs - the only real thing that prevents someone from watching two series is the amount of free time someone has to watch a specific show.

Watching an entire series is more of a major investment (in hours spent watching) than a few hours spent watching a film - but there is still nothing stopping two shows from being successful - or worthy.

Where I think the tension is between "Breaking Bad" fans and fans of "The Wire" is there seems to be a desire to brand one's pick as "best television series of all time".

I've watch all of "The Wire" and I've watched some of "Breaking Bad".

My only real reason for not watching all of "Breaking Bad" is I was late to the party - and I need to find time to start watching it from the beginning.

I can see how there are extreme differences between the two. For example, the moment where the character on "Breaking Bad" straightens his tie - just before he falls over dead - was extremely interesting - but it seemed to be more like a show of force by the special effects department - than something that could actually happen.

I can also see how fans of one show might not like the other... For example, I wouldn't be surprised to hear someone say they stopped watching "The Wire" because it was "too slow" or had "too many different characters".

Each are valid criticisms.

In my mind, the show that comes closest to "The Wire" is "Hill Street Blues".

Except "Hill Street Blues" didn't have many (any?) extended storylines..

Maybe the natural point of comparison for "The Wire" and "Breaking Bad" is both shows are based on a common denominator - the sale of illegal drugs...