The Wire - Season 5

[Section_31]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7HoWd7mY8E

 

Looks fuckin unreal, gutted it's the last season though..

[JER]

Just watched season 4 - fucking immense. Glad McNulty is about to lose it again..

[Kev Saunderson]

I. Cannot. Wait.

 

I hope Omar gives it to Marlow. Did I see Avon in that trailer as well.

[Section_31]

Just watched season 4 - fucking immense. Glad McNulty is about to lose it again..

 

Bought that online last week but am still waiting for it, champing at the bit here, can't wait!

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Just starting to watch season 4 now, got into it after a few forumites banging on about it. Not quite sure why I like it so much but I just do, season 2 was weak but 3 more than compensated. Think Bunk is my favourite character "the Bunk can't swim" he's a proper piss head which I find endlessly amusing.

[Paul]

Oh, shit!!! Marlo locked up - with Avon? McNulty back on the pop, having punched out a superior officer? I can't fucking wait!!! The focus of this one is supposedly the media which ties in with Marlo being interviewed on telly. I reckon it'll go out with a bang and a whimper: big dramatic shit will happen, but Baltimore will still be Baltimore. I hope we see more of the boys from Season 4 - especially Michael.

[JER]

Read an interview with Dominic West? who plays McNulty and he said that he knows he will never work with writing that good again - enough said.

 

"It's better to be lucky than good"

[Section_31]

Just finished season 4, watched all thirteen hours of it in three days, awesome.

 

 

Gutted about Bodie though, that's the second time I've seen the poor lad shot, in this and the music video for 2pac's Ghetto Gospel!

 

Cracking little actor.

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

Am I alone in thinking that The Shield is better?

[Paul]

Am I alone in thinking that The Shield is better?

 

The Shield is certainly ace. However, in my opinion it is merely pacier in its plotting than The Wire, not better. The Wire beats it hands down for dialogue, characterisation and acting (which is not to say that those are weak on The Shield). I suppose one is the best that traditional television writing can produce and the other is the best in a class of its own where the writing is more like that in a novel than on telly.

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

The Shield is certainly ace. However, in my opinion it is merely pacier in its plotting than The Wire, not better. The Wire beats it hands down for dialogue, characterisation and acting (which is not to say that those are weak on The Shield). I suppose one is the best that traditional television writing can produce and the other is the best in a class of its own where the writing is more like that in a novel than on telly.

 

Aye, you might be right there Pablo, I think The Wire is more of a slow burner and I think I need to give it more air time and concentration. I agree that The Shield is pacier and that suits my viewing tastes. I'm not rubbishing The Wire like, I just prefer The Shield from what I've seen thus far.

[mcflynn]

I am now on series 3. Don't want to look at that clip on youtube just yet.

[greenoak]

I started watching this when it started on FX right at season 1. It took me a while to get into the black getteo speak. Avon is ace. He is played by a brit. How the hell did they get a brit to play a baltimore drug ganglord.

 

Season 2 was really slow to start with, the polish dockers were just not as interesting as Avon and co, but by episode 7 I was gripped. The characters are so strong.

 

Season 3 is bang on the money. The Hamsterdam experiment is fantastic.

 

You got to love Mcnullty, he is one bastard to have in a team. I loved the bit in season 2 when he was sent into the brothel and he was banging away with the 2 tarts. fucking awesome.

 

My skyplus is crammed with The Wire, i guess I should buy the dvds. I hoped for some as I dropped enough hints, but the mrs missed a trick and bought me call of duty 4. I was sure it was the wire dvds when i saw the package from Amazon.

[Paul]

I started watching this when it started on FX right at season 1. It took me a while to get into the black getteo speak. Avon is ace. He is played by a brit. How the hell did they get a brit to play a baltimore drug ganglord.

 

Season 2 was really slow to start with, the polish dockers were just not as interesting as Avon and co, but by episode 7 I was gripped. The characters are so strong.

 

Season 3 is bang on the money. The Hamsterdam experiment is fantastic.

 

You got to love Mcnullty, he is one bastard to have in a team. I loved the bit in season 2 when he was sent into the brothel and he was banging away with the 2 tarts. fucking awesome.

 

My skyplus is crammed with The Wire, i guess I should buy the dvds. I hoped for some as I dropped enough hints, but the mrs missed a trick and bought me call of duty 4. I was sure it was the wire dvds when i saw the package from Amazon.

 

Avon is actually played by an American, mate. The Brits are Idris Elba (Stringer Bell) and Dominic West (McNulty).

[bri]

the violence on the shield is on another level. It's more hard ass tv. the wire is the thinking mans crime. the shield for me, the wire a close second

[JER]

I've gained a whole new respect for Dennis Wise - swapping smashing up taxis for helping to give Ghetto kids a focus with his boxing gym..

[Section_31]

I've gained a whole new respect for Dennis Wise - swapping smashing up taxis for helping to give Ghetto kids a focus with his boxing gym..

 

haha yeah that always makes me smirk, Sky Sports should start calling him Cutty...

 

 

I've been watching the Shield again lately and still absolutely love it, but one funny thing - after watching the wire - it seems 'simple' for want of a better word.

 

I'm that used to having to keep up with five different story lines and twenty characters that I'm used to being taxed a bit more, watching the shield now seems easy, high octane but easy.

[Paul]

haha yeah that always makes me smirk, Sky Sports should start calling him Cutty...

 

 

I've been watching the Shield again lately and still absolutely love it, but one funny thing - after watching the wire - it seems 'simple' for want of a better word.

 

I'm that used to having to keep up with five different story lines and twenty characters that I'm used to being taxed a bit more, watching the shield now seems easy, high octane but easy.

 

I agree - although 'simple' kind of does it a disservice. The things I love about The Shield are its relentlessly original brutality, the moral ambiguity of Vic and the breath-taking pace. It doesn't sermonise like some US shows do and it has also made exceptional use of casting star names: both Glenn Close and Forest Whitaker were incredible in it. It is my number two ahead of The Sopranos (which is some feat in itself).

[Section_31]

I agree - although 'simple' kind of does it a disservice. The things I love about The Shield are its relentlessly original brutality, the moral ambiguity of Vic and the breath-taking pace. It doesn't sermonise like some US shows do and it has also made exceptional use of casting star names: both Glenn Close and Forest Whitaker were incredible in it. It is my number two ahead of The Sopranos (which is some feat in itself).

 

Yeah I agree with that, 'simple' was the only word that sprung to mind but I think you catch my drift, it concentrates on a smaller set list of characters and has a strong A story followed by smaller B and c stories, plus an arc (money train etc) But the Wire has A, B, C, D and E stories, and god knows how many characters, the fact you get more from it second and third time around speaks volumes.

 

Forrest Whitaker scares the shit out of me in season five, hand on heart I've actually had nightmares about him,

 

I dream that one day someone over this side of the pond will write something (or get the chance to write it - more to the point) that is just as strong, until then I'll have to cope with The Bill and that shite with the fat bird from Men Behaving Badly in it.

[Paul]

Yeah I agree with that, 'simple' was the only word that sprung to mind but I think you catch my drift, it concentrates on a smaller set list of characters and has a strong A story followed by smaller B and c stories, plus an arc (money train etc) But the Wire has A, B, C, D and E stories, and god knows how many characters, the fact you get more from it second and third time around speaks volumes.

 

Forrest Whitaker scares the shit out of me in season five, hand on heart I've actually had nightmares about him,

 

I dream that one day someone over this side of the pond will write something (or get the chance to write it - more to the point) that is just as strong, until then I'll have to cope with The Bill and that shite with the fat bird from Men Behaving Badly in it.

 

It's not the writing talent we lack; it's the money to film it. A big US drama costs up to $10m per episode and will often run for between three to six months. A big production in this country is £2m an episode for 6 weeks. Even then the returns are tough (whether from advertising or selling on the rights to other countries). Massive, high production values pieces of drama can only be made in the States unfortunately.

[Karl_b]

It's not the writing talent we lack; it's the money to film it. A big US drama costs up to $10m per episode and will often run for between three to six months. A big production in this country is £2m an episode for 6 weeks. Even then the returns are tough (whether from advertising or selling on the rights to other countries). Massive, high production values pieces of drama can only be made in the States unfortunately.

 

Does our television need to go the way of the States in that we should pay for individual channels (I believe that's what happens?) for the quality to improve?

[bri]

nah what we need is more tv shows where it's a £1 to enter and the question is like what comes after a in the alphabet and for them then to have already picked the winner.

 

I think we have our strengths in comedies like the office or peep show etc.

 

I think the reason american dramas are successful is that they generally have an air fantasy about them that appeals to no US viewers. And of curse they'll have a fair selection fit birds in them

[Paul]

Does our television need to go the way of the States in that we should pay for individual channels (I believe that's what happens?) for the quality to improve?

 

I think we produce some brilliant telly as things are - just not huge epic drama series.

[RedKnight]

I can't believe anyone loves The Shield more than The Sopranos. I love 'em both but nothing beats a visit with Tony.

[Ted]

I can't believe anyone loves The Shield more than The Sopranos. I love 'em both but nothing beats a visit with Tony.

 

I prefer it, also.