THE OFFICIAL WIRE SEASON 5 THREAD

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  • You're right about the pacing, and that is how the show should go, I guess I'm just a little anxious to see more things develop rather than watch a character literally sit on screen and "think". Having built up to this season, I find it difficult to ingest a series of scenes like these without getting frustrated. It is important though, as I admitted. The whole situation with Bubs kind of puts all of the other pieces into perspective. Who is Bubs if he stays clean? Sort of like, what's a junkie without drugs, what are police without crime, what is the newspaper without news, etc. The gloomy impression these first two episodes leave make you think that it will never end, Bubs will never stay clean, the department will never get better, the newspapaer will never recover, politics will continue to fuck everythign up, etc.

    I really don't mean to complain though, as I've had thoughts similar to these about previous seasons, and when all is said and done, I've taken it back because they've brought all of the right situations back into the light at the right time throughout the seasons.

    And I never really had a problem with the newsroom. I like how they are slowly introducing the characters and the situation without drawing it all out for you. You have to watch and try to figure out what's going on there. By the end of Episode 2, you can already see the inner conflict that is destroying the integrity of the newspaper. I think they've done a good job with this thus far.

  • mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts


    You'd rather all of these privelaged on-demand viewers spoil each episode for the rest of us?

    hell no!
    i'm happy to get back to some real talk.
    let's keep it like this


  • As for McNulty, didn't he specifically say at the end of that scene that the city would have to investigate it if it was a murder? It seemed to me that what he said could only imply that he was trying to force the murder issue to get somebody to put them back on Marlo and the 22 murders. Why would he do it just as a prank? That doesn't make sesne to me. It was well thought out as earlier in the episode he learns that you can still bruise a body post-mordem if you do it soon enough. I just don't see that as something he'd do just to piss somebody off. I totally agree about the scene being uncomfortable though. It's rare to see Bunk so shook/serious with McNulty. As if he saw McNulty go right off the deep end just then.

    The point of McNulty changing up the body to make it look like a murder was that the guy was white. They were talking earlier that the people in charge only give a fuck if white people get killed, so he's trying to play that through.

    Ahh yes, that makes sense. This still lends itself to the idea that he's trying to get back to investigating murders that will amount to something. White murders will make the news and Carcetti will have to throw some dough back at the murder unit to get some results if he wants to keep his peoples happy. Something like that, right?

  • phongonephongone 1,652 Posts
    ROLLEYES


    What is so unrealistic about McNulty's demise? Great cops, "real po-lice" fall every damn day fighting what they think is the good fight.


    What's unrealistic is the depth of McNulty's corruption and depravity-- he's not just simply falsifying a police report or planting dope on a dealer he knows is guilty -- he's going far beyond any acceptable moral bounds and "creating" murders! To me, it's just too much of a pill to swallow. Whatever, the case though, I think we all agree that this plotline spells the end of the loveable Irish cop, he's going to die for sure the end of the season.

  • ROLLEYES


    What is so unrealistic about McNulty's demise? Great cops, "real po-lice" fall every damn day fighting what they think is the good fight.


    What's unrealistic is the depth of McNulty's corruption and depravity-- he's not just simply falsifying a police report or planting dope on a dealer he knows is guilty -- he's going far beyond any acceptable moral bounds and "creating" murders! To me, it's just too much of a pill to swallow. Whatever, the case though, I think we all agree that this plotline spells the end of the loveable Irish cop, he's going to die for sure the end of the season.

    lovable Irish cop?

    It's been pretty clear that the only time McNulty was on the sunny side of the street was season 4.

    Perhaps, because he was "right", it was easier to get behind his sideways dealing, drunken debauchery, and complete disregard for everyone around him... do you not recall Lester's tonguelashing where he told McNulty that he sets fire to everything he touches?

    I'm not sure I totally agree with Simon, that McNulty just doesn't give a fuck at all, but he's not the saint you're making him out to be.

    "No virgins."

  • he's going to die for sure the end of the season.

    For sure? I don't buy that at all. There's nothing about this show that's "for sure", especially not the death of the characters.

  • ROLLEYES


    What is so unrealistic about McNulty's demise? Great cops, "real po-lice" fall every damn day fighting what they think is the good fight.


    What's unrealistic is the depth of McNulty's corruption and depravity-- he's not just simply falsifying a police report or planting dope on a dealer he knows is guilty -- he's going far beyond any acceptable moral bounds and "creating" murders! To me, it's just too much of a pill to swallow. Whatever, the case though, I think we all agree that this plotline spells the end of the loveable Irish cop, he's going to die for sure the end of the season.

    I don't really get the link between McNulty trying to get some more officers to work on Marlo's case (well, what he thought would happen) and the fact that he is suddenly corrupted and deserves to die. Anyway, he's always been a love or hate character, but dude is a hell of a detective, and Bunk knows even though he's mad right now...
    Season 5 is about media, how you can control them to achieve your goals whatever your field is, that what he tries to do, plain and simple. Plus he's just an obsessive dude and by any means necessary he will try to get at his target.
    Am I the only here who watched till episode 7 (missing 3 and 4 but you get the whole thing quite clearly anyway) ?

  • bluesnagbluesnag 1,285 Posts

    Am I the only here who watched till episode 7 (missing 3 and 4 but you get the whole thing quite clearly anyway) ?

    See the Wire spoilers thread. Nothing but regular HBO schedule episode talk here.

  • phongonephongone 1,652 Posts
    ROLLEYES


    What is so unrealistic about McNulty's demise? Great cops, "real po-lice" fall every damn day fighting what they think is the good fight.


    What's unrealistic is the depth of McNulty's corruption and depravity-- he's not just simply falsifying a police report or planting dope on a dealer he knows is guilty -- he's going far beyond any acceptable moral bounds and "creating" murders! To me, it's just too much of a pill to swallow. Whatever, the case though, I think we all agree that this plotline spells the end of the loveable Irish cop, he's going to die for sure the end of the season.

    lovable Irish cop?

    It's been pretty clear that the only time McNulty was on the sunny side of the street was season 4.

    Perhaps, because he was "right", it was easier to get behind his sideways dealing, drunken debauchery, and complete disregard for everyone around him... do you not recall Lester's tonguelashing where he told McNulty that he sets fire to everything he touches?

    I'm not sure I totally agree with Simon, that McNulty just doesn't give a fuck at all, but he's not the saint you're making him out to be.

    "No virgins."


    I don't think I painted McNulty as a "saint" -- I'm just saying my suspension of disbelief is being sorely tested by his actions. I understand his cynicism with the Department and the fact he's hit rock bottom, but to make up some serial murders?-- that's just too much for a guy whose one constant in life is trying to do good police work. But we're going in circles and I guess we can agree to disagree.

  • I just don't see it, in the context of all four seasons, as being too unbelievable. McNulty has done a lot more than just "good police work". YOU try drinking a half pint of Jameson before noon and I guarantee you'll be acting pretty depraved too!

  • I just don't see it, in the context of all four seasons, as being too unbelievable. McNulty has done a lot more than just "good police work". YOU try drinking a half pint of Jameson before noon and I guarantee you'll be acting pretty depraved too!

    Yeah, I don't see it as being too far-fetched either. I've seen people in real life do some pretty drastic things when faced with challenging times, so on a fictional dramatic teleivision show, it doesn't seem to be anything too out of the ordinary based on what we've already witnessed throughout the series.



  • Efuge Efuge
    - Stelios Kazantzidis

    Thanks for that.

  • edulusedulus 421 Posts
    ROLLEYES


    What is so unrealistic about McNulty's demise? Great cops, "real po-lice" fall every damn day fighting what they think is the good fight.


    What's unrealistic is the depth of McNulty's corruption and depravity-- he's not just simply falsifying a police report or planting dope on a dealer he knows is guilty -- he's going far beyond any acceptable moral bounds and "creating" murders! To me, it's just too much of a pill to swallow. Whatever, the case though, I think we all agree that this plotline spells the end of the loveable Irish cop, he's going to die for sure the end of the season.

    lovable Irish cop?

    It's been pretty clear that the only time McNulty was on the sunny side of the street was season 4.

    Perhaps, because he was "right", it was easier to get behind his sideways dealing, drunken debauchery, and complete disregard for everyone around him... do you not recall Lester's tonguelashing where he told McNulty that he sets fire to everything he touches?

    I'm not sure I totally agree with Simon, that McNulty just doesn't give a fuck at all, but he's not the saint you're making him out to be.

    "No virgins."


    I don't think I painted McNulty as a "saint" -- I'm just saying my suspension of disbelief is being sorely tested by his actions. I understand his cynicism with the Department and the fact he's hit rock bottom, but to make up some serial murders?-- that's just too much for a guy whose one constant in life is trying to do good police work. But we're going in circles and I guess we can agree to disagree.

    i see the whole mcnulty creating a worse murder as parallel to the news reporter's boy in a wheelchair story. mcnulty = reporter, bunk = gus, ??? = editor who likes reporter man.

  • Bunk has always been the moral beacon of the show


    lol. easy there; let's not get carried away.



  • Moving on to the Newsroom scenes, I'm willing to trust the Wire to develop a story-line so that early scenes that are confusing at first will take on new meaning in light of later events.

    okay but this is NOT my beef with the newsroom scenes. if anything the whole plot's a little too obvious, not confusing.

    like I said in the other thread:


    1. weak actors/characters: the corny old white editors (no not the main, corporate guy played by Sam Freed, I mean the other 2-3 heavyset white dudes with their corny one-line parts) and ESPECIALLY that insufferable young female reporter. she is AWFUL.

    2. the Espisode 52 editorial meeting was sooooo contrived: dude wants to show the failing school system while the one editor with integrity (Clark Johnson) argues that the problems are deeper. zzzzzzzz....OK we get it, that's what the Wire is all about. NEXT.

    3. the newsroom shit is Frickin' up the pace of the whole show: they clearly wanna integrate this newspaper shit into the plot as soon as possible, but they are doing it at the expense of the other storylines. they jump to a newsroom scene almost every other scene. there's just WAAAAY too much newsroom. previous seasons did not bombard you so heavily with one single plot line. there has been a much more gradual pace over the last seasons: a Bubs scene, a school scene, a street scene, a cop scene, a city hall scene, etc. it just feels like the newsroom thing is getting more play than it deserves at this point.

    I know, I know, the newsroom is setting up a major season-long story (which is very obviously going to be the young ambitious white reporter creating some sensational police scandal and screwing Clark Johnson and cops in the process). but I just feel like it's rushed and not that interesting. it's like David Simon is getting selfish: he knows he only has 10 episodes left so he's subjecting us to HIS story about working at a newspaper, when it's not really well integrated into the larger story. I guess he was jealous that Ed Burns' experiences as a homicide police got so much play during seasons 1-4....

  • dollar_bindollar_bin I heartily endorse this product and/or event 2,326 Posts


    Moving on to the Newsroom scenes, I'm willing to trust the Wire to develop a story-line so that early scenes that are confusing at first will take on new meaning in light of later events.

    okay but this is NOT my beef with the newsroom scenes. if anything the whole plot's a little too obvious, not confusing.


    OK, perhaps confusing is the wrong word, what I mean is that we might be missing the point of what's going on. Then again, probably not, I'm just saying it's early to judge. It just seems to me like a replay of what people were saying about the Port story-line in season 2. Your points are really a matter of taste but I think you're choosing to harp on some minor issues that are just as easily ignored.

  • i think simon is obviously trying to show mcnulty as falling hard off the wagon. i dont remember him ever being this much of an obvious, during the day, at the crime scene drunk. that being the case, whatever he's doing could be just to rectify the case against marlo getting pulled...building off that conversation with bunk and lester. he has always cut corners for the cause...in his drunken mind, he's doing just that.

    i havent seen 53 yet...but avon has GOTTA be up to something. that was definitely forced interaction. he's a little too carefree and happy to hand a major major connect over to marlo. avon is always playing an angle. gotta be. the whole west side signifying shit was some fake bullshit

    im wondering if/when these characters will appear and get more resolution:
    omar (duh)
    poot
    namond
    kenard
    randy
    presbo
    cutty
    cutty's hot new girl

    id love to see how snoop and chris live. we saw omar living in vacants.
    whabout marlo? stringer bell style pad or moms house?

  • mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts


    Moving on to the Newsroom scenes, I'm willing to trust the Wire to develop a story-line so that early scenes that are confusing at first will take on new meaning in light of later events.

    okay but this is NOT my beef with the newsroom scenes. if anything the whole plot's a little too obvious, not confusing.

    like I said in the other thread:


    1. weak actors/characters: the corny old white editors (no not the main, corporate guy played by Sam Freed, I mean the other 2-3 heavyset white dudes with their corny one-line parts) and ESPECIALLY that insufferable young female reporter. she is AWFUL.

    2. the Espisode 52 editorial meeting was sooooo contrived: dude wants to show the failing school system while the one editor with integrity (Clark Johnson) argues that the problems are deeper. zzzzzzzz....OK we get it, that's what the Wire is all about. NEXT.

    3. the newsroom shit is Frickin' up the pace of the whole show: they clearly wanna integrate this newspaper shit into the plot as soon as possible, but they are doing it at the expense of the other storylines. they jump to a newsroom scene almost every other scene. there's just WAAAAY too much newsroom. previous seasons did not bombard you so heavily with one single plot line. there has been a much more gradual pace over the last seasons: a Bubs scene, a school scene, a street scene, a cop scene, a city hall scene, etc. it just feels like the newsroom thing is getting more play than it deserves at this point.

    I know, I know, the newsroom is setting up a major season-long story (which is very obviously going to be the young ambitious white reporter creating some sensational police scandal and screwing Clark Johnson and cops in the process). but I just feel like it's rushed and not that interesting. it's like David Simon is getting selfish: he knows he only has 10 episodes left so he's subjecting us to HIS story about working at a newspaper, when it's not really well integrated into the larger story. I guess he was jealous that Ed Burns' experiences as a homicide police got so much play during seasons 1-4....

    in reconsideration, i am de-co-sining!
    calling the old cranky nightbeat newsmen weak characters is like ragging on the drunk cops from season one. they're a part of the show because they're a part of the city. i have no strong feelings for or against the lady reporter.
    if you're already sick of the "man against capitalist organization" story of the paper, you may be sick of the show in general. that's what the wire is all about.
    i do wish that simon had integrated the press more smoothly into the season. but i'm not that distracted by it. of course, it'd be nice to continue with familiar and comfortable characters like herc and carver and randy but i guess i gotta roll with simon if he wants to divy up screen time.

    i think the reason i may have been eager to agree with these criticisms is that there's something "off" to me about the first 2 episodes in general. i've been hesitant to voice it so far but it feels like the show is kind of outside of itself now. its aware of how good and important it is.... like a rapper after his second successful album.

    of course, i hope i end up eating my words in a week or two but that's where i'm at now. i don't know if this detailed weekly analysis is helping. i may have to check back in after the season. peace

  • it feels like the show is kind of outside of itself now. its aware of how good and important it is.... like a rapper after his second successful album.

    of course, i hope i end up eating my words in a week or two but that's where i'm at now. i don't know if this detailed weekly analysis is helping.

    this is on point. I think the publicity around season 4 (which, to be sure, is when a lot of strutters got hip as well) didn't serve the show too well, there has been a lot of anticipation built up and the show somehow feels like it must finally prove itself. I think if you feel this way you'll at least be happy with 53 which I really enjoyed.

    I also agree with you on the thread... it's a downer.

    I'm a fan... I watch eps 3, 4 times before the next... I'm not ready to write off anything... smh & lol at dudes who can't even remember details from the previous 4 seasons trying to be critical of this one.

  • dollar_bindollar_bin I heartily endorse this product and/or event 2,326 Posts

    i havent seen 53 yet...but avon has GOTTA be up to something. that was definitely forced interaction. he's a little too carefree and happy to hand a major major connect over to marlo. avon is always playing an angle. gotta be. the whole west side signifying shit was some fake bullshit

    Well, he did clear $100,000 with very little effort, whether he has more long term goals for Marlow and others I have no idea. He looked like the cat that ate the rat, it was fun seeing Wood Harris playing Avon so pleased with himself.

  • I don't know man maybe Avon is just bing'd out right now. He is like (thinks hard and blinks several times, quickly) an authority figure around there. lol. Look at Wee-bey. Sometimes you go in and you think about things differently.

    Not to mention the big moment at the end of Season 3 where Avon turns around at his trial, sees Marlo, and kind of nods and passes the torch. He might just be on some different schitt these days... watch up on yer watch ups


  • i havent seen 53 yet...but avon has GOTTA be up to something. that was definitely forced interaction. he's a little too carefree and happy to hand a major major connect over to marlo. avon is always playing an angle. gotta be. the whole west side signifying shit was some fake bullshit

    yeah Avon seems a little too eager to help out Marlo...

    then again:

    1. Avon was always the "Westside forever" knucklehead to Stringer's sober businessman. Avon had a real problem with the Eastsiders taking over the corners; he saw it a real affront to the Westside and to his efforts. Stringer manwhile was looking beyond all that. Avon couldn't really. So on one hand I can beleive his helping Marlo solely out of Westide pride/anti-Eastside vendetta.

    2. Maybe he just wants some action. He's locked up. Here's an easy way to be relevant again and feel like he's still part of the street game from the inside.

    but I do tend to agree with earlier posters that his relevance would seem to be overstated at this point. not sure why he really has all that much pull to be putting this deal together.

    and Mandrew: you know I'm all about the Wire. I'm not "over it" by any stretch. I just am not feeling the newsroom thing. good, interesting concept (I am not one of these folls that needs to see all corner, all the time), but as I outlined above I think it's being poorly executed.

  • BsidesBsides 4,244 Posts
    I don't know man maybe Avon is just bing'd out right now. He is like (thinks hard and blinks several times, quickly) an authority figure around there. lol. Look at Wee-bey. Sometimes you go in and you think about things differently.

    Not to mention the big moment at the end of Season 3 where Avon turns around at his trial, sees Marlo, and kind of nods and passes the torch. He might just be on some different schitt these days... watch up on yer watch ups

    I dont think anything Avon did in 52 was out of charachter. If you remember in season 3 how much he hated that stringer wanted to work with prop joe and the other "east side bitches". He didnt care that they had more money, it wasnt even really about all that to him. He just wanted his damn corners back. I think more than anything Avon probably identifies with marlo's urge to x out prop joe and i think he really does have alot of pride about west baltimore.

    Plus, hes in jail, and the whole east baltimore vs. west baltimore thing might be alot more pronounced on the inside. Prison marginalizes people into cliques pretty quickly and they can be based around pretty inconsequential things. Gangs in Cali kill people all the time over territory. I really think Avon is just about his fuckin corners!

    I for one have not been let down at all by this season so far. Every charachter from the previous seasons I have an emotional connection to, even the morally questionable ones.

    I do get the feeling that everything is falling apart though, and i dont think that the series will end with any real conclusive wrapping up of things either. Thats just not the style of the show. Its not really realistic either, life goes on, the game changes, the game stays the same.

    I was just so happy to see avon back! I think the newsroom is also awesome, and although i dont know alot about how a newspaper works, id put money down that this is probably one of the most accurate representations of how shit goes down. Im sure i will understand more of the lingo as the series goes on, but right now even the parts i dont understand feel authentic and neccesary.

    I love this show.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    Anybody have a link to episode 3? I tried to watch it On Demand at Mom's but it's not playing.

  • As for McNulty, didn't he specifically say at the end of that scene that the city would have to investigate it if it was a murder? It seemed to me that what he said could only imply that he was trying to force the murder issue to get somebody to put them back on Marlo and the 22 murders. Why would he do it just as a prank? That doesn't make sesne to me. It was well thought out as earlier in the episode he learns that you can still bruise a body post-mordem if you do it soon enough. I just don't see that as something he'd do just to piss somebody off. I totally agree about the scene being uncomfortable though. It's rare to see Bunk so shook/serious with McNulty. As if he saw McNulty go right off the deep end just then.

    McNulty crossing a line is believable to me. He's not a pillar of morality and never thinks through his actions. Many plot twists of the show revolve around his poor judgment and lack of awareness. Think about his "what the fuck did *I* do?" questioning.

    McNulty is extremely self-centered, and police work is all he's got. Think about how threatened he is in this situation. When he was riding the boat he was drinking like a fish and Cedric had to be begged to bring McNulty back on. McNulty thinks he's "good police," as do others (Lester, Cedric) but only to a point. He's also got them spitting mad at him.

    I'm glad people perceive he crossed a line. Why he tampered with evidence is a really great question, but I tend to go with those who say that he thinks it will ultimately help him in his continuing quest, but is also self-centered in all his actions.

    Anyhow, it beats seeing the same ol' drunk McNulty sleeping around and crashing his car. This situation sets Bunk up against McNulty, which is a really interesting morality play. They go way back, but Bunk was clearly disgusted and confused by McNulty's actions. Bunk has always helped McNulty out, but what he'll do here is a tough call.

  • BsidesBsides 4,244 Posts
    Anybody have a link to episode 3? I tried to watch it On Demand at Mom's but it's not playing.

    can we just get a thread about the episodes that have aired? and not fill it with begging for links and stuff about the other episodes!

    it does suck that its kind of derailed discussion around here.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts


    can we just get a thread about the episodes that have aired? and not fill it with begging for links and stuff about the other episodes!

    No.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    Speaking of contrived, I have to say that I rolled my eyes at one of the first lines of this season:

    "Americans are stupid, we pretty much believe anything we're told." - Detective Norris

    Also, I just watched that same episode for the 3rd time and caught how Augustus gave credit to his reporter for catching Fatface Rick's name in the building swap docs. I respect a man who looks out for his team.

    Anybody else think that the State Attorney Rupert Bond looks like someone we know?




















































  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    Anybody have a link to episode 3? I tried to watch it On Demand at Mom's but it's not playing.

    Okay, so I tried to be the good guy since it's obvious that episodes 3 & 4 aren't leaking. I went to Mom's house and set her up with HBO for a couple months so I could take advantage of On Demand for a few episodes and guess what?...Dish Network doesn't offer On Demand for HBO! Only Showtime and The Disney Channel. Straight bullshit, ese!!!

  • akaaka 67 Posts
    http://forums.sohh.com/showthread.php?t=955734&page=49

    downloading it now, so don't blame me if it turns out to be a dud

    **edit: it works (yay!)
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