Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking - that this show was perfect. Even my favorite shows have a thing or two that annoys me, and I will find it if it's there. But this one I really can't find anything they didn't do perfectly even if I try really hard to find something.
The casting could not have been better; the acting is amazing; the directing is superb; the writing is exceptional; the characters are great, not one or even two-dimensional; there's nothing formulaic about how things resolved at the end (something very few shows ever have the guts to attempt); there's nothing I don't buy into. So many shows that could be great just get lazy with how they resolve story lines or situations. That's one of my biggest pet peeves with TV shows. The Wire is a great example of how to go about it.
There are plenty of scenes that just leave you in awe. One of my favorite scenes early in the season was with D'Angelo showing Wallace and Brody how to play chess instead of checkers. The writing in that scene was awesome and there are plenty of those scenes like that throughout.
I also had the same thought that I don't think there's been another show that gets it all right like this one and I wish there were.
Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David
The chess scene is the entire series, in one scene. Actually, forgive me for maybe indulging in hyperbole, but it's America.
You will look back on that scene when you finish the show. That's not a spoiler or anything, it's just integral.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Hmmm, I'm intrigued. I actually like the D'Angelo character and am not afraid to say it even though he's a drug dealer and murderer. I like him as a character because he portrays what's probably a lot closer to the truth for a lot of these people than that one dimensional evil these people are often stereotyped to. He's not a "good person" but he's someone who grew up in an environment people like us can't possibly comprehend. He made choices to follow in the footsteps of family and friends, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have normal human feelings of doubt and guilt over what he's doing to people. It doesn't mean that he can't have aspirations of living a "better", or maybe "different", life than the one he's in now. It doesn't mean he doesn't wonder what kind of person he could be if he could somehow break free from his current life situation.
This character in this show does a great job of portraying the conflict that exists in most of us, just in a different context...that inner struggle and fine line between good and bad. The world isn't black and white, even for the type of people portrayed in this show. Police officers aren't always the altruistic heroic types like they're portrayed in other TV shows and in our culture as a whole. And "corruption" in law enforcement isn't always simply taking bribes from criminals. Leadership in large bureaucratic law enforcement agencies in large cities can be just as political as politics, with people having their own agendas that are not always compatible with the mission of law enforcement. Is the Deputy of Ops a bad guy? Maybe, maybe not. It's not such a simple question or answer. How much better is he than D'Angelo? Again, it's not such a simple question. I'm sure he has his own inner struggle of trying to put criminals behind bars while advancing his career at the same time. Those two aren't always compatible and choices have to be made. I'm sure he lives with a lot of cognitive dissonance.
I think the Lieutenant Daniels character is similar to D'Angelo in that regard and is one of the best characters on the show. He's a great depiction of the inner struggle with competing ambitions.
Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David
The Wire is the greatest show I've ever seen, and it's probably the most rewatchable show I've ever seen. My roommates are watching it for the first time, and I've seen some of the episodes with them, and its just.... I mean.... it's just so good. Everything works together in such a brilliant way.
Season 2 is very different, but I loved it. Seasons 3 and 4 are just genius. Season 5 is the outlier of the series.
The first four seasons were spectacular. My favorite is season 4 but I bet if I made a list of my 20 favorite seasons of television, each of the first four seasons of The Wire would be on it. Season 5 was lamentable; it had nowhere near the same level of quality as the first four to begin with, then they decided to shorten the season and end the show which wreaked havoc with an already flawed storyline.
What I liked the best about it is how nobody, be they cop, kingpin, working man, corner boy, politician, nobody was purely good or purely evil. There was good in the most ruthless of characters, like Omar Little (my personal favorite) or Stringer Bell, and the people who are supposed to be upright and decent are shown to be flawed human beings, in some cases very deeply flawed. The makers of the show took the time to give the characters a level of depth that is unequaled by any other show.
Arise and walk, come through. A world beyond that door is calling out for you. Arise and walk, come through. It's calling out for you.
I've been recording all the episodes off the Audience Network from DirecTV. I'm wanting my girlfriend to watch them. Couldn't agree more with what you guys said about the show. Mike, you're going to be in for a treat watching the rest of the series.
Slight change of pace from the Wire -- this guy's young, but he's captured everything that used to be awesome about weathermen back in the day:
Just Havin' Fun Out There - YouTube
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
Super late to the party but I just started watching Weeds. Pretty delighted with it do far.
Witty signature.
The Walking Turd resumes tonight.
Arise and walk, come through. A world beyond that door is calling out for you. Arise and walk, come through. It's calling out for you.
agreed with most of this review of last night's "The Walking Dead"
http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollyw...ce-in-nebraska
Don't want to give away any spoilers, but he touches on the one aspect of last night's "premier" that really annoyed me. Otherwise, I thought it was pretty solid.
Last edited by medford; 02-13-2012 at 01:32 PM.
Just finished last nights TWD, why do I continue to watch that mess?
Hugs, smiling, and interactive Twitter accounts, don't mean winning baseball. Until this community understands that we are cursed to relive the madness.
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