'The Wire' - It gets better after the 1st season, right?

[Oblivian]

You know he's based on a real person right?

According to Simon "The late, diminutive Bannion had a drinking duck with a diamond choker, exposed himself routinely and was once goaded to assault another dockworker three times his size, then tossed atop a container."

Geez, maybe I should have quoted more people.... Seems there's multiple people who don't find a real character believable.

I said the way he portrayed the character, not the character's storyline. I know a guy who put his penis on a burning stovetop, picked a fight with a frat house for a case of keystone light, and pissed on someone's leg who pissed him off in a bar. That doesn't mean his everyday interactions were completely exaggerated like those antics. Again, this actor played the character like he was a caricature.

Think about most of the good shows out there. You have a guy like Tony Soprano who is absolutely ruthless. Galdofini does a good job of portraying his normal everyday activities. It's not just a caricature of violence throughout. Similarly with most of the characters on The Wire. Ziggy's was just outlandish pretty much all of the time.

 

[zapataxiv]

Well no doubt I'm jealous of the sick jacket he owned.

Most of us know a lot of wannabe big shots like that. I felt like his character was played out far too outlandish. I'm not even talking about his story line, but the way he portrayed the character. Everything was to the extreme. It just came off poorly to me. He didn't hit the nuances and subtle areas that would make the character far more believable. He basically played it like a caricature rather than a human being.

agree to disagree
but it hit home for me he was exactly like several people i have known. a couple of them ended up doing horrible things as well... which is part of the reason why the end of season 2 hit me so hard..

also as @Cid said dude was based on a real guy.
compared to "the corner" david simon dressed his characters up quite bit but i don't think anybody on the wire actually traverses into outlandish which is one of the charms of the show as well.

 

[Etherized]

Season 2 sucked. I hated ziggy.

 

[Cid]

I said the way he portrayed the character, not the character's storyline. I know a guy who put his penis on a burning stovetop, picked a fight with a frat house for a case of keystone light, and pissed on someone's leg who pissed him off in a bar. That doesn't mean his everyday interactions were completely exaggerated like those antics. Again, this actor played the character like he was a caricature.

Think about most of the good shows out there. You have a guy like Tony Soprano who is absolutely ruthless. Galdofini does a good job of portraying his normal everyday activities. It's not just a caricature of violence throughout. Similarly with most of the characters on The Wire. Ziggy's was just outlandish pretty much all of the time.

What portrayal was more outlandish than having a drinking duck as a companion that had a diamond choker?

He's a braggadocios insecure fuckup. That's not even that outlandish, pretty common amongst those types.

Some people are actual caricatures. I should know, had the misfortune of working for one

P.S I also have a friend that pissed on a guys leg at a bar. He's a 5'5 240lbs ex gymnast who used to do backflips while pissed as a tit. One year on Christmas eve he fucked one up jumping from a stage and broke his ankle which I later ended up slapping.

I had two groups of friends at the bar and while talking to the other group he snuck up and slapped me across the face from behind so when I spotted him later on sitting down with a missing shoe and a sock tied around his foot like a brace because he had "sprained his ankle" I thought it was a good idea to slap it.

He screamed like a bitch then said "buy me a beer" Wasn't til he rang me the next day that I realized it was broken, felt like a bit of a dick. The way he screamed should have tipped me off but I was drunk too.

 

[Rygu]

You don't deserve to watch The Wire.

 

[Cid]

agree to disagree
but it hit home for me he was exactly like several people i have known. a couple of them ended up doing horrible things as well... which is part of the reason why the end of season 2 hit me so hard..

also as @Cid said dude was based on a real guy.
compared to "the corner" david simon dressed his characters up quite bit but i don't think anybody on the wire actually traverses into outlandish which is one of the charms of the show as well.

The other really outlandish part is Omar jumping out a fourth story building after a shoot out.

Omar is an amalgamation of multiple real life people one of whom jumped out of a 5th story building during a shoot out only to survive it. When it came shooting they realized the apartment complex they'd chosen was only 4 stories and brought it up to Simon who said "doesn't matter, nobodies going to believe it anyway"

 

[Fizzee Water]

I didn't get into it until the third or fourth episode of the first season.

Then the second season sucked ass and I almost quit.

But then the third, fourth and fifth seasons are fucking brilliant.

 

[WalkenWouldOwn]

People shitting on season 2 but it was a lot of people's favorite season. I didnt end up watching until a few years ago but enjoyed it. Liked the early 2000's nostalgia as well.

It was my least favorite the first run through, but when I rewatched and just completely ignored Ziggy I appreciated it a lot more. All the other characters are very interesting, he's just tough to watch.

 

[zapataxiv]

The other really outlandish part is Omar jumping out a fourth story building after a shoot out.

Omar is an amalgamation of multiple real life people one of whom jumped out of a 5th story building during a shoot out only to survive it. When it came shooting they realized the apartment complex they'd chosen was only 4 stories and brought it up to Simon who said "doesn't matter, nobodies going to believe it anyway"

another crazy true story. Baltimore ###### be crazy

 

[Z3N Gambler]

It was my least favorite the first run through, but when I rewatched and just completely ignored Ziggy I appreciated it a lot more. All the other characters are very interesting, he's just tough to watch.

Ziggy reminds me of a childhood friend, he was just as annoying as Ziggy! lol

 

[DeJulez]

LOL, the drama widely acclaimed as the greatest ever made "doesn't hold up". Hell, even those who agree with you, like Rolling Stone, don't put it below #2 (from late 2016):
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-w439520/breaking-bad-w439638
Didn't realize its reputation took such a hit in the past 24 months. Odd rollercoaster.

Or, you know, it could be the IMDb Female under-18 demographic vote:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/ratings?ref_=ttep_ql_op_4
View attachment 393643


As great as The Sopranos is, I always find myself asking, "What does it matter what a bunch of greaseballs in New Jersey are doing, anymore?" This isn't Godfather or Scarface. There's no greater story of immigration and its influence on culture-- such as the Cuban diaspora. You can say it's a metaphor for contemporary suburban life, and the degrading belief in the concept of America by Americans, but frankly, I've lived in the suburbs my whole life, and this isn't our story.

It's really just a brilliant study in a bunch of selfish rats. How is this the vital American story of the 21st century? Jersey Shore is a more relevant and honest portrayal of that modern culture. Seinfeld-- even better (if you move out the suburbs).

Meanwhile, The Wire is the refined magnum opus that told you #BLM was coming 25 fucking years before it happened, man. The Wire is the story of Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland. It's the story of a deteriorating empire crippled by contiguous inequality woven masterfully into fascinating characters and very real stories/livelihoods at a microcosmic level. It demonstrates how this smaller problem ripples out, and changes the surface of the entire pond.

I don't think you know about mob life or hood life.
I know both sides and Baltimore is nothing like Oakland. They don't move the same they don't talk the same they don't look the same.
It's like comparing Irish mobs to the Italian families. They're not the same.
Stay in ur lane and just watch the shows.

 

[Cherry Brigand]

LOL, the drama widely acclaimed as the greatest ever made "doesn't hold up". Hell, even those who agree with you, like Rolling Stone, don't put it below #2 (from late 2016):
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-w439520/breaking-bad-w439638
Didn't realize its reputation took such a hit in the past 24 months. Odd rollercoaster.

Or, you know, it could be the IMDb Female under-18 demographic vote:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/ratings?ref_=ttep_ql_op_4
View attachment 393643


As great as The Sopranos is, I always find myself asking, "What does it matter what a bunch of greaseballs in New Jersey are doing, anymore?" This isn't Godfather or Scarface. There's no greater story of immigration and its influence on culture-- such as the Cuban diaspora. You can say it's a metaphor for contemporary suburban life, and the degrading belief in the concept of America by Americans, but frankly, I've lived in the suburbs my whole life, and this isn't our story.

It's really just a brilliant study in a bunch of selfish rats. How is this the vital American story of the 21st century? Jersey Shore is a more relevant and honest portrayal of that modern culture. Seinfeld-- even better (if you move out the suburbs).

Meanwhile, The Wire is the refined magnum opus that told you #BLM was coming 25 fucking years before it happened, man. The Wire is the story of Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland. It's the story of a deteriorating empire crippled by contiguous inequality woven masterfully into fascinating characters and very real stories/livelihoods at a microcosmic level. It demonstrates how this smaller problem ripples out, and changes the surface of the entire pond.

<standing ovation.gif.>

 

[TheNinja]

I didn't get into it until the third or fourth episode of the first season.

Then the second season sucked ass and I almost quit.

But then the third, fourth and fifth seasons are fucking brilliant.

It honestly took me until about the 7th or 8th episode of season 1 to really get into it. I'm glad I stayed. The last half of the season was great!

I'm just starting season 2. Should I just skip it? I've head a lot of people say it sucked big time. Should I just skip to 3-5 seasons or do I need season 2 ?

 

[HereticBD]

It honestly took me until about the 7th or 8th episode of season 1 to really get into it. I'm glad I stayed. The last half of the season was great!

I'm just starting season 2. Should I just skip it? I've head a lot of people say it sucked big time. Should I just skip to 3-5 seasons or do I need season 2 ?

Nah', season 2 is still a good watch. It almost feels like a different show though, because the change in material from inner city gangs to the mafia and dock workers. It's all very well done though. It's not like the writing got bad, or anything.

 

[TrueBias]

Season 2 is the worst among this "great" show.

 

[Mr. 4K]

I guess it's just not for you. I was hooked from the moment I turned it on. First season is one of the best.

First and third season are A1.

 

[moreorless87]

Nah', season 2 is still a good watch. It almost feels like a different show though, because the change in material from inner city gangs to the mafia and dock workers. It's all very well done though. It's not like the writing got bad, or anything.

Ultimately I think this worked to the shows strength, it was really only in the 5th season with the newspaper/media angle that I felt the new direction didn't work as well as it could have.

That said it has now been surpassed as the best TV series I'v seen...

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

Never could get into The Wire. It's been awhile but if I can recall I only got through the first 3 episodes and than I had to stop it. I was totally bored. Just can't get into it at all. To each their own.

 

[Uncommon Valor]

After rewatching the show, I think s1 may be > s4. S2 may be the "weakest" but it still is a good season, overall.

 

[MeWithInfinityGauntlet]

Season 2 got the best ratings I heard, because it focused more white people. So you may like it more, because it focuses on working class whites rather than blacks in the Ghetto. Season 2 definitely focused on some different themes, besides the Dial a dope focus on season 1 as well. Season 4 was amazing the best season ever of anything.

Best series ever. If it were released today it would still be the best, only series that comes close is GoT, maybe Star Trek TNG, but TNG had a few dud or relatively average episodes.