When coming to a show like The Wire so much later than everyone else, it's interesting to see what people tell you to look forward to. I've had many conversations along the lines of:
"Oh, you're finally watching The Wire?!? How far have you gotten?"
"Just finished Season 1."
"OMG - Season (3/4/5) is the best. That's the season where - oh, but I don't want to spoil it for you. You totally need to let me know when you get there so we can talk about it..."
Oddly, nobody (seriously, nobody) ever mentions Season 2 as being worth spoiling. It's like the red-headed stepchild of Wire seasons.
And so, devoid of both spoilers and heightened expectations, I was able to begin Season 2 blissfully ignorant of whatever it entails.
And what the early part of Season 2 seems to entail is a playground style pissing contest between Major Valchek and Frank Sobotka. I was not expecting that. I also find it incredibly entertaining that the driving force behind this season's major case is going to be a petty, personal dispute over a stained glass window in a church.
It seems totally contrived, and yet, looking at the recent political stories coming out of DC these days, it is at the same time, totally realistic...
Showing posts with label TheWire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TheWire. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Watching The Wire Part III: End Season One
I've been slacking on keeping up with my Wire-watching thoughts and impressions, but suffice to say that Season One is in the books, and I am really looking forward to watching Season Two.
I can tell that one of the tactics that David Simon seems to enjoy is getting you to like a character, and then having bad things happen to that character. He's a bit of a bastard that way, to be honest, although he at least gives you the courtesy of telegraphing it ahead of time so that you can prepare yourself.
Case in point - did any of you not see Wallace's death coming a mile away? That was an upsetting one for me - I liked that kid... You also had to know that the newly-promoted Stinkum was going to get it before long too. No shocker there.
Kima getting shot though... that one surprised me. That whole sequence where her undercover situation just keeps getting worse and worse (music's too loud to hear anything, street signs are spun around, no backup) is really well done, and yet, despite all signals to the contrary, I still found myself thinking "well, she's got a gun taped under the seat, she'll be ok... I mean there's no way that they would - OMG SHE GOT SHOT!!!"
All those years in which I wasn't watching The Wire, many of you kept telling me how awesome it was, but couldn't really articulate why. After noting my own reactions to Wallace getting killed and Kima getting shot, I understand now. These are all obviously fictional characters, and yet the show is so well assembled that they all feel astonishingly real.
Except for Omar - nobody's that bad@$$ in real-life...
I can tell that one of the tactics that David Simon seems to enjoy is getting you to like a character, and then having bad things happen to that character. He's a bit of a bastard that way, to be honest, although he at least gives you the courtesy of telegraphing it ahead of time so that you can prepare yourself.
Case in point - did any of you not see Wallace's death coming a mile away? That was an upsetting one for me - I liked that kid... You also had to know that the newly-promoted Stinkum was going to get it before long too. No shocker there.
Kima getting shot though... that one surprised me. That whole sequence where her undercover situation just keeps getting worse and worse (music's too loud to hear anything, street signs are spun around, no backup) is really well done, and yet, despite all signals to the contrary, I still found myself thinking "well, she's got a gun taped under the seat, she'll be ok... I mean there's no way that they would - OMG SHE GOT SHOT!!!"
All those years in which I wasn't watching The Wire, many of you kept telling me how awesome it was, but couldn't really articulate why. After noting my own reactions to Wallace getting killed and Kima getting shot, I understand now. These are all obviously fictional characters, and yet the show is so well assembled that they all feel astonishingly real.
Except for Omar - nobody's that bad@$$ in real-life...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Watching The Wire, Part II: Chess - It's Not Just a Game, It's a Metaphor!
Five episodes into the first season, one scene in particular stands out for me:
There are so many things I love about this scene. First of all, you get a clear demonstration of the differences between Bodie and Wallace, illustrated via the contrast between Checkers and Chess. Yes, it's a bit of a rote cliche (put the phrase "chess not checkers" into google to see the borderline overuse of the phrase), but it fits so perfectly into this context. Wallace comes across in these early episodes as smart, thoughtful, and as the kind of kid who, in different socio-economic circumstances, could probably have gone to college and gotten a legit job, and a legit life. It's telling that he wants to learn how to play chess instead of checkers - He knows that there is more to the world out there, and he wants to learn about it. A few episodes later, it's Wallace who speaks up to D about not getting paid, and him again who spots Omar's boy playing pinball and then has the presence of mind to call in the hit. That kid's got potential!
Bodie, on the other hand, knows what he knows, thinks that he's good at it, and doesn't care to step outside of it. But once D explains the basic rules of The Game, Bodie buys into it, and whereas Wallace quietly takes it all in, Bodie immediately looks for ways to work the rules to his benefit. That closing exchange speaks volumes:
Bodie: A'ight, but if I make it to the end, I'm top dog.
D: Nah, yo, it ain't like that. Look, the pawns, man, in the game, they get capped quick. They be out the game early.
Bodie: Unless they some smart-ass pawns...
Bodie is crafty enough to escape from juve, but there's no way he survives long within this story arc. He's a pawn striving to race across the board, and there's no way that can end well. Bodie be out the game early methinks...
Another brilliant aspect of this scene is how effectively, and efficiently, it educates the viewer on how a drug organisation operates. The routine of moving the stash around, so key to the "Omar steals the stash scene," is established here. The explicit identification of Stringer as the guy who gets $#!^ done, the idea that The King's crew "run so deep, he really ain't gotta do $#!^", and the inherent futility of the drug-dealing lifestyle ("Everything stay who he is"); all of that critical background information is packaged up and delivered in a phenomenal 3-minute scene.
Finally, the chess metaphor changes the way you (or at least I) watch the show. A lonely McNulty wants to hookup with the DA, so he uses a work-related gambit as an opener, before making the booty call play. The stakeout of Omar's van? That's all about the Cops trying to set up a collar of Omar with a weapon on him. Only Omar is thinking two moves ahead: He makes a clean move in the van to set up a parlay, and then drops the fact that he knows Bubbles is working with the cops. Avon is jumping at shadows, and trying to get two moves ahead of the shadows: He gets his landline disconnected, and starts using different pay phones.
And Stinkum? He gets a shot at being a pawn that gets promoted.
But The King Stay The King...
Yo, why you playing checkers on a chess set?
There are so many things I love about this scene. First of all, you get a clear demonstration of the differences between Bodie and Wallace, illustrated via the contrast between Checkers and Chess. Yes, it's a bit of a rote cliche (put the phrase "chess not checkers" into google to see the borderline overuse of the phrase), but it fits so perfectly into this context. Wallace comes across in these early episodes as smart, thoughtful, and as the kind of kid who, in different socio-economic circumstances, could probably have gone to college and gotten a legit job, and a legit life. It's telling that he wants to learn how to play chess instead of checkers - He knows that there is more to the world out there, and he wants to learn about it. A few episodes later, it's Wallace who speaks up to D about not getting paid, and him again who spots Omar's boy playing pinball and then has the presence of mind to call in the hit. That kid's got potential!
Bodie, on the other hand, knows what he knows, thinks that he's good at it, and doesn't care to step outside of it. But once D explains the basic rules of The Game, Bodie buys into it, and whereas Wallace quietly takes it all in, Bodie immediately looks for ways to work the rules to his benefit. That closing exchange speaks volumes:
Bodie: A'ight, but if I make it to the end, I'm top dog.
D: Nah, yo, it ain't like that. Look, the pawns, man, in the game, they get capped quick. They be out the game early.
Bodie: Unless they some smart-ass pawns...
Smarter than your average pawn
Bodie is crafty enough to escape from juve, but there's no way he survives long within this story arc. He's a pawn striving to race across the board, and there's no way that can end well. Bodie be out the game early methinks...
Another brilliant aspect of this scene is how effectively, and efficiently, it educates the viewer on how a drug organisation operates. The routine of moving the stash around, so key to the "Omar steals the stash scene," is established here. The explicit identification of Stringer as the guy who gets $#!^ done, the idea that The King's crew "run so deep, he really ain't gotta do $#!^", and the inherent futility of the drug-dealing lifestyle ("Everything stay who he is"); all of that critical background information is packaged up and delivered in a phenomenal 3-minute scene.
Finally, the chess metaphor changes the way you (or at least I) watch the show. A lonely McNulty wants to hookup with the DA, so he uses a work-related gambit as an opener, before making the booty call play. The stakeout of Omar's van? That's all about the Cops trying to set up a collar of Omar with a weapon on him. Only Omar is thinking two moves ahead: He makes a clean move in the van to set up a parlay, and then drops the fact that he knows Bubbles is working with the cops. Avon is jumping at shadows, and trying to get two moves ahead of the shadows: He gets his landline disconnected, and starts using different pay phones.
And Stinkum? He gets a shot at being a pawn that gets promoted.
But The King Stay The King...
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Watching The Wire, Part I: Meeting McNulty
I am pretty much the last person in the developed world who has yet to have watched The Wire.
It's not that I was intentionally avoiding The Wire - it just sort of happened. I was working full-time, going to school part-time, I had 24 to watch, and Mad Men to watch, and hockey, football, etc... and I didn't even have HBO for Pete's sake. Yes, I could have gotten the DVDs on Netflix, but I was still making my way through Kurosawa's filmography, so... well, you get the picture.
As time went on, I even started to embrace my status as a pop-culture outlier. The reactions I would get from people amused me to no end:
"You've never seen The Wire!?! What's wrong with you?!?"
uh... nothing's wrong with me... I just haven't seen it...
"You've never seen The Wire!?! Have you been living under a rock?!?"
no... I've been living in an apartment... you've been there... twice...
But one reaction that I would routinely receive started to wear at me a little bit:
"You've never seen The Wire!?! Oh, you should start watching it - you would really love it..."
And then I would get the litany of reasons why I would love The Wire - The smart writing, the dark mood, the grittiness, the moral ambiguity...
My friends know what I like, I'll give them that.
But none of that would have mattered if Liz hadn't recently decided to make watching The Wire our new TV-watching mission. You see, Liz loves Baltimore crime shows. Any of you remember Homicide: Life on the Street? Liz's favourite show ever (with the possible exception of Buffy, but that's another blog post entirely). And The Wire is apparently Homicide with the network-broadcast kid gloves removed and incinerated. Liz has actually watched the entirety of The Wire on her own (you know, during her deportation year...), but as is apparently common among fans of The Wire, she seems to see it as some kind of missionary duty to Bring The Wire to The Masses.
Which brings us to Brent's place, watching the first two episodes of The Wire on his big, fancy TV.
The first two episodes have a lot of introduction and exposition, as one has to expect, but opening with the corpse of Snotboy (or whatever that kid's name is) lying in the middle of the street sure makes an impression.
Now, if there has been one benefit to having waited so long to watch The Wire, it's that I have had extra time living in DC (a mere 40 miles away from Baltimore), getting familiar with the regional stereotypes and tropes that are referenced in the show. I've also had the opportunity to get to know a number of Baltimoreans who I couldn't help but project onto characters from the show:
Billy
as Pryzblewski:
As soon as Pryzblewski shot his pistol at the wall, this link was forged in steel. I'd apologize to Billy for what might not be the most flattering comparison, but truth be told, I think this is something he'd take as a compliment.
Brandon
as Herc:
More for the accent and general build than anything else, but nonetheless, I regard the resemblence as being there.
Don
as McNulty:
Maybe a bit more of a stretch, and McNulty definitely has more hair, but there are some shared @$$hole tendencies that make the comparison work for me
Beckey
as Kima:
Yes, I realise that Beckey is not African-American, nor is she a Lesbian, but I see the same, "don't mess with me" edge to both their personalities.
There are some others waiting in the wings for their casting call for sure, but I don't want to go too far with the casting just yet. There are a lot of DVDs to go still...
It's fun watching TV and superimposing your friends into the show. I sure hope none of them get shot though...
So after two episodes, where am I with The Wire? Well, so far, so good, but it's obvious that the show is still getting warmed up.
That of course, gives me a chance to make some predictions (Liz has pointed out that it is ridiculous to be making predictions 9 years after the show aired. That is 100% true, but I assure you that I have been well insulated from spoilers and honestly have no idea what's coming):
I feel like D'Angelo is totally being setup to be the soft-hearted gangsta who is destined to wind up in witness protection or (most likely) with a cap in his @$$.
Avon is all ruthless drug CEO, and is looking like a really cool villain. I'm thinking that he's the kind of guy who will want to kill D'Angelo personally when it comes to that (you know, 'cause they're family...).
Herc is totally going to get burned in an internal affairs investigation at some point. His penchant for going cowboy on the job is basically Chekov's gun at this point.
Sorry Billy, but I'm thinking that Pryzblewski is going to get his dumb @$$ killed at some point.
Cop shows like this usually have some example of a loving relationship disintegrating under the pressures of the job. Is that going to happen to Kima and her partner? I will be sad if that happens...
Finally, there's no way McNulty's anti-hero routine can be sustained over however many seasons, right? I mean, at some point, he's either gotta flame out, get jaded and bitter, or kill himself. Right? Am I right?!? Actually, don't tell me. I'll just watch the show.
It's not that I was intentionally avoiding The Wire - it just sort of happened. I was working full-time, going to school part-time, I had 24 to watch, and Mad Men to watch, and hockey, football, etc... and I didn't even have HBO for Pete's sake. Yes, I could have gotten the DVDs on Netflix, but I was still making my way through Kurosawa's filmography, so... well, you get the picture.
As time went on, I even started to embrace my status as a pop-culture outlier. The reactions I would get from people amused me to no end:
"You've never seen The Wire!?! What's wrong with you?!?"
uh... nothing's wrong with me... I just haven't seen it...
"You've never seen The Wire!?! Have you been living under a rock?!?"
no... I've been living in an apartment... you've been there... twice...
But one reaction that I would routinely receive started to wear at me a little bit:
"You've never seen The Wire!?! Oh, you should start watching it - you would really love it..."
And then I would get the litany of reasons why I would love The Wire - The smart writing, the dark mood, the grittiness, the moral ambiguity...
My friends know what I like, I'll give them that.
But none of that would have mattered if Liz hadn't recently decided to make watching The Wire our new TV-watching mission. You see, Liz loves Baltimore crime shows. Any of you remember Homicide: Life on the Street? Liz's favourite show ever (with the possible exception of Buffy, but that's another blog post entirely). And The Wire is apparently Homicide with the network-broadcast kid gloves removed and incinerated. Liz has actually watched the entirety of The Wire on her own (you know, during her deportation year...), but as is apparently common among fans of The Wire, she seems to see it as some kind of missionary duty to Bring The Wire to The Masses.
Which brings us to Brent's place, watching the first two episodes of The Wire on his big, fancy TV.
The first two episodes have a lot of introduction and exposition, as one has to expect, but opening with the corpse of Snotboy (or whatever that kid's name is) lying in the middle of the street sure makes an impression.
Now, if there has been one benefit to having waited so long to watch The Wire, it's that I have had extra time living in DC (a mere 40 miles away from Baltimore), getting familiar with the regional stereotypes and tropes that are referenced in the show. I've also had the opportunity to get to know a number of Baltimoreans who I couldn't help but project onto characters from the show:
Billy
as Pryzblewski:
As soon as Pryzblewski shot his pistol at the wall, this link was forged in steel. I'd apologize to Billy for what might not be the most flattering comparison, but truth be told, I think this is something he'd take as a compliment.
Brandon
as Herc:
More for the accent and general build than anything else, but nonetheless, I regard the resemblence as being there.
Don
as McNulty:
Maybe a bit more of a stretch, and McNulty definitely has more hair, but there are some shared @$$hole tendencies that make the comparison work for me
Beckey
as Kima:
Yes, I realise that Beckey is not African-American, nor is she a Lesbian, but I see the same, "don't mess with me" edge to both their personalities.
There are some others waiting in the wings for their casting call for sure, but I don't want to go too far with the casting just yet. There are a lot of DVDs to go still...
It's fun watching TV and superimposing your friends into the show. I sure hope none of them get shot though...
So after two episodes, where am I with The Wire? Well, so far, so good, but it's obvious that the show is still getting warmed up.
That of course, gives me a chance to make some predictions (Liz has pointed out that it is ridiculous to be making predictions 9 years after the show aired. That is 100% true, but I assure you that I have been well insulated from spoilers and honestly have no idea what's coming):
I feel like D'Angelo is totally being setup to be the soft-hearted gangsta who is destined to wind up in witness protection or (most likely) with a cap in his @$$.
Avon is all ruthless drug CEO, and is looking like a really cool villain. I'm thinking that he's the kind of guy who will want to kill D'Angelo personally when it comes to that (you know, 'cause they're family...).
Herc is totally going to get burned in an internal affairs investigation at some point. His penchant for going cowboy on the job is basically Chekov's gun at this point.
Sorry Billy, but I'm thinking that Pryzblewski is going to get his dumb @$$ killed at some point.
Cop shows like this usually have some example of a loving relationship disintegrating under the pressures of the job. Is that going to happen to Kima and her partner? I will be sad if that happens...
Finally, there's no way McNulty's anti-hero routine can be sustained over however many seasons, right? I mean, at some point, he's either gotta flame out, get jaded and bitter, or kill himself. Right? Am I right?!? Actually, don't tell me. I'll just watch the show.
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