The Wire season 5 (spoilers)

[And That]

Surprised to see that there has not been a thread started on the final season of The Wire yet. I've seen the first two episodes - episode two is available On Demand - but since only the initial season five episode has been shown, I'll leave my comments to that for the time being. Thoughts:

 

-This may have been the worst season opener of the five seasons. It's the first time in the show's history where it seemed like they were trying to rush things and cram stuff together. This may have something to do with the show's season being cut down from ~13 episodes to 10. It wasn't a bad episode... the worst episode in The Wire's history (whatever that may be) was better than 95% of the best episodes of other television shows.

 

-I like the newsroom idea, it seems a natural way for David Simon to finish off the series. I do, however, get worried that his views towards the newsroom will be more stilted than his views of the other parts of Baltimore culture that the show has covered. I've read in a few places where people seem to think he has an ax to grind with his old bosses at The Sun. I hope that the writers are giving the most honest look possible at a modern day news room.

 

-Really liked the scene with Carver as the new SiC, addressing his troops at the Western. He has showed a lot of angry emotion in the past, but this seemed more genuine somehow. Herc, on the other hand, looks like he might not have enough of a role to warrant being around this season. We'll find out I suppose. And where's Pryz?

 

-I still love watching Partlow and Snoop.

 

-McNulty seems headed for a downfall this season. He's started drinking and womanizing again... I'm sure there will be a surprise killing at the end of the year. Could it be McNulty?

 

For those of you who haven't seen the second episode, I enjoyed it a lot more than the first. The ending to the second episode is... horrifying.

[brettac1]

I thought it was a good episode for the most part.

 

McNulty is definitely back to being "McNutty". Which is cool. But, you knew it was coming (for reasons aside from the promos saying "McNulty is drinking again"). Pretty much the rule of The Wire is once someone is going well, they either die or suffer some sort of setback. It's always too good to be true. You know, "this game is rigged, man". I don't think there's anyway he dies, though. There's some pretty obvious ones that are going to die. Obviously Prop Joe is going to get it.

 

I think, since the major crimes unit pretty much had the rug pulled out from under it again, that things will end badly. Obviously Carcetti doesn't want anything to do with the 22 bodies found in the vacants, and is going to be a bad mayor since he's determined to run for Governor. Of course, I could see Dukie rolling on Michael after he tells him he killed someone, therefore putting a body on Marlow, and maybe re-invigorating the detail.

 

Seems that Pryz is not going to be much of a factor this season. But I think maybe that's how they connect to Dukie as a snitch, since he's obviously having isues living with Michael (even though he got pulled off the corner).

 

It's certainly going to be an amazing 9 more hours of TV.

 

EDIT: I'm also happy that it looks like maybe Levy will have an expanded role this season with Herc working with him. I think he's a great character.

 

Also, I cannot stand Snoop. Chris is just awesome, though - the scene with Bug's daddy in season four was amazing.

[Oldcity]

I am responding without reading the first two posts. I just wanted to say that my local blockbuster finally had season 1 disc 1 of The Wire, and I am about to watch for the first time. Can't wait to see what all the fuss is about!

 

Ok, carry on with season 5.

[And That]

Stevo, season 1 is still my favorite. You won't be disappointed.

[Team Canada]

I agree Brett, I like Levy and am not a fan of Snoop at all. Heck, it took me a while to convince myself that it was a girl.

[JoeHova]

Snoop is, I think, a good (though not fully developed in the way that Omar is) character. That scene from episode 1 of season 4 where she buys the nail gun is one of the best TV scenes I've ever seen. I think it's still my wife's favorite Wire scene.

 

As for season 5, I'm very excited but sad at the same time. I don't want the show to end, even though I understand why it must. I thought episode 1 was pretty good. I agree that the newspaper scenes didn't seem as natural as scenes set in other settings, but it was the newspaper guys first appearance (so far as I know) in any David Simon project so that seems forgivable. Simon wrote dialogue for cops and drug addicts on Homicide and The Corner so he's had experience with those (I know he actually was a reporter). Also, it was nice to see Clark Johnson in front of the camera again. I'm sure that the newsroom characters will become more 3 dimensional as the season goes on and we'll all forget that we ever had these reservations about the newspaper story line.

 

Also, I really hope Omar doesn't end up dead.

[RobertR]

You just know that the prize hungry young reporter is going to screw things up. In a major way.

 

Carcetti already looks like a failure as a mayor due to his ambitions. Summing him up as a weak mayor of a broke city is exactly right. We'll see if he turns things around, but I can't see his storyline being very interesting if they don't move from this status quo.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a villain I wanted seen brought to justice more than Marlo. He's pretty much the perfect confluence of consciousless menace and arrogance.

 

I'd agree though that things look jam packed this year. As great as the show is, I couldn't imagine coming into this cold at this point.

 

Robert

[brettac1]

I'd agree though that things look jam packed this year. As great as the show is, I couldn't imagine coming into this cold at this point.

 

Yeah, this is easily looking like the most inaccessible season. I think the first four (especially 1,2, and 4) can all easily be absorbed by themselves, but there's no way you could jump in and "get" this one. This show is made for DVD, though, in my opinion.

 

I thought Carcetti was just a great character in seasons three and four, so I'm nowhere near ready to give up on him. It seems that the whole Clay Davis/Burrell/Campbell machine is going to crumble, so maybe that allows him to get more things done. It would be sweet if Daniels were to become Commish.

 

Stevo, season 1 is still my favorite. You won't be disappointed.

 

I just started watching it again for the fourth or fifth time last night. Just be warned, it starts off somewhat slow, but then it just blows up. Pretty much all the seasons have that one episode where it just takes off into unchartered, unforgettable territory and stays there until the end of the season. Stick with the show and you will be well rewarded.

[Team Canada]

That lie detector scene is awesome.

[brettac1]

What scene with Landsman isn't, though? He's the funniest guy on the show.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

I agree Brett, I like Levy and am not a fan of Snoop at all. Heck, it took me a while to convince myself that it was a girl.

Are you kidding? The Home Depot nail gun scene to open up Season 4 is my favorite of the whole show.

 

"Man sayz this here the Cadillac of nail guns! . . . He meant Lexus, but he don't know it."

Just watched the first episode of season 5, don't know how it's gonna break yet. I don't like what they did with McNulty myself.

[brettac1]

Yeah, I'll give you that one. But for the most part, I just think she's one-dimensional. Like, just muscle. With Chris, you know there's definitely something else there (the aforementioned Bug's daddy scene - though Snoop does have a good line at the end of that one "you didn't even wait to get him in the house"). If there was a season six, I think he could have developed into another String-type character.

[Team Canada]

I thought Carcetti was just a great character in seasons three and four, so I'm nowhere near ready to give up on him. It seems that the whole Clay Davis/Burrell/Campbell machine is going to crumble, so maybe that allows him to get more things done. It would be sweet if Daniels were to become Commish.

I started out liking him, but he's turned into a really weak, whiny character for me. Lacks presence and is unconvincing as a real political player.

[TheBwaz]

Did you see the recap they played before the season started? The guy who plays Landsman says that they actually auditioned THE Landsman for the part, but he wasn't enough like Landsman. Kinda like how Milwaukee made a better Cleveland than Cleveland. I spent some formative years being a small kid in a newsroom. I remember what they were like, and the unimaginable noise of the printing room. I think they caught the newsroom thing pretty well. Great show, and I think you could come into The Wire an still enjoy it. I never saw an episode until Season 4 and enjoyed the heck out of it.

[brettac1]

Jay Landsman is actually on the show, too, he just doesn't play Jay Landsman. He plays Mello.

[bbrauch2000]

seeing the wire on demand before it airs is too cool. What day does it actually show up on there?

[brettac1]

Toby - what was horrifying about the ending to episode 2? McNulty staging the homicide?

 

I thought this was a pretty weak episode, actually. Though it was nice to see Avon again, and it promises to get more entertaining with Marlo turning the dogs loose again. Plus, now he can take care of Prop Joe. Seems like Michael might be in trouble if one of those kids is able to witness.

[And That]

The end was horrifying to me in two ways. First, McNulty seems to have lost it - he was always good when he was on the verge of losing it, but setting up a fake killing and potentially more fake killings is disturbing in the least. Second, while I trust David Simon and the rest of the writers, his over-attention to and vitriol for the newspaper scenes leads me to believe that other areas of the show will become overlooked, causing something to potentially jump the shark. Setting McNulty up to be some sort of phaux-killer is dangerous to begin with... I hope they don't let it get away from them, even if it is being played against the 22 row house bodies.

 

 

 

This episode seemed a lot more relaxed. With the reappearance of Avon, it actually seemed a lot like a first-season episode to me, with Freamon staking out the Marlo crew in his car reading his "Miniatures" magazine as a specific highlight. It actually got the plot moving and in focus.

[brettac1]

I think this is a pretty logical step for McNulty. He's always been about himself first and foremost, no he can do like he wanted to in season one and show everyone that he's smarter than them. And this time it's probably going to end up costing him his badge. I don't think it's going to become something he does every episode, though. If it does become that, then I would agree that they would have jumped the shark.

 

I guess I don't see the problem with the newspaper stuff. That was supposed to be the focal point of the season, so I'm not surprised or disappointed to see more attention given to it. Templeton is going to be one of the major characters in the season, and the story between he and Gus is starting to take shape. I think that'll turn out well. Now with them starting to take a look at the school system, it should give the show a chance to bring back Bunny, Naymond, Prez, etc.

 

The biggest dissapointment would be for the show to end with a happy ending. It just goes so much against what the show is about. So, McNulty has to go down in some form or another. He won't die, so he's going to lose his job and family. It's only fair.

 

I do agree that the "Minatures" magazine was nice. There's a lot of underrated comedy in the series. Re-watching season one the past week, I realized how many laugh out loud moments there are. Freamon then telling McNulty how they are getting sloppy, combined with his talk with the woman at the morgue about the post-mortem injuries being undetectable seem to be the inspiration for the "killing spree". It was fairly interesting, but it was not a great episode. Still, it is typical that they start out sort of slowly.

[And That]

I don't have a problem with the newspaper stuff per se, just that Simon would have to work hard not to have a strong agenda re: the newspaper this season. It's been the only thing in the five seasons to which he's been inextricably linked - that could be a really good thing or a really bad thing.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

I thought this was a pretty weak episode, actually

 

Here, here . . . .I actually thought this was the weakest episode in the entire series. The "let's get the band back together!" cameos are getting a little annoying with the white girl who was snooty asking for her 8-Ball in Hampsterdam testifying about her devil to start off with. Then the paper thing . . .the complaint among us people in the actual newsgathering business was with episode one, it was good, but it was a little 5 years ago. With the made up O's fan we're dipping all the way back to Janet Cooke, which is 25 years ago.

Contemporize, Man!

 

The contextual story for McNulty's slide back is nothing more than "he's more fun drunk!" right now, and Lester has really become rather two dimensional at this point.

 

Having the season cut twice, I hope the "let's bring every actor back" thing really doesn't get in the way of the storytelling.

[And That]

I guess I disagree about the Narcotics Anonymous stuff, EDR. I think the Bubbles storyline has the potential to be the most powerful of the season. Just because the brought someone back from season 3 (was it season 3?) for a cameo, doesn't mean they're just trying to fit everyone into the season. I thought Steve Earle did a wonderful job as Bubs' sponsor.

[brettac1]

Having the season cut twice, I hope the "let's bring every actor back" thing really doesn't get in the way of the storytelling.

 

True. However, Avon and Sergei coming back does sort of lend something to how the Marlo story ends up, since the Feds do have interest in "maybe Russians" when it comes to investigations. My guess would be Marlo cuts ties with Prop Joe now, and maybe Avon pulls a double-cross on Marlo and snitches that he arranged for Marlo to meet with the Russian, which gives them PC to get back up on Marlo with the Feds? It seemed like his loyalty to the westside was an act. Or even Sergei snitches. There's a lot of ways for this to go that are possibly really good stories.

 

And Walon is awesome. Steve Earle's performance of the opening song is the best of the series, too.

[Team Canada]

Hm, I was going to comment on how I wasn't a big fan of his version. I think Season 1 was my favorite.

[RobertR]

Re: Episode 3

 

O.k., I didn't see Lester Freamon having that kind of response. That's an awesome twist.

 

I'm sure Patrick will be happy at the return of Omar. I expect that storyline will be a lot of fun since while Marlo is very ruthless, he's really not that great of a strategic thinker. And he's more than a bit impatient.

 

Robert