Official The Wire Thread

[coldengrey12]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

I get the hate for S2 but I really disagree that the characters were empty.

Yeah, I think Frank, for example, is great. He's in a losing position – fighting to keep the port open against a future that just gets more and more bleak. There isn't even enough work for his own son.

There's one scene between him and Ziggy that is just heartbreaking. Ziggy remembers happier days for the dock ... and he knows full well those are not his days.

[Jordan#41]

Just finished S5 Ep. 2 (first time viewing the season). WTF is McNulty doing?

[thebridge15]

who was more annoying -

ziggy (s2) or scott (s5)

[ExistenceNow]

Scott.

Ziggy was trying. He was in a shitty spot. He's living in the dock world, where he clearly doesn't belong, where his dad is revered, and his cousin is the son his dad always wanted. He just wants to be liked and get some respect; but gets shit on at every turn. I felt really sorry for Ziggy. Never felt sorry for Scott.

[TwoStep2888]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

Scott.

Ziggy was trying. He was in a shitty spot. He's living in the dock world, where he clearly doesn't belong, where his dad is revered, and his cousin is the son his dad always wanted. He just wants to be liked and get some respect; but gets shit on at every turn. I felt really sorry for Ziggy. Never felt sorry for Scott.

[MarvinBerry]

Scott had no redeeming qualities at all. Ziggy did cool stuff once in a while, like when he brought the duck to the bar. But of course he fucked up that eventually, too.

[thebridge15]

I think you're right matthew

I don't like ziggy as a character, but I understood him. scott was just being lazy and selfish

[thebridge15]

the scenes in the bar were probably the best part of S2

[jrod41]

Ziggy was more annoying, but I at least felt some sympathy for him (for the reasons matthew said about him), whereas Scott was just a lazy, selfish, lying pos. I don't hate ziggy, but personality wise, he was extremely annoying most of the time, but he was still a better character than Scott, if that makes sense.

[thebridge15]

like, scott was just bad at his job, so he just started making shit up

[coldengrey12]

Scott's a selfish hunk of shit. Fuck Scott.

[mthawk07]

One thing that's been bugging me. Prez was talking to his students about dead bodies going to the vacants, so obviously he knew about them. As a former cop, why didn't he tell anyone at BPD about it?

[ExistenceNow]

Refresh me on the timeline... That was after they fucked Randy over, right?

If so, he probably didn't want to send any more kids their way and watch them end up like Randy.
Also, being pissed at them over that, he could have just been like "Fuck them. I'm not helping them find shit."

[mthawk07]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

Refresh me on the timeline... That was after they fucked Randy over, right?

If so, he probably didn't want to send any more kids their way and watch them end up like Randy.
Also, being pissed at them over that, he could have just been like "Fuck them. I'm not helping them find shit."

Yeah but the way he said it made it sound like he knew about the vacants long before that conversation. Regardless, he told Lester and Bunk about the playground and Lester found the body in that same episode.

[Jordan#41]

6 episodes into S5. Loving the cameos of the returning characters from previous seasons. (Avon, Randy, Nick Sabotka) but the story is lacking. I don't really like the McNulty/Lester serial killer setup. And the newsroom storyline is uninteresting.

[thebridge15]

wonder if anyone's put together a montage of daniels saying "dropping bodies"

[Jordan#41]

One episode left....

[Jordan#41]

Finished the series. Has to be one of the best series' of television I've ever seen next to Breaking Bad.

[BotheLaneFan]

The Wire is better, although BB is probably more entertaining.

[thebridge15]

Originally Posted by Bo(w)theDropsFan

The Wire is better, although BB is probably more entertaining.

this is probably the best way to describe it

[MarvinBerry]

It's pretty close, but I have to give the edge to BB for 2 reasons
1. Dark, uncomfortable humor of BB, which is my favorite thing ever
2. BB final season>>>>Wire final season

[Jordan#41]

The Wire had much more depth to it. The fact that it was on premium television gave the writers a full hour to tell their story. Whereas BB had about 40-45 minutes per week. I absolutely love how The Wire writers were able to revisit former characters in the later seasons. Most notably season 5.

[thebridge15]

breaking bad is obviously easier to watch, so will always have a better reputation

[BotheLaneFan]

Bb should be thankful it wasn't a 52-55 minute show like The Wire was, there truly wasn't enough there to do much more.

[Jordan#41]

Originally Posted by Bo(w)theDropsFan

Bb should be thankful it wasn't a 52-55 minute show like The Wire was, there truly wasn't enough there to do much more.

Except for an entire spin-off series based on a supporting character.

[BotheLaneFan]

Would make no sense to give Saul more time on BB. Fraiser is the greatest spinoff ever, but giving that character any more time on Cheers than he got would have been dumb.

Bb was a show about Walter. The Wire is a show about an entire city.

[mthawk07]

Originally Posted by Bo(w)theDropsFan

Bb should be thankful it wasn't a 52-55 minute show like The Wire was, there truly wasn't enough there to do much more.

Not really a fair comparison, BB's episodes were written with that 44 minute time frame in mind, just like The Wire was written with a 55 minutes in mind. I'm sure Vince Gilligan could have constructed BB around a longer time frame if he had to.

The two shows are extremely difficult to compare, just like it's almost impossible to compare The Wire to The Shield. The Wire is just so different from any other crime drama.

[ExistenceNow]

The Shield is so overrated, and I liked it quite a bit.

[thebestauntie]

Originally Posted by thebridge15

who was more annoying -

ziggy (s2) or scott (s5)

Scott was more annoying. Ziggy was a sad character who just never could get anything right. And like others have said here, Scott was just lazy and looking for the easy way out. Ziggy's story breaks my heart every time I watch it. He tries and fails and then everything falls apart for him. Scott just needs to be smacked upside the head. A lot.

[smokew11]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

The Shield is so overrated, and I liked it quite a bit.

I've found that to be the opposite. Most people never saw the Shield. Whenever "under rated TV shows" lists come out, its always on it because its pretty much forgotten about, whereas nobody will forget BB or the Sopranos