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For those of us watching The Wire Series 5 on FX

Alex B said:
The photocopier scene is used in series 1 of Homicide, almost word-for-word. Must be based on a real trick that David Simon saw or heard about.
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It is. He mentions it in Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets. I'm just coming to the end of it now, it's a fantastic read.
 
I cried. I knew it was coming (not that I'd had it spoiled, you could just see it coming). He got weak. Even so. I'll miss that motherfucker.
 
ooooh! Big deep breath now that we can talk about our grief without spoiler accusations....

(get ready for super spoileration, if you're not up to ep 8)....
















..... Two (further) reasons why The Wire is/was brilliant in its depiction of this character's demise:

a) It was completely low-key and bathetic (nothing like the 'High Noon' despatch of Stringer Bell in s3 f'rinstance.) Despite being the series' most 'mythical' character, our victim get no fanfare, no honour and no music-montage. Just another body. And put down by that odious, foulmouthed, cat-torturing nobody urchin....

b) and for second time in S5, the execution of a street legend gets precisely 0.0 column inches in the local paper...
 
I agree. There was no big showdown, he was just stupidly shot while buying a pack of cigarettes. Alive one minute, dead the next. Not glorious, not dramatic, just another senseless death. Omar is dead, long live Omar.
 
Sorry, yes. That's what I meant. Cheese. Was it said earlier that he's Randy's dad then? Did I miss that?
 
missfran said:
Sorry, yes. That's what I meant. Cheese. Was it said earlier that he's Randy's dad then? Did I miss that?
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I think you're meant to remember some obscure reference from about 3 serieses ago. Someone on the internet said it though. I don't want to google for fear of spoilers. I have already dodged one today that said 'In the final episode, when [character name]...' and then I looked away.
 
I've been following The Wire quite closely and, while somewhere on the net I've also seen the Cheese/Randy connect, I don't recall it ever featuring in the script - anyone?
 
From Randy's bio on the official HBO site:

Having lost his mother to the streets at a young age and having never known his father, reputedly an eastside corner boy who later became a major drug trafficker, Randy grew up in group homes under the supervision of Maryland's Department of Social Services. He is now blessed to have been placed in a foster home with a caring foster parent, Miss Anna, who died in a fire set as revenge for Randy's cooperation with the police.
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The 'pedia says David Simon has confirmed the relationship but that it did not make it into the show. I don't want to check its cited source though in case anything else is revealed.
 
London_Calling said:
People aren't picking up on my serieal killer/WMD theme . . . c'mon, it defines the sodding whole of S5 :(
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I've been playing catch-up with season five this week and it was only today when I started watching episode seven that the penny dropped and the connection you make occurred to me too. It makes a lot more sense and is a lot more satisfying as a storyline when viewed in those terms - it's almost out and out satire at this point.
 
Yep, I'm starting to suspect that S5 might be a little disappointing for people who don't make the big connections. It really isn't easy and I'm far from sure I've got a grip . . . what supremely confident and skilled writing though.

Fwiw, I've thought throughout that the Omar character, as a distraction, undermines the depth of the writing although, at the same time, you've got to have fun. He also emotionally engaged people more than any other character. But nonetheless . . .

Also worth considering the War on Drugs as collateral damage in satirical attack on the WMD malarkey, imo. I bet Colin Powell can't bear it.
 
The section when McNulty was with the profiler and was being told the killers profile was one of the best things I've seen in the series, just the look(s) on his face as he clocked that the guy was describing him...high functioning alcoholic, can't hold down a relationship etc...genuis.

RIP Omar :(
 
London_Calling said:
Fwiw, I've thought throughout that the Omar character, as a distraction, undermines the depth of the writing although, at the same time, you've got to have fun. He also emotionally engaged people more than any other character. But nonetheless . . .
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The way they killed off Omar impressed the hell out of me - David Simon was clearly keen to burst the bubble of invincibility that had grown up around the character and make his death as meaningless and ridiculous as possible. He was just a bloke with a gun and a bad attitude - not a superhero, not something out of John Woo movie, just a nasty bastard who preyed on other nasty bastards. To a certain extent I think they'd created a monster in Omar that sometimes overshadowed the rest of the show - I still loved him though...:(
 
LC, does it ever occur to you that you're taking The Wire a bit too seriously? You know I love it too, and I concur there may be a War on Terror link. But to say it's disappointing for those that don't take that angle? And that Omar being popular is a distraction?

It is still, above all, entertainment. Fantastic and possibly important entertainment, yes, but it's not a PhD. People can love it and find it interesting and engaging without seeing it from your point of view.
 
trabuquera said:
ooooh! Big deep breath now that we can talk about our grief without spoiler accusations....

(get ready for super spoileration, if you're not up to ep 8)....
















..... Two (further) reasons why The Wire is/was brilliant in its depiction of this character's demise:

a) It was completely low-key and bathetic (nothing like the 'High Noon' despatch of Stringer Bell in s3 f'rinstance.) Despite being the series' most 'mythical' character, our victim get no fanfare, no honour and no music-montage. Just another body. And put down by that odious, foulmouthed, cat-torturing nobody urchin....

b) and for second time in S5, the execution of a street legend gets precisely 0.0 column inches in the local paper...
Click to expand...

I agree with these 2 points. Brilliantly done. Of course, it happened a few times, someone we knew and who was central to our viewing dies, but the paper makes no mention, or the boys in blue barely register it. I always liked that about it.

mrsfran - I agree with you. It's all things to all people :)
 
Fran - One of us uses The Wire as a distraction for some of the 15 minutes in the hour taken from database designing, the other cries when a character dies. Perhaps depends how you define 'seriously'.

How’s your recipe site hobby coming along?
 
London_Calling said:
Fran - One of us uses The Wire as a distraction for some of the 15 minutes in the hour taken from database designing, the other cries when a character dies. Perhaps depends how you define 'seriously'.

How’s your recipe site hobby coming along?
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You watch every episode 3 times! There's a difference between being emotionally involved and saying that if people don't see the show from your point of view they're going to be disappointed. And I cry at adverts, so I wouldn't take that as a sign.

The recipe site is fine, thanks :confused:
 
missfran said:
You watch every episode 3 times!
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Yep, I have seen the last couple twice, and I hope to look at E8 later today for the third time as well. If you want the reason it’s because, while I usually grasp most of what I’m likely to in a couple of viewings, I’m finding I need more time for the writing and plotting – some of a second viewing and certainly the third is, effectively, an educational evening class.

For example, when I get around to looking at E8 again, I’ll want to look at why Bub’s is getting a media dimension to his redemption arc, whether Kenard really is trying to set a cat alight as Omar walks though the alley, the way they use time to augment drama (sometimes the viewer is in front of a character in terms of a storyline, sometimes with the character, sometimes behind), etc, etc. Boring shit if you’re not into writing but, sometimes, you just don't prepare the dish perfectly the first time you try.
 
London_Calling said:
Yep, I have seen the last couple twice, and I hope to look at E8 later today for the third time as well. If you want the reason it’s because, while I usually grasp most of what I’m likely to in a couple of viewings, I’m finding I need more time for the writing and plotting – some of a second viewing and certainly the third is, effectively, an educational evening class.

For example, when I get around to looking at E8 again, I’ll want to look at why Bub’s is getting a media dimension to his redemption arc, whether Kenard really is trying to set a cat alight as Omar walks though the alley, the way they use time to augment drama (sometimes the viewer is in front of a character in terms of a storyline, sometimes with the character, sometimes behind), etc, etc. Boring shit if you’re not into writing but, sometimes, you just don't prepare the dish perfectly the first time you try.
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Are you not concerned that you will have exhausted all that The Wire has to offer by the time you reach the end of this series?

I've seen S1 twice but all the rest only once, so I am looking forward to re-viewing it all again and again over the coming years.
 
I'm hoping to look at Deadwood soon, or maybe Generation Kill. Poss dip into The Shield. Don't know about The Wire further down the road . . .
 
do Deadwood, the only thing that matches the brilliance of The Wire. Shield is good, but palls watched too closely to TW, and GK is just 'very good', but not as amazing as i hoped it would be
 
London_Calling said:
I'm hoping to look at Deadwood soon, or maybe Generation Kill. Poss dip into The Shield. Don't know about The Wire further down the road . . .
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Deadwood is AMAZING - just watching S3 now - the writing is almost poetic and it has most excellent cocksucking swearing in it.
 
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