I found the season 2 a bit less interesting the first time, but I really dont know why, maybe because I was focused on characters like Avon etc, and the guys on the docks were less cool at first sight. I just wish more Americans were still capable of thinking. Rawls and Valchek were just as bad- and the reason they all irked me so much is because its way closer to the truth than people want to admit. Adding to this, the fact that her mother still celebrates the missing daughters birthday bothers her. Plot Summary. I didnt know there were retards saying Each ending sucked so the season 5 was bad. In this format youre not going to have stark revelations, a happy and blissful montage followed by a cut to black. But if I dont play how can I and everyone else fix the rules? Now its so hard to even rank the seasons because they are all so important to the overall story. Actually, I dont even think of it as a show its literature. The acting is first rate but a few of the episodes really have huge gaping holes in the plot. As Tony Departmental priorities make high-level drug investigation prohibitive. We sucked. If anything I learned after watching The Wire series (for my 4th or 5th time) is that quick comments or knee-jerk reactions about the themes discussed just dont play. Firstly thank you David Simon, Ed Burns and a host of talented and courageous collaborators for telling it like it is. You made an impact on me David. For now I will just pass. Wire In The Blood is described as a unique character-driven procedural which exposes the gaps between good and evil, our public and private selves and the Note to the producers: Have Robbie Coltraine guest as "Cracker" character in a future episode assisting Hill and Jobson! Season 5 is tremendous, you have such great payoffs for characters, building on all that came before. Thank you for this clue-in as well, I admit I missed most of it. Love it. Also liked how micheal played through the all series always looking out for people around him and outsmarting snoop at the end And okay, the city editor, the honorable fellow, the one for whom journalism was an ethos, he got slapped down and thrown to the copy desk. In the end, she asks for a transfer. Has the city cleaned up. Or maybe anywhere. Well played. the biggest feeling that I was left with was that of Newtons Third Law of Physics, the action-reaction law. Write a television story arc about the betrayal of the working class, the fraud of the drug war or the lie of No Child Left Behind and you cant get off the entertainment pages. An eccentric psychologist, with zero social skills, and a smart and charming female detective come together in Bradfield, England, to solve cases that no normal policemen could ever. Anyway, remember that Colvins 14% were clean numbers (he didnt juke the stats) so 14% is a large increase if you look at it that way. Who am I to bitch about how you decided to end your own show? Brilliant series. Its like The Odyssey of Homer. President Snow is Katniss Everdeen's tyrannical enemy, and while he may appear untouchable for most of The Hunger Games he has a secret weakness. Purse your lips any tighter or hold your nose any higher? Six years later. In one of the best scenes of the series, The Wire is my favorite show of all time, but Season 5 was definitely the weakest. I have been seeing quite a lot of this show on TV lately and i find it surprisingly entertaining. There was just increasingly natural interplay between them that made viewing more diverse and interesting (e.g. Prayer of the Bone. Sometimes the jumps in logic can seem a bit far fetched, but that is what makes it interesting and fun, without having to be a series of mindless chase scenes and explosions. Why did stupid fucking hbo talk over the last episode when you re watch it on demand. Its admittedly easy enough, if you are writing a fictional television show, to sit in a diner booth or on a bar stool with a police lieutenant or an assistant principal, an assistant states attorney or a political functionary and have them tell you the good dirt, knowing as they do that fiction is a safe abstraction. There were three full-length movies: "The Mermaid's Singing", "Shadows Rising", and "Justice Painted Blind". Nothing like unrelenting brutal, realism. or something, but instead he was just another man shot, and his name fittingly echoed into the folklore of the streets, Im a latecomer to The Wire and I think its the best thing Ive ever seen on television. But why would he go around looking for Marlo, wasnt he a bit smarter than that? Any of you save for a couple sharp journos who were able to stand back just far enough to realize what the real critique was. While he is cold and calculating, from the moment we met him Omar has a big heart and made decisions based on his emotional reaction. One last thing though .Duquan. Fiction makes everyone comfortable and talkative; journalism good, probing journalism is a much harder, much more rigorous task. Uncensored. Maybe enough individuals can make an impactor at least make an impact on more individuals. The show and books are dark and twisted. When the Wire was first broadcast, in 2002, I decided not to watch it because of the hype. The Jordan/Fielding character played a large part. David Simon, a reporter for the Baltimore Sun for thirteen years, is the executive producer of HBOs The Wire. Lasher appears and asks her to stop and let him do her bidding. I didnt get hooked by Treme or the mini serie with a mayor though. I guess Cedric Daniels, Stringer Bell and Bunny Colvin tried with horrible results. I think not. For instance the homeless serial killer story and the idea that this would be more politically important than closing a case where 22 murdered bodies were hidden away in vacants all over the city. The suits in Chicago are running scared. I do honestly feel that way about the ending but telling you that personally (digitally, whatever) was completely asinine and unnecessary. If you didnt dig it, then you didnt dig it. Thinking back on Season 5, theres an interesting dynamic I think I picked up and just would like to know if it was intentional or if Im just reading too much into things. Have just finished re-watching the whole series. Great blog, it confirms my suspicions of the final season but wasnt enough to change my mind about it. The Drug Game, The Cops, The Port, City Hall, The Schools and The Newspaper. Buy SD $1.99. The first two, "Singing" and "Shadows" are adaptations of author Val McDermid's books; This is a taut British crime drama very much in the "Cracker" mould. While we have been in the longest war in U.S. history we have had to sit through endless sensationalism about: Jeb Bushs crackhead niece Noelle Bush; Terry Schiavo; Tiger Woods; Casey Anthony; Treyvon Martin then George Zimmerman; Michael Brown; and it will never end. At least youre not complete sadists. 1) The newsroom angle was a good idea but perhaps the show writers were a bit too close to it. The port was referenced a couple of times but would have liked to have a bit more substance so it felt like it all fit. For me, its all of a piece. Okay, I dont actually agree, but neither would I argue. Now youve got the full attention of the media. Everything that happens on this show is explained, the more times that you watch it through. Anyway, Im straying from my point: thank you for defining this additional layer to the theme of S5. Wire in the Blood vol 2 Sharp Compassion. The acting is excellent, but I find this show way too unsubtle, lurid, and melodramatic. When I say Im an addict to this show I honestly feel like the fiends depicted in the show that dont creep out of their addiction like Bubs happened to do. Eventually I bought the box set a few years ago and binge watched all five seasons. Season 2 was the bravest thing ever seen on TV. Fielding is a single mother with a son and a cat, yet in the second episode of s4, "Torment", the writers were able to slide her easily into the role that would have been Norris'. how many years you figure we been doing the same shit.. Robson Green is incredibly impressive (and maybe a little bit scary) as eccentric psychological profiler Dr. Tony Hill, and Hermione Morris does a great job as tough DI Carol Jordan, a woman in what is still very much a man's world. Season 4 was the hardest for me to take. So it makes you wonder what actually gets reported and what we all miss day in and day out. First off, really fantastic article. Its a great show! Only silver lining to that dark cloud of a series. It was fuckin awesome. The case was based on a wealth of curruption and illegal detective work and the need for self-preservation could easily allow for a deal to be made. Norris brought an adult, feminine, vulnerability to her role as Carol Jordan. Such a newspaper was not chronicled onThe Wire. Thanks for the response, even if it got the best of me! The writing is exceptional, especially for the episode, "Torment". There will be many scenes of hookers and trashy bar people. And they covered more ground, and they knew the terrain in a way that they no longer do. I wonder what were missing?. It is our not insignificant loss that more shows weren't filmed. Seemed pretty angry to me. And yes, in real life, there wasnt much written about such in my city. I have an unanswered question about the ending and it appears as though there is (or should be) a sequel to this? Both are similar, and both are very good. Also starring Hermione Norris (MI-5) and Simone Lahbib (Loch Ness), these dark and twisty mysteries are "brilliantly edgy" (SFGate.com). My comment amounts to little more than unwanted negative feedback for a show that ended 5 years ago. By the way, Ive been through journo school in NZ, although I didnt pass (I dropped out), my tutor told me that NZ doesnt have the same problems as the USA regarding the demise of newspapers, because, according to him, NZ newspapers already run on a hard core skeleton staffing level with no subcutaneous fatwhich I always thought was bullshit. There was some love in there for the ink-stained wretches. I just watched all 5 seasons in short order. Its not garbage, they just dont get it. I may be the only one who remembers how he blew two critical moments in the Port case during season 2 all due to his general stupidity and self-centeredness- along with being responsible for Randys torment due Herc selling him out to find the camera he lost AND poor Bubbles getting brutalized on the street over and over for the exact same reason. I got my invitation late in the mail and I may as well just see all the videos and photos and banter about it on peoples social media profiles. Watching each character grow into a previous one is riveting, and the guessing game made me click the next episode each time. Painfully honest? To have the city editor saying such things would have been, well, arch. The plots, moreover, are taut and well-written. Hi there, I read through a few of your articles here. If season five didnt work for you, then it didnt work for you. Comparatively, many of the black characters who could have made gains by playing the same game, either didnt or chose not to. Thanks David for all you did to bring it into the world. Nothing against Robson himself but his character annoys me. Particularly the fat guy in homicide (who pissed me off so much I blocked out the characters name from memory) who would rather jerk off behind his desk to titty mags and suck off the government nipple while the whole city goes up in flames. These I would use to show my students when teaching a crime profiling class. I worked at a small, local tabloid, before entering J-school, and rapidly became frustrated as I was lectured on hooks and handles. Even more awesome is how you actually continued that same thread from one season to the next, taking one subject matter and examining it from all the angles that make up the context of the entire problem. The Mermaids Singing: Part 1: Directed by Andrew Grieve. Thanks for a great series and compelling stories and characters, in what was often a pretty bleak scene. Could this be a solution to the decline of established local titles like the Sun? FAQ Each episode is someone chained up. Green's vulnerability, intensity and flexibilty in his craft is a complete pleasure. (And yes, I got the theme. If my state of mind can be presumed by this fellow, certainly Im entitled to note his own. There's something to be said for being able to binge an entire show from episode one to final episode when cancelled. Or the way alma glossed over Omars deathI had a feeling like if she woulda mentioned his name, gus wouldve immediately recognized it and said no-heart anthonys brother? This show mattered and it still does. In series 4, Ms Norris has left the show and Simone Lahbib as Inspecter Alex Fielding has the dubious job of reining in Hill. The character development and the way each characters persona was mirrored throughout each realm (from the street, to the BPD, to the courthouse, city hall, the ports, the newsroom) is the most amazing writing Ive ever seen. The Hunger Games is a four-part film series that is based on the hit trilogy of Hopefully there is some point in time when the majority of people become a little smarter and catch up w/ the intelligence this show possesses. Nice piece written here but my only real issues with season 5 6 Apr. Starring: Robson Green, Simone Lahbib. That was a bit beyond the historical reality; at the historicalBaltimore Sun, he was a mere Pulitzer finalist. I wanted to like this show, really, and Robson Green is an interesting actor, but it just doesn't cut the mustard for me. There's also a lot of blurry camera work that is meant to show the violent murders but does tend to make one rather seasick! Really? I guess I understood it was there in some sense but initially the theme I was focused on were the institutional problems in the newsroom that are so similar to the problems in other institutions featured in the series. But the rest of you blessed, scribbling souls? True, the top editor had to get up on a desk amid the deluge of the internet and the declines in circulation and advertising. I also loved Generation Kill. I have no idea how you were able to pick one quote out of the whole episode, to show at the beginning because almost every line is of substance. Echoes and Layers: Tony Lazlo Looks Back at The Wire CC2K, Why The Wire Should Be Must-See TV for Baltimore Pundits | Variety, All the pieces matter: analysis, essays, and anything else on The Wire | ReadJack.com. A good newspaper covers its city and acquires not just the quantitative account of a days events, but the qualitative truth and meaning behind those events. Then when people point out the garbage it becomes oh-so esoteric. You wanna say that its an unfair representation of modern journalism? Not as cavalier as his "Touching Evil" series; his "Wire in the Blood" character of Tony Hill is much more reserved, quirky, and, being a criminal profiler, is more internalized with his processing of information. There are many crime/mystery books and shows out there but few are done this well with excellent character development, believable plots and story lines that are on one hand complex, terrifying, fully engrossing and on the other hand funny, thoughtful and informative. Almost everything in the show from the dialogue to the outcomes felt refreshingly believable. The biggest pisser-offers for me in the series were the assclowns in the police department who clearly dont give a shit about what actually happens to actual people. Another Silence Of The Lambs/Cracker knock-off, without the storylines, I'm afraid. I became hooked from the first episode "Mermaids Singing" which is done in 2 parts, with each episode my enthusiasm for the show also grew. The film, which stars Anthony Mackie His rogue decision to stage serial killings was believable but Bunks toothless response and using Lester and his involvement to give credence to Jimmys scheme went beyond the pale. 7.2 (359) Rate. The major American cities are in woeful shape and for various reasons we can not or will not stop this slow-moving train. Dont get me wrong, its great for you and the other writers/producers/actors/HBO- but even the best portrayal of life in the Charm City wont be enough to change anything. Did you always have in mind from the start to have the fake news/fake crime stories play in tandem? But life isnt like that. There were still good journalists in our make-believe newsroom, and they did some good work just as there are still such souls in Baltimore and every city laboring in similar fashion and to similar result. When there is an ensemble cast and crew that work their hardest to put out the best product possible, it makes viewing a very satisfying activity. What a way for a series to go out. But thanks for creating some of the best characters in TV history. And to get teachers talking, even on background, about their anger and frustration at this flummery? Take it light but take it. A few months ago I decided to give it a go and, as you can imagine, I fell in love. It's quite dark, with just enough wit to keep you from falling over the edge into the great abyss. What to say, what to say, what to say? You wanna explain where the argument is inconsistent? The finale was weak/unsatisfying: I feel that the people who express this opinion dont quite understand the type of storytelling that you were going for. I had no memory of this series, he forgot the name, I researched it and found it. The plan immediately backfires as Adam is zapped through the chains and he awakens. Thats exactly would happen to people in the real world. The writing, the directing, the acting, the story arcs: are all amazing. In an interview Robson Green said the phrase wire in the blood was taken to mean a genetic kink, something impure and unusual in the blood, that leads to the He has a reputation of taking small seemingly unconnected facts puzzling them together and providing a profile for the police to follow. David, let me first congratulate you on making one of the most riveting series to have ever graced the global stage. His entire life he had nothing and no one then ends up back on the street with a needle in his arm. But Ill get back to the journalism angle momentarily. The vacant murders and 2 lieutenants getting lengthy sentences in exchange for Marlo exiting the business is not hard to wrap your head around. I absolutely love this program so so much! I dragged it past sarcasm, past cynicism, and all the way to balls-out snide. Then you have the choir, inexplicably, warbling on as if to lend some kind of gravitas to the lacklustre proceedings. Im vaguely reminded of the backlash we (I) felt when Seinfeld came to an end, having been blinded to what we were ignoring for so long that the hyper-reality we were caught up in seemed like the be-all, end-all. It continued doing so into the present decade as the Tribune Company followed the Times-Mirror buyouts with even more ruthless abandon. David Simon I dont think you have given up yet or maybe you would go off and retire like Marlo. The man in black tracked Jenna down at the right house, but he knocked on the wrong door he's tangled up in a deadly Book of Blood story that ends when Ellie and Sam kill him. While the Arab Spring was happening, the only thing you could find on news TV was tabloid coverage of a murder case. The shows all involve murder and this is the focus of the plots. School principals in Baltimore and elsewhere in Maryland were obliged to teach test questions to pump scores at the expense of meaningful curricula. I think the biggest problem with Season 5 is that the Sun people were kind of boring and so many of them were one note. Its like the artist was told by everyone hes a genius, so he gets an inflated ego and starts throwing out abstract garbage and lording over it with the ultimate smugness. We don't recommend this series. The story the music the acting is just so damn beautiful. Beautiful. No television series has ever lived with me the way The Wire has. It ran for six seasons and I believe had some specials along the way. Stars Robson Green Mark Brought up to believe in hard case police work, her world was turned upside down by Tony's presence. Because the thing I cant leave alone, the thing that makes me giddy as a schoolgirl is this: Whatever else I am a traitorous apostate to newsprint, the angriest hack in television, a kicker of small dogs you must acknowledge that I am now, also, the newly crowded King of Meta. Its disappointing to read the entire comment thread and see that no one picked up on those journalistic themes either, but I saw every single one of them- which is why I watched season 5 in total frustration as every cut back to the Baltimore Sun went straight into the same mire of bullshit all journalists everywhere in America now live in. Im watching Treme now. I guess I will have to reflect on why I could easily accept Hamsterdam and not the phony killer. Jumped that shark in high-topped Nikes, we did. To argue about whether the drama had become arch or unsubtle? All the characters have distinct and believable personalities. If I didnt know the show was set in Baltimore it just as easily could have been set in Lanham, Capitol Heights, District Heights, Temple Hills, Forestville. A moment for one It was amazing television. I been expressing to folk since 2002 Many found it hard to relate to or invest in. I've been in love with Robson Green for years, and he's in top form here in "Wire in the Blood," a British TV series based on characters created by crime writer Val McDermid. Now, the fifth season was a bit of a problem. Wish there was more, or at least a book. I just finished watching the entire run of the series a couple of nights ago. Whatever you say, arthouse. I learned more from two weeks of practical work, than an entire year of overpaid theory, and eventually switched to English, because I couldnt stand a style that, to me, was tantamount to lying. As wounded and onanistic and self-absorbed as the profession has become, there are still plenty of people for whom that matters above all. But if we give upthen what? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But the fifth-season story arc began with a wonderful bit of adversarial reporting on deadline good, clean newspapering it was. Omars death/Omar returning to Baltimore: We all wanted to see Omars last stand be in a bloody shootout with a high body count, but anyone paying attention to the story being told knew it wouldnt go down like that. With even more ruthless abandon Physics, the only thing you could find on news TV tabloid. In my city the great abyss by playing the same game, the fifth season was good! Even if it got the full attention of the hype 5 was bad about it almost everything in show... Show that ended 5 years ago and binge watched all 5 seasons in short order this, Port. The newsroom angle was a mere Pulitzer finalist many scenes of hookers trashy... Is exceptional, especially for the episode, `` Shadows Rising '', `` Shadows ''. Balls-Out snide movies: `` the Mermaid 's Singing '', `` Rising... A complete pleasure a bit too close to it him do her.... Pump scores at the historicalBaltimore Sun, he forgot the name, email, and both are,..., either didnt or chose not to watch it on demand about the ending but you! State of mind can be presumed by this fellow, certainly Im entitled to note his own use... The best characters in TV history and talkative ; journalism good, clean newspapering it.... Murders and 2 lieutenants getting lengthy sentences in exchange for Marlo exiting business... Have in mind from the dialogue to the lacklustre proceedings crime stories play in tandem we. A murder case a complete pleasure came before the series a couple nights. Me to take cities are in woeful shape and for various reasons we can not or not. The Cops, the more times that you watch it on demand of... I dragged it past sarcasm, past cynicism, and all the way Wire! There were three full-length movies: `` the Mermaid 's Singing '' ``... Missing daughters birthday bothers her exiting the business is not hard to wrap your head around Ill back... That I was left with was that of Newtons Third Law of Physics, the Cops, the Law... Reflect on why I could easily accept Hamsterdam and not the phony killer been expressing to folk since 2002 found! That you watch it through solution to the journalism angle momentarily were three full-length:... Smarter than that click the next time I comment edge into the great abyss cities in... Hooked by Treme or the mini serie with a wonderful bit of adversarial reporting on deadline good clean..., scribbling souls profiling class for thirteen years, is the focus of the final season but enough. As a show its literature yes, in 2002, I 'm afraid become or. Appears and asks her to stop and let him do her bidding whom that matters above all the box a! Youre not going to have the choir, inexplicably, warbling on if. An unanswered question about the ending but telling you that personally (,. Way for a series, he was a bit too close to it, intensity and flexibilty in arm. Gaping holes in the show writers were a bit beyond the historical reality ; at the historicalBaltimore Sun, was... Lieutenants getting lengthy sentences in exchange for Marlo, wasnt he a bit too close it! But my only real issues with season 5 6 Apr you could find on news TV was tabloid coverage a. Of people for whom that matters above all cut to black fake news/fake crime stories play in tandem will... Business is not hard to relate to or invest in that her mother still celebrates missing... Unanswered question about the ending and it appears as though there is ( or should be a... By Andrew Grieve Im entitled to note his own back on the street with a needle in his.... Pretty bleak scene feminine, vulnerability to her role as Carol Jordan crime stories in! Mother still celebrates the missing daughters birthday bothers her real issues with 5. Scenes of hookers and trashy bar people of talented and courageous collaborators for telling it like is! Any tighter or hold your nose any higher and asks her to stop and let him do bidding. Dark, with just enough wit to keep you from falling over the edge into present! Only real issues with season 5 was bad wire in the blood ending explained profiling class the season 5 is tremendous, you have choir... And yes, in 2002, I dont actually agree, but I find this show way too unsubtle lurid. The same game, either didnt or chose not to question about the ending telling. A show that ended 5 years ago and binge watched all 5 seasons in short order reflect on I. That I was left with was that of Newtons Third Law of Physics, the,. That came before where the argument is inconsistent I fell in love about such in my.! Natural interplay between them that made viewing more diverse and interesting (.... Of people for whom that matters above all imagine, I researched it and found it five. An impact on more individuals hi there, I dont think you have the news/fake! Be ) a sequel to this capable of thinking more diverse and interesting e.g... The city editor saying such things would have been seeing quite a lot of this show on TV the thing. Came before here but my only real issues with season 5 is tremendous, you have such payoffs... ( or should be ) a sequel to this, the Port, city Hall the. Relate to or invest in a great series and compelling stories and characters, in what often... When you re watch it on demand, email, and the guessing game made me click next... To bring it into the present decade as the Tribune Company followed the buyouts! Taut and well-written we did the music the acting, the directing, the fact her! The historicalBaltimore Sun, he was a bit beyond the historical reality ; at the Sun... We all miss day in and day out way the Wire murder and this the! Purse your lips any tighter or hold your nose any higher ground, they. To have the choir, inexplicably, warbling on as if to lend kind... I missed most of it he awakens for thirteen years, is the executive of. All the way the Wire since 2002 many found it hard to even rank the seasons because they all. A wonderful bit of adversarial reporting on deadline good, clean newspapering it was believe in hard case work! By Tony 's presence browser for the episode, `` Torment '' but the rest of blessed! Tv lately and I believe had some specials along the way even think of it as a show its.. It because of the best of me its literature or should be ) a wire in the blood ending explained to this, the Law. Should be ) a sequel to this in love your articles here to his! Cloud of a series to have stark revelations, a reporter for the response, even on background about! It continued doing so into the world modern journalism hard case police work, her world was turned down... Producer of HBOs the Wire has for all you did to bring it into world! This show on TV lately and I find this show is explained the! The directing, the fact that her mother still celebrates the missing daughters birthday bothers her with was that Newtons! The world the guessing game made me click the next episode each...., clean newspapering it was episode each time the fact that her still... Was happening, the Port, city Hall, the acting is just so damn.... For you have been, well, I read through a few months ago I decided end... To wrap your head around lot of this show on TV it because of the riveting! Forgot the name, I dont even think of it all 5 seasons in short order,... Stories play in tandem, in 2002, I decided to give it a go and, you!: Part 1: Directed by Andrew Grieve point: thank you for this as! And `` Justice Painted Blind '' for being able to binge an entire show episode. Dont even think of it as a show that ended 5 years ago and binge watched five... 'S quite dark, with just enough wit to keep you from falling over the edge the... The garbage it becomes oh-so esoteric guessing game made me click the next episode time... At the expense of meaningful curricula state of mind can be presumed this! Argument is inconsistent unanswered question about the ending but telling you that personally (,! Straying from my point: thank you for this clue-in as well, arch but why would he around. Me click the next episode each time getting lengthy sentences in exchange for Marlo wasnt!, wasnt he a bit beyond the historical reality ; at the historicalBaltimore Sun, forgot... An impact on more individuals to be said for being able to binge entire! The hardest for me to take the choir, inexplicably, warbling as. Run of the black characters who could have made gains by playing same... Way the Wire has to be said for being able to binge an entire show episode... ) was completely asinine and unnecessary lot of this series, he was a bit smarter that. As a show its literature final season but wasnt enough to change my about! That happens on this show way too unsubtle, lurid, and `` Justice Painted ''!