[Closed] The Wire

No, you need to watch 1 & 2.

Why wouldn't you want to watch it all?

Brilliant series.

Dont spoil it for yourself, you have to watch right from the first minute of the first episode. It is simply brilliant.

OK cheers. We have 3 & 4 on BT vision, no access to 1 & 2 yet. Will get them from the library.

My favourite [s]cop drama[/s] thing on TV ever. Takes a little while to get dialed into the lingo, mind you...

(sheeeeeeet!)

...whistles the "Omar coming" tune...

Don't believe them!! Its really dull.

sheeeeeet, you need to watch 1&2 first

What the others said, start at the beginning...

Been devouring the DVD box set since xmas holidays.
Two episodes into season 5.
What am I'm going to watch now, everything else seems crap by comparison.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

Best.Show.Ever.

Start at 1, don't give up, it's the best thing that's ever been on tv

Start from the start: Think of it like moving to a new a city. In the first series there are the bunch of people and a neighbourhood you get to know. As the series run you get to know them better, but your world expands to include all the people they know (and the people they know) and you also get familiar with more and more of the city too.

In a normal TV series there are only three of four plot lines - one or two stories that only last an episode and the slow developing backstory of the regular characters. In the Wire nothing stops, nothing is contained by an episode, plots run and run, rather than starting and concluding in one show, after a while there are 20 odd plot lines all running, some to the fore, some ticking over in the background.

excellent but hard work to follow at times and if you miss a little you can get lost.

What am I'm going to watch now, everything else seems crap by comparison.

Homicide Life On The Street
Oz
Sopranos
Southland
Breaking Bad
Sons Of Anarchy
Etc etc

...all very good.

Just watch all the seasons in a random order, even better, within each season shuffle the episodes. So you've NO idea what's happening. After all; it's all in the game yo, all in the game...

To echo what everyone else has said, start from the beginning. Series one does take a while to get into and the lingo is a bit hard to understand to begin with. Surprisingly I struggled with the police lingo more than the street lingo.
The best ever

What am I'm going to watch now, everything else seems crap by comparison.

Treme - The Wire plus songs

In the Wire nothing stops, nothing is contained by an episode

I love the way a major character from one series can reappear in a later one. But only in passing. Like you may see them from across the street.

Watching episode 10, series 2 just now. Ordered Series 3 earlier on.

I don't get to watch much telebox but, whilst I have the box sets, I don't even bother to see what is on, just watch the wire, you dig me ****?

If the Gods are ****ing you, you find a way to **** them back. It's Baltimore, gentlemen; the Gods will not save you.

Brother Mouzone you feel me

ooh, I envy you! you've defo got to watch it from the start. Best telly series EVA!

How does my hair look Mike? You look good girl.

Best tv ever, TBH it made me give up watching much of the stuff on these days it's shite in comparison.

On a serious note, one of the coolest things about it is the dynamics between the characters. You can remain attached to them even when you don't know exactly what's going on. Makes it more immersive. Every single player has a role to play and it's easy to feel for them; good, bad or indifferent. Epic TV.

Start at the beginning. Check your library for the DVDs.

I like all the moral ambiguity, so many shades of grey you'd think it was set in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

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Bunk. Good Police.

[img] [/img]

TBH it made me give up watching much of the stuff on these days it's shite in comparison.

You will get used to all other telly being just not as good eventually.

Still, it's all in the game.

Best.Show.Ever.

Tru dat

I liked series I, but lost interest about 5 or 6 episodes into series II...

series 1 was probably the best so yeah start from the beginning (what a very good place to start)

In response to the OP, watch 1 & 2 first. Mos def.

I've only recently got into The Wire having heard and read a lot of rave reviews. They were not wrong.

We watched an episode (or 2) of series 1 every night recently and loved it. We are now doing the same with series 2 and half way through. Some fantastic characters and excellent dialogue. Addictive viewing.

Bunk: I'm just a humble man with a big dick
Lester: You give yourself too much credit
Bunk: You're right, I'm not humble at all

Also had to laugh at the ****, ****, ****, murder investigation scene posted above. Great stuff.

Get ready for some late nights. As the credits roll and you look at each other

"shall we put another on?
"go on then"

The work of unbridled genius. Utterly compelling viewing. It makes you realise how few program makers treat their audience like they actually possess something between their ears

"shall we put another on?
"go on then

That's how it rolls. I'm working up to starting back at the beginning again.

Blimey. That's some unprecedented STW agreement!

Reserved s1 from the local library....looking forward to it.

The main thing I like about the wire is the complete lack of one dimensional characters. There are no 'goodies' or 'baddies', every character has both flaws and redeeming features. Even the most brutal and ice cold killers demonstrate a remarkable humanity, and the cops are a very long way from perfect. You feel the loss of characters keenly, no matter which side of the tracks they hailed from.

"How you expect to run wit the wolves at night when you spend all day sparring wit the puppies?" - Omar

Even the most brutal and ice cold killers demonstrate a remarkable humanity

Marlo?

To the OP, You've got your answer, watch the show and [b]never[/b] look into The Wire on IMDB or anywhere until you've finished it, might spoil a few things. I saw a thread on IMDB where I thought a main character was going to die at some point and it never happened so every time he was in a scene I'd think "this is it", spoiled my viewing a little. Ban yourself.

What am I'm going to watch now, everything else seems crap by comparison.

Also
Breaking Bad (it's not as cerebral, but it's still pretty good)

Thanks AlexSimon, half way through Breakin Bad after The Wire and Mad Men, so I will watch these next.

Gets tempting to answer the phone with "yo, ****".

Is that meant for John Terry thread? 🙂

We had the same 'problem' as binners.

We got the box sets out in order and come 11.30 after 2 episodes and you really need to get to bed.

MrsDrambo: "another ?"
DRambo: "Aye't"

Currently on the series 5 and half dreading coming to the end as it's pretty much all we've watched for the past few months

Don't ever read the blurb before each episode and watch them all in order. See you in a while when normal life can resume.

Marlo?

To summarise some good points made on this thread :

Start at series 1.
It's best taken three episodes at a time.
You've got around 60 hours of viewing to get through, so plan ahead.
[b]Do not[/b] look up anything on Youtube, IMDB, anywhere unless you want to proper spoil things for yourself.
Best tv series ever, etc.

Best tv ever, TBH it made me give up watching much of the stuff on these days it's shite in comparison.

+1

Everything dulls in comparison since I've watched it.

I've now watched the entire 5 series from start to finish 14 times 😳

Oh, and just out of interest, keep us posted on who your missus goes all swoony over. This WILL happen.

I think the rules are that it's either be Stringer Bell or McNulty

My missus played by the rules and went for McNulty. A mate's wife played a wildcard and went for Chris Partlow. Worrying.

, the young gangbanger who basically played [s]herself[/s] [b]himself[/b]

Stringer Bell or McNulty

I'd go gay for Stringer.

I'd go gay for Stringer.

Agreed

Stringer is unfeasibly cool!

A mate's wife played a wildcard and went for Chris Partlow

Only problem I have with this show is the lack of smoking hot women.

I thought she (Snoop) was male for ages, I had to IMDB to check a couple of episodes into her screentime haha.

Ha, me too. She is one scary lady.

Actually if I was gonna go gay, it would be for Cutty Wise

We must have a thing for strong black men, he would be my second choice.

I thought series 2 was a bit weak, you could skip it out and not miss much. The rest is excellent mind & Series 1 is a must as it sets up the whole thing.

Actually if I was gonna go gay, it would be for Cutty Wise

If he wanted you, you wouldn't have much choice.

I thought series 2 was a bit weak, you could skip it out and not miss much.

I dunno, I liked series 2. The main plot kind of stood apart from all the other series but still very good. I don't think you could miss it out though as it introduces some major players, and there's some important plot and character development. All the pieces matter, etc.

Snoop's a woman??!

Seriously, it was right at the end of series 4 maybe when I heard someone refer to Snoop as "she" that I realised. Even then I thought I'd mis-heard. Looking back, she was an odd-looking bloke 😆

Hold on right there........ Snoop was a she?!?!?!?

Well I never, I must live in a cave or somat....

Not just a woman...

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14474299 ]A real life drug dealer[/url]

I thought series 2 was a bit weak, you could skip it out and not miss much. The rest is excellent mind & Series 1 is a must as it sets up the whole thing.

Interesting. My favourite series by far.

Series 5 was weak though, particularly the McNulty storyline and I felt very little connection to the journalism story.

The scene: Two Baltimore police detectives in a bar, late at night, very drunk. McNulty, a skinny young Irishman. Moreland is fat, black and dressed in a beautiful pin-stripe suit.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You know why I respect you so much, Bunk?

Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Mm-mmm.

McNulty: It's not 'cause you're good police, 'cause, y'know, f that, right?

Moreland: Mm. F that, yeah.

McNulty: It's not 'cause when I came to homicide, you taught me all kinds of cool shit about . . . well, whatever.

Moreland: Mm. Whatever.

McNulty: It's 'cause when it came time for you to f me . . . you were very gentle.

Moreland: You damn right.

McNulty: See, 'cause you could have hauled me out of the garage and just bent me over the hood of a radio car, and . . . no, you were, you were very gentle.

Moreland: I knew it was your first time. I wanted to make that shit special.

McNulty: It was, man. It fing was.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is The Wire

Oh, and just out of interest, keep us posted on who your missus goes all swoony over. This WILL happen.

It was Omar in our house, I had to keep reminding her she MAY be out of luck

Prop Joe and Slim Charles are brilliant characters

I would say Kima is smoking hot.

Read "Homicide" by David Simon too. He camped out with the Baltimore police for a year, led to The Wire.

Read "Homicide" by David Simon too. He camped out with the Baltimore police for a year, led to The Wire.

ooh ducky, sounds super.
😀

will add it to my reading list

Other advice.

Use subtitles. You'll miss a lot of dialogue otherwise.

Once you're into the Wire, TV is over, and it's no loss.

In particular any drama with composed incidental music makes you want to kick the screen in.

OK - is there anywhere we can watch this online in reasonable quality? I'm in a queue for the library copy, and can't afford to buy the boxset at the moment..

you can borrow S1 from me if you can to pick it up from Dorking