The Wire virgin’s diary – All good things…
(Season 5, Episode 10, Series Finale)
I knew that the end was coming, and I had myself prepared for it, but I have to admit that I miss The Wire. After having experienced the full run of the series, I understand completely why every fan I talked to about the show said it was the best series to ever be on TV. I don’t know that I would heap that particular praise on the series, but it was definitely as good as anything I’ve seen, and better than just about anything on the tube these days.
There was a lot to wrap up going into the series finale, and the show really did an excellent job tying together all the loose ends. This really was one of the best, most satisfying, conclusions to any show that I’ve been a fan of.
The Wire virgin’s diary – More lies, more killing, more of the same
(Season 5, Episodes 4-6)
For some reason, I’m having trouble connecting with the new characters from the Baltimore Sun. I don’t know if I’m just a little burnt out on The Wire, or if there is something deeper at work. It seems like the show isn’t spending as much time at the newspaper as it did with other new characters when they were introduced. We spent a lot of time with the kids from the middle school at the beginning of season four and the characters from the docks during season three. It seems as though the writers are not as dedicated to these media folks. I think it will be interesting to see if my view changes through the rest of the season.
The Wire virgin’s diary – Jimmy McNulty: genius or moron?
(Season 5, Episodes 1-3)
At this point I’m voting for moron, but I’m getting ahead of myself…
I said that I needed to take a bit of a breather after the highly emotional ending of season four, and I have. Now I’m back, and diving into season five, the final season of The Wire. Early on in the season, it’s clear that McNulty will be playing a much larger role than in season four, where he took a back seat. It also seems like the show isn’t going to be focusing on the school systems at all this year. It’s not terribly surprising, since most of the kids we were following last season aren’t in school anymore. Hopefully we’ll at least get to check in with Prez and the crew.
The Wire virgin’s diary – The season of depression continues
(Season 4, Episodes 8-10)
Well, the season isn’t getting any lighter. Not that I expected it would, but man it can really be tough to watch at times. I’m certainly not unhappy with the season, and I’m still enjoying and appreciating the well done show, it’s just a lot heavier than previous seasons… and where the heck is McNulty? It’s odd seeing Dominic West’s name first in the credits. It seems like he hasn’t even been in half the episodes.
I was really expecting that all the bodies in the vacants would have been discovered by now, but they’re dragging that out. Oh well, there’s plenty going on…
The Wire virgin’s diary – Old school wins
(Season 3, Episodes 11-12)
I can’t believe I’m already through three seasons of this show. True, they are the shorter 12 episode cable seasons, but it still seems like I’m flying through The Wire, especially now that I’m more than half way through the whole series.
Overall, I thought that season three was good, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite of the first three. Playing favorites is a little silly, I know. I think it’s kind of like choosing a favorite book from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They all are really part of the same story, and they’re all excellent.
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that this series never won any serious awards.
The Wire Virgin’s Diary – Old School vs New School
(Season 3, Episodes 8-10)
Well, I’m almost all the way through season three and things are getting interesting. I’ll save most of my overall thoughts on the season for my final post of season three.
In these series of episodes, I really enjoyed the contrast between the old school and the new school. The subtle struggle between Avon and Stringer as they try to steer the drug dealing operation is very well done. At the same time, we get to see the new way of doing things that Colvin is trying to implement in Hamsterdam, and the new wave of politics that Carcetti is trying to usher in.
The Wire virgin’s diary – Hard times in Hamsterdam
(Season 3, Episodes 5-7)
Yes, it’s been a while since my last diary installment, but don’t worry, I’m still watching and I’m still loving The Wire. I’m well into season three now and the plot is definitely moving. It looks like Hamsterdam is going to be the predominant story this season.
One thing I didn’t expect was how much I would miss the characters from season two. The best part about season two was that even though the focus of the series shifted to the docks, the show still featured all the drug trade characters that we grew attached to in season one. This season, all the port characters have just disappeared, and I miss them. Oh, well, it’s just a small thing.
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