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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

Small Talk: Tweedy Impertinence

David T. Cole

By David T. Cole
in The Wire [V]

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David T. Cole

David T. Cole

The Small Talk topic is for:

  • Introductions
  • Off-topic chatter
  • Having virtual tea with forum buddies

This is NOT a topic for actual show discussion. When you want to talk about the show:

  • Figure out the nature of the topic you want to talk about
  • Look for an existing topic that matches or fits
  • If there is NOT an existing topic that fits, CREATE ONE!

Examples of topics that populate show forums include (but by no means are limited to):

  • Character topics
  • Episode topics
  • Season topics
  • Spoiler topics
  • Speculation topics
  • In the Media topics
  • Favourite X topics
  • ...you get the idea

Happy trails beyond Small Talk!

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LCanterbury

LCanterbury

I'm LCanterbury and despite my TV addiction, managed to avoid The Wire until about a month.

Now I'm closing my eyes, resisting temptation and planning to return to this section when I finish season 5 (I'm on episode 5, so almost there). Thankful I'll have somewhere to talk when I'm done - it's been quite a ride!

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

I'm Rinaldo. I heard the good word about The Wire while it was on the air but did watch it then -- partly because I just failed to co-ordinate with its scheduling, partly because I feared that it would be nothing but a depressing report on the state of our society today. I did try to watch one episode from, I think, the third season (which is of course exactly the wrong way to go about starting it). Finally in January 2013 I decided it was time I remedied the lack. I rented season one, one DVD at a time, through the mail, and by the end of that I knew that I needed to own the whole thing, and bought the complete set, finishing within the month.

 

Otherwise, I've had a spotty history with cable drama series. I liked Oz (though the generous amounts of male nudity helped), somehow could never get interested in The Sopranos, failed to connect with Deadwood (there are only a very few Westerns ever made that don't bore me), liked Six Feet Under a lot on the whole, gave up Dexter after a season or so, and so it goes. But The Wire remains ever absorbing and entertaining to me.

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ToxicUnicorn

ToxicUnicorn

I posted this in the Rewatch thread, but one kind soul suggested I post it here:

 

I'd love for other people to join me in a "rewatch" of The Wire.  After wanting to see it for years (but being too cheap to do so), I was thrilled to find it free on Amazon Prime over the weekend.

I'm already on Episode 3 and am already engaged (although the first episode was a bit confusing).  I like the idea of 2 episodes a week.

Is anyone (more versed in forum making) interested?

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ToxicUnicorn

ToxicUnicorn

Hi Rinaldo, Thanks for being interested.  I've never done a rewatch before either and I think I'll let someone else start the threads if they feel like it. Right now, I'm a little too confused to say much more than: lots of people with charisma on this show, I was shocked by the reveal about the lieutenant in Episode 3, I don't know more than a half dozen names, sometimes I can't understand the dialogue, but what I do see and manage to understand, is pretty engaging.

 

On a more helpful note, I found some "newbie recaps" on sepinwall.blogspot.com that at least sorts out some of the names.  It's not the same thing as being able to discuss the show, but it's something to read, if you're interested.

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

Oh, I was devouring the Sepinwall recaps while I was watching. It was the food of the gods for me to be able to turn to one of his spoiler-free versions each time I finished an hour. I looked around on other sites for writing about the series too. I ended up slightly spoiled for a few developments, but I don't lose my mind over that, and a lot still came as a surprise. And in any case the quality trumps everything else about it.

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halgia

halgia

Starting threads is easy! Just start a thread and use the little "episode format" thingy to name it. I'll come in and fix it if you make any mistakes there. :)

 

In terms of a rewatch: I haven't watched in a few years. If the pace is slow (like, maybe an episode a week or so), I might pick it up in a few weeks (swamped for the near future).

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ToxicUnicorn

ToxicUnicorn

lol.  I guess two encouraging posts and S1 E4 to push me over the line.  Thanks for the tip, Dougal!  I put a toe in the water.

 

Would love to hear seasoned viewers wax poetic about the performances, character details, writing, etc.  If the rewatch could be somewhat spoiler free, that's all to the better, but I'd be glad to take anything I can get, since it's my own fault for being so late to the party.

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roseslg

roseslg

Hi all,

my boyfriend basically forced me to watch the first episode and we are slowly watching it now.  I would be up for a (re)watch.  He's seen it all, I've only seen up to episode 6.  

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ToxicUnicorn

ToxicUnicorn

(edited)

Hi rosesig!  Hope you and your boyfriend feel inspired to start episode threads as you watch, as you are ahead of me!  (Also, I don't want to be the only one.)  I'm glad to have the company - thanks for writing.

 

ETA: The episode threads are probably the only ones I'll dare enter.  A belated thanks for the spoiler policy clarification, Dougal, now I know they are safe!

Edited by ToxicUnicorn
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tljgator

tljgator

I'm working my way through for the first time, too, now that Amazon Prime has added so much HBO goodness to their collection, so a (re)watch this summer sounds great to me as well.  I'm reading the archived TWoP recaps as I watch an episode to make sure I understand/didn't miss anything important (which I somehow always manage to do, even when I think I'm paying fairly close attention).  Glad to see there are other 'first-timers' here since all my real life peeps either watched back in the day or ponied up for the DVDs.

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

(edited)

tljgator, be sure you follow up on the Alan Sepinwall blog entries on each episode as you go, too. He mostly has separate entries for newcomers and those who've completed the series, so his tend to be less spoiler-y than the TWoP recaps (which didn't always feel obliged to observe this restriction -- they started recapping about halfway through the series, and then went back to fill in some of the earlier episodes). Not that the series is all about surprises, but it'd be nice to remain innocent on a few big developments (I managed about 50% on this myself, being years late to the party).

 

Here is his newbie version of his Season 1 Episode 1 discussion. And the sidebar menu on the right of that page shows where to go for other seasons (it's a tad convoluted, as he started doing it with Season 4, and then afterward went back to cover earlier seasons, in the middle of which he changed websites when he went to HitFix).

Edited by Rinaldo
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millennium

millennium

Another first-timer here, also thanks to Amazon Prime.

 

Seemed that whenever I heard a reference to The Wire, it was always in conjunction with, or comparison to, Breaking Bad.    They're very different shows but I suppose it's the quality level people were comparing.

 

It took some work getting into the show but I just finished Season Two last night.   This time I felt sorry it was over and that I'll never see it again for the first time, so I guess the show is growing on me.

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ToxicUnicorn

ToxicUnicorn

I've watched another episode, so I'm going at a snail's pace through S1.  This series is like the opposite of that beer commercial : it doesn't taste too great, but it sure is filling.  One episode at a time is pretty much all I need to be satisfied for awhile.

 

The thing is, I would really like to talk about the language that's used.  Should that get its own thread?  Should I just start a S1 general thread to handle all kinds of general discussion about S1?  What would people like?

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Brooklynista

Brooklynista

(edited)

I'm up for a season by season discussion. I don't want to spoil anything for any newbies as I have the episodes on auto-play on my Itouch.

Perhaps an episode by episode rewatch like they're doing over at the Sex and The City board?

Edited by Brooklynista
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millennium

millennium

I just started Season 5.  it's bittersweet, because it's the last season.

 

Season 1 requires close attention, so does Season Two.  But look at it as an investment.   It's a cumulative effect.  The impact builds with each season.   I finished Season 4 a few days ago and I'm still blown away.

 

I can't read any other threads here until I finish the series because I'm wary of spoilers.

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Wilson Cat

Wilson Cat

I have just finished re-watching all of S1 of The Wire.  Well, all but the finale episode of that season.   Nobody does it better than David Simon.  My two favorite shows of all time are Homicide:LOTS and The Wire.  Warren, Warren, Warren......you should have stayed with grammy.  And D'....maybe if you'd had the karma to have been born someplace like small town Oregon you would have become a doctor or who knows, a 'police'.  Will watch S1E13 today.  All the seasons of The Wire were good, but S1 was special.  

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ToxicUnicorn

ToxicUnicorn

(edited)

I've just finished S1: E11.  Without giving anything away, it's getting pretty intense.  And the acting has been fantastic for the past two episodes.  When I heard about The Wire, I heard it was Important, that it was a must-see, but I didn't hear too much about the acting.  I swear I have seen more naturalistic, believable reactions here than anywhere else I can remember, even trumping my beloved Friday Night Lights.

 

My only beef with the show is that I still can't keep a lot of characters' names straight, although I can place nearly everyone by sight with where they ought to be.  And the credits make it impossible to match up the actual actors' names with the characters, which is one of the ways that I usually figure things out.  I haven't done the work of studying the imdb cast list yet.  But, so far, really enjoying the ride.

 

ETA: I dropped reading the Sepinwall recaps for newbies a long time ago.  I don't know what it says about me, but I think I prefer mucking around in the semi-dark rather than getting completely informed about the details of every episode.  It makes the experience feel more real to me.  I think I stopped reading at about the same time as I realized I would want to rewatch again, in order to catch more (conversation, mostly) the second time around.

Edited by ToxicUnicorn
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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

Congratulations! Yes, the acting (and of course the writing that makes it possible) -- consistently extraordinary.

 

Sympathy on telling everyone apart. I think it's a widely shared problem, a byproduct of the way the show throws us into this world and lets us work it out. Also, it deliberately doesn't do the easy tags for characters that most series give us, so some basic mental sorting by physical appearance will keep everyone straight. To speak frankly about it, on most series in the pilot we'd be able to tell ourselves "OK, X is the young skinny black drug dealer" and he's be the only one. But on this show there are maybe four who fit that description. Likewise with "Y is the overweight white middle-aged middle-management authority figure" in the first half hour, where here there are three at least of those. So yes, it took me a while too, to continue the sorting in my head till I had each of them identified as an individual. And it ended up being much more worth it that way, but that's why the series makes us pay close attention.

 

Persevere!!

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KnoxForPres

KnoxForPres

I'm on season one, episode seven if anyone wants to join me!

I had started it through 6 eps then watched all of Breaking Bad. While great, did not live up to the hype (only in this girl's mind, don't shoot the messenger).

6 eps in I think it lives up to the hype and if anyone wants to watch with me I would love it! I'm watching HBO on demand.

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ToxicUnicorn

ToxicUnicorn

I'm happy to discuss or rewatch and discuss!  I got through season 1 but stopped there.  Much more fun to watch with someone.  I haven't watched BB yet.  BB sounds excellent, not trying to take anything away from it, but it sounds far too grim for my taste.  Strangely, this show has so much humanity in it that I don't find it overwhelmingly depressing (despite its subject matter).

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Raja

Raja

The real world enters. In the press this week the LAPD is being accused of "juking the stats" so that the mayor could say that crime went down on his watch if we looked for it then It wouldn't be too hard to find teachers teaching the test

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KnoxForPres

KnoxForPres

I'm happy to discuss or rewatch and discuss! I got through season 1 but stopped there. Much more fun to watch with someone. I haven't watched BB yet. BB sounds excellent, not trying to take anything away from it, but it sounds far too grim for my taste. Strangely, this show has so much humanity in it that I don't find it overwhelmingly depressing (despite its subject matter).

Wonderful! I will catch up to season 2 and report back so you don't have to rewatch. I've really been enjoying it so that shouldn't take too long.

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alynch

alynch

Uh, I just decided to watch a bit of the show on Amazon Prime, mostly out of curiosity since I own the DVDs, and was rather horrified to see that they've cropped seasons 1 & 2 to 16:9 widescreen. If that wasn't bad enough, it also doesn't appear like they've done any sort of remastering, so the images are all blown up and slightly blurry looking.

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Princess Sparkle

Princess Sparkle

(edited)

I finally got around to watching the show - it was between this and Game of Thrones (in terms of HBO series on Amazon Prime that I hadn't watched yet), and I'm thrilled I chose this.  I just got through season one, so if anyone is still up for the rewatch mentioned upthread, I'm in!  I am thankfully unspoiled, but I need to get myself out of the habit of texting my brother (who's seen the entire show) with "DOES XXX DIE???  Wait, don't tell me!" 

 

I am having a great time piecing together why I recognize some of the actors, based on shows they're in now.  

 

And in terms of accents, if I hadn't known that Idris Elba was British, I would've never guessed it based on this.  His accent is flawless.  Dominic West....not so much.  Not bad (certainly better than Charlie Hunnam, who I think has the worst accent on tv), but when I compare him to some other actors I know are British and I can't tell, I can hear his accent slip more and more.

Edited by Princess Sparkle
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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

Starting Monday, September 8, "The Wire" is airing weekdays at 8 p.m. on HBO Signature. According to my channel guide, they're starting with season 1 episode 3.

Don't know if HBO changed their minds or if Comcast was just plain wrong. But "The Wire" is no longer listed.
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KnoxForPres

KnoxForPres

I just finished season one this morning. Excellent. I do wish I had someone watching with me because I have found I'm that person who needs a "ok, so now what....?" after some scenes. I loved it 100%, yet fear I got 80%.

If anyone wants to join me in starting season 2 we can virtually watch together :)

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KnoxForPres

KnoxForPres

(edited)

I'm willing to try. It's always possible that work may get in the way, but I'd like to watch it again.

Rinaldo if you're willing, I can go at your pace (that sentence almost seems Wire worthy). HBO has it On Demand through at least 2015 through my Comcast. So R and any others, when you're ready let's do Season 2 ep 1!

Princess Sparkle, can you watch?

Edited by KnoxForPres
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KnoxForPres

KnoxForPres

(edited)

I'm up for a rewatch.

We've got ourselves a game! Awesome Brooklynista! I've never done an official. How does this work? Do we say "we will watch x by x date and post in x?" I do have a life, I do, but I can't wait.

Edited by KnoxForPres
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Princess Sparkle

Princess Sparkle

(edited)

Rinaldo if you're willing, I can go at your pace (that sentence almost seems Wire worthy). HBO has it On Demand through at least 2015 through my Comcast. So R and any others, when you're ready let's do Season 2 ep 1!

Princess Sparkle, can you watch?

I may have already blasted through season 2 (oooops. I have no self control), but I'm definitely up for discussion, since they're all fresh in my mind! Edited by Princess Sparkle
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KnoxForPres

KnoxForPres

Ok, there doesn't seem to be a season two topic. If I'm up for getting us together as a group, will someone agree to start us a season 2 thread? I don't know protocol so please help me as needed Do we want to watch like 2 eps a week? Should we watch ep 1 and 2 this week? I could swing that. Let me know if that works for you guys.

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halgia

halgia

Ok, there doesn't seem to be a season two topic. If I'm up for getting us together as a group, will someone agree to start us a season 2 thread?

Feel free to start episode topics as needed; just do the "Start Topic" button from the forum, check the little "Use episode format?" box, and put in e.g. S02 / E01 / Ebb Tide / 2003 / 06 / 01. You can put an episode description at the start if you want, e.g. quote the summary from the Wikipedia page or wherever, or just start talking about the episode. If you have issues or make a mistake or whatever, report it and I'll fix it. :)

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

A season topic is what we want in this case, though. I'm willing to start it (anybody can), if folks can wait till this evening (I want to look up a suitable subtitle quote). All the ones I immediately think of feature profanity ("We used to make shit in this country," or Prez's "Fuckin' A"), but I guess there's nothing wrong with that.

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halgia

halgia

We can totally have season topics for season-as-a-whole discussions, but the problem with using them for rewatches is that then anyone who's not doing the rewatch at exactly the same time can't really read it until they're done....

 

"We used to make shit in this country" sounds like a perfect season 2 thread subtitle, though. :)

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Mindymoo

Mindymoo

Don't know if this really fits in the Small Talk thread, but Prezbo is currently playing Elliot Ness on "Boardwalk Empire." Prezbo! In a real position of authority! (I'm still amazed that he wound up being one of my favorite characters.)

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