The Wire

[OrangeHopper]

I missed this first time round but I will definitely watch it this time. I know Generation Kill wasn't supposed to be very good but I actually enjoy having to work at understanding a program and Generation Kill is one of the few that has made me do that recently. If it doesn't grab the attention then it isn't worth it. Breaking Bad was another I've enjoyed recently.

If it is anywhere as good as Homicide - Life on the Street, which I have always regarded as the best American cop show to date, I will be very happy.

[DieScum]

The point I really knew I was not going to watch it all was the scene in the first series where they are going over the room to find where the shooter was and every character just said flip for about 2 minutes as they discovered each new clue, I thought it was pretty gimmicky, like the show it just never worked.

That is actually one of my favourite ever Wire moments.

I am totally crap at explaining why I like stuff but here goes.

That scene is very realistic and universal. It is exactly the kind of reaction that would happen in workplaces all round the world. The idea is that they are taking a second look at a case that has been closed and they are shocked as they stumble across more and more pieces of evidence that have been missed.

I can just imagine myself opening up a piece of code with a colleague who I know well (they are also a drinking buddy and we have seen ourselves at our best and worst but now we are at work doing our serious job) in a bid to diagnose some performance problems and then doing something similar 'flip, flip, flip' as we go through just how bad it is.

The way they say it in the scene it's hard to express in words, but it's definitely something that happens, that kind of mixture of laughing at how bad something is, almost enjoying discovering it because it is so terrible.

[snaw]

Best thing ever made on telly IMO.

Better than the sopranos, which is saying something for me.

Clever scripts that reflect real life and don't pander to the easy plotline, complex characters & proper character development - the good guys aren't all good and the bad guys aren't all bad. In fact the only consistent bad guy throughout is the system - whether it be the cops, the political machine, the courts etc (Each series picks a different angle - cops, docks, politics, education & a news room) the story is partially written by guys who've actually been there, plus an real insight into life in the real ghetto, not the glamorised movie version.

And great season endings and great overall ending - be aware, people die that you like fairly often, kind of reflecting real life in that world.

I really can't praise it highly enough, and I think this will become classic TV in the future - never really appreciated as much as it should have been.

It's just a complete piece of work

[minestrone]

Maybe I do not get it, while I do not think it is a necessarily a bad program I do not see it as the Shakespeare of American cop shows that it is now hailed as.

I do not think not developing a plot or character should be thought of as an abstract device deserving of deep observation.

If you enjoy it well then go for it, we will stick to the teletubbies.

[DieScum]

It makes me a bit sad, and envious of my former self, that I'll never see a new episode ever again.

Anyone who hasn't seen it all yet is very lucky.

[Board Game Geek]

Maybe I do not get it, while I do not think it is a necessarily a bad program I do not see it as the Shakespeare of American cop shows that it is now hailed as.

Call me a cynical old goat, or Ishmael if you prefer, but I'm typically wary of of those who rant and rave about a show, and all the surrounding media hype to go with it.

I've learned from bitter viewing experience that such anticipations of televisual excellence are cruelly brought down to earth when I have sampled such aforementioned treats.

Lost was one such example. Although it is hard to believe, Paris Hilton is less vacuous.

The Shield left me cold and non-plussed.

12 Foot Under. I wish I had been after trying to watch this series. It would have been a mercy killing.

So, it was with trepidation that I tried the Wire.

I'm jolly glad I did. The Wire surpassed my expectations, and has been worth it.

The only other series that I'm currently watching, and again, it's taken me years to pluck up the motivation, after several friends constantly hyping it up, was the new Battlestar Galactica.

Again, it's been a pleasant surprise and a very adriot "re-imagining" of the story.

The next box set will be Firefly.

[minestrone]

The only other series that I'm currently watching, and again, it's taken me years to pluck up the motivation, after several friends constantly hyping it up, was the new Battlestar Galactica.

Now that is a bloody good show, watched it from start to almost finish many times over, last show is tomorrow.

I will be plonked on the sofa tomorrow with a couple of fine wines watching it.

Oddly the gf who really rates the wire and its complex scripts spends half the episodes of Battlestar asking me who is a cylon and who is human.

Each to their own I suppose.

[Board Game Geek]

Aye, the characters seem well developed, and never glossed over. You get to take a personal interest in them, and wonder how they will develop.

The actor who plays Balthar is very good at portraying a man teetering on the edge of sanity.

I was completely shocked at the ending to Season 1.

I could sense something bad was going to happen, as events had foreshadowed nicely, but even so...

I'll start Season 2 in a few weeks time, once we get Torchwood Season 2 out of the way.

[minestrone]

They pushed it from a space invaders show to a political show between seasons 1 + 3.

I don't think there has been a battle between the cylons and the humans for 30 episodes.

Anyway I know what is going to happen in the last episode. Fairly obvious really.

Highlight the text below to know

Battlestar gets planked right into the cylon moon, child guides them to perfect planet, yadda yadda.

[Platypus]

The next box set will be Firefly.

Well worth it! And a bargain at a tenner from Amazon.

It's no "Wire" or "Sopranos" but I really enjoyed it