The Wire - Season Five - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

hugh · 2007-12-18, 08:45 AM

Premieres Sunday, January 6 at 9 p.m. on TMN (8 p.m. PT on Movie Central)

Returning for a ten-episode fifth and final season, this critically acclaimed HBO series from creator, executive producer and former Baltimore journalist David Simon, takes place in the drug-saturated streets of West Baltimore and follows stories from both sides of the law – the police and the criminals they target.

Season five turns the camera on the symbiotic role that media play in the criminal world with the introduction of a plotline involving a fictional newspaper modeled after The Baltimore Sun.

The new season begins with the police force hit hard by budget cuts, a front page story that links a politician to a drug dealer and corporate downsizing at the newspaper.

JohnnyCanuck · 2007-12-18, 09:37 AM

The Wire is simply as good as TV gets. The show is beyond brilliant and very much worth the effort to watch.

PokerChip · 2007-12-18, 11:24 AM

This is by far the best TV series I have ever had the pleasure to watch.

I enjoyed every minute of every episode. Too bad this is the last season (and 10 episodes? what happened to the standard 12 for HBO?).

Given there's only limited time for watching TV, I don't even know why people waste their time on reality TV when such a realistic, yet well scripted series is on.

StickyDragon · 2007-12-18, 11:30 AM

Having missed the first 4 seasons, is this something I can jump into or should I be watching the old ones first? I never watched this show because I missed it from the start (as I did with LOST) and I don't like starting a show halfway through if it will ruin the story.

PokerChip · 2007-12-18, 11:35 AM

You could jump into it, but I am of the opinion that you would enjoy it a lot more if you could watch earlier shows. The depth of the characters is so great, it's very interesting to watch them evolve.

McNulty, as an example, is supposed to have started drinking again for S5. If you jump in, you don't understand his earlier behaviour, followed by his sobering up.

Nuje · 2007-12-18, 05:17 PM

Ditto here on The Wire being the best show I've ever watched.

To answer the "can I start watching cold?" question: I started with Season 2, having missed Season 1, and while it took a while to get going (much like a brilliant novel), I was loving it. That said, there were numerous characters and plotlines interwoven into the main thread that I just simply didn't understand. Going back and watching season 1 later filled in a lot of the gaps.
If you have some time over the holidays (2-3 episodes per night for 2-3 weeks will get you fully caught up, provided you have a decent video store that has these on the shelf).
If you're really pressed and can't get through all four seasons, you have to watch season 1 to get a sense of the characters and the basic outline. Season 2 would probably be the one which, if you had to skip a season, you could skip in terms of it not impacting your understanding of the characters and plot. That said, Season 2 was certainly as strong as any of the others in terms of poignancy.

Gord Lacey · 2007-12-18, 05:27 PM

Sticky, find someone with the DVDs and borrow them, or go rent them. It's such a great show, and you'd be missing a lot (a whole lot) if you jumped into the final season.

Gord

JohnnyCanuck · 2007-12-19, 01:02 AM

I agree with Nuje about Season 2. It was excellent, but it is the closest to a stand alone season that could be watched out of sequence. Otherwise, as we have all said ... it is simply the best series on TV.

First I heard of ten episodes, but it's possible that one or two of them are longer to complete the story arc. I don't get the sense that HBO put any restrictions on Simon and Burns once the decision to do seasons four and five was made (the show was in limbo after season three).

For my money, the best scene in the whole series comes in Season 1 with McNulty and Bunk and the murder scene in the kitchen where the scene goes on for about three minutes with only one word of dialogue (the 'f' word). With the inflections and facial expressions and gestures, it communicated so much with just the one word as the centrepiece of the entire scene. The best scene of Season 4 had to be the very first one with Snoop in the "Hardware Depot" buying a Hilti fastener gun and explaining to the guy in the "orange apron" exactly what 22 calibre can do to someone and why she was more than happy with a 27 calibre powder actuated nail gun.

mtlnorm · 2007-12-19, 01:40 AM

Ah, JohnnyCanuck, you beat me to THE scene in season 1 with the "F" word. I was just about to mention it.

I think it was the best scene, for all the reasons you mention, in the best season of the show.

As for Snoop in season 4, she has quite the past. She played the part from experience it seems. I think I read that Stephen King called her the most frightening villain ever to appear in a television series.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...031501664.html
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news...8dcd7be189b9a0
Her book: http://www.amazon.com/Grace-After-Mi...8045961&sr=8-1

As for StickyDragon's question, watch the final season, but, do, try to find the first four. You will be missing the best show you will remember if you don't.

I can't wait.

JohnnyCanuck · 2007-12-19, 09:57 AM

Thanks for those links mtlnorm, I simply thought it was a great performance from an actor, I had no idea about her background.

As for the best season ... I am kind of partial to three. I thought Hamsterdam was a great storyline as was Prez almost to the point of redemption only to make a tragic mistake. And the way they wrapped up the Barskdale/Bell storyline and that one scene with Stringer, Omar, and Brother Mouzone was a complete shock at the time.

StickyDragon · 2007-12-19, 10:34 AM

Thanks for the tips guys, I'm going to try to get out and find these shows

PokerChip · 2007-12-19, 11:19 AM

Agree 100% about that scene with the F Word.

My father was a police detective for 20 of his 32 year-career. Needless to say he solved a couple murders that way. Puts CSI to shame. This is REAL PO - LICE, as these Baltimore guys would say it.

I can't wait to see how things will turn out for Bubbles.

faston · 2007-12-19, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnyCanuck

and why she was more than happy with a 27 calibre powder actuated nail gun.

She? Oh man, do I feel like an idiot! Watched the whole season without realizing that!

ps: Another vote for the best show on TV.

Andrew1 · 2007-12-19, 02:12 PM

That makes two of us, faston.

Nuje · 2007-12-19, 02:40 PM

I wasn't quite as slow to the dance with figuring out the gender of Snoop. I just assumed she was a he, but somewhere in the middle of the season, someone made a reference to "her", and I remember thinking - "HER?! She's a she?!"

Anyway, nice to see so many other rabid fans here on the board - finally. I knew we were better than that at DHC.
I remember making a comment about The Wire a year or two ago here on DHC (like some discussion about how "great" the Sopranos was), and how it was probably the best show I'd ever seen.....and it was like my post didn't exist - no other comments one way or the other.
cf. http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...ight=wire+bunk post#19
or
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...highlight=Wire

2007-12-18, 11:24 AM	#3
PokerChip Veteran Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New house and HT, Shaw Gateway + 4 portals, BB50 Posts: 2,190	This is by far the best TV series I have ever had the pleasure to watch. I enjoyed every minute of every episode. Too bad this is the last season (and 10 episodes? what happened to the standard 12 for HBO?). Given there's only limited time for watching TV, I don't even know why people waste their time on reality TV when such a realistic, yet well scripted series is on. __________________ Pics of my Home Theatre Updated May 2013: http://www.flickr.com/photos/6168808...57626366077975

2007-12-18, 11:35 AM	#5
PokerChip Veteran Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New house and HT, Shaw Gateway + 4 portals, BB50 Posts: 2,190	You could jump into it, but I am of the opinion that you would enjoy it a lot more if you could watch earlier shows. The depth of the characters is so great, it's very interesting to watch them evolve. McNulty, as an example, is supposed to have started drinking again for S5. If you jump in, you don't understand his earlier behaviour, followed by his sobering up. __________________ Pics of my Home Theatre Updated May 2013: http://www.flickr.com/photos/6168808...57626366077975

2007-12-19, 11:19 AM	#12
PokerChip Veteran Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New house and HT, Shaw Gateway + 4 portals, BB50 Posts: 2,190	Agree 100% about that scene with the F Word. My father was a police detective for 20 of his 32 year-career. Needless to say he solved a couple murders that way. Puts CSI to shame. This is REAL PO - LICE, as these Baltimore guys would say it. I can't wait to see how things will turn out for Bubbles. __________________ Pics of my Home Theatre Updated May 2013: http://www.flickr.com/photos/6168808...57626366077975

2007-12-19, 02:40 PM	#15
Nuje Veteran Join Date: May 2002 Location: A charted un-desert isle Posts: 2,465	I wasn't quite as slow to the dance with figuring out the gender of Snoop. I just assumed she was a he, but somewhere in the middle of the season, someone made a reference to "her", and I remember thinking - "HER?! She's a she?!" Anyway, nice to see so many other rabid fans here on the board - finally. I knew we were better than that at DHC. I remember making a comment about The Wire a year or two ago here on DHC (like some discussion about how "great" the Sopranos was), and how it was probably the best show I'd ever seen.....and it was like my post didn't exist - no other comments one way or the other. cf. http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...ight=wire+bunk post#19 or http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...highlight=Wire Last edited by Nuje; 2007-12-19 at 02:48 PM.

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2007-12-18, 08:45 AM	#1
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,492	The Wire - Season Five Premieres Sunday, January 6 at 9 p.m. on TMN (8 p.m. PT on Movie Central) Returning for a ten-episode fifth and final season, this critically acclaimed HBO series from creator, executive producer and former Baltimore journalist David Simon, takes place in the drug-saturated streets of West Baltimore and follows stories from both sides of the law – the police and the criminals they target. Season five turns the camera on the symbiotic role that media play in the criminal world with the introduction of a plotline involving a fictional newspaper modeled after The Baltimore Sun. The new season begins with the police force hit hard by budget cuts, a front page story that links a politician to a drug dealer and corporate downsizing at the newspaper. __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website.

2007-12-18, 09:37 AM	#2
JohnnyCanuck Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 4,645	The Wire is simply as good as TV gets. The show is beyond brilliant and very much worth the effort to watch.

2007-12-18, 11:30 AM	#4
StickyDragon Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 304	Having missed the first 4 seasons, is this something I can jump into or should I be watching the old ones first? I never watched this show because I missed it from the start (as I did with LOST) and I don't like starting a show halfway through if it will ruin the story.

2007-12-18, 05:17 PM	#6
Nuje Veteran Join Date: May 2002 Location: A charted un-desert isle Posts: 2,465	Ditto here on The Wire being the best show I've ever watched. To answer the "can I start watching cold?" question: I started with Season 2, having missed Season 1, and while it took a while to get going (much like a brilliant novel), I was loving it. That said, there were numerous characters and plotlines interwoven into the main thread that I just simply didn't understand. Going back and watching season 1 later filled in a lot of the gaps. If you have some time over the holidays (2-3 episodes per night for 2-3 weeks will get you fully caught up, provided you have a decent video store that has these on the shelf). If you're really pressed and can't get through all four seasons, you have to watch season 1 to get a sense of the characters and the basic outline. Season 2 would probably be the one which, if you had to skip a season, you could skip in terms of it not impacting your understanding of the characters and plot. That said, Season 2 was certainly as strong as any of the others in terms of poignancy.

2007-12-18, 05:27 PM	#7
Gord Lacey Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Edmonton Posts: 1,746	Sticky, find someone with the DVDs and borrow them, or go rent them. It's such a great show, and you'd be missing a lot (a whole lot) if you jumped into the final season. Gord

2007-12-19, 01:02 AM	#8
JohnnyCanuck Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 4,645	I agree with Nuje about Season 2. It was excellent, but it is the closest to a stand alone season that could be watched out of sequence. Otherwise, as we have all said ... it is simply the best series on TV. First I heard of ten episodes, but it's possible that one or two of them are longer to complete the story arc. I don't get the sense that HBO put any restrictions on Simon and Burns once the decision to do seasons four and five was made (the show was in limbo after season three). For my money, the best scene in the whole series comes in Season 1 with McNulty and Bunk and the murder scene in the kitchen where the scene goes on for about three minutes with only one word of dialogue (the 'f' word). With the inflections and facial expressions and gestures, it communicated so much with just the one word as the centrepiece of the entire scene. The best scene of Season 4 had to be the very first one with Snoop in the "Hardware Depot" buying a Hilti fastener gun and explaining to the guy in the "orange apron" exactly what 22 calibre can do to someone and why she was more than happy with a 27 calibre powder actuated nail gun.

2007-12-19, 01:40 AM	#9
mtlnorm Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Châteauguay, Québec, Canada Posts: 227	Ah, JohnnyCanuck, you beat me to THE scene in season 1 with the "F" word. I was just about to mention it. I think it was the best scene, for all the reasons you mention, in the best season of the show. As for Snoop in season 4, she has quite the past. She played the part from experience it seems. I think I read that Stephen King called her the most frightening villain ever to appear in a television series. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...031501664.html http://news.newamericamedia.org/news...8dcd7be189b9a0 Her book: http://www.amazon.com/Grace-After-Mi...8045961&sr=8-1 As for StickyDragon's question, watch the final season, but, do, try to find the first four. You will be missing the best show you will remember if you don't. I can't wait.

2007-12-19, 09:57 AM	#10
JohnnyCanuck Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 4,645	Thanks for those links mtlnorm, I simply thought it was a great performance from an actor, I had no idea about her background. As for the best season ... I am kind of partial to three. I thought Hamsterdam was a great storyline as was Prez almost to the point of redemption only to make a tragic mistake. And the way they wrapped up the Barskdale/Bell storyline and that one scene with Stringer, Omar, and Brother Mouzone was a complete shock at the time.

2007-12-19, 10:34 AM	#11
StickyDragon Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 304	Thanks for the tips guys, I'm going to try to get out and find these shows

2007-12-19, 02:12 PM	#14
Andrew1 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Greater Toronto Posts: 676	That makes two of us, faston.