Fielding is a single mother with a son and a cat, yet in the second episode of s4, "Torment", the writers were able to slide her easily into the role that would have been Norris'. You wanna say that its an unfair representation of modern journalism? Good series wish could of been another series though! Wed get a rant or two from whoever he screwed over, then next episode or season all is forgiven, forgotten and everyones back to good ole Jimmy again. I watched all five series back to back in less than a month bit of an overdose I guess, but just couldnt stop. Jobson develops in future episodes. Im vaguely reminded of the backlash we (I) felt when Seinfeld came to an end, having been blinded to what we were ignoring for so long that the hyper-reality we were caught up in seemed like the be-all, end-all. Dont get me wrong, its great for you and the other writers/producers/actors/HBO- but even the best portrayal of life in the Charm City wont be enough to change anything. I got my invitation late in the mail and I may as well just see all the videos and photos and banter about it on peoples social media profiles. Purse your lips any tighter or hold your nose any higher? but I believe even his murder would have been more satisfying for viewers who were waiting for his comeuppance. To wonder whether anyone would be disciplined for cursing in a newsroom, or why they made the top editor wear those suspenders, or whether it was a clich to have a fabricator driving the overt plot? I knew in my bones as he walked up to the convenience store something bad was going to happen. I'm a big fan of good,clever mystery. Journalism is and has been an absolute shambles in the UK since I was a kid in the 80s. But the fifth-season story arc began with a wonderful bit of adversarial reporting on deadline good, clean newspapering it was. Ps. David SImon, I dont understand why you wrote this. I understand the story and the tie-ins that you wrote about in this very blog, but I feel like you could have highlighted the bullshit of the media without compromising the core of The Wire, unrelenting, brutal, realism. Thrilled at the fact that you made him irredeemable, because the reporters who do that shit truly are that way. This show is so brilliant, so uniquely American, such a mind-altering and contemplative rumination on the powerful pull of the system FUCK, I LOVE THE WIRE!!!!!!!!!!! Im an asshole. The writing, the directing, the acting, the story arcs: are all amazing. Only silver lining to that dark cloud of a series. The newsroom story arc wasnt lost on me i believe some of the characters in the newsroom just didnt grip you as much as the other areas which makes it seem the weaker part. Its tremendously unfortunate a potentially amazing show was turned into a cute little art project. The crime drama, which is made I guess I understood it was there in some sense but initially the theme I was focused on were the institutional problems in the newsroom that are so similar to the problems in other institutions featured in the series. | The third episode not quite as strong a story as the first two, perhaps has something to do with the fact that it was not based directly on the books of V. McD. Although I understand the validity of some of the endings, I really was disappointed with season 5. Really, someone should have put it to Herc, you have to admit. There are many crime/mystery books and shows out there but few are done this well with excellent character development, believable plots and story lines that are on one hand complex, terrifying, fully engrossing and on the other hand funny, thoughtful and informative. Its the best series ever But if you didnt enjoyThe Wirethis season, then lets concede for purposes of this little note that you are correct. Web2. While we have been in the longest war in U.S. history we have had to sit through endless sensationalism about: Jeb Bushs crackhead niece Noelle Bush; Terry Schiavo; Tiger Woods; Casey Anthony; Treyvon Martin then George Zimmerman; Michael Brown; and it will never end. It is our not insignificant loss that more shows weren't filmed. I meant To say Roger Twigg. The fact that my appreciation for every single season changed over time due to rewatching the show over and over, proves how good this series as a whole really is. Good god, this was the most amazing show Ive seen in ever. We certainly expected more attention from the media. Over a television drama. Production took a huge risk deciding to change setting and characters after only 1 season. But it went over my head, that the newspaper, completely missed every major story about what went on in the city. Coming into the series after nearly a decade of being exposed to the general hype and season five criticism, I finished season five feeling just as I would imagine you intended. Some of the most compelling Ive seen. But life isnt like that. A moment for one last question: Sure there was a fabulist and, yeah, he snatched the big prize. Love it. It would be hard for a committed education reporter to acquire the curriculum of a city middle school and compare it to what children were taught before No Child Left Behind reduced teaching to rote repetition, or to track a rise in the third-grade test scores into the fifth or seventh grade and thereby demonstrate how temporal and false the gains actually were. At least youre not complete sadists. Im interested in becoming a cop there. Now youve got the full attention of the media. With Robson Green, Elaine Claxton, Hermione Norris, Richard Frame. Ultimately, thank you for such an epic drama! Ha! I was born with scoop mentality and its never left me. In response to a few specific complaints Ive come across rather frequently in regards to the season: How is it remotely plausible that Marlo walked free? Even recently I remember watching CNN and they were covering the Treyvon Martin case seemingly 24/7 and in the news ticker at the bottom of the screen there was the briefest mention of some protest in Egypt. Stars Robson Green Mark And okay, the city editor, the honorable fellow, the one for whom journalism was an ethos, he got slapped down and thrown to the copy desk. The intelligent and complex story line demands focus to follow clearly, and make you think. A few months ago I decided to give it a go and, as you can imagine, I fell in love. Criminal Psychologist Tony Hill assists The Police with all manner of complex and disturbing crimes. Anyway, Ive gone on for far too long here. I was only introduced to this show in 2014 by a friend in college at Washington State University that let me borrow is DVDs one season at a time, and I bought the DVD box set shortly thereafter. Otherwise this character seemed to constantly walk between the raindrops rarely suffering real consequences for his selfishness. the Los Angeles Police Department? And, just like the black counterparts, almost all of them gain some level of career advancement, be it Rawls promotion to superintendent, Pearlmans to judge, Hurks ascension in the legal realm (admitably his is more honest than the others, since he wanted the same things McNulty and Freamon wanted, and he actually suffers the consequences of his mess-up in Season 4), Carcetti, Templeton, etc. David. The cutbacks, management of local papers by big out of town conglomerates and lack of attention on complex issues is something we see in the UK too. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I think it is, but Id like to hear your opinion on this. User Ratings You dont like the last season of a television drama, feel free to venture an opinion. He has a TheSunbegan doing so in the 1990s before the internet, before the Tribune Company did its worst when beat reporting and any serious, systemic examination of issues was eschewed in favor of impact journalism, special projects and Pulitzer sniffing. The amount of quotables in this show is amazing. I had only heard of it but didnt know it was the drug I needed in my life to actively engage in social discussions the way you do so well in this series. I love the Hamsterdam plot. Its especially shameful that the media did not pick up on this. Ms. Lahbib is an unknown entity to me, but as I finished watching series 4, I felt a bit queasy. David, I just wanted to take a brief moment (6 years later) to thank you for both an amazing show and this write up of your thoughts and insights into S5. Several years go by since Pulengs sister went missing. One thing I forgot to mention is that I absolutely LOVED the continuity of the whole show. Nothing against Robson himself but his character annoys me. Amid buyout after buyout, theBaltimore Sunconceded much of its institutional memory, its beat structure, its ability to penetrate municipal institutions and report qualitatively on substantive issues in a way that explains not just the symptomatic problems of the city, but the root causes of those problems. WebA psychologist gets inside of the minds of both killers and victims to aid the police in solving gruesome serial killings in Northern England. With no consequences for either, even Herc the Assclown who monumentally fucked up every single case he was put on? In Baltimore, where over the last twenty years Times Mirror and the Tribune Company have combined to reduce the newsroom by forty percent, all of the above stories pretty much happened. The crime thriller was being eyed for adaptation by On my third or fourth watch through season two became my second favorite season, after season 4 of course. If I had to wager a guess, something I noticed was that, in the first four seasons, there was always at least one or two characters who were, either struggling or chafing against the numerous failings in the institutions that were highlighted in each season, (I.e. The story the music the acting is just so damn beautiful. I may be the only one who remembers how he blew two critical moments in the Port case during season 2 all due to his general stupidity and self-centeredness- along with being responsible for Randys torment due Herc selling him out to find the camera he lost AND poor Bubbles getting brutalized on the street over and over for the exact same reason. I found it as an interesting way to dispel the notion that one given group of people is more inclined or indoctrinated to corruption and lies than the other, but also that in any given sector of a society, you will usually find it is those who know that very truth full and well, who perpetuate that lie, in order to make themselves feel better about their shortcomings. Why would he care about the homeless? Okay, I dont actually agree, but neither would I argue. (And yes, I got the theme. She is always rescued. While she tries her best to support her parents, Puleng also hates how theyre not willing to give up on the past. Any of you save for a couple sharp journos who were able to stand back just far enough to realize what the real critique was. Unlike most shows, which run at 45 minutes per episode, Wire in the Blood runs at 90 minutes per episode. Given the immense detail used in the stories, the show simply wouldn't work with shorter episodes. The series was cancelled in 2009 due to ITV's financial troubles. | S6, Ep0. Maybe I prefer more violent things. Wire in the Blood is one of the most important and valuable series ever produced for television. Love if The producers could make a 15 minutes short just to show where all the cast are now. And whether that is an accurate critique? A moment for one However in the case of season 5, as you pointed out, even the remaining good journalists such as Gus, are, to a degree, complicit in missing every major story. I've enjoyed his first rate performances in two other series I've seen, and can't wait to see how his character's flirtation with D.I. Politicians then took credit for the limited gains that were, of course, unsustainable as the students aged into middle school. You dont need to justify anything, its a masterpiece. I been expressing to folk since 2002 Awards If you took out subjective arguments about popular entertainment, the nation would free up a lot of bandwidth and many repetitive stress injuries would be avoided. The only story that I noticed that the newspaper missed was when they mentioned Prop Joe. OK so Rawls put him on a boat for while. Polygon Court hears the case for James Camerons alternate ending. To have the city editor saying such things would have been, well, arch. I started watching this show in series 1. And yes, as many reviewers commented, the transition from Norris to Lahbib could have, and should have been handled with much greater care (CJ abruptly abandoning him without an explanation to addicted viewers, and heading off to So. I wonder whats happening in this city that we dont know about. The original essay doesnt do anything to counter anyones opinions as to whether The Wire was good, bad, or indifferent. I worked at a newspaper with a POS liar who made up quotes, and the editor was obsessed with him and looked the other way (on the fake quotes and also, grossly, sexual harassment). Thanks David for all you did to bring it into the world. Throughout 1923, Alexandras wealth has come into play (or the wealth of her family, rather). Another Silence Of The Lambs/Cracker knock-off, without the storylines, I'm afraid. And yes, in real life, there wasnt much written about such in my city. While he is cold and calculating, from the moment we met him Omar has a big heart and made decisions based on his emotional reaction. However, each action, no matter how small, led to clear and defined reactions that changed the course of events. Sorry. Perhaps one on the books it is based on might warm me up to it. Both shows only went 5 seasons but BB tied up the loose ends and made the ending much easier to swallow than TW did. The political corruption, the cronyism, the back-asswards views on racism which prevent all minorities from getting a real say in anything lest they be deemed racist- and most agonizingly, the completely screwball insanity that is the PG County school system is exactly like the way you depicted life in Baltimore. -And Herc? In the confrontation that follows, Adam shows him the photographs he took So it makes you wonder what actually gets reported and what we all miss day in and day out. Tony Hill finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings when he travels to Texas to assist the local district attorney in the case of Darius Grady who is accused of murdering his wife and two children. Its not likely to change our reasons for telling the stories we do, but neither is the criticism necessarily invalid or unwarranted. In one of the best scenes of the series, Why did stupid fucking hbo talk over the last episode when you re watch it on demand. It had been on my entertainment backlog since 2002 Id got hold of the first season before it had been shown in the UK at all being a quality TV (and I apologize for using this sensitive word considering the context of various storylines) junkie, but for various reasonsI was deferring gratification if you will. I certainly read that last post and thought thats angry. It was fuckin awesome. Its all in the game yo. I just thought it was depressing that someone that big in the community wasnt well known by the newspaper people, but for some reason I didnt really put any more thought into them missing things. For me, the series is not about the individual seasons. I would not recommend this show for anyone under the age of 16. Im not. Uncensored. "Wire in the Blood" is the story of Dr.Tony Hill (Robson Green), a slightly eccentric clinical psychologist who works part time with the police force of Bradford, England. He has a reputation of taking small seemingly unconnected facts puzzling them together and providing a profile for the police to follow. Hamsterdam, say. If anything I learned after watching The Wire series (for my 4th or 5th time) is that quick comments or knee-jerk reactions about the themes discussed just dont play. Firstly thank you David Simon, Ed Burns and a host of talented and courageous collaborators for telling it like it is. During the political campaign in Season 3, when Royce was facing pressure from Carcetti, there is a subtle glimpse into the racial component. Producer Chris Miller explains why. But what is particularly interesting is, aside from McNulty, many of the white characters in the season engage in almost the same amount and level of corrupted games as their black counterparts, in some cases moreso. | Its like the artist was told by everyone hes a genius, so he gets an inflated ego and starts throwing out abstract garbage and lording over it with the ultimate smugness. However, of the many detective series that my wife and I have watched, British, French, Scandinavian, Icelantic, this series has the sickest, most graphic murders in every episode. That said, I thank you for the bitter pill. Theres a reason people say youre a genius and why your show is perhaps the best in history. And they covered more ground, and they knew the terrain in a way that they no longer do. Id always had reservations about the believability of character who existed in a contained bureaucratic work environment surrounded by lifers, repeatedly stabbing his peers and superiors in the back for wholly self-serving reasons with so few repercussions. No one went near the theme; everyone stayed dead-center and literal, oblivious to the big-ass elephant in our mythical newsroom. The first two, "Singing" and "Shadows" are adaptations of author Val McDermid's books; This is a taut British crime drama very much in the "Cracker" mould. I was reading The Stand at the time I posted that response. President Snow is Katniss Everdeen's tyrannical enemy, and while he may appear untouchable for most of The Hunger Games he has a secret weakness. Anyway, remember that Colvins 14% were clean numbers (he didnt juke the stats) so 14% is a large increase if you look at it that way. The show is bases on the books written by crime novelist Val McDiarmid. The Wire is my favorite show of all time, but Season 5 was definitely the weakest. I would really appreciate any help My favorite character was bubs, I knew someone like him. I wonder what were missing?. This statement is meant to include: Mark Letheren(DI Kevin Jeffries); Emma Handy (DC Paula McIntyre) and Peter Sullivan (ACC Paul Eden). In this format youre not going to have stark revelations, a happy and blissful montage followed by a cut to black. I think it was something like a 14% reduction in crimes such as shootings and aggravated assault. When one actor leaves a show and is replaced. The writing was a train wreck, the characterization limp, the acting and plotting, shameful and shameless both. Not everything can have a happy ending, I understand. Enter DI Alex Fielding, Simone Lahbib. Buy SD $1.99. I found the season 2 a bit less interesting the first time, but I really dont know why, maybe because I was focused on characters like Avon etc, and the guys on the docks were less cool at first sight. This season has opened up my eyes to an important point: what exactly are we missing by focusing on all this sensationalist garbage? See production, box office & company info, Drama Trails: 'Coronation Street' to 'Kingdom'. You want to suggest that the creator of the project has his nose in the air for being interested in the matter at all, and that you have some insight into his temperament? If you like your murder mysteries uncensored this is the best one. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. When the Wire was first broadcast, in 2002, I decided not to watch it because of the hype. I wanted catharis toobut I was raised on ER. Hi there, I read through a few of your articles here. I worked at a small, local tabloid, before entering J-school, and rapidly became frustrated as I was lectured on hooks and handles. It is time-consuming, expensive, deliberate and demanding. There was just increasingly natural interplay between them that made viewing more diverse and interesting (e.g. We told the precise story we wished to tell and what happened was supposed to happen. The case was based on a wealth of curruption and illegal detective work and the need for self-preservation could easily allow for a deal to be made. I always thought the crime reduction % that Colvin reports as a result of his Hamsterdam experiment were too low. Its a great show! Like another commenter, I only noticed the Prop Joe story being missed/overshadowed by the Sun. Site Created by Real Fresh Creative. Starring: Robson Green, Simone Lahbib. Love The Wire. He hated closing those foreign bureaus and cutting back further in the newsroom.

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