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4 by far the best season. 2 is underrated though.
OFFICIAL THE WIRE THREAD.. ''The game is the game"
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4>1>3>2/5
If I had to rank but u enjoyed the hell out of the entire series.
If I had to rank but u enjoyed the hell out of the entire series.
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Everything street-related in 5 was still fire, it was the other **** that was trash. McNulty ******** was tiring/borderline nonsensical. The angle of the media/newspaper was awful, especially compared to us coming off the school theme from season 4 that was phenomenal.
Season 2 is completely different but still very entertaining. Even if it's ranked 4th, it's a wide margin between season 5.
Season 2 is completely different but still very entertaining. Even if it's ranked 4th, it's a wide margin between season 5.
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I disagree a little bit on the newsroom angle. Gus and Alma were really good. The white boy good ol boys club was spot on, and they all played the part extremely well. The problem was you can't separate the newsroom from the convolution of the faux serial killer theme.
Journalism and newsroom story arch focusing on nothing other than the workings of city hall would have been absolute fire.
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The McNulty fake killer thing really tanked that season
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On S5 now. If you watch Billions, it's hard to not laugh at Wags in the newsroom 
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Also, forgot I know one of the chicks that met up with Mike & Dook up at Six Flags
Know the dude that said "I shot a boy" when he was turning himself in at the end of one of the S2 episodes too.
Small world.
Know the dude that said "I shot a boy" when he was turning himself in at the end of one of the S2 episodes too.
Small world.
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Remember the tagline for Season 5: "The bigger the lie, the more they believe". Gee, how applicable is that these days? Anyway...
First of all, Mcnulty was trying to get overtime for detectives to work real cases, so he manifested a serial killer to achieve that. He got unlimited overtime from a department that didn't give a crap about solving anything. He achieved that goal. It just went awry because he couldn't account for being stuck with a dumbass, liar news reporter who would fabricate anything for a good story. Weird, when has anyone ever done that in real life?
Now, the media angle...
You kind of need to know where the inspiration for Season 5 came from. Read up on Janet Cooke, the disgraced Washington Post reporter. She won a Pulitzer in the early '80s for her story on an 8-year-old heroin addict. She even fooled Bob Woodward (yes, that Bob Woodward, who took down Nixon), who submitted it for Pulitzer consideration.
In The Wire, Templeton fabricated all of his stories. Remember, he had the opening day story from the Orioles game and couldn't even produce a photo or any evidence that his subject existed. His editors called him out on it, but reluctantly ran it because it was a believeable enough human interest story. It's the same damn thing. He was literally a producer of fake news. McNulty saw him as a gullible reporter looking for a good story. Even McNulty got annoyed with Templeton's fabrications to the point he had to tell him it was all fake. There's the scene where McNulty talks to a UC in the homeless camp, and the UC is like, "yeah, that reporter is a fraud and just makes stuff up". That season is a lesson in journalistic integrity.
Between McNulty and Templeton, the lie got so big that it turned into a runaway freight train. It's actually brilliant writing, as outlandish as it seems, and based in reality. It's a great season that was misunderstood at the time, but should be appreciated more all these years later because, you know, here we are.
The season 5 hate can stop. It's more prescient and relevant than any other season of the show. It's not the best season, of course. Season 4 is the best, and Season 2 is the most important, but Season 5 has its place, and I put it above 1 and 3, at this point.
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In today’s America I’m surprised people still haven’t come around on season 5. Everything in there seems entirely plausible to me. Now if this is a season 2 thing & you just don’t care for the storyline then ok
My only complaint was the 10 episodes, which is disrespectful. It’s a shame nobody watched the show when it was on, would’ve had a Carcetti spin-off.
RIP to the great Reg E. Cathey.
My only complaint was the 10 episodes, which is disrespectful. It’s a shame nobody watched the show when it was on, would’ve had a Carcetti spin-off.
RIP to the great Reg E. Cathey.
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In today’s America I’m surprised people still haven’t come around on season 5. Everything in there seems entirely plausible to me. Now if this is a season 2 thing & you just don’t care for the storyline then ok
My only complaint was the 10 episodes, which is disrespectful. It’s a shame nobody watched the show when it was on, would’ve had a Carcetti spin-off.
RIP to the great Reg E. Cathey.
Hell, the least plausible thing is Omar surviving that ambush and the jump. Yet, nobody seems to have a problem with that.
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Didnt that part actually happen to Donnie Andrews (inspiration for Omar) in real life tho?
elpablo21
Supporter
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I think he said he jumped from a higher floor too
I always wish the newspaper side of S5 got a chance to be more fleshed out
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I know more about the background of s5 reading this and I still think it was pure trash and easily the worst season.
A really terrible way to end the series.
Nothing about the current time we're living in makes me appreciate it more.
Stories just weren't good and I do not care about journalism like that in this setting with those characters.
They would've been better off having s5 be a deeper dive in to Baltimore's judicial system. Give us a questionable possibly corrupt EADA, corrupt judges, etc.
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That actually happened though
Donnie in The Wire (Omar's muscle in jail and then on the out in S5) is the real Omar and jumped from the 6th floor of a building. In The Wire it was the 4th floor.
A lot of the intricate details of the Wire are based on reality. People should check on:
Amazon product ASIN 0805080759
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I get it. The execution just fell short on that particular story line in my opinion. I think it's the worst season, but that's not saying much because it was still better than 95% of anything on TV, especially in 2008.
It wasn't weird that an unethical reporter fabricated a story. I don't think that's what people were having trouble with. Simon himself was a reporter, so I think people can trust his interpretation of the going ons inside a newsroom.
There are a lot of really good scenes in the newsroom, usually involving Gus and his superiors.
Tom McCarthy (Templeton) actually went on to direct Spotlight. I'm guessing he drew a lot of inspiration from spending time with Simon and the Wire writers to craft an accurate portrayal of investigative journalism because Spotlight was near perfect.
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That Detective Munch cameo at Kavanaughs in S5 
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That Detective Munch cameo at Kavanaughs in S5
Munch has appeared in four shows: Law & Order (OG and SVU), Homicide and The Wire. He's been written as the same character in all four, basically.
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By doing so all shows exist in the same universe. Specifically linking The Wire and Law & Order. Since L&O and Homicide LotS already had their own side crossover. Plus since SVU had a crossover with those Chicago shows that another group of series also connected.
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Season 5 highlight
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thekillerj23
Supporter
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Knocked it out in about 2 weeks but finally watched the wire 18 years later. Def see why some have it as best show ever, love how it kept all those characters story relevant & tied it all together with no loose ends.
My ranking of seasons go 3>1>4>2>5
Favorite Characters for me:
Stinger>Avon>Omar>Marlo
My ranking of seasons go 3>1>4>2>5
Favorite Characters for me:
Stinger>Avon>Omar>Marlo
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Season 5 was trash. Period. Don’t try and write a thesis to convince us it wasn’t. I knew going that the seasons focus was the media. HBO messed up and they rushed it for the whole everything comes full circle theme.
Nereyda Vuelve Por Dios
formerly DONRE
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Season 5 plausibilty of mcnutly and templeton’s deceptiveness arent the problem. those things happen and yes its a motif seen eveyday.
And maybe its a testament to good acting but templeton character was so damn annoying. And strident.
And mcnultys spiral into obscurity is what put me off. Therefore, mashing up these two characters and then using this lie to benefit the other while evading serious repercussion is what falls short.
i think we who critique season 5 just wanted that plot to be a bit tighter irregardless of fact.
And maybe its a testament to good acting but templeton character was so damn annoying. And strident.
And mcnultys spiral into obscurity is what put me off. Therefore, mashing up these two characters and then using this lie to benefit the other while evading serious repercussion is what falls short.
i think we who critique season 5 just wanted that plot to be a bit tighter irregardless of fact.
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Rewatched during my covid quarantine
Season 2 is one of the best seasons. Ziggy character was hella annoying.
Season 2 is one of the best seasons. Ziggy character was hella annoying.
