Talking The Wire

Welcome to our weekly conversation about The Wire! Amy, Nicole, and I have watched the first two episodes - here are our initial thoughts about what we've seen:


So...now that we've watched the first couple of episodes, what do you think? Does this show live up to the hype? Do you still want to "Talk The Wire"?

Nicole: My first though was that it definitely didn't live up to the hype. The acting in some places didn't seem all that great to me, and I was wondering what all the excitement was about. Of course, we are watching the very few episodes so the series is very new and still finding it's feet. I was a little overwhelmed by all of the action and all of the players in this story. There are a bunch of people to track...The FBI, the police, the criminals...and everyone has these agendas and particular personal relationships.

Amy: It doesn't live up to the hype yet, but I could definitely see the appeal after one episode. I will keep watching for sure as I feel it's the kind of show where the tension builds slowly, and that feels a lot more realistic than a lot of television. I did feel like I needed to wash my ears without soap, though, LOL.

Nicole: I definitely agree with you.about both the appeal and the attention because as I was watching I kept seeing the potential, and though I was a bit confused, I definitely wanted to see what was going to happen next.

Elizabeth: I am not feeling it yet. I think I need to feel a connection to a character before I can really fall completely into the story, and right now I'm just overwhelmed with all the new people - trying to remember names, faces, interactions, etc. Like you both said, I do see that it has potential - I am curious to see how the storylines will develop, and I like the idea of getting the viewpoints of all the different players - good guys, bad guys, etc.

There are several different divisions and factions in this series, the police, the FBI, the drug dealers...is there any group that is more interesting for you to watch? Have you established any loyalties this early on?

Nicole: I am having such a hard time keeping everyone straight! I don't really have any firm loyalties, but I am finding that I am liking a few out of each of the group. I really love the beginnings where the guys are hanging out and talking about life and applying its principles to what is going in the street and just for a general education. The conversation about Jackson being on the 20- dollar bill, and how he had to have been a president because there was no other way that an ugly white man was going to find himself on a piece of currency. If you don't know anything about presidents, then that is one way that you will be able to recognize at least a few of them.

Amy: I am totally confused about this. I'm hoping it all gels in my mind and makes sense. I feel fairly invested in all of the stories at this point and find the way in which they unfold to be interesting. I thought the Lance Reddick character's conversation with his wife (what's his name on the show?) to be absolutely brilliant. "You can't lose if you don't play the game."

Elizabeth: Hmmm. I don't think I've picked a "side" so far, but again, I am certainly interested to see how each segment plays out. I'm specifically interested in the narrative style - it seems very much like Lost, in that it throws a whole bunch of people at you right away, and then takes (I'm assuming) the rest of the season to sort them all out.

Which character do you like the most and why? And then which character has been the most memorable?

Amy: I like the female cop and I admittedly like McNulty. I feel something for the conflict going on in D'Angelo Barksdale as well. I think I'm really going to like this show for the complex and flawed characters.

Nicole: Which one is D'Angelo? Is he the head guy? I am feeling something for the cousin who used to manage the towers but was demoted. The series started with him getting away with murder and playing the tough, but he also seems to be conflicted about the fact that an innocent man may have been killed for testifying against him.

Elizabeth: I like Kima, the female cop. I like the actor who plays Stringer, so I'm interested to see how his character plays out. I have a feeling this might not be a show where I actually LIKE very many people, but still find them fascinating.


Check back next week - and feel free to add your own thoughts! We'd love to have you join us. =)