 Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Definately agree about Colvin and Namond, that was cliche and definately corny. If that happened AND Carver adopted Randy, that would have been a disaster for the show.
I do think I was right about Bubs in that he is now in his most hopeless state. I was just wrong in that I thought he'd be checking out by the end of the season. I've never thought the actor who plays Carver was anything great in particular - He was also on OZ - but that scene with him leaving the group home and getting into his car was great stuff. Even the kid who played Randy did a great job. He just looked numb, or hardened to reality. How's that for irony - The only reason the kid opens his mouth in the first place is because he so desperately doesn't want to be taken out of his foster home, and it's because he opens his mouth that precisely that happens. I meant the kids story lines are wrapped up in that we have closure to their stories for this season. I don't think we've seen the last of them, except maybe for Randy. We'll see, hopefully next September, but I'm not sure. |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| This was a very strong season. Extremely strong.
It's funny what you said about being wrong on Bubs, because I sort of have the impression now that you were right. Season after season, he's been the eternal optimist, the wise sage of the streets. But at the end of this season he is reduced to a shell of his former impervious self. Very sad. I liked the thing with Carver and Randy... Carver in the car afterwards was one of the more emotional moments of the entire series. I think we can all relate to what he must have been feeling... that there are moments of personal guilt we have that are just too big and too fucked up to fight. So what do we do? We pointlessly punch the steering wheel or internalize the pain. Kima was the same way at the hospital with Bubs. One thing I didn't like so much was how Colvin adopted Namond. It just seemed corny and impractical to me. What did you think? The kids' storylines are wrapped-up, but I wonder if we'll be seeing any of them in season five? The anonymous picture of Michael on Freamon's bulletin board points to YES, but who really knows? I wonder if their storyline will be isolated, much like the the dock workers of season two. Coincidentally, it was nice to see Spiros the Greek drop in for a cameo. And about Michael not shooting Bodie... you're 100% right. Anyway, I bought season one at Best Buy and have watched the first few episodes over again. Good stuff... |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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| http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/08/tv.thewire.bubbles.ap/index.html
The real "bubs" |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 12:08 am Post subject: |
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| Hey Lono, what did you think of the finale?
Spoilers Everyone I have talked to thinks it was Michael who killed Bodie, but that it incorrect. Anyway, The Wire typically wraps things up at the end of a season more than The Sopranos does. Like it or not, we have closure on the stories of all the kids, for now. As for the rest of the plots, it seems like the writers set the table more for next season. I was curious about what you think. I thought I was right about Bubs for a second there. While I never cared much about Randy's storyline, the scenes with him and Carver in the finale are the scenes I will find most memorable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDIi0dzmvpE Here is a "funny" scene from The Wire. I thought you'd get a kick out of it. The croud loved it, anyway. |
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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| When Carver walked into the hospital, he looked at the dry-erase board that had all of the patient's names on it. Miss Anna was listed in critical, but stable condition.
It looks like my prediction for Randy is coming true... He's going to be deprived of the one stable home situation that he's ever had. |
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| Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, your interpretation was kind of what I was thinking. I wasn't sure though, because you could say that the writers are trying to liken Michael to Avon, Marlo, or even Chris, but not really Stringer. Still, I think the scene was drawing the parellel that you mentioned.
Let me ask you something else. I may be dense, so forgive me. Was Randy's foster mother harmed or killed in the fire? Are we to assume that she was, or that she was not? Do we not know for sure? |
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| Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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It's easy to forget that Cutty was once a cold-blooded murderer himself. Him telling Michael to "go with his people" came from a wealth of personal experience on the streets. Can you imagine what might have happened to Michael had he shown too much empathy towards Cutty? Cutty knows what would have happened...
I didn't make that connection, and I have to say that it's somewhat fascinating to think about. With Stringer, it was that his tactics had finally caught up to him in the form of Omar and Mouzone. He was trapped. In this context we have yet another malevolent duo (Snoop and Chris) and a Michael that is becoming something quite different than what we came to know him as during the first 11 episodes. Isn't this the trap that we all figured he'd eventually fall into? He's part of it now, and like Stringer, he's not likely to ever get out of it. Great catch on that one... |
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| Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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| The Avon poster on the wall, e reminder that his contribution was not enough to save the likes of Michael....That is an incredible piece of symbolism that I did not catch.
As for Michael, I agree that he does have a heart, but his ability to show compassion seems to be waining with each week. True, he was willing to stay with Cutty and wait for an "ambo." I think that scene was put in there more for symbolism than to show Michael's compassion. As you pointed out, this season has been a struggle for Michael's soul between Marlo, Cutty, and Prez, with Prez never really having much of a chance. For some reason, that scene reminded me of the symbolism in Platoon....Platoon Spoilers.... A struggle for Christopher's soul between Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias, with Elias being left out in the field being symbolic of the dying of Chris's good side. Similar situation here, with Michael considering staying with Cutty, and then deciding to bail. I don't really know what to make of this, but wasn't the scene with Michael running through the abandoned building eerily similar to Stringer being chased last season. Since it was only practice anyway, there is probably nothing to it, but it just seemed like it was intentionally reminiscent. Ashame about Sherard, if that's how you spell his name. We hardly knew ya. I thought he was under-developed, but I think he was more there to show another unsuccessful attempt by Bubs' at being a mentor, with this situation hitting closer to home than Johnny. He has failed at his attempts at being an entrepreneur, a "cop," a mentor, and a surrogate father. He frankly seems worn down. We'll see what happens. Looking foward to the last episode. I hope it ends with another great montage, a season-ending signature for The Wire. It might be cliche, but it's still that best way to end the season. The Sopranos did this only once and it was the best ending of any of the show's six seasons. |
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| Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:19 am Post subject: |
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| Episode 49... How fucking good was it? It's amazing that a season that is without Stringer and basically without McNulty could be The Wire's best yet. Anyway, here's a brief observation that I've made:
Michael is a prequel to Avon Barksdale through and through. He has developed a keen knack for “soldiering,” as Avon would put it, for when action is necessary, he can act with a ruthlessness that is truly astonishing. In so many senses, he is the perfect animal for the streets. But alas, Michael also has a heart. Check out his empathy for Dukie, his standing up for Randy the Snitch, or his willingness to stay with Cutty until an ambulence arrived. Knowing that these entities are not a part of the game, he treats them with decency, kindness, and respect. However, his beating of Namond because he was not “street” enough is entirely reminiscent of how Avon felt about Stringer. All things being equal, and all being a part of the game means reprisal or ruffian treatment is possible against a poser such as Namond, while it is classless or even cowardly against the others. And finally, just remember the likeness that looms large over Cutty’s gym: A young Avon in boxing posture. Unfortunately, the tragic irony here is that Avon’s contribution to the gym was apparently not enough to save the wayward Michael. Instead, Avon is just the twisted father of future Avon-archetypes. |
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Very true. I think he otherwise plays the part well, but you frequently hear his brogue. I agree with you on McNulty and Stringer. For the most part, they do a good job, but there were a few isolated occasions. I don't know if you have the season one DVD set, but if you do, check out the scene in which Stringer is yelling at his print shop workers about wanting the shop to run like a normal business and not just some front. It seems like he even forgets that he is supposed to be hiding his accent. | |
| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:12 am Post subject: |
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| By the way, CK1...
I thought McNulty and Stringer did a great job of hiding their accents. Carcetti, on the other hand, is a complete fucking mess. He's supposed to be an Italian guy from around the port area of Baltimore, but you can hear his Irish brogue in nearly every scene that he's in. There aren't many things about The Wire that annoy me, but that's one of them. |
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:43 am Post subject: |
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| "Thunderclap." But upon further review, maybe I should have just said it hit me like "the clap." That would have been much more illustrative.
Thanks for reading. |
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| Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:31 pm Post subject: Or Transformers Maybe? |
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| At the very top of this page, Lono mentioned that something hit him like a, 'thundercap.' Maybe I'm a little f'd up, but what the hell is a thundercap? Are you sure you didn't mean, 'ThunderCAT?'
Thundercats, OOOOOOOHH!!! |
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| Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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| In real life, the actor who play McNulty has a heavy British accent. I'm sure you remember back in season 2 when the detail raided the brothel, he had to use a British accent. Ironically, the detail joked with him about having a shitty British accent. Also, the actor who plays Stringer has a heavy Britsh accent as well. With both actors, you can occasionally notice their accents slipping out on the show. Not often, but once in a while. | |
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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| I think it's set in stone that The Sopranos will start in early April.
As far as McNulty is concerned, the reason that he has a scaled-down role this season is because he (Dominic West) thought he had a realistic shot at being the next James Bond. As such, he asked the writers to include him in The Wire, but to do so in a lesser manner. It's amazing how good this season has been in his relative absence, but he is a great character and I look forward to him being back in the fold. |
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| One more thing. When you say you expect him to become a bigger part, you mean McNulty, right? I also think the same because I think it is evident and because I've actually heard that. You know he's gonna scumbag Beadie because of the exchange he had with his ex-wife the previous episode. Carcett is going to inspire a re-awakening for McNulty, and before you know it, he'll completely be back to his old ways. | |
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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| That's great, but how long does that push the new season back? 8 months? A year? Lol.
Yeah, that zooming in on McNulty, a signature of late-season Wire episodes, was a great scene. Another great episode. Funny how Herc's career hangs in the balance of the bureaucratic tug of war. |
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Quick point, CK1.
It looks like your analysis of the Carcetti / McNulty connection was dead-on. Did you see the look on McNulty's face at Carcetti's conference? It said it all. I fully expect him to be a MUCH bigger part of the fifth and final season than he has been in the current. And one last thing... The Sopranos has bumped their final run from eight to nine episodes. |
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| Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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| ....meant to write "Micael seems protective of them" | |
| Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I agree with you about the fate of Michael and Namond. I also agree about the other two. However, since Randy and Dukie are both seem a bit smarter and a bit more business savvy than Michael, and since Michael seems protectived than them, that one of them will become Stringer to Michael's Avon. I lean more towards Dukie. I could be wrong about this, because if Michael were to become a kingpin in the future, those days are still a long waf off. | |