The Wire: should I stick with it? (no spoilers)

[AntonyF]

Okay was just thinking... this is a topic about The Wire, and I would welcome your thoughts, but will also digress into ponderings about TV in general.

So I'm trying to get into The Wire. Watched 4 episodes. And quite frankly I'm bored. Find it very hard to pay attention to it... which also fuels the boredom because it's easy to not be able to follow plots.

I've got very pragmatic of late... I delete shows that don't take my fancy very quickly. That's problematic as some of my fav shows took me a while to get into, but there's so much I want to watch there's no time to waste on medicore shows.

The Wire is just SO acclaimed that I am trying to be patient, and I like complex shows, but I am finding it very hard to get into.

So people who have seen it... should I perservere? I read on one forum that ep 5 and ep 10 were points where if you haven't liked it by then, you probably never will. But I don't think I can make 10, 5 will be hard!

My problem is, largely, I don't know what's going on. And I don't know if I should care either... it's just very... blah. It's jumps about... not sure what the hell is going on. In ep 4 they go to the kitchen and analyse a crime scene and say fuck 50 times, which I'm sure is meant to be amusing but I just found it self-indulgent and also I don't know why they're there, who the murdered girl is etc. Maybe it was explained, maybe it wasn't.

So I know you can't tell me whether to like something, but I want to know whether it has the chance to capture me soon. Or whether I'll never get it. Thoughts welcome.

Here comes the ramble...

But this got me thinking... maybe certain shows are just incompatible with certain viewers. I do love shows that demand a lot of the viewer. Long arcs, complicated stories. I don't think my aversion to The Wire is compexity.

But I am who I am. And...

• I like to know the larger structure of something to understand the smaller details. I'm like this in work, and when I'm working on projects. I can't just go with the flow, I need to understand the bigger picture. Whereas The Wire is not geared that way.
• I'm bad with names. And The Wire makes no efforts to hand-hold you.
• I'm bad with faces. And The Wire is full of them... half the cast I can't tell apart, particularly all the generic drug dealer types.

I never got on with Mad Men as it also had this feeling of meandaring... just doing its thing, not holding to a convention of a story structure so much.

For both shows it's like watching people existing... and the show goes with that, rather than forcing traditional episode structures on them. And I think I do admire that. I stopped watching The Killing (also seems popular) because that was the opposite, the characters were the puppets to the story.

But I don't seem to deal well with this style of story telling perhaps, so with The Wire "it's not you, it's me"?

 

[Harvey]

You should stick with it. There are so many characters, and there's so little pandering exposition like other television shows (you'll never get another flashback guiding your attention like in the first episode), that it's hard to keep track of everyone until you're well into the first season. This, ultimately, can be a bit of a problem, because it's hard to become invested in the characters and relationships when they're not clear.

Everything eventually starts to fit into place, though, and when you watch the show a second time I bet you'll really appreciate it.

 

[Lindley]

The Wire is a "slow burn" show. They set up the situation gradually and the complications are not introduced immediately.

Each season has a different focus and is relatively self-contained.

I agree that it can be difficult at first to keep track of who is who. I'm bad with names as well and I didn't have 100% of them down even after watching all 5 seasons. However, there are a few key players whom you should pay attention to.

The Street:
D'Angelo: The bald kid who was in court in the first episode.
Avon Barksdale: D'Angelo's uncle, he's the "man in charge" on the dealer side for the first season. D'Angelo describes him as the "King" during his chess-metaphor.
Stringer Bell: The get-shit-done man on the dealer side and Avon's #2. D'Angelo described him as the "Queen" in the chess metaphor. Keep an eye on Stringer, he's interesting.
Bodie & Wallace: Hang out a lot with D'Angelo in "the low-rises". Both have interesting roles in various ways. Wallace immediately caught my attention because he knew something I didn't (Hamilton is the only face on an US bill who was not a president).

Omar Little & crew: These guys make a living by robbing drug dealers. They're not dealers themselves.

The Cops:
McNultey: Pretty much the main character in season 1, although this will not always be the case.
Daniels: Black. Head of the Major Crimes unit. No-nonsense but fair.
Rawls & Burrell: The Assholes In Charge, more or less, although your perspective on them may moderate down the road. White and black respectively.
Lester Freamon: Competent, although he doesn't advertise it. Builds models. Black.
Greggs: The black lesbian. Also competent.
"Prezbo" (can't spell his name): Bit of a dick at first. Comes into his own later. White.
Carver & Herc: Bit useless at first. Come into their own later. Black & white respectively.

 

[TheGodBen]

I wasn't sure about it from the first couple of episodes, it wasn't until episode 4 that I realised I was even enjoying it. It was a Friday night, I had a long week, I was tired and I wanted to go to bed, but I was absolutely engrossed in the conversation between McNulty and Lester in the bar. I was enjoying watching these two characters interact so much that sleep could wait. It's an odd scene to realise that you're hooked on a show, but that was it for me.

I never got on with Mad Men as it also had this feeling of meandaring... just doing its thing, not holding to a convention of a story structure so much.

The Wire doesn't hold to a standard television structure, the writers often said that they approached each season like a novel and the episodes are the chapters. Episodes of The Wire don't have their own story, they're only part of the larger story and it's for that reason that I have almost no recollection as to what happened in individual episodes, only what happened in each season. The upside to this should be obvious, but the downside is that the opening three or four episodes to each season are rather slow and at times its feels like nothing is happening. But the final batch of episodes each season really pack a punch.

I feel similarly to you about Mad Men and gave up after three episodes. I should probably give it another shot some day but I just don't want to.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I would say: depends. There definitely is a certain amount of tedium in The Wire, it's not an action-oriented show like eg The Shield, but I think it pays off. I also had some problems keeping the characters apart (especially since the language was difficult for me at times too), but I got into it over time. The plot gets quite complicated as the story goes on, so it's definitely a show you have to pay attention to to enjoy it.

But if you're really that bored... My cutoff is: if watching a tv show feels like work, it's not worth it.

 

[Hunter X]

I'd advise to stick it out for the entire first season. I limped through the first several episodes, taking long breaks between watching and dozing off during episodes. Then, at some point I can't even recall, I found myself enjoying the stories and the characters, actually wanting to pop in the next episode right away to see what would happen next. It does culminate in a great story, even if nothing makes sense or is all that grabbing at first.

 

[Warp Coil]

I say stick it out. I was never really interested in the premise of the show, and ignored it until last year. Everyone keeps praising the show was one of the best, and so I decided that I had to see it for myself to determine whether it was really as good as other people were making it out to be. My brother was a big fan, and he owns all 5 seasons on DVD, so he loaned them to me.

It took probably 7 or 8 episodes for me to even begin to care about it. It's not the type of television show I'm used to. There are so many characters, and most of them aren't the "hero" types. It was very difficult to figure out who I was supposed to be rooting for, who I was supposed to care about, etc. I felt very detached from the main characters and struggled to identify with them.

I only finished season 1 because I forced myself to finish. If I got through a complete season, I knew that I'd have enough of a base to form an opinion with. Interestingly, by the time I finished season 1, I was willing to keep going with season 2, and as the show progressed, I found myself actually starting to care about some of these people.

 

[Seven of Five]

Yeah I agree with what the majority are saying, in that The Wire is a real slow burner. I think by the fourth or fifth episode I'd become hooked, but it took me a couple of attempts to get there. Patience really is a virtue with this series, as the start of each season really takes its time introducing characters and situations. Gradually the arc of the season takes shape, and it builds and builds until the end, and you're blown away.

I became heavily invested in the characters over the course of the series, but I could never name them all. I do plan a rewatch someday.

 

[AntonyF]

Thanks. Very interesting responses.. gives me food for thought. Particularly as some of you sound in the same boat but got there in the end.

Everything eventually starts to fit into place, though, and when you watch the show a second time I bet you'll really appreciate it.

It really does scream of that sort of show. One my most favourite things is rewatching a show where I know what's going to happen, and I love seeing it unfold. Everything from B5, to DS9 to Arrested Development - love when I get it, then rewatch it.

I just feel with the Wire I just need to have seen it magically, then rewatch it.

I was absolutely engrossed in the conversation between McNulty and Lester in the bar. I was enjoying watching these two characters interact so much that sleep could wait. It's an odd scene to realise that you're hooked on a show, but that was it for me.

Interesting as I just watched that, and thought... hmm... this is meant to be character development I guess, but it was sandwiched between "fuck fuck fuck fuck" scene" and the lesbians. And odd sandwich.

But if you're really that bored... My cutoff is: if watching a tv show feels like work, it's not worth it.

Well that's the stance I take now. I was wathcing many shows because I kind of liked them, or felt I should like them, but then I realised I'm doing it for the sake of it. Went on a massive cut of shows I watched, and feel better for it. So totally agree with you. Although sometimes I try to be patient, because I'm not the most patient of people.

And it took me until mid-season two of DS9 until I liked that, and that's one of my fav all times shows now, so I do keep things like that in mind.

Interestingly, by the time I finished season 1, I was willing to keep going with season 2, and as the show progressed, I found myself actually starting to care about some of these people.

I've done that with other shows... so I do hope that could happen.

 

[Yoda]

Yeah, the Wire is totally worth it. I had the exact same issues as you in the early going. It took me a while before I could tell any of the white dudes apart from each other, or any of the black dudes apart from each other. At least they had that diversity as a starting point

Also, if you have the option, turn on the subtitles. It helped me a lot.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

So I'm trying to get into The Wire. Watched 4 episodes. And quite frankly I'm bored.

That was exactly my experience, except I think I bailed in 3.

However, I'm gonna give it another shot. Except right now I'm giving Justified another shot - wow, why did I ever bail on that one?

 

[Garak]

One more vote for YES. It's hands down the best show I've seen.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'm just starting on it myself and haven't made it past the first episode yet, so you have 3 eps on me.

 

[Sci]

It took probably 7 or 8 episodes for me to even begin to care about it. It's not the type of television show I'm used to. There are so many characters, and most of them aren't the "hero" types. It was very difficult to figure out who I was supposed to be rooting for, who I was supposed to care about, etc.

This may be apropos of nothing, or it may just be really obvious to the people who've seen it (yourself included), but --

I haven't seen The Wire yet. But everyone I know who has seen it has told me that it's a mistake to approach it the way you would a normal police procedural or a traditional melodrama. The Wire, I've been told, truly embraces Realism/Naturalism -- it's not a world where there's a clear delineation between "good guys" and "bad guys." There are just people, belonging to institutions (legal and illegal), and being compromised by them.

 

[Roger Wilco]

However, I'm gonna give it another shot. Except right now I'm giving Justified another shot - wow, why did I ever bail on that one?

You said it's derivative basically and that you don't like cop shows where the protagonist is a good guy or something like that. I remember because I was a bit annoyed by you because of that.

 

[Yevetha]

Stick with it.

 

[Deckerd]

It's the first TV show I ever saw where the audience are truly treated like adults. There are no recaps, no introductory scenes. With a really large cast you can only follow the obvious lead faces at first then you suddenly realise you're engrossed in all of it.

Compared to something like B5, where every new idea had a completely daft conversation, followed with 'but you knew that' The Wire trusts the viewer to persevere. The rewards are great.

 

[Lindley]

it's not a world where there's a clear delineation between "good guys" and "bad guys." There are just people, belonging to institutions (legal and illegal), and being compromised by them.

Fairly true. There are a few people who are definitively "bad guys." But on the whole that's correct.

 

[Deckerd]

I watched The Sopranos after I watched The Wire and I think the dividing line between good guys and bad guys will never be clear again. By any definition almost all of the male principals in the Sopranos are vicious, merciless killers but that doesn't stop you becoming wrapped up in their lives, having favourites, ones you hate, etc.

 

[TheGodBen]

I haven't seen The Wire yet. But everyone I know who has seen it has told me that it's a mistake to approach it the way you would a normal police procedural or a traditional melodrama. The Wire, I've been told, truly embraces Realism/Naturalism -- it's not a world where there's a clear delineation between "good guys" and "bad guys." There are just people, belonging to institutions (legal and illegal), and being compromised by them.

David Simon has said that The Wire wasn't really a cop show, it was just framed that way in the beginning because cop shows sell. In the end it is quite clear that the show was telling the story of a city, the institutions that exist within that city, how they interact with one another as well as their own internal politics. The first season is the most basic, it contrasts the institution of the police department with that of Barksdale's gang and it's centred around two low-level employees of both institutions; McNulty and D'Angelo. The show keeps that police investigation element as it goes on but each season it expands its focus to new institutions: labour unions, the political establishment, the school system and the media. There are also interesting characters like Omar and Bubbles that aren't a part of these institutions but who still interact with them regularly.

If The Wire has a flaw it's that, though it contains dozens of brilliant characters, it's not a character-driven show, at least not on the same level as The Sopranos or Breaking Bad. That's not such a big deal, that's not what The Wire is supposed to be about, just don't go into it expecting McNulty to break down crying in a therapy session.