The Wire

[Mara]

By the way, I HATED BEING A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER.

And Omar just robbed Marlo. Interesting. That is not going to end well.

I get that Marlo's a dick, but still, killing that security guard seemed way out there. He provoked the confrontation, where the guard was actually pretty level-headed and cool. Then Marlo has him killed over it? For talking back? Who learns a lesson from that? What purpose does it serve?

I'm really enjoying this season, but it feels a little fractured to me. There are soooo many characters that have been carried over from former seasons, and they all have plot lines, and so far they're not converging. There isn't that feeling that everyone is pulling together.

[Ezee E]

You're in season four?

[Glass Co.]

By the way, I HATED BEING A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER.

Sometimes I think this season alone convinced me to get off of that path.

I get that Marlo's a dick, but still, killing that security guard seemed way out there. He provoked the confrontation, where the guard was actually pretty level-headed and cool. Then Marlo has him killed over it? For talking back? Who learns a lesson from that? What purpose does it serve?

It has to do with his own ego issues as much as anything. Losing the card game at the beginning of the episode was enough of a blow to his self-esteem that he felt internally that he had to re-assert his own sociopathic belief in himself. At least that's what I took from it

[Dead & Messed Up]

They're throwing bags of drugs at him out of fear. And he's all disappointed. The thrill of the chase is gone.

Given that this is The Wire, the idea of someone enjoying the thrill of the chase must be dealt with as harshly as possible. It's the equivalent of a Whedon Furtive Girl finding true love.

[number8]

Mara, one of the things you should notice about The Wire by now is that what you think is strange about a character's barely significant action will be asked on the show down the line—they're just not in a hurry to address it like most shows.

Later in the season*, Marlo will do something else that's dickish that another character will question like you did (what's the purpose?). It actually reveals a lot of who Marlo is, like Glass Co's interpretation of the security guard killing.

"You want it to be one way, but it's the other way."

* Actually, I just remembered that the scene I'm thinking of is in season 5. So, yeah. Long term character building.

[Mara]

I'm glad to hear that. I was afraid it was just a narrative reason to leave his badge in the grass, being one of the first clues that someone dead is inside there.

BY THE WAY, at the large neighborhood festival today, someone had a bumper sticker saying "What would Omar do?" and the live band was belting out "Down in the Hole." So The Wire lives in Baltimore.

[[ETM]]

I think you're gonna start noticing more and more details from now on. I don't think I'd be able to walk past a boarded up row house without thinking of the show.

[Mara]

I think you're gonna start noticing more and more details from now on. I don't think I'd be able to walk past a boarded up row house without thinking of the show.

I'm recognizing more and more filming locations as they spread the stories out further. But I was afraid of boarded-up row homes long before I ever watched the show.

[Mara]

One of the artists at the festival today is a photographer who seems to focus on urban blight, and he had a whole series of boarded-up homes. He also had a number of half-demolished homes, mostly from Philadelphia. They were really beautiful pictures.

[Mara]

I'm not sure I can emotionally handle watching Bubs get beat up every episode.

[Mara]

Proposition Joe in episode eight, doing not one but three white man impressions trying to track down Herc: absolutely freaking brilliant.

McNulty is barely a character this season. Was he off making movies or something?

[Ezee E]

McNulty is barely a character this season. Was he off making movies or something?

Doing 300 maybe? I forgot. But he gets plenty of time in Season 5.

[[ETM]]

I'm not sure I can emotionally handle watching Bubs get beat up every episode.

It's all worth it in the end, I think.

[Russ]

It's all worth it in the end, I think.

Yup. I'd rank Bubbles' series-long character acr as one of the best ever (certainly the most satisfying).

[Mara]

By the way, no more Wire for me right before bed. Talk about nightmares: I was trying to save those kids all night.

[Glass Co.]

You're not even finished the season yet, are you?

Minor thematic spoilers about the final episode:

[

Show Spoiler

It rivals The Body as the most devastating episode of television I've seen.

]

[Mara]

By the way, no more Wire for me right before bed. Talk about nightmares: I was trying to save those kids all night.

Notice I'm ignoring my own advice.

The car wreck with the tiny booster was awesomely hilarious-- rather like the time McNulty hit the same bridge twice on two different tries-- in how it just keeps getting worse and worse and worse.

But then Bad Jerk Cop breaks the kid's fingers and it's not so funny anymore.

[Mara]

Where did they find these child actors? Seriously?

And where did they find parents willing to let their kids say so many naughty words?

[elixir]

Where did they find these child actors? Seriously?

Yeah, they're fantastic. What episode (#) are you on?

[Mara]

4.10, I think.

[elixir]

4.10, I think.

Oh man. Please continue to share your thoughts, you are coming up on some of the best hours of television ever.

[Mara]

The beating death of Michael's step-dad was brutal. I couldn't watch it after a few seconds, but then I couldn't stand hearing it, so I plugged my ears, but I could still hear those wed thuds. And it went on forever.

Yikes.

I was glad Poot and Bodie had a conversation about Wallace. That was such a horrible thing that happened, and I'm glad it's not just written off. They're still assessing their own morality and the choices they made.

[Mara]

I want to bleach my brain before going to bed. I feel like I should watch The Muppet Show or sing Sunday School songs or call my mother.

[Lucky]

Omar loves me, this I know...

[Thirdmango]

I HATED BEING A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER.

I'm glad I was a high school teacher for a semester so it could wash away any desire to be a high school teacher. Your statement is my same statement. Also season 4 is so good.