The Wire

[Guest StuCotts]

The Wire had its last episode last night. I'll miss it. I was addicted despite its unrelievedly joyless outlook. It also made Baltimore look like one of the bleakest places in the known universe. Does the city deserve that kind of treatment?

[JKane]

I'm also a big fan, but I watch off DVD instead of HBO so please no spoilers!

I've heard this season may not have been as good as previously, but those seasons were masterworks so I'm guessing this is still pretty good TV (especially given what passes lately!).

What was your favorite season/storyline? I think mine has the be Season 3 with Bunny's solution to cleaning up the communities streets. And I liked where he went in S4. The Dock/Union stuff in 2 was good too.

It does always seem to end badly for everybody though.

I've been to Flint, Michigan, so I can easily imagine a city having been that bad in the 90s/early 2000's. I'd hope it would have picked up some of late. I'm also interested to hear anybody's perspective who lives in/travels to Baltimore lately.

Eagerly awaiting the final DVD box, on Wire withdrawal, I've been watching some Homicide reruns. Not quite a good, but obviously has a fair number of similarities.

I'd say anybody who's a fan of cop dramas (or just good TV) owes it to themselves to pick up the first couple seasons of The Wire on DVD. It may take a couple episodes to get into it but soon you'll know what *everyone's* raving about!

[Guest StuCotts]

I'm also a big fan, but I watch off DVD instead of HBO so please no spoilers!

I've heard this season may not have been as good as previously, but those seasons were masterworks so I'm guessing this is still pretty good TV (especially given what passes lately!).

What was your favorite season/storyline? I think mine has the be Season 3 with Bunny's solution to cleaning up the communities streets. And I liked where he went in S4. The Dock/Union stuff in 2 was good too.

It does always seem to end badly for everybody though.

I've been to Flint, Michigan, so I can easily imagine a city having been that bad in the 90s/early 2000's. I'd hope it would have picked up some of late. I'm also interested to hear anybody's perspective who lives in/travels to Baltimore lately.

Eagerly awaiting the final DVD box, on Wire withdrawal, I've been watching some Homicide reruns. Not quite a good, but obviously has a fair number of similarities.

I'd say anybody who's a fan of cop dramas (or just good TV) owes it to themselves to pick up the first couple seasons of The Wire on DVD. It may take a couple episodes to get into it but soon you'll know what *everyone's* raving about!

Tough to say which season was my favorite. They were all so relentlessly grim, with every glimmer of uplift quickly beaten down. No less addictive for their gruesomeness. If pressed, I'd have to choose the fourth, the one largely about the kids in school. To my mind it's easily the most despairing of all. I disagree that there was any loss of quality in the final season.

Enjoy the series when your DVD's are all in hand. You might want to keep a few Betty Grable musicals within easy reach in case you need a fast antidote for hopelessness overload.