I haven’t been keeping up with the blog because I started re-watching The Wire, and I just finished Season 3… for the fourth time.
If you’ve never seen The Wire, the best way to summarize is to just say that it’s a crime drama set in Baltimore that focuses equally on the detectives, drug dealers, drug users, corrupted officials, etc. It’s amazing. Also, many TV critics seem to think it is the best show ever… as in ever ever… as in better than The Sopranos, The Simpsons, or Seinfeld.
It’s rare that I break down into tears when murderous drug dealers get killed, so I have to respect a show that makes me cry every time I see the episode in Season 2 where D’Angelo Barksdale “gets got.”
So, here’s 3 scenes from Season 3 that I thought were wonderful… along with one thing I hate about the show.
Scene 1: To go back a bit, D’Angelo was killed by his own people, and his death was made to look like a suicide. It’s not until much later that his mother, Brianna (played by the incredible Michael Hyatt), finds out he was murdered. I love this scene, and you must watch to the end when McNulty puts the blame on Brianna. It’s heartbreaking.
Scene 2: Afterward Brianna confronts her brother about D’Angelo’s death. In this scene you see Avon (the leader of the Barksdale crew), his sister Brianna, and Stringer Bell (the #2 guy who put the hit out on D’Angelo). Whenever I see this scene I inevitably have the urge to reach through my TV and strangle Stringer Bell myself.
Scene 3: And, a post about The Wire wouldn’t be complete mentioning Omar. Omar, played brilliantly by Michael K. Williams, robs drug dealers, acts a bit like robin hood, is out and proud waving his rainbow flag, and is probably one of the best characters I’ve ever seen on television.
In this scene Brother Mouzone has returned to Baltimore to take out Stringer Bell, and he wants Omar’s help. This is the first time Omar and Brother Mouzone are seeing each other since Omar triled to kill Brother Mouzone in Season 2. Stringer Bell had tortured and killed Omar’s boyfriend in Season 1 and then convinced Omar that it was Brother Mouzone who did it. I don’t really like the Brother Mouzone character at all, but Omar completely makes up for it. I just love this:
There is one flaw with The Wire. It’s their theme song. It is quite possibly THE WORST theme song in the history of television. And it’s so loooooong. I’ve always felt that shows should never use vocals on theme songs. Also, I much prefer seeing the credits as subtitles to the start of the show and not a separate section. Lost does this perfectly by having a 2 second “opening” and then going directly into the show while the credits appear outside of the main view. With The Wire, you have to sit through what feels like an eternity of what has to be the worst cover ever of Tom Waits (who I like).
As soon as the first note sounds I move faster than Usain Bolt to hit skip, mute, or power.
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The Wire is the best show that has ever been created. Everything about it is good. We used to call it ‘Nulty’ as in “I’m watching Nulty tonight.”
I agree the theme song is too long, especially if you’re on a Wire bender, watching like 7 episodes in a day. But, it’s not that bad. It was different every season and I remember some seasons being better than others.
Omar. My favorite character also. I get chills down the spine every time he walks down the street whistling “The Farmer in the Dell”. Do you happen to have the DVDs or do you watch online?
Also, lets get together for some more ping pong sometime. Facebook me.