Television The Wire

Rooney in Paris

Gerrard shirt..Anfield? You'll Never Live it Down
Scout
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
35,970
Location
In an elephant sanctuary
Is it as good as breaking bad ?

Mad Men is a level below those two IMO. It has some very high highs, but the average is not quite there.

That said, I did recently queue up another re-watch of it, so it's still great.
I think Mad Men stands tall among them, I think on the contrary on average it's as good if not better than Breaking Bad (though of course that's personal preference). It also has massive rewatch value, I'd say it's better once you've seen it all pan out - the level of detail and little things that were already spread out across the seasons is quite crazy.
 

Tarrou

Full Member
Joined
May 13, 2013
Messages
25,637
Location
Sydney
It fooled me at first too, but to be fair she's repeatedly called "girl" and referred to as "she" throughout the series, so I think that one's on you :lol:
yeah it's definitely on me

I've yet to meet someone else who had the same issue :lol:

still, what a fecking performance though?! Such an amazing character, and the her final scene was heart-breaking

there is no show out there that has so many characters with such depth and nuance, not even close
 

Charlie Foley

Full Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
18,397
yeah it's definitely on me

I've yet to meet someone else who had the same issue :lol:

still, what a fecking performance though?! Such an amazing character, and the her final scene was heart-breaking

there is no show out there that has so many characters with such depth and nuance, not even close
Given Felicity Pearson’s life I wonder how much she was playing herself.
 

Mr Pigeon

Illiterate Flying Rat
Scout
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
26,339
Location
bin
Up to the end of season 4. Might squeeze in the first episode of season 5 before hopping into bed.

It really is an absolutely amazing show.

The dialogue, the acting, the naturalness of the stories being told. The humour. Every character is likeable because they feel so real. Nothing falls into place artificially like a bad soap opera (cough Game of Thrones season 8), and it's so cleverly written that even an arc that seems impossible to resolve comes to a fitting conclusion. The framing of scenes, the ability to change themes every season yet still maintain a core focus within an overarching narrative, the depth of the characters, the whole fecking thing is an absolute masterclass of storytelling that it puts every other show to shame.

And I will never tire of McNulty crashing his car and then drunkenly re-enacting the accident just to confirm that it actually happened.
 

Solius

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Staff
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
86,609
Up to the end of season 4. Might squeeze in the first episode of season 5 before hopping into bed.

It really is an absolutely amazing show.

The dialogue, the acting, the naturalness of the stories being told. The humour. Every character is likeable because they feel so real. Nothing falls into place artificially like a bad soap opera (cough Game of Thrones season 8), and it's so cleverly written that even an arc that seems impossible to resolve comes to a fitting conclusion. The framing of scenes, the ability to change themes every season yet still maintain a core focus within an overarching narrative, the depth of the characters, the whole fecking thing is an absolute masterclass of storytelling that it puts every other shoe to shame.
Hey everyone look he said shoe.
 

Volumiza

The alright "V", B-Boy cypher cat
Joined
Jul 13, 2018
Messages
13,552
Location
Somewhere in the middle
Just finishing the sopranos again for the millionth time and while I’ve got now tv I’ll be watching this. Never seen it and only heard good things.
 

2cents

Historiographer, and obtainer of rare antiquities
Scout
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
16,285
Just finishing the sopranos again for the millionth time and while I’ve got now tv I’ll be watching this. Never seen it and only heard good things.
 

weetee

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
3,755
Supports
no-one in particular
Just finishing the sopranos again for the millionth time and while I’ve got now tv I’ll be watching this. Never seen it and only heard good things.
 

Gazautd18

Full Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
Messages
3,507
Location
SL1
Damn!
Another one that never managed to finish this due to life circumstances.
Think I got up to S3 then gave up..
Due a rewatch now I've got some free time!
 

RoadTrip

petitioned for a just cause
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
26,399
Location
Los Pollos Hermanos...
Saw this thread on the homepage. Watched this ages ago but haven’t recently. What’s it on? Still Sky?
Definitely in my top 3 all time series.
 

Drz

Full Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2015
Messages
1,348
Just finishing the sopranos again for the millionth time and while I’ve got now tv I’ll be watching this. Never seen it and only heard good things.
Was in the same situation as yourself, binge watched it last year for the first time. You are in for a treat.
 

Fridge chutney

Full Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
8,960
When you're reaching the levels of The Wire, Breaking Bad, Sopranos and Mad Men, you're entering a territory in which better can often depend on mood, emphasis, style and a number of other factors. Each show has certain aspects that they do better or worse than the others. At this level it's too hard to call between them and it really does become a question of apples or oranges.

It's not a question that it's as good as Breaking Bad; it's whether it's better than anything ever made on television. It deserves to be in that conversation.
Made men is not even close to Sopranos or the Wire, and a distance behind Breaking Bad too.

Granted i could only watch the first few episodes because it was so dull.
 

Fridge chutney

Full Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
8,960
Just finishing the sopranos again for the millionth time and while I’ve got now tv I’ll be watching this. Never seen it and only heard good things.
I'm so jealous. It is a work of art and helped transform television. It is also the only show to reach the level of excellence that the Sopranos did, in my opinion. Enjoy!
 

Mr Pigeon

Illiterate Flying Rat
Scout
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
26,339
Location
bin
Forgot how shit the theme to Season 5 is. I have no idea why Steve Earle thought "I'll record this as if I'm anyone other than Steve Earle."

I know Season 5 gets a lot of criticism for being the weakest season, but it's like complaining that the final course in your perfect meal is only a giant multi layered chocolate gateau with complimentary blowjob.
 

Andy_Cole

Full Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2009
Messages
7,974
Location
Manchester
Forgot how shit the theme to Season 5 is. I have no idea why Steve Earle thought "I'll record this as if I'm anyone other than Steve Earle."

I know Season 5 gets a lot of criticism for being the weakest season, but it's like complaining that the final course in your perfect meal is only a giant multi layered chocolate gateau with complimentary blowjob.
Bit of a change of topic but a similar analogy can be said of the Simpsons Movie. I think 16 years later and I feel it's pretty good now. Definitely better than most the Simpsons material the last 10 years.
 

Rooney in Paris

Gerrard shirt..Anfield? You'll Never Live it Down
Scout
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
35,970
Location
In an elephant sanctuary
Made men is not even close to Sopranos or the Wire, and a distance behind Breaking Bad too.

Granted i could only watch the first few episodes because it was so dull.
Talking out of your arse, obviously.
Forgot how shit the theme to Season 5 is. I have no idea why Steve Earle thought "I'll record this as if I'm anyone other than Steve Earle."

I know Season 5 gets a lot of criticism for being the weakest season, but it's like complaining that the final course in your perfect meal is only a giant multi layered chocolate gateau with complimentary blowjob.
Well... to an extent. But in the process of watching it now, and it really does have a lot of issues. It has some excellent stuff too, but it's not just the serial killer plot that doesn't work (but boy, it reaaaaaally doesn't work, it's worse than I remembered it), there are some other issues too. Still very watcheable, and as far as I remember, a really good conclusion with the last episode.
And I will never tire of McNulty crashing his car and then drunkenly re-enacting the accident just to confirm that it actually happened.
One of the best scenes. Such a pathetic character overall.
 

Fridge chutney

Full Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
8,960
Because you're giving an opinion about a show you've watched a few episodes of, by your own admission.
Fair. I watched almost the entire season to be fair, and it is on my radar to give it another go. Perhaps I'll change my opinion if i get through the wall i couldn't last time.
 

Mr Pigeon

Illiterate Flying Rat
Scout
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
26,339
Location
bin
I didn't realise that the show was effectively cancelled after Season 3, and there was two years before Season 4 came out. I only remember thinking that Snoop was a seriously shit character in season 3, and the first scene of season 4 making me change my mind entirely on her.

No spoilers in that video for any lurkers who are curious.


Such a fecking brilliant show.
 

maniak

Full Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2004
Messages
10,024
Location
Lisboa
Supports
Arsenal
In the episode where Cheese takes his dog to the dogfight and ends up killing him after he loses, the other guy goes to him and tells him he got played. They both look at this rag on the floor and that's apparently the evidence. What happened here? How did the other guy cheat to win the dogfight? I was totally lost on that scene.

Btw Cheese's interrogation in that episode is fecking hilarious.
 

TheMagicFoolBus

Full Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2016
Messages
6,600
Location
Lisboa, Portugal
Supports
Chelsea
In the episode where Cheese takes his dog to the dogfight and ends up killing him after he loses, the other guy goes to him and tells him he got played. They both look at this rag on the floor and that's apparently the evidence. What happened here? How did the other guy cheat to win the dogfight? I was totally lost on that scene.

Btw Cheese's interrogation in that episode is fecking hilarious.
It is presumably some sort of tranquilizer, something that tastes awful to Cheese's dog, or potentially a pheromone or other scent that discourages him from fighting.

Google (and not my own extensive personal history of dog-fighting) suggests that in many fights the opposing trainer is allowed to rub down the dog to avoid this - and probably Cheese realized he hadn't done so when seeing the rag.
 

Rooney in Paris

Gerrard shirt..Anfield? You'll Never Live it Down
Scout
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
35,970
Location
In an elephant sanctuary
I didn't realise that the show was effectively cancelled after Season 3, and there was two years before Season 4 came out. I only remember thinking that Snoop was a seriously shit character in season 3, and the first scene of season 4 making me change my mind entirely on her.

No spoilers in that video for any lurkers who are curious.


Such a fecking brilliant show.
I mean... It's a good scene, but she is a bit of a shit character. She and Chris as a duo were quite flat.

I finished my rewatch last week and yeah season 5 really isn't great. It's got its moments (Bubs's redemption arc is lovely, the fallout from the whole serial killer mess in the last episode is pretty well done...), but overall it just feels a bit odd. What I find fascinating is that the whole newsroom angle, which obviously David Simon must have known very well, was incredibly boring. It offers very little insight in general, and the characters never feel particularly real or engaging (with maybe the exception of Gus).

Anyway, doesn't really spoil the broth per se, it's a shame it didn't go out with season 4 which hit exceptional highs, but at least it has a good conclusion, not particularly happy but consistent with the idea of this inevitable repeat cycle with little hope for redemption due to the systemic failings of the city (and, more widely, of our societies). A wonderful, important piece of naturalistic study that Zola (Émile, not Gianfranco) would be proud of.