Torsten and I watched the first episode of The Wire last night. We put Season 1 on hold at the library weeks ago and finally the other day we came to the top of the queue. Torsten had seen Season 4, and I had never seen the show at all.
Torsten loved it. I... did not. I didn't hate it. But it felt so LONG. And it was complicated and I didn't understand what was happening half the time and so I was mostly just confused except every now and then I was sad because something sad happened. And I didn't really like that combination of feelings very much.
I'm going to give it a couple more episodes to see if I become invested. My hopes aren't high. Torsten will be crushed if I don't like it. He wants to watch the entire series together. If I can't get into it he's going to have to go it alone, and he's not going to like that, and quite honestly it probably won't even end up happening.
But maybe I'll end up liking it. We'll see.
Although, given that I love Sex and the City and Friends and House and American Idol, and can barely tolerate 24, what do we think the odds are that I will end up really liking The Wire?
I'm actually serious here, I want some input. It seems like everywhere I go people are raving about The Wire, all different types of people with all different types of taste. It sounded like it was one of those shows that everyone likes. Transcendental, even. Is it? Will it grow on me? Or is it/am I a lost cause?
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I LOVED THE WIRE. All five seasons of it. It definitely took a few episodes to figure out the characters and plot line. But, OMG, I absolutely loved it. It's some of the most brilliant writing in TV.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I sort of can't tolerate SATC, Friends, AI ... so, I might not be the best measure for whether you'll like the show or not.
Most of the people I know who loved it are journalists, like me, or were at one time. The show's creator, David Simon, began as a journalist and the entire series is like one great investigative, narrative piece.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad though. There were parts of the show that were hard to watch. And I got really sick of everyone cheating on their spouses/significant others. But that's just like an epidemic on television anyway.
The only people I know who like The Wire are boys. :) You seem more like a girly-girl (I mean that in a nice way, btw!) - me, too, and I HATED The Wire (my hubby loved it). He has his shows, I have mine. I always read or caught up on housework while he watched. There's no rule that says you have to watch all the same stuff! :)
ReplyDeleteThe first few episodes of The Wire can be overwhelming. You're introduced to lots of characters and there's lots of action to follow. It gets better. In fact, it becomes so good that I've frequently referred to it as the best thing I've ever seen on television.
ReplyDeleteThe Wire is a series about a struggling city. Issues such as the pervasiveness of drug use, corrupt police/politicians and the unfortunate plight of children raised in this environment aren't handled with kid gloves. It is brutal. But it is also funny, well-acted and addictive.
Like Nilsa, I was never a fan of SATC, Friends or Idol. (In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a single episode of Friends - is that weird?) Do you enjoy documentaries that deal with difficult subject matters? That might be the best comparison here.
B loves the Wire. I watched one episode with him and said "Who are these people and how can you watch them behave this way?" On top of that, I'm very stingy about investing in a new show - too much time and thought, so B is more of a new show finder and watcher than I am. But we have no problem having separate shows - even in our one living space house we make it work somehow.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen the Wire or really heard of it, so I'm not a good judge.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I love Friends & Sex & the City and can barely tolerate 24too, so I probably wouldn't like it anyway.
Maybe give it a season? If you don't like it after that, you don't. No biggie. (Sorry Torsten!)
It will grow on you, I promise. Give it more time!
ReplyDeleteNever seen it, but I like the shows you mentioned and hate shows like 24, so I'm thinking the odds are good I wouldn't like The Wire.
ReplyDeleteSo Garrett just finished the series finale last week and there was a little part of me that was sad and a little part of me that like, "good riddance!"
ReplyDeleteIt does get better. And it is VERY well written. That said, some seasons are better than others, and it is overall kind of a sad show. Nothing funny and uplifting for sure. But TV shows are very rarely made as honest and engrossing as The Wire anymore in my opinion...unless of course they are on HBO, Showtime, etc.
It's good TV, but it is definitely engrossing drama, not fun fluff. And I almost always prefer fun fluff (OMG -- Sex and the City 2? CAN'T WAIT!)
Hmmm...I love 24, and cannot stand SATC or AI, so I would probably love The Wire. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it (or been compelled to) but people LOVE that show. Hope it grows on you!
ReplyDeletei have nothing helpful (have never seen it!) but was very curious to hear what others had to say, since i've heard such great things about it too and was considering starting the series with chris. i LOVE tense crime dramas and police-y shows so i assume i'll like it. although i also love SATC. so who knows :-)
ReplyDeleteI've never seen it but like you I've heard it's great. We just started diving into Dexter after all the hoopla and it took a few episodes to really get into it. And now three seasons in we need a break because MAN that's a lot of killing and blood.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it yet, but it's on next on my queue. I've heard that it's incredible, and that it does take a few episodes to really get into it. Also, I've heard it's better to watch a lot of it at once because it does get confusing, and each episode on its own is just a small part of what's going on.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to see how you feel after a few more episodes.
It took me a good five episodes to really get into it, and now it's one of my very favorite shows EVER.
ReplyDeleteSome of the episodes are sad and hard to watch, but not in like a "I can't go on watching this way" which is how I felt about stuff like "Blood Diamond" etc.
I do have kind of weird taste in TV shows, but I loved SATC and Friends, and I hated 24.
I am enjoying the Wire, but I definitely don't adore it as much as others do. I'm definitely struggling to keep up with everything- and also, to CARE about everything... But it falls into my "things worth persevering with" list, so I'll keep going :)
ReplyDeleteI am on season 2 of The Wire and I had mixed feelings at first. The first three or so episodes I was confused and didn't really know if I enjoyed it. Sometimes I am still confused, but the character development and writing are AMAZING. I am so hooked. I also love SATC and most of the other shows you mentioned, so I definitely think it will grow on you if you keep with it...
ReplyDeleteThe Wire is the best thing that's ever been on television. Like people are saying, it might take a few episodes to get into the groove of it. The thing about it is that the only real main character throughout the five seasons of it is the city of Baltimore. While there are characters that run through the whole series, it isn't the type of show where you get invested in characters and start identifying with them. The "good guys" do a lot of shitty things, and the "bad guys" can be pretty sympathetic. The characters act like real people, which is a courageous thing for what is basically a police procedural (at least in the first season) to do.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, I hate Sex in the City and 24. I don't know if that tells you anything.
We just started watching it, too. I think I've seen about 5 episodes now. I'm liking the plot, and the premise is really interesting, but like you said, half the time I don't know what's being said. I don't speak Baltimore projects-speak well enough, I guess. So sometimes its hard to follow. But I'm going to hang in there for a few more episodes, and see what I think.
ReplyDelete