The Wire - Season Five

[Andrew_TSKS]

The triple amputee was an actual triple amputee.

yeah, i recognized him from his esquire cover appearance a couple years ago. can't remember his name, but the story they did about him made him seem like an incredibly cool guy.

aaaaand i'm gonna have to stop reading the thread again now. in fact i already stopped, half a page ago. see you guys in a few days.

[heather marie]

Freddy's a pussy. I watched the first 4 seasons in one month.

(I'm also not in law school, so I'll shut up now.)

[dieblucasdie]

Despite so much shittiness that goes down, did anyone else feel like the ending was oddly hopeful?  Or is that just me?  Maybe it's just because I had no hope for any of the institutions anyway, and I was just happy to see almost all of the likeable characters land on their feet

[Wally]

Nope, it's not just you. Despite watching the inevitable happen to Dukie, and the countless deaths of some awesome people, I can not think of a way in which Simon and company could have made the finale any more up beat. People we might hate may not have been punished, because deserve ain't got nothing to do with it. I wasn't expecting the complete downfall of our rogue cops, but heck Mcnulty returned to where we left him at the end of season 4 and Freeman's back to where he was before series 1. And now at least they can say they went all in. The ones who truly suffered are the ones who were born into the mess, and I think someone else said up earlier in this thread that the only way for them to get out is a) via intervention from an outsider like Namond, or b) after struggling with it and themselves for so long that all that's left is give up or claw their way out like bubs.. But yeah as hopeful as it could have been.

[dieblucasdie]

Haha, yeah, I think the biggest kick in the teeth, oddly enough, was the the Valcheck thing.  I was all, "Oh God, I hope that fucker Rawls doesn't get to be commissioner.  Oh, Valcheck.  That's much worse.

[Wally]

Haha, yeah, I think the biggest kick in the teeth, oddly enough, was the the Valcheck thing.  I was all, "Oh God, I hope that fucker Rawls doesn't get to be commissioner.  Oh, Valcheck.  That's much worse.

But you just know that despite being top dog in the police force he won't be able to stop rodenting around, feeling insecure and hopelessly screaming. Heck, being top dog might work against his very character. And I'd have liked to have seen the moment he hears Rawls has been made head of the Maryland police, just too see those cogs turning.

[hannah]

Despite so much shittiness that goes down, did anyone else feel like the ending was oddly hopeful?  Or is that just me?  Maybe it's just because I had no hope for any of the institutions anyway, and I was just happy to see almost all of the likeable characters land on their feet

What about the last shot of the waterfront development? Depressing as hell. And I agree with Jim about "let's go home" -- I was guessing McNulty would say, "Larry, we're home" seconds before he uttered the actual words.

Sydnor = awesome
Michael = awesome
SLIM CHARLES = AWESOME

[hannah]

& Prezbo's beard = intense

[heather marie]

i agree with everything hannah just said.

[dieblucasdie]

Yeah, pretty much.  Especially Sydnor.  Oh how I loled.

[alexandra]

& Prezbo's beard = intense

[girl]

Now I'm really sad. I think it's as good an ending to the series as we had any right to hope for, and I don't feel like anything was left to be tied up. I don't know. Maybe it's really just that I wish the series wasn't over. Now what am I supposed to watch? There's nothing else this good.

[jebreject]

I felt like the Sydnor/Michael stuff was just kinda tacked on. Really forced feeling. I dunno.

[Wally]

I felt like the Sydnor/Michael stuff was just kinda tacked on. Really forced feeling. I dunno.

Really? Huh, both made sense to me. Both in terms of where and how those characters have been progressing from their reduction, and also, the amount of time spent with them in the final few episodes. It's seemed to me that we've been getting a few more glimpses of Sydnor coming of age and his final scene was a nice reflection of how far he's come, not to mention being a mirror of the time he served Clay Davis papers in similarly fancy office. That time he was apprehensive to get stuck in, this time I doubt that was the case. As for Michael, well I think it was Jim that called it. The boy was never really suited for an institution, he's been kicking back at authority, so the only place for some one with his skills was as Omar the next generation.

[hannah]

I felt like the Sydnor/Michael stuff was just kinda tacked on. Really forced feeling. I dunno.

I agree on the one hand but (as my equations above state) on the other hand it was just so satisfying... the episode had its share of sentimentality (and, for instance, the final Dukie shot was gratuitous) but I really didn't mind overall... it was like an excellent meal with way too many helpings and the thirds and fourths, but sometimes being stuffed to the point of bursting is niiiiice.

[heather marie]

Now I'm really sad. I think it's as good an ending to the series as we had any right to hope for, and I don't feel like anything was left to be tied up. I don't know. Maybe it's really just that I wish the series wasn't over. Now what am I supposed to watch? There's nothing else this good.

chris, you aren't alone. it's just...sad.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Also, I'm probably completely wrong about this, because my memory is not very good, but doesn't the Richmond Community Center look a bit like the BPD building in Homicide?

it's certainly not anywhere in richmond, so i figure it's gotta be a disguised building in baltimore. therefore, what you're theorizing makes as much sense as anything else.

[Andrew_TSKS]

also, i will join in the chorus that's just saddened that it's over. i don't have any complaints about the final episode, at all, but i am sorry that it is final.

[alexandra]

omg.

I just got a letter from HBO.

[elpollodiablo]

No you fucking didn't

[elpollodiablo]

No way

[alexandra]

yeah.

nice little letter from my ISP.

[elpollodiablo]

It's just one of those threatening form letters, right?

[Wally]

Was it offering you a role in the Wire spin off? The Return of the Wire: Sydnor taps New York.

[alexandra]

so far it's the first one, which means I can lose my ISP if they get another one. the worst part being that it was referring to one I downloaded on January 9th.... so I have like 9 more episodes to hope didn't get noticed.