tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post6873276915478164954..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: The Wire, Season 1, Episode 2, "The Detail" (Newbies edition)Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-84948626430695041322012-03-07T22:58:47.919-05:002012-03-07T22:58:47.919-05:00Surprised you didn't comment on the symbolism ...Surprised you didn't comment on the symbolism in that scene in the projects where the three cops get attacked with Tvs and such. The fact that you don't see any face at the windows, and that all hell seems to break lose without you seeing any of the people you are making it, seems verry telling about what, from what I've heard, is a major theme in the show : the power of institutions over the individual.Teprocnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2726479454385775522011-03-15T12:10:48.330-04:002011-03-15T12:10:48.330-04:00I'm just watching Season 1, a few episodes at ...I'm just watching Season 1, a few episodes at a time, as you recommended. I'm loving the writing and the complex, realistic plot. But the acting is just terrible in some places. Daniels seems robotic in his reading of some of the lines, Kima is not always convincing, and it's really hard to get past Dominic West's accent for me. I really hope it improves past episode 5, where I currently am...Archanahttp://southasianphilanthropy.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-14786553978942852452011-02-14T19:57:56.436-05:002011-02-14T19:57:56.436-05:00Richard Price's novels use "knocko" ...Richard Price's novels use "knocko" as the spelling of the word which I assume is derived from "narco," so that might be something in the script rather than a dialect feature.Jonathanhttp://jgoodwin.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85369368639226608382009-08-24T23:05:30.192-04:002009-08-24T23:05:30.192-04:00I agree about the value of seeing some of these ch...I agree about the value of seeing some of these characters at home. McNulty's apartment was perfect (I've lived like that at points in my life), and I loved the touch of, when he needed a paper, there wasn't one outside his door; he had to jack one from a neighbor.<br /><br />I also loved the shot of Daniels sitting bolt upright in bed like he was at military attention, reading with all the lights blazing despite his wife's attempts to sleep. It said a lot about who he is, as well.<br /><br />Lovely touches, beautifully presented.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01288100796201737845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47258720569295110852008-09-01T20:44:00.000-04:002008-09-01T20:44:00.000-04:00Just started watching this weekend, and following ...Just started watching this weekend, and following along here. <BR/><BR/>Another note - you may get to this later, I'm not sure - but in this 2nd ep we see several characters at home (McNulty, Daniels), including Kimma and her lover. How refreshing to see a gay character portrayed without making a huge deal about it (I doubt a network show could've pulled this off with any subtlety whatsoever); this is who she is, she's ambitious and she is loved. <BR/><BR/>It's been years since I've watched Homicide, so I appreciate the details about the cast from there, too. Clark Johnson was fantastic and has been underused since, IMO; nice to see he stepped out from behind the camera later on.<BR/><BR/>Finally, the music? Not sure I'd have caught that; I love knowing that detail.Tonihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424345472158808460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-35665421295826933412008-06-08T11:28:00.000-04:002008-06-08T11:28:00.000-04:00I immediately noticed the music-with-a-source choi...I immediately noticed the music-with-a-source choice in the pilot. I think there's an episode coming up (I've watched most of the first season now) where Avon, Stringer and someone else walk into the pit to the sound of music that doesn't seem to be coming from anywhere, but in general, the show seems to be sticking to that rule. As an aside, I've noticed two uses now of songs from Michael Franti & Spearhead's album "Stay Human" - well done, show, it's a great disc.<BR/><BR/>I'm still not clear on every character's name, but I don't find myself struggling to identify which "side" they all belong to in the very loose dialectic this season seems to be setting up. I love what Reddick is doing with Daniels - the only thing I've seen him do before was a four-line part in the "In Excelsis Deo" episode of <I>The West Wing</I> but his intensity is mesmerizing. Never having been a regular watcher of <I>Homicide</I>, I can't identify people from that show, but I am enjoying picking out people from the various iterations of <I>Law & Order</I>.<BR/><BR/>The one person I'd like to see more of is Stringer. Idris Elba is an extremely compelling screen presence and so far it appears that Stringer's Avon's consigliere just because Elba sucks all the oxygen from the room when he's in it. I'd like to know a bit more about the character, if it wouldn't damage his mystique.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-16990651855972274412008-06-07T00:52:00.000-04:002008-06-07T00:52:00.000-04:00I find it necessary to watch these episodes twice ...I find it necessary to watch these episodes twice to really get a good grasp on them. A few comments/questions:<BR/><BR/>1) The line "You came <I>here</I> from Casualty?" gets big laughs, but I completely don't get it, being totally ignorant of the police world; can someone explain it to me (if it's worth explaining)?<BR/><BR/>2) I figured that the framed picture in the interrogation was of Bunk's own kids (why else would he have a framed picture readily available?), but the extent of their embellishment really amused me. <BR/><BR/>3) As you noted last week, it's young Wallace and not D'Angelo that knows that Alexander Hamilton wasn't a president, but D'Angelo knows more about how the world works, which to me seems yet another shade of gray on this very gray show: just when we have Wallace pegged as the "smart kid" of the bunch, he gets one-upped by D. This show makes it impossible to fit its characters into neat categories, as is already evident in just the first two episodes, and I love it for that.Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15433685942766758829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33414593457718911842008-06-06T23:15:00.000-04:002008-06-06T23:15:00.000-04:00I've watched the first two episodes and I thought ...<I>I've watched the first two episodes and I thought it funny how you said The Wire teaches you how to watch it cause my reaction after the pilot was one of indifference. I didn't get the hype or your bold proclamation that it's "the best drama in TV history."</I><BR/><BR/>As I said last week, you really want to get through four or five episodes of season one before you can really appreciate how it's working. It's a slow build, but totally worth it.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-14121002018067072862008-06-06T13:34:00.000-04:002008-06-06T13:34:00.000-04:00Alright Alan,I'm a new poster and last year I saw ...Alright Alan,<BR/><BR/>I'm a new poster and last year I saw the Freaks and Geeks work you did. A few months after your final post, I decided to watch the show for the first time and was floored by it and your analyses.<BR/><BR/>I never watched The Wire until you started with this and now I'm interested.<BR/><BR/>I've watched the first two episodes and I thought it funny how you said The Wire teaches you how to watch it cause my reaction after the pilot was one of indifference. I didn't get the hype or your bold proclamation that it's "the best drama in TV history."<BR/><BR/>Your analysis, however, provided much more insight than I caught at first glance. I enjoyed the second episode, but again your analysis helps me to fill in the blanks. <BR/><BR/>I look forward to watching The Wire and reading your subsequent posts. I only wish you were moving a little quicker since I am renting these DVDs from Blockbuster. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the interesting projects to help keep us engaged during this dreary months when the best thing on TV is "Big Brother 95: Slowly Killing Your Will To Live"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-22293776961768852252008-06-06T11:03:00.000-04:002008-06-06T11:03:00.000-04:00I've started to make amends for my greatest flaw a...I've started to make amends for my greatest flaw as a wannabe TV critic, and started watching and blogging along in kind as you go through the season - so, thank you for this wonderful incentive to discover this fascinating series.<BR/><BR/>One of the other somewhat broader statements, as someone who is only one episode ahead of the pack, would seem to be the odd sentiment that Daniels' wife places in front of him at the dinner table.<BR/><BR/>"The game is rigged…but you cannot lose if you do not play."<BR/><BR/>I had to go back and listen to it a few times, just to make sure that her statement had been as counter-intuitive to Daniels' situation as it seemed. As you've identified, he is being hopelessly pulled in both directions, but he also can't just sit back and do nothing in the face of this situation.<BR/><BR/>Plus part of him has to play the game - his actions are not necessarily just survival instincts, but appear here to be an actual desire to serve the city and to stop crime. While this doesn't, admittedly, take the form of McNulty's undying willingness to ignore rules, he speaks up more than he has to, and his eventual reaction to the teen's injury displays his moral frustration.<BR/><BR/>I'm geeking out, just a little, over your introduction of the idea of quest narrative into the future. It was a cornerstone to my undergrad thesis about medieval literature, romance and Battlestar Galactica, so seeing it brought up here has opened up whole new avenues of discussion for the future.<BR/><BR/>This is especially true in the characters, as this quest (to confront the Baltimore drug trade) is emotionally charged and in some cases either intensely personal or a complicating part of one's life. It is the quest, or the idea of it, which motivates the three to go to the high-rises, while it is McNulty's own personal bullishness about his own ideas and his own abilities (not all unwarranted) that places him in opposition to Daniels; he, meanwhile, is a reluctant partner in this quest, becoming more and more nervous as the wheels start turning.<BR/><BR/>That this kind of narrative complexity exists is one thing, but that it coincides with the other side of the conflict (And the other parts/sides that we are likely to get in future episodes, including the introduction you allude to) proves that I was certainly missing out.<BR/><BR/>Looking forward to the full analysis of the chess scene.Myleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05935433249935469070noreply@blogger.com