Dumb question about The Wire.

[yendi]

So, if I somehow missed the first four seasons, is it even worth watching it? I'm a fan of tons of the actors, and I'm certainly convinced that I'll like the show in general. But is the fifth season accessible for those of us who missed the first four, or should I just track down the DVDs?

Comments

[ghost-light.livejournal.com]

I like the show a lot and I have seen most of the previous seasons. My hubby adores the show and still has to pause to explain things to me as we watch (yay pain meds.)

You will like it more if you see all 4 seasons and know the full history of some of the long-recurring characters.

[litch.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping an unhopeful eye out at the halfprice books for a copy of the first season. Probably have to resort to BitTorrent

[laurel]

Definitely seek out the DVDs. Each season is like a novel and the show is like a series with five volumes. You could jump in and enjoy it, but you'd be missing out on a lot. Especially since it sounds like they're gonna do a lot of nifty stuff in the final season that involves bringing back characters from the past for farewell cameos, etc. which wouldn't mean much without context.

The show has a lot more regular characters than any other TV show and juggles a lot more plots and threads, so it can be tricky enough sometimes to follow even if you are up on everything.

There's also amazing attention to detail on the show, so there are (subtle) references back to stuff from earlier episodes and earlier seasons all the time which you'd miss if you haven't seen the first stuff. Heck, even people who have seen the episodes sometimes miss these things!

And remember that I compared each season to a novel. Sometimes when people try the show after hearing all the raves, they're a bit put off by the first episodes as it kinda can seem like not a whole lot is happening and that there are way too many characters to keep track of. It's about setting stuff up, of course, putting the characters and pieces in place. It really isn't like any other TV show I can think of, thank goodness HBO just let them do it their way.

I watched some episodes of one season without seeing previous seasons and I enjoyed them, but it's just much richer when you know the history and stories, etc. Worth the time watching seasons past. Plus helluvalot of fun.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

*icon love*

Omar Little is such an amazing character. It's typical of this show that the most honorable and consistently moral person on the show is the thief/murderer. (He's also one of the few characters who never swears.)

[litch.livejournal.com]

*eyeroll*

like swearing is anykind of indicator of morality

[kradical.livejournal.com]

Not saying it is, I was merely mentioning it as a point of amusement, since most of the characters curse like a motherfucker. *wry grin*

[lonesomenumber1]

What she said. Except for the part about watching some episodes of one season without seeing previous seasons, because I don't understand that part. :-)

[lonesomenumber1]

Ah. I read that as "season one," instead of "one season." It makes infinitely more sense without my momentary dyslexia.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

What laurel said. Seriously, track down the DVDs. You will not be sorry. It's the greatest television show in the history of the medium.

(Plus the first season has the scene from whence derives this icon. Two of the characters -- both homicide detectives -- go over a six-month-old crime scene and have a complex, detailed conversation about it, despite the fact that the only word they use is "fuck" and variations on it, much to the confusion of the landlord who let them in.)

[curt-holman.livejournal.com]

From what I know of your tastes, I think you'd like 'The Wire,' but would appreciate it more if you got in on the ground floor and followed it through to the end, rather than watched the last (and shortest) season on its own.

In general, how much interest do you have in shows or films that depict urban problems? Did you ever watch "Homicide: Life on the Streets" (which shares lineage directly with 'The Wire') or "EZ Streets?" If you know "Homicide" at all, that helps a lot with Baltimore police slang.

[pnh.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, Teresa and I just starting watching this, beginning with the first five episodes of Season 1, all watched this weekend.

Holy crap, is it ever good: smart, fascinating, utterly lacking in melodrama. We're completely hooked.

[laurel]

Woot! Glad to hear you guys are watching it.

About a dozen people I read in various places have started watching it recently, which is just so very cool.

[pnh.livejournal.com]

It's amazingly well-written. If I didn't have to, you know, go to work, I can easily imagine simply watching all four seasons over the next week.

[sarahwilder.livejournal.com]

The Wire does a good job of making each season accessible individually but my prediction is, once you start watching, you'll track down the DVDs anyhow. It's an amazing show and much-deserving of all the hype. Start watching this season as early as possible, though.