Authored by: casey on Monday, January 21 2008 @ 06:29 PM

Is this your first time through with The Wire? If so, welcome aboard! I think you're REALLY dig the next two seasons. Heartbreaking stuff.

I love Baltimore, but it also scares me. I have an internet friend who teaches in the inner-city schools (they actually used his elementary school cafeteria as a stand-in for a prison dining hall!) and what he describes is pretty much exactly like Season Four.

I want to go to the Poe House, but I hear its in a pretty sketchy part of town.

Say, there's a new show on AMC called Breaking Bad that is really good, too. Mad Men-quality, even.I think that network is trying to be the new HBO. Anyway, the show is about a high school chemistry teacher who has to start cooking meth on the side to pay his (and his family's) medical bills. It's a little like Falling Down meets Weeds, but way darker than the latter. The dad from Malcolm in the Middle plays the teacher!

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"I'll show you the life of the mind!"

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Authored by: Nato on Tuesday, January 22 2008 @ 03:57 AM

The Wire's been all over my fave mainstream media lately in the PR push for it's fifth season. I don't get HBO, but I do want to rent the DVDs sometime (or borrow them, hint hint).

Check out Mark Bowden's profile of David Simon, "The Angriest Man In Television", in this month's Atlantic. Bowden himself has a dog in the race, as he says that two of Simon's editor targets are friends and colleagues, but while praising the show's virtues up and down, he seems to make a good case that Simon's outrage and sense of personal betrayal lead to oversimplification of some of the issues, especially as pertain to the Baltimore Sun itself.

Meanwhile...Good luck with the new semester!

Casey, thanks for the Breaking Bad recommendation. I'll have to rent the DVD sometime or borrow-- ahh, who'm I kiddin'? [;-)]

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Authored by: Therem on Tuesday, January 22 2008 @ 11:39 AM

Welcome to Bodymore, Murdaland! So... being a complete Wire head myself, I have to ask: who are your favorite characters? I'm partial to Omar, myself. That scene in season 2 when he gave a verbal smackdown to the lawyer was priceless. And speaking of season 2... it has one of my least favorite characters ever, on any show: Ziggy. Just thinking about him makes me shudder.

You have a treat ahead of you in season 3. It was my favorite, although I'm only halfway through season 4, so I can't tell how that will rate.

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Authored by: billsimmon on Tuesday, January 22 2008 @ 04:33 PM

Omar all the way.  I love every minute that guy is on the screen.  Omar, BTW, is also Barack Obama's favorite character (go O!).  I know what you mean about Ziggy.  I actually liked the actor and thought he was well written and well played, but his scenes were so fraught with OMG-something-terrible-is-going-to-happen-at-any-second that it was real work watching them.  He reminded me a bit of the character that Vince Vaughn played in Made, or DeNiro in Mean Streets or Jonny in Laws of Gravity.  He's a train wreck waiting to happen.

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Authored by: casey on Wednesday, January 23 2008 @ 05:34 PM

Or Vincent Gallo's character in Buffalo 66, minus the mentally challenged buddy and the quiet adoration of a sweet young Ricci.

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"I'll show you the life of the mind!"

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Authored by: Therem on Wednesday, January 23 2008 @ 10:37 PM

OMFG. I just watched the last three episodes of season 4 and BAWLED. Best. Season. Ever. (At least until I see season 5.) Omar is cool, but now I *heart* Bunny Colvin even more. And I never would have guessed I would like Carver so much after his slimy ways a couple seasons back. I guess people change...

Please do check in with further reports on your viewing.

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Authored by: billsimmon on Wednesday, January 23 2008 @ 11:57 PM

Emily and I just wrapped up episode 8 of season 3.  The unit just found out that Avon is out of jail.  4 more episodes to go this season and then we're on to season 4.  I'll make sure to bring some tissues.  I read that Bunny's attempt to make Hamsterdam is based on a real life experiment in Baltimore.  Can't find a source on that just now -- Wikipedia was no help.  This is good stuff.

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Authored by: Therem on Thursday, January 24 2008 @ 12:30 AM

<i>I read that Bunny's attempt to make Hamsterdam is based on a real life experiment in Baltimore.  Can't find a source on that just now -- Wikipedia was no help.  This is good stuff.</i>

From what I've read, it's a reference to former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke's proposals for reform of drug laws back in the late '80s. As with Bunny, it didn't really go anywhere.

Incidentally, according to his Wikipedia entry, Kurt Schmoke appeared a couple of times on The Wire in season 3 as a health commissioner.

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