The Wire Rewatch

At my university this year, there’s a special program starting up: The New Commons Project. (I blogged about it previously here.) After a long nominations and selection process, they’ve picked 12 works that are vital to today, for a variety of reasons. It’s a cool project, and I’ve been happy to play a part in it. It’s led by a group of very dedicated people, and they’ve been a ton of fun to work with. Better yet, they’re leading off with my favorite television show of all time: The Wire. To make things easier for anyone who might be watching

Here we go. The end of the show. Tons to get through. Little time to do it. Episode 5:8 Omar!!! Kenard!!! It’s fitting, in many ways, to have Omar go out by a little rat like Kenard (who had just been in the middle of setting a cat on fire before he decided to kill Omar instead). Here was the man who made Chris and Snoop panic. Who was so feared he could walk to the store in his jammies, unarmed, and still have dealers give him their stash. Killed by a grade schooler. (Fun fact: Kenard was the kid

Yup. I only managed two episodes again this week. It was busier than I expected, with Denisa finishing her teaching, and since I wait and watch with her, it’ll just have to be two. I’ll really try for all three next week, though. I’m also tempted to do an overarching “All the Wire Episodes from Worst to Best” post. Why? Because a friend noted last week that my ratings each week were pretty lame, and I realized he was right. Rating a Wire episode can be tricky. Do I rate it against the other episodes, or against all television in

Three episodes in one week! It’s hard for me not to just binge watch the rest when we’re this close. But I’m being strong and sticking to the plan. On to the episode reactions! Episode 5:3 Let me be very clear: I am not a fan of the serial killer plot in this season. Not even a little. It’s way harder for me to swallow than Hamsterdam, mainly because I feel like there’s something morally wrong in desecrating bodies the way McNulty and Lester are doing, and that the odds of finding not just one but two police willing to

Yeah, I know I said I’d do three episodes for today. What can I say? Life got in the way. I’m still planning on three for next week and the week after, but today we just have two. My apologies. Episode 5:1 The first scene in every Wire season is always pivotal. It explains the meaning of the entire season, and this one is no different. Lies are just as good as the truth, in many situations. I won’t say more than that right now, but remember this scene for later. The fallout from Carcetti’s refusal to accept state funds