Vote for why you think it jumped
Never Jumped
Death (Stringer Bell)
Omar the gay superhero
The second season
Hamsterdam
Shark Bytes
Brilliant performances by Andre Royo as Bubbles, Michael K. Williams as Omar, Robert Chew as Prop Joe, Chad Coleman as Cutty, Isiah Whitlock as Clay Davis, Snoop as Snoop, Dominic West as McNulty, Gbenga Akinnagbe as Chris Partlow and the two young boys who are doomed to follow in the same steps of both Omar and Bubbles, Tristan Wilds as Michael and Jermaine Crawford as Dukie.
Omar's death was played out exactly as it should have been. Not taken out by dealers, the cops, bangers or anything like that...but a 10 year old sociopath named Kenard, who never thought twice about shooting a grown man in the head in broad daylight with witnesses. Absolutely heartbreaking to watch as this is all to real on the streets.
Omar's death was played out exactly as it should have been. Not taken out by dealers, the cops, bangers or anything like that...but a 10 year old sociopath named Kenard, who never thought twice about shooting a grown man in the head in broad daylight with witnesses. Absolutely heartbreaking to watch as this is all to real on the streets.
It never jumped. It still remains the best show to air on TV in the past 20 years, period. Any show that has the capacity to connect something from the first episode to the last one, is golden in my book. The only bad thing about this show was that it had to end. Still 60 episodes of "The Wire" is better than one episode of some of the shows on TV now.
The first episode of season 5 is when it jumped. Season five was awful compared to the other four. But the defining moment of bullsh*t was McNulty the Bum Killer. I prefer to pretend there were only four seasons.
THE WIRE obviously never jumps the shark and anyone who says it does simply doesn't understand the creators' artistic vision. Its intense, unflinching investigation into a variety of sociopolitial themes has appropriately earned THE WIRE the status of one of the greatest television shows ever made. But
THE WIRE is more than just a television show; it's a historical artifact documenting the tragic decline of the contemporary American city. No other show has managed to capture the realism of American corruption and the futility of social institutions the way that THE WIRE does.
That being said, although SEASON 5 is certainly on par with 1 and 2, it doesn't come close to matching the Shakespearean conclusion to the Avon Barksdale/Stringer Bell conflict in SEASON 3, or the incendiary, unforgettable look at the school system in SEASON 4.
Although the fact that it's a shortened season could be a contributing factor, the real bane of SEASON 5 is the newspaper storyline. Don't get me wrong - a critical examination of the slow death of the American newspaper should make for compelling TV. But that's not what's actually depicted onscreen, thanks to the Scott Templeton plotline. Rather than shed more light on the show's main character, BALTIMORE, the whole proceedings turn into SHATTERED GLASS lite. (Ironically, that movie accomplished what THE WIRE tries to do in under two hours). The time spent at the Baltimore Sun is unsatisfying and tedious, featuring cardboard characters, banal performances (I'm looking at you, Tom McCarthy and Michelle Paress), and an underused Clarke Johnson in an underwritten role.
Despite this train wreck, SEASON 5 has several moments of magic that keep it in line with the true WIRE tradition. Although the pseudo serial killer story at the season's heart has been a bone of contention for fans and critics alike for its believability, Dominic West has never been better as the rakish rogue McNulty. His redemption is ultimately tied to the city of Baltimore's itself. Thankfully, the awful Deidre Lovejoy (Pearlman) and even more wretched Sonja Sohn (Greggs) have been had their roles reduced in favor of more Clay Davis (Isiah Whitlock, excellent). While I wanted to see more Cutty (Chad Coleman) and Bunny (Robert Wisdom), their brief cameos were most welcome and appreciated.
Andre Royo continued to deliver a charismatic, Emmy-worthy turn a Bubbles. And Michaeel K. Williams' pathetic death as Omar Little is perfect poetry if you've been an astute viewer from start to finish.
Lastly, television hasn't seen finer young actors than Tristan Wilds and Jermaine Crawford, who each bring heart-breaking honesty to their performances as lost boys Michael and Dukie, respectively. The way that their final scenes mirror the beginnings of a young Omar and Bubs becomes perhaps the best example of the cyclical nature of Baltimore's city streets.
THE WIRE is more than just a television show; it's a historical artifact documenting the tragic decline of the contemporary American city. No other show has managed to capture the realism of American corruption and the futility of social institutions the way that THE WIRE does.
That being said, although SEASON 5 is certainly on par with 1 and 2, it doesn't come close to matching the Shakespearean conclusion to the Avon Barksdale/Stringer Bell conflict in SEASON 3, or the incendiary, unforgettable look at the school system in SEASON 4.
Although the fact that it's a shortened season could be a contributing factor, the real bane of SEASON 5 is the newspaper storyline. Don't get me wrong - a critical examination of the slow death of the American newspaper should make for compelling TV. But that's not what's actually depicted onscreen, thanks to the Scott Templeton plotline. Rather than shed more light on the show's main character, BALTIMORE, the whole proceedings turn into SHATTERED GLASS lite. (Ironically, that movie accomplished what THE WIRE tries to do in under two hours). The time spent at the Baltimore Sun is unsatisfying and tedious, featuring cardboard characters, banal performances (I'm looking at you, Tom McCarthy and Michelle Paress), and an underused Clarke Johnson in an underwritten role.
Despite this train wreck, SEASON 5 has several moments of magic that keep it in line with the true WIRE tradition. Although the pseudo serial killer story at the season's heart has been a bone of contention for fans and critics alike for its believability, Dominic West has never been better as the rakish rogue McNulty. His redemption is ultimately tied to the city of Baltimore's itself. Thankfully, the awful Deidre Lovejoy (Pearlman) and even more wretched Sonja Sohn (Greggs) have been had their roles reduced in favor of more Clay Davis (Isiah Whitlock, excellent). While I wanted to see more Cutty (Chad Coleman) and Bunny (Robert Wisdom), their brief cameos were most welcome and appreciated.
Andre Royo continued to deliver a charismatic, Emmy-worthy turn a Bubbles. And Michaeel K. Williams' pathetic death as Omar Little is perfect poetry if you've been an astute viewer from start to finish.
Lastly, television hasn't seen finer young actors than Tristan Wilds and Jermaine Crawford, who each bring heart-breaking honesty to their performances as lost boys Michael and Dukie, respectively. The way that their final scenes mirror the beginnings of a young Omar and Bubs becomes perhaps the best example of the cyclical nature of Baltimore's city streets.
I thought all of the seasons were perfect except for season 5. I do not think that Omar's murder was the problem. Kenard is about the only person that could have done it. Not even Omar would suspect a seemingly harmless 10-year.
I thought the problem with season 5 was that David Simon tried to accomplish too much in a shortened season. He had to introduce the Baltimore Sun characters. He had to wrap up the Stanfield investigation. He had to resolve all of the story arcs from the previous seasons. Plus he had to fill us in on the fates of all of the major characters. As a result, there wasn't enough time to develop the newspaper characters properly. A solution might have been to extend the 5th season, as David Chase did with the Sopranos.
I thought the problem with season 5 was that David Simon tried to accomplish too much in a shortened season. He had to introduce the Baltimore Sun characters. He had to wrap up the Stanfield investigation. He had to resolve all of the story arcs from the previous seasons. Plus he had to fill us in on the fates of all of the major characters. As a result, there wasn't enough time to develop the newspaper characters properly. A solution might have been to extend the 5th season, as David Chase did with the Sopranos.
The Wire was and still is the best TV show ever. It never sold out, even with the made up serial killer angle. I never saw anything in the show that hasn't happened in real life. There are police who make up things all the time for whatever reasons. the Omar scene was classic because anyone who lives in the hood knows that it's full of kids like Kenard, who were brought up just like him and are just like him. There's a Dookie, Mike, Randy, Avon, Marlo, Stringer, Burrell, Omar, Mcnulty, etc in every hood in America and it's about time that these types of people were shown on TV. A true reality show and I miss it.
Great, gritty, superbly acted show. The main weakness is the character of Pearlman, who never seems to have anything to do, and once she starts dating Daniels, whenever she sees him her eyes pop out of her head and she gets that big slutty grin on her face, no matter how many people are around. Then they make Bunk a boring, nagging pain in the butt.
The show never jumped. If you were a real student of it you will know that Omar's death was poetic and it fit perfectly.
This show never jumped the shark. I agree that some of the things that happened were not the way we wanted them to (Death of Stringer Bell, Prop. Joe, Omar, Snoop, Dookie on drugs;etc). But the show entertained, surprised and made you laugh and cry. It was a great show inspite of your or my preferences and it always delivered. I wish it never ended to be honest. I am in "The Wire" withdrawal, but I have seasons 1-5 to keep my jones' dwon. Hooray for a good series, great characters and a change of pace.
loved everything about the show except the hit on omar, if you want to call it that. omar deserved to go out like a soldier no matter his sexual preference. the way he survived the apartment ambush that his partner did not survive, then to get taken out by the kid makes no sense. i give the wire 4 out of 5 stars. if omar had won the war this show would've been flawless. btw i'm not gay! the political drama was well written. the mayor banging his secretary....priceless.
This was absolutely one of the top five greatest shows of all time........
....until season 5. What happened? All of the characters changed. They were complete betrayals of their former selves. They did things that didn't make any sense. The newspaper plotline was tedious. Omar's death was very poorly done. The final montage was also incredibly hamhanded and Hollywood-like. The faked homeless murder plotline was incredibly absurd.
This was not the show I had watched the previous four seasons. I really wish I hadn't watched season 5.
....until season 5. What happened? All of the characters changed. They were complete betrayals of their former selves. They did things that didn't make any sense. The newspaper plotline was tedious. Omar's death was very poorly done. The final montage was also incredibly hamhanded and Hollywood-like. The faked homeless murder plotline was incredibly absurd.
This was not the show I had watched the previous four seasons. I really wish I hadn't watched season 5.
I don't think this show jumped at all... However, the second season was as great compared to the others. I do agree though that Omar's death almost made it jump but it all came together at the end.
This show jumps the shark every time that you are dragged out to some Tai restuarant with a bunch of know-it-all's that insist that it is "The Most Perfect Show Ever".....
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