I'm wondering if the newspaper, once they start to pry into the false reporting within, will also uncover what McNulty's been doing and blow it all out of the water.

what a show, man. What a fucking show.

Thank you for not ruining any of Ep. 9 yet. For real.

Will watch tonight.

Times like these I wish I had On Demand or the stomach to watch this in shitty internet quality. Jonzin for eps 9 and 10.

I have a question...

[spoiler]When Perlman and Daniels go down into the evidence room and check the phone down there, was that meant as proof McNulty lied, or did that exonerate him? Wasn't too clear on that one.[/spoiler]

I believe that [spoiler]it proved that the phone line McNulty had tapped supposedly in order to trap the homeless killer actually belonged to Marlo, which essentially proves that McNulty had faked the whole thing in order to get a line on Marlo. In addition to likely meaning jailtime for McNulty, Lester and Sydnor, it probably means that they'll have to let Marlo go too, since now they know that Lester didn't know about the pictures on the cellphones because of a CI, but because of an illegal wiretap, thus making all the evidence condemning Marlo inadmissible. I think.[/spoiler]

Also interesting to me--[spoiler]what Clay was telling Lester about Levy having a pawn in the Courthouse. Could it be Rhonda? Or is it just her co-attorney for the Davis case? Or is it just some random person that doesn't mean that much to the story? In any event, the way they presented this scene, as well as the way they've built up to it, leads me to believe that its going to turn out to be a big deal in the series finale.[/spoiler]

Those spoiler tags mean ep.9 I'm guessing?

yes

where's the eugoogly, slacker?

Ahhh. I had a feeling that's what it was. This wasn't the same phone they used to fake the 'serial killer' call, was it? Because if it was [spoiler]Marlo's[/spoiler] phone, that got down into evidence awful quick from the time it was acquired.



Oh yeah, that's going to be a shocker, I'd bet. Trouble is, we haven't seen too many people from there to be legit suspects.

Here's what I think will happen in the finale...

[spoiler]If Daniels brings this to his superiors, this will result in a huge black eye, not only on the police dept, but on the mayor's office, too. There's no way Carcetti runs for Governor if this goes public, I think, so they'll just wait it out and let it disappear from public mind. I don't think McNulty goes to jail, but he's forced out of being a cop. Which gives some sort of hope for redemption in his life, since he wont have to battle the demons the job causes him. We've already seen he can handle his life fine without working in homicide, too.

I have a sneaking feeling that when Gus goes to his superiors with the evidence Scott is fabricating stories, the bosses won't care (remember the talk about the Pulitzer?). They'll sit on this bit of info. 'for the good of the paper' meaning if it sells copies, who cares. Maybe Gus quits in anger/disgust. Maybe Scott is forced out the same way as McNulty, too. This show seems to draw parallels a lot of the time, and this would definitely be one.

I think Levy goes down, or at least something will happen where Marlo stays in jail. And what about the "Greeks?" Do they walk away clean, or does someone give them up?[/spoiler]

Maybe, I don't see that happening unless the police voluntarily give that info up, which would mean a huge scandal.

I wanted to make one for [spoiler]both Omar and Snoop[/spoiler], but it's so hard to do because it's not really fair to spoil for people who are waiting to actually view it on TV. Which means I have to wait a week after I see it to write about it, after which point it feels too late. I might do a sweeping one before next week, dunno.

Really though I might just write about how fucking annoying it is that HBO has been creating this hierarchy of viewership by leaking episodes in this manner.

I can see how that could be annoying. It rewards the people who don't subscribe to HBO, in a way. Not only can they see the show for free, they can see it before it's "officially" aired. Full disclosure: I am one of those people. But if it hadn't been for the Internet, there's no way I would have been interested in (or found out about) this show. If HBO DVD seasons were priced around $30-$40 like every other network, I would have taken a crack at one. But they're at least double that in retail stores.

Season 4 of the Wire lists for around 49, I think.

And likewise it feels like you can't go a week without some big retailer having a huge HBO sale.

yeah i agree with you about the premiering the episodes on HOD being a bad idea andrew, but they did it for season 4 and i believe season 3, too, so it's nothing new.

and for those of us that don't have HBO, I prefer HOD, if only because that makes sure it leaks sooner.

although I am not sure I approve of a two week delay on seeing the finale. (or, from what I know, ep. 10 is not airing early on demand).

That actually makes more sense not to have the finale on demand. I don't know why they just didn't do the first 3-4 episodes to whet people's appetites, and then cancel it. It sort of undermined the series in a way.

[spoiler]The thing is, Lester would've known he was tainting the case if he got the warrant on the wrong grounds. So would McNulty. Can they have been that stupid?

Also, evidently you haven't seen the previews for next week...[/spoiler]

I agree. I hope the finale is more than an hour long, at least.

RIGHT NOW, I DO NOT AGREE WITH[spoiler]LESTER BEING DRUNK.[/spoiler]

It gets better and better and better... Although this had to be the saddest Wire episode of all time. All the stuff with the little kids kills me.

Also, I guess Omar's Batman jump from a couple eps ago actually happened in real life:

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/...f_the_wire.html

I heard it's 90 minutes, fwiw.

I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT MICHAEL WILL DO NOW. HE HAS NOTHING TO LOSE.

It'd be kinda cool to see Michael come back as an Omar type of character. It looks like there's a better chance of Dookie turning into Bubs though.

holy shit the last episode leaked. it's legit

links:

part1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CW7CM42G
part2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=05XAJ9VD

Whoaaa.

Thanks.

This is so bittersweet.

how long is it?

I just watched the finale. don't worry, no spoilers ahead.

I just want to say that I can't believe that this show is over. It honestly makes every other show seem small and irrelevant in comparison.

I'm not sure where this season would rank amongst the other seasons, but honestly that is beside the point. This show is so complete, so brilliantly constructed.


I feel like i say this with every post about The Wire:
Best. Show. Ever.

(so yes, the finale does this show justice)

hi mr phil

how long is it?

















yeah you heard me

how long is it?

hour-and-a-half

i'm mostly very satisfied

Some finale thoughts:

[spoiler]With all the gloom and doom people were predicting for this, is it me, or does this finale feel decidedly upbeat? I mean sure, there's some shit--Dookie succeeding Bubs, Valchek taking over for Daniels, Carcetti and Herc essentially losing their souls--but especially compared to finales past, it feels practically...optimistic.

OK, well not actually, obviously the message here is that this whole darn human comedy keeps perpetuating isself, and that's obviously just as lousy as it is good. But there were a handful of moments in this episode that made me positively squeal with joy. I'm not kidding, legit squealing. Michael continuing Omar's legacy, Marlo showing even less patience for the straight life than Avon, Chris and Wee Bay joining forces in the clink, Slim peacing Cheese mid-Scarface rant (which could very easily go down as a top five moment in Wire history), Rhonda and Daniels' wink moment in court...it was all beautiful, baby.

My first reaction is definitely one of contentment. It didn't blow my mind or leave me with my jaw on the floor, but that's just not what this season was about, really. S5 will almost certainly go down as my least favorite--there was really no way to top seasons three or four, and anyone who expected them to...well, if any show could've done it, it'd be this one, but I think it'd be hard to argue that Simon and co. quite pulled it off, and after the amount of miraculous achievements has notched in its belt, you'd be damn foolish to complain about it. Nonetheless it was never less than excellent, standard-raising television, and if this finale doesn't quite feel like the grand summation of everything that was good about this show and everything it was about, and if it even feels a little anticlimactic after last week's thrill ride (Simon always did cash in the show's big Moments in the pentultimates anyway), it wraps up just about everything you'd want wrapped up, in a logical enough way without seeming needlessly pandering about it. It won't go down as the Great Wire Episode--that's the S4 finale, surely as fine an hour of TV as have ever been produced anywhere--but it's exactly what the show, and the season, needed, and that's good enough. [/spoiler]

^ word.

Right on, Dr. Bill.

I really liked the callbacks to the first episode/first season. Brought out the whole cyclical thing they worked on. To me, all that stuff made it seem like it was a complete series. They didn't leave me wanting any more (Deadwood) and didn't leave things open to interpretation so people will be talking about followup films (both Deadwood and the Sopranos).

I can't wait to watch all the seasons again!

Some thoughts
[spoiler]i know that some people are saying that this is the most optimistic of the finales, but I would completely disagree. I think the main thing is that yes, the people have moved on (for the most part) to bigger and better things. But as GDB said, this shows how cyclical everything is. Really, the show ended right where it began. All of the work that everyone has done has led just for the next group of characters to fight against the same demons, the same issues and hurdles. In the end, what did any of their efforts do? I suppose one could argue that it's people that can change, but systems cannot. Some may find that optimistic, but I think that is incredibly depressing on some level. I guess the overall lesson is that people can only change themselves, and each other. People cannot change systems (schools, police work, journalism, the drug game, etc...)[/spoiler]

FYI, Bill Simmon's podcast this week is all about the Wire, predictions, and thoughts on the series itself.

http://query-origin.andohs.net/8000A6/cont...mons080304b.mp3

Bill and Phil offer some great points. The finale is optimistic, but yet sad at the same time. [spoiler]We're happy for the individual characters, but it looks like no matter what happens, the city is going to shit. The problems are too big for one person (or a small group) to change.

Sidnour is the new McNulty, apparently. Speaking of which, it was interesting that McNulty was the only one of the main characters not to have a 'Where are they now' scene in the montage at the end. Obviously, he's picking up the homeless guy, but as far as an occupation goes, they never said. But yeah, what Bill said. From when Avon gets out of jail (Season 3, Ep 5) through the Season 4 finale, this show is untouchable. That's 19 consecutive episodes of some of the best TV you'll ever see.[/spoiler]

so i finished seasons 1-4 about a month ago, and it was great. w/ the finale right around the corner all this talk has me pumped to see season 5, and even to watch the entire series over again.

All of that to say nothing ever really changes. Great series.

[spoiler]Marlow didn't have one either, though I guess we know how that's going to pan out.[/spoiler]

Great finale. I liked how they showed the new generation of the characters that have been so prevalent throughout the series. The new junkie, the new Omar and the new shit-stirring cop. I liked the balance of the some what happy endings with the depressing ends for some of these characters. Done so well. Going to miss this show.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/...09/85-the-wire/

Don't forget the fact that Season 2 is pretty much the greatest thing ever.

i also love season 2. i need to watch them all again but if i HAD to pick a least favorite season it'd probably be #3 (keep in mind i've yet to see season 5), if only because it seemed more like a "hollywood" storyline than any other season w/ the division of avon + stringer. this is also why it was great, but it felt the least like a "sociology 101" course of any of the seasons, which is one thing i always really enjoyed about the show.

[spoiler]Fucking Herc. And what was that with Templeton @ Columbia--a Pulitzer after all?

The new mayor certainly got the Commissioner she deserved.

But with the exception of that, Duquan becoming a junkie, and the people of Baltimore taking it in the shorts, this was as great an ending as I might have hoped. [/spoiler]

you are conforming to the white people tradition of hiding possible "spoilers".

Indeed, Haid.

Best show ever. They really did everything they could with the 10 eps this season, and especially with that last episode. Even though I saw Michael becoming the new Omar happening, when it actually did happen I was pretty fucking ecstatic. And that scene with Marlo making sure his name was back in the streets when those kids were talking about Omar was pretty brilliant. Loved the return of Prez, one of the more underrated characters on the show.

Kinda hurt seeing how the Dukie and Templeton/Haynes story lines ended though. It was a pretty interesting commentary on journalism by Simon though- especially the part with Alma and Haynes.

Haha that's so true. I met someone from Baltimore 2-3 years ago and that's exactly what happened. Except that he, while white, had not watched The Wire. However he confirmed that they had ~300 murders a year. I shook my head and said, "man."

I'm from the DC/Baltimore/PG metro area, and The Wire's farewell hits me right where it counts.

[spoiler]Chris and Wee-Bey was probably my favorite part of the final montage. Those two characters were never really explored enough, but imagining that conversation will keep me busy for years. Because they showed his mug shot on this season's credits, I didn't expect to see Wee-Bey, even in the finale. That ruled so fucking hard.

I was really happy with the way that Marlo's story turned out. I was very afraid that the show was heading toward a terribly unimaginative comeuppance for Marlo, but his character arc has actually been kinda sneaky. His rise from the street to foreign banking this season was the least flashy, but most interesting plot line. His temper tantrum about his good name in ep 9 was one of those moments that I've been thinking about since it happened.

While I've read Marlo's punch interpretted as a sign of his return to the street, I saw it as more of a darkly comic goodbye. His distracted attitude at the harbor (oh God, that harbor is really more familiar to me than any other part of the city...lordy that episode got me teary) could be explained by the fact that Omar's shit-talking had really gotten to him. He couldn't leave the street without proving himself one last time. But that close call with the knife was just a sign that his retirement was well-advised.

Bubbles' journey throughout the show has been really wonderful. On paper, the characters is a cliche, but Andre Royo is incredible. He has brought this character through an incredible, believable transformation. There's never enough face time for any character in any given episode to get Emmy consideration, but Royo deserves a 5-Year Award for his long-term work. When Bubbles sat down at the kitchen table, I wanted to cry.

I like that Bubble's earning of his sis' trust ran parallel to Dukie's sacrifice of his bond with Prez. That was truly heart-breaking.

This show, man. Too fucking good.[/spoiler]