Clearly, one of The Wire's great strengths is its ability to draw parallels between the different domains of Baltimore life it depicts. Sometimes, though, I feel like the get too blunt and heavy-handed with this stuff. Having Clay Davis directly echo that one hopper's words on the ethics of accepting cash gifts from drug dealers seemed like a bridge too far. The parallel was clearly there in the story one way or the other, and bludgeoning you with it struck me as an atypical lack of respect for the audience's ability to "get it" by just watching events unfold.
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Wire 4.2
18 Sep 2006 09:26 am
Comments (13)
Yeah, that moment struck me as really heavy-handed also. I sort of felt the same way last week, during the scene when the teacher's training was juxtaposed with that of the cop's. Normally, The Wire is a lot more subtle than that.
Also, why didn't the show follow-up at all on how that one kid (can't remember the character's name) is dealing with the fact that he was tricked into taking part in Lex's murder? He seemed deeply disturbed by what happened at the end of last week's show, but was totally okay last night.
"Sheeeeit."
I've only saw a couple of episodes from the first season, so it may have changed since, but I thought it was insanely heavy-handed. Like worse than an after-school special, or a 1940s melodrama. I'm not saying that's bad. I think heavy-handed may be underrated. There's a place for it. My favorite show ever is Arrested Development, but god help us if every show was as sarcastic.
I'm so glad you posted this, I was thinking exactly the same thing. It was especially heavy-handed when you compare it to a much better "parallel lines" scene from the week before, when we were jumping back and forth from a vapid Powerpoint presentation being given to the teachers to a similarly vapid presentation (Homeland Security?) given to the cops.
Marlo seems to be getting a bit testier as he rises in the world -- it's hard to imagine the Marlo of last season confronting that kid who wouldn't take his money, calling him a bitch, etc.
And so, right on schedule, the start of an actual Wire backlash. Would've been nice if the show could've won some awards or something first.
As much as it pains me to admit any flaw in the show, I have to agree. On the other hand, this (hopefully rare) heavy-handedness is more than made up by the rapidly accelerating plot. In the other 3 seasons, the first 4-5 episodes start off very slowly. This season, things are picking up at a faster pace.
"The Wire doesn't deserve an Emmy. It deserves a Nobel Prize."
As much as it pains me to admit any flaw in the show, I have to agree. For me however, this (hopefully rare) heavy-handedness is more than made up by the rapidly accelerating plot. The first three seasons, the first 4-5 episodes take a while to get going. This does not appear to be the case this season. Presumably, it's because David Simon folded an entire possible miniseries ("The Hall", based on Carcetti's mayoral race) into this season.
"The Wire doesn't deserve an Emmy. It deserves a Nobel Prize."
The show has a weakness for the painfully didactic. Yet another reason why it's not as good a show as The Sopranos. (No sin in coming in second to the champ, of course...)
That said, I love the actor's Clay Davis portrayal so much that it doesn't bother me one whit. Sheeeeit, indeed.
Perhaps I'm a more typical viewer. When Davis said that line, I thought, "Funny! Didn't one of the boys say that? It's like their two sides of the same coin -- or sumpin'."
But that's just how I roll -- slowly.
The show has a weakness for the painfully didactic. Yet another reason why it's not as good a show as The Sopranos.
Didn't you like "The Comeback"?.
"Didn't you like "The Comeback"?
Yup. I think I was the only person in America who did.
But comedy operates under separate rules than drama. The didacticism of The Comeback is intentional, and part of the gameplan to render all of the characters unsympathetic.
This type of Excruciating Comedy is rarely popular, but can be really, really funny. See The Heartbreak Kid for a masterpiece of the genre.
I liked the Comeback after a few episodes. I think it was the Kevin Costner ep where Kudrow became less annoying & more pathetic while the husband started coming into his own.
I thought the acting on Jamie Hector's (Marlo) part when he confronted the kid about not taking his money was excellent. Very subtle facial expressions to show he respected & liked something about that kid. And Clay Davis with his "SHEEEEEEIT" and "HEEEEEEELL No!" had me rolling. I also found Bubbles putting his apprentice in school to be a pretty touching moment; I hope they give more time to that kid as opposed to focusing on Namond & his crew so much, as the character is a diamond in the rough. Plus the bit where Bubbles saw Prez was pretty cool.
Comments closed October 02, 2006.
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Heads in the Sand
I didn't catch it, and was ready to post about the seeming lack of parallels between The Corner and anything else until I read several wraps that pointed it out.
Posted by Nicholas Beaudrot | September 18, 2006 9:52 AM