The Wire - legalization of drugs and other things (episodes 6-10)

Did a mini S3 Wire marathon today - episodes 6-10. The best of the lot was episode 10 with the quote: crisis of leadership. That was one funny episode. Slapstick was just heart-breakingly sad.

Noticed something - I've been watching too much of The Wire lately - it's affecting my writing style. I find myself writing and thinking in Wire speak. Did this with Buffy too. Freaking mimic.

( spoilers because I'm not sure I can discuss it without spoilers at this point. )

(no subject)

After watching the last two episodes of S3, The Wire, started watching US vs. Japan Women's World Cup, first time the US has made it to the finals since 1990s. No one is scoring and it's a rather boring game frankly.

While reading Saturday's NY Times - hit upon an interesting article about Punchdrunk does Doctor Who for Kids - its an interactive stage show, in cooperation with the writers/producers of Doctor Who premiering at the Manchester Festival. With plans to bring it to London for the Olympics and possibly the US in the future. Also they are making plans to let adults participate. Not a huge fan of interactive theater - it's too close to improve, which I hate, but find the concept fascinating. Currently Punch Drunk has a show in the US called Sleep No More - based on MacBeth, where you basically wander through rooms of an old hotel, with little dialogue, as ghosts (the audience are the ghosts not the actors).

Had a bit of a migraine this morning so had to skip church. It's beastly hot outside, but I might go and pick up a few odds and ends, then retreat inside again. Also the annoying gnatty bugs are back. There's just a two or three, but still annoying.

Can well understand now why everyone loves S3 of The Wire - the last two episodes were by far the most satisfying of the series to date, although I did rather love S1, S3 ends on a happier note for several of our main characters. And characters change and do evolve. McNulty has an epithany of sorts. Also, I adore Bunny Colvin and Denis (Cutty)'s a arcs.

Will most likely do a longer review with spoilers later. Must do some cleaning. Going out of town for the weekend - next weekend and the weekend after that. All I can afford vacation wise right now is long weekends, it sucks, but I have a job which is more than a lot of folks can say these days.

In regards tv watching this summer - really only watching a few shows. True Blood, Friday Night Lights (which just ended),The Wire, In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs, The Closer...trying Outcasts, Alphas, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Boardwalk Empire. Tried Falling Skies, didn't like it...too much like Spielberg's War of the Worlds, without half of the charm. Made me miss The 4400.

Uh, wait, the USA scored. Cool!!! Go USA!!!

Oh damn, now they are tied. Japan scored. I swear everything happens in the second half in these games...it's like they just wear you down and that's when they score.

But I missed the second score for the US because the stupid DVR stopped - due to extra time. Ugh! Now watching live. Which should have done to begin with.

The Wire S3 - Finale (Changing the world ain't as easy as it looks)

Japan just won the Women's Soccer World Cup. In penatly and overtime kicks. It was basically back and forth. Can't say I found the game as thrilling as the commentators did. The allure of spectator sports continues to elude me.

Hot day. Gnatty bugs are back - not sure how they got in my apartment, probably through the front door or from fruit I bought. Highly annoying. Also, why is it no matter how many times I vaccum my carpet, it still gets crumbs on it? It seems almost pointless.

Finished watching S3 - The Wire, will most likely watch the commentary before returning the disc tomorrow. Rather loved the finale two episodes...most of the season felt like it was slowly building up to the last three episodes - which were the best of the bunch.

Can't say I was all that surprised by anything that happened - the foreshadowing was certainly there and this show is expertly written and quite tight. It's not predictable. Just tightly written. And I gave up finally and just put close-captioning on every episode. Otherwise I lose 80% of what is said. Also lots and lots of rewinding. It's rewind, front of the coach tv.

We don't need to dream anymore, we have everything we wanted. - Stringer Bell to Avon Barksdale.

Then we fight the lie. -Slim

This isn't going to be that in depth, mostly impressions and stuff that stuck out for me. And done fast, because have little time tonight to write it.

( Spoilers - The Wire S3, all episodes up and including the Finale )

Trueblood and Wire commentary..

Forgot to DVR tonight's episode of Boardwalk Empire - but may give up on it anyhow. Can't quite get into it for some reason. Don't you love it when every critic says a tv show or book or film is amazing, the best thing ever! And you try it and think, uh, okaay, are they all deeply stoned or what? This is boring. Which I guess just proves we aren't lemmings right? And are blessed with different tastes.

The Wire commentary had some fun bits -( spoilers for S3 The Wire )

True Blood is such a soap opera. I considered fast-forwarding over certain bits. Soap Operas always have story sub-threads that bore me. Sam and his whole white-trash shifters in the dog-fights storyline, I really wish Ball would just drop. The difference between shows like the Wire and Game of Thrones (ensemble television novels) and True Blood (soap operas) is one is tightly written, every characters story interconnects, the themes interconnect, and there's nothing wasted. Soap Operas are about as loosely written as you can get, the characters stories seldom connect, and half the stuff is throw-away, also they talk things to death.

That said? True Blood was hilarious in places again. The Eric/Sookie storyline is comedy gold.

( spoilers for True Blood S4 - tonight's episode )