The Wire -Episode 4 - Old Cases

[shadowkat]

Briefly...That was one of the most brilliant pieces of television that I've seen. And the best Cop Show/Criminal Procedural bit I've seen. It was better than Homicide.

There's three brilliant sequences in this episode. Actually four. No, make that five. The writing in this show - that is how you write a police procedural dialogue folks. If you want to know how to write good television scripts and not paint by numbers? Rent The Wire.

A really famous bit, that is so realistic that it blew me away. (An aside - while in law school and prior to law school, I did a lot of internships such as orders of protection, public defender, housing authority, legal aid, etc.) Two homicide detectives come to a crime scene, and figure out how a woman was shot. The only word of dialogue stated is variations of "fuck". The scene is exactly how cops do investigative work. And it's entertaining. I was riveted. I kept rewinding.

Watch The Wire - and you will understand why I can't watch any of the police procedurals on television which include Bones, CSI, NCSI, Castle, Law & Order, Criminal Minds, etc..all of which repeat the same formula, same dialogue, same situations, same mysteries and never take any risks.

Whoa. Just Whoa. That episode blew me away. And Lester is my new favorite character.

How is it possible for a tv series to just get better with each new episode? Usually it's one good one, one okay one, one good one, one so-so, one good one, one horrifically bad one.

Although HBO tends to be fairly consistent. There is something to be said for just doing 10-13 episodes a year as opposed to 22. Cheaper, and the writer's don't get burned out as quickly.

Comments

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

The scene is brilliant on so many levels. One it's just wickedly funny, plus as mentioned above it shows how McNulty and Bunk work together and that they are, as they would say, real police. It also slyly mocks traditional cop shows, showing how elaborate CSI-type crime scene dialogue is pointless and ridiculous. Finally it's a gripping scene to see them figure everything out. We're at an advantage being the audience and having more information but we're so there with Bunk and McNulty working through it - step by step as opposed someone like House making a leap and then explaining it afterwards - that there's a genuine thrill on that final "fuck me."

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Agreed. As stated above in response to beergood, the way the writer sets up that scene is a stroke of brilliance.
We have the D'Angelo scene - which is also quite good and blew me away with the layers, and nuance. D'Angelo doesn't say he shot her - but it is obvious he did. And it's obvious he hates it. And no one knows, but those on the street. Then the two scenes with Jay, where he gives McNulty and Bunk the file, and he speaks with his superior. The writer gets a lot across with so little.

It also slyly mocks traditional cop shows, showing how elaborate CSI-type crime scene dialogue is pointless and ridiculous.

Exactly. This scene slyly makes fun of all of those shows.
Depicting how it should be done.

I love the procedural bits in this series. Which are time-consuming, and involve little dialogue. And simply shown.
Yet gripping.