I'm looking for serious advice or even a debate about the earlier episodes of The Wire. I heard some really good things and I'm heavily disappointed about this show and how its plot and whole development moves as slow as molasses. So far I've sat through seven episodes and next to nothing has happened. I'm pretty busy and don't feel like wasting my time watching a show where nothing occurs and it's the same repetitive BS for the whole season. If I want long drawn out drama that waits until the end of the season for something to happen I'll DVR The Killing again.

I get it. It's Baltimore and there are black guys that deal drugs. The kids get married into the lifestyle and deal drugs to get by, while sleeping on triple decker futons. There are gangs that don't like each other and they have their own language. The cops, corrupt themselves, try to clean up the streets. There is nothing revolutionary or interesting to that.

Is the whole season going to be 13 episodes of the cops looking for evidence to take down the drug guys? Isn't that like every episode of NYPD Blue? Yet this takes 59 minutes and 13 episodes to get somewhere?

I'm not trolling. I'm being serious. Maybe I'm missing where something big happens in the first seven episodes.

Should I be on the edge of my seat as some guy uncovers a beeper message?

Literally nothing has happened. I have to shotgun 2 red bulls 45 minutes prior to putting the DVD in to assure I don't fall asleep like I did three times during episode one.

Where are the plot twists? Where is the action? Why should I tune in and pay money to watch this?

Breaking Bad, Dexter, Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, The Shield, etc, etc. all hit you with some big twist or something to pull you before half the first season is over.

If it wasn't for the reputation I would have traded in the DVD after episode three.

I want a genuine debate on this show, hopefully I get one.

yougonnagetraped.jpeg lol

Actually I agree I went back and re-watched the first episode and only made it halfway through. It got better as it went along but i don't think the first season stands the test of time. It might have something to do with trying to figure out who all the characters are.

If I'm not mistaken, it starts to get really good right after episode 7 or 8 so don't give up just yet.

Yeah my recollection is that the show takes a long time to develop all the characters and get the pieces moving, then gets really ****ing good. That said, if you're watching The Wire expecting tons of action and twists you might be disappointed.

yeah, the first bunch of eps are mostly introducing the main characters and setting up the series. think it starts to take off around ep 8-10, i was def hooked after 10. well, actually i was prob hooked much earlier, but after 10 i got the urge to marathon as much as possible.

have heard other ppl say the same thing as OP, that's it's too slow and boring. a few ppl i've tried to get into the show (that i would have expected to) just didn't have it take for them. i guess it's not for everyone...

edit: but if i were OP, i might give it a few more eps (maybe just finish season 1?). if you still don't like it, then just give up probably.

you aren't going to get action (besides the occasional gunfight/murder) and over the top dramatic plot twists, probably shouldn't even bother watching it if that's what you want

I just finished the whole series and thought it was incredible. However, the first season and half didn't really grab...but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.

Great show...and its slowness is ts greatness. Epic story-telling.

If plot twists and action are your idea of good tv, go watch 24. However, I will say that each season of The Wire builds slowly like a novel. The wow moments come in the later episodes, with the penultimate episode in each season usually being the climax. When the action does happen in this show, it is much more powerful. In Season 1, there are cool moments in early episodes like the chess conversation and McNulty's f--- scene with Bunk. Then it gets a little more interesting when the wire is set. Then it really starts getting good at the end of episode 8 and continues in 9 and 10. So you are right there. I actually think one can't appreciate the true, full genius of The Wire until you look back at how it came together once you're at least in Season 4. So if someone really wants to see great TV, I tell them to push through and keep watching. At the end of Season 1 you'll probably think it's decent and got better at the end but doesn't live up to the hype. At the end of Season 2, you'll be even more disappointed. But by Season 3 you will start to realize why everyone loves this show and by the end of Season 4 you will fully appreciate it. I rank the seasons 4>3>1>5>2. If you just want plot twists and action, then find something else to watch.

31 posts...is this a level or troll I can't decide.
If you can't appreciate the detailed exposition in this series, go watch Law and Order.
Face palm.

OP, it might be your slowness that is the problem here.

I'm just re-watching the serie, just finished S03 and tbh i dont get your OP. I remember the first time i started watching it, i watched the 1st season in one sitting (yes, i have no life), actually on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Maybe it's a personnality thing, but I really loved all the episodes of the 1st season. For sure there are some down moments where they can't do anything but really present some of the characters.

Imo, try & go to the end of this season. If you end up loving it, continue but hold on on the 2nd season because THAT ONE is pretty slow (didnt love it the 1st time i watched it, loved it the 2nd time).

The Wire is amazing. The story takes place over a full season, that's the reason it's good.

I liked the first season a lot. I think 2-3-4 were all better, and then 5 levels off a bit.

And the show is a drama, not much of an action show. It's more about the people than it is about the events that take place. If you're looking for car chases and shootouts to make a good story this probably isn't what you're after.

Yes. The story builds to the action, it's not just non-stop action for the sake of being an action series.

OP,

No offense, but you might be a simpleton.

How in the bloody hell do you have 5>2

(Rubber stamp Wire-love forthcoming)

The bottom line is that it's not a show for ADD viewers who feel the need to be led through a roller coaster of artificial peaks and valleys. It makes no effort to match the high-octane level of something like, say, The Shield, but compared to The Wire, The Shield (while I like it very much) comes off as cloying, artificial, manufactured, while The Wire grows organically, is rooted in verisimilitude, and ultimately has a point that far exceeds the empty roller coaster of most shows.

While there may not be anything inherently groundbreaking about cops-chasing-the-bad-guys, you have to understand that the show is ultimately about the nature of human institutions and the ways in which bureaucracies ultimately serve those that game them over those that would make positive changes. It's entertaining at times (and can be very funny), but as much as that it's making an actual statement, and there's a reason that it's being taught as the subject in sociology classes in places like Harvard and Oxford. Each season has a very specific point it's making, from the first being about how the drug war has become a war on the American underclass, the second being about urban decay and the destruction of the middle class, the third keeping a theme of reform and introducing a political structure, the fourth (and best) taking a deep look at the educational system, and the fifth focusing on the media. So while it still functions as drama, and occasionally brings action and tragedy, it stands out in that it's also making some very complex and well-articulated points.

As far as drama goes, when you get to the last 4 episodes of Season 1, you'll see what the rest of the season has been building toward. It can be a little off-putting because it's one of the few shows that is telling one long story and makes absolutely no effort to compartmentalize its story with individual beginnings, middles, and ends to each episode (Game of Thrones is another that follows this, but there aren't many). Think of each season as an individual 10-14 part story, complete with introduction, buildup, climax, and denouement, and you'll get a better feel for what the show is about.

To be fair the first time I watched Season 1 was kind of hard because you are basicly thrown into a world that is way larger than pretty much every other show I can think of. There is so much history, so many characters and dynamics that you need to grasp before you can start to appreciate the story.

When I rewatched the series I was able to appreciate the first episodes a lot more because I already knew those things.

Finish the first season, if you seriously think it sucks just stop watching, watch some easier to watch top tier shows and return to the wire.

Drink!

I just want something that contains cliffhangers or something that has me staying up an extra hour at night because I literally can't stand leaving the show because I have to know what happens next.

If I want a documentary on the Baltimore drug game wouldn't I watch a documentary on the Baltimore drug game or read a host of literature written about it?

I finish these episodes and I feel like I have gotten nowhere. They end so boring. There isn't even any character development for most of these guys, in my opinion to this point. None of the cops are likeable, I guess on purpose. The drug dealers are somewhat interesting but it's the same overall process over and over with them.

I'm just so shocked that this show has such a cult audience.

Breaking Bad literally has you on the edge of your seat throughout the series with all of Walt's trials and tribulations, different people coming into his life, and Walt's overall conversion as a person. It has incredible character development.

This show has so many characters that it almost handicaps itself from fully developing characters because there are about 50 of them that you have to follow.

Pro Tip: Before you try to watch a TV show, it's somewhat important to turn your TV/computer on.

This show is very intense at times and it can be hard to stop watching but not in a classical BB-way. Also Breaking Bad shines in putting you on the edge of your seat, the wire shines in developping characters and a story.

There are some cliffhangers in S1 btw .

I agree with most of what OP said

Season 1 was slow but watchable. The last few eps got better.

Season 2 is unwatchable garbage, I gave up on the show about 5-6 episodes into s2 when literally nothing had happened.

Pretty sure it's the most overrated show of all time and comparing it to the good seasons of Dexter, or any season of Breaking Bad, is just ridiculous.

@OP season 1 does get better near the end, but season 2 is pure unwatchable garbage.

After I gave up, I read the wikipedia synopsis of each remaining series, and it didn't strike me as must watch TV.

Pretty sure one of these shows is based on reality, and one is pretty much entirely fictional. Also pretty sure you're not aware of this distinction tho.