Rewatched The Wire after 10 years and finally get the hype

I watched season 1 back in 2014 and thought it was boring. Too slow, too many characters. Gave up halfway through. My buddy at the shop kept saying I missed the point. Last month I had a slow week with no big jobs so I threw it on while doing brake jobs. By episode 3 I was hooked. Finished all 5 seasons in 10 days. The way each season builds on the last one without being repetitive is something I never noticed before. Now I get why people say it's the best show ever made. Anyone else take a second try at a show and completely flip on it?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_coleman10d ago

You said you watched it while doing brake jobs, so were you actually paying attention the whole time or just half listening? I ask because the visual storytelling in The Wire is what really made it click for me the second time around. Those quiet shots of the towers or the docks set the whole mood and I missed all that on my first watch.

alice_allen510d ago

Yeah, I get what you're saying about the visual storytelling. When I rewatched it, I actually put the brakes aside and just sat down with the show. I had the same problem the first time around, I was half listening while doing other stuff and missed the little details. For me, it clicked when I focused on the way they show the city changing, like the new construction going up next to the old projects. I started noticing how the camera lingers on stuff like the empty lots or the boarded up houses, and that's when I realized the show's not just about the characters, it's about the whole system failing. So yeah, you're right, you gotta give it your full attention, even if it means setting down the tools for a bit.