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DVD : The Wire: The Complete Second Season
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Rating: 
- white folks just ain't as interesting
I guess it's a harsh statement but following the comings and goings of stevedores (longshoremen to those of us out West) did not grip me as much as Season One where the drug dealers of West Baltmore were the focus.
I loved the way they started Season Two with McNulty on shore patrol which helped lead the series into this new world. It plods a bit as I found the stevedores not at all really likable or fascinatingly drawn personalities. They basically came across as lumps. Maybe that's what they are but the union boss Frank Sobotka is the least likely lead character to drive this season. He just seems "there" and that's about it.
Worse is his son, Ziggy, who was just plain obnoxious and with that scrawny body of his seems a very unlikely stevedore. Although (spolier alert!) something Ziggy does starts the whole house of cards to come apart at the seams, it seems a tad out of the blue. Even so, what was the point of the duck Ziggy buys?
You do get the "assemble the squad" slant a few episodes in to be again led by Daniels and you know the story is going to get rolling from there. Also, the last two episodes is where things really grip you and the "ship hits the plans" to loosely paraphrase that timeworn cliche. Those episodes saved this season from being a run of the mill one to one where I am looking forward to Season Three and seeing how it all works esp. regarding Barksdale and Bell's relationship.
Also, in Season Two music plays a huge part in setting the scenes and shows the difference between black (hip hop/rap) and white (alt rock) cultures of today. The choice of "Love Child" on the jukebox in one scene at the stevedores' hangout bar to rag on Ziggy was brilliant.
Lastly, McNulty is not used as much as he was in Season One and being basically a peripheral character may have been a unique choice but he was vastly underused. At least the scenes with the stickup artist Omar still are well worth watching and he remains the strangest moral compass of all when it comes to right and wrong...at least in his world.
It all came down to the fact that the world of the docks was just not as interesting as that in the towers and low rises from Season One.
Rating: - Loosely Wired
The second season paled in comparison to the first. But then the first was spectacular. In this version much time is spent on getting the team reassembled and though it's realistic, it made frustrating viewing. McNulty seemed to have lost some of the edge that he had in the first one. That said this is extremely entertaining to watch. The writing is crackerjack and the plot complex without being confusing. New characters like 'Boris' add a whole new dimension to the show. A good purchase ... a good time.
Rating:
- Not as good as the 1st season
Lets start with the bad:
Last disk, last episode, last 5 minutes of my copy of the series: The disk is flawed. I get the frozen screen, pixel followed with a jump to the credits.
Of course I try to find a way to return it but the 30 days is long gone so I'm out of luck there. I try contacting HBO but never get a response.
The show it self was good but wasn't as good as Season 1. It hasn't jumped the shark yet but it wasn't as complex a story.
The good: It is a good series with complex characters. The multi layered characters and story are well worth a watch. People that like detective work, forensics, and very layered story and character will want a copy of the set.
My only complaint is the flaw on the last disk and that the first season seemed a little better.
- white folks just ain't as interestingI guess it's a harsh statement but following the comings and goings of stevedores (longshoremen to those of us out West) did not grip me as much as Season One where the drug dealers of West Baltmore were the focus.
I loved the way they started Season Two with McNulty on shore patrol which helped lead the series into this new world. It plods a bit as I found the stevedores not at all really likable or fascinatingly drawn personalities. They basically came across as lumps. Maybe that's what they are but the union boss Frank Sobotka is the least likely lead character to drive this season. He just seems "there" and that's about it.
Worse is his son, Ziggy, who was just plain obnoxious and with that scrawny body of his seems a very unlikely stevedore. Although (spolier alert!) something Ziggy does starts the whole house of cards to come apart at the seams, it seems a tad out of the blue. Even so, what was the point of the duck Ziggy buys?
You do get the "assemble the squad" slant a few episodes in to be again led by Daniels and you know the story is going to get rolling from there. Also, the last two episodes is where things really grip you and the "ship hits the plans" to loosely paraphrase that timeworn cliche. Those episodes saved this season from being a run of the mill one to one where I am looking forward to Season Three and seeing how it all works esp. regarding Barksdale and Bell's relationship.
Also, in Season Two music plays a huge part in setting the scenes and shows the difference between black (hip hop/rap) and white (alt rock) cultures of today. The choice of "Love Child" on the jukebox in one scene at the stevedores' hangout bar to rag on Ziggy was brilliant.
Lastly, McNulty is not used as much as he was in Season One and being basically a peripheral character may have been a unique choice but he was vastly underused. At least the scenes with the stickup artist Omar still are well worth watching and he remains the strangest moral compass of all when it comes to right and wrong...at least in his world.
It all came down to the fact that the world of the docks was just not as interesting as that in the towers and low rises from Season One.
Rating:
- Loosely WiredThe second season paled in comparison to the first. But then the first was spectacular. In this version much time is spent on getting the team reassembled and though it's realistic, it made frustrating viewing. McNulty seemed to have lost some of the edge that he had in the first one. That said this is extremely entertaining to watch. The writing is crackerjack and the plot complex without being confusing. New characters like 'Boris' add a whole new dimension to the show. A good purchase ... a good time.
Rating:
- Not as good as the 1st seasonLets start with the bad:
Last disk, last episode, last 5 minutes of my copy of the series: The disk is flawed. I get the frozen screen, pixel followed with a jump to the credits.
Of course I try to find a way to return it but the 30 days is long gone so I'm out of luck there. I try contacting HBO but never get a response.
The show it self was good but wasn't as good as Season 1. It hasn't jumped the shark yet but it wasn't as complex a story.
The good: It is a good series with complex characters. The multi layered characters and story are well worth a watch. People that like detective work, forensics, and very layered story and character will want a copy of the set.
My only complaint is the flaw on the last disk and that the first season seemed a little better.