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I've been mainlining a bunch of tv lately, Season 4 of The Wire before Christmas, and Torchwood this week. Some thoughts on both. Perhaps mildly spoilerly, but nothing you wouldn't get in the first few minutes of an episode.
Truly one of the best, if not the best show on television. Just incredible. (insert more gushing). The Wire's mastery is the way that it doesn't rely on the "solve the mystery" point of most police shows, but instead highlights the complex interactions between individuals and institutions. These institutions (the police, all levels of govt., education, unions, even, no especially the drug trade and the street) continually prioritize their own survial above all else. They compromise the people who make them up, sacrifice the people they are trying to help, and tragically undermine their own stated goals. We laud those in The Wire who subvert the systems, who work around them, who try to escape them, as well as thoes who try to do the best within them (see Lester and one of my favorite characters, Bubbles.)
In many ways The Wire reminds me of BSG, people trying to survive in extreme and difficult circumstances. Both shows explore the complexity and contradictions of people's personalities, actions, and motivations. But BSG gives us a war, an enemy, goals, and clear (if tortured) heroes. There are no heroes in The Wire. There's no enemy to simply "defeat" and no planet to reach. There's no instution that provides an example of something effective. Instead everything is flawed and it is only through individual choices, brillance, and sacrifice that small victories are won. And it sucks because it's real.
I'm making it sound really dreary, but it is so good. The characters are real in a way few have resonated with me before (Firefly's being another example). Netflix season 1 and spend a couple weeks with it. After the first 2-3 episodes I bet you'll be hooked. (And OMG wait until this incredible moment at the end of s. 3, and season 4's focus on kids and education is just so dead on.)
Torchwood is so much fun! It doesn't quite have the levity of Dr. Who and I don't love it with the same deep affection, but I enjoy it. I buy the characters and like their interactions. The episodes seem a little 1 or 2 dimensional, but I love that they take a crazy premise--even ones we've encountered before (sex pollen, sexy cyberwoman, horror movie in the country, alien cage matches, "godzilla," etc) and just run with it. I love that occasionally they move away from the monster of the week (like in the one with the people from the 50s), or when they do it really well (the "fairies" scared the crap out of me.) Plus the sex is hot. Capt. Jack is just too damn pretty. And the Capt. Jack kiss (you know the one I mean) is one of the most gorgeous, hottest, heartbreaking kisses I've ever seen on tv. Liking Torchwood, but bring back my doctor!
Truly one of the best, if not the best show on television. Just incredible. (insert more gushing). The Wire's mastery is the way that it doesn't rely on the "solve the mystery" point of most police shows, but instead highlights the complex interactions between individuals and institutions. These institutions (the police, all levels of govt., education, unions, even, no especially the drug trade and the street) continually prioritize their own survial above all else. They compromise the people who make them up, sacrifice the people they are trying to help, and tragically undermine their own stated goals. We laud those in The Wire who subvert the systems, who work around them, who try to escape them, as well as thoes who try to do the best within them (see Lester and one of my favorite characters, Bubbles.)
In many ways The Wire reminds me of BSG, people trying to survive in extreme and difficult circumstances. Both shows explore the complexity and contradictions of people's personalities, actions, and motivations. But BSG gives us a war, an enemy, goals, and clear (if tortured) heroes. There are no heroes in The Wire. There's no enemy to simply "defeat" and no planet to reach. There's no instution that provides an example of something effective. Instead everything is flawed and it is only through individual choices, brillance, and sacrifice that small victories are won. And it sucks because it's real.
I'm making it sound really dreary, but it is so good. The characters are real in a way few have resonated with me before (Firefly's being another example). Netflix season 1 and spend a couple weeks with it. After the first 2-3 episodes I bet you'll be hooked. (And OMG wait until this incredible moment at the end of s. 3, and season 4's focus on kids and education is just so dead on.)
Torchwood is so much fun! It doesn't quite have the levity of Dr. Who and I don't love it with the same deep affection, but I enjoy it. I buy the characters and like their interactions. The episodes seem a little 1 or 2 dimensional, but I love that they take a crazy premise--even ones we've encountered before (sex pollen, sexy cyberwoman, horror movie in the country, alien cage matches, "godzilla," etc) and just run with it. I love that occasionally they move away from the monster of the week (like in the one with the people from the 50s), or when they do it really well (the "fairies" scared the crap out of me.) Plus the sex is hot. Capt. Jack is just too damn pretty. And the Capt. Jack kiss (you know the one I mean) is one of the most gorgeous, hottest, heartbreaking kisses I've ever seen on tv. Liking Torchwood, but bring back my doctor!
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