The first time I watched The Wire, I was very ill. It was one of those times where I wanted to lie on the couch and let stories wash over me. Right before I had gotten sick, I had gone to the neighborhood video store and had rented the entire first season of The Wire for five dollars. I was full of self-congratulation about my incredible foresight to have an entire season of this highly recommended show to watch, but then when I settled down to watch it, I discovered that I didn't like it.
It was hard to follow. It just didn't click with me. But I kept watching it, because I had nothing else at hand, and I was so sick, it was just easier to lie back and watch one episode after another and then it was like all the pieces fell in place and I loved this show.
So a while back, I started rewatching the show with Mike. To my surprise, it is still hard to follow. I'm curious to see if Season 1 is denser than the other seasons, or whether the other seasons are as complex, as obtuse. I didn't care now, because I love the series, but you really have to have your analytical self in high gear to keep track of all of the events in the episodes.
For those of you who haven't seen The Wire yet, kindly skip this paragraph. Rewatching Season 1, I realized that I had remembered some things differently. In my memory, Omar was much more present in this season. I thought Wallace had died much earlier. In my mind, Wallace's death was when I was completely won over by The Wire, but that was late in the game, the second to last episode in Season 1. When I first saw the show, I wasn't as affected by DeAngelo. The first time I saw it, I saw Stringer and Avon as interesting and kind of glamorous. This time it's hard to focus on their quirky sides. Particularly Stringer Bell. This time I'm much more aware of his ruthless nature.
It is one of those shows where characters seem to own names. No one else in TV can be Omar now. No one else can be Wallace. It's a show that's well worth any mental gymnastics that you may have to do in the beginning. It's characters worth following.
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