Letters to the Editor
Darth Grabass
Published Letters: 10 Editor's Choice: 1
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The "Marlo is really stupid" episode...
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks to the anonymous poster for that title, because that's exactly what I was thinking. This episode might be the first real clunker for me, from start to finish. So much of it seemed dull and obvious, from the newsroom budget cuts to playing hooky from corner duties to Marlo's cliched fish-out-of-water trip to the Antilles. As a matter of fact, if all my negative feelings about this episode could be represented by an article of clothing, it would be the tropical shirt that Marlo wears to the bank. C'mon, really? Over the years, I've bought into Hamsterdam, Omar, and every other unlikely character and plot point--and I've bought into them because they've been done so well--but that shirt? I can't buy that shirt.
This seemed like an alternate reality episode, where everyone seems a bit out of character. Marlo is suddenly awkward and dense, Lester is suddenly and enthusiastically immoral, Omar is bandit king of a tropical island, and McNulty is so completely rudderless that his arc has entered the realm of fantasy. However, the fantasy is not very interesting. It's dull and obvious.
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fish out of water
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Marlinspike, I don't think anyone said that Omar's refuge was in the Antilles. We were speaking of Marlo's trip to the bank. But that sort of reinforces my feeling that two separate "tropical island" scenes in one episode was probably one too many, particularly if it only causes confusion.
And, hammerbutt, sorry but I don't find anything about Marlo's trip to "see [his] money" to be a very realistic part of the drug game. The too-much-cash dilemma he finds himself in, sure, but to use that plot point for a stale fish-out-of-water cliche was the root of my irritation with the scene.
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Ouch
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Sorry, Aquiline, but you just spoiled the ending of next week's episode for anyone who hasn't seen it. Thank goodness I've got on-demand, but your narrow description of Marlo's victim pretty much gives it away.
That said, the spark and intelligence of next week's episode definitely makes up for this week's lackluster effort.
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Steve Earle
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Sarah, Steve Earle has been an alcoholic and a serious drug addict for much of his adult life. He's been clean since 1994. His "twitchy" body movements are not bad acting; that's just the way he moves. Whether or not it has anything to do with the drugs and alcohol he's consumed over the years I couldn't say, but he jerks his head and flaps his arms when he talks. You could criticize Simon's choice of casting, but you can't criticize Earle for acting like a muppet, because that's not acting.
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Randy
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm not sure why anyone should be at all surprised by Randy's scene. That is unless you've forgotten the scene from the previous season where Carver drops Randy off at the home. For me, it would have been a shocker if Randy hadn't turned out like he did. I thought his scene with Bunk in this episode was good, but it was almost redundant in terms of Randy's character arc.
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JK...
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Re: your "Ongoing Massacre" post. Is this your way of telling us you have a black friend? Other than that, I'm not quite sure anymore what you're going on about. Aren't you an upper class white woman who enjoys watching this program?
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@pbrown
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It was pretty telling that Gus referred to Templeton's homeless Marine story as "the real deal." I think that Gus knows that Templeton is fabricating.
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BS source
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]And of course that BS source is McNulty.
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28 Days Later...
[Read the article: Zombies eat YouTube!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I haven't seen Diary of the Dead (Romero lost me at Land of the Dead), but I would like to remark on your final comment about 28 Days Later. I would argue that 28 Days Later is perhaps one of the only zombie movies (sorry, Mister Marker) that doesn't default "to an intellectually lazy, teenage-grade nihilism." In fact, it's refreshingly humanistic throughout, and downright hopeful in its denouement. The same can't be said for it's inferior sequel, but regardless of whether or not you actually liked 28 Days Later, I don't think it's fair or accurate to pin the "teenage-grade nihilism" label on it. In fact, one of the film's main themes is the rejection of nihilism, as the main characters strive to maintain familial bonds in the face of chaos and anarchy. And...spoiler ahead...they succeed! Quite the opposite of Romero's films, and every other pale imitation made in their wake.
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Goodnight, Moon
[Read the article: Hot off "The Wire"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well, I feel that I have to come out in support of the Goodnight, Moon fadeout. I loved it and, unlike another letter writer, I didn't think it was out of character for Kima at all. I thought it was perfect how she played it with a big smile on her face. Ever since Cheryl became pregnant, Kima has been running in the other direction as fast she could, and this moment showed her finding a way to care for the child while still hanging on to her "tough cop" identity. That smile reflected a rare moment of happiness and possibly even contentment, I thought. "Goodnight, po-po..."
And speaking of Kima, the more overblown the fake serial killer plot gets, the more I miss the characters who are getting pushed to the periphery. I'm finding it difficult to remain invested in the fates of McNulty and Lester, or even Omar, as the behavior of those characters becomes increasingly outrageous/stupid/hard-to-swallow. Meanwhile, I find myself wishing for more Kima, more Bunk, and even more Marlo. For me, one of the virtues of The Wire has always been its subtle low-key moments, but this season is getting all obvious and histrionic on my ass.