What I'm Watching...
The Wire is no doubt one of the best TV series ever made. Setting aside the fact that I'll watch anything the scrumptious Mr. Idris Elba is in, the series is a gritty, take no prisoners crime drama about sophisticated drug kingpins and the dangerous, tireless police work that go into bringing them to justice. I started season one in 2010, but never got around to finishing it. You see, while this is among the best of the best, the action is slow to build. You don't get much of the CSI effect where all problems are neatly resolved at break neck pace within the hour of the show. The Wire is relentless in its realism. A fact I appreciate, but nevertheless, its easy to lose me when there isn't any action keeping me on the edge of my seat. I enjoy the show most when the chase is in the streets and when the bad guys are strategizing to become the hunter rather than the hunted. So I fell off the wagon for a while, but I always knew I'd return to the series at some point. It is so good, if you have the patience to allow the story to culminate into its peak.
A cautionary tale to would be drug mules and thrill seeking travelers who tend to err on the wrong side of the law. The personal stories of travelers who got caught up in the game on foreign soil inspire an equal mix of shock (such as the fact that drug offenses can you get the Death penalty in many South East Asian countries), dread, excitement and hilarity. The dumbass things some people do ...
The Wire is BEYOND awesome! I finished watching all the seasons at the end of last year and the quality is so high, I don't know how they didn't receive an Emmy. They deserved SEVERAL.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you're talking about Banged up Abroad. I watch it now and again on Dutch TV and it's always fascinating. There was even one episode where a lesbian went with her lover to Jamaica to smuggle drugs to the US. Have you seen that one? As a Jamaican, it was PRICELESS to watch.
Hi Hummingloon, thanks for dropping by! No I haven't seen that episode! But like I said I'm equally amazed and horrified by the chances these people take with their lives! It's insane!
ReplyDeleteAs for the Wire this is such a well made show that TV could hardly get any better than this. Many times it didn't even feel like a show, but a recording of actual events taking place in real time. Love this show. The pacing is slow and deliberate which, consequently, causes me to take long breaks from watching, however when I do go back to watch it just seems to get better and better.