I have no idea how many times I've watched The Wire from beginning to end, but it's probably more than five. The last time I remember watching it was in 2010 when I just moved to NYC. I was living in the West Village, and had an active social life, and The Wire was something nice to do calmly, alone, just to get absorbed by a fictitious yet very familiar culture, again. Like coming home in a way.#
That's the thing about all good series that achieve suspension of disbelief, you feel like you're in the story, you're part of the family. And The Wire with five seasons of 13 shows each, each show an hour, with all the characters and their stories, and relationships, makes for very absorbing reality-shifting and an emotionally satisfying experience. #
Sometimes I know what's coming, and amazingly, sometimes I've forgotten. But some big events, you remember, and experience them in full fidelity now, as you did the first time. #
Also if I recall correctly the first seasons were only available in low-rez, they came out before 4K, but somehow they've upgraded the source material and it's all up state of the art, at least to my eyes, which aren't the strongest.#
Anyway, I'm toward the end of season 2. Not even close to half way through. Looking forward to the end of the day when I might watch a couple of epsiodes.#
And get this, while I'm working through The Wire, I can't watch cable news. It's just too sad, slow, repetitive and just wrong. On one hand you see how great we can be as story-tellers, and the stories told on MSNBC and CNN aren't stories at all. The characters say nothing. Even the ones with reputations for saying a lot. There's absolutely no human connection. And you can see that the things they're saying are repeats, just like watching The Wire for the 5th or 10th time, but there's never a question about what the characters might say or do, it's always exactly the same. Yet it's supposed to be The News which would lead you to believe their intention is to say new things. #
I keep asking the question -- does news have to be as bad as it is? Could imagination bet part of it, curiosity, intellect, depth of knowledge about something other than politics or law? Maybe this is just what happens when you become older and more experienced than everyone on the news. They all seem flat and boring, and just plain stupid, bored with their jobs, but keeping the seat warm. But does it have to be this way?#
copyright 1994-2021 Dave Winer.
Last update: Friday September 17, 2021; 5:08 PM EDT.
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