The Wire 5x06 Reaction

Whoa, that's an interesting summary of both shows!

PIG

I just remembered that many of the production people on this show are Sopranos alumni.

Thomas Fahey

The Sopranos operates on a narrow spectrum from cynical to absurd. It’s equally comical and tragic. Most of the characters are repellent and the rest deluded. It’s ugly, but impossible to look away from. Mad Men is a meticulous recreation of a pivotal time in American history that directly evolves into what we see today. It’s as close as you can come to having been there. It’s also gorgeous to look at.

Thomas Fahey

They have

Darrach

True Detective Season 1 might be the best season of television I've ever seen.

Jesse

The Pose is another great show, you guys will love it!

Kazusa Yoshimura

I saw someone else say True Detective Season 1 in a previous comment section. Have L&M watched that? If not I think that would be great for reactions. Also having a one season show to watch could be a nice break from a multi-season show that will take months.

Doug

A Black Sails reaction would be so much fun. It really is underrated. The character writing and action is top notch. Unlike a lot of shows, it keeps getting better and better each season.

Jason Parker

Have they seen The Leftovers? I haven't seen and reaction channels I follow react to that show and it's amazing. I guess it might not get the views they would hope for since it's definitely not as popular as something like the sopranos or breaking bad.

Aaronm

I don't know what some people are talking about. The Sopranos is a great show, whether you react to it or not.

Aj

there is a US version ? don't want to watch it tbh

Juliette

Sopranos does not deserve all the praise it's getting imo. I'd say it's fine to skip

lrdx

The Office UK would be a perfect bite sized reaction from them, and a serious palate cleanser.

B Guppy

Great show, assuming you're talking about the UK version, but it doesn't have a bloody ending.

B Guppy

I enjoyed hearing why you shy away from reacting to “The Sopranos”. Opinions based on misogyny tend to be louder and more repetitive especially on the interwebs. While I recognize that “The Sopranos “ is excellent storytelling, none of it stayed with me the way that “The Wire” or “Breaking Bad” did (or “The Queen’s Gambit” for that matter). So give it a pass…or watch it as a non-recorded gift to yourselves.

Joe Gaspard

It’s got to be Black Sails’ time soon right. We’ve been waiting SO FUCKING LONG lol. Recently came across someone called Jan & Duke. Shes just finished S1 of The Wire and S2 of Black Sails on her patreon. Watching her grow to love Flint has been wonderful.

Wanda Did Nothing Wrong

@mike idk man it made me sick watching it. didn’t enjoy it until s7. whereas the sopranos was easier to digest. just my opinion tho

RH

Mad Men is a show about misogyny in the 1960s (among other things) but I don't think it fosters misogynistic conversations about the characters in the way that Breaking Bad (and The Sopranos) does. Maybe there are similar "complaints" about Betty. Certainly not about Peggy and the rest of the cast.

Mike

I think they watched it in their own time, didn't record any reactions as far as I know.

ODIS

Whiting and the rest of the newsroom brass actually discuss "the Dickensian aspect" in an earlier episode this season: They want a heart-wrenching story about the poor, doomed product of the failing education system that will win them an award. They don't want to interrogate the *causes* that facilitate the terrible, sad story. "Focus on the Dickensian aspect without getting bogged-down." (Gus, predictably, disagrees.) It's the difference between *just* telling Dukie's tragic story (or the marine in this episode) and the scope and thoughtfulness that we got in S4.

Mike

For my money, Mad Men and The Sopranos are the two most fascinating, thematically interesting shows in the medium's history. They'd love them both.

Mike

Yeah, I was expecting Carmela to show up on that "Worst Characters" list because, as the "nagging wife of the cool protagonist", she sometimes gets the same shit that Skyler does. But Olivia totally belongs in that pantheon next to Joffrey. Frankly, re: Skyler/Carm, I think that Chase and The Sopranos had a better handle on how this type of character would necessarily feel like an antagonist for their anti-hero lead, and that the writing for Carmela was more nuanced and impactful *because* they were more comfortable with occasionally portraying her in a negative light -- compared to Gilligan and Breaking Bad, who at times felt like they were playing defence against the (totally horrible and wrong) "Skyler is a bitch" undercurrent. Anyway I hope they don't steer clear of the series over these fears, because it's a really incredible interrogation of the toxic masculinity at issue here (among other things, obviously). I do understand wanting a palette cleanser after The Wire though!

Mike

Treme is so, so good. Incredible cast of diverse, multi-faceted characters weaving through totally fascinating storylines. If you're looking for something with a similar storytelling *style* as The Wire, while also getting away from the specific cops/criminals milieu, you can't do better than Treme. And the music!!

Mike

Goddamnit I'm going to miss reading all these comments once the show is over. I've really had such a blast, and it feels like we're just getting started even though it's nearly over. Whatever the next show is, I really hope to see some of y'all there too.

TeaDrinker3000

Yeah it's really frustrating to have a female hispanic character get sidelined, David Simon wanted a potential Season 6 to have a large focus on hispanic characters and immigration which I just know would have been amazing

space1999

Okay, now a comment on the actual episode. Seeing Randy absolutely broke my heart, just like you guys. The actor does a wonderful job of conveying this: just the way he walks in the room communicates how much he has changed because of what happened, and how he’s had to protect himself since. I wish we were seeing more of Alma rather than Scott. How is it worse to see he can in fact do his job and yet he still does the shit he does? I’m enjoying seeing the cracks form more and more around Marlo. Really is only a matter of time before it all breaks. All because of his own actions too! I’m also worried that Omar isn’t getting out of this alive though…I think he will have less to do with Marlo’s downfall than the consequences of Marlo’s actions do (though of course what Omar is doing is also an extension of that). I was so scared of what Jimmy was going to do this episode that what he ended up doing was a relief in comparison lol. I was scared he was going to follow him around and wait for him to die. Like figure out where he normally sleeps and regularly check on him, maybe even leave one of his own alcohol bottles in the area for Larry to drink from. Typing that all out it doesn’t make sense wouldn’t have likely worked, but in my head I was just scared Jimmy was going to cause Larry’s death in some way. But what he does is still really awful.

cosmotron

That was my bad coz I misread your initial comment. I get where you're coming from now.

TeaDrinker3000

Oh really, fair enough. More content to watch :D.. Unless they hated it, then I don’t think I could

windyMelon

They've already watched it.

TeaDrinker3000

Please please please please please watch The Americans next. The Wire is my favourite show of all time, but The Americans is up there, ahead of Breaking Bad and BCS. It has the pure brilliant storytelling, intrigue, drama and mystery. Please, I know you’d love it

windyMelon

Yayy, Sopranos one of my faves. It's such a great artistic drama capturing late 90s to early 2000s Jersey perfectly. James Gandolfini immortalized that role, wow what a powerful performance. You both will love it :)

Well, since everyone is talking about watching The Sopranos next, I guess I’d better throw out my pitch for Black Sails. Black Sails is about Pirates. Set during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, and the characters struggling to survive within it. It is also, in my opinion, one of the most underrated shows out there. It started coming out during the heyday of Game of Thrones, and so it ended up slipping past a lot of people’s radars. It has excellent writing, dialogue, acting, direction, music, and it uses practical effects with CGI to great effect. It’s also filmed on location in Cape Town South Africa, so it always looks beautiful to boot. If you’re someone who loves and fears the ocean, this series captures that feeling very well. What else does Black Sails have that Lola and Milena (as well as my fellow patrons) would enjoy? Well it has layered and complex characters who often make the wrong choices and yet you can’t help but root for them anyway. Whenever conflicts arise you’ll be torn because you’ll like characters on all sides of it. The cast is also an ensemble, and there are several really wonderful female characters that get in depth arcs and lots of time to shine. It’s exciting and the plot never stops, but it also always takes its time to have slower character moments as well. Black Sails is also a show where it’s themes are vital to the story it is telling, and those themes are present on the very first episode. Choices that characters make will ripple out through the rest of the story - everything they do matters and has consequences. While the show is often dark/violent and largely serious, it can also be extremely funny. It’s not afraid to make you laugh, but it never undercuts the serious situations. Thats my zero spoilers pitch. For those who might want a bit more detail, here’s more in ROT13. Gurer ner zhygvcyr abg fgenvtug znva punenpgref. Gur fubj vf zber be yrff n cerdhry gb Gernfher Vfynaq, naq V guvax vg’f fnsr gb fbeg bs ivrj vg va n frafr bs guvf orvat gur “gehr” fgbel gung riraghnyyl yrnqf gb Gur riragf gung trg jevggra nobhg va Gernfher Vfynaq. Vg’f abg na nqncgngvba bs gung obbx, ohg vs lbh’er snzvyvne lbh jvyy erpbtavmr frireny punenpgre anzrf. Ng gur fnzr gvzr vg nyfb hfrf fbzr erny uvfgbevpny cvengrf fhpu nf Naar Obaarl naq Puneyrf Inar. Juvyr gurer ner zhygvcyr nagntbavfgf, V guvax vg’f fnsr gb fnl gung gur erny ivyynva bs gur fubj vf Gur Oevgvfu Rzcver naq pvivyvmngvba. I’ve mentioned in previous comments about the show that there are some content warnings to keep in mind before checking it out. It can be quite violent, and it deals with the sexism/racism/homophobia that was present in the time period. I do also have to give a warning about sexual assault. This is the only one I’ll go into detail on in ROT13. Fnvq frkhny nffnhyg cybgyvar vf rnfvyl zl ovttrfg pevgvpvfz bs gur fubj. Ubjrire V jvyy fnl guvf: gur fgbelyvar bayl ynfgf sbe guerr rcvfbqrf, naq gur encvfg raqf hc zheqrerq. Ba gbc bs gung, gur jbzna fhssrevat ng fnvq encvfgf unaqf vf bar bs gur znva punenpgref naq unf n jbaqreshy nep tbvat sbejneq. Naq nsgre gung? Gurer ner ab frkhny nffnhyg cybg yvarf va gur fubj ng nyy. Vg’f abg yvxr va TbG jurer srznyr punenpgref jrer pbafgnagyl orvat guerngrarq jvgu encr. Guvf vf gur bayl fgbelyvar vaibyivat vg - nalguvat ryfr vf rvgure whfg vzcyvrq (nf fbzrguvat gung unccraf qhevat n fvrtr) be unccrarq va gur cnfg naq punenpgref ner whfg gnyxvat nobhg vg. Anyway, that’s my very long pitch. Please vote for Black Sails, y’all. ❤️

cosmotron

i don’t understand what’s your point? if the misogyny is difficult for them, watching mad men will be harder than the sopranos that’s a fact

RH

I think the girls are more than capable of being anle to distinguish a show made about horrible men vs. a show made *by* horrible men. Otherwise they never would have stuck with Breaking Bad to begin with.

TeaDrinker3000

YES. I absolutely loved Queen's Gambit.

Farbod

glad Mad Men is in the discussion

سارة

"Lester you're a supervisor's nightmare!" - Jimmy The pot calling the kettle black

HenryM

I liked the first few seasons of Sons of Anarchy for what it was, it's a very straightforward show, but it goes downhill fast and I feel like you'd get tired of the characters pretty quickly

HenryM

which is exactly why they should avoid it

RH

Because Mad Men is a fuckin' period piece lmao

Jay Craig

My two favorite shows are The Wire and The Office UK (the original version by Ricky Gervais y Stephen Merchant). I know it's very difficult that you react to The Office UK, but let me dream :')

RubénMO

It was almost destined to become that. Kurt Fuller wrote all the most gruesome episodes of The Shield, and now he had total control of his own show.

Mike Conlin

Mad Men is a show basically made for post-episode discussions. Not as heavily serialized on the surface, but more a collection of short stories whose connections and meanings gradually reveal themselves to the viewers.

Mike Conlin

I meant the general hate for her not her being on the list.

the chosen one

I think the hate towards Janice is like 75% justified but putting her of all people in the most awful character ever list above characters like Tony or Christopher or other more horrible male characters like Ralph is odd idk if i’d say it’s the opposite of misogyny

space1999

Think it’s interesting that Jimmy yells at the statue of the former mayor who’s probably most remembered for being a hero who defended Baltimore during the Revolutionary War Maybe that’s how he viewed himself early in his career, as a defender of Baltimore, but he got fed up with the system and started to do worse and worse things that he justified to himself He mentions in season 2 that his dad lost his job as a steel worker when deindustrialization kicked in. Like Frank Sobatka I’m sure he grew jaded towards the system seeing the effect it had on working class immigrant communities like his Both him and Bunk still carry that little boy in their hearts except Bunk has a complete different view of the community he had growing up. Bunk’s speech to Omar was all about how thankful he was for the community he had growing up that put him on the path he needed to be on despite everything No wonder he feels so viscerally angry at Jimmy for exploiting a victim of society, Bunk would have become a victim just like Larry if he didn’t have support. I’m sure he’s seen so many people around him with less fortune become victims at the mercy of the system Really fitting Bunk talked to Randy this episode

space1999

people advising you to watch mad men instead of the sopranos because « less misogyny » are out of their minds. the sopranos has a lot of misogynistic characters no doubt but the show itself is deeper and explores really interesting topics whereas mad men is so self indulgent and the misogyny is inescapable until later seasons. the sopranos is definitely the better option!

RH

Cailliou was a great pick ngl 💀 Yeah my b, she was def not on there

space1999

The hate towards Livia and Janice is the opposite of misogyny. You would hate them as much as anyone.

the chosen one

Cailliou was on the list for god sake, what do you expect from Reddit lmao

TeaDrinker3000

Mad Men would be an excellent choice for you, especially since you two tend to go deeper than most in your discussions, and that show really rewards deep analysis.

Erik D

I find it hard to get invested in the serial killer plotline because it's just too silly. I can't take the characters and the show seriously when Jimmy is doing these things. It's still a good season overall, but I basically black out of my mind the Larry plotline and a few other bits. Mad Men is an awesome show I think L&M would love. Amazing dialogue, deep layered characters, great female characters, funny, emotional. It's in my top tier of shows along with The Wire, FMA etc. You might get some comments from people who love Don and refuse to see anything wrong with him, but probably not that many. If they react to Mad Men that'd be a must watch for me like these Wire reactions have been.

Mark M

Ha! It's a strong show right up to the end. All these shows - Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, etc - are based around a central character. So they're a very different viewing experience from The Wire.

Chidi.

The Wire aims for realism whereas The Sopranos aims for a more symbolic storytelling, similar to an ancient Greek play. As such The Sopranos has so many laugh out loud moments it should also be classified as a comedy. Deadwood I don't recommend because it's not meant to be easily digested. For instance, after your first watch when you finally understand the characters, going through all of it again is like watching a completely different show. It has as much comedy as any episode from The Office but for me everything else was all too overwhelming to even notice it on my first watch.

Orr Malus

The phenomenon of misogynistic Skyler White hate doesn’t apply to those Sopranos characters imo

Darrach

Mad Men is right up your alley. The cast is fantastic, and the writers go so deep with studying the characters. It's a much lighter show than The Wire and The Sopranos, while still dealing with deep themes. I think a show that isn't centered around violence and killing would be a nice place to go after The Wire.

Rynsen

Carmela wasn’t on the list.

Darrach

"Aim for the bushes."

Orr Malus

Carmela was on the list?

Michael M

mad men would be a great follow up. tons of rich characters/storylines and similarly to the wire it touches on a lot of cultural and societal ills. the show runner was also a writer for the sopranos sons of anarchy always struck me as soap opera-esque but maybe im wrong

Sebastian

Definitely agree. Season 3 is excellent and 4 is still alright

Isaac Hed

You should watch Utopia

Juliette

I mean if they did a Succession rewatch with commentary about the writing and performances that would be great

space1999

I feel you about Sons of Anarchy, it became a trashier and trashier show overtime with forced over dramatic twists like late season Walking Dead

space1999

Totally empathize with thinking this season is weak plot wise and hasn’t developed it’s new characters much Saw that same reddit post, people really throwing Skyler and Carmela on a most hated character list smfh Appreciate the discussion about the way characters like Chris and Randy expect the absolute worst from people for different reasons Great read about Reagan, aside from just destroying the middle class and empowering corporations he contributed to the homelessness crisis significantly when he got rid of state run institutions https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2023-04-24/opinion-impact-of-deinstitutionalization-on-homelessness-reagan-mental-health-hospitals-san-diego

space1999

sopranos the goat

Josip

I’ve only seen Treme! I know Generation Kill and We Own This City are supposed to be damn good

space1999

I think one of them watched it sadly

space1999

yeah that’s how i took it smh the theme of the episode seemed to be characters making up stories or trying to find the truth to stories The irony of Jimmy’s words to the statue of the former mayor (who defended Batltimore during the Revolutionary War) and the ways people discussed or used people in poverty felt Dickensian

space1999

I like some of the other suggestions I've seen for a new show but I lowkey want to see a Sopranos reaction just because I feel like maybe you guys might dislike it as much as I did. I'm definitely in a small minority, and actually appreciate it somewhat as technically a 'good' show and original in ways but just really disliked it in the end and think it's overrated-- though I've always felt that peer pressure to give it another fair chance.

Craig Manning

I think I enjoy season 5 more than most, but I can definitely see it feeling different. Besides the pace, there's just so many previous characters out of the picture by now without any key replacements. Knowing it's the last season and just 10 episodes makes it hard to really get invested in the newsroom characters, though I do love some of the points they're still able to get across regarding integrity in reporting and how that machine works.

Craig Manning

I totally agree that it would be a non-issue.

Michael M

golden age of tv. when sunday night meant something :)

MrRuss50

Honestly with Sopranos, the discussion should overall be a lot better than Breaking Bad. Reason being might also be a something that makes you want to hold off on watching, but everyone is an absolute sociopath on that show. I think the show makes it clear in that regard. I don't see many Tony Soprano fanboy's defending his actions. Most the comments you'll get are probably just going to be full of Sopranos quotes lmao.

Zach

There was a moment in time when HBO came up with shows like Deadwood, The Sopranos, and The Wire. Now we only get Netflix tier trash.

Orr Malus

I think that’s true at the same time though there might be one or two very loud angry misogynistic voices in the comments that get lots of likes and are uncomfortable to deal with

space1999

Deadwood is also spoken in the same breath as Shakespeare. Imagine these two going through shows like Deadwood, Sopranos, and The Wire then going back to anything Netflix has to offer...

Orr Malus

What do y'all think "the Dickensian aspect" means? I figure it's romanticizing/dramatizing the news in a way that draws in readers by the numbers (so they can sell more)

Ben G

I first watched The Wire when I was around 18/19 years old and while I understood most of what it was saying, I didn't understand homelessness to the degree I do now. Now I can really appreciate the way it is portrayed, particularly how everyone will use homelessness as a weapon. Carcetti for political points, the paper to get people to read, how McNulty is using them isn't as realistic but it's done to drive the point home, they're used but never helped. If you pay attention to the way certain characters talk about them you see how much negative narratives have affected the way we see them, they're "dangerous", "filthy", "nutjobs", etc. But they're the same humans as the rest of us except a little bit more unlucky.

Nina

You should watch The Sopranos no matter what because of its place in TV history and pop culture in general. It influenced everything that came after it and is considered the best writing in TV history for a reason. Also as many have already pointed out, hating those 2 Sopranos characters is not the same as hating Skyler. They are both written in a very specific way and there’s no misinterpretation imo. The show is way too popular to avoid all crappy opinions but overall most people just love the show and want you to love it the same way. By the end seasons you’re not really battling who’s good and who’s evil it’s more…..existential? i dunno lol. Also I consider The Sopranos and BB very different types of storytelling. You don’t have that “i’m exhausted” feeling BB/Saul gave you often after an episode ends. You’re left with more to sit with and unravel. It takes artistic swings BB never did. With that said I’m not really sure how much they would ENJOY the show overall especially if you’re looking for a change of pace from cynical/dark/heavy etc. It’s a show that centers around deep family disfunction, depression, drug addiction and extreme violence with very few characters you can root for albeit often very likable. In a weird way that’s part of what makes it so great. I honestly think Mad Men is a show right up your alley that you both would truly enjoy Very few people have reacted to it. At least not the bigger channels. It’s just as rich and layered as any other all time show with huge performances from the leads. ESPECIALLY THE WOMEN. They are written with a level of nuance and respect rarely seen. Probably because of the many women in the writers room. It’ll never reach the views BB/Sopranos will get you but I cannot imagine you two not loving it. Please consider it.

cheech

I also think you guys would love the sopranos. Tony’s character is incredible and you deserve to experience it.

the chosen one

The scene with randy is so heartbreaking. A kid we knew for an entire season with so much potential and promise just forgotten to the system and left to become what we see.

the chosen one

I think that Deadwood would be a show you two would really like. It was spoken of in the same breath as Sopranos and The Wire at the time.

Eric Posin

Now.. i won’t spoil anything if you ever watch the Sopranos but Livia is there for a good reason. Believe me girls, if you ever watch that show then you will understand. It has nothing to do with her gender. About Sons of Anarchy… I dropped that show because after a certain season, it kinda became boring and dull tbh. My only suggestion would be if you guys don’t want to watch the Sopranos now then what about True Detective? Season 1 it’s short(only 8 episodes) and you don’t need to watch the other seasons since each season is its own contain story.

Jack SV

Did they ever watch True Detective? Season 1 is great and would make great reactions.

SwoopDogg

“The Queen’s Gambit” — since you’re considering new shows, I’ll mention it again. I guarantee you’ll like it. Great acting, lots of metaphors to pick up on, beautifully shot. No violence, so a nice break from that. Seven episodes while you consider what to watch after that. Think about it.

Joe Gaspard

I watched it since the start of season 3 ( Yes sometimes back in the old days you would start a show with the season it was currently on and then ( if you didn’t want to pay for very expensive DVD’s) you had to wait for HBO to rerun the first two seasons.

Eric Posin

Omar also makes sure to insult Marlo whenever he wants to pass a message, to be sure to hit him in his ego.

ODIS

Why just first 2 seasons of Fargo? Season 3 is great too. Season 3 is actually my favorite season. Season 4 fell off a bit for me.

Farbod

Boardwalk Empire is meant to be fantastic but I couldn't make it past the second episode as my biggest pet peeve is americans doing terrible Irish accents 😅

TeaDrinker3000

Btw, Mad Men is a fantastic show. You'll enjoy that. Also, I don't recall seeing many YouTubers react to it. Boardwalk Empire is another really commendable show.

Chidi.

I appreciate and enjoyed how that moment with Randy affected you. It’s depressing where and how he has ended up. That smile has gone. Thanks Herc. The great thing about this show is characters who are significant to us are often meaningless to other people. Like describing Nick Sobotka “a nobody” or Prop Joe's death receiving a few lines in the newspaper. Mayor Carcetti gave a superb speech - he knows the right things to say but ultimately doesn't do the right thing because of his personal ambition.

Chidi.

I 100% agree with you, but I also think that given that it preceded Breaking Bad's inception by a whole decade, and the fact that it's not on Netflix, it's current day demographic will be very different with regards to a reaction series. Did you watch it yourself as it was coming out? I was a bit to young myself...

TeaDrinker3000

Sons of Anarchy on the other hand is a NOT great show with more of a Breaking Bad-like mainstream audience with all of the things that come with that.

Eric Posin

The Sopranos is a great show but definitely has more of a Breaking Bad-like mainstream fanbase than the Wire does. During it’s peak the show had GOT-level popularity ( or it at least seemed that way to me living in the New York/New Jersey area at the time) It seemed that people of every age group and political affiliation watched the show and had different takes about what the show was supposed to be about.

Eric Posin

I was wary how much to say in my comment above to avoid spoiling, but yes suffice it to say it's a totally different scenario.

TeaDrinker3000

I like that when Scott actually does proper practice, by putting himself among the homeless and listening to them, he shows he can do work that even impresses Gus and the old hands. And then right back to his bullshit. WRT The Sopranos there was ABSOLUTELY similar discourse to the people who didn't 'get' that Walter was a bad guy also not 'getting' that Tony Soprano is too. And similarly there was a reaction toward Tony's wife too, but nowhere near to the level of Skyler. But anyone who denies it happened at all I don't think was around the discourse at the time. The two characters mentioned in that poll though in particular - one of them is genuinely like pure evil and the other is kind of more a selfish feckless caricature, definitely not characters you're supposed to feel warm towards, though I'd argue one of them is definitively worse than the other. Glad to hear that Mad Men is in the discussion also! Have either of you seen True Detective?

Jay Craig

You'll be happy to know that not only have they already watched Arcane, they reacted to it too! Here's the link https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQGrU2YGQpRztcADu3Hwmh7mOe3uxvKdu&si=pd_cdB6B9nxwp18t

TeaDrinker3000

My recs ( please forgive me if you've mentioned already watching any of these, etc.) Twin Peaks, The OA, The Americans, Arcane, Community, Inuyasha. Sorry you've had so many rough comments over the years, happy that you've put some distance between you and the comments and don't feel obligated to join in.

marcyplace

It's been a while since I watched The Sopranos and I never finished Breaking Bad, but my recollection is that Livia and Janice were faaaaar worse people than Skyler. You didn't need to be a misogynist to hate them at all.

prolifik5

The fact that the girls literally looked like they were going to vomit out of disgust at what Jimmy was doing this episode is why I'm so glad the show got picked. It deserves to be watched by a mature audience, and it's quite moving to see that even after nearly 60 hours of watching this show the girls haven't allowed themselves to become jaded.

TeaDrinker3000

I think Jimmy's callous attitude towards Larry is kind of the logical endpoint of what we've seen from him and his colleagues for most of the series. These guys have been in the business of dealing with violent death for years. Some of them seem to have a vague sense of justice, but even the best of them are driven a lot more by ego and expediency than any real empathy for the victims. When Wallace died, all Jimmy cared about was them losing the case on Stringer. When Jimmy was dumping the case of the 13 prostitutes on Rawls like some kind of fraternity prank, Lester and Bunk were cackling along with him (until it ended up in their laps). Of course these guys are able to rationalise away kidknapping a mentally ill man in the name of taking down their latest white whale. Even now with these serial killer shenanigans, Bunk's objections are primarily down to 1) fear that Jimmy/Lester could get caught 2) disgust with them disrespecting the job by fabricating murders and 3) anger that Jimmy's bullshit is now preventing him from solving his own legit cases. I'm pretty sure the desecration of the dead and the effect it could have on their surviving family aren't high on his list of concerns.

prolifik5

thanks for letting me know. bummer no one reacts to that one

MrRuss50

You won't get those same comments from The Sopranos. I think you'd be doing yourselves a great disservice by skipping over The Sopranos out of fear of it being a similar experience to the Breaking Bad scenario all over again, because (without spoiling anything) the nature of both the show and the characters of Livia and Janice Soprano is night and day different to that of Skyler White. The unnecessary hatred and misogyny directed towards Skyler is infuriating, but there's an element of both protagonist bias as well as a younger demographic (and different level of overall popularity) that Breaking Bad catered to that isn't really there with The Sopranos, so I don't think you're going to be met with an array of 'Skyler Hating/Walter Defending'-esque comments that you did in the BrBa reactions. If some of the other patrons disagree with me on that, feel free to sound off, but I sincerely think it's a non-issue, and I promise I'm not just saying that just because I want you both to react to the show. It's unfortunate that shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad (and fuck it even Game Of Thrones a lot of the time) will appeal to the worst type of woman-hating assholes, but I don't think they're going to flock to your reactions anywhere near to the degree that they did with BrBa just purely on the basis of Tony Soprano not appealing to toxic masculinity in the way Walter White did (and does). It's also worth noting that the Patreon comments, YouTube comments, and a list from Reddit are three different realms of people. If the current regular patrons thought you'd have to deal with that kind of bullshit from commentors, we'd let you know. Also it's my understanding that Sons of Anarchy got quite a lot of backlash for misogyny in comparison to every other show you mentioned by a substantial amount back in the day (though I haven't personally watched it, someone who has can verify if that's warranted or not). Anyways, roll on Black Sails!

TeaDrinker3000

I've left a comment about it below, but i really don't think it's going to happen again for the sheer reason the The Sopranos does NOT have the same number of teenager-Reddit fanboys that Breaking Bad does, and as such won't lead to lengthy discussion similar to "Walter should have just killed Skyler she's so annoying" etc.

TeaDrinker3000

I feel like the Skyler White lands high as a villain because she's written as an absolutely annoying antagonistic presence for the first two seasons and then we're all supposed to flip and realize how manipulated we were by Walt and recontextualize Skyler... but as you said, SO MANY people never turn on Walt Not that misogyny doesn't play a part, but it's less a factor than people being so morally bankrupt that they go "Him is protagonist, therefore him good, durr" even after all the shit he does As for Livia and Janice Soprano: They're straight up awful people. Tony should be higher than them, but again, he's the protagonist and we see the internal workings of his mind so we get reasoning for him that we don't get with them. Most of the other characters on the Sopranos are "cool" evil, funny, etc. sort of like how Mike in BB/BCS is constantly doing evil shit but we all go "I love him!" Livia and Janice are just sneaky snakey unlikeable presences in every scene they're in For Skyler, I blame the audience. For Livia, it's earned. For Janice, I think the writing fails her. There should have been more dimensions to that character but we only explore them through the lens of corrupt Tony As for this episode of The Wire: This was where it REALLY started to lose me my first time through, but now I realize that they're layering satire of crime dramas into their criticism of media season. This ridiculous McNulty plan feels out of place for The Wire until you realize it's very much in place for other shows. That discomfort that I felt was intentional. Designed Honestly, fair play David Simon

ErdTirdMans

They've definitely already seen Succession. They bring it up here and there.

Elli

I recommend Succession. its a very big switch from the wire plus most of the discourse ive seen of the show is not toxic. Its also amazing

Deelan Baziany

Jimmy is always complaining loudly about how the police department/mayor are too cheap to hand out money to fund police work and yet he is too cheap himself to even pay for a newspaper😂

David

Each season of Fargo is standalone, so you can only watch 2 seasons and it's all good. PS. I REALLY liked first two seasons of Fargo and would love to see you react to it!

ODIS

I adore the show but agree that the Skylar experience they had could happen again in certain comment sections for specific episodes when they support Carmela snd Adriana or Meadow I do think there would be aspects of the show they’d find really interesting (the character study of Tony, the politics, the Freudian dream sequences/therapy focus) but there are lots of things in the show that aren’t super pleasant (extreme violence towards women and gross perverted humor) I’d say the show is a lot like Bojack Horseman in tone and character examination and metaphor

space1999

David Simons two projects immediately after The Wire were Generation Kill and Treme. Both are excellent. I'm sure it wouldnt win any polls but L&M would certainly enjoy Treme imo.

MrRuss50

I think it's more than the compressed season, although that is a big factor. There's just a hyper-realistic atmosphere surrounding a lot of what's going on (which to be fair does lead to some hilarious moments). Also, it's pretty clear Simon had an axe to grind with the Sun, and it makes the newsroom thread less nuanced than we're used to.

prolifik5

Yeah they love it and most Sorkin stuff

space1999

Forgive the question if its been addressed but have they seen The Newsroom? I know I've seen Lola in a Bartlet sweatshirt so def would be in her wheelhouse. Top tier television.

MrRuss50

S5 the weakest due to its short length, it goes too fast with its events and rarely get a chance to really build its situation or rest on a moment.

Andrew

I wrote out "the most logical show after The Wire is Sopranos" and was about to press Post right before they launched into their Sopranos diatribe. lol. It's all good :) I'm sorry you both had poor comments experiences with Breaking Bad. People suck. I will say that the anti-Skyler soap boxing is something that I never have seen before or since. There was not a similar thing going on when The Sopranos was airing. You may have totally valid reasons to pass on The Sopranos, but fearing a similar experience to the Skyler hatred in Breaking Bad and having to deal with people with that view is not one of them in my opinion.

Michael M

The fact this season only has 10 episodes, unlike all the others who have 12-13 means that the story had to be rushed and condensed. I'm sure it would have been just as high quality as the previous 4 if they had had 2-3 more hours to develop the plot properly. The finale still wraps up everything perfectly though, so there's no issue in this. Even if it's typically the least-favorite season of The Wire, it's still much better than the majority of what's being put out there nowadays.

celilmandir

This season felt like a completely different show. That's why it's my least favorite season.

Alwyn Smith

The worst thing is that we've seen firsthand how everything went wrong last season, like a series of fucked up events one after another. The result is as depressing as it gets

HenryM

I don't know how you could more effectively show how the system has completely failed somebody. With a few scenes you can see his entire future in front of you and you're too late to do anything about it anymore.

Nina

Oof that thumbnail... Looks like you're about to pass out. That's one hell of a heartbreaking scene

HenryM

In real life the actual OMAR did jump from an apartment building but it was much higher than the 4th floor. The writers felt that the audience wouldn't believe it so they made the character jump from the 4th floor instead.

Alwyn Smith