the wire season one

just finished watching this and can i say-brilliant

i meant to ration it out-one episode a week-nut as the show reached its climax i couldn't help myself and watched the final two in one session

i've even been ear-wormed by the theme song (tom wait's song "way down in the hole" performed by the blind boys of alabama)

admittedly i had to watch it with the sub titles on because of the slang used and the the fact that some of the actors mumbled

i was a big fan of homicide: life on the street, which was sourced from the same writer (david simon) and same situation (crime in baltimore) but the wire takes it to a whole new level. because it was made by hbo, rather than nbc as homicide was, it seems a lot more...ahem...authentic. (i.e more swearing). in one scene where homicide detectives mcnulty and bunk are working a crime scene, the dialogue consists entirely of the word "fuck" or its variations.

its not a show you can dip in and out of, as i've said before its like watching a book, but the benefit of this is that the effect of the story is cumulative.

if you like crime dramas, or enjoy quality televisison, i cannot recommend this highly enough

my depression at having finished the series is leavened with the joy that there are still two series to watch.