Over at The House Next Door, always an excellent destination for quality film and television commentary, Andrew Dignan eloquently dissects the various credit sequences for The Wire, and even show creator David Simon comes by to say a word.
Tag: HBO
Fame | Set Phasers on NIN.
Is it any wonder I reject you first? David Bowie rips up Ricky Gervais on Extras. And, while I’m snarfing arch Youtube links from Ed Rants, see also Kirk and Spock get “Closer,” in the Trent Reznor sense. (Some profanity…but you’ve probably heard the song by now.)
High Wire Act.
“The Wire, which has just begun its fourth season on HBO, is surely the best TV show ever broadcast in America…no other program has ever done anything remotely like what this one does, namely to portray the social, political, and economic life of an American city with the scope, observational precision, and moral vision of great literature.” Slate‘s Jacob Weisberg joins the swelling ranks of Wire aficionados. (Season 4 is currently pulling a lowly 98 over at Metafilter.) “This year, The Wire‘s political science is as brilliant as its sociology. It leaves The West Wing, and everything else television has tried to do on this subject, in the dust.” And, in very happy news that partially atones for Deadwood‘s early demise (although that [expletive deleted] still rankles), HBO re-ups for The Wire Season 5, which will focus on the mass media. I’ll drink a spot of Jamesons to that.
Sold under Sin.
“The closing shot of last night’s ‘Deadwood’ episode was never meant as a series-ender. But that’s what it was, and for a number of reasons, it was both appropriate and troubling: Ian McShane’s Al Swearengen kneeling on the floor of his office, cleaning up a bloodstain.” Notwithstanding two stopgap two-hour movies (bleah), Deadwood rides off into the sunset, joining Arrested Development, Twin Peaks, Freaks & Geeks, Farscape, and countless others in that graveyard on the hill for shows done in before their time. (I actually haven’t caught the last episode yet, being here in Hawaii, but chose not to avoid the spoilers nonetheless.) “From the odd quirks of its language to the vivid scrappiness of its setting to the undeniable soul at its core, there will never be another place quite like Deadwood.” Happy trails, [expletive deleted].
Way Down in the Hole.
“What The Wire says, repeatedly, is that The System — government, business, law enforcement, everything that runs this country — is broken and that the guardians of The System are too committed to defending the status quo to even try fixing it. It’s not a case of corrupt or evil people choosing to ruin things for the rest of us; it’s people of all moral calibers making decisions within the established context of their own institutions (the police force, City Hall, drug corners) without regard to how they affect the world at large.” The Newark Star-Ledger‘s Alan Sepinwall previews Season 4 of The Wire. (Via The House Next Door.)
Citizen Hearst | Re-Up.
Grim [expletive deleted] tidings…With last night’s episode (and this season’s marvelously malevolent Big Bad, George Hearst [Gerald McRaney], on the verge of running riot), we’re already halfway through our last full helping of Deadwood. (You can keep up on its historicity here.) The silver lining? That puts us ever closer to Season 4 of The Wire (this year’s target: the school system), which HBO has only just begun to tease.
The color above all.
“Gratuitous, hurtful, unnecessary! Lamentable, injurious, downright unthinkable! Shame the f**k on you!” As Season 3 begins, the NY Times examines the recent machinations surrounding the cloudy future of Deadwood, while Salon‘s Heather Havrilesky vents her frustration in the town’s distinctive argot. [Save Deadwood!]
Swearingen cuts a deal.
“If I bleat when I speak, it’s because I’ve just been fleeced.” A la Farscape, Deadwood will get two two-hour specials to close out the story after Season 3 (which begins on Sunday.) Four hours? Well, ok, better than nothing, I suppose. Some ancient Italian maxim fits our situation, whose particulars escape me.
Yankton’s [expletive deleted] Revenge.
Will Deadwood be dead wood after three
Yankton Beware.
Hoopleheads rejoice: As seen just before the Sopranos this evening (although tonight’s teaser was slightly different), Deadwood‘s return to our humble province is just around the corner… Update: Ok, here’s the one from last night.