Let's Talk Television

So how much of "Rob & Big" is actually true? Congrats on the on-air credit by the way.

Yep, McNulty is off the wagon, getting shit-faced with Bunk again. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Pat, let's talk Dexter. I felt this season was leaps and bounds better than the first. Hanging the sword over Dexter from episode one was much more interesting than what happened last year. And yes, the season finale ended just as it needed to. There were no surprises. But I thought the story itself did a lot to help Dexter solidify who he is and what he will be next season. Dexter is great, and I have no idea where it will go next season, which is ultimately what helps a series. The story was told and I want to see more.

You can kill me because I have not caught up on The Wire, nor have I given a second chance to Brotherhood. Those are two series I will watch on DVD when they are all over.

Also, congratulations to being credited.

What else are you following on TV? I'm still into The Simpsons, Family Guy, Scrubs (till the bitter end), Friday Night Lights, Battlestar Galactica (did you ever go back and watch this?), Lost (not long now...), and Project Runway (no, seriously). This negotiation impasse is getting in the way of all of my other shows.

Oh, and happy late birthday.

Not only am I a huge fan of The Wire, I live in Baltimore. I actually saw a teeny bit of this season being filmed down the street from my apartment.

Watching the show has actually helped me come to terms with the sense of fear that is often palpable here. Fun fact: if Baltimore and New York had the same murder rate, there should have been ~30 murders here this year. There were 291.

Baltimorecrime.blogspot.com is a great source of information on crime in Baltimore, with a nice dose of snark. If I actually follow through with my New Years resolution, I'll be blogging about life here in the "Greatest City in America" (Yes, the park benches really say that.) Because when a bunch of Crips pull a gun on you on the way home from the grocery store, you might as well make lemonade, right?

Oh, and congratulations on the show! I watched a few episodes last year (due in no small part to Sonny's shameless whoring) and I found them really funny, despite the fact that I am not exactly part of the target demographic.

The wire season 5 preimere i forgot about! This is my 2nd favorite show ever next to the sopranos. Season 2 of The Wire was my favorite, and I'm kinda mad they killed Bodie because he was the best character on that show imo.

Oh, sure. You're all high-falutin' about your MTV neighbors now, but wait until the Tila Tequila's VD-Drenched Ass show comes calling, contract in hand.

"OK, here's the pitch. Tila has seven balls of different colors stuffed up her lady-business. Each contestant has a different colored ring painted around their butthole. They've got to root around in there, grab a ball and whoever gets the correct colored ball in the right color hole first wins! BUT THEY CAN'T SEE WHAT COLOR THEY'VE GOT BACK THERE! THEY'VE JUST GOT TO KEEP TRYING UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT! FIRST PRIZE IS A TETANUS SHOT!!! IT'LL GIVE A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO WINNING IMMUNITY!!!"

Seriously, if the writer's strike goes another six months, we're seeing that on the air. It's going to happen.

I don't get why so many place The Wire as second to Sopranos. I love the Sopranos, but the fact is that The Wire is simply a better show in nearly every way.

Pat, make sure you watch the "next on" at the end of the show.... it's a pretty incredible tease for next week's show.

Does anyone else have "On Demand"? Have any of you watched the "prequels" of Prop Joe, Omar, and McNulty/Bunk? If so, what did you think? I won't discuss next weeks show except to say that I, for one, thought it lived up to that incredible "next on" promo.

John

Chris,

The chemistry is very real, and pretty much all of the conversation. Most everything else is at least mapped out by writers, with lots of input from Rob in particular.

Bryan,

Can't wait to watch this bitch!

Jason,

Totally disagree with you on Dexter. First season was fresh, suspenseful, exciting, brand new. Second season, still entertaining, but more of the same to an annoying degree. Loved the new captain and his relationship with Dex's sister, I'll give you that. But three episodes of Doakes in a cage? Seriously? It made ME feel caged, the amount of time they dragged that shit out. And the finale was totally static and couldn't have left me with less of a cliffhanger. "Yup. I still like serial killing." Yeah, we know! We've known that for two seasons!

I watch 30 Rock and The Office each week, best comedies on network TV. Still laugh a lot at Family Guy, Simpsons not so much. Still watch Scrubs, but man it's a shell of what it once was. How I Met Your Mother I enjoy. Drama-wise, Friday Night Lights is still fucking awesome and I just can't wait for Lost. THAT's how you do a season finale!

Watched first season of Battlestar Galactica. I'll catch up eventually, but it's just not my thing I guess. Other than that, it's cable stuff -- Tell Me You Love Me, Curb, The Wire, Rescue Me, The Shield, Nip Tuck, etc.

Lilly,

That Baltimore murder stat is incredible! I've only driven through, but crazy as it may sound, The Wire makes me want to visit. I feel like I'd meet all the characters on the street. Were you really held up or just making a point???

Big Knees,

So weird about Season 2. I consider that the least of The Wire's seasons, amazing as it was. I'd put them in order, best to less -- 4, 3, 1, 2. Season 2 does have my favorite Wire scene though. The pre-credits sequence following McNulty on a bender from bar to car to crash to diner to waitress sex. What incredible, economical writing.

Jackson,

Just sold "Tila Tequila's VD Drenched Ass Show" to MTV for $2.5 mil. You'll receive 20% of the profits.

John,

While The Wire is probably more consistent and certainly more 'important,' my heart just lies with Sopranos, and it always will. I guess I just connect emotionally with the characters more. (Though the plight of the 4 boys in Season 4 of The Wire dragged me through the emotional wringer week after week). As much as I love The Wire, study it, re-watch, obsess, the characters don't linger with me like a Carmela or a Tony or a Janice or a Ralphie. Part of that might just be how fucking MANY characters The Wire has! It's apples and apples, I mean they're both drama at its highest level, but Sopranos will always be my #1.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got two Wire episodes to watch!

I'm hopelessly devoted to (and anxiously awaiting the return of) LOST. I'm also missing The Office.

Dexter makes me wish I had Showtime. And with the writer's strike, now would be as good a time as any to get into The Wire. Husband and I watch the Japanese obstacle course show on G4. That can be surprisingly entertaining. I really want the strike to be over.

I can't wait to watch Rob and Big tonight, I love that show. I will be looking for your name even though I probably wont see it. But Congrats though. I know what you mean about Dexter, but I still love that show. Interesting bit of information, Michael C. Hall is dating his co-star Jennifer Carpenter who plays his sister Deb. Weeeiirrrd. haha.

I'd like to jump in on the Baltimore conversation for a second--HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET, which I've touted here before as hands-down the best television series of the 1990s, and which I recently finished, also takes place there, and of course a few who were involved with that (Callie Thorne, Clark Johnson, probably more that I don't even know) have been involved in THE WIRE (which I have yet to watch, although all of the episodes ARE at my disposal). I know everything I know about Baltimore from HOMICIDE and John Waters movies, and that is enough to make me want to visit, so badly! I was actually planning a trip there this year with my girlfriend (who also watched every episode of HOMICIDE) but we broke up and now that isn't happening, at least not as such. Oh, well. Someday I'll make it out there. I know enough to know it's a city rich with history, and the television/cinema that's being produced there now (and for the past 15 years, in television's case) is awesome to me as well. Obviously I'd love to see crap like Edgar Allan Poe's grave, but I also want to see that weird behind-the-station pier thing that the detectives were always hangin' out on, or the Waterfront Bar, et c.

Haha, no, it really happened. Best part? When I got myself together enough to call 911, the very bored operator asked if I had been shot or robbed, and when I said 'no,' she said that an officer *might* come to take a report. Never happened.

The Sun, by the way, is an absolutely worthless paper that is so poorly designed and written that it's almost painful to read. There are some interesting (and free!) alternatives, including the Examiner, a daily, and CityPaper, an excellent weekly. There's an interesting article about a drug-lord turned informant this week which is the first in a three-part series. Worth checking out!

If you do decide to come to Baltimore, I've got a nice futon.

Is it just me, or is it painful for anyone else to hear McNulty speak with a British accent?

This is belated because I've taken a leave of absence from my job (have a grad thesis to write) and I am (surprisingly) not on the web as much anymore. I kind of assumed that by leaving my job, where I'm supposed to be working, and spending much more time at home with my laptop would lead to more, not less, time on the 'net. Oh well...

But, anyway, congratulations on your first credit! I hope the strike ends soon so you can go back to making what I imagine to be thousands and thousands of dollars, swilling champagne and being surrounded by writer groupies...

18) New Wave, Against Me!

Pat - Oh my goodness. I can't believe I didn't read your whole blog post more carefully the first time. I just came back to see if the comments were up to your required amount and to say something inane if they weren't so that you would continue on with the show . . . BUT as I was again skimming over the various albums I happened to read #18 and realize that you were talking about a guy I went to school with. I was like, humm. . Tom Gabel, could that be the Tom Gabel who went to Gulf View Middle School and played trumpet in band and was gifted with me? I just googled the band and found out it is indeed. And now his band has Spin Magazine’s 2007 record of the year!!?? I can’t believe I threw out my notebooks he doodled on in math class and now he’s famous.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you – I haven’t listened to punk since around 8th grade, and honestly I can’t remember the last time I bought a CD. I don’t even own an Ipod. I just listen to NPR and watch an embarrassing amount of television. And I live in a town completely devoid of live music or any kind of entertainment for anyone under 70 or over 9. So I probably would have never figured out this connection even if I heard of the band somewhere. Now I’m going to go out and buy this album TODAY from wherever I can find it. The last time I saw Tom was on the sidewalk in Gville when I was in college at UF (circa 2001). We said hi – that he was in town playing a show. It was kinda surreal as I hadn’t seen him in forever. Now all I’ve got for staying in school is a lame desk job - he is probably the only guy I knew growing up who actually went out and did what he talked about doing. He was playing shows in garages in 6th grade and he never strayed from his path. And now he’s a success and touring with the Foo Fighers! Crazy . . . Thanks, Pat, for bringing this to my attention – I feel like I’ve been at the bottom of the hole that is Naples, FL!