6 ms·

Season 1 was one of the best series I've seen in TV. I'm not sure if the rest of the season lives up to it. Or I could be wrong. I remember the start of Season

Season 1 was one of the best series I've seen in TV. I'm not sure if the rest of the season lives up to it. Or I could be wrong. I remember the start of Season 2 was kinda slow.

tptacek 6y ago
4 > 1 > 2 > 3 > 5. 3 is a lot of people's favorite season and I understand why. The show is just very, very good.
- kasey_junk 6y ago
  Anyone that puts 4 that high is suspect. 2 holds up better than any other season and it’s not actually that close.
  - tptacek 6y ago
    (4) successfully spins the most plates, introduces some of the best characters, brings both the politics and schools into the story, still manages one of the cleanest and most coherent narratives of the series, and opens with "fuck a charge, this here's a gunpowder activated, 27 caliber, full auto no kickback nail-throwing mayhem". It is flawless. (1) Is the best-told story in the series. (2) Is great for all the reasons you'd say it is. For me, it's where they first really stick the landing on Baltimore being the main character of the show, rather than it being just an HBO version of Homicide. There is a lot of distance between 3 and 5, but there isn't that much difference between 1, 2, 3, and 4; I could see how anybody would pick any of those as their favorite, though (4) is the clear right answer.
  - grogenaut 6y ago
    I think most people's issue with season 2 is: - It has few likable bad guys - ziggy is annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoying and a lot of people don't want to watch a 12 episode train wreck. - it's totally different than season 1 3 has the most epic plot swing, but I know people who really found hamsterdam unbelievable. 4 is quite tight, but it's about schools, maybe it didn't jive with you. I thought it was great. 5 has issues because it was about too new of a phenomenon (tried to pull in the NYT's journalist making up stories which had happened a year before). The rest of the stories backing the seasons were about well digested topics they could be quite sage on. I actually really like season 5. Also the wrap up to the series (the outtro) is amazing end to a series IMHO.
    - tptacek 6y ago
      I mean, Kasey has a framed letter from David Simon apologizing for the killing of Ziggy's duck, so I'm guessing he'll disagree with you about (2). Season 5 is a mess.
    - leetcrew 6y ago
      the greeks make up for how annoying ziggy is. "did he have hands? did he have a face? yes? then it wasn't us. idiot." fucking brutal. it's interesting that, aside from certain politicians, the greeks are the only people that really "win" in the show.
      - tptacek 6y ago
        And they aren't even Greek!
    - pimeys 6y ago
      I found Ziggy a great character and important part of the series when watching the series for the second (or third) time. I can find similarities between him and D'Angelo: both of them do not really fit the frame they've born into. Both of them try to get out from that frame. The whole season 2 is about how people turn into criminals and why. This time it happens to white working class men and this is one of the reasons I find the second season essential.
- cs702 6y ago
  Agree on season 4 -- it's possibly the most emotionally powerful, eye-opening TV I've ever watched. I find it less easy to choose a second-best between 1, 2 and 3. 5 is dead-last, without a doubt.
- Matticus_Rex 6y ago
  IMO 4 > 1 > 3 > 5 > 2

Season 1 was one of the best series I've seen in TV. I'm not sure if the rest of the season lives up to it. Or I could be wrong. I remember the start of Season 2 was kinda slow.

tptacek 6y ago

4 > 1 > 2 > 3 > 5. 3 is a lot of people's favorite season and I understand why. The show is just very, very good.

kasey_junk 6y ago
Anyone that puts 4 that high is suspect. 2 holds up better than any other season and it’s not actually that close.
- tptacek 6y ago
  (4) successfully spins the most plates, introduces some of the best characters, brings both the politics and schools into the story, still manages one of the cleanest and most coherent narratives of the series, and opens with "fuck a charge, this here's a gunpowder activated, 27 caliber, full auto no kickback nail-throwing mayhem". It is flawless. (1) Is the best-told story in the series. (2) Is great for all the reasons you'd say it is. For me, it's where they first really stick the landing on Baltimore being the main character of the show, rather than it being just an HBO version of Homicide. There is a lot of distance between 3 and 5, but there isn't that much difference between 1, 2, 3, and 4; I could see how anybody would pick any of those as their favorite, though (4) is the clear right answer.
- grogenaut 6y ago
  I think most people's issue with season 2 is: - It has few likable bad guys - ziggy is annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoying and a lot of people don't want to watch a 12 episode train wreck. - it's totally different than season 1 3 has the most epic plot swing, but I know people who really found hamsterdam unbelievable. 4 is quite tight, but it's about schools, maybe it didn't jive with you. I thought it was great. 5 has issues because it was about too new of a phenomenon (tried to pull in the NYT's journalist making up stories which had happened a year before). The rest of the stories backing the seasons were about well digested topics they could be quite sage on. I actually really like season 5. Also the wrap up to the series (the outtro) is amazing end to a series IMHO.
  - tptacek 6y ago
    I mean, Kasey has a framed letter from David Simon apologizing for the killing of Ziggy's duck, so I'm guessing he'll disagree with you about (2). Season 5 is a mess.
  - leetcrew 6y ago
    the greeks make up for how annoying ziggy is. "did he have hands? did he have a face? yes? then it wasn't us. idiot." fucking brutal. it's interesting that, aside from certain politicians, the greeks are the only people that really "win" in the show.
    - tptacek 6y ago
      And they aren't even Greek!
  - pimeys 6y ago
    I found Ziggy a great character and important part of the series when watching the series for the second (or third) time. I can find similarities between him and D'Angelo: both of them do not really fit the frame they've born into. Both of them try to get out from that frame. The whole season 2 is about how people turn into criminals and why. This time it happens to white working class men and this is one of the reasons I find the second season essential.
cs702 6y ago
Agree on season 4 -- it's possibly the most emotionally powerful, eye-opening TV I've ever watched. I find it less easy to choose a second-best between 1, 2 and 3. 5 is dead-last, without a doubt.
Matticus_Rex 6y ago
IMO 4 > 1 > 3 > 5 > 2