“I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase.”

While I was out, amongst other things, I finished The Wire.

What to say? I don’t even know. To everyone who told me (repeatedly) it was the best show ever: You were (mostly) right. I don’t know that it is my FAVORITE show of all time, but it’s definitely the BEST show I’ve seen. Everything is top-notch, from the writing, acting, cinematography, use of location, etc. Everything is carefully and perfectly constructed. There are no mistakes. Not a word is wasted.

Now that I finished it, I want to go back and watch again. This is a show that needs repeat viewings. Although I watched carefully, I’m sure there’s still a ton of stuff I missed. Also, I could listen to that dialogue all day long. It’s brilliant.

As you can see, I have nothing intelligent to say about the show. I’m still processing. However, those looking for intelligent discussion and breakdowns should read Sepinwall’s excellent recaps. I supplemented my viewing with these, and found it helped a lot. Look on the sidebar for The Wire seasons. He even divided his recaps into two separate categories: “newbies” and “veterans.”

What else? Favorites? Sure.  (Spoilers ahead, proceed with caution.)

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