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I finally understood why people love The Wire after giving up twice
I was sitting in my living room last Tuesday, halfway through episode 4 of season 1 again, and I just couldn't keep the characters straight. Then I turned on subtitles and googled a character map - suddenly everything clicked and I binged the whole season in two days. Has anyone else had a show that took multiple tries before it finally grabbed you?
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laura_schmidt8229d ago
Dropped The Sopranos three times before it finally clicked. First attempt I got lost in all the mob politics and who was sleeping with who. Second time I made it five episodes and just found everyone annoying. Then I saw someone say to treat it as a dark comedy instead of a serious drama and suddenly everything made sense. Now Ive rewatched the whole series twice and catch new jokes every time.
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parker_palmer4429d agoMost Upvoted
laura_schmidt82 your story makes total sense to me. That show rewards a specific kind of patience most people don't have on the first try. The dark comedy angle is the key - once you realize half the drama is actually absurd, the whole thing opens up. I had almost the exact same experience, kept bouncing off until I stopped taking it so seriously. Now I laugh my way through Tony's therapy sessions and the chaos at the Bing. It's amazing how much changes when you stop looking for a traditional hero.
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seth_singh2028d ago
@parker_palmer44 nailed it with the dark comedy thing. I kept trying to figure out who I was supposed to root for and it just made me mad at everyone. Once I realized nobody is the good guy, it was like a weight lifted. Now I just sit there cracking up when Paulie gets worked up over nothing or when Christopher crashes his car again. My wife still thinks I'm laughing at the wrong parts though.
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