Hey, it's Sunday!
This weekend, we spent the weekend at home - just being. It was good. We also finished up Season 4 of The Wire. Season 4 is probably, as a whole, not as strong as the first three. You can tell seasons 1-3 tell a pretty cohesive story (and the end of three could probably be the END of the show; it even feels a bit like they planned to get canceled actually). That makes Season 4 feel a bit like "The Further Adventures of Those Guys From The Wire." Which is fine, because even at "not as strong as prior seasons," season 4 was still amazing.
Have I told you my favorite part of the whole show? Well, here it is: I like the villains of the show. You know, the evil twins: deindustrialization and voter apathy? There's a powerful sense where the show, which is about institutional breakdown, is a big "fuck you" to consumers who pick cheap products over real jobs and voters that want pat slogans rather than real (and at times painful) solutions. The show drips with righteous anger.
Obviously, the whole show is depressing - the commentary on institutional inertia that fails to address problems, political bullshit, crushing poverty, debilitating drugs, and corrupt police is intense. On a meta level, the show depresses me because it is filled with talented *minority* actors who we'll probably never see much of again. The amazing guy who plays Bodie comes to mind, as does the actor who portrays Marlo Stanfield. I mean, they're good enough - and well known enough now - that they'll pop up here and there. But will they ever get FAMOUS? Are there good parts out there for young African American actors - outside of being another fucking gangster? It makes my heart hurt.
To change the tone but keep it on TV: We started True Blood this evening too. Anna Paquin - she's a cutie. We only watched the first episode, but I like it - it seems trashy and sexy. In that sense, it really reminds me of Rome. I'm pretty stoked.
This weekend, we spent the weekend at home - just being. It was good. We also finished up Season 4 of The Wire. Season 4 is probably, as a whole, not as strong as the first three. You can tell seasons 1-3 tell a pretty cohesive story (and the end of three could probably be the END of the show; it even feels a bit like they planned to get canceled actually). That makes Season 4 feel a bit like "The Further Adventures of Those Guys From The Wire." Which is fine, because even at "not as strong as prior seasons," season 4 was still amazing.
Have I told you my favorite part of the whole show? Well, here it is: I like the villains of the show. You know, the evil twins: deindustrialization and voter apathy? There's a powerful sense where the show, which is about institutional breakdown, is a big "fuck you" to consumers who pick cheap products over real jobs and voters that want pat slogans rather than real (and at times painful) solutions. The show drips with righteous anger.
Obviously, the whole show is depressing - the commentary on institutional inertia that fails to address problems, political bullshit, crushing poverty, debilitating drugs, and corrupt police is intense. On a meta level, the show depresses me because it is filled with talented *minority* actors who we'll probably never see much of again. The amazing guy who plays Bodie comes to mind, as does the actor who portrays Marlo Stanfield. I mean, they're good enough - and well known enough now - that they'll pop up here and there. But will they ever get FAMOUS? Are there good parts out there for young African American actors - outside of being another fucking gangster? It makes my heart hurt.
To change the tone but keep it on TV: We started True Blood this evening too. Anna Paquin - she's a cutie. We only watched the first episode, but I like it - it seems trashy and sexy. In that sense, it really reminds me of Rome. I'm pretty stoked.
The wife and I watched the first season of True Blood, when pretty much no one really gave a shit, then had to stop due to losing HBO. Now everyone watches and loves it.