It bugs me when people call The Wire a slow burn like that's a bad thing

I mean, I get that not everyone wants to sit through 13 episodes of setup before things really pop off, but calling it slow feels like missing the whole point. I rewatched season 4 last month and the way they build up the school system storyline over like 6 episodes is honestly masterful pacing. Has anyone else noticed that younger viewers seem to check out after the first 3 episodes and never come back?

3 comments

3 Comments

martinez.paul23d ago

Doesn't my age show when I defend a 13 episode setup like it's a virtue?

perry.jesse9d ago

18 episodes or 40, who cares @martinez.paul. It's just TV not a life commitment.

victorhernandez9d ago

Man, that younger viewer thing hits hard. I've noticed it too, they're so used to instant gratification from streaming shows that they can't sit through a single episode of atmosphere building. But here's an angle nobody brings up. The Wire actually rewards you for paying attention to the background characters, the ones who don't say much but are always there in the scene. Like in season 3, there's that corner kid who just stares at the camera for like 10 seconds during a drug deal, and then later you realize he's the same kid who gets caught in the crossfire. That's the kind of detail you miss if you're already checking your phone because "nothing's happening".