r/TheWire • u/Desperate-Cream-6723 • 4d ago
Thoughts on We Own This City
Going through a little The Wire withdrawal after watching the entire series. I've heard We Own This City is the same vibe and somewhat of a sequel of sorts to the Wire... just curious what you all think of this series and if it holds a candle to the Wire?
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u/ShallazarTheWizard 4d ago edited 3d ago
We Own this City is a well below average show, and it's because of bad writing. One of the things they teach us all starting in middle school is that you have to SHOW your reader your point, not TELL them. In the five seasons of The Wire, there are like two scenes that violate this rule (Bunny's, "this ain't policing" speech to Carver comes to mind). We Own This City violates it all the time. The show is FULL of characters giving long exposition to the camera as to why things are wrong, as opposed to just showing us. The civil rights lawyer character in the show is in there just to explain to the audience why things are bad. It is not only boring, but it is also preachy, and it is not good writing.
If you want an example of the opposite, you can watch the newer Scorcese movie "Killers of the Flower Moon." There is no scene in that movie where a character explains to the audience that stealing and murdering the Native Americans is bad. It is self-evident why it is bad without having somebody explain that to the audience.
The Wire was really great because of the ability to show rather than tell. When what would otherwise be very good kids in season 4 all go in bad directions, it is obvious why things turned out that way. You don't need some social service character look into the camera and say "Michael ended up a hitman because of limited opportunities in urban Baltimore, poor parenting, and being surrounded by other hitmen and drug dealers." You are supposed to know that from watching the show. We Own This City does the opposite.
Seriously, screw that show. It was so disappointing.