In honor of the final episode of The Sopranos, Culture Snob takes a look at five minutes from The Wire – a show that probably wouldn’t exist were it not for that crime family from Jersey.
This brief audio commentary – part of the “Five Minutes” series – looks at one scene from The Wire’s first season. (Download it.) In these five minutes, the only dialogue that passes between Baltimore Police detectives Bunk and McNulty are variations on the word “fuck” and one utterance of “pow,” but the audience pieces together how this particular murder went down through visual storytelling and acting devoid of meaningful words.
A virtuosic scene in its own way, but also probably the most annoyingly mannered moment in a series that is otherwise distinguished largely by its naturalism.
Agreed, except for the “annoyingly” part. I will allow a show that spans 60 hours its digressions and curlicues.