Comments on: When It’s Time, It’s Time

By: omar was special

omar was special — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:51:30 +0000

You have got to be kidding, right? Child molestation does not turn someone gay. That’s a homophobic myth. Believe it or not, Omar is a proud openly gay man. He was born that way. There is no indication that he was raped or molested. Quite the opposite. In fact, Omar was a very romantic soul who deeply loved his boyfriends and showed great affection and warmth to those around him. He was fiercely passionate and sensitive. He valued truth and beauty and he was open to new people and cultures.

The only other character who has been molested on this show is Chris Partlow. He is cold, reserved, emotionally detached - just like Michael Lee. I think molestation killed a part of their soul. It made them frigid and distrustful. They are both very closed-off and self-contained. Michael’s inability to cry or hug his brother reflects this damage. He has built up a hard shell around his soul.

As for the answer to where stick-up kids come from? It’s not a mystery. It’s easy money. Rip and run. Omar’s moral code was the exception - not the rule. Let’s not idealize this profession. Omar was not the only stick-up kid in town. He was, however, the only legend. Omar was unique.

By: Mr. Garr

Mr. Garr — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:27:05 +0000

I can’t read through all these comments, but i find it interesting that ppl keep touting michael as the heir apparent to marlo when to me he shares many more similarities to omar than marlo. while the dukie/bubbles parallel is obvious, i think most ppl are missing the michael/omar one. peep how he scoped the scene in ep 59 from the back of somebody’s car (a la omar little). peep how much more michael is concerned about justice than power (a la omar little). michael only got involved in the drug game cuz it was a way to help him protect his lil brother, getting him out of his drug-addicted mother’s house. and let’s not forget the not so subtle intimations about sexual abuse by michael’s stepfather and omar’s homosexuality. it’s easy to see where the drug dealers come from. that’s what kennard is. but where does omar come from? where does bubbles come from? those are much more complicated questions to answer.

By: Jack

Jack — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:11:19 +0000

A word about the finale screener floating around (without spoilers, obviously, just a tech note): The sound design isn’t finished and, according to the slate, it isn’t even color corrected. None, or few, of the scenes have any presence tracks, and it’s lacking foley. Some spots also sound like they need some ADR, and the overall mix is pretty rough. And, of course, no hasty rip would be complete without a fucked-up aspect ratio. Someone forgot that The Wire is fullscreen, so it’s stretched out into wide. Also, this might just be my machine, but the sync is a few frames off. This is all very distracting.

If you have HBO, obviously wait for Sunday. If not, wait for competent OnDemand rips.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:03:36 +0000

Hey, thanks for that link Lieber. Also Mark Bowden’s piece in The Atlantic was an interesting perspective on Simon, but I like the hothead Simon making art better than novelized reportage like Bowden’s (or even Simon’s if we’re talking about The Corner).

For that form, I think Charles Bowden’s, Down By the River is the one of best things ever written:

http://www.amazon.com/Down-River-Drugs-Murder-Family/dp/B00009NDBG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204923464&sr=8-2

And speaking of the War on Drugs, has everybody seen this?

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1719872,00.html

By: sy

sy — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:46:05 +0000

just wanted to point out that while all these critics are just ocming to the realization that these 4 kids/ remaing characters are some sort of avon/stringer part II, that shoals was on spitting this on episode 2 of season 4

“these kids are the Pit Crew recast in more stark, hellish terms. Anyone who saw this move as cheap (for better or for worse) ignores this at their own peril.”

i don’t have the link or name of post but he said it a while back. and to simply cast these kids into avon’s “shoes” is simple. their like a new generation hybrid of the characters we came to love.

By: Skate Nazi

Skate Nazi — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:24:51 +0000

Interesting article about the finale and OnDemand and Simon regulating spoilers.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/06/wire.finale/index.html?iref=hpmostpop

By: kh

kh — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:06:12 +0000

Thanks for the help. I guess he wasn’t the lone basis for Templeton, Templeton is more of a Blair or Glass type, but Haner and the editors supposed dealings with him certainly inform the character.

By: Steve Lieber

Steve Lieber — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:33:54 +0000

I can’t say he’s the model for Templeton, but there was a big controversy involving Simon and a Sun reporter named Jim Haner. Here’s an article about the matter:
http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=10193

By: The Hussey

The Hussey — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:56:35 +0000

re: Templeton

He sounds like Jayson Blair, but Blair worked for the NY Times.

By: kh

kh — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:55:59 +0000

Does anyone know the name of the reporter Templeton is modeled after? It’s a reporter from the Sun, Simon says he helped outing him and the guy wrote a book which Mark Bowden wrote a blurb for. I believe it all went down around 1999-2000 but I haven’t been able to find a name. If anyone has any info on who he is it would be greatly appreciated.