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The Wire, 20 years later

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by poindexter, Sep 5, 2022.

Page 1 of 7
  1. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    I just started watching it. I'm 2 episodes in.

    Can someone explain why I don't hear one damned Ballmer accent on that police force?
     
    poindexter, Sep 5, 2022
    #1
  2. MisterCreosote

    MisterCreosote Well-Known Member

    Because Valchek hasn’t shown up yet?
     
    MisterCreosote, Sep 5, 2022
    #2
    FileNotFound likes this.
  3. justgladtobehere

    justgladtobehere Well-Known Member

    Because the lead was a Limey and there are a lot of Black Baltimoreans, who don't have the same accent.
     
    justgladtobehere, Sep 5, 2022
    #3
  4. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    I won't speak for the black guys, but fuck, no fucking white guys on the show have a maryland accent. It stupid. The marky mark character, Herc, sounds like he's from NYC. The old detectives all have irish accents.
     
    poindexter, Sep 5, 2022
    #4
  5. Webster

    Webster Well-Known Member

    I thought that in one of the episodes they said that Herc was from New York.
     
    Webster, Sep 6, 2022
    #5
  6. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    A lot of the black characters have Baltimore accents, but that is because they hired a lot of professional actors who were from there (like the guy who played Prop Joe) and a lot of locals turned actors for the show, most notably Snoop (who basically played herself). They also hired a bunch of Brits -- Idris Elba and Dominic West -- and they are supposed to be doing a Baltimore accent, but sometimes they end up sounding like British guys trying to do an accent. There is one white guy who I know is authentic, and has the thick accent, it was this guy:

    [​IMG]

    And that is because he is the real Jay Landsman, who David Simon had covered when he was writing crime stories for the Baltimore paper.

    There are so many characters in the show that not all of them aer going to be doing a Baltimore accent, or doing it well, For the most part, though, they got the right actors for the roles, so I have no problem with the accent, and there is enough Baltimore accent in the show -- especially on the street -- that it gives it to you.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2022
    The Big Ragu, Sep 6, 2022
    #6
    sgreenwell and clintrichardson like this.
  7. micropolitan guy

    micropolitan guy Well-Known Member

    You mean the guy who played Little Finger - er Tommy Carcetti - wasn't from Fells Point or Federal Hill?
     
    micropolitan guy, Sep 6, 2022
    #7
  8. Brooklyn Bridge

    Brooklyn Bridge Well-Known Member

    I used to work the night shift and had a subscription to HBO back in the day just to watch. I used to get out early morning and would catch the HBO West feed.
     
    Brooklyn Bridge, Sep 6, 2022
    #8
  9. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

     
    TheSportsPredictor, Sep 6, 2022
    #9
  10. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    Joe Biden (pictured above), doesn't have a Wilmington accent (imagine the most grating parts of a Philly and Balamer accent combined). Neither do I. nor anyone else I know raised in the city of my birth. Accent is class as well as regionality. Anyone who lives in a suburb of an Acela corridor city is more likely not to have its accent as to have one. Mind you, if you watch local news in Philly, Baltimore, DC, NYC or Boston, possession of a fantastic local accent is an absolute must to reach senior ranks of the police, fire or public works departments of those great cities.
     
    Michael_ Gee, Sep 6, 2022
    #10
  11. Scout

    Scout Well-Known Member

    Pagers. The show started with pagers.
     
    Scout, Sep 7, 2022
    #11
  12. FileNotFound

    FileNotFound Well-Known Member

    So, when this thread was created, I took the opportunity to buy seasons 1-4 and have basically binge-watched them over the course of the last eight weeks or so. (And I’m hooked. What a great damn piece of television.) From the reviews I’m reading, I’m wondering if I should even bother with season 5?
     
    FileNotFound, Sep 7, 2022
    #12
    Flip Wilson likes this.
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