Things that quietly disappeared in the last 20 years

[Bunk Moreland]

Speaking of news, something that I'm amazed hasn't disappeared over the past couple of decades: the weather segment on the nightly news.

Daily ritual for mostly old people.

I catch the news (incl the weather) sometimes at my parents. It’s mind blowing how anybody could watch it…. It’s just so transparently garbage. Stuff that’s up to 24 hours old, outrage bait and even videos off social media from a day or two ago.

It’d be better if the presenters were obviously in on the joke. But they’re so earnest, as if they’re not hosting a complete comedy.

 

[errant bounce]

That's very interesting to me - I would have thought that given David Simon's background, he would have always been planning to focus on a newsroom/newspaper and it was probably the perfect time to do it, as we were in the then-early stages of online media taking over. Unless he was originally planning to make more seasons?

On season 5 generally, I find it hard to call it a drop in quality as such, more so that the premise seemed a little far-fetched for a series that prided itself on realism. More far-fetched than 'Hamsterdam'? I don't know. But then, for me, season 3 was probably the peak era of the Wire, in terms of the cast members who were around for that season.

I'm also puzzled by the 'slow to get going' criticism of The Wire (and Breaking Bad, for that matter): I was all in by the end of episode 1 and feel like with The Wire, it'd be hard not to be hooked by the time Omar shows up around episode 3. But each to their own.

Speaking of news, something that I'm amazed hasn't disappeared over the past couple of decades: the weather segment on the nightly news.

It was so slow and people forget that the edgiest show out there, that wasn't just gratuitously gross like Oz, was the Sopranos. but the Sopranos is shot a lot like a movie.

So the grit of The Wire felt really amateur, the acting wasn't as good (which is an unfair criticism and comparison with Sopranos), and if you're an Aussie you have no idea about how black people and working class American people speak and act. it was a huge amount to take in and it was a real adjustment.

Throw in no central character and no real clear plot other than there's po-lis and street dealers but then there's like 20 people from each side all being shown to you...

The biggest obstacle as well was the dialogue. it wasn't just the script and the vernacular but they all mumbled and the sound design was absolute shit on that show so you couldn't pick anything up. it's common parlance now but no one in 2009 or so (when I first watched it) knew what '5-0' was.

(Also yes shout out alfalfas. those things elevate a chicken sandwich like nothing else. some white bread, big thick dices of chicken, cheap mayo and margarine...

When I got a bit older I really liked them in a salad with beetroot, mango, goat's cheese, and walnuts in summer.)

 

[Pistol Night]

Daily ritual for mostly old people.

I catch the news (incl the weather) sometimes at my parents. It’s mind blowing how anybody could watch it…. It’s just so transparently garbage. Stuff that’s up to 24 hours old, outrage bait and even videos off social media from a day or two ago.

It’d be better if the presenters were obviously in on the joke. But they’re so earnest, as if they’re not hosting a complete comedy.

Excuse me but are you implying Jane Bunn isn't someone that needs to be seen for generations to come? I never really know what the weather is doing but i still tune in to see some forecasts just in case

 

[kickazz]

Daily ritual for mostly old people.

I catch the news (incl the weather) sometimes at my parents. It’s mind blowing how anybody could watch it…. It’s just so transparently garbage. Stuff that’s up to 24 hours old, outrage bait and even videos off social media from a day or two ago.

It’d be better if the presenters were obviously in on the joke. But they’re so earnest, as if they’re not hosting a complete comedy.

Yeah was about to say the same - never mind the weather bit, the whole shebang is shite.

You can add to your list blatant advertising, Media Watch showed a fair bit of this last year, Amazon Prime day had its official press release basically reported verbatim by at least two of the commercial news networks.

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

alfalfa sprouts, feel like they were more of a thing until 20+ years ago, more invisible in the culture nowadays

prepaid credit top up also seems less prominent, likewise the evolution in wired broadband modem/routers, as smartphone plans, roaming and home wi-fi setups sort of took over, depending upon ones circumstances and life stage. Likewise the shrinking presence of the landline phone.

**** that takes me back, I bloody loved alfalfa

 

[Cruyff14]

Daily ritual for mostly old people.

I catch the news (incl the weather) sometimes at my parents. It’s mind blowing how anybody could watch it…. It’s just so transparently garbage. Stuff that’s up to 24 hours old, outrage bait and even videos off social media from a day or two ago.

It’d be better if the presenters were obviously in on the joke. But they’re so earnest, as if they’re not hosting a complete comedy.

I LOVE watching the weather.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

It was so slow and people forget that the edgiest show out there, that wasn't just gratuitously gross like Oz, was the Sopranos. but the Sopranos is shot a lot like a movie.

So the grit of The Wire felt really amateur, the acting wasn't as good (which is an unfair criticism and comparison with Sopranos), and if you're an Aussie you have no idea about how black people and working class American people speak and act. it was a huge amount to take in and it was a real adjustment.

Throw in no central character and no real clear plot other than there's po-lis and street dealers but then there's like 20 people from each side all being shown to you...

The biggest obstacle as well was the dialogue. it wasn't just the script and the vernacular but they all mumbled and the sound design was absolute shit on that show so you couldn't pick anything up. it's common parlance now but no one in 2009 or so (when I first watched it) knew what '5-0' was.

(Also yes shout out alfalfas. those things elevate a chicken sandwich like nothing else. some white bread, big thick dices of chicken, cheap mayo and margarine...

When I got a bit older I really liked them in a salad with beetroot, mango, goat's cheese, and walnuts in summer.)

I watched the wire when I was 19 and gave up just could not get into it, it was dense as well plus there is no hand holding in the Wire, no flashbacks outside of maybe 1 or 2.

Watched it when I was 26 and it all just clicked for me, Seasons 1 to 4 of the wire are the GOAT of TV shows.

Loved the Sopranos as well.

 

[errant bounce]

I watched the wire when I was 19 and gave up just could not get into it, it was dense as well plus there is no hand holding in the Wire, no flashbacks outside of maybe 1 or 2.

Watched it when I was 26 and it all just clicked for me, Seasons 1 to 4 of the wire are the GOAT of TV shows.

Loved the Sopranos as well.

I can't pretend to know what it it's like being black and feeling hopeless but I can relate to white port workers feeling the same because that was half my family. season two resonates so hard. it's so sad. just think America that's never going back just dying in front of these people.

Beautiful show.

 

[Billy ray]

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

It was so slow and people forget that the edgiest show out there, that wasn't just gratuitously gross like Oz, was the Sopranos. but the Sopranos is shot a lot like a movie.

So the grit of The Wire felt really amateur, the acting wasn't as good (which is an unfair criticism and comparison with Sopranos), and if you're an Aussie you have no idea about how black people and working class American people speak and act. it was a huge amount to take in and it was a real adjustment.

Throw in no central character and no real clear plot other than there's po-lis and street dealers but then there's like 20 people from each side all being shown to you...

The biggest obstacle as well was the dialogue. it wasn't just the script and the vernacular but they all mumbled and the sound design was absolute shit on that show so you couldn't pick anything up. it's common parlance now but no one in 2009 or so (when I first watched it) knew what '5-0' was.

(Also yes shout out alfalfas. those things elevate a chicken sandwich like nothing else. some white bread, big thick dices of chicken, cheap mayo and margarine...

When I got a bit older I really liked them in a salad with beetroot, mango, goat's cheese, and walnuts in summer.)

5-0 was commonly used in 90s hip-hop, I knew exactly what they were talking about. As for acting, I respectfully disagree, I'm trying hard to think of one of the (almost exclusively unknown at the time) actors who didn't hit their role out of the park. Meanwhile, The Wire launched the career of two megastars (Michael B Jordan and Idris Elba) and had four kids who were absolutely perfect in their roles in season 4; The Sopranos had... the dude who played AJ. I'm not saying The Sopranos overall didn't have brilliant actors; I'm just not sure how it blew The Wire out of the water in that regard.

Personally, I think the ensemble cast is a strength, rather than a weakness: well Walter White's hardly going to get killed by Tuco or caught by Hank eight episodes in to Breaking Bad, is he? But with the Wire, anyone could go at anytime, because the cast didn't rely on one lead actor. Hell, the actor who probably came the closest to being the main star (Dominic West) virtually disappeared in season 4, and that's one of the greatest seasons in the history of television.

I certainly missed things in my first go round of The Wire and I still pick up new little pieces every time I watch it again, but I can't say I was ever bored watching it. Each to their own, but I just have never understood that criticism. The bodies were piling up pretty quickly from the get-go.

I will say it's fun to compare though, for example, everything being so neatly and precisely wrapped up in Breaking Bad, compared to the storyline that abruptly ended and were never fully resolved in The Sopranos (including the ending). People would criticise the latter for that, but I see the merit: that's often how life is as far as I'm concerned.

 

[errant bounce]

5-0 was commonly used in 90s hip-hop, I knew exactly what they were talking about. As for acting, I respectfully disagree, I'm trying hard to think of one of the (almost exclusively unknown at the time) actors who didn't hit their role out of the park. Meanwhile, The Wire launched the career of two megastars (Michael B Jordan and Idris Elba) and had four kids who were absolutely perfect in their roles in season 4; The Sopranos had... the dude who played AJ. I'm not saying The Sopranos overall didn't have brilliant actors; I'm just not sure how it blew The Wire out of the water in that regard.

Wot? Robert Iler?

He was without doubt the absolute shittest character, both in terms of being poorly written and with no progression and also totally unlikable, but he was also a shit actor. and a gormless little **** irl who has barely even watched the show back and never really acted again. seriously, AJ as the Sopranos best actor? da ****.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Wot? Robert Iler?

He was without doubt the absolute shittest character, both in terms of being poorly written and with no progression and also totally unlikable, but he was also a shit actor. and a gormless little ** irl who has barely even watched the show back and never really acted again. seriously, AJ as the Sopranos best actor? da **.

I think you misunderstood my point. The Wire had Michael B Jordan and the kids who played Michael, Randy, Namond and Dukie; in comparison, the Sopranos had... AJ.

Again, as a collective, of course The Sopranos had great acting. But in my opinion, the actors in The Wire collectively did at least as good a job and a big sticking point for me is that in The Wire, even the child actors were outstanding. In The Sopranos, it's a challenge for me to think of an actor under 21 who was even passable.

 

[errant bounce]

Also I ****in love the Wire, I like the big cast, the pacing, I've probably rewatched it 4-5 times all up, and the acting can be really great but there's definitely a couple in there who aren't very flash at all (McNulty's wife, Cutty had his moments, Carver is boring as shit, but it's mostly these actors who have one scene with a few lines for a few episodes a season who are bad) and the average is just a bit lower. it's also not often funny or that great as an episodic. but it is sadder and more human and a better commentary.

 

[peternorth]

I never hear anything about warts these days.

I realise they're most common in teenage kids, and admittedly my son is only 7.

But maybe it's my imagination, but I feel like I haven't heard anyone (in mainstream media, youtube etc, and generally) talking about warts, for about 25 years.

Maybe hygiene has improved over time. But yes, as a young youngster warts and all was common.

Mainstream media apparentlybrainwashes the masses

 

[errant bounce]

Maybe hygiene has improved over time. But yes, as a young youngster warts and all was common.

Mainstream media apparentlybrainwashes the masses

Warts come from being exposed and active.

It was normal to get a half day off school to get a few frozen off, I remember a couple of them getting ripped off during footy. weirdly enough, they never scared.

A nomination for this thread is just how protective parents are now. woman at work won't let her 15 year old boy go to the city by himself. that is ****ing nuts. the worst thing is he doesn't want to go either!

 

[Plugger35]

I had some warts on my fingers when I was a teenager, I got them frozen off but eventually they just disappeared like pimples.