I am huge fan of Breaking Bad. I was suggested to watch this show. I was watching the pilot but here's the problem.
1) I can't understand what people are saying, the way they speak english is too weird. Many foreigners have this problem.
2) Don't even know what's going on.
3) The names of the characters are repeatedly used, although audience have no idea about those characters.
4) NO OFFENSE OR RACISM but the black characters look very similar to each other.
I'm not sure how you're watching the wire but I've watched and on blu-Ray and for season 1 turned on subtitles. That helped a lot.
sharePoint 1 I can agree, though they were speaking their Baltimorese/ghetto version of English.
Whenever I am watching something for the first time, no matter what it is, if on DVD I will actually put the English subtitles up. Yes some phrases were confusing for a second like the phrase "gotta get got." That is not common vernacular for me, so I had to think it over a second. I maybe even looked it up, but either way I sorted it out.
They have their version of slang. But yeah I subtitled the show to understand what they were saying.
2) What do you mean what is going on? Pretty much the whole series is basically life in Baltimore. Each season focuses on 1 main issue, but with the drug trade arc spanning the series.
3) I don't fully get what you are saying. Which characters?
4) Er I cannot help you there as they all look different to me.
((Damn the remakes, Save the originals.))
The meaning of most of the slang is obvious when looking at the context. Your example, the phrase "gotta get got" is doubly so. I'm not a native English speaker, and watched the show for the first time with English subtitles, second time with Hungarian subtitles to check out the translation (Hungarian is my native language). At first viewing, there was some confusion the first time I heard phrases I was not familiar with ("stevedores" gave me a few scratches of head), but I kept on going without looking up anything, just paying attention. And I figured out all plot relevant slang terms by the end of the series.
Bottom line is: use subtitles and pay attention. The Wire rewards a viewer who pays attention.
I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me to see me looking back at you
Exactly you understand the slang and Baltimorese, as we call it, when seeing the context it is in. I do know non-English speakers have at times had issues with US slang, and then of course there are different terms pending geographic location in the US as well. We don't like to make things easy around here. LOL.
But yeah things can be figured out while viewing so it is not completely unknown. Just for me, no matter what movie or show I am watching on DVD, I always watch with subtitles first. The Wire did have some language that took some working out.
((Damn the remakes, Save the originals.))
4) NO OFFENSE OR RACISM but the black characters look very similar to each other.
Wow - your point 4... people like yourself can't help yourself can you. Your point was racist and you know full well it was. Saying no offence in capitals does not change that!
shareJust use headphones or turn on subtitles. Problem solved.
“If one devalues rationality, the world tends to fall apart.” - von Trier