Thursday, December 29, 2011

THE YEAR OF GANGS AND SADNESS:  Last night, about eight of us got together on Twitter and agreed that, okay, finally, we're going to watch The Wire in 2012.  (What do you mean you haven't watched The Wire already? Shut up. We know.)

To support each other, we've agreed that Wednesdays will be Wire Wednesdays on the blog.  Episodes are available via HBO GO, or on iTunes (as well as DVD), so by next Wednesday, January 3, please watch "The Target" for our discussion.

Veterans, we welcome your participation, but please protect us from spoilers. Obviously, there are elements of the show that many of us have absorbed through the culture ("You come at the king, you best not miss"; something about a nail gun), but let us try to be surprised.  Next year in Baltimore!

84 comments:

  1. Meghan8:46 AM

    This is JUST what I needed to make me commit to doing it.  I'm so in.

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  2. Joseph Finn9:09 AM

    I'm going to have to follow along just so I don't spoil anything.  Good watching, everyone!

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  3. Shonda9:16 AM

    I'm in.  I keep meaning to find time to watch it and this is the incentive I need.  Also, I'm sick of being the only person who doesn't know what anyone is talking about when The Wire comes up at lunch at work.

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  4. Eric J.9:22 AM

    I'm going to try - but I just started Breaking Bad on Netflix (after watching Season 4.) So that's going to go on hold.

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  5. Adam C.9:37 AM

    You lucky, lucky kids.  I'll be very interested in following the conversations that result.  Note also that Sepinwall, between his old blog and more recently at hitfix.com, has recapped all seasons of The Wire both for newbies and for veterans - you can still find season 1 recaps at sepinwall.blogspot.com (but note that when you pull up his link to the entire season, the recaps come up in reverse chrono order, so the finale is at the top of the page).

    We're trying to get through Fringe Season 3 during this holiday break; if successful, we'll then hustle to catch up with the current season.

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  6. Adam C.9:40 AM

    Link between Fringe S3 and The Wire so far: the great Andre Royo.

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  7. I am so envious of anyone watching for the first time.  I just recently rewatched with a friend who became a quick convert.

    On a completely different note, over the past week I watched Downton Abbey, which has been on DVR and in my queue forever.  Wow, what took me so long?  Can't wait for season 2.

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  8. I watched season 1-4 from Netflix last year and was longing for a discussion.  I got sidetracked and never got around to season 5, so I will definately watch along when you get there.  So excited for you and am looking forward to following along via the blog posts.  I am working through Season 1 of Louie on Netflix now.

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  9. I bought and watched the entire DVD set last summer (on ALOTT5MA recommendation) and I'd love to go through it again! I'll be reading Sepinwall's veteran version too, for added insight. 

    I highly recommend the suggestion I read somewhere of turning on Closed Captioning. It really helps to understand what's actually being said. You'll see what I mean.

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  10. I just watched Downton Abbey (free with Amazon Prime) and thoroughly concur. It's only 7 episodes, so not hard to catch up before Season 2 starts on January 8th.

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  11. marnie10:21 AM

    I watched the entire series for the first time this summer and read all of Sepinwall's newbie posts after every episode. So exicted for all of you yet totally envious like Tina. It was an amazing experience. And while I know I will watch again, nothing will be as good as watching it for the first time. (I was lucky too as a friend had the first three seasons, and I got most of seasons 4 and 5 from the DC library).  As another note: You can also rent individual episodes via Amazon.  

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  12. Awesome.  I bought the series for the fiance last Christmas, and we still haven't watched it.  So this is exactly what we needed.

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  13. bristlesage10:34 AM

    Okay, all right, add me to the list.  We watched the first three or four episodes when we bought the first season DVDs, and then we stopped cold.  So a little outside motivation will be just the thing.

    My twitter handle is the same as my name here, though it seems we're just having discussions here I wouldn't mind following along with the tweets of the watchers if anyone else is interested.

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  14. lisased10:45 AM

    I JUST added "Watch The Wire" to my 2012 List, so I'm in. 

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  15. I'd be all over this if Time Warner would FINALLY strike a deal with HBO GO.

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  16. Seconding. I've been watching and rewatching at my own pace and Sepinwall's rookie recaps have been essential.

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  17. I'm in.  Very excited.  It's been in my Netflix DVD queue for months and I just kept pushing it down the list.  This will finally make me start watching.

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  18. By the way, Best Buy now has the individual seasons for $18.99 each.  If you're a fan of commentary tracks, take the plunge; they're terrific.

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  19. I'm a huge Wire booster, and think this is great.  I'll give you the advice I always give people:  Watch with the subtitles on if possible.  It will help with the gang patois and will also help you keep track of who's who early on.  As I also always say:  The Wire isn't vegetables.  It's dessert. Enjoy!

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  20. The Pathetic Earthling11:09 AM

    What a smashing idea.  I know almost nothing about this show except that it's really, really good and it's set in Baltimore.

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  21. isaac_spaceman11:15 AM

    What the fuck did I do?

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  22. isaac_spaceman11:16 AM

    Incidentally, the title of this post ought to be "here we go again, giving a fuck when it ain't our turn to give a fuck."

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  23. Paul Tabachneck11:21 AM

    This just motivated me to watch S5, which practice was interrupted by all of the hubbub surrounding my move to New York.  Fun!

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  24. So excited to see this for the first time with a bunch if other newbies! And kudos to Marsha for instigating this whole thing with a simple tweet about needing to watch the Wire so her pop-culture cred would be legit.

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  25. Downton Abbey is just absolutely fantastic.  And I hear Season 2 is terrific.  

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  26. "Booster" - like a drug dealer is a lobbyist.  :)

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  27. As one of the Twitterers last night, I'm in, but I'm actually slightly nervous.  It may be a little intense for me, given some of the things I do in my day job.  But I will figure out how to watch at least the beginning....

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  28. Interesting!  I might give this a shot.  It's always felt like such an assignment, with my dad and my brother and every pop-culture person on the internet urging me to watch "The Wire".

    Meanwhile I'm about to catch up on two seasons of "Justified"... and my gf and I are trying to watch all of "Mad Men" before it comes back... and I would have to watch "The Wire" illegally (as apropos as that may be)... yeah I'm probably not going to participate.

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  29. Cecilia12:23 PM

    I second the advice about the closed captioning, and I'll also add, just stick with it until about episode 8.  Hopefully you'll get sucked in sooner than that, but it took me (and some others I know) until about midway through the first season to get the rhythm of the show.

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  30. spacewoman12:36 PM

    I just finished watching the entire thing from start to finish like, 5 minutes ago, but I'm psyched to watch them all again and look for things I might have missed the first time. Best show evir.

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  31. I feel ya.

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  32. Gleemonex12:42 PM

    The only problem with The Wire is, it ruins you -- RUINS YOU -- for watching any other cop/detective/urban-setting show of any kind ever. I mean, you can still watch, but everything seems so inauthentic after you've been on The Wire. 

    Goddamn do I envy you guys getting to watch it for the first time. You lucky bastards!

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  33. Adam C.12:50 PM

    For the newbies, I'd add to Cecelia's thought above (stick with it through Ep. 8):  Consider taking in the first 3-4 episodes in one sitting.  It's a bit more of an initial time commitment, but it'll help you see where things are going and how the players fit together in a way that Episode 1 alone (as intended, it would seem) cannot.  

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  34. Heather K12:58 PM

    You guys, its also on Netflix streaming and AWESOME!

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  35. Heather K1:01 PM

    YAY!!!  I am so in as a veteran watch along, although like Paul I never finished Season 5 although mostly because if I finished season 5 it would be over, so if I just never finish season 5 it will still exist.  I know that is insane.  Although I just lent my box set to a friend who was trying to watch it by getting the DVDs on Netflix.  However I do have season one in my itunes, so I will follow along for the first season on my iphone.  But again YAY!!!

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  36. Deanna1:08 PM

    I'm psyched now. My only Wire knowledge comes from an educator colleague who has blogged about the show and how it ties to classroom management and teaching. 

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  37. Deanna1:09 PM

    PS I'm dkdykstra on the Twitter.

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  38. I am so ridiculously excited about this plan.  Take that, bucket list!

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  39. Also, note that the back half of each season is like your favorite page-turner; you won't wat to stop.  My wife and I would sit down with an episode 8 at 9:30 at night, then find ourselves at watching the season's closing montage at 2 in tne morning.  THEN I would read Sepinwall's reviews (which aren't short), try and sleep, then kick myself when my little one woke me up a few hours later.

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  40. Devin McCullen1:14 PM

    I have all the DVDs, but stopped between Seasons 3 and 4, mainly because I heard so much about how sad Season 4 was that I always had something else I'd rather watch instead.  So if I don't follow along, I'll join in there.

    But right now, I've got to finish The Good Wife season 2, which I have out from the library, so I can start reclaiming space on my DVR from The Good Wife season 3.  And watch the rest of Downton Abbey season 1, which is stalled out until PBS rebroadcasts Part 2 on Sunday (which I couldn't fit on the DVR a couple of weeks ago mainly due to the aforementioned Good Wife season 3)

    I did watch my last 30 for 30 last night, though.  Although now I can start worrying about other ESPN documentaries...sigh.

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  41. Heather P1:41 PM

    I'm totally in, even though I'm currently burning through Downton Abbey and Breaking Bad, too.

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  42. Marsha2:15 PM

    I watch everything with closed captioning. There are few shows where I don't find it helpful, and for some, it actually adds information (song titles on Grey's, spellings of key names on Lost, etc.)

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  43. Marsha2:17 PM

    I'm just so happy to have company! (For those who missed the Twitter flurry, I had posted that I watched Freaks and Geeks in 2010 and just finished My So-Called Life in 2011, so to complete my pop culture cred catchup, I needed to watch Breaking Bad and The Wire. I was amazed at the number of Thing Throwers who came out of the woodwork to admit they hadn't seen The Wire either!)

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  44. Jordan2:25 PM

    Add me to the list of people jealous that you get to experience it for the first time.

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  45. Andrea2:37 PM

    This is great!  Now to find those discs that I have to return to Netflix....

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  46. lisased2:51 PM

    I'm watching "Justified" too. I'm five episodes into the first season and I'm kicking myself for not watching it sooner.

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  47. Kcosmo3:14 PM

    Ooooo, I wasn't planning to do this, but now I may have to. We tried it once a long time ago and couldn't understand a word anyone was saying, so the closed captioning is a great suggestion. I just watched the first episode of Downton Abbey and loved it, and Mr. Cosmo just got me the full Bluray BSG, so it may be tricky to get everything synchronized and rolling. Ah. it's a tough TV life!

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  48. gtv2003:18 PM

    I've watched it all the way through twice - once on Netflix and once on DirecTV.  Like everyone else has said, I envy you.  The second time through on season one is great because you actually have an idea who everyone is!

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  49. Linda3:29 PM

    Ah!   I just finished the final episode last week.   I'm tempted to start over again and watch with you all.   

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  50. Heather K4:29 PM

    I'm about to start season 4 BSG on netflix streaming.  I've been working on it while quilting since the summer.

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  51. bristlesage4:41 PM

    And the best part of Justified?  It only gets BETTER. 

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  52. bristlesage4:42 PM

    I haven't watched the last couple of episodes of Veronica Mars, the last episode of Pushing Daisies, the last season of Deadwood, and the second half of the last season of Friday Night Lights for just this reason.  So, my point is, let's be insane together.

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  53. Genevieve4:59 PM

    It's one that I've been afraid to watch, despite how terrific I hear it is, since I shy away from violence (especially visual - not as bad in books but I generally avoid it there too). 

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  54. Becca5:04 PM

    Dude, no one in LA is coughing up the DVDs. How is that even possible? You just know there are, like, 14 people here who own the whole series, just so they can have the complete set of EVERYTHING. I must know one of them!

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  55. Renee5:13 PM

    If I can find the DVDs somewhere for supercheap or to borrow, then I will be in as well.  I've been hesitant to check it out, but this is the motivation I need.  Some of it may bother me due to work-related issues, but hopefully I'll get over that quickly.

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  56. Alan Sepinwall5:45 PM

    Yes. I fear there will be some attrition from those of you who are coming to it new and only watching one episode at a time. Adam C's advice is what I tell anyone who's thinking about watching it. The first few episodes individually will mainly make you scratch your heads, but together... it's something.

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  57. lisased5:46 PM

    And I'm jealous of you guys, watching BSG for the first time. Good stuff.

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  58. lisased5:49 PM

    I got the set on eBay today for $60 plus shipping. It was from DVD Bargains, so there might be some more out there.

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  59. J. Bowman6:06 PM

    I have been informed by the w that we cannot watch The Wire until we leave the Baltimore area. This may mean we can never watch it, but that sounds like a problem for future J. Bowman.

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  60. janet6:20 PM

    It took me 4 episodes to be hooked. I also had heard that each season was a completely new story so I feared it would take me that long to get into each one, but the core group continues throughout all five seasons so it's only that disjointed and confusing the first season.

    Is this a trend in shows? I actually found the same problem with Firefly (which took 5 episodes for me to really care about the characters) and to some (but lesser) extent with FNL, which only took 2 or 3. I've hung in there, though, to great reward each time -- because when the ALOTT5MA hive mind recommends things this strongly, I've learned to trust...

    Next up on my list is Battlestar Galactica.

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  61. Roger6:25 PM

    I'm in. I've been meaning to watch it for a long time. Just broke down and bought all five seasons in iTunes (which, sadly, does not include captioning).

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  62. Emily6:57 PM

    As I said last night on twitter, I'm in.

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  63. Adlai6:57 PM

    Totally forgot it was streaming - I'm out of reruns from PBS, and only halfway thru the first season. This will save me!

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  64. Adlai7:12 PM

    The last episode of Veronica Mars brings it all back home, though. 

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  65. Becca7:28 PM

    $60 is a chunk of change when you're about to be laid off. I think I'll stick to HBO Go and hunting for loaner DVDs. Can I HBO Go on the computer instead of my phone?

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  66. We're in. Can't wait to join the group in quality television!

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  67. Yes. Click on the link above.<span> </span>

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  68. lisased8:23 PM

    I never trust a pilot. Very rarely do they hook me immediately (FNL was an exception). I can see the strings too clearly -- they're setting up this conflict here, she's the girl he's going to eventually love in season 3, he's the redshirt for the first season finale -- but if it's a good setup and the acting is good, I'll stick with it. The BSG miniseries was great, and the final reveal in it was great, but when I watched "33", I was in all the way.

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  69. lisased8:25 PM

    You can with Verizon FIOS. I don't know about other systems.

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  70. spacewoman8:51 PM

    Oh, me too Genevieve, but I swear it's not that bad. You just need to look away for a minute or two every so often, and it's not nearly as often as you'd think.

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  71. "Happy now, bitch?"

    [had to be said...]

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  72. Renee9:30 PM

    Thank you for the info.  I'll look into that, but I think I may be able to borrow it from a facebook friend.  Yay for facebook randomness!

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  73. Also, Becca, that really sucks.  I'm sorry to hear it.<span> </span>

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  74. Tosy and Cosh10:10 PM

    I JUST started my second watch last week  - already up to episode 7. Can't wait to join the fun here.

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  75. Thanks! It's not unexpected, though. Freelance TV jobs always come to an end at some point, and this company hasn't been the easiest to work for. I'm ok with finishing up this show and moving on. But I will have to go into hibernation mode for a bit. On a more positive note, I was able to get HBOGo to work with a friend's log in. Here's a tip: log in from the front page, and not the sign in up in the upper right hand corner.

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  76. Derrick1:36 AM

    Just started Justified with my gf 2 days ago and were on episode 5.  Great show and I don't know why I waited so long. 

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  77. Anthony W.5:00 AM

    In... The first season has been taking up space on my DVR, recorded off of DirecTV, so this is really helpful. Thanks for the advice of watching the first episodes together and of closed captioning...

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  78. christy in nyc8:51 PM

    I think I was hooked somewhere around episode three or four. But I did have to watch the pilot twice to understand what was going on.

    The suggestion to mainline the first few episodes makes sense, but in general this isn't a marathon show for me. Each episode is so meaty and heavy, I feel like I usually need to wait a while between episodes. This is in sharp contrast to most other favorite shows.

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  79. Alex Gordon9:49 PM

    Been sitting on the Season 1 DVDs forever, now I have a reason to dust em off.

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  80. Dillard10:33 PM

    Well I just made it through Breaking Bad Season 1 on Netflix and was planning on adding Justified to my routine now that Boardwalk Empire is over. I did get the entire Series on DVD for Christmas...so Justified apparently can wait till later. I'm in.

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  81. Gleemonex1:03 PM

    Lisased, "33" was the episode that burned BSG into my heart forever, too! I was hooked pretty quickly by earlier eps, but it was "33" where I finally went all in.

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  82. I couldn't get the closed captioning to work on the iTunes version, but I think I got the gist.

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  83. Yay!  This is perfect timing.  My husband and I just decided to watch The Wire in 2012, and we just watched the first episode last week!  Thanks to everyone for the advice on sticking it out for the first few episodes, as the first one definitely didn't hook me - but watching with the ALOTT5MA gang will keep me going.  Very excited for this!

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