Around the same time he was playing Schillinger on Oz he was also Dr. Skoda, the best of the DA office's psychiatrists on Law & Order. I think doing these very opposite roles helped keep him from typecasting.

I believe J.D. Williams is the only actor who pulls off the Oz/Sopranos/Wire trifecta.

'Mwaahhh mwha mwah mwah'

I'll allow the indulgence if it means Rita Moreno and BD Wong get to sing. And Beecher/Schillinger's disco number is one of my favorite things from that season.

I vaguely recall that Eamon Walker could only do part of the final season and that's why they wrote him out. I can sort of understand that*, but to have him killed by some rando and then invent some backstory to justify it? Pointless. At least have Schillinger do it to goad Beecher or something.

OK, done…?

I think they were saving Wire recaps to close out AVC Classic as a feature, but then Todd left.

Absolutely. I think that storyline is part of two episodes, maybe three? and it's not an "A' plot. That is ruined the show, or is somehow emblematic of the later show, is one of those annoying internet talking points that too many people take as an article of fact.

The 'musical episode' (which really just has cast members sing musical numbers in place of Hill's monologues, so it's not really strange for the show) is season 5; the aging and Chinese immigrant plots were season 4. It's worth noting that, IIRC, at the request of HBO they had to double the episode order for season 4…

It's good to see Oz get some attention on its 20th anniversary. A shame that AV Club never covered it as one of their Classic shows.

I don't see it as a parody, but nevertheless I think it works because it fits perfectly with the theatrical conceit of the show.

I always bring this up when this plot gets raised: the notion of artificially aging prisoners so that they're less inclined to crime is not something Oz made up.

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I bailed after 4 or 5 episodes because I realized we were watching another Danny McBride 'asshole who's really a decent guy who should feel sorry for' character

Area were an absolutely brilliant band–very midwestern, gothy dreampop. They sort of carried on as Moon Seven Times who were also fairly good.

FWIW a few years back someone used publishing credits to figure out who Blanket of Secrecy were. Turns out they were just a trio of studio musicians and not anyone notable.

In other words, Game of Thrones is Beowulf

Episode 4: Wheel in the sky keeps on turning

Peter Thiel's covering the legal fees for this suit, right?

Please don't.