One of the most discursive and self-reflexive episodes in the entire series. S01E08 of The Wire uses the initial 20 minutes to land some extremely deflating punches on all of the characters we are sympathetic towards, with middle third of the episode ever-so-slyly twisting and writhing – as if the universe has sensed a shift far too large in one direction and is bound by the laws of physics to quickly re-establish a sense of equilibrium. The result, as you can imagine, isn’t a simple leveling out; but rather an even more fraught struggle with more frequent and sporadic bursts of cosmic karma reigning what-seems-to-be chaos on our beloved cast of characters.
Without divulging too much information and spoiler material, there is one particular phone call in this episode, (which is packed full of countless calls & telephonic exchanges, per usual), in which the emotional investment of the viewer is flipped from despair & hopelessness back to complete excitement and hope within SECONDS of dialogue. I am of course speaking about Judge Phelan’s call to Commissioner Erv Burrell upon hearing the news that the wire tap is supposedly now to shut down by week’s end after Daniel’s task force yanked a senator’s driver carrying $20K in Barksdale drug money. Oh, and for any first-time-viewers who aren’t familiar with the rest of The Wire, all I can say is to file that senator’s identity (Clay Davis, sheeeeeeeeit!), away in your back pocket and don’t you forget it...Clay Davis may never explicitly be shown on screen as being any more corrupt than your average politician, but of course the writing is all over the wall in this first season – and as for future seasons, well, you’ll see.
There are so many iconic moments in this episode, but it’s hard to remember they all came from this one since there is a sort of, “Empire Strikes Back,” vibe going on that makes us feel like things are only going to get worse and worse.
Off the top of my head, we’ve got:
“You come at the King, you best not miss!” – Omar
“Hey McNulty, who’s your daddy now?” – Judge Phelan
Some extremely overt commentary on how parts of our society such as a police department, (which is presumably supposed to embody at least some core values and not perpetuate blatant sexism & sexual harassment issues), when we see Herc & Carver “studying for” and then later taking their Sergeant’s test. (Also how those scenes parallel Wallace helping a younger girl w/ her homework in the projects, and of course Stringer Bell’s community college enrollment revelation is not a front but a serious endeavor for that jackass meathead who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else).
And I have to include Lester Freamon teaching Kima Greggs about the finer points of the job:
“Interrogate is more of an art than a science. It’s instinct that matters.”
♬ Omar whistling his own tune ♬
Oh, indeed.
It’s been about 10 years since The Wire finished and 16 years since it started. In that time, I have managed to watch the first three seasons four times (I think), the fourth season three times and the notorious fifth season twice. (The only other dramatic show I have ever watched more than once is Deadwood.) I never wrote a review of the show, which I considered The Greatest TV Show of All Time, because I first watched it before I regularly wrote movie and TV reviews and, I guess, because I sort of considered its greatness self-evident. I don’t think I will ever watch another show multiple times, simply because there is so much great TV now, in the world created in part by The Wire (and other shows of its era) but I must say that watching The Wire so many times has given me a more nuanced view of the show than I initially had (I hope).
SPOILERS about the fifth season, but it’s 2018.
I still believe that The Wire is the greatest fictional, dramatic English-language TV show I have ever seen. (The reason for those qualifiers should be obvious.) But having watched it multiple times now I must say that it is far more flawed than I remember it being and that it is a reminder that art is always flawed, no matter how important (or how perfect) it is or may seem.
For its first 50 hours, The Wire is arguably without peer with regard to a few things:
Long-form storytelling with few-to-no concessions to the episodic nature of television. (It’s now a cliche to call it the Russian Novel of American TV, in part because of its concern with issues bigger than character and plot.) It’s worth noting that more and more shows have been willing to take risks with not conforming to the episodic nature of TV, though I feel like The Wire is still relatively unique in its willingness to plunge into stories and to not follow the conventions to each “hour” of TV, in service of a greater whole.
Depicting the social and systemic nature of our reality and the systemic and social pressures that influence and cause people to not only do things that others might view as immoral or unethical but also to rationalize those decisions as necessary or normal or even ethical. It is only in very recent years that our pop culture has regularly depicted this reality as reality, as opposed to the old Good vs. Evil paradigm, where some people are truly good and some people are truly bad and few people are in between (and those in between or only confused).
Yes, there are definitely issues: sometimes the focus on systemic issues is at the sacrifice of decent storytelling and sometimes the plot (and the allegory) are too important and character development is sacrificed or confused.
And yes, it looks bad now, especially if you are watching it on a bunch of DVDs you bought when the show is on the air. (I have not seen the new, re-formatted version.) But all early digital video looks bad, just like early digital music technology sounds terrible.
But things really go off the rails in the fifth season, which is even worse than I remembered. It’s not so much that the serial killer invention is a problem as that it’s who invents it. Had the show chosen to just have the reporter invent the serial killer, I think a lot more of us would have accepted everything else the fifth season gave us, but having the cops do it – and having them endure forced retirement as their only punishment – stretched credulity on a show we had all convinced ourselves was more realistic than anything else on TV.
And that ending is just too cute with reasonably happy endings and new beginnings for more of the surviving cast than not. (That final episode is also Return of the King-level interminable.)
But, if you can ignore or forgive the 5th season, I think The Wire‘s overall quality – acting, long-form storytelling, grounding in an everyday reality that actually exists, and its exploration of the issues of human systems and institutions – plus its timing – which is, arguably just as important given how few shows even remotely like this existed prior to it – make it, at the very least, a very strong candidate for The Greatest (fictional, dramatic English-language) TV Show of All Time, if not the most important. (The Sopranos – which I personally view as not quite on the level of The Wire in terms of its violations of TV norms and certainly not remotely on the level of The Wire in terms of its understanding of how institutions and people within those institutions function – was still first, and therefore, arguably, more important.)
Even a decade later, its first 50 hours remain the best thing I have seen on TV which educates people how the world actually works. I still think it is mandatory viewing, even if that view makes me a bit of a cliche. The only thing I know like it – Deadwood – isn’t as explicit in its message and so lacks the ability to both double duty as entertainment and education.
The Wire is not a crime TV show nor even a TV show.
The onset was benign and innocuous. One night in Baltimore, the world within which the series operates, a black citizen was shot dead, prompting police cars to surround the crime scene. Detective Jimmy McNulty and another black guy sat on a stoop, chatting about the victim in the nonchalant manner insinuating experience and familiarity. Just another night in Baltimore.
Later on, the Homicide Unit of Baltimore Police Department would learn about Avon Barksdale, the drug overlord ruling the Westside of the city. Led by Lieutenant Daniels, a major unit would start to unravel the scale and brutality of his empire. Using surveillance tools, they would made way into the saying and thinking of his men. Hurdled by higher-ups, they would have to tip-toe around the money trail imprinted with the footsteps of public figures. Galvanized by the shooting of an undercover officer, they would put forth the trial in which the end of Barksdale's dominance began. McNulty would ask himself, "What the fuck did I do?", while the city kept on limping along the vicious cycle of drug and crime, looking forward to its past. Just another day in Baltimore.
Sure, drugs and murders are abound in the show, and the chase between the good police and the bad criminals is featured prominently. Nonetheless, at the center of every scene is not police nor criminals, but the city of Baltimore. An eclectic cast of detectives, attorneys, judges, drug dealers, informants, strippers, hitmen—each broken in their own way—presents a complex and multifaceted mosaic of Baltimore: as the camera follows people into court houses and low-rises, street turfs and strip clubs, it captures the living and perishing of the city dwellers, the rotting economic and social landscape.
Even on the ostensibly good side, it is rare to see corruption and petty politics woven so tightly into the storyline, or how the flaws of every characters displayed as candidly as possible. In the attempt to create an honest depiction of urban life, The Wire effectively puts forth the uncomfortable verities of the American society. Poverty manifests itself throughout every corner of every episode, which stems from and fuels the crime and drug epidemic plaguing the city. As one of the most poignant scene in the show, when asked why she could only do counting problems with vials and packs and not buses and passengers, Sarah simply said "Count be wrong, they fuck you up." Such is a fucked-up world they live in that to escape means either a dead end or death.
The Wire, in my mind, is anything but a show. It is a thirteen-part recording of the happenings there, an intimate account of what has been hiding in plain sight on the streets and in the houses across the city, a candid and disturbing documentary on life of Baltimore as we know it. Vast in scope and careful in detail, The Wire, a rare glimpse into the sombre facets of the American society, is a wire on real life itself.
The devil lies in the details.
The wire is easily one of the most in-depth takes on a lot of things. It centres on the depiction of the war on drugs. While it does so spectacularly, it also goes into the corruption, politics and the systemic rot which is all around us.
It starts off as one man's spirited fight against a local drug kingpin, and the first season devotes itself to this fight, but in doing so, it continues to bring other characters into the picture and over the course of 5 seasons, convincingly takes them to closure.
It is a masterclass in character development. People truly evolve through the five seasons of the show, and dynamics change. There is no plot armour for anyone. Also, there are no heroes. The approach McNulty takes in the fifth show is arguably deplorable, but it seems natural coming from that character.
Among many bigwigs fighting it out, what truly stays with you is the story of Reginald Cousins, aka, Bubbles. A heroin addict who loses everything, hits rock bottom, but then manages to rise back up to a life which he could die peacefully with. Many of the scenes with Bubbles hit hard. Andre Royo has given his best in living the role through 5 seasons of the show.
The show does not need any manufactured drama. Reality takes care of it. The director just had to keep looking and reality provides all the friction needed. With such an in-depth focus on the matters, the series is definitely a slow burn but it is still definitely worth your time.
Also, this series has some magnificent writing I have experienced to date. Take Major Colvin's take on the war on drugs,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA5za4VsskM&t=23s
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
This unbelievable journey will end in tears! The story (in now way over te top) is as raw as could be, never over the top (it is what it is) no good gop bad criminal bull, but the real deal! It's not a easy to process storyline and always totally believeble! So yeah the one cop is a alcoholic womanizer, the other one a criminal in a uniform! Or unlucky to be born with the wrong color of skin,! The biggest grimminals are those on the top, At City Hall! The people who live in this extremely hard City (it could be you and me) are F*CKT by bird(place) And have to survive this 24/7 madness! Some will do evil (like it is just a normal day at the job) Some battle to find a way out! (the real Lucky ones) And others will loose them selves forever (addicted with no hope of being human again) This masterpiece will give you a lot too think about the war on drugs and what it does to the unlucky people born in that area. plus the people who have to menage/control this hellhole (without getting infected with pure evil) And never forget that in all this insanity the dealing with human beings!
Review by Martin SestrimskiBlockedParent2022-01-28T15:17:33Z
"The Wire" is touted as one of the greatest masterpieces the medium of television has to offer, and it deserves all of this praise. Broadcast between 2002 and 2008, it did not receive the appropriate acclaim it deserves during its run, but ever since it has achieved a legendary status. Truly, this series was ahead of its time, most notably in its approach to the sheer variety of social and political issues it tackles, always doing so with maturity and complexity.
What begins as a straightforward crime drama turns into a in-depth exploration of the Amerian City, in this case Baltimore. It details the fractured relationship between individuals and institutions, something that sadly also rings true to me as a foreigner. No one could have been chosen as a better lead then than Dominic West in the role of Jimmy McNulty, a rebellious detective who is fed up with the incompetence of bureaucracy and often sets off the plotlines for each season. "The Wire" is not a naïve, hopeful look that a rebel or two will change anything. It can be quite fatalist. Characters who go against the grain often pay a price for it, and may end up worse than those who simply chose to play along. A crushing reality, one that I see remaining true in the centuries to come.
Reality - this is a defining feature of the series. It is so dedicated to presenting its events away from typical Hollywood thrills that I think it occassionaly does so at the expense of satisfying storytelling. It's the only real issue I have here, most notably in Season 5 (ironically the one season that pushes its believalibility to the limit). Some arcs stutter at points. Season 2 is probably my least favourite season as its setting is simply not as interesting as the urban environment most of the show takes place in, but it's still incredibly tight plot-wise and tells a worthwhile tale. It's just the least essential one. My biggest issue with Season 4 and 5 is the major role Marlo takes on. He's a one-note character who literally has a single expression on the whole time. Such a let-down after how incredible Barskdale and Stringer were. The man is actually wholly incomptent and is able to go as big as he did only due to luck/plot convenience. This negativity pretty much encompassed all bad things I have to say about the series. Trully, I love the aprroach otherwise. Every character is threatened in some way, everyone suffers. No one is bigger than the world around them, no matter their ego. As much as it hates the system, "The Wire" concurs that you can't competely disavow it, as you'll only hurt yourself in the process. The best an individual can do is focus on making a meaningful change, however small it might seem. That's my takeaway at least. Even still, things don't always work out and you have to accept it.
The acting is fantastic and never ceases to amaze me. Every character is portrayed with gravity and feels human. "The Wire" pushed boundaries as to what your average viewer might expect. A predominantly black cast is featured, accurate to the Baltimore we see portrayed. Michael Kenneth Williams pllays my personal favourite - Omar Little, who along with Sonja Sohn's Kima Greggs set a precedent for outstanding LGBT representation that a lot of media still fails to follow on. Andre Royo is central to the heart of the series as Bubbles, giving this junkie a great deal of humanity. Idris Elba absolutely killed it as Stringer Bell, introduced as soon as we enter the show alongside Dominc West's Jimmy McNulty. Both have incredible arcs and function as pivotal main characters. Lance Reddick is convincing as Cedric Daniels and goes through much growth , especially in the first season. Clarke Peters is charismatic as Lester Freamon. Even seemingly smaller roles like J.D. Williams' Bodie go on to be central in Baltimore's story. Amazing are also the child actors who drive the fourth season, every single one of them. While I wouldn't quite call it my favourite for reasons stated above, I found it to be the most gut-wrenching and that is no small part due to their work.
Much can be said about "The Wire" as it continues to make me think on the questions it set forth. It makes no light of the heavy themes it deals with, while at the same time maintaining its charm throughout. The comedy can be quite underrated, as it packs quite a punch in a world so grim. It doesn't spend too much time moping around either, just as much as it needs. Things are grim, very few born on the lower steps of society get a happy ending, and many born near the top won't bother with those below. It's not about hope, it's not about hopelessness - it's just how things are. Simply showing that can be more telling than any predefined message. "The game is the game".