At Least the Baltimore City Tourism Board is Happy

I recently “marathon-ed” my way through the fifth and final season of David Simon’s “The Wire.” I watched episodes 3-10 (8.5 hours) in about a thirteen-hour period, stopping only for bathroom breaks. I am now barred from watching any televised media for at least 6-months. My brain has reached its supersaturation point. No mas.

David Simon and HBO (even if they short-changed him a few episodes in the final season) deserve a standing ovation for producing a series that examined arguably the greatest tragedy of late twentieth century America: the decline of the inner city. Throughout its run, despite tackling unwieldy issues such the drug war, municipal politics and public education, the show never came across as pedantic or exploitative. The writers created a painstakingly detailed and realistic portrait of a decaying metropolis. The show was often thought-provoking and never less than entertaining. It must be noted too that this show was perhaps the most important dramatic series for African-Americans since Roots. How many prime time dramas with a predominately African-American cast have there been? There are no less than two dozen black characters worthy of discussion from the show’s five season run. I can’t think of any series that has ever come close--not even Good Times.

The fourth season of The Wire eclipsed anything I have ever seen in American television and I don’t think it was necessary for the last season to try and top that. That’s not really what The Wire was about. Season 5 was about bringing everything full circle, completing the various cycles we’ve seen over these seven years. Simon and his crew have examined all the major facets of a city’s infrastructure from inside and out. Some might feel the show ends up being too steeped in cynicism, but it seems Simon only wants to spur reflection on how/why this has been allowed to happen. In our apathy and detachment, we're all just as culpable as the drug dealers and corrupt pols. Maybe that's too harsh. I'm not so sure though. The Baltimore he depicts could just as easily be Detroit or East New York or South Central or any number of places that get routinely neglected. So what's to be done? I guess stick it out like Mr. Prezbo.

So what about Season 5? Well, all I'll say is that in the end the finale feels quite satisfying. In fact, the last four episodes all contain some of the most memorable highlights of the entire series as the fates of some long-standing favorites play out. It is odd that the newspaper subplot feels so unsatisfying considering David Simon was a newspaper man for fifteen years. Maybe the material was just too close to his heart. Reading around, it seems he had quite the ax to grind with his former employers. Simon's defense of the Baltimore Sun storyline makes perfect sense from an academic perspective. I get what he's saying. It's almost impossible to disagree with him. The problem is that it's just not dramatically compelling. This is unfortunate, but it doesn't detract from the overall impact of the series. Heck, I watched it for five consecutive hours at one point, so it couldn't have been that bad.

Looking back, it's amazing HBO ever put this show on the air in the first place. So encourage them to take more chances with this kind of material. I hope this series finds the success it deserves on the home video market. I've done my part. You do yours.

The Great American (Televised) Novel

So I've finished the first four seasons of The Wire and I'll probably be cozying up to anybody with HBO On-Demand so that I can watch the final season. I've never watched a show where I was more invested in the characters and the ebb and flow of their lives. Producer/writer David Simon has shot to the very top of my "people I'd like to have a three-hour lunch with"-list.

Season Four was such an accurate portrayal of the issues facing our public education system from the classroom all the way up to the city council chambers. The story-line never struck a false chord or overplayed its hand. How the creators of this show managed to juggle three major plot threads plus innumerable subplots boggles the mind when you actually begin mapping the various plot progressions in your head. Not one uninteresting narrative thread among the bunch.

Through four seasons The Wire has mined nearly every aspect of the modern urban metropolis. What began as a show about the seemingly intractable drug trade in our inner-cities, has grown to encompass politics, education, our transitioning economy and (currently) the media. The show doesn't sermonize: it merely lays out the issues and gives views from a few different perspectives. And it's not just that the show subverts your expectations of what the characters do, what choices they make, etc.; there is genuine depth to even the minor characters. The show never makes things easy. I love it.

This isn't just great television; it's thought-provoking television. I've refrained from talking about specifics until I've finished watching the whole thing. All I can do now is suggest anyone who hasn't do himself a favor and check out The Wire.

"I missed, I missed the bus/And that is something that I'll never, ever, ever do again..."-Mac Daddy (or possibly Daddy Mac)

I hate good television. People always complain about how much crap there is on TV. Too many reality shows. Too much celebrity faux-journalism. Too many pundits. Just too much junk in general. Well that's true. I stopped regularly watching television probably seven years ago. I haven't followed any currently running show during its original broadcast since maybe the first season of Survivor. Don't get me wrong. I've seen plenty: four-and-a-half seasons of 24, a couple of seasons of The Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, all but the last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Curb Your Enthusiasm. This is by no means an exhaustive list. And that's the problem: despite the torrents of offal that clog the airwaves and cable lines, there are still a ton of good, even great shows out there. I didn't stop watching because there was nothing good on. It was just the opposite.

Relapse. I just watched twenty-five hours of The Wire in less than a week. And a few minutes after I post this, I'll be headed to Virgin Megastore to cop the next twenty-five. I can barely look at myself while I shave in the mirror. Damn you, David Simon. Damn you and your crew for being as brilliant as the f@#ing sun.

The show deserves every accolade thrown its way. Over the years, I'd read about how the producers of the show were left in limbo at the end of season after season wondering if HBO would re-up. Watching the show, you can understand why it never took off the way The Sopranos did, but it doesn't stop you from shaking your head and thinking how criminal it is that this show isn't as popular as say your average episode of CSI: Topeka. (Note: I can't watch Law and Order, CSI or any of their infinite spawn. I just don't get enjoyment out of watching procedurals on a regular basis. It's like the way my grandmother used to watch Murder, She Wrote. Every episode is the exact same, only the players change.) Two seasons in and the show has one of the most diverse and rich ensembles of individuals you could ever hope to find on one screen. Creator David Simon likened the show to a novel. He's dead on. That's exactly what it's like. It's unreal how deftly the show's writers negotiate the various plot threads running through each season. It never relies on cheap melodrama or explosive violence to keep the audience invested. Most impressive is how The Wire creates this morally complex universe where the motivations on both sides are never as straightforward as they initially seem. The further into the series you get, the deeper into the characters it takes you.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go make a quick run. See you in twenty-five hours or so.

Rent it, buy it, download it. Whatever it takes. Just watch the darn show.

Yeah, I'm about five years late, but what else is new?