![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Well, I accidentally watched the final episode today - having planned to save it for later in the weekend. If you've never seen the greatest tv series ever made, it's not a great place to start but set aside a week and work up to it.
The Wire explores the city of Baltimore - initially you might mistake it for a crime show, but equal time is given to the criminals. Not all the forces of law and order are good, and some of the criminals have their uses. Each season deepends and enirches the world. The first season saw a police task force working to bring down a drug kingpin in West Baltimore, by use of wiretaps. The second season shifted focus to the docks and various smuggling operations. The third season saw a shift of power in the tenements, and a cop's experiment on turning a blind eye to drug dealing in one area but zero tolerance in another. It also introduces a politician on the make. Season four follows the mayoral election and also looks at the schools system - how individuals learn or failed to learn, and how criminals emerge.
At the start of the final season, the police are being starved of resources and cannot work over time. There are a pile of murders left unsolved and cases against Senator Davies and kingpin Marlo are stymied days from being concluded. McNulty finds a way of drumming up resources, but in the process creates a monster. Meanwhile, a journalist at the cashstrapped Baltimore Sun begins to bend truth in search of the next story.
The texture is as rich as ever, and McNulty is more prominent than in the penultimate season. There are surprises and nods to the fans, but the mantra is to avoid repetition so I think they are right to stop now. Just don't expect easy answers, or easy viewing.
The Wire explores the city of Baltimore - initially you might mistake it for a crime show, but equal time is given to the criminals. Not all the forces of law and order are good, and some of the criminals have their uses. Each season deepends and enirches the world. The first season saw a police task force working to bring down a drug kingpin in West Baltimore, by use of wiretaps. The second season shifted focus to the docks and various smuggling operations. The third season saw a shift of power in the tenements, and a cop's experiment on turning a blind eye to drug dealing in one area but zero tolerance in another. It also introduces a politician on the make. Season four follows the mayoral election and also looks at the schools system - how individuals learn or failed to learn, and how criminals emerge.
At the start of the final season, the police are being starved of resources and cannot work over time. There are a pile of murders left unsolved and cases against Senator Davies and kingpin Marlo are stymied days from being concluded. McNulty finds a way of drumming up resources, but in the process creates a monster. Meanwhile, a journalist at the cashstrapped Baltimore Sun begins to bend truth in search of the next story.
The texture is as rich as ever, and McNulty is more prominent than in the penultimate season. There are surprises and nods to the fans, but the mantra is to avoid repetition so I think they are right to stop now. Just don't expect easy answers, or easy viewing.
Tags: