Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2008 > August > 06 > Entry
Confessions of a junkie
I have spent hour upon hour upon hour locked inside my dark living room for the past month, interrupted only by quick visits to my local dealer for a fix and to the kitchen for rehydration supplies. I have a problem, and I’m big enough to admit it.
I’m addicted to “The Wire.” I know my chase of the dragon is about six years later than many, but after listening to and reading the (this season’s political buzzword) full-throated endorsements of the show by friends and critics for years, I finally fell into the abyss that is addiction to one of the most engaging and intelligent shows in the history of television. Once upon a time I battled with a brief addiction to “24,” but that show is the Pixy Stix of TV narcotics compared to “The Wire.” After renting the first disc of Season 1 just a few weeks ago, I have now watched every episode of the Peabody Award-winning show’s first four seasons.
Created by David Simon, the HBO show, for those of you who have been living under a rock, explores the socio-political dynamics of Baltimore set against the city’s police department and its relationship with the community and the criminal justice system. Very simply stated, the show has an incredible ability to weave multiple compelling narratives while dramatizing the social issues that have led to the plight of Charm City’s crumbling inner city. Generally refusing to pass judgment on many of the characters (with the exception of corrupt politicians), “The Wire” instead portrays most as victims of circumstance, caught up in a zero-sum game that leaves everyone frustrated with a cemetery’s worth of bodies in their wake. The writing, acting and cinematography all represent the best of what TV can be, with each show engaging the emotions and intellect of the breathless viewer in the way the best crime novels do.
As I neared the end of Season 4 last weekend, I took a few breaks, slowly stringing out the final remnants of the fuel to my addiction. Imagine my relief, joy and surprise then when upon returning the last of the discs to I Love Video, I was told that Season 5 would be coming out next Tuesday, Aug. 12. Until then I guess I can go back and listen to the commentaries to keep the shakes at bay.
(If you haven’t watched “The Wire,” get thee to a video store post haste. But make sure to block out a few weeks from your social calendar in advance. And stock the fridge. As an aside: I find it sad, weird, troubling and ridiculous that several of the actors from the show are not getting stronger film parts now. That should, and I hope will, change.)
Photos: Meet the cast of “The Wire”
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By matt
August 6, 2008 4:01 PM | Link to this
Season 5 will not be a let down. My favorite of the series.
By Some lawyersarepigs!
August 10, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this
You are right. It is the best T.V. series ever made. This is quality T.V. on a level all it’s own. I have never seen a better portrayal of a sleazy lawyer. Alas, it was painful to realize how accurate this portrayal was to far too many real lawyers.
By john waters
October 5, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this
Those who have seen the Wire can understand the beautiful irony of the city benches that read “Baltimore. Greatest City in America.”