When I tell people I'm from the Baltimore area, one of the first questions they ask is "Do you watch The Wire"? I had always been ashamed to admit that, no, I didn't. Not that I had no interest, but I didn't have HBO for much of the time the show was on, and also didn't find out it existed until too late to really get into it. Since TV shows on DVD are stupidly expensive I thought it would be a while before I watched it, if ever. However, I got to borrow the first season from a friend, and I was instantly hooked. Obviously, I had to buy the rest.
The Wire is without question one of the greatest television shows of all time. That doesn't mean, however, that it is one of the most enjoyable shows I have ever seen. In fact, it is unique in that it doesn't really seek to entertain. The show always had poor ratings, which can be attributed to the complicated plots and relatively slow moving action. Its gritty and realistic look at the Baltimore drug trade is both fascinating and depressing, but I can understand why many people couldn't get into it. If you stick with it, though, The Wire is incredibly rewarding, if not always in the ways you'd expect.
While watching the show, I'd find myself comparing it to HBO's other giant drama, The Sopranos. While The Sopranos is definitely more entertaining, it is a shame that its popularity far eclipsed that of The Wire, because the gap in quality is pretty large. While I really like the Sopranos, its overwrought drama and often pointlessly "psychoanalytic" nature left me cold. I suppose one could think of The Sopranos as more of an elaborate joke on the audience, tricking us into wanting someone like Tony to succeed. The Wire has none of that. Characters are presented as a part of their own worlds with no editorial comment, leaving the viewer to decide how they feel about individual people. It isn't fair to say that the line between good and evil is blurry, because I think the Wire argues that there is no such line. Baltimore is (I think accurately) portrayed as a city that America left behind and both the criminals and police have to deal with that reality. Police futilely make arrests on drug corners to simply create an impression that "something is being done", while drug murders are a part of everyday life in the city.
Baltimore itself is the main character in the show. Being from the area, I am surprised at the lengths the show takes to analyze Baltimorean attitudes and customs. While most big cities have their own identity, I think it is fair to say that Baltimore is more uniquely idiosyncratic than most. The sense of abandonment, provinciality, and tradition all merge together to form the Balimore identity, and The Wire captures this perfectly. The show always feels like Baltimore, an impressive feat for any show to pull off.
Of course, the only way to make a place feel realistic is to have actors that can pull it off. While some (Dominic West for example) have received a modicum of more mainstream success, most of the actors in the show are complete unknowns. A shame, too, because The Wire is without a doubt the best acted show I have ever seen. The majority of the cast consists of young, black actors, many of whom have only appeared on the show. What makes this incredibly impressive is that every actor, every single one, is completely believable and perfect for their role. People with only 5 minutes of screen time come alive like nothing I have ever seen. The ensemble nature and changing cast always keeps the story fresh, and the fragility of life in Baltimore means you can never get too attached. This isn't handled like it is in shows like 24, Lost, or the Sopranos, though. Murders are never committed for shock value, but rather are just the logical culmination of a character's path. I can honestly say I was never surprised to see a character get killed, even if I wasn't at all expecting it.
Now, I won't lie and say that every episode is an exercise in brilliance. In fact, I'd argue that the only way to fully appreciate The Wire is to see the whole thing. It is a shining example of something that is far greater than the sum of its parts. While the seasons are not connected in one storyline, each one serves a crucial role in understanding the city and the characters' motivations. Viewed on their own merits, most episodes don't have a particularly standout "Oh my God!" moment. The mundanity of the police procedure and drug corner lifestyle, however, makes those moments feel more real and more important. As I mentioned, things don't just "happen" in The Wire. Everything is part of the tapestry the show weaved for five seasons that culminates in perhaps the most satisfying series finale ever, even if much is left unresolved. Because that is the point. In Baltimore, nothing ever changes.
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