The Wire

1. The Wire

The Wire is the best show on television today. In fact it is the best television program I have ever seen. I would love to be able to say that it is the best thing in television history but I can’t compare it to all the older stuff that I have never seen. I still want to say it. There is a very real chance that the 4th season was was their best yet. All of the previous seasons were approaching perfection but this one may have been the most powerful.

I am actually gonna make this shorter than some of the other detailed reviews. There is a strong possibility that I am going to review every episode down the line because The Wire deserves as much attention as I can give. That means there is no reason to get into detail here. The 4th season used the Baltimore school system as their tool to weave another intricate story highlighting even more faults in our world. Pretty fricking depressing if you ask me, especially since showing the holes in the education system is painful enough when someone is doing it half-assed. The Wire doesn’t do anything half-assed, they use their whole ass and our public school system can suck something fierce. Watching the struggles of Michael, Namond, Randy, and Dukie redefines the term heartbreaking. Each took a different path and only one even approached a happy ending. After everything Michael is a soldier, Randy is a snitch with no home, Dukie only has the corner to survive, and Namond got out but for how long. Even though the spotlight was broadened to include education, politics, the streets, and the police force were still as heavily involved as ever. The way that Carcetti’s mayoral run was woven together with Marlo’s consolidation of power, Lester and Daniels efforts, Bodie’s disillusionment, Omar screwing with everyone, Bunny working with troubled students, each of the 4 highlighted kids, dumbass Herc being a dumbass, and more problems for Bubbles is a chemistry equation that only a fool would think to duplicate. Inside each of these stories are characters that can only be seen on a show like this. Where else will you get Chris and Snoop? Seriously now, Snoop is one of my favorite female or is it male characters in television. And their work in the vacants was a brilliant idea. You know what the craziest part of this whole season was? The Wire got even better without Stringer Bell or Avon Barksdale and merely a cameo from Jimmy McNulty. That is just the ridiculous strength of this cast. There is no lead on The Wire; the story is the star. This season Daniels, Freaman, Marlo, Bunny, and the kids were in the driver seat. But have no fear; McNulty looks to be back with a vengeance next year.

I wish The Wire were on right now. This show is an education. It should be shown to anyone with television aspirations. Then again my head could not handle if all the programs I watched were the equivalent of The Wire. When it returns, the sun will shine brighter and my depression over the world we live in will deepen. The Wire giveth and it taketh away.