‘The Wire’ is a gritty street drama
By BYJACKNEWORTH CHANNELSURFING
From the first episode of “The Wire,” HB0’s critically acclaimed police drama set in Baltimore, I sensed this was no ordinary cops and robbers series. It felt inspired and authentic. And with good reason.
Creator David Simon is a former crime reporter known for his in-depth coverage of the drug trade in Baltimore during the ‘80s and early ‘90s. (His book, “A Year on the Killing Streets,” was the basis for the Emmy-winning show “Homicide” that ran from 1993 to 1999.) Simon’s co-creator, Ed Burns, was a 20-year veteran of the Baltimore police department. “The Wire” has been called by some the best drama on television and a good argument could be made to support that statement.
The formula takes one investigation and follows it through an entire season, focusing on one aspect of Baltimore. Season one was the business-wise drug dealers in the projects, a series of low-rise, four and five-story apartment buildings. Season two focused on union corruption at the docks. Season three featured the compromised ethics of the mayor’s race, while the fourth season followed a quartet of school-age boys as they navigated rough streets and a decaying school system. The drama is intense but not neatly wrapped up at the end of the hour, or even after a few episodes, which is part of its realistic charm.
The characters of “The Wire” are remarkably rich as though they sprang from the pages of a novel. They’re drawn from the street, the police, city hall, the port, the schools and even the Baltimore Sun newspaper. The faces of the huge cast are appropriately unfamiliar. If there’s a “lead” it might be hot-headed homicide detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West.) who’s beset with personal demons but dedicated to the job.
“Buildings get evacuated, not people. If people do it generally involves an enema.” — correctly points out
The first season opened with a murder charge against a drug dealer getting overturned after a key witness is intimidated. Furious, McNulty breaks protocol and complains to a judge. He’s reprimanded but soon an interdepartmental taskforce is established to go after the widespread drug trafficing problem plaguing the city. It’s that taskforce we follow.
“The Wire” always opens with a short scene that suggests the tone of the show, followed by a quote from one of the characters. In this first episode of this fifth season beleaguered Police Detective Bunk Moreland grills a punk who’s accused of murder. The acting is brilliant as Bunk, who’s bluffing, tries to convince the kid that his partner is cooperating so much so they’ve rewarded him with a trip to Mickey D’s for Big Macs, fries and a Dr. Pepper.
The streetwise kid is having none of it, until he catches a quick glimpse (pre-arranged by Bunk) of his buddy wolfing down some fries. Convinced he’s been ratted out, he folds. We find out moments later his partner, while enjoying the fast food, hasn’t said an implicating word. The screen goes to black and we see the quote, “The bigger the lie, the more they believe.” — Bunk Moreland.
The premier episode is entitled “More With Less” as hard economic times have hit Baltimore. As McNulty and the detail continue to stake out Marlo’s crew of drug dealers, recently promoted Sgt. Carver is welcomed by a cauldron of discontent from officers coping with unpaid overtime. At City Hall, though he wants to keep his campaign promise to lower crime, Mayor Carcetti is strapped by his commitment to schools, and faces tough choices. The future of the task force is in jeopardy.
The fifth season expands its focus into the role of newspapers in the twisted bureaucracy of the city. At the Baltimore Sun, city editor Augustus “Gus” Haynes and the staff are reeling from corporate cutbacks, losing key personnel from the metro and international divisions. I particularly liked the scene when Gus edits a young female reporter’s story about a fire in which she writes “120 people were evacuated.” In correcting the copy, Gus Even with a reduced staff, the Sun is able to break a front-page story that links a politician to a notorious drug dealer. In the meantime, the business savvy dealers meet in a hotel conference room to discuss divvying up drug frontiers across East Baltimore’s county line.
“The Wire” is brilliant and realistic drama but it’s not easy to watch. It doesn’t provide quick payoffs and, gritty as it is, lacks the glamour of other crime shows. But it’s authentic and compelling. The dialogue, especially as portrayed on the street, is filled with colorful expressions. One of my favorites is, “true dat!” for something that is correct or real. (Though I can’t foresee my using that in my daily conversations.) The first four seasons of “The Wire” are available on DVD. The fifth premiers this Sunday, Jan. 6, at 9 p.m.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 5, 2008. Read the original PDF.