The Wire, Pt. 1

Sometimes when you watch something it changes your perspective in a radical way. It makes you think about the world in a different way or exposes you to ideas you'd never considered. That's what makes art great, and at some level all films and television shows seek to be art. Over the past two months I've been watching a show called "The Wire." I've seen many shows in my lifetime and, after completing this series, I have to say it is the best, most socially relevant show I've ever seen.

I've been reflecting on this series throughout the time I watched it, particularly in the few days since I finished it. It's a dense series that can be tough at times, but I feel like it's one of those shows that's bigger than the entertainment value it provides. Over the next couple days, I'm going to be exploring my thoughts on the show through this blog.

A couple of notes for those interested in the show, or who will become interested in it through this exploration. First, I'll be delving into the social and societal issues addressed in each of the show's five seasons. As part of that, some of the overall scope of the show will be captured in each post, but it's my intent not to give away specifics of the plot.

Second, "The Wire" is a gritty show. It showcases broken people, living broken lives, in a broken world. It's not for everyone. The depictions are difficult, the language is rough, and the level of violence is sometimes high. But that is a reflection of our world, which often isn't pretty.

The Wire Season 1 — Establishing the World

Creator David Simon had plenty to say about the flawed world of inner city Baltimore. Simon, a former metro reporter for the Baltimore Sun, teamed with former Baltimore police detective Ed Burns to craft a show that takes a hard look at that world and the complex nature of the problems and causes of the city's decline.

Season one focuses on the drug trade and the cops that wage the "war on drugs." By now, most of us would concede that the "war on drugs" feels like a never-ending battle. It's been going on for more than 30 years and there don't appear to be many winners.

"The Wire" is hardly the first piece of entertainment to touch on this. In 2000, the film "Traffic" approached the drug trade and the war on drugs in a more global scope, but came to a similar conclusion that it's a never-ending battle.

In the first 13 episodes of "The Wire," viewers are introduced to "the game," which is how cops and criminals refer to the drug trade that dominates the streets. The series focuses on one organization in particular — led by Avon Barksdale and his top lieutenant Stringer Bell — and a crew of detectives organized to bring them down.

Throughout the first season, we see how the street organization is organized, meet the players and begin to understand what drives them to the life — or rather the lack of options they have. In addition, you begin to get a feel for the police department's priorities, the way the department attacks the drug problem, the priorities of the city, and how the system fails to effect any real change. One exchange between two of the detectives highlights this failing:

Det. Ellis Carver: You know, this is why I think we can't win this.

Det. Thomas Hauk: How come?

Det. Ellis Carver: They screw up, they get beaten. We screw up, we get a pension.

Simon also gets across the point that "all the pieces matter." The drug trade runs deeper than corner dealers and addicts, it touches nearly every facet of the city. The modern urban drug trade is well-organized and deeply entrenched. And it's hard to break through to those in that world when you're not a part of it.

In one of my favorite sequences, the core detectives are interviewing a man named Omar (Michael K. Williams) who has made himself something of a Robin Hood of the drug world. He robs drug dealers to support himself and shares some of what he gets with poor locals. He is also one of the few people in that world unafraid to collaborate with the cops, up to a certain point. At one point he tells the detectives, "I'll do what I can to help y'all. But, the game's out there, and it's play or get played. That simple."

There is also a sense that it takes more than a few arrests, even high-profile arrests, to effect real change. Snatch up a few players and there's dozens more ready to earn their stripes and take their place on the corner.

It's a riveting take on the street that offers plenty of food for thought.