This summer a friend is introducing me to the HBO series, "The Wire," beginning with the first season on DVD. Sunday nights, we eat a big ol' fresh-grilled meal (like steak, ribs, kabobs, pork loin, salmon, scallops wrapped in prosciutto, asparagus or broccoli sauteed in olive oil, garlic and crushed red peppers)... I'm sorry, what was I saying? I kept hearing from friends that "The Wire" was something great, as good as (some say even better than) "The Sopranos" or "Deadwood." Well, we're only three episodes in (we also watch a "Freaks and Geeks" -- all new to me -- after each episode), but I'm hooked.
"The Wire" is about Baltimore police (homicide and narcotics) and their investigation and surveillance (hence the title) of a city-wide drug operation run by one Avon Barksdale, a shadowy figure said to be based on a real Baltimore dealer. All threads seem to lead back to Barksdale, but the cops don't even have a photograph of the guy.
The first image of the first episode of the first season is a close up of blood on the pavement. It lasts only a few seconds, but the camera slowly moves up the trail of blood toward its source, the body of a drug-related homicide victim. The liquid catches the flashing lights of police cars and seems to illuminate with electrical sparks like... wires. Only the middle-ground of the shot is in focus -- where it comes from and where it leads are still blurry. We don't know it yet, but the whole season has been set up for us.
The Wire is my favorite show of all time. It is every bit as good as a film or novel.
Welcome to the best crime drama of all TV, and one of the best shows of all time. Just wait for the brilliantly tangential yet integral second season.
Mr. Emerson: Great to hear that you're discovering this wonderful show! I envy you, seeing it for the first time.
One correction: The homicide victim whose blood is on the pavement in that opening shot is the blood of Omar Isaiah Betts, a.k.a Snotboogie. His murder doesn't lead back to Barksdale; it has no direct connection to the first season's main storyline. Instead, the opening scene best illustrates, in microcosm, the insanity of the culture of murder that plagues a city like Baltimore.
Just wanna join the other "Wire" fans in welcoming you to the best show on television. And if you're hooked already, you are going to fall in love with this show--which, as you get further along, you realize is about much more than just a drug investigation.
It looks like this Sunday you are going to be watching episode 4, "Old Cases". I will not ruin it by going into specifics, but this episode contains what many wireheads consider the best scene in the entire series. Enjoy!
The Wire, to me is the best example of any form of filmed entertainment available. The way it stacks multiple storylines, themes, characters, and points of view is the closest that film of any type will get to a novel, arguably the most complete form of entertainment, and obviously the most comprehensive. And guess what, Jim: The second season is even better!