the wire

have you seen the wire? it's an hbo cops and criminals series. it is unique because it tells stories from both perspectives, that of the criminals and that of the cops.

i am watching season 1 right now. it's coming to me two or three episodes per disc from netflix and i am now through eight episodes. it is a spell-binding show primarily because of how realistic it is.

the show is set in baltimore and when it focuses on the cops, there are actually about 15 regular characters who are all ranks of cops, a d.a., a judge, even a state senator. so their perspective is as political as a robert graves novel. the cops have certain alliances and they all seem to have different motives behind their actions. furthermore, they tend to get drunk often and can often be seen drunk-driving and worse, thus supporting the idea i have heard before about cops and criminals being of a similar mentality.

the criminals are perhaps more interesting. their drug-dealing business is a serious and lucrative enterprise. the guys at the top are sober businessmen who engage in a certain amount of charity and even take classes at the local city college. the rest of the totem pole, (those who play "the game,") includes junkies, kids who hand-off drugs, high school age kids who collect the money, signal a kid and point the users towards the kid who is carrying, rivals in the game who would rip-off the particular ruling cartel, a snitch, people who attend group meetings and are in recovery, they're all there.

perhaps the most compelling character on the criminal side is a guy named omar who has a scar that crosses his face like someone laid him on a table saw face down. he has his own little crew and they bust into a house in the projects where the drugs are being divided up and they pistol whip a few people and steal their drugs and money.

obviously, avon barksdale does not take kindly to this so he figures out who has done this and seeks revenge. ultimately, he kills omar's gay lover, which upsets omar to no end. omar decides to give information to the cops and even offers to be an eye witness. when barksdale's guys close in on omar they get more than they bargained for as omar guns one down and wounds the other.

omar is a free agent and i am sure his days are numbered but as a character on a television show, he comes across as so authentic i think the series must have some great consultants, from both sides.

for the cops side it seems there are likely some dirty birds high in the ranks, which creates tension between the guy on the street, (the main cop the show follows is named jimmy mcnulty,) and those higher up the ladder. mcnulty is a true believer. he is not particularly astute and perhaps has limited skills for the political aspect of his job. he is an utterly competent detective though. mcnulty is tired of seeing drug dealers get away with what they do. he is sick of seeing murders go unsolved.

mcnulty also lives and breathes his job so he is always on the job even when he is sitting in a bar getting sauced. he is divorced with two kids and it is clear that his job cost him his marriage. meanwhile, his bosses, the lieutenants and such above him in the pecking order, are driven by different goals, like keeping their footing on the career ladder or just maintaining the status-quo without rocking any boats. so mcnulty is often at odds with his boss who just wants him to relax and go back to punching a clock and stop caring about his work so much.

at one point, a scheduled exchange is picked up on the wire, (a set of phone taps,) but when they stop the car they find the guy is not carrying drugs, he has $20,000 in cash. next we find out he is connected to that state senator and the lieutenant is telling his cops to cut the guy loose and give him his money back, to which, mcnulty and his peers become dramatically incredulous.

as the viewer, one is to believe this is how the real world is. in the real world, cops sometimes take a drug dealer and murderer into a room and beat the crap out of him. in the real world, a kid alerts his crew to the fact that he has spotted an enemy only to see him publicly laid out after being murdered within view from his bedroom window and in turn, the kid of maybe 14-years-old stops showing up for work and just sits in his room for days on end disconsolate.

and i do. i believe it. the wire is as gritty as the roughest sandpaper and makes the law and order shows look like father knows best. they made five full seasons of the wire and i am not even through season one so i feel fortunate as i have plenty of viewing in front of me.