Comments on: HOLY EFFING CHRIST

By: David

David — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:01:55 +0000

I’m still not following you, because it DOES follow the drug dealers, it never implies some sort of “right answer” nor does it give total control to the cops, and if anything its a depressed and angry and bitter program. I dont see how its about ‘indulging in [a] fantasy of authority over … minority groups.’ Its like you’re watching a different show entirely.
If anything it constantly challenges my assumptions, never assauges my ‘guilt’ but frequently upends my expectations of how characters will act in a given situation.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 23:03:47 +0000

To reiterate, not “how” the story is told, but “why” and “by whom.”
No matter how ostensibly real a particular cop drama is, all cop dramas serve the same function, by firmly placing in the spectator in a position of empowerment and authority over the fucked up criminal shit that “happens” every day on the news.
Maybe this isn’t a bad thing. But I increasingly feel that shows like this use “realism” merely to assuage the guilt of liberal-minded progressives like you and me, over indulging in this particular fantasy of authority over underprivileged and minority groups.
What would I be more interested in? Perhaps a show written by a former drug dealer about the banality of his actual life. I actually don’t know what he would write about, because, well, we never see that show on television, do we?
I am really just surprised by the interest in the show, especially amongst those who support hip-hop, because I basically see those two things (The Wire, Hip-Hop) as being part of two very different projects.
But that is just my opinion.
And yes I did see the whole of season 1. I like what you say about “telling stories that haven’t been told,” obviously, but the cliches (and even the pseudo-subversive looks at the cliches) just seem unnecessary to me.

By: David

David — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:54:38 +0000

Well if you don’t like Season 1 and have actually seen it past the first episode (which I’m really doubting based on yr take that the characters are 1-dimensional stereotypes) then you’re not going to like seasons 2 or 3 either.
This show is definitely telling more than any program I have ever seen on television, and with more depth and insight than any normal ‘cop drama,’ even more so than the (almost as great) Homicide series from the early 90s. It takes a very subversive look at the cops-n-robbers cliches, but more importantly is telling stories that haven’t been told.
What are you looking for here exactly? That a show about the baltimore drug trade NOT include black drug dealers and irish cops? There’s a thin line between playing into stereotypes and presenting a near-accurate and very very REAL alternate reality, and the Wire is firmly on one side of that line.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 14:06:25 +0000

Personally, it doesn’t matter to me whether or not these characters are based on “real people” and “real situations.” The question I would ask is, “Why is this story being told?” and why is it being told from the perspective it is being told from.
Do we really need another show told from the perspective of law enforcement (no matter how flawed the main character is)? You can make the argument that it is a story not actually told from McNulty’s perspective, but after watching the entirety of Season 1, I have to say that I got a very paternalistic, white man trying to understand the plight of the poor black man, vibe.
And what about the Jewiest of Jewy defense attorney, who is also a despicable character?
Certainly there are “real people” who are shitty Jewish defense attorneys, and alcoholic Irish cops, and black drug dealers, and I am not opposed to these characters existing in some context. I don’t think a show told (yet again) from the perspective of law enforcement (no matter how liberal-minded and supposedly progressive the depiction is) is the most exciting context.
And, I will only add that I was responding to the snide comment by “David,” and genuinely trust your judgment on these matters, especially as I have not seen seasons 2 or 3 (the latter being what your initial post was actually about).

By: jshep psychotherapy squadron

jshep psychotherapy squadron — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 23:20:33 +0000

OOH!!! FIGHTING WORDS. THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE TO WATCH BEYOND EPISODE ONE BEFORE YOU MAKE JUDGEMENT CALLS.
The drinking Irish cop, McNulty, is joined by his black partner, Freeman, in drinking too much; in fact, in an episode late in season one, during a funeral, Freeman leads the charge in singing along to a song by real-life Irish drunkards The Pogues (a song, incidentally, which real Baltimore cops traditionally sing in memory of their fallen brethren). But let’s not mince racial non-stereotypes — sure there are a few (black and white) drug dealers with hearts of gold on the wire but they’re also, you know, *drug dealers* and murderers, too — and the cops are all sheisty and political — all of which provides the moral grey area that is the show’s real forte. No one character is without flaw; everyone is fucked because the system is fucked. That’s the beauty of the show: they deliberately portray the parallels between two corrupt structures (the police department and the drug game) trying to coexist in an inherently lethal environment (Baltimore). No one can win (least of all the players with flecks of gold in their hearts). It’s like fucking Sartre up in here.
And more importantly, it’s created by a former Baltimore cop and a drug-beat reporter from the Baltimore Sun, who compiled their decades-long experience into three seasons of mind-blowingly mind-blowing script. Every character is either based on, or a composite of, real people and situations. (There was a real drug lord in the ’80s in Bmore by the name of Barksdale.) And where they felt they couldn’t do the plots justice, they simply employed writers like GEORGE FUCKING PELECANOS and RICHARD PRICE TO HELP THE NARRATIVE ALONG. I know this because everyone I know who has watched more than three-five episodes is completely obsessed with the program and we talk about it at length (most of us are writers). That and I have watched the director’s commentary for many, many episodes.
Seriously. You have to watch it some more.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:33:03 +0000

And maybe you just get off on really easy stereotypes like an Irish cop who drinks too much and a black drug dealer with a heart of gold, David.

By: David

David — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:44:05 +0000

Maybe it didn’t have enough ‘branding’ for you, Andrew.

By: David

David — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:33:33 +0000

The first season was BAD? wtf are you on.

By: tinkey

tinkey — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 12:01:19 +0000

i watched a couple episodes of this once, didn’t really feel it at all. the production values seemed more like 2nd-tier pbs station than hbo, and some of the characters (especially the cops) were just really boring. season one of the muppet show, on the other hand…now that’s entertainment. who knew rita moreno used to be so hot?
for some reason i haven’t been here in a long time. the respite is over.

By: Todd

Todd — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 21:58:10 +0000

i got netflix for 2 weeks just for this… i watched it all in one day.
my life feels more complete now