Well, I finally watched the first season of The Wire, and I must say that it entirely lived up to the expectations I had for it. This is as slow-burn as slow burn tv shows get, but it's also about as good as they get. The greatness of The Wire is entirely dependent on the viewer having seen all of the episodes leading up to this and getting involved in the world. This isn't a show where major moments happen every episode, it's a show that allows little pieces of the plot to move forward at the time, all the while we're getting to know the characters involved, and when a major moment does happen it feels as monumental to the viewer as it does to the characters.
The Wire follows the war between cops and drug dealers in early 2000s Baltimore. Told from many points of view on both sides of the law, this show manages to represent many ideas on morality, while coming at the argument from many different viewpoints. The protagonist James Mcnulty (Dominic West) is probably as close to a morally good character as the show gets, but the show makes it clear that he is not perfect. The show does have its good-guys and bad-guys, but they are not separated by teams. There are plenty of good people on the side of the criminals, while some of the cops are nearly as bad as the drug kingpins themselves. And then a character you previously had pegged will do something that makes you change your mind about them, but that doesn't break the character that has been established. And then somebody on the road to redemption will fall back into their old ways and start the cycle all over again.
Whatever else works in the show, though, it is the writing that must take the lion's share of the credit for The Wire's greatness. The season's plot is perfectly crafted, where every single action has a reaction, and however small it may seem, every action and reaction is devastatingly important to the plot progression. The major moments that come towards the end of the season are the results of a chain of smaller events that are set in motion at the very beginning of the season, and nothing comes entirely out of the blue. Every episode is more riveting to the last as new facts come to light and plot threads come together. It is surprising, and yet foreshadowed enough that the audience can put the pieces together in a way that feels like they earned it. The statement's been made before, but The Wire really does feel like a visual novel, as no one episode can stand on its own, everything is connected and the season needs to be experienced and thought of as one cohesive plot.
If there is a downside to this it is that the pilot is underwhelming. It has so much to set up for the show that it is unable to deliver the riveting and engrossing nature that the rest of the show will have. Still, this season is one whole, and getting the setup out of the way early paved the way for the show to reach greater heights sooner, and become what it was supposed to become.
This is the kind of show that makes it harder to watch other shows. Much like Breaking Bad, this has raised my standards for the crime drama as a genre, and it will be tough for me to watch something that is so much weaker than this. It starts with a fairly standard premise, but through awesome characterization, admirable realism in story and dialogue, and perfectly structured plotting, The Wire manages to elevate the entire genre to a standard that can only be reached by a select few. It is not the greatest show I have ever seen, but if it gets any better it will certainly be in the running. A
Best Episode: Cleaning Up (Episode 12)
The Wire truly does seem to get better and better with every episode, and the season finale perfectly ties together the plot that had been set up thirteen episodes before, but in terms of which episode had me on the edge of my seat the most, the penultimate episode is a clear winner. It is tough to pick just one episode, as the interconnected and ongoing nature of The Wire means that the whole will always be more than the sum of its parts, but this episode has the perfect combination of tragedy and victory that get across the show's main themes about life and futility.
Weakest Episode: The Target (Episode 1)
As I said before, the pilot had a lot of housekeeping to do. I look back on this episode more fondly having seen the whole season, but the fact remains that at the end of the episode I wasn't racing to watch another. Give the show a few episodes though, and I guarantee you will find yourself fully riveted by this story, it just takes a little time.
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