The Wire Punts it's Final Possession
I don't feel like it was a full punt by The Wire last night, but I felt like they were 4th and 1 on the opponenets 30 and decided to pooch. I felt like much more could have been addressed and they had a responsibilioty to do that. They did not. I was no tupset abou the story. I was upset like a child gets upset. I was upset that the ending didn't coddle me and tell me everything was going to be alright. At the end of the day I wanted The Wire, my most trusted of any recent medium, to either slap me or hug me. I wanted them to love me or hate me but I didn't want them to just leave the show laying on the street like a frying egg.
I have never seen a television show that decided to not only to tell an entertaining story, but also educate it's viewers on the twisted ills of a city. They kicked in doors, opened eyes, and threw cold water on many heads.However, they never achieved the crescendo of lofty answers that they questioned. They opted more for personal scenarios wrapped in moral fatigue as opposed to tackling answers to injustice.
Maybe, that was the point of The Wire. Maybe we weren't supposed to have answers because there aren't any. But I feel that that is just as irresponisible as the system itself. People trusted the voice of The Wire, and looked to it to show us some kind of light or a direction to a more promising idea of what could be. Instead The Wire dropped the flashlight for us to pick up and did not deliver on it's possible promise. It delivered on it's own exhausted portfolio. It delivered more to the show than it did to my city. It chose to entertain and say goodbye rather than educate and nurture us.
Knowing The Wire, I guess that's how it was supposed to be.
I was very sad last night when The Wire ended. I could watch the canvas of Baltimore painted in any scenario. Anytime this less than fair city is shown on any national stage my ears perk up. I think The Wire not only used the best paints, but they were the best craftsmen. They molded a story that brought emotion to everyone tied to this city. Whether that tie be here in the streets of the 212 area codes or our brethern in other states and cities that could feel or identify with our story.
The Wire earned my respect through the years. The Wire will be missed.
So with a final send off I would like to say a sincere thank you to the writers, actors, producers, and all local flair that supported the production of one of the greatest dramas in the history of television.
....and thank God Slim Charles capped Cheese. Fuck a Cheese.
and...Peace it Omar - - my favorite all-time character on television.
