The Wire: Not fully “Wired” up

Interesting response to what I consider to be (one of) the best TV series of all time. I have some questions

You dislike the level of ‘intellectual snobbery’ but also dislike the amount of ’street’ language that is used? What about all of the cop terms and the thick Baltimore accents that they posses? The Wire refuses to patronise its viewers by explaining every detail of the world. You have to learn about the streets and the police procedures as you go along. It is a commitment, yes, but a far lesser one than watching a series of 24. It’s important to remember that the audience of The Wire stretches far beyond the UK middle-class, and so there are millions of people to whom the dialect and the language used in the program is completely comprehensible.

Also, what was it specifically that you found ‘excruciatingly tedious’ in The Wire? Is it the fact that at the end of each episode or even each series, things are rarely wrapped up by a nice conclusive narrative event?

Though The Wire does have ‘gritty realism’ tattooed across its forehead, there are unrealistic moments or events which have more to do with furthering the narrative rather than sticking to a rigidly realistic style. Anyone who has watched season 5 and worried about McNulty’s escapades will know what I mean.

As you can tell, my infatuation with The Wire goes to unreasonable limits. I appreciate that if you failed to engage with The Wire on any level that you would find it a slog. I also admire that you are being honest about your feelings, rather than adhering to the general consensus. I recommend watching Generation Kill next. It’s from the same guys who wrote The Wire, and it is (in my opinion) excellent. Let us know what you thought of that.

Thanks for taking the time to look at the article. I have thought about this and I have realised that I am probably quite old fashioned in terms of my expectations on TV. I like to be able to follow what is going on relatively easily. I like a structured narrative where the plot moves forward and develops. Incidentally I am a HUGE fan of 24 (it took me three days to watch the whole of one season – thats how consumed I have been by it lol)

I think one of the problems I had is that I found it difficult to keep up with what was occurring onscreen. There seemed to be so many different sets of characters that I kind of ended up losing interest. I am not saying I didn’t TRY to like it, I certainly didn’t want to give up early on, hence why I watched the following 3 seasons.

Take from that what you will. Obviously the writers were testing their audiences, the result is that some people will like it and others will not. I unfortunately did not. I just get annoyed with how people seemed to have jumped on the band-wagon and how, in turn, this has led to a certain degree of snobbery amongst the public (i.e. other programmes are rubbish compared to The Wire). I almost felt that I HAD to give it top marks despite what I actually thought of it.

In terms of my ‘excruciatingly tedious’ remark I meant the world in which they are involved. No matter how much the cops attempt to rectify the situation things remain bleak. I am well aware that this no doubt happens in reality. One thing that I became aware of while I was watching was the occasional direct statements expressing the futility of the whole scenerio (“we are fighting a losing battle” or something along those lines). It is for those reasons I admittedly found it a slog.

Reality sometimes is dull. That is something which I completely understand. I just don’t always want to watch that as a form of entertainment. If I wanted something along those lines, I would much rather watch a documentary. I realise by the way that the creators have written a book called ‘Homocide’ detailing their own experiences. I would certainly be interested in reading this.

I hope by the way it doesn’t sound like I am disagreeing just to be different. There are a lot of critically acclaimed programmes that I DO like (24 being one of them) and others that I don’t (never got into Lost for instance). I will try and watch Generation Kill by the way and let you know what I think.

it’s not a matter of taste. shakespeare might not be to your taste but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have something incredibly important and perhaps beautiful to say to everybody, including yourself.

That is true. However I have seen other programmes/movies which, I believe, have made similar statements about society in a more engaging/entertaining way. Se7en and Taxi Driver (2 of my favourite films) for instance held my attention far more than The Wire. Both also have a very bleak view of the environment in which they are set.

I think taste is relevant though as it depends on how you respond to what you see. If you are more attracted to certain types of stories then you are more likely to take notice of any messages contained within them regardless of how well made they may be.