As I mentioned previously, last week I
finished a year-long effort with friends to watch all 5 seasons of the best television show EVER, also known as The Wire. I first learned of The Wire when I moved to Baltimore and everyone started asking me, “Have you seen The Wire? You have to watch The Wire.” I was hooked after the first season. I’m a fan of police/law procedural shows (ala Law & Order, The Good Wife, CSI, etc.) and the fact the show took place in my new place of residence was a big bonus. As the seasons went along, however, you discover that The Wire is not just a police procedural – the characters and storylines are too complex for your typical 1-hour television drama. The writers create an entire universe set in Baltimore. You can watch the second season without seeing the first, but after that I think it becomes much too complicated to jump in without some history. (So imagine how difficult it was for a visiting Italian grad student to watch 2.5 hours of the show for her first time last week!)
As I re-watched all the seasons over the last year I kept saying “Season X” is my favorite, whether that was the season we just completed or the season to come. Which is to say I can’t pick a favorite season. Just like I couldn’t pick a favorite character – Marlo, Cutty, Stringer Bell? I also admire the show’s willingness to kill off major characters. It is in one word BRILLIANT.
When I mentioned my nostalgia for Baltimore on FB after watching the last two episodes last week my friend who hosted our weekly Wire watching summarized the experience perfectly:
12 months, several cases of wine, and two confused Italian grad students later, our work as cultural ambassadors for Mobtown is finally done.
