The Wire was an HBO original series written by David Simon – of Homicide: Life on the Street, Generation Kill,and Treme fame. The show originally aired from 2002 – 2008 and starred Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael K. Williams, and Wood Harris (Julius Campbell from Remember the Titans), among others. The fictional story follows the Baltimore P.D. and their “criminal” counterparts from the West and East ends of B’More.



Obviously, you could have read all of that from Wikipedia. What could I possibly say about a show that ended 6 years ago? A show which has a 9.4 rating on IMDB and is only outranked by Breaking Bad, Planet Earth, andGame of Thrones. A show so popular it was referenced in How I Met Your Mother and iCarly.

real . Not in the sense of non-fiction, or that it’s “based upon a true story.” It is real because it speaks to the heart concerning our existence in the world. It’s phenomenological in the sense that it suspends the natural attitude, the way we approach reality in our everyday existence with all our prejudices. The show brackets these perceptions/judgments and puts in front our faces a harsh, filthy, and rugged world we each encounter. The show clears the way for us to truly see the life of our neighbor.There is no sugarcoating in The Wire. It does not play upon an archetypal/structuralist worldview where police are good and criminals are bad. Police, criminals, addicts, sponsors, stevedores, politicians, teachers, students, parents…everyone in the world of The Wire lives a particular existence. A show which left me feeling empty after watching the series finale.What is it about this show that’s still worth talking about? Is there anything that can be said that has not been said already? I believe so.The Wire is arguably the greatest show of the 21st century for one reason: it’s. Not in the sense of non-fiction, or that it’s “based upon a true story.” It is real because it speaks to the heart concerning our existence in the world. It’s phenomenological in the sense that it suspends the natural attitude, the way we approach reality in our everyday existence with all our prejudices. The show brackets these perceptions/judgments and puts in front our faces a harsh, filthy, and rugged world we each encounter. The show clears the way for us to truly see the life of our neighbor.There is no sugarcoating in The Wire. It does not play upon an archetypal/structuralist worldview where police are good and criminals are bad. Police, criminals, addicts, sponsors, stevedores, politicians, teachers, students, parents…everyone in the world of The Wire lives a particular existence. For example:

Det. Jimmy McNulty

When we first meet McNulty, he’s interviewing a kid on the curb about a recent murder. Their dialogue centers around the deceased’s nickname and is semi-comical for the gravity of the situation. From this first encounter with McNulty, we get the sense that he is a detective who 1) is street smart and 2) loves his job. McNulty is not a black and white moralist detective; a cookie-cutter detective who is an upstanding policeman. Nor does he see being a detective merely a job. McNulty lives his badge – with its faults, failings, shortcomings, praises, and accomplishments. McNulty lives his being-a-detective in such a way that it becomes a “fault” in many circumstances. He does some rather despicable things to find loopholes and exploit the justice system. Nevertheless, McNulty is a Dasein who brings meaning to his world, i.e. always looking for the perfect case. He projects himself into his future possibilities with all the concerns those possibilities entail, all in the name of being “real police.” Yet in living his “detectiveness,” McNulty loses himself in the “they” of “real police.” He is so concerned with finding the perfect case that he lacks concern for those closest to him. He destroys (leaps-in) the relationships he has with family, friends, and colleagues; all for his pursuit of being a “real police.” In watching McNulty throughout the show, one quickly realizes that the preconceived idea that all police are “good” is an outright lie. Jimmy is “good” at being a detective but bad in living as a detective. But he’s not the only person in The Wire who shows us another perspective of being-in-the-world.

Bubbles

Bubbles is a heroin addict played by Andre Royo. Besides the Season 4 story-arc, Bubs’s story may be the most tragic of the entire show. Through Royo’s character, we see the often overlooked, ignored, mistreated, cursed, dehumanizing life that addicts live. The beauty of David Simon’s writing is that he quickly but subtly pulls us from our moral high horse and prompts us to examine our own existence. Bubbles is possibly the most genuine of all the characters in the show and he demonstrates this by the way he is able to be-with the people of the streets. If most of us are guilty of leaping-in the existence of another, Bubbles demonstrates how to leap-ahead of the other; allowing them to develop their own projections without appropriating them for our own use, as if they are a piece of equipment. Yet, even Bubs has his numerous faults. The first is his obvious addiction. The show provides periodic comedic relief with Bubbles’s subplot, often showing him do ridiculous things in order to feed his addiction. Nevertheless, Bubs recognizes this fault and does not run from it nor does he pretend it’s something else. He knows he is an addict and is accepting of this situation. As much as I’d like to discuss the particularities of Bubbles, it would be hard to do so without giving numerous spoilers. (I do realize this show ended a long time ago and there’s really no need to provide a spoiler alert. However, part of the enjoyment of watching this series was knowing relatively nothing about it so I hope to preserve some of that unknown.) Suffice it to say that Bubbles is a person who could easily be ignored but in talking to him, people come to see the façade they often erect for their lives.

Omar

Omar Little is a very dynamic character. If you’re societal constructs hadn’t been destroyed already, the introduction of Omar completes that destruction. Omar is a stick-up gangster who robs the feuding gangs of Baltimore without prejudice. At various points throughout the show, I found myself rooting for Omar’s success. In my second time watching the show – this time with my wife – she did the same thing. One night we were discussing an episode and I asked her, “Why is it that we cheer on Omar, a gangster who walks the streets of East/West Baltimore with a shotgun and kevlar vest? If we saw someone like that on our street, we’d do like everyone in the show…we’d run.” Again, this points to the brilliance of the show and how well developed these characters are. Objectively speaking, there is no reason why one should hope for Omar’s success. He’s a thief and a criminal; yet, Omar destroys our prejudiced view as to what constitutes a criminal. He’s a criminal with a moral guideline (refusing to swear or hurt innocents), he’s tender (takes his grandmother to church on Sunday) and sometimes contrary to the overly masculine idea of a street criminal. I believe the reason we root for “social outcasts” like Bubbles and Omar is that they’re presented as real people. They are not dehumanized as social burdens (conservative view) nor are they idolized as the cause for social justice (liberal view). They are just people trying to live authentically as possible in a world that does not give meaning to them. They have to find that meaning for themselves.

At the end of the series, we’re left wondering, who are the good guys? The police? The politicians? And the bad guys? The criminals?

The answer: We are…We’re as good as we leap-ahead of our neighbors. Do we see the other’s world the way they see it? Do we erect social constructs which are more hostile than protective? While the show may involve the modern political system, life is more than a political matter. Life is something worth living, but living authentically. Who lives with greater authenticity, the addict who accepts his addiction and tries to overcome it, or the journalist who tries to cheat the system for a Pulitzer? The Police Chief who jukes the stats for a career push or the gangster who uses his earnings to begin property investment?

Only by bracketing our preconceived ideas are we able to see the other’s life-world as they live it; all of it…the good and the bad.