The Wire: 10 years gone, the lessons still fit
HBO
The Wire, Season 1
Season 1 could stand alone as a great piece of moving picture art. It methodically detailed the inner politics and hierarchy of the policing apparatus and the structured levels of living and decisions of the drug trade. The show could have started by cutting into any initial street scene homicide investigation. McNulty answered a phone in homicide; the victim just happened to be Snot Boogie.
McNulty is a champ; people’s feelings be damned. The show is as much about McNulty — as McNulty does not think the case is all about himself and a need to feel smarter than everyone else. A job needs to be done. Leads need to be chased. Targets need to be investigated. Most importantly, his ego needs to be recognized. After all, only a few natural police exist.
He can see angles that others cannot, for better or worse, which leads him to cut corners, most usually just making it worse. McNulty gets to drop the bracelets, usually. The results are there in the end, yet everyone is upset. What did he do?
He is busy-man America. Landsman and Rawls are the System –mucking things up and just getting in the way. Drunk at the wheel, playing everything loose, with just a wisecrack of a plan, but getting enough results to keep the world off its tail. Jimmy McNulty, American Everyman.
The Bunk is just humble — well, actually, he may not be all that humble. Rawls and Daniels are both hiding secrets and playing the office games to stay ahead of the eventual come to Jesus moment all men that strive for rank and stature must face. While a man must have a code, the Game requires compromise from all — no matter which side of the law one falls.
Avon and Stringer. B and B Enterprises, RIP. The intro music of those two walking into the Pit to run shop was brilliant. Avon and Stringer watching the SWAT team was pure comedy but spoke to what threats they took more seriously.
WeeBay head of security. His name, it will find you where ever you go, so step lightly and be humble. No one wants to be the first pawn off the chess board. Everyone wants to wear the crown, though few are willing to make the sacrifices. To lose to crown though, all it takes is being slow or late one day.
Season 1 shows both McNulty and Dee suffering the consequences of action without full respect of their peers. McNulty gets nothing but two barrels of grief from his bosses. Dee credits his stature in the game mostly to Avon trying to bring him along since he was a pup.
McNulty wants to get the job done with no bosses to muck up the investigation. Dee wants to do business without bodies. Neither is shown to be remotely possible throughout the series.
Season one shows the principles and the necessity in having great leadership and a clear chain of command. In America, when The Wire aired, how drug gangs and police forces dealt with internal strife and outside interest were the metrics which determined success.
In most drug organizations, it is impossible to fail upwards whereas The Wire shows such a promotion the norm in bureaucratic circles if you have the proper rabbi or favor owed. It is no wonder that drug cartels seemingly have won the politically declared and police waged war on drugs. The competition level to exist — much less succeed — is exponentially higher with far more fatal risk in the streets than the downtown precincts.
As The Wire has faded into time, the problems of America it addressed have remained. Solutions to the problems face more obstacles in red tape than criticism of the ideas. This delays any progress. This enables negative practices with negative consequences to become more ingrained. The War on Drugs continues to be a blight on America if you can even call it a war.