The Wire: 10 years gone, the lessons still fit
HBO
The Wire, Season 5
Season 5 shows the facade of it all. We all see the actors who wish to keep the public from seeing all the pieces, much less how they fit. Now, we must be skeptical of all information and ask ourselves more “what aren’t they telling me” over “what is the meaning of what they are telling me.” However, the information is presented to us and it’s assumed someone tried to shine shit and call it gold.
Season 5 leaves us with many questions chiefly, what can be done to make things right? Well, depends on your convictions. How resistant will the system be to change? Can one beat the Game? Could we believe any news announcing a result either way?
Controlling the news in a changing information environment is crucial to all of the politicians. The insight into a dying newsroom and the changing dynamic of news consumption through sensationalism were prophetic.
McNulty and Lester had Stringer by voice but lost the satisfaction of arresting him to Omar and Mouzone’s violent nature. They found an opportunity to continue making a difference in the murder rate in Marlo Stanfield but had peddled the approach to chasing Avon Barksdale. They had to sell a lie to find the truth.
Carcetti had to sell the lie of empathy for homelessness safety to get elected. He was in a jam and need some good press. Scott Templeton wanted a better job and had to sell the lie that he could write news instead of making it up.
Next: 10 TV gangsters to have a pint with on St. Patrick's Day
The Wire, at its best, exposed facades, depicted the obstacles and laid bare the realities of the situation inner cities of America were facing. Some of the newspaper writing storylines of the fifth season weren’t as moving as the first four seasons. That seems to be on purpose, as an indictment of the newspaper wanting to be more exciting than the news.
It is almost like it does not matter journalistic integrity is dead, but it is dead on paper, which in the digital age, does not count.