The Wire Season 2

The Wire is the Great American Novel for television.

For most people, that’s a selling point. But it makes me wary. I never like Great American Novels. They are filled with what I call “Ideas with Legs.” Characters that exist to represent grand statements the writer wants to make about America and The State of the World.

I’ve been hearing about The Wire for at least a decade and a half. I’ve heard about Stringer, McNulty, D’Angelo, Bodie, Bunk, Kima, Snoop, Bubbles, Omar, Wallace, and more. I have never heard the names “Frank,” “Ziggy,” “Nick,” “Vondas,”¹ or “Sobotka.” Having seen what I suspect is the last of most of these people, I can understand why. These characters have their moments. But a lot of the time they feel like ideas with legs. They exist the make a statement about the death of unions and the middle class and blue-collar dignity. There are some inspired moments (that duck!). But also a lot of ham-fisted speeches that feel like they come from a much worse show. It drags the whole season down. I just never cared about the port people the way I cared about the people chasing, or the people running the drugs they were importing.²

But is this a bad season of television? Heavens, no! The show’s still so beautifully made. The ensemble is full of great actors kicking ass. It’s still funny. The plotting is still incredibly complex, and it’s still so satisfying when you watch two or three of its far-flung threads come together, always in a surprising way. The show’s writing and visual storytelling are even more confident this season, with long sequences like Beadie tailing Vondas or those murders going up on the board in Homicide playing out in real-time and with minimal dialogue.

I’m excited to see the show bring that renewed confidence into season 3 when the focus will return to Avon, String, and all the people we fell in love with in season 1. The season leaves the detail with a new case. But the Sobotka case left them even more disillusioned than the Barksdale case. Meanwhile, the drug business looks more united and powerful than ever. But between the hidden secrets, shaky alliances, and Omar, that’s not going to last. Lots will change. But as was the case in seasons 1 and 2, nothing will change. But I’m expecting a hell of a ride.

1. I’d forgotten this guy’s exact name. In double checking, I discovered that he is the #3 result when you type “The Wire V” into Google. ↩︎
2. I must say that there is some novelty to this show giving so many white people the ideas with legs treatment, when its roster of rich Black characters seems endless. It’s usually the other way around in all those Great American Novels. ↩︎