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Re-watching “The Wire”

I have had the pleasure of watching my fiancee watch “The Wire” for the first time. I had seen it some years ago, before I came to Baltimore. She has been immersed in the series, enjoying the many layers of the stories told.

However, I can see why “The Wire” is not better liked.

First, there are no clear-cut good guys or bad guys. All sides involved in the drama are presented as trying the best they can to reach their goals. It’s to be expected when one of the long-running themes (and unspoken characters) of the series are the institutions we live with and become a part of as members of society. Law enforcement, labor unions, city hall, public schools, the press and the ubiquitous streets of Baltimore are all environments which squeeze the characters in certain ways.

It’s not unusual to see the people who care the least about the actual work they’re supposed to do to  get ahead, while those who strive to make things work better do not. It is easy to view the series as being pessimistic, but I disagree. Fighting the good fight, especially because there may not be any reward for it, is doing good.

The game is rigged, but what choice do you have but to play it sometimes?

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