‘The Wire’ = The End
I don’t know the word to describe how it felt to watch the last episode of ‘The Wire’. Inevitable? It’s true that all things must come to an end… and in this case something great came to an end. Every season, I always looked forward to the next episode… and every off-season, I always looked forward to the next season. Part of me rooted for HBO to make the re-up and part of me rooted for the creative team to say we’ve got another season in us. To me, ‘The Wire’ went out on top. It wasn’t this super-artistic "choose your own" ending like ‘The Sopranos. It wasn’t a clusterfuck like ‘Deadwood’. It didn’t hang on too long to get stale. It left just early enough for you to want more. People who didn’t catch on, thanks to DVD and TV syndication, at some point, will realize what they missed. And Sundays will never be the same.
What was impressive about the way the show ended was how the end was truly the beginning. McNulty was gone… but in the last scene Detective Leander Sydnor can be seen, in McNulty-like fashion, going to the same judge McNulty went to in Season 1 to say that Barksdale’s continuous dodging of the law was not a coincidence… and Sydnor was singing to Judge Phelan about how they had Marlo dead to rights and somehow he’s on the street. Cedric Daniels moved on from police commissioner before he could have a real impact but it looks like Ellis Carver is on his way to follow in his footsteps (and Carver is Daniels, right down to the skeletons in his closet). The new mayor has the new police commissioner wrapped around her finger. The streets are still the streets. There’s a new Marlo who was a new Prop Joe who was who was a new Stringer who was a new Barksdale. There’s even a new Omar. Maybe Michael won’t be the Robin Hood of the streets but I doubt that will be the last time Michael taps the money. And Bubbles is finally clean… too bad Dukie is following down the same path.
It was a quick 10-15 seconds but my favorite part of the show was when Chris Partlow and Wee-Bay were seen talking in the prison yard. The muscle of their respective operations, they did the best they could… life in prison to protect the drug lord in exchange for their families to be taken care of. It’s the best the soldiers can do. It’s either that or go out like Snoop or Strinkum, I guess. It’s a long shot that they’ll work their way to Slim Charles’ level, now most likely the new head of the Co-Op.
Were there some chapters left untold? Of course! But when a show is as rich in characters as ‘The Wire’ is, how can you tell them all? We got a taste of where Namond was headed but what about Randy? And what about that kid that stole all the cars? The show left ‘Cutty’ out there as the most pointless character in the history of TV dramas by not even giving him a sniff at the end. Is Rawls gay? What’s Marlo doing next? Will I see McNulty on my next trip to the White Marsh Mall or maybe the Shops at the Inner Harbor as the latest Rent-A-Cop? But I think I’m just splitting hairs.
‘The Wire’ was more real than any reality show shoved down our throat these days… and it could have been what blocked it from being a truly popular show. The mainstream public doesn’t want their bad guys to be human. In this case, the drug kingpins that were the target of the police investigations throughout. They only want their bad guys to be human if they don’t really know they are bad guys like Tony Soprano. The mainstream public doesn’t want their good guys to be flawed. In this case, the police officers and government officials who were sometimes on the trail of the bad guy but almost always covering their ass. Instead, they want Gil Grissom. The mainstream public isn’t always willing to accept a major character dying out of the blue. In this case… well, that might be more cases then on ‘Deal or No Deal’. Heck, ‘Dallas’ had to bring back Bobby Ewing and play it off as a dream sequence.
On that note, I figured I’d rank my Top 10 TV Dramas of all-time… I went with prime time Dramas to not out myself on my secret ‘General Hospital’ obsession of my teen years… oops! (Cesar Faison… best villain ever!)
My Top 10 Dramas
10. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
The show was entertaining, Sarah Michelle Gellar was hot… what more do you need? Best Episode(s): Becoming, Part 1 & 2 from Season 2
9. Jericho
Now, the show I root for most to make it season to season. I was shocked when it was cancelled after season one and more shocked when it didn’t get a recall for season two. It’s can’t miss now. Best Episode: A.K.A. from Season 1
8. The Sopranos
I almost feel obligated to put this on here. I guess I don’t want to get whacked. It was one of the few shows I know that could keep me hooked even with some episodes that were just complete misses. I know diehard Sopranos fans would disagree but it wasn’t perfect… just really good! Best Episode: Kennedy and Heidi from Season 6 (Part 2) - The one where Tony finishes off Christopher and goes to Vegas to get away.
7. My So-Called Life
I always wonder if this show is high on my list because it got cut out before its time or because it was that good. I remember I never saw it and then watched all 19 episodes consecutively on MTV. Best Episode: In Dreams Begin Responsibilities (Series Finale)
6. Star Trek: The Next Generation
Engage! Better than the original and I’ll give it a pass for creating a lot of lame copycats trying to build on the Star Trek franchise. I’m rooting for the new Star Trek movie… J.J. Abrams, don’t let us down! Best Episode: (any episode with Q but I pick…) All Good Things… from Season 7 (Series Finale)
5. Dawson’s Creek
Don’t judge me, damn it! They can’t be all gritty dramas, can they? The WB might have actually made it if it produced more winners like this one. Best Episode: Sex, She Wrote from Season 2
4. The X-Files
I still watch this show 3-4 times a week. I get excited every time I hear a rumor of a 2nd movie. You have to give this show credit that it can hit theatres and actually surge on after its release. Best Episode: The Amazing Maleeni from Season 7
3. ER
I hate the talk that this might be the last year for the show. No matter who is on this show, it still clicks on all cylinders. I was in high school when this show started and don’t remember if I started watching it immediately… but I’ve seen every episode now. My favorite characters from the show aren’t even on there anymore and I still dig it. Best Episode: There Are No Angels Here from Season 12 (one of the Darfur episodes)
2. Homicide: Life On The Streets
Excellent show with great characters starring the greatest TV drama star of all-time - Baltimore. Andre Braugher as Frank Pembleton was pretty amazing, too. There are few dramas I would watch over and over again… and I’ve seen every episode of this series at least three times. Best Episode: Night Of The Dead Living from Season 1
1. The Wire
For all the reasons above and more. It had great stars and, once again, it was set in Baltimore. Although, at the end of the day, I’d have to say Omar was my favorite character on the show, it’s really tough to pick just one. Best Episode: Middle Ground from Season 3 (Stringer gets it from Omar and Brother Mouzone)
