The Wire: Season 5 [DVD] [2008]

And so another televisual odyssey ends. 60 episodes over five seasons and a programme which has been described as more talked about than watched (this is the problem of a series playing on satellite/cable channel FX) - although the DVD box-sets of The Wire are on the best-seller lists here at Amazon. With just 10 episodes in the final series David Simon seems to be trying to 'do more with less', a phrase used several times in the offices of The Baltimore Sun newspaper which features largely. Simon of course worked at that very newspaper for 12 years and so it seems almost obvious that he would chose to focus on the media at some point. What he shows is that interplay between media, politics and policing; the symbiotic relationship these agencies have with each other and how each in turn can be exploited by the other.McNulty is back. His presence was missed in the last season, so it's good to have him back, but he's in a very worrying place; looking like he could skid off that road again at any time and driven by that passion which can create 'good police' but also perhaps lead him to test the boundaries of what is acceptable (and indeed legal). Carcetti, now installed as mayor, has come face to face with a huge deficit in his budget which leads to massive cutbacks for the police: no overtime and an effective end to the special crimes unit. This leads McNulty to hatch a plan that will give the papers what they want and therefore place pressure on the Mayor to provide funds for police work: a serial killer. Now, I love this programme, but this plot-line had me wrinkling my nose in discomfort. It isn't that I didn't believe it was possible, Simon shows in intricate detail how it can all be manufactured, but I just didn't believe that this would be the course any detective would take, even a true maverick like McNulty. The fact that Freamon, who has always been a moral yardstick of sorts, is part of the whole conspiracy only compounded my worry. It wasn't until the penultimate episode (which is the best of the season, possibly the series) that I began to feel it might work. Such a grand scheme allows Simon to bring so many elements of his story together, it's just crucial that having got so many balls improbably into the air we see them come crashing back down to earth.That said, there's something about this season that doesn't quite work. It's like a programme which knows that it's coming to an end, tying up its loose ends, bringing things full circle and showing that people and events will continue in the same vein after the credits roll. It's all just slightly self-conscious.But I don't want to dwell on that. As someone (I think it was Freamon) says, 'It's about the journey, not the destination.' And it's been a hell of a journey. I have written previously about the impact television can have when we, the viewers, make an investment in the characters. Over such a prolonged period of time (60 hours of television) we can see so much of their lives, so much development that, as when we read a novel, there is a connection there which means that even a serial murderer like Chris can arouse our sympathy even whilst beating someone to death. A junkie like Bubbles can have us hoping and praying that he can make it another clean day. A morally ambiguous anti-hero like Omar can have you wanting to put him out of his misery like a wounded pet. That is extraordinary television. To be able to put forward complex sociological arguments, economic theory, and political discourse together with street slang, profanity and poetry whilst leaving the audience concentrated on the characters is quite an achievement. Let's also not forget the other character in the piece: Baltimore. I genuinely feel that if I went there now I would know where, and more pertinently where not to go. Just as The Sopranos gave a real sense of New Jersey The Wire has shown in great detail the differences between the projects, the docks, city hall, 'Hamsterdam', the corners and the variety of people that populate them. The final episode has its heart on its sleeve as it shows what this programme has always been about: the people of Baltimore. Along the way of course it has shown us some important aspects of modern life relevant to all of us.

The Wire deserves it's accolades. Great acting and gripping storylines.

Perfect

I, like many, was cajoled into watching The Wire. I mean, how could it possibly be as good as what people were saying? It's a cop show, right? Surely, it's another CSI/ Law & Order style show about police procedure and the brave people fighting to rid our society of bad eggs!?WRONG!!!!This is the best police drama so far and I cant see anyone topping it. It arrived fully fledged as its' own world and asks you to jump straight in and catch up, throwing local slang and code at you which you piece together throughout the show. Add to this that there is not one bad actor in the 5 series, with everyone having their moment to shine and everyone feeling like they are showing us fully 3D characters and you have a pretty special show. The add to this that this show isnt scared to slowly burn away each week, refusing to give you the "case of the week" style formula we have come to expect from TV. It's War and Peace for TV and the ongoing story archs are fantastically played out.Right, season 5! So we are at the end of the show and some wrapping up needs to be done to meet fan expectations. To be honest, there is a lot of this in the series and the show's "theme per series" format suffers slightly from this. Season 5 is set up to examine the media's effect on crime, on police work and on politics and sadly it is somewhat sidelined by the fact this is the last series and we all want to see how our favourite characters are going to end up. Nevertheless, there are still some great moments from the new media characters and they blend well into the rest of the high drama.However, we are really here to see our favourite characters close down the show and here we are not disappointed. If you have watched the other seasons, you will no doubt be getting this regardless, if you are new to The Wire, pick up season 1 and enjoy the surprise of finding that no one has been exaggerating. How they got this show made I will never know, I'm just glad they all put in the effort.

Was bin ich froh, dass ich in den Genuss dieser grandiosen Show gekommen bin. Hätte ich vor ein paar Wochen sicherlich noch "Die Sopranos" als das Non plus ultra aller TV-Serien bezeichnet, so muss ich dieses Urteil nach Ansicht von "The Wire" revidieren.Nie zuvor habe ich im Fernsehen eine derat komplexe Geschichte gesehen. Jede noch so kleine Handlung der Figuren kann in diesem (mehr oder weniger) fiktiven Universum weitreichende Konsequenzen haben. Und die Folgen bestimmter Taten offenbaren sich dabei nicht notwendigerweise in der gleichen Episode. Nein, manchmal nicht einmal in der gleichen Staffel. Großartig auch, wie die verschiedensten Gesellschaftsschichten Baltimores einander gegenüber gestellt werden. "The Wire" arbeitet die wahren Probleme der Stadt dabei auf höchst subtile Art heraus, verzichtet fast gänzlich auf reißerische Effekte.Das größte Kunststück gelingt der Serie jedoch indem sie auf klare Hauptfiguren verzichtet, von Staffel zu Staffel das ohnehin gewaltige Ensemble vergrößert und dennoch stets tiefgründige Charaktere etabliert, die allesamt eine Geschichte haben.In den ersten vier Staffeln war ich immer davon beeindruckt, mit welcher Beiläufigkeit sich die Geschichten entspinnen. In der fünften Staffel wirkt alles ein bißchen konstruierter. Insbesondere die Storyline um McNultys Serienkiller hat mich ein wenig befremdet und mochte für meine Begriffe nicht ganz zum Ton der Serie passen. Auch der Blick auf die "Baltimore Sun" war längst nicht so spannend und interessant wie erwartet.Aber selbst eine "The Wire"-Staffel mit kleinen Schwächen ist immer noch grandios und verdient nichts anderes als 5 Sterne. Die Schlussmontage der finalen Folge (untermalt vom "Way down in the hole" in der Version aus der ersten Staffel) zählt zum Schönsten und gleichzeitig Bittersten, was ich je gesehen habe. Perfekter Schlusspunkt für eine perfekte Serie.