The End Is Near, and I Am Very Afraid

Here I go:

I have always been fiercely loyal to the shows that I watch. For anybody that knows me, it is not uncommon to hear me defend shows that for some reason or another are not as popular as they once were. The Sopranos, for instance. Yes, there was a change in the show over the years: it was on for almost 9 years, and change is inevitable in anything. But it was not the change that everyone said. The show never lagged in quality. It never lost what made it one of the best shows on television. What did change was the importance of the show. Towards the end of its run (okay, the ".1" of the 6th season), the enthusiasm that preceded the show was gone. A new season of Tony and Co. could not have possibly been greeted with the same Hurrah that greeted the 3rd season. If the final season had run three years earlier, people would have been running in the streets praising its realism, and relevance.

So while it sometimes frustrates me to have to prove try to convince others that, say, Lost is still a damn fine show, and if they gave you all the answers you wouldn't want to watch anyway, it pains me to see what is happening to The Wire this season. Now, I don't want to overact, because the season is only four episodes in, but there is something very wrong with what is going on this season. And no, it is not the controversial news room story line (which is only really controversial to those in the industry, as shown by their undying coverage of every move on the show). What makes the once (and possibly future) stellar show cringe-worthy is the disastrous "serial killer on the loose" storyline.

For those who aren't watching, first shame, shame, and deep shame on you! Where are your responsibilities, your sense of social duty, or at least awareness? Don't you know that just watching this show makes you a better person. Anyway, here is the deal: In order to launch a successful bid in the state of Maryland's Gubernatorial race, Mayor Carcetti has refused financial help that would ease his city's economic woes. This financial shortage trickles down to the police force, which can no longer afford to pay overtime, much less operate the Major Crimes Unit that sets all of The Wire's many plates a-spinning. And with Major Crimes out of commission, drug-dealer extroidainare Marlo is now free to consolidate his power and reign (props to Prop Jo. We will miss you, oh wise one!). McNulty, who has spent his sober time for the past two years trying to capture Marlo, is now furious and drunk with rage that Marlo will not see justice. "He doesn't get to win," he screams upon hearing the news. So McNulty has devised a plot to get the attention of the city and re-open the halted case: Invent a serial killer out of thin air, using dead bodies of white homeless men. McNulty, and now Freeman, bruise up and increasingly manipulate crime scene evidence to make it look like a red-ribbon loving madman is on the loose. The idea is that once the media gets a hold of the information (cue the Sun reporters), Major Crimes will be needed, and the small pieces of the Marlo case that are still left can be assembled.

Where I have such a colossal problem with all of this is in how television this all seems. Yes, I do know what I am watching, and no I have not deluded myself to think otherwise, but one of the things that has always set The Wire apart is how un-CSI the whole show is. I do understand the point that the well-intended writers are trying to make with this. The oversight and the beaurocratic mess that has led to this is such a travesty. I understand McNulty's desire, however drunken, to correct this travesty. But why take this road? I cringed when McNulty bought the red ribbon that is going to be the serial killers calling card, only because it seems so Dexterish. The Wire has always been so seamless for defying these conventions, these "that will only happen on television" scenarios that fuel so many cop and hospital shows. The Wire has always been like peering into something you know is happening two miles away from you. And with this new "Baltimore Biter" or whatever they will call the invented serial killer on the loose, I am aware that I am watching a fucking television show, and I feel cheated for exactly that reason. You might not really want to call The Wire an escapist drama, but it really is. It is miles and miles away from what passes as entertainment on network television. I just hope, with these last five or so episodes, it does not join the ranks of CSI and ER in "quality."