Roush on The Wire
Question: What did you think of the series finale of
The Wire? Honestly, I was let down. Carcetti seemed like such an ass to me. All the things he prided himself on not doing to get into the mayor's seat, he ended up wanting to do for the governor's seat. I also loathed what the writers did to Dukie. He was one of the smartest young characters on the show, and I fell in love with him in Season 4. I refuse to believe that there wasn't anything else they could have done with the character. I had hopes that Pryzbylewski would somehow make plans to foster or adopt Duquan, but no.
— Qua
Matt Roush: Because The Wire in so many ways seems so real to me, I'm tempted to say it's the characters that let you down and the bleak world in which they live. Dukie's decline after being stranded by Michael (who's quite clearly the heir to Omar's gangster throne) was one of the most heartbreaking parts of the finale, only slightly relieved by the redemption of Bubbles, who was finally allowed out of the basement and into the light of his sister's home. (Yes, there is hope, but on these streets, you often have to hit bottom to get there.) The corruption of Carcetti didn't rattle me at all. That's been ingrained in his character from the get-go. All in all, I was very satisfied by the Wire finale. My biggest problem was in the resolution of the journalist story (perhaps because I'm a journalist myself). Having seen (albeit from a distance) how my former workplace of USA Today dealt with the Jack Kelley scandal, I have trouble believing that bosses even as craven and prize-hungry as the fictional PTB at the Wire version of the Baltimore Sun would ignore Templeton's fabrications when they became so obvious, and after fellow reporters and editors called it to their attention. What good is winning a Pulitzer if you eventually will have to give it back in shame? That heavy-handed storyline, including the demotion of Gus and reassignment of Alma, hit false notes to me. Otherwise, what a great series.
As a final salute for now, here's this love letter from Kathleen: "I have watched the series finale of The Wire (twice), and I have to say that I was again blown away. This is the way to end a series (take note, Sopranos). I cannot wait to own the entire show on DVD so I can share it with people who never got a chance to see it. It is a travesty that this superb show has been ignored by all the awards shows, and things like Boston Legal (of which I am also a fan) were repeatedly awarded. And if there's a person who can watch this documentary on an American society and not see that the war on drugs is about as winnable as the war on terrorism, I want to live in their utopia. I truly think this was one of the finest pieces of television I have been privileged to watch, and I'm embarrassed that it was missed by so many."
In my own personal circles, I know of several people who are only discovering the show now that it is complete and they can savor the entire Wire saga, from first to last. I envy them and look forward to a time when I can soak it all in from the Stringer Bell/Avon Barksdale days to the reign of Marlo. There's no question The Wire will live on.
