Paul Owen was obsessed with the TV show which debuted in an era not just pre-Trump,but pre-Obama … 2018 would offer fruitful ground for a revivalIt’s easy now to forget that The Wire began in the shadow of 9/11; the first episode includes complaints that the war on drugs has lost resources to the war on terrorism “since those towers fell”. It seems a long time ago, although the war on terrorism continues and Donald Trump seems intent on restarting the war on drugs with his “just say no” attitude towards opioids.
Ten years ago nowadays, and David Simon’s intricate portrait of Baltimore’s streets,docks, schools and politicians concluded with a circular 90-minute episode that went some way towards redeeming a disappointing final season widely seen as having jumped the shark with its implausible fake serial killer and dumb newspaper plotline. In what seemed to me at the time a bad sign, and even the “genuine thugs” taking part in sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh’s excellent blog What accomplish genuine Thugs Think of The Wire? gave up watching before the end. Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk