The Wire, Finale

Dear Void,

My old friend Mike never answers my questions about The Wire. Is it because they are unanswerable and The Wire poses the same thought provoking discourse as religion or politics? Does he not answer because he is too busy saving the world from incorrect billing statements or misplaced site id’s? Regardless of the reason for his absence, I now pose the questions and observations forthcoming to you, Void. I hope you find some measure of enlightenment within.

Is it really over? Could you not see a whole season based around taking down the new miniature kingpin of West Baltimore, Kenard? Oh, wait, we saw him in the final montage being led to an idling cop car, presumably for the murder of Omar Little. If not a Kenard centric season, then certainly you can see Sydnor taking up the fight for the newly retired Jimmy and Lester. He did, after all, bring the show full circle (something David Simon did a bit too much in the traditional end of season montage) by talking to Judge Phelan about the lack of drug policing in B’more.

If it is really over then the first real question I have for you is how you feel about this last installment, now that you can view it as a whole? For me, the last three episodes were so good that I can forgive much of the stupidity of the first seven. The way the show wrapped up (pre montage that is) was fittingly Wire-esque. Of course no one was going to blow the lid on the faux homeless killings or on the illegal wire tap that brought down Marlo’s crew. Last week, Mike and I discussed whether or not it was possible that someone in the chain of command would try and bury all the dirt, and obtusely neither of us mentioned the fast climbing Carcetti. Essentially the series ended with some very obvious truths about life. The homeless stay homeless, the drug dealers stay drug dealers, and the politicians stay politicians. As for the police, well, I think in seeing Jimmy’s funeral we can say that for the most part they probably have their hearts in the right place.

Void, there are a couple of quick questions that I would like answered before I wrap up. We have all week to analyze this super-sized hour and a half episode and the series as a whole. Are you as loyal as Chris and are you prepared to take the wrap for the 26 people I just killed in order to keep Unfinished Dad on the web? Also, do you have the stones of Rhonda Pearlman and could you have kept your cool like that with Levy? And lastly, is there a chance that David Simon’s new series about musicians in New Orleans (that sounds funny even typing it) can be as powerful as The Wire?

Mournfully,

Joe