Film on TV: The Wire (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Game)

Why do I love "The Wire" so much and why should you too?

1- "This is Baltimore, gentlemen. The gods will not save you." - Commissioner Ervin H. Burrell

"The Wire" could have been called "Baltimore" and nobody would have complained. Baltimore is not only a character, it is the protagonist. It is the Mount Olympus. Without it, nothing would have existed in "The Wire" universe. It is the singular force that holds it all together. And when I say "Baltimore", I don't specifically mean Baltimore, MD. Sure, the events and the characters are shaped by the real city itself: they are the product of what the "real" Baltimore is, or is imagined to be. But, Baltimore of "The Wire" is developed as a character as well: its quirks are drawn out, its back story is fleshed out just like you would for a character you are creating. It is transformed from an archetype to a tangible, real character. Not many TV shows (if any), nor many films could lay claim to set their story in an environment so elaborately designed, but perfectly formulated and presented. Because of this, I love "The Wire". And so should you.