The Wire (HBO)

Finally got around to watching The Wire, an HBO series which ran for five years and garnered much critical acclaim. There's little praise that I can add. The show has already been called extraordinary and revolutionary and very unlike "other" shows. In a nutshell, where other shows settle on a genre and follow a set group of people around, The Wire oscillates between genres and groups of characters in order transcend its form and show, in some small, but somehow gesturingly comprehensive way, what a City (particularly Baltimore) is like. It shows how people from greatly varied walks of life live, and how those lives connect and effect each other.

The list of characters is vast and fascinating. They are blessed with superlative writing, directing and performances. There are iconic characters like Omar Little, Bubbles, McNulty and many, many more. The richness, diversity and sheer number of compelling players is a testament to the show's unwavering decision to bend the medium's narrative to the intent of the show, which is to reveal the connections that underpin a large, corrupt and crumbling city, rather than to craft a simple crime story.

For myself, it was less like watching TV, and more like sitting back in wonderment, watching as these peoples' lives unfolded. There was not often the usual sense of good and bad, but more so an awareness that no matter where people come from, they are a product of their surroundings and are mostly trying to do the best they can with what they've been taught. And as new experiences are had, new possibilities are created. It is at times hilarious or inspirational or heartbreaking. The care and love for 'real' people is palpable and its depictions are honest and together, this ultimately gives the alternative fictional craftsmanship its power.

Not everyone is ready for The Wire's artistry and/or depicition of life, but there is much entertainment and food for thought to be gained here.