The Target

Even superlatives aren't enough
Over the last two decades I've watched a great deal of television, maybe even more than the average for my generation, and out of all of it The Wire is doubtless the most challenging and important show I've ever seen, leaving even other classics like The Shield and The Sopranos in its dust, and this first season remains its defining document. All thirteen of these episdoes are filled with amazingly detailed and complex storytelling, sharp characterization, and endless insights into the nature of modern crime and punishment--and they're mighty exciting to watch, to boot. The whole season covers the participants in a single case, as an impromptu squad of cops is assembled to bring down the housing-project drug empire of Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell, but the implications of the investigation, and the show's ambitions, stretch far beyond one tiny front in the interminable drug war. We watch the case, built almost entirely on electronic surveillance (hence the title) come together...

DO NOT buy this set unless...
You are willing to invest 13 hours in a richly-textured, beautifully-cast and acted drama. Do not mistake this for a typical crime show. You can't just pop in the disc and expect entertainment without investing your full attention. This has the depth and detail of a well-written novel and I find myself watching each episode multiple times to absorb the nuance of the storytelling. I cannot praise this show enough. David Simon has amde a commitment to not dumbing-down his content, but it's a two-way street and you can't expect to catch little snippets of the show and understand what's going on. However, some of those little snippets are worth the price of admission themselves. Also fun to watch considering that two of the leads, Dominic West and Idris Elba are Brits, but they speak Bawlmer-style without a hitch. I have loved the Sopranos from the very first episode, but "The Wire" may well be the best television ever.

First came Oz, then the Corner, and now...
The Wire is HBO again hitting it straight out of the ball park. Just like Oz and the Corner (two of HBO's other critically acclaimed but under-appreciated dramas) the Wire makes your heart bleed for the "bad" guys, makes them and the people that chase them seem, at the end of the day, human-- flawed, fragile, evil, in need of redemption, and in some cases, better off with a bullet in the brain. This first season was great, and the second season managed to be even better.

The best thing about this show is that it turns every part of your brain ON. You can't watch it after you had a couple beers and are ready to doze off in front of the TV. You need to be awake, alert to follow the twists and all subtle character stuff. In a word: bliss. Thank you, thank you David Simon and crew!

Click to Editorial Reviews