bringing it back to the lede

at the conclusion of a great novel, one feels disappointed that the ride is over, but would never wish that the author had tacked on an additional 100 pages just because it was a good book. no, the timing of the end is just as integral a part of the work as the very first sentence itself.

and so it was that as the wire came to a close, i was left with a palpable sense of contentment, if such a thing exists. it was the way it was meant to be, no more no less, and it was perfect in exactly that way.

it's difficult to explain the appeal of the wire not because the plot is complicated. if you were to hit the "info" button on your digital cable box, the one sentence description would sum up the series quite aptly; something along the lines of "cops and drug dealers struggle to maintain control over Baltimore city streets."

what is difficult is explaining the nuance and subtleties of the show that make it probably the most well written and thorough piece of art ever to grace a television screen.

granted, the program skews towards a heavily male demographic. but the depth with which the show is written, the broad swath of social, political and economical intricacies that it tackles successfully is simply astounding. one could easily argue that watching this show could teach you more about the cynical realities of bureaucracy and social injustice than any university course you could ever sit in on.

much has been said about the fact that the wire helps us see ourselves for who we really are, from the macro scale of urban social and infrastructure decay to the individuality of our own ethical and moral statutes. "we're writing greek tragedies," said wire creator david simon in a recent interview with the onion video club.

greek tragedies were meant to be parables however, and as such one is left to ponder the lessons the wire is trying to teach us.

you see the tragedy unfolding before you, the heroes, the pitfalls, the failures and the pariahs. so what do you take away from it?

there's not much more you can ask of a television show.

the wire said what it felt needed to be said in the most concise and eloquent way it could say it.

knowing that it came from the pen of an ex-journalist, this is an accomplishment of truly grand proportions.

naming the last episode "-30-" was something maybe not every viewer will understand. the symbol represents the end of every filed work in a newsroom, marking the final stroke of your story. that poignancy is a perfect example of the show's awe inspiring attention to detail.

what a fitting end to a wonderful work of social commentary.