THE JOURNAL
Mr Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little in The Wire, season 1, episode 7 “One Arrest” (2002). Photograph courtesy of HBO
When the last end credits of HBO’s The Wire rolled in 2008, it was clear that this was a series of unparalleled ambition. A novel played out on television that explored the makings of a city, from the turf wars of its drug gangs to its education system, the machinations of city hall to the local media. It was slow. It was cerebral. It was challenging, a detailed exploration of poverty and privilege in Baltimore that was a far cry from the cookie-cutter, good-guys-always-win police procedurals of the time.
The demanding nature of the show and its insistence on authenticity made sense. Mr David Simon, The Wire’s creator, based the story on his time as a reporter for The Baltimore Sun when he covered the arrest of a local drug lord in 1984. When it premiered in 2002, it struggled to find a mainstream audience. HBO’s marketing dollars were being showered on its shinier Italian-American cousin, The Sopranos.
In hindsight, the show is considered by many as the greatest of all time, an intelligent, brutal, witty portrait of a city against which all prestige TV drama today is benchmarked. And many of its cast of characters – drug dealers, addicts, cops, dock workers and politicians alike – had wise words on life and living. Is there a better reaction to a situation, good or bad, for example, than “Sheeeeeeeit”, as favoured by Senator Clay Davis (Mr Isiah Whitlock Jr)? Arguably, no.
It is now 20 years since The Wire first aired, so to celebrate, we’ve picked five of our favourite philosophical nuggets from its five-season run (Senator Clay’s catchphrase notwithstanding). A man, after all, must have a code.
01. “If you got soft eyes, you can see the whole thing”
Mr Wendell Pierce as Bunk Moreland in The Wire, season 4, episode 9 “Know Your Place” (2006). Photograph courtesy of HBO
Smooth-talking and sharply dressed, Detective William “Bunk” Moreland (Mr Wendell Pierce) proved throughout The Wire’s five seasons that he was the most level-headed po-lice officer around, especially when compared to his on-and-off partner, Jimmy McNulty (Mr Dominic West). Bunk knew that department politics were part of the job and he dealt with it all effortlessly. In short, he had perspective.
“You know what you need at a crime scene?” he asks Kima Greggs (Ms Sonja Sohn). “Soft eyes. You got soft eyes, you can see the whole thing. You got hard eyes, you staring at the same tree, missing the forest.” Too often we find ourselves judging things the second we experience them, jumping to conclusions that might be completely wrong. With soft eyes, we let the situation breathe, examine all the angles, take the time to understand fully what’s taking place. At a time when social media is eradicating any chance of calm and nuanced discussion, Bunk’s words have never been more fitting. “Zen shit,” as Greggs says.
02. “A life… It’s the s*** that happens when you’re waiting for moments that never come”
Mr Clarke Peters as Lester Freamon (centre) in The Wire, season 3, episode 7 “Back Burners” (2003). Photograph courtesy of HBO
A little context first. McNulty has just succeeded in redirecting his unit’s focus to catching his nemesis, Stringer Bell (Mr Idris Elba). In doing so, he’s sabotaged other people’s investigations and pissed off a lot of people. Dripping with hubris, he tells Lester Freamon (Mr Clarke Peters), “We’re good at this, Lester. In this town, we’re as good as it gets.”
Of course, Freamon is wise. He knows that McNulty is as messed up as they come: alcoholic, divorced, a man who finds his only solace in the drink and the work. “How do you think it all ends?” he asks. “A parade? A gold watch? A shining Jimmy McNulty Day moment?… The job will not save you, Jimmy. It won’t make you whole. It won’t fill your ass up. A life… It’s the shit that happens when you’re waiting for moments that never come.”
He knows that instead of chasing the next case and the accolades, McNulty should be looking inwards, finding the things that will make him whole at that moment in time, instead of letting life pass him by. He knows that, when all is said and done, that’s the only thing that matters.
03. “What I tell you about playin’ them f***in’ away games?”
Mr Idris Elba as Stringer Bell in The Wire, season 3, episode 11 “Middle Ground” (2003). Photograph courtesy of HBO
Throughout The Wire, Russell “Stringer” Bell is on a Michael Corleone-esque mission to legitimise his childhood friend Avon Barksdale’s (Mr Wood Harris) criminal organisation. He takes economics classes at the community college, he launders money, he invests in housing development. He puts politicians, such as Senator Clay Davis, in his pocket to achieve these ends. But when he learns that the senator has been playing him for a fool (sheeeeeeeit!), he orders a hit on the politician. Because he is, at heart, a gangster.
Barksdale quickly shuts down the hit, telling Stringer that, “They saw your ghetto ass coming from miles away.” While they may be kings of the streets, he is under no illusion that they are mere pawns in the grand scheme of things. Playing with politicians and businesspeople – those are away games where Stringer is at a distinct disadvantage. Which is to say that we should perhaps all understand what we’re good at and play to our individual strengths. And when the time comes for something with which we have less experience? Defer to the experts.
04. “You show loyalty, they learn loyalty”
Mr Lance Reddick as Cedric Daniels in The Wire, season 3, episode 12 “Mission Accomplished” (2003). Photograph courtesy of HBO
Said by Lieutenant Cedric Daniels (Mr Lance Reddick) to Ellis Carver (Mr Seth Gilliam) as he gets a promotion to sergeant, he continues, “You show them it’s about the work, it’ll be about the work. You show them it’s about some other kind of game, then that’s the game they’ll play.” It’s a classic piece of Daniels advice – words of wisdom from a seasoned, hardened cop dedicated to good police work and real change on the streets of Baltimore. And, like all the other insightful nuggets included here, it can be read in a number of ways.
Naturally, the first reaction is that Daniels’ words apply to leadership. It hews closely to the old adage “lead by example”. But, writing as a father, it also applies just as effectively to parenting. Our children learn by watching us and by copying us. So, want your kids to get off the iPad or the computer? Perhaps spend less time glancing at your phone when you’re in their company.
05. “All in the game, yo”
Mr Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little in The Wire, season 5 episode 8 “Clarifications” (2008). Photograph courtesy of HBO
Are these the wisest words from the show? Uttered from behind a hand cannon by The Wire’s most iconic character, stick-up man Omar Little (played by the late, great Mr Michael K Williams), the phrase clearly refers to the drug game. If you’re going to play it, there is no rulebook and you’d better be able to handle it. In short, play or get played.
Applied to life in general, the words take on greater meaning. Life isn’t always rosy and it isn’t always fair. We will all, without fail, experience misfortune of one kind or another. The funny thing is we often labour to stop these things from happening, but it’s futile, because these things are, of course, beyond our control. And when they do happen? We can easily let them plague our thoughts excessively, which stops us from living our lives fully and without burden.
When something less than ideal happens to you, perhaps take a moment, think of Omar, chalk it up to the game of life and carry on. Maybe you could whistle “The Farmer In The Dell” while you do it.