Because we were in the know, we all wore the crown.

Greetings fellow wire fans. I've been browsing this community but promised I wouldn't make a name until the final episode. I'm a young 24/m and this show has inspired me tremendously. Rarely does a show mean this much to me. As a result, I have written a quasi review/character analysis of this season, and I'm interested in any feedback, and it would mean the world to me if I could have Simon, Burns, or any of the Writers from the show give me some feedback.

Genesis

It pains me to say that the critically acclaimed show that

we


have all grown to love has come to an end. This season began


in 2003 giving us a small glimpse into the complexity into the

21st centuries version of cops and robbers, where there is a

thin line between good and evil, with the catalyst being motive

and who sets the rules. Simon and company has done a

brilliant job personifying the fact that there isn?t that much of a

difference from the ?criminals?, police officers, and politicians.

There are different implications for being involved in the

different facets, but one thing is certain, they all do it for the

same reason, the allure of ?the game?.


There are several different types of people who view The

Wire. There are casual viewers, who are familiar with a few

chapters of this masterpiece, there are viewers who only view

the show for the street aspect of the show and despise

anything broadcasted that is not about hustling, or killing,

there are viewers who view the show to watch and root for

their favorite characters, and then there are viewers who have

totally submerged themselves into this world that Simon has

created, who appreciate the attention to detail, foreshadowing,

and the fact that Simon has made it clear with the introduction

to the ports in Season 2, politics in Season 3 & 4, and the

media aspect in Season 5, that the world is bigger than the

corner and purple tops. Although, the different viewers have

different reasons why they enjoy the show, one thing that we

all share is that for this five-season run, we were the select

few who truly appreciated this show, and during it?s broadcast,

we felt that because we were in the know, that we all wore the

crown.

If I truly made an attempt to convey all of my thoughts of

every season, I?d probably have a thesis, and maybe one day

I can accomplish that. However, for now, I?d like to discuss

Season Five. When season five began, I was conflicted

because it would only be 10 episodes, it was the last season,

there would be a plethora of new characters introduced from

the Baltimore Sun, and I wasn?t sure how there introduction

would compliment the story. I?ll admit, after watching the first

two episodes, I was also afraid that these characters may take

up too much camera time from established characters, which

would halt the story development. But, unlike any other The

Wire head, I felt obligated to examine these characters, and

attempt to dissect what Simon was attempting to tell us

through these characters. Now that I?ve had the chance to

watch the last episode, I can say that I feel as if Simon said

what needed to be said about the role of the media in modern

day society.


The Media


Considering that this season focused on the media, I will start

my analysis of the season with this aspect. First of all, my

hate for Scott Templeton parallels with my hate for Vern

Shcilenger from HBO?s OZ. Now I must admit, it is a little cruel

to compare a lying ass reporter to an incarcerated hate

mongering Nazi. Which also parallels with some people?s hate

for McNulty, but McNulty is cool with me, after all, what the

fuck did he do? Besides that whole little serial killer scheme

that I will discuss later. With that said, I knew something was

up with that guy from the first time I laid eyes on him. Maybe

it?s the fact that I?ve been featured in newspapers due to

sports and other things, and that being misquoted is one of the

worst things a journalist can do to an individual. Or maybe it?s

the fact that someone with the responsibility of reporting

credible news will become fiction writers and manufacture

bullshit for their own personal gain. Or maybe it?s the fact that

Scott Templeton embodies everything that is wrong with the

media today. So good acting Tom McCarthy, and screw you

Scott Templeton. I will write more on this later.


The City Editor Gus Haynes is a good dude. I compare him

to The Bunk. He worked his way up the workforce ladder by

doing his job the way it?s supposed to be done, and by doing it

well. There were many other correlations amongst the BPD

and The Baltimore Sun. The police force are encouraged to

juke the stats to make their superior look good, which will

secure everybody?s jobs and keep the money coming in.

Templeton?s unethical practices showed that the writers are

also encouraged to juke the ink, and that everybody is so

afraid of losing their jobs from buyouts, that the superiors are

willing to practice intentional non-observation just so they can

win awards. It really bothered me that in today?s journalistic

world, reporting important news is not imperative. For

example, them choosing to report about a stinking fire over

Omar?s death?A FREAKING FIRE? OK, back to reality, in the

grand scheme of things, I understand that Omar?s death meant

nothing to the majority population. However, the fact that

education was supposed to be the priority topic, and it got

swept under the rug. I guess the guys at The Baltimore Sun

didn?t get a chance to see Season 4, and they are ignorant to

the flaws in the education system. Or maybe they realize that

if the fundamental flaws in inner city education are spoken

about, and reformed, then kids who would choose crime as a

means of survival, may actually have a chance to learn, which

would beget in them actually having a chance to receive higher

education, which would beget in them actually assimilating into

every day Americans, which would beget in less crime, which

would beget in the police force having less work to do, which

would make it impossible for a politician to run a campaign

aimed at stopping crime, which would beget in The Baltimore

Sun having less to write about. Hmm, I guess maybe there is

a method to their madness. Alma receiving her walking

papers, Gus continuing to be frustrated, Scott winning the

Pulitzer, and Bubble?s article written by Mike Fletcher possibly

being ignored when it really examines The Dickensian Aspect,

just really exposes the flaws in the newspapers nation wide.


Michael and Dookie

David Simon has been noted in relaying that in The Wire, the

story takes precedence over the characters, and this season

Simon really told the viewers of the show, Fuck You! You watch

the show for the story not for the characters, by completely

taking out two of the major protagonist in Season Four. I

know I?m not the only one who began the season singing, Oh

randy, Oh Namond, Oh Poot, Oh Bodie (my mistake. R.I.P)

where art thou? I guess Mike and Dookie told Simon, we got

now, we don?t care who got next because they are the last of a

dying breed, that remain relevant in Season 5.

At the end of Season 4, and even the beginning of Season 5, if

you would have told me that Michael wouldn?t be dead, or on

his way to the crown at the end of Season 5, I would have spit

on you, and then called you a gump. All signs pointed to him

and Dookie being the new aged Avon and Stringer. Michael

being the muscle with the testicular fortitude to make things

happen, and DuQuan being the voice of reason who sees

beyond the streets, which appeared to be the perfect

equilibrium of traits needed to not just wear the crown, but

maintain the throne. However, this is The Wire that we?re

talking about. People didn?t want to see Brutus betray Caesar,

people hoped that Hamlet would avenge his father?s death and

live to tell about it, and if that?s too abstract, Bodie thought

that he would be one of them smart pawns on the chessboard

that would make it to the other side. That?s just not reality. I

guess people?s lives have gotten so mundane, that they?ve

become accustomed to using entertainment as an outlet to live

out their dreams through characters that live happily ever

after. But we?re talking about Baltimore, where nobody lives

forever, where tomorrow can truly be the difference of living

or dying, and where Jay-Z?s line, ?"The irony of selling drugs is

sorta like you?re using it/ Guess there?s two sides to what

substance abuse is,?is truly personified.

Michael was probably the most complex character introduced

last season. He was raising his brother, he wouldn?t take any

handouts, it was implied that he was molested, and most

importantly, he got into the game as a victim of circumstance.

As a result, we the viewers got a chance to experience the

modern day evolution of a man of the streets. A boy who was

once on a stoop arguing with his friends about which girl they

were going to court the upcoming school year, became a

seasoned vet of the corner over night, with the aim of Lee

Harvey Oswald (minus the whole grassy nole ordeal), right

before our eyes. William Wordsworth coined the phrase, the

child is the father of the man. Although, we never get

empirical evidence, we know because it is implied that Michael

did not have a normal childhood growing up. He experienced

something?s that will probably prevent him from ever being a

?normal? human being. Yet, that is what has made him who he

is today. You can have some negative things happen to you in

life which would make it hard to function in everyday society,

yet these same qualities which would cause you to be deviant

in normal society, can also make you excel in the game, a

society, and complete different way of life, which is governed

by a set of rules which is vastly different by the everyday

norms that most people abide by. Knowing what I do now, the

ambiguity of Michael?s future is gone. I can recall another

character from The Wire, who was governed by his own set of

rules which differed from societies standardized rules, yet was

admired because in a world where people play God by taking

another person?s life in an instant, this character refused to

cause violence to anyone that hadn?t provoked him, or wasn?t


in the way of him getting what he wanted. This character was


no angel; in fact he was a sociopath, and he didn?t become one

over night. Oh yes indeed, the child is the father of the man.

The child became Omar, and that child became Michael.

I think when I finally realized that Mike could be the next

Omar, was when he was in the back of the whip scooping out

Snoop. That was very reminiscent of Omar. Omar would wait

for hours, and days at a time to examine the stash situation. I

remember in Season 4, he examined Kima, examining Old

Face Andre, and Omar made a statement: You on them, but

patience baby girl.

Michael?s last conversation with Snoop, also made it clear that

Mike was cut from a different ilk than the other dope boys.

You was never one of us. And she was right. Do as you are

told, deserve aint got nothing to dew with it. Mike wasn't

comfortable with just following orders, knowing that his actions

could cause harm to an innocent man. Mike chose to let the

little boy who ran out the back of June Bugs house live. In the

words of the late Omar, he's just a kid.


Mike also saw the drug game, and the lost of street code ruin

many lives, including his mother. As a result, I don't think he

was comfortable being a kingpin and wearing that crown.

Furthermore, he never even wanted to get in the game. Back

when the other hoppers were glorifying the game, Mike just

hustled to get him and his brother school clothes.


He saw the corrupt dealers kill one of his mentors in Bodie. He

saw the corruptness in the system ruin his best friend Randy's

life. Not to mention, he knew what was about to happen to

Duquan. But most importantly, when he did dabble into the

dope game, he was a good soldier. He made money, and he

killed when the time came. Yet, after giving up his child hood

and devoting his life to the game, the people who turned him

into what he became, attempted to kill him. Mike wasn't happy

with the idea that a person could just decide when it was a

person's time to go.

In all honesty, Mike could have been successful at anything he

wanted to be. He's got the stuff that legends are made of.

Unfortunately, Michael has chosen his destiny, as a result, his

fate is already written. Just as Omar took a bullet to the head,

Michael too will fall. I?m sure he?s already come to grips with

that, after all, he already had a bounty on his head. So just as

Omar drifted through the wind, Michael too will keep on living,

one day at a time I suppose. It was implied that once again,

Slim Charles, has pledged allegiance to the crown. With him

and Michael being some of my favorite characters, I?m a little

uneasy knowing that eventually Michael will get a stash, and

have Slim Charles on his ass. I guess in the game, good guys

will kill good guys, but we should all know that the term good

is all relative.


I?m not proud of the fact that substance abuse runs rampant in

my family. I?m also not apologetic about the situation because

it is what it is. With that said, I once had a close family

member of mine say, ?No kid has ever said, when I grow up, I

want to be a crack head.? Although that is a pretty simple

quote, it?s taken precedence amongst the thousands of quotes

that have been engrained within my psyche. Most of us, live in

America, the land of opportunity, where you can be anything

you want to be, if you work had enough. Thousands of

children were born in this country today, and out of those

thousands, some will grow up to be doctors, some teachers,

some lawyers, some will commit to law enforcement, and

unfortunately, some of those children will grow up to be dope

fiends. If you take a stroll through the nation?s worst cities

and examine the fiends, you are looking at the personification

of a shattered dream. We all have dreams that are sometimes

broken. When that happens, some people chose to pick up the

pieces and put the puzzle back together, and others fall victim

to their circumstances and some how manage to let those

broken dreams dictate the remainder of their lives. It?s just

the way the world works. I honestly believe that every single

person in this country has a personal connection to someone

who is a drug addict, and if someone begs to differ, I reassure

him or her that they are wrong, the person they know may be

a functioning drug addict, but an addict they still are.


For everyone who watched season four, which should include

everyone, we all know that from examining Dookie?s family,

he was predisposed to drug addiction. Yet, we all were pulling

for the young man. After all, he had intelligence, he had

loyalty, and he grew up witnessing how drug abuse can affect

a family and how the effect of drug abuse isn?t limited to the

user, but to everyone around him, especially the ones most

vulnerable; the children. Some would argue, probably the

same ones who agree with the concept of Social Darwinism,

that Dookie never had a chance. They will say, it was his

destiny to be a fiend. Nevertheless, I?m positive that many

others would share my view, that it was his environment that

dictated his outcome. Last season we witnessed him being

socially promoted when he had just began to ripe in the

classroom, which ripped him away from his comfort zone,

which caused him to dropout of school. This season we

witnessed him ask Cutty, ?How do you make it from here to

the rest of the world?? after he came to the realization that he

did not have what it takes to make it on the block. The young

man couldn?t fight, he was afraid of guns. It was very

apparent that he detested every quality that was necessary to

survive in the means streets of Baltimore, and for good

reason. We saw compassion in Dookie when he gave the girl

the fan that he repaired after her giving another classmate a

lifelong scar. We saw loyalty when he sacrificed his dignity as

a man by being a caregiver to his best friend?s little brother.

And we saw purity when the young man flinched at the sound

of a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun. It?s a tragedy that one

of the most loyal, pure, good-hearted characters in the show

would be forced to end up in the situation that he did.


Consequently, it makes perfect sense. The traits that made

Dookie special would get him killed in the game, because to

their breed, those traits are a sign of weakness. However,

those same traits that would get him killed in the game would

make him a law-abiding, successful taxpaying citizen, if only

he were put in an environment that was built for him to

succeed.


When he was teaching Mr. Prezbo how to use a computer, and

volunteering to give the answer to math problems, I realized

that he was smart. I predicted that we?d get to see that

intelligence being utilized in a positive way. For those familiar

with David Simon?s miniseries The Corner, which also

premiered on HBO, you all may recall the reformed drug

addict Blue making the statement, ?There aint no job harder in

America than being a dope fiend, because when you wake up

you don?t have a cent in your pocket, but my midday you WILL

have enough money to get high.? They say, no matter what

you are in life, you should strive to be the best in whatever it

is you do. There is no doubt in my mind that Dookie will be a

good dope fiend. We saw Bubbs, stealing someone?s package

with a fishing hook and line, and we saw him and his inner

circle of fiends conjuring up schemes on how to come up with

money to get their blast. I can see that innocent smile flaring

up on Dookie?s face as he comes up with scheme after scheme

on how to make money. When it?s all said and done, he will

have gotten money from Michael, Randy, Cutty, and probably

the most money from Naymond, leaving a trail of fire and

burning bridges, while consistently walking on that trail with

the ultimate destination of self destruction. Yes, he will be

good at what he has chosen to do; it is just unfortunate that he

will be good at something that nobody ever wants to be good

at.


The Final Good Bye

A thug Changes, and love changes, and best friends

become strangers.


I?m still finding difficulty in deciphering Michael and

Dookie?s last scene. I?m very conflicted, because throughout

the whole series, we saw Michael being loyal to one of his best

friends. He could have easily given him money and put him

into a hotel. Yet, the last time we see them together, Michael


drops him off into an alley of destruction. Maybe, Michael felt

as if he was pacifying Dookie, and that holding his hand was

only temporarily keeping Dookie from either fighting or

fleeting. When Dookie started to reminisce of their childhood,

which was only a year ago, Michael said he couldn?t recall

those same memories. Some would argue that Michael did in

fact remember those events, but kept them inside because he

knew that he had lost his childhood, and those rather innocent

moments were a thing of the past. Aint no nostalgia to this

shit right here. However, some would argue that Michael

really had lost all of his innocence through the game, and

through all of the things that and we seen happen on and other

things that happened off the screen, made him forget that he

was once a child. Either way it goes, when Michael told Dookie

that he didn?t remember, it was very apparent that Dookie

realized that Michael wasn?t the same, and that it had come to

a point where the man you once shared a home with, would

later look at you as if he didn?t know you. Like I said, I?m still

trying to decipher exactly what happened in that scene, but

one thing that I do realize is that Michael was about to enter a

world where an inner-circle of weakness would hinder your

development in the street, and likely get you killed.


When they were all saying their goodbyes, one thing that

stood out to me was that this scene was the first time we saw

Bug and Michael interact. Michael had sacrificed his life in

order for his brother to survive; yet his choice had really taken

his brother away from him. There was no physical contact

between Bug and Michael. Michael told him to hold back his

tears, and to keep himself straight. This was very eerie

because this could have been the last time that Michael would

see his brother. Conversely, it seemed like it was harder for

Dookie to say goodbye to Bug than it was to Michael. Although

it shouldn?t be that way, it makes sense. Dookie once

explained to Michael that he had an issue with being a nanny,

yet that?s what he ended up being. He was Mr. Mom. He

cared for Bug like nobody ever cared for him, and with the

final hug, we the viewers got a chance to witness that the

cliché phrase, blood is thicker than water, isn?t always true.



Mr. Prezbo


I wish that I had more to write about Mr. Roland Prezbolewski,

however, his one scene spoke volumes about his development

as an inner-city teacher, and the importance of not becoming

too attached to students. While waiting for Mr. Prezbo, I

couldn?t help but shake my head at seeing the maroon shirted

youngin? shaking down the bush to get his blade. I?m sure

Dookie thought to himself, ?some things never change.? When

Mr. Prezbo was finally reintroduced to the screen, I couldn?t

help laugh at the young guy snatching the sandwich from his

friend while screaming out, Snatch Box! I remember that from

The Corner, and I also remember a young Sydnor screaming

that out shortly before catching an ass whipping. I guess it?s a

Baltimore thing, and I?m glad that never was big in my part of

town, because I?m positive that I would have given away a few

beatings myself. I was also surprised by the beard that he

had on screen, because it wasn?t something I was used to

seeing. This may be a reach, but to me, his beard

represented his transition from being a Baltimore Police

Officer, to being an authority figure to students who will always

challenge him. His beard represented growth, transition, and

resilience.

I remember when the principal at Edward Tillman told Roland

that he couldn?t become too attached to the students, because

there will be more to follow the others past, and they are going

to need that same help and attention. This right here

demonstrates that no matter what line of profession you are

in, it?s hard to leave work issues at work.


I think we all knew that there was no way in hell that Dookie

was going to get a place to live for $150.00. And it was

apparent that Mr. Prez had his doubts as well. This scene

demonstrated too very important things to me. For one, when

you are addicted to a powerful substance, you will betray the

very same person who looked out for you when everyone else

treated you as subhuman. Also, love can be a powerful thing,

so powerful that you do things that go against your better

judgment. Prez loved Dookie, so even though inside he knew

what was going to happen, he gave.


Marlo Stanfield


You know better than that Joe, you?ll be back to mischief in no

time. You can?t change up either more than I can.


Marlo, the young ambitious man from West Baltimore who

stood in the shadows for years and decided that it was his time

to wear the notorious crown. The young smooth young man

with the scar on his face was hard to read at times. He proved

that he could do the work himself, and did his fair share of

work before he ever came on the scene. Not much is said

about the young Marlo before we knew of him, but it?s obvious

to tell that this street savy dude is very insecure. He prides

himself on his name and what it stands for.


At the end of the series, we finally get to see Mr. Stanfield get

rattled, yet he manages to remain his cool, and stand tall at

the end. Many will argue that Marlo is out of the game for

good and will be a legit businessman. However, let me remind

you all, not too long ago, Marlo did not even understand how a

bank operates. He knew everything about the street, but one

step outside of the block he was a man lacking fundamental

principles needed to function in the real world. As a result, I

do not see Mr. Stanfield making the transition into the real

world. We all know that Marlo is used to being his own boss

and doing things his own way. If Prop Joe, a hustler from the

eastside could manipulate him, I know for a fact, that the suits

involved in the harbor development that Mr. Levy warned him

about will indeed bleed Marlo dry. This will lead him going

back to his roots, what is in his blood, and the one thing that

he knows how to succeed in well.


The last scene we see Marlo in personifies this. Marlo, feeling

uncomfortable in a different environment, goes back to what

he knows well, the corner. Nobody ever knew what Marlo


looked like, in fact, the first time Avon saw him was in his

court date. Therefore, it was no surprise that when Marlo

walked up on the two corner boys as they were discussing the

legend Omar?s death, that they didn?t recognize him. Without

thinking, Marlo shows the macho bravado that has made him

he is, and acts instinctively when the young men try to shoot

him. They run away, and Marlo stands on their corner with his

chest out. He then licks his blood from a stab wound that

demonstrated that the game is indeed in his veins. It?s

impossible to leave a world that?s made you who you are, and

this is why I believe that Marlo will indeed get back involved in

the world that only leads to death or incarceration. He was

lucky to escape, but the allure is too strong. It?s all in the

game.

The legend of Omar.

Heroes are remembered, but legends never die
To be continued?



Travis Thompson
travisreal@aol.com
(Contact for Further Info)