Black Sheep Boogaloo: A Critique & Analysis Of The Wire Season 5

[@franciscoygnacio9331]

Ha, yes a 1 hour long essay on a television show i have never seen.

[@EddyTheMartian]

Definitely watch it, it’s probably the greatest show of all time

[@98kartik]

watch it cisco!

[@prolifik5]

Inconceivable!

[@mitchellpicariello8011]

You’re in for the greatest ride of your life

[@deadchanneldontwatch7347]

@@EddyTheMartian not really feeling season 1 tbh it has good scenes but thats it guess thats what happens to most shows during its first season right? breaking bad , the sopranos maybe better call saul

[@MicaelSG23]

One of the funniest moments of the entire series belongs to season 5: It's when McNulty goes to Quantico to do a profile on his fake serial killer , and the FBI actualy profiles him. I always laugh hard when I watch that.

[@kidd32888]

It was telegraphed as soon as they mentioned they have to go for profiling

[@jonerikson5925]

You just see McNulty shift in his chair a little bit like " play it cool"

[@theystoleitfromus]

Funny mixed messages about that place, though - one of their highest-profile collars was simply handed to them and yet their psych eval is more accurate than even they realise.

[@tallen996]

He describe a Scorpio fr 😂

[@bastardjokemen8518]

“They’re in the ballpark.”

[@simonesalvatore9345]

53:34 - Given Michael K. Williams’ untimely passing, Omar’s death now seems bitterly ironic; a king brought down at the most random, inexplicable time possible. RIP to a legend :( 👑

[@yusefinc1096]

RIP 🙏🏿 just found out now. Wow. He was a great man and actor.

[@Bwoodlyy]

Fuck. What a king.

[@BoleDaPole]

Last year we lost Lance Riddick as well, dude was a unit and died at just 60 years old. 🙏

[@jrivers5164]

Personally I still really enjoy season five of The Wire, despite being not as good as other seasons (although still being as you said pretty good). The fact that it actually had a satisfying conclusion compared to other shows (looking at you GOT) is saying something, and makes it stand tall above the rest.

[@Carpet_Carp]

If anything, it is definitely the funniest season. The dynamic between Bunk and Jimmy is just priceless. Also, Dominic West shows some real comedic skills with McNulty's borderline crazy facial expressions during most of it. But I also think it would have been much better with 3 more episodes. Overall, the main plot didn't have enough time to breathe. The "serial killer" was built up too fast and we didn't get a chance to dive deeper in the personalities of the journalists.

[@MelGibsonFan]

What I’ve grown to appreciate is the way the show (especially the 5th season) handled moral ambiguity. It showed how systems can be structured in ways that incentivize dishonesty, even if it’s just to secure financial stability for a newspaper or police department.

[@ck891]

I’d agree with that. Another list of great endings -- The Wire Mad Men Six Feet Under BoJack Horseman Sopranos Avatar Oz

[@StoutProper]

Yeah I think they just decided to be a bit self indulgent and have fun with it because it was the last one and they were feeling nostalgic and hell, why not

[@StoutProper]

@@ck891 sopranos a was a classic ending

[@buhdahwee]

I think you missed something integral about Scott's character. The idea of the new generation having "no code" and having no respect is a sentiment that permeated the streets and the police department and also the newsroom. Hence Scott's disdain for the older generation of journalists and his blind ambition... which also ties into the whole part of the story of the newsroom downsizing because of digital. Great video though! Well executed

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Woah, I had no idea season 5 was maligned by fans of the show. As someone who studied journalism at the time, watching season 5’s depiction of a newsroom setting, and how stories can spin out of control of scope and content, seemed very organic and true-to-life for me. Season 5 is a contender for my favorite. I’m just now learning it has a reputation.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

Didn't you find the whole "fake serial killer" idea a stretch? I realize you could argue it was something Jimmy MIGHT do, but no way was it compatible with Lester's established character (I just finished a full rewatch)

[@gps9715]

Same here. Season 5 was my favorite, albeit by a slim margin. And the newsroom with Gus was absolutely some of the best parts imo. So yeah, I agree more with you than the majority of fans apparently.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

@@drog.ndtrax3023 that's not unusual lol

[@mariosargiropoulos1715]

@@drog.ndtrax3023 If you’re talking about the smiley face murder theory, that’s not even close to the same thing, dude. The Smiley Face theory was a theory put forth by a couple retired cops in an attempt to cash in on unsolved murders. They theorized bodies found in a river were actually killed by a cult. Even though there was zero evidence for this. It was just Satanic Panic bullshit. That’s very different than an officer manipulating dead bodies in order to fabricate a serial killer. McNulty was breaking the law with his actions. These retired cops were just trying to get famous with a crazy theory. They weren’t breaking any laws. Add that Lester went for this bullshit, which was so out of character, and it was indeed ridiculous.

[@AdaptiveApeHybrid]

It was the serial killer shit and the rushed crime elements that kinda ruin it for me

[@ejnarsorensen2920]

The writing and execution of season 5 is still better than nearly every show on tv the past couple of years (I can only think of Better Call Saul). When I've gone back to rewatch the show, I've still seen it the whole way through and enjoyed it. I think the ending is fairly appropriate. Really pessimistic and saying nothing ever really changes.

[@EddyTheMartian]

Next best show after Better Call Saul right now is probably Succession, in particular Season 2.

[@afrobuddy4801]

You are not watching a lot of shows then. You are telling me season 5 of the wire is better than Dark?

[@ejnarsorensen2920]

Yes Dark, that is really good too. I think I was hiatus from that because I couldn't get the subtitles to work for some reason. The problem I found with Succession is that every character is an awful person, and yet I just get the feeling they're all going to be ok. Also, they're too like the real life Murdochs for comfort.

[@afrobuddy4801]

@@Burbankk lol season 1 is almost as good as season 2. And season 2 has characters from season 1

[@NeverSaySandwich1]

What about the leftovers?

[@Adamas7]

There was absolutely no way the criminals of Baltimore ever stood a chance against the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

[@jamesparkerlangston3342]

My first watch through, season 5 felt off. It seemed like the world went off the rails. But the second, third, etc times I’ve gone back to it I’ve interpreted it as an absurdist piece. Like David Simon is saying, “our world is fucking ridiculous. We put these systems in place and they’ve gone so far beyond our control we can barely recognize the world we’ve all blindly built and no matter how hard we each individually struggle we’re never going to be free of the Game.”

[@curranfrank2854]

I don't really think it's even that absurd, most of the season's plots remained pretty well put together and smart, with some inevitable decline in quality because of David Burns leaving. It's only the serial killer plot, and even then the plot makes sense from a character perspective, it's just not up to the Wire's level of realism.

[@KtotheG]

All the pieces matter.. Season 5 shows how the print media is complicit in society's disregard for the poor and forgotten.

[@crazyrabbits]

@@KtotheG - Which, quite frankly, wasn't that interesting. Most of what we needed or wanted to know about the media in the city (budget cutbacks, snarkiness at not being let in on certain scoops) was covered enough in the previous seasons. Speaking as someone in the media, the newsroom characters in Season 5 were all caricatures of the highest order. The only thing that plotline got right was in Gus Haynes' intro scene, where he wakes up in the middle of the night panicking because he thought he missed something that was going in the early edition.

[@KtotheG]

@@crazyrabbits David Simon worked at the Baltimore Sun as a journalist for several years. I guess he was just pulling things out of his buttocks, huh?

[@RGC-gn2nm]

Retired police. The Wire is the best depiction of the internal workings of our inner city systems. Especially how one decision can butterfly effect years later.

[@merakibox6835]

I didn’t believe Omar’s jump from the 5th floor either. Until I saw it was based on the true story of Donnie Andrews. It does serve a great juxtaposition to Omar’s death. You’ve provided great commentary!

[@SofaKingShit]

Apparently the real life fall was actually from even higher up, they had to tone it down to still keep it at least somewhat believable. The thing though is that usually a fall or jump from even two stories will result in smashed heels which can take years to properly heal, so guaranteed the guy was limping around in pain while still doing stick ups. The people who can endure the most pain and keep walking usually heal the best so. Luckily for me l had dogs in an apartment when l broke mine (also running from some violent folks) so l simply had to walk but at the start of the process but l sometimes had to cry a little from the intensity of the discomfort. Still get stiff heels on cold days.

[@kurasai6009]

It's said that Donnie jumped from a higher floor but they decided against it since it would be too unbelievable

[@merakibox6835]

@@kurasai6009 Wow! They built different out BMore. lol

[@paulkenny105]

WRT the death of Omar there is a wonderful moment in the newspaper room where Gus has to decide whether to put a story in about a fire or a homicide (Omar) and goes with the fire Showing the disconnect between the news people and the street where Omar’s death is a huge event

[@giljawetz5279]

Great take. I mostly feel that the issue was that it was too rushed. 3 more hours and it could have been fleshed put properly. Love the take on Omar’s demise, which I think was brilliant. One other detail was how his death got passed over for coverage by the newspaper. Gus knew Joe but Omar’s legend was 100% on the street.

[@VladimirPutin-p3t]

David Simon said in an interview that if they had more time, he would not have spent it on closing any existing threads, he was going to use it to spend time on the relationship between cheese and his son.

[@ndogg20]

Season 5 was brilliant and haunting. As one by one all the people we've come to know are gone or replaced. All they had worked for disappears as if they never existed in the first place. Then the whole nightmare begins again.

[@jonny-b4954]

Life moves on. Places, in general, remain, and we get swapped in and out. Like substitutions in a ball game. Just think that multiple generations have grown up and moved out of the neighborhood I grew up in. Seemed like we owned that neighborhood as meddling kids. But it meant nothing. Really, nothing any of us do will have much of any lasting impact or real meaning to it

[@jeffcherubin9073]

First and foremost, rest in peace to Michael K. Williams who played Omar Little. Like I watched this hours before the news of his death came public. At least this video did him some justice,

[@dernthehermit3541]

I found it easy to ignore the stretch of McNulty's wild ridiculous plan because it did something amazing for his character: It made him one of the bosses, the bosses that he's complained about for years and years. It necessitated a contrivance to put him in that position, but when he got his hands on some authority, some power, the ability to commit resources and make or break cases on a whim, he essentially became a boss... and he couldn't hack it. That's why the plot is ostensibly resolved so quickly at the end... because it wasn't about the fake serial killer, it was about McNulty finally, finally eating a slice of humble pie.

[@petewerehere]

Omar stood out as a larger than life figure in a show that consistently reminds us just how small a life is, or even the totality of the lives of an entire cast of characters are, when set against the monumental institutions out there in the world. Despite that, he was someone who could always cut them down to size. He was optimistic and hopeful in that way for the audience. But by the time of his death, he was tired. No matter how exceptional (seemingly supernatural) a person may be, they can't keep the fight up forever. The system chews them up and spits them out, eventually. I don't think Omar's guard was down just for that moment; it was down because he couldn't hold it up any longer. He had given everything he had to live his life by his principles, until there was nothing left in him. The freshest iteration of the system could finally rid itself of him in its efforts to move on and keep up the status quo. But, it can't wipe his legend from the streets. His name lingers on. A fitting end for the King.

[@olzhas1one755]

You come at The King, you best not miss.

[@brigitterichardson5630]

Well said.

[@8Tarkus8]

I believe the main reason that caused his demise in that particular instance is that he always seemed to underestimate kids. He lowered the guard in that moment, despite seeing his killer coming in the store, and got punished by it

[@ReallyGoodandKind]

Omar Comin’!!! RIP To the king A mans gots to have a code.

[@manaulhoque6507]

R.I.P Michael K Williams

[@dwc1964]

I remember when _The Wire_ first came on. A lot of people say it took them to episode 4 before they really got into it. Not me. They had me with the cold open. While the sad story of Snot Boogie had nothing at all to do with the rest of the show save to introduce us to McNulty, it summed the whole thing up. "This is America, man." cue the Blind Boys of Alabama's version of "Way Down in the Hole" and I am _all in._ Season 5 was a letdown to me, and this video addresses the reasons why in ascending order perfectly: The rise and fall of Marlo was seriously undercooked, as well explained in the video, to which I have nothing to add. With the newsroom story, when I first watched it, it felt like David Simon was way too close to the story he was telling, with an obvious author-insert and worst of all, an actual _bad guy_ who lacked only a moustache to twirl. The contrast between that bit of characterization and the way he drew every other character (even Rawls!) throughout the rest of the series was jarring. And you totally hit the nail on the head with the fake serial killer plot - not only was it outlandish in a way that Hamsterdam didn't hit, but what really broke me was when _Lester Freamon_ went all-in on it. Bunk's reaction is highlighted here, but my sentiments were best expressed by Kima after the whole thing came crashing down. Her deep, baffled disappointment mirrored my own. Omar's arc through the season was a straight-up tragedy. It started with his happy ending, retired in Florida. The thing that grabbed me most there was hearing the neighborhood kids shouting out "Omar coming!" but instead of running away in fear as was always the case in Baltimore, they're running _toward_ him with joy. I wanted nothing more for Omar than to let him live out the rest of his days just like that. Then, just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in. And in the end, it's one of those kids who drops him, out of nowhere. After that, and all the other tragedy in the series, I _needed_ Bubbles's redemption arc. I'd only recently at the time discovered Steve Earle's music (his song "Jerusalem" on the album of the same name is close to my heart) and while I liked his Obi-wan here well enough it was sadly as undercooked as the rest of the season. But that ending was not just great, it was _necessary._ Season 5 of _The Wire_ is nowhere near as big a letdown to me as Seasons 7-8 of _Game of Thrones_ or _Battlestar Galactica_ basically after they left New Caprica. I hadn't considered the possibility that its flaws are actually a meta-commentary on itself and the inherent limitations of its medium. (The _Dexter_ callout was cringingly too on-the-nose for me, though I did lol.) I think that's perhaps a too-charitable take. But it's still _The Wire_ and, flawed as it is, all the pieces matter.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

I needed like 5 restarts because I always have a hard time getting into a new show and distinguishing the characters and The Wire made all that even harder... glad I did tho

[@Tadaia]

Great post!

[@rainbowthegod]

I dont think omar went to florida.. in a scene with his gay portorican boyfriend, omar was talking to all the little kids in spanish pretty sure he was in a island in pr or dr somewhere with his spanish lover. As for marlo I felt like it ended perfectly. His downfall was fast and rushed but his last scene was perfect. He ina suit cant comprehend what's going on in the room similar to stringer bell with clay davis. So he walks out of the building to the street which he knows best and what does he hear? Two street dudes talking about the legend of a gay stick up man and biggest rival to marlo other than barksdale..... omar little.. he approaches ask if they kno who he is which ofcourse they dont... this is when marlo realizes he had the game by the balls but his name would never be as famous as Omar's which he didnt like. Almost gets killed all to be recognized..... meanwhile he shouldnof been in the meeting being recognized by the people with money but that wasnt his lane. Then you see his adrenaline rush as he realizes he was cut in the process before they tried to shoot him. Lmao sometimes we value the opinion of the wrong people. He had the way out but all he knew was being involved in bulshit. Similar to what common folk go through all the time.. wanting to do better but only knowing what they know... bad.

[@siphillis]

I do go back and forth over whether "The Sopranos" or "The Wire" is the king of television writing, as they aren't remotely easy to compare. One point heavily in "Sopranos'" favor is that it ends on one of its strongest seasons, and with a particularly superb stretch of episodes. "The Wire" twists its ankle in the last 20 yards and limps across the finish line pretending it meant to do that.

[@00_00.1]

I agree the wire and sopranos are very different shows, I've always considered the wire to be 100% realism and I believe the creators described it as a tragedy. Whereas the sopranos is a dark comedy with a psychology overtone and "a show about america"

[@esteboi3858]

bit dramatic if you ask me, wire puts its themes in its sleeves in terms of what makes it so great. the show as a whole is just one commentary after another on the “american city” of sorts, season 5 is absolutely janky but still remains thematically in fact just like any other season

[@christianfreed]

"...be just a little slow, a little late. How you ain't never gonna be slow? Ain't never gonna be late?" -Avon I'm surprised this wasn't brought up as a theme for when Omar is shot by Kenard. After surviving through shootouts, battles with all the big bads, as well as spiderman shit. Omar let his guard down for just a moment. He was a little slow. Once. A little late once. "You can't plan for this shit man. Thats life"

[@Bwoodlyy]

Seriously man thank you for this. Literally just finished my first watch of The Wire this week and I’ve been trying to figure out why I thought the show was an absolute masterpiece even though it fizzles out in it’s final season. You said everything that needed to be said about the final season. When the 5th season is on point it is truly on point but I loved how you ended it on a bittersweet note, like the show. They couldn’t ever have a completely fulfilling ending because of the absolutely biblical content they produced before and they definitely knew that going in. They didn’t do wrong by any character and at worst I was just bored by the newsroom stuff. The show is still a masterpiece and season 4 is probably the best season of tv ever produced. Again, thank you for this.

[@PDog69]

Man, you had me searching the channel for the ""critique"" of other seasons of The Wire before clicking this one 😁 yes, I was going to watch them all 🥊🕹🎮

[@whitleypedia]

depicting journalists as desperate dirtbags is the most honest thing about the most honest show on TV

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

Most journalists work long hours for low pay to keep their communities informed. Please don't give in to cynical talking points about the press.

[@StoutProper]

And politicians

[@Badmanpuntbaxter]

@@tommylakindasorta3068 90% of this God damn country works long hours for low pay and they manage to not manipulate the truth to serve corporations or whoever the highest bidder happens to be. Please save your sob stories.

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

@@Badmanpuntbaxter Again, you're just regurgitating right-wing talking points. I've been a reporter for over 20 years and nowhere I've ever worked has done any of the things you're claiming.

[@Cheese23145]

@@tommylakindasorta3068 genius orange, didn’t claim anything what are you talking about?

[@hanswurst5222]

i was moved to tears when i first saw bubbles ending. imo the character bubbles is overall one of the best performances in the show

[@palico004]

I always thought the 'he'll just keep coming back' line meant that the Greeks were impressed with Marlo's hustle and wanted someone hungry like him in place of Joe.

[@yannbancillon4321]

Best tv show + best youtube channel = perfection

[@Jamaleum]

I really hope you read this: I love when a video makes me mad that this is not a straight dialogue with my chance to oppose a well-structured argument I disagree with. It's a minor thing I want to disagree with now concerning the connection of the different plot elements in S5, cause I feel like that was masterfully done here. Mainly I want to say that Dukies and Michaels fates were heavily connected to the rest of the plot. If McNulty and Freemon didn't have to lie about their source on the papers, Marlo and his crew would have never suspected Mike. He wouldn't have to kill Snoop and both wouldn't end up in the paths they ended up in. It even connects to Bunk builiding up his murder case since he took Mike off the street which raised suspicion towards him.

[@beaudozier7474]

This was more like a meta statement about how in order for their show “the wire” to get the juice it deserved, it would have have to have ridiculous fantastical elements like that of a Dexter. Which they do show in the wire. Subtle yes now you are saying what m saying. Crazy

[@Theynotlikeus2024]

The Wire is a country mile ahead of anything else I've seen on television, but season 5 has always felt like a come down... I put it down to being a hangover from a "perfect" season 4, but your reasoning is excellent and nuanced. Well done 👏👍

[@prajwaljayaraj5887]

Well, I must say I had a different interpretation of the story arcs. I believed that Scott's story arc was a metaphor for where the media industry was heading and what print journalism has to do to stay afloat. Essentially talking about the compromise that news publications had to make to stay afloat. They wanted something sensational that would sell well rather than something educational that would inform people. And Templeton represents the same mindset that Burell, Carcetii, and other poltically minded characters reprsented, he cared about the prestige that comes with his career, not the quality of it. I've seen bitches like Scott all across school. As for Marlo I guess, Prop Joe saw the use in Marlo and wanted to groom him to be his partner and eventually his pawn, but Joe represents a different generation of the game, one that valued fraternity, honesty and integrity, when a favour was done, you pay it back, there are rules to be followed he assumed Marlo had also internalized these values, but as Colvin and Weebey pointed out, the game's changed . Whereas Marlo represented the ruthless competitive nature of capitalist ambition, he's the new king on the block, and he wanted the crown all to himself, whatever that cost might be. As for the Greeks, I don't think they were scared I think they just didn't care as to what would happend to Joe and not warning Joe is in line with their code of not getting involved with the streets. And when Joe was gone, they shrugged and sold to Marlo since he had the cash. But yeah, the Greek's season 5 plotline felt odd.

[@meu02136]

Ironic that there’s a chapter “the death of a king”, video published just a few days ago. Rip Michael.

[@nickm8874]

Apt, isn’t it? The opposite of ironic

[@mutt8553]

Just recently rewatched season 5. This timing couldn’t be better

[@BubblegumCrash332]

That's some Spider Man shit right there

[@TheStarryNightLife]

I paused at minute 4 when you say fans disappointed with s5 might have a hard time saying why. Since I am one of those fans, here's my quick notes before I watch your analysis: The characters get fantastical. Omar always toed this line and the result was refreshing levity, but s5 stretches his limits. McNulty turns into Dexter, surrounded incompetent police. Snoop and her sidekick are bad ass but cartoonish. And Marlo's psychopathy makes his character seem less rich and relatable than every other. As for the story, the institution of journalism is romanced like no other institution. This bygone golden era sentimentality seemed shockingly naive compared to the grounded exploration of police, crime, unions, politicians, and schools.

[@comeatmebro8120]

I would mostly agree with you but to me Marlo has always been at the very least sociopathic. I didn't see a change in his personality in the final season that felt different compared to the previous seasons

[@SethHMG]

I dig this. I’ll offer my $0.02 in the same vein: 1. This season followed two of the best seasons of television EVER. They were high water marks. 2. Print media was in steep decline in the 08, and maybe that as the focus lacked some of the impact (especially w younger viewers) than the focus of previous seasons. 3. Sticking a landing is always difficult. 4. There were a lot of small “battles” in season 5 vs earlier seasons having a few big “battles”. Didn’t have as big of a “payoff”. That’s off top of my head. Haven’t seen season 5 in probably 5+ years. Parts of 4-5 blend together.

[@ThirteenAmp]

I honestly don't think the actor that played Marlo could act very well and that's why his character doesn't seem to have the depth of others, the character was pretty one sided and the actor only had 1 way of acting so the whole of the character felt shallow

[@TheStarryNightLife]

@@comeatmebro8120 you're right say this. I'm rewatching the show after years. Marlo is introduced at the beginning of season 3. Lol, I thought he came into the show way later

[@comeatmebro8120]

@@ThirteenAmp Really? Go back and watch the "my name is my name" scene again. I think Marlo's role was acted to perfection. He was supposed to be cold, heartless, and emotionless

[@RoughRunnerAce98]

Man, the part about the show being dense really got to me... I think this show broke me. I can't really enjoy any new show or movie I watch because I feel like nothing compares to the writing in The Wire but I've never been able to articulate it other than "the writing is just better", as if I know what I'm talking about. I'm not a very big media person in general, I haven't watched many movies and don't really enjoy most that I watch with family cause they are mainly super hero or action genres... But when you said the writing in The Wire was dense and efficient, now I understand why I lose interest in most media I try to watch. This along with the social commentary The Wire makes, and the intricacy of the story threads themselves makes this show amazing. I just can't get through other shows that try to be serious in tone, I don't know how to overcome this mental block and learn to enjoy other media... It really is a problem for me as now I can only really enjoy watching old media I already watched that makes me nostalgic, or I just rewatch The Wire seasons when I get fed up with new things... I think I need help lol...

[@manzell]

I think Season 5's problem is that fantasticism of the Fake Serial Killer thread. One of the things that made The Wire so great was that what was happening was so banal, so common, things we all saw everyday but didn't find notable. It was "regular life". A Fake Killer Hoax was weird, bombastic, from-tv-land.

[@ziggystardust457]

Thank you for doing Williams justice. Omar forever. 💙

[@benjamins2458]

I don't think a homicide detective would necessarily have known the thing about being unable to determine whether a particular injury was post-mortem. This is a very particular piece of information, which you wouldn't come into contact with very often. I'd seen many forensic autopsies before watching the show, and didn't know this.

[@ThirteenAmp]

I thought the way that Jimmy learns that was clever, the other cop arguing that the medics had to pull him out from being wedged and it's not a murder, so we all get the information and it feels natural

[@liquidgeorge]

06:40 - You are so right on this point. The Wire is the only show I have seen where I would finish a season and think "I wish this had twice as many episodes." instead of the usual "They could have cut this season by 5 episodes."

[@jpeg204]

When it comes to Templeton, I feel that his character works, because a lot of the storylines in the Wire show how the broken systems and institutions will often push good men to do bad things, that shows how the systems manufacture the “bad apples”. But with Scott he was a bad apple off the bat, he was just a huge asshole, yet the institute took his side, instead of making him a victim to the institution, they simply show how easily he was accepted in the institution, the institution chose the bad apple over the good one because it benefited them, the system didn’t even need to groom or corrupt him into being that way like how Frank or Carcetti were. Making him an empathetic character would’ve diminished the point and made his story feel too similar to the arcs of other characters in the show.

[@nickholm]

came for a gale boddiker reference, left happy

[@defenstrator4660]

I didn't mind them getting away with the crime. It seemed to fir perfectly with the theme of the show, that everyone was willing to get their hands dirty to keep themselves safe, and that the corruption of the system was such that bad things done for good ends couldn't be properly punished.

[@TheFrogEnjoyer]

I've been looking forward to this

[@macalloway1]

The analysis of the scott Templeton plot line is spot on. Without knowing anything about the instances false reporting being utilized by Baltimore area news papers you could see immediately that scott was a representation of a particular person that someone in the shows production wanted to make a statement about. His primary purpose was not to expose that type of person but to expose and bash that specific person. David Simon's strength as a writer lies in his ability to create characters that are amalgams of certain types of real people while making them feel authentic despite having traits taken from multiple people's personality's. The drawback of this being that when he does write a one to one character base solely on a single person it sticks out because in comparison they don't seem very well rounded. (And by the way some people aren't very well rounded)It also undermines Simon's assertion that he/"they" killed Stringer to serve the plot over the individual characters. Scott Templeton is clearly a case of the plot serving the character. I'm fine with making a statement about the rewarding of bad actors in society 's various systems base on a personal experience. Just don't tell me that his personal issues with one particular situation didn't take priority over the themes previously express in the show.

[@stupidrules1000]

"With the fine ass Shardine at home." This is the most cogent analysis of anything ever. The saddest part of the wire is that it is pretty much the last time we see Shardine (who ever plays her), in anything. She was fine AF.

[@frederikklarname149]

I have watched the whole series several times. I have never really engaged in or just read through the discourse about the series very much. I didn't know the last season was looked at in this way. It's a great season.

[@Al-ji4gd]

No, it's not.

[@33sugee]

Gus Haynes is such a good character. True to the game to his own fault.

[@michaelmidnite645oh3]

As crazy as it sounds, "Hamsterdam" does exist but it's called Kensington, a section of North Philly.

[@devil_pls]

I still ADORE every piece and bit of this Show. Every Episode is close to perfect to me. That being said you are right with allot of your critisism. The last season might actually not be the strongest season. In the end its funny how that doesn't really say that much in the grand scheme of things since its still leagues and leagues above practically every other Tv Show out there. Atleast in my opinion. Really enjoyed the Video man!

[@elaineandjohn9599]

Dang that’s some excellent analysis. Best take we’ve heard to put the season in context. You have shown how and why all the pieces matter.

[@phatnana2379]

In my opinion, what sets The Wire apart from other shows in terms of narrative complexity, characters, and scope is the writing... Besides the writing being great in general, more specifically, I mean the the type of writers the show had. The Wire's writers didn't only have real-life experience as Baltimore law enforcement, politicians, or journalists, most of the writers were authors rather than being writers of film and television. I feel like that is what made the show so good at setup/payoff and telling a complex and cohesive story over a longer period of time! In turn, it helps at fleshing out characters and world building, making the scope of the story seem HUGE

[@SKPanda1915]

Ed Burns' story was told from Season 1-4 like you stated, from BPD and the drug rings to the public schools. Season 5 was David Simons story to tell. He told his experiences while working at the Baltimore Sun(?) and i think Gus is supposed to be David Simon.

[@charlespirate1]

I found Gus Haynes a bit 2D. Didn’t have time to develop layers. Just relentlessly righteous.

[@ajanisgreat]

Another great video. Thank you for giving me so many things to watch and listen to while I'm hiding in the bathroom from my kids. You da man🖖🏿

[@southbynortheast]

Great video! A lot of people in the comments still have their problem with S5, which is fine. I really enjoyed your take and break-down of the season, it showed some things in a new light that I had not considered. All the pieces matter.

[@jeffcherubin9073]

This is what another great video by Mac and another reminder of how these long video essays has shaped me personally in my own writing. My favorite part of the video was how you pointed out the flaws in Marlo's storyline. I had to rewind a few times at this part because it was so influential and reminded me how to carefully perfect a storyline without rearing its ugly head.

[@caseyhart4999]

I have a feeling it’s possible Scott Templeton May have been based however loosely on someone David Simon had bad experiences with in the news room of the Baltimore Sun. Who knows lol but I think a message that can be gleaned from it is that not everyone is as morally grey as a character like mcnulty or carcetti but rather that in the real world you may sometimes find people who are genuinely a piece of shit like Scott templeton

[@caseyhart4999]

I left the original comment about halfway through the video and now see he is addressing the issue lol

[@Dan1elAndrade]

And most importantly people who genuinely are pieces of shit, but do not give "asshole vibes". Scott is an asshole through and through, however the first time you see him the only thing you can think of is that he's a goodie two shoes.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

It was a guy named Jim Haner who worked for the Sun

[@cyreekcyreek2329]

Agreed. I also never felt there was a lack of motive for what Scott did. Money and fame go a long way.

[@emiliodelbozo3155]

Problem is that people wanted every single character to be so complex to be "realistic". Some people are just simple!

[@Ahmedkhan8802]

I (and anyone who knows me) regard myself as the nation's number one unabashed, hopelessly addicted Wirefreak. With that as a backdrop I have to give you the highest praise for this critique. As Stringer and McNulty would say, "Nicely done." My personal favorite episode is Season Two. Season Five would be my least, but over time my assessment of S5 improved, and I regard all the seasons as superb. Again thank you for this critique - I'm glad I came across it.

[@dominictemple]

Thanks for this, I've been looking for an essay on the Wire for a while since my most recent rewatch and this really scratched that itch, excellent work.

[@legzdiamond2356]

Season five was like a kind of retrospective documentary of the last four - far superior - seasons.

[@chestbuster1987]

A very fair and well thought-out analysis. Top notch work!

[@brankoburcksen]

Thanks so much for doing an excellent analysis of one of my all time favorite shows! Since you really dug into the density and build up from the writing, it made me think you should do an analysis of Dark on Netflix. That show is so meticulous in its development it is downright jaw dropping, and a prime example of the freedom for storytelling that streaming allows. Not to mention, the creators have a new series, 1899, just around the corner. I'm very excited to see what they can pull off with their sophomore outing with even more freedom and a grander narrative.

[@neloangelo702]

Please do this Mac, Dark is amazing

[@fr0nzp]

Great analysis. I particularly agree with the flanderization of Prop Joe and the Greeks - they deserved a lot better after the previous seasons. Still love season five though.

[@serpentingestor3]

Just finished Season 5 today and had a blast but it did feel rushed. Thank you for putting into words what so many of us felt. Absolute banger of an analysis.

[@arthurfortes8398]

The video about the "The Wire" I was warned by Macabre Storytelling itself finally came. lol

[@asap.6283]

You finally did your Wire analysis. An hour worth viewing

[@ewetwentythree]

Season 5 of this show is probably the most invested I've ever been in a piece of media. Every day I was wondering what would happen next, how far will McNultys lies go? How will Omars story end? What is the shows finale building to? On an emotional level, this show poisoned my water supply, burned my crops, and delivered a plague onto my house. An absolute masterpiece, Season 5 is powerful enough that I only like it less because I was invested enough in the characters to feel bad for how they ended up, it's a show almost too good for me to handle. I love it, hate it, and everything in-between. 10/10 video and show, this was a nice watch after finishing the series a few months back.

[@fyvp007]

Great analysis really on point …and really nailed it on why the newsroom was so hard to watch

[@DweezyBreezey]

Fantastic analysis! I was never too down on S5, but it is definitely the weakest one, and you did a great job at explaining where it falls short, while also pointing out what it does well and different possible interpretations of certain aspects. I especially loved the segment on sensationalism. I never really thought about that aspect, and it gave me another thing to appreciate about The Wire.

[@theSuperviLLain_est]

Also, it was Marlo who set up Randy’s future life. To basically become a new Marlo. Fucking WOW

[@brvalentine1]

This was brilliant. I think I may agree with you 100% maybe 96.5% if I watch it again with an anal lens. Thank you for this contribution to my favorite tv series of all time.

[@jonerikson5925]

Lester, risking his freedom without a second thought, and leaving the fine Shardene at home, the real thing he should've been worried about.

[@ThirteenAmp]

I put the Wire above the Sopranos personally but both shows are so good that it's really only about personal opinion instead of objective fact I liked Boardwalk Empire better as a mob show than the Sopranos but the Sopranos writing was better than Boardwalk But my personal top 2 are the wire and Deadwood, I have never seen a character as good as Al Swearagin before or since

[@kidd32888]

Love Sopranos but The Wire is just a little bit better

[@drewfleming5584]

I've always looked at it this way; The Wire is the greatest accomplishment, The Sopranos the greatest show.

[@brennanc4321]

I think the Sopranos held up better

[@mikem591]

9:37 - Amazing insight about the character arcs. So many of them weren’t integrated into the storyline. If they had been able to do that it would have made for a better last season. Even if they had approached a sober Bubbles for a tip, that would have been more interesting. A lot of the storylines felt a little off and wasn’t able to put my finger on it. The lack of integration in the story like makes total sense. Clay Davis, Duckie, Bubbles, Etc....were all of in their own little worlds rather then contributing in some way to the story line. It gave some of the scenes a feel that they could have been edited out of the series. That was the difference, because in the previous seasons, every scene contributing to the overall telling of the story. Great insight...

[@airshow406]

"Prez looking like an absolute zaddy snack," is now a sentence that will live in my heart forever.

[@blimy01maynard30]

I used to kinda agree with the McNulty serial killer not being realistic to the show. But then I remember when Bunk said to McNulty that he was going to get caught. Bushy Top said "who TF is going to catch me?" I wholeheartedly believe that no one would catch him. Like he said, the city ignored a real serial killer in Marlo, Chris, and Snoop. They wouldn't allow even one detective to work on the case. So his thinking is sound. Look at the other examples. In season 1, Bunk and McNulty had re-do the Deirdre Kresson murder because the original detective wrote like a page and a half then put it in a file never to be seen again. A detective couldn't be bothered to look more thoroughly into the murder of a young woman. In season 2, we see multiple departments trying their hardest not to be assigned the murders of those girls in the boat. Rawls practically backflipped when he thought he pushed the case off to another department. Leaderships of entire departments wanted nothing to do with trying to solve the murder of 20 women. In season 4, Freamon went to Landsman and said there are who-knows how many dozens of dead people are rotting in vacant row houses and Landsman took that information and sat on it. He didn't tell anyone. There were corpuses decaying in the city and a police sergeant kept it a secret. So I agree with McNulty. Who in that police department has the time or the inclination to look into this?

[@conradtrueit7882]

Excellent, Mac. Excellent. PS. Deadwood. It’s time.

[@jasminehill6312]

I read an interview where David Simon said that McNulty and Freamon were two men who had been told “no” their whole careers and they were tired. So that’s why it was so easy for Lester to go along with McNulty. And remember the conversation Lester had with Sydnor in season 5 about how he no long had it in him to give what was needed

[@MH90]

I also think one of the key missed opportunities of the season was not involving Colvin more. Hamsterdam is basically the foreshadowing of Jimmy's serial killer, in that it's a bold and reckless move to force through the "right thing" despite the bosses and, yes, illegality. Scenes with Jimmy and Colvin early in the season would plant the seeds for Jimmy "needing" to do something bigger to force their hand. Perhaps Colvin could take the Freamon role you've imagined where he finds out later, is initially furious at Jimmy but understands that it's working. Perhaps Colvin, having actually now gotten out and found some peace, is the one who restates Freamon's earlier line about not letting the job consume him. (Sure, this still leaves Lester out to try. He does need a scene or two more to justify his actions.) After all, the reaction of Carcetti and the police chiefs here is not dissimilar to Royce's Hamsterdam reaction - oh shit, this is terrible! Wait, could this work? - except this time, they arguably go the other way in order to cover it up, and essentially legitimising what has been going on under their noses.

[@SaltyChip]

It seems like the writers were watching Dexter when writing Jimmy’s main storyline.

[@sthomasond]

Still at the beginning of the video, but thank you for shouting out season 2. My personal favorite, and I was immediately in love it on first watch. The emotional stuff with frank and his family members, specifically Ziggy. The mystique of the greeks, with the humorous little quips between Spiros and The Greek himself ("And I'm not even Greek!"). To subtly tying them all together with Proposition joe and his connection. Genius.

[@Rusvul]

There is one part in Omar's story that the video doesn't mention, which I think is crucial to the character and why he ended up being killed off in a relatively "mundane" fashion. That key thing is that Omar killed Savino after giving Bunk his word of "no bodies on me". A man must have a code, and Omar went against his code by breaking his promise that was given in earnest to Bunk in exchange for Bunk's help getting him out of prison. It can be argued that Omar's plot armor - which often extended outside the stricter realism that the rest of the show was made to conform to - was balanced out by his dogged adherence to his code. Without it - as Brother Mouzone put it when addressing Avon, "What got you here is your word and your reputation. Without it, you're done."

[@ripwednesdayadams]

49:03 That isn’t a stretch at all. There is even a scene where Dukie is watching Dexter, a show about a serial killer while Michael is in a literal life and death struggle with real life serial killers- Marlo Stanfield and his gang. Great analysis. Love your channel.

[@choicebarrelscrotes2732]

I disagree that the season nerfs the Greeks. The Greeks’ relationship with Prop Joe is well established in season 2. As such, they are in the background throughout seasons 3 and 4 as the suppliers that allow the co-op to exist. Marlo going to them makes sense, and being wholesalers unconcerned with neighborhood level politics, it makes sense that they would switch to a new point of contact if deemed reliable. The Greens’ drug trade is just one arm of an operation that we know includes, at the very least, sex trafficking and bootleg cars. So the drugs aren’t as end all and be all for them as for the Baltimore kingpins. Not to mention, it’s pretty heavily suggested that the Greeks are federal assets, so they can probably afford to be a little brash in their dealings.

[@zacharyb2723]

Making great art season after season after season is just really dang hard. Even Major League hitters strike out, and Season five isn't a strike out, its just widely viewed as worse than the absolute greatest TV ever. What is a season, anyway? Why do we even need to view the art thru the writers' eyes?

[@arthurdurham]

Great analysis! I think the issue with the reaction to the fake serial killer plot is that people tend to focus on the second definition of "realistic" and misinterpret the point the wire. While "realistic" could be used to mean accuracy to real life events, it's main definition is a thing that can practically happen in real life. Doesn't mean it's necessarily likely, but that it could sensibly happen. And it also is used by subjective perspective of what can happen. Omar's balcony jump for instance feels unrealistic but is actually realistic due to it legitimately being possible and allegedly happening to his irl inspiration. And especially now in hindsight these days, where the general public's perception of law enforcement is much more negative than it was during The Wire's run in early post 911 America, this comes across much more possible in real life. It is very realistic for cops and the government would completely fabricate and cover up an entire serial killer to circumvent the rules and law. It always was but now it feels that way to the average viewer. Hell, The Wire (arguably the best portrayal of the broken law enforcement system) in general still paints law enforcement more heroic and upstanding than how they are seen in real life today. As McNulty and crew are still generally doing these things for arguably noble reasons even if it's not so clear cut. Who knows how many real life situations were actually complete farces that were never exposed. The issue with the season imo is not realism, it's just a pacing problem due to the shortened season. There wasn't enough time for a fictional TV Show to make us viewers feel like these characters would do this. It's especially interesting bc if you ever watch non fiction media, often things that would feel unrealistic in fiction do happen bc if that's what the people actually did it doesn't need to be justified through the narrative. For instance, if an American TV show presented a massive terrorist attack on new york prior to 2001, it would be considered sensationalized tv. But immediately accepted as realistic when it just actually happened. It was always realistic if you knew where to pay attention to but would have felt unrealistic in fiction to most. Similar to season 5's story. We've seen way worse and more "shocking" behavior of the institutions in real life than what the wire presents for more dubious reasons. But since we liked the characters people didn't want to see them doing something so clearly wrong without feeling personally justified. The Wire just came out before the media cared to make that behavior of law enforcement and institutions well known, while The Wire's staff had more inside knowledge than the average viewer. Imo they could have dropped the entire newsroom plot lines and just focused on this and it would have been better received.

[@minimonkey252]

Hey, you're amazing at this. Would you consider doing a video on rick and morty's gradual "lens" or "voice" shift that seems to have started in s3, and has now fully taken effect in s5. The show seems to have some significant changes in its approach to story telling, and its hard to pin it down. I would love to hear your take because unlike most of the other people who are talking about this, you're not a sexist, so I don't think you'll write it off as "cause women" and not look any deeper at the material. Your takes are always thorough and thoughtful.

[@EddyTheMartian]

Amazing video as always. Totally agree with all your points. I also think that the newsroom arc was especially underwhelming and too simplistic considering David Simon, a journalist himself, wrote it so you’d think this would be his best work, though obviously there wasn’t as much time. Perhaps though Scott Templeton was somehow depicting someone with a narcissistic personality disorder? I don’t know that much in depth about the topic, but I think something like that could explain how he acts. Maybe something to think about on rewatch. Though ironically he seems to act like many journalists do nowadays sadly, at least superficially. Even at its weakest The Wire is still massively ahead of its time! I love your point about the sensationalism, never saw it that way. It really puts the entire show into a different perspective and made me appreciate this season more. I think it’s definitely something to look out for on rewatches. And yeah the Amsterdam storyline is definitely the most unrealistic part of the show, but I also think the reason more people allowed it is because it didn’t feel as unreasonable to the characters and rushed like it did with the fake serial killer arc. Though honestly if it was any other show that fake serial killer arc would be so great, it’s just being put in The Wire compared to the rest of the show hurts it. I think being put in the later seasons of something like Homicide: Life On The Streets, a show adapted by one of David Simon’s novels, and he was also involved in it, would’ve worked well. Though that show similarly became less realistic by the end of it. And thank you for praising Carcetti’s arc, it’s one of the most underrated parts of the show imo. Also a lot of people consider The Wire to have one of the best finales ever but the whole contrived aspect of the case being resolved so easily hurts it a lot for me. Also Marlo’s ending is one of the best imo for sure. He’s a pretty hated character but another amazing one underrated one. The “My name is my name” scene is legendary. Such a great video, I hope you do more analysis videos like these on the best TV shows like you mostly do with The Sopranos. I do agree The Wire is the best followed by The Sopranos. My personal favorite is The Shield though which I think while not quite as good as those 2 should be praised almost as much, and even more so than Breaking Bad which kinda took its spotlight (though that’s my top 4 lmao). All masterpieces for different reasons. You’re easily one of the best video essay, criticism, etc. KZbinrs out there, I can’t praise you enough! You’re the type of KZbinr I purposely click ads on lmao.

[@seanmccarthy1974]

Thomas Carcetti was a fictional portrayal of the real life trajectory of former Baltimore mayor/Maryland governor Martin O’Malley. Any analysis of Carcetti should start there.

[@jester3595]

I agree the wire cannot be taken at one season the entire run of the show complete an actual picture. And i believe no TV show should run longer than six seasons. Doesn't matter the premise, the plot or the story.

[@dreambigparis]

Season 5 is one of the best seasons ever and one of the best conclusion seasons in TV show history

[@chriskelly2939]

After 20 minutes , I realized I was watching for 20 minutes, and 40 more to go, awesome.

[@sifatshams1113]

Just heard the news. R.I.P. Michael K. Williams

[@ashbromace235]

Tell me if I’m wrong but, Marlo never mentioned talking to the Greeks with Joe. Marlo was getting connected with Joe because he needed to hide his money. Joe thought he still had his secret supplier so he didn’t suspect Marlo to take over.

[@8Tarkus8]

Another great video on The Wire. Agreed with pretty much everything that's been discussed here. I believe the lack of realism is what diminishes the season value as a whole, while still being a good one, it's not as good as the preceding seasons. I believe the lack of realism comes from, other than being rushed because of a lack of run time (something that is unfortunately common with The Expanse final season, another serie I would recommend to everyone), a lack of authenticity of prominent characters, such as McNulty and Lester Freamon, just as you said. It doesn't feel believable, knowing their characters, that they would do what they did in season 5. Arguably, of the two I don't believe Jimmy would fabricate all of that, even more than Lester. Lester gives us a few hints here and there of how he's got a problem with authority throughout the show, and ultimately what he did was justified in his own mind as to do "good police work" and catch Marlo. He's also not the main actor in the serial killer fabrication, as McNulty is. So, as I said, I don't think McNulty would do something like that. Yes, he has destructive tendencies and has issues with authority even more than Lester, but throughout the series you can see that he's, at his core, true (mostly) honest police. Be it for personal reasons (as revenge or personal glory) or not, his motivation and love of the job comes from catching the bad guys, those who really matter, and showing and proving to everyone around him how smart he is. He does cut corners and goes behind the back of his superiors, but he never intentionally damages the integrity of the police force in order to achieve something. With the serial killer fabrication he not only risks that, he also puts the one thing he loves the most at risk: his own career, and not by doing something true and just, but something that's pretty much evil. As you said, if the season was longer and more fleshed out I could see both characters doing what they did, perhaps. But it wasn't, and what they did seems impulsive and rushed to us audience. Other than that, Omar death was great to me, it showed that, no matter what, he was just a human being and could die just like everybody else in the show. In regards to the newsroom, while I agree it suffers from the season being rushed and the shorter runtime, I think it was pretty solid. I really disliked Templeton (or whatever his name is), and I don't think the character really needed more depth than it's given. While I see your points that could've made it a little bit more interesting making him more sympathetic, I think it works just as fine with him just being a total piece of shit as he is. I don't see anything wrong with that, and I'm sure we've all met this kind of character in our lives sooner or later. Having said all that, yes, even with its final season flaws, The Wire is my second best TV shows of all time, which definitely deserves a second rewatch. Only The Sopranos edges it as my favourite show. And I forgot to mention Marlo's storyline. I agree with you, just like you said, all it needed was more runtime, like all other plot points, but it was overall pretty solid. The actor who portrays him also does a very good job. He doesn't do anything sensational, and he's not very expressive with his face, but that's consistent with his character, with how psychopath/sociopath he seems to be

[@Melissa-tw2gp]

You really helped me see the season in a new light, thank you! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Would love to hear your thoughts on my personal fav, Deadwood, some day.

[@Bepbo]

Maaaaan, I gotta come back and watch this eventually. I've been needing to watch this show since Breaking Bad was airing lol. Im terrible with keeping up with shows. I 100% know you did a banger job on this video. Great as always! 🥰 I'll be back when I either finally watch the show or say fuck it and just jump in to spoilers 😆

[@danieljohnson2005]

I think it’s okay to watch this video if you’ve never seen the show. Spoilers are never good, but there’s so much going on in the show that you’ll probably forget everything by the time you actually get to season 5.

[@EddyTheMartian]

I still wouldn’t watch it but that’s kinda true lmao. I got some stuff spoiled, though more minor things and I forgot many of them.

[@afrobuddy4801]

He mentions the deaths and fates of major characters so probably not a good idea to watch the video without watching the show

[@damianstarks3338]

Your in depth video essay on the wire is perfection.

[@MacabreStorytelling]

🙏

[@damianstarks3338]

@@MacabreStorytelling keep these videos coming.

[@mattmiller1518]

I watched this essay after a rewatch of The Wire and it is brilliant. Well done! A couple of minor disagreements. One, I don't think that everyone had a happy ending. I think they ending was uplifting but it wasn't necessarily ride off into the sunset. McNulty and Lester avoided prison but are both out of the force. McNulty still has a difficult road to repair his relationship with Beadie. The police force budget is going to go back to bare cupboards. Baltimore is still going to have crime and a reduced in effectiveness police force to deal with it. Carcetti won the governorship but probably won't affect any good change for the state or city of Baltimore. The second minor disagreement I have is that the police and mayor's office could effectively cover up McNulty's ruse. We have seen real world conspiracies get covered up in much the same way and not come out until years later when it no longer has much effect on the players involved. I absolutely believe those power players would circle wagons and make sure they all made it out without being tarnished.

[@thugzman7890]

I really enjoyed season 2!!! It took a minute to get into it after season 1 but, it was excellent.