The Wire
A couple years ago our son started talking to us about The Wire. He always puts us on to really interesting series. The Wire is an HBO series, like Rome
Season 1 starts with a new unit being set up to interdict the drug trade in Baltimore. Season 2 re-unites the team to combat illegal imports and illegal importation of sex slaves out of Eastern Europe and Asia. Season 3, my favorite season of all, is back to the drug trade, but with a difference.
In Season 3, one police district changes the rules. They clean up their neighborhood and send all the drug traders and sex trade workers to one area. The area doesn’t legalize crime – not exactly – but the police leave that area alone. As they explain it to the primary drug dealers, it’s a little like Amsterdam. The homies don’t understand; they call it “Hamsterdam”. I laugh everytime I hear it.
The series doesn’t focus strictly on the police – we get to go inside to watch how the drug dealers organize and divide up the city. We learn how drug lords use big business management modules to streamline their supply and demand, and to stay ahead of the police technology. And they are masters at manipulating the judicial system.
There is brutality. There is sex. There is love and there is betrayal. Sometimes, it isn’t easy to tell who the “good” guys are. There are bad guys who show decent values and there are police and politicians on the take. You get the impression it is probably pretty real stuff. In one season 3 episode, a policeman is shot in the line of duty, and they hold a wake in an Irish pub. They are all very very drunk, and vomiting out in the streets. It isn’t pretty.
And all the same, when each season ends, we can hardly wait for the next one. It is gripping drama, vintage HBO cutting edge production. It keeps you on the edge of your chair. You can read more about The Wire at it’s HBO site, where I just learned that The San Francisco Chronicle calls The Wire “the best television show of the year.”
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Sounds really interesting!
I don’t know if you have read Freakonomics or not? It’s a pretty interesting book that looks at real life economics from a totally never-before-used angle. In one chapter, the author (can’t remember the name) he details the economy of drug dealing. You will be stunned by how complex and accurate their modules are! I was pretty impressed.
Check it out if you still haven’t read it 😀
Kinan, you know, a couple other people have also mentioned Freakonomics. I think it was a best seller. Probably something I need to read (if you could see the STACKS of books in my house waiting for my attention. . . . . sigh!)
lol! Join the club my dear 🙂
I am currently reading 4 books simultaneously and starting to get all confused!
Too much reading to do, too many books to catch up with, NO TIME AT ALL!
So many books! So little time!