The Wire is brilliant because it shows the viewer multiple stories of Baltimore. I thought that the most compelling story was that of the neighborhood teens Michael, Dukie, Randy, and Naymond. The Wire shows Michael’s transformation from a quiet, caring boy to a gang leader and murderer. Dukie succumbs to the streets, despite Prez’s efforts, as he is recruited to be a gang member under Michael and seen dealing drugs on the corner at the end of the season. Randy’s story shows a young boy who is a casualty to the system, ending up in a foster home where he is beat for being labeled an informant. Lastly, Naymond’s story gives the viewer a bit of hope. Naymond is eventually adopted by Colvin in order to stay away from the corner and the street life. He has the most gratifying ending of the four. Overall, these stories show how the environment of gangs, drugs, and crime can easily lure in young kids full of potential. Sadly, the street life was inevitable for some of these boys since they lacked the support system to escape their harsh environment. Interestingly enough, at the start of this season Naymond is the one who appears to be going down the wrong path. He listens to his father in jail, and his Mother who pressures him to work for the drug dealers. Perhaps the writers wanted to show the randomness of growing up on those streets, how the promising kids can turn violent and how the thuggish ones can turn their life around if they want it, or just plain get lucky.
