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.
I really enjoy your analysis and agree with you that one of the most compelling features of The Wire, was seeing those boys mature and change in front of our eyes over the course of the season. It is extremely sad to see how the environment these kids grew up in, shaped some for the better and a majority for the worst. Growing up surrounded by drugs, crime, danger and gangs is not a healthy upbringing for any kid. I think that the writers were showing the fate of getting out of that environment as Naymond stories was depicted on the Wire. I think that only a few people are lucky enough to get out of those environments and Naymond was the lucky one for those boys.
ReplyDelete-McKenna Swanson
I completely agree with your thoughts on why the write chose to incorporate many different stories about the life on the streets of Baltimore. I think it was a good move on his part so the audience could see the changes that all these boys went through and what it is really like. Great recap of the The Wire!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your review of The Wire, I too thought it was fascinating how it showed multiple stories throughout the show. It gave the audience different viewpoints of a variety of characters. I also liked the fact that the writers made it a point to show how heavily drugs, gangs and crime can affect children so easily. People need to understand that children are the most vulnerable to being sucked into those bad habits.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your review of The Wire, I thought it was interesting how they showed multiple stories throughout the season. It's crazy to see how the kids lives change some good and some bad. It gave you a perspective that some people do live in a world surrounded by drugs and violence. I feel like this show teaches us a lot about the real world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the Wire has many different stories that are represented and that gangs, drugs and crime can affect the lives of young kids future. I am so happy that Naymond was able to escape the corner and make it out with hope. Dukie was the saddest ending for me, I would have never guessed that he would eventually end up on the corner.
ReplyDeletenice blog! Although, I don't know if the writers really randomized the way the characters developed. I think David Simon saw this a lot when he was working at the Baltimore Sun, and wanted to incorperate a more accurate depiction of the streets. Also, maybe the writers wanted to show that sometimes the poor can get poorer and the lucky can get luckier
ReplyDeleteGood analysis on the last episode. A whole lot of the same conclusions of what your wrote is how I am coming away with after watching it. I think in essence the Wire is a show of randomness. Its not a very linear trope based viewing. You really can't look at the first or even few episodes and come to a concrete prediction of what can happen.
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ReplyDeleteI liked your ideas, but I don't think Simon was being random. Life is random, sometimes things work out for some but not for others, and that's whether you are rich or poor, black or white. I think it was just the spin of the show. The Wire was a great show and while Randy was given a bad ending, I think Simon wanted to show that even in the worst situations, like Naymonds father and mother wanting him to sell drugs, there can be a way out and people can get lucky.
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