Friday 17 October 2008

The Wire Anne Cassidy

This will be a short blog because I'm otherwise engaged watching the final series of THE WIRE. I've waited months for it to come out on DVD. I've even ignored the Sky Plus recordings I've made in order to wait and have the whole thing in my hand so that I can watch it all together, when I want, at what pace I want.
Every superlative has been thrown at the Wire. Every possible compliment I can think of has already been made. So I'm not going to compete.
I'm going to focus on what is most important to all writers - a character. Omar is a villain with a moral code. He walks through the streets of Baltimore with his coat flying out behind him in search of ways to rob other drug dealers. He is violent and unpredictable. He will kill without thought or conscience. He has a scar down one side of his face which speaks of a desperate past. He doesn't mix with the Law or the crooks. He is a maverick and looks out for himself. I ought not to like him/admire him and yet I do. He is mesmerising. He is homosexual and sensual and falls in love. He cries from grief and sorrow. He likes a particular kind of breakfast cereal and will expose himself to assassination in order to get it. He is cunning and thirsty for revenge.
And yes, I know what happens to him in this last series. I've been tempted over to Utube to watch the clips that fans have put there.
In the Wire there are many characters that you could just talk about for hours (I have - ask my husband) but Omar is a wonderful creation who thwarts our moral compasses while he pulls our heart strings. OK enough of the cliches. Back to the television set.

1 comment:

adele said...

Couldn't agree with you more, Anne! I too adore Omar, who has a CODE and towards the end, as you'll see, acquires almost mythical characteristics....I won't go into these in case you haven't got to that bit yet! It's sad to see the end of the Wire and yet probably the right decision on the part of the makers. So many things go off when run too long. I am in a kind of withdrawal situation and to help me in my addiction I've just read HOMICIDE, A year on the Killing Streets by David Simon which is a fascinating account of real-life Bmore policing. And I'm about to order up Homicide, life on the streets which is the series that preceded The Wire....anyone out there who hasn't seen this has SUCH a treat in store....