The Wire Presentation

The Wire

How to watch the novel for television

It is one of the most intimate and alarming depictions of urban America on television, and yet it’s an invigorating and even exhilarating experience, each season a new Harry Potter book for adults.”

The New York Times

It is one of the most intimate and alarming depictions of urban America on television, and yet it’s an invigorating and even exhilarating experience, each season a new Harry Potter book for adults.”

The New York Times

Capturing the rhythyms of a city

Each season of The Wire focuses on a different facet of Baltimore: including the drug trade, port system, City Hall, school system, and print journalism. Despite its presentation as a crime show, The Wire is really about the death of the American city and how its institutions affect individuals.

"All the pieces matter"

Same problems, different scale

A collection of mirrored scenes

Parallel scenes are frequently used to show the similarities between different institutions (ex. law enforcement and the drug game), and how individuals behave similarly or differently within them. They also highlight the interconnectedness of the city as a whole. Decisions made in city hall and police headquarters trickle down to students, gang members, and dope fiends, while random street events alter the fate of the city.

Same problems, different scale

A collection of mirrored scenes

Parallel scenes are frequently used to show the similarities between different institutions (ex. law enforcement and the drug game), and how individuals behave similarly or differently within them. They also highlight the interconnectedness of the city as a whole. Decisions made in city hall and police headquarters trickle down to students, gang members, and dope fiends, while random street events alter the fate of the city.

An exercise in scene analysis

The first scene of each season of "The Wire" encapsulates the key themes that season will explore. We will watch and analyze the opening scene of season 3.

the OVerall takeaway

The show is largely critical of institutions, but it treats its characters (Baltimore residents) with a lot of humanity. It shows that it is not as simple as one individual's choice to enter a life of crime or become a corrupt cop, but that every influence around you draws you towards a certain outcome. It doesn't look down on a particular city, but explores the rot that lies beneath the glitter.