January 06, 2008
The Final Season
The 5th and final season of The Wire begins tonight on HBO.
Some have called The Wire the best show on television, and who am I to disagree? It's certainly one of the most well-thought-out shows that I've ever watched, and it's gripping viewing.
Tonight's episode has been posted on iTunes, and I just watched the first scene (will save the rest to watch on the Big Screen), and it reminds me of something a cop once told me.
About 25 years ago, Skip, a patrolman on the Philadelphia police force, regaled me with stories of how they would often interrogate suspects by linking them up to a machine (any machine that seemed intimidating) and telling them it was a lie detector. It very often worked at scaring the suspect into making admissions he might not otherwise have made.
On tonight's Wire episode, they use a Xerox machine, and one of the detectives wonders how long they've been using tricks like this. At least 20 years, replies another.
This season is supposed to concentrate on the news media, and they've set themselves up nicely with one line of dialog: "Americans are a pretty stupid people by and large. We pretty much believe whatever we're told."
Should be a great season!
Posted by jt at January 6, 2008 07:33 AM