The Wire, Season Four
Started: 11/17/09 | Finished: 1/7/10
Let me cut to the chase: Season Four had some of the strongest moments of The Wire thus far, and some of the weakest moments, at times within the same episode. I think this is partly my own fault: Just as watching a season of TV too fast can be detrimental to its reception, watching it too slow can have negative effects as well.
I lost all momentum about 6 episodes in, when the political storyline takes a major turn for the mundane. The main murder case was slowing down, and episodes became heavily character-driven rather than plot-driven. Not that there’s anything wrong with that—if we didn’t have that intense scrutiny of so many characters, the final episode(s) of the season wouldn’t have such an impact.
It really comes down to a coin-toss: In filmmaking, do you put all of your eggs in one basket and wait for a big payoff, or do you spread out the drama evenly? The former serves the story while the latter serves the audience’s appetite for entertainment. It’s a question that has no right answer, and I can’t begin to imagine the consolations that Season Four would have to make to create a faster-paced season.
It’s a dilemma that I think the writers handled in the best way possible. It’s a story that requires an incredible amount of character development. In many ways it’s the perfect answer to the gimmicky prequel: showing how these kids develop into either “stoop” or “corner kids” was fascinating. Entertainment-wise, it may be my least favorite season. But when it comes to integrity and relevance of story, this one knocks it out of the park.
