'T THE FUCK DID I DO? Last night's was an atypical Wire finale, leaving optimism and pessimism in equipoise (where usually it's the latter in a rout), then giving us a weird Animal House-style "where are they now" montage. I guess it was the anti-Sopranos ending; maybe that was the in-joke. As much as I found it a perfectly pleasant way to say goodbye to some great characters -- particularly Landsman's moving, funny, and sad eulogy, which put the lie to his prior moving, funny, and sad eulogies -- I had a little trouble with some of the outcome. In particular, I'm willing to believe in the next Bubbles, the next Omar, and the next Barksdale-in-Stringer's-Clothing (though the way Simon showed it seemed a bit broad). What troubled me was that I don't for a minute believe Sydnor as the next McNulty. There probably weren't two words of the FBI profile of McNulty that apply to him (actually, there were -- those two words are "bureaucratic institution"), and I just don't see him as having the capacity for self-destruction that McNulty had.
One touch I particularly appreciated, though, was the mini-montage in the opening credits, showing the mug or surveillance shots of the major criminal characters who didn't get a chance to say a proper goodbye this season -- Wallace, D'Angelo, Sobotka, Avon, Wee-Bay, Bodie. And yet, I'll pick that nit. First, Avon did get a little goodbye, so he wasn't really necessary. Second, did I just miss Stringer? Third, why no Ziggy? And fourth, you know who should have had a farewell? Brianna Barksdale, that's who. While we're on the subject of farewells, was that a picture of Robert Colesberry (producer, director, and Ray Cole portrayer) on the wall in the wake scene?
In conclusion, I love Slim Charles.
No comments:
Post a Comment