The Wire: Sentencing
Season One, Episode
Thirteen (Season Finale)
Directed By: Tim
Van Patten
Written By: David
Simon and Ed Burns
Read out “The Wire” Project here. Read about the previous episode here, or click here to see the total coverage. Assume spoilers for the episode.
At
the end of season one of David Simon’s extraordinary drama The Wire, I’m reminded of our opening scene: a story about a man
who kept getting dealt into a craps game, even though everyone knew he would
steal the money. “This is America, man,” the witness told McNulty. Everyone has
to have a stake, and at the end of the day, the same wheels keep on turning.
“Sentencing”
may not actually be as dark and depressing as I suspected after watching
“Cleaning Up,” but in finding the balance between resolution and dissolution,
Mr. Simon, along with his co-writer Ed Burns, have found something more
profound: life goes on, and the institutions of America are built on that
premise. Would be better to do nothing? To keep the status quo? McNulty asks
himself that question as he watches a portion of the Barksdale crew walk behind
bars for minimal sentences. We’re not sure, and neither is he.
