No, it was the union story line which I thought was preachy. It's when shows go outside their basic plot to make a social point that I get uncomfortable. And as I say, politically I'm on their side.
Not a fan of the "very special episode" trope, eh? I don't blame you, neither am I. Used to annoy to no end when situation comedies did it.
And You have answered a question that was bugging me - why so many people did not like S2 - it may well be that the union storyline did not work for them? (shrugs) While I agree that aspects of the union storyline felt heavy-handed at times, I felt that way about aspects of the projects storyline in S1 too actually...I don't think the union storyline lies outside the bounds of the central themes or plot.
Because the union storyline is in keeping with a very strong theme that I see emerging in the series - which is the results of an infrastructure that makes it impossible for someone with no education or the ability to obtain an education to succeed. S1 really just shows it with Black Baltimore, S2 extends it with a depiction of White Baltimore. It also is in keeping with the plot thread about "following the money" not the drugs - that this is where the action is.
In S1 - Avon pays off a State Senator, it provides Avon the ability to get off easy in some respects. But since his group shot a cop? Not completely.
In S2 - we see that Frank Sobotke's union funds going to his church to obtain support and his legislature attracts Valcheck's attention. Which results in The Wire.
In S1 - the drugs/homicides led to the Wire and then to the money.
In S2 - the homicides/money led to the Wire and the drugs.
There's a nice parallel structure emerging here. And the parallels being drawn between Nick and D'Angelo, Ziggy and Omar are interesting. Both D'Angelo and Omar are depicted as intelligent, educated but being black and from the projects, and not having the money to seek a formal education - they are stuck in this world. Nick and Ziggy are uneducated, white, but equally stuck as stevedores, smuggling drugs - they either don't have the ability to get educated or their world doesn't encourage it.
Another paralell can be drawn between Serge and Brother Mozone. Brother Mozone states the most dangerous thing is a black man with a library card. Serge who is white - to my knowledge has a rudimentary education and rarely reads. Both are hit men.
The Wire is showing that it's not just about race, it's about class and class divisions, and how the outlying infrastructure creates those divisions and continues to reinforce them. The FBI - with their internal corruption. Lou Rawls. Burrell. Valcheck. The legislature who won't support union causes unless they are paid or persuaded with funds to do so. The Senator who won't help the projects unless he is paid. Burrell who is busy gathering financial support. And of course..the church who goes with whomever gives them the most money.
I'm not sure it's necessarily preachy about it...because it spends more time showing than telling. Yes, it can be a little heavy handed at times, but no more so than anything else I've watched. ;-)
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branchandroot
Re: Don't worry -- you're about to see more of Omar
Date: 2011-07-08 04:25 pm (UTC)Not a fan of the "very special episode" trope, eh?
I don't blame you, neither am I. Used to annoy to no end when situation comedies did it.
And You have answered a question that was bugging me - why so many people did not like S2 - it may well be that the union storyline did not work for them? (shrugs) While I agree that aspects of the union storyline felt heavy-handed at times, I felt that way about aspects of the projects storyline in S1 too actually...I don't think the union storyline lies outside the bounds of the central themes or plot.
Because the union storyline is in keeping with a very strong theme that I see emerging in the series - which is the results of an infrastructure that makes it impossible for someone with no education or the ability to obtain an education to succeed. S1 really just shows it with Black Baltimore, S2 extends it with a depiction of White Baltimore. It also is in keeping with the plot thread about "following the money" not the drugs - that this is where the action is.
In S1 - Avon pays off a State Senator, it provides Avon the ability to get off easy in some respects.
But since his group shot a cop? Not completely.
In S2 - we see that Frank Sobotke's union funds going to his church to obtain support and his legislature attracts Valcheck's attention. Which results in The Wire.
In S1 - the drugs/homicides led to the Wire and then to the money.
In S2 - the homicides/money led to the Wire and the drugs.
There's a nice parallel structure emerging here.
And the parallels being drawn between Nick and D'Angelo, Ziggy and Omar are interesting. Both D'Angelo and Omar are depicted as intelligent, educated but being black and from the projects, and
not having the money to seek a formal education - they are stuck in this world. Nick and Ziggy are uneducated, white, but equally stuck as stevedores,
smuggling drugs - they either don't have the ability to get educated or their world doesn't encourage it.
Another paralell can be drawn between Serge and Brother Mozone. Brother Mozone states the most dangerous thing is a black man with a library card.
Serge who is white - to my knowledge has a rudimentary education and rarely reads. Both are hit men.
The Wire is showing that it's not just about race, it's about class and class divisions, and how the outlying infrastructure creates those divisions and continues to reinforce them. The FBI - with their internal corruption. Lou Rawls. Burrell. Valcheck.
The legislature who won't support union causes unless they are paid or persuaded with funds to do so. The Senator who won't help the projects unless he is paid. Burrell who is busy gathering financial support. And of course..the church who goes with whomever gives them the most money.
I'm not sure it's necessarily preachy about it...because it spends more time showing than telling. Yes, it can be a little heavy handed at times, but no more so than anything else I've watched. ;-)