The Big Picture
When it comes to debating what the greatest TV drama of all time is, The Wire is one of those universally beloved shows that will just about always be considered a contender. It ran for five seasons between 2002 and 2008, and though it was overlooked by many while it was on the air (perhaps a consequence of being on while so many other iconic shows were, what with the 2000s being something of a golden age for TV), its legacy is now hard to deny or ignore. But even with a crowded landscape, it is strange that The Wire got so ignored, even if it didn’t have too many big-name actors and was a fairly dense show, with a certain level of commitment being needed to follow it. That all makes it something of a miracle that it was able to last for five seasons and finish on its own terms. Indeed, of the only two Emmy nominations the show ever received — both for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series — one was for the final episode of the show’s final season, “-30-.”
It’s named after a term sometimes used in journalism to signify that a story or article is at its end, with conflicting reports and ideas about the term and why it came to be. Still, it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t work as a name for The Wire’s final episode, given Season 5 had an emphasis on journalism in the city of Baltimore. The show’s creator, David Simon, was a journalist before he was The Wire’s showrunner, and it wraps up the show’s overall story as a whole. Further, the story told by The Wire was an expansive and remarkably ambitious one, given that over five seasons, it explored various facets of Baltimore, usually adding a new one every season. It started with a focus on the police and street-level drug gangs, then covered life on the docks, introduced politics, had a focus on the public school system, and then featured journalism in its final season. It never totally lost sight of any previous stories or characters from season to season, meaning there was a gargantuan amount of things for a series finale to conclude. Thankfully, “-30-” was up to the task, sending off The Wire in a powerful, sweeping, bittersweet, and arguably perfect way.
‘The Wire’s Final Season Was Somewhat Divisive
Though “-30-” is one of The Wire’s highest-rated and most beloved episodes, it does belong in a somewhat contested season of the show. First and foremost, it should be stated that not everyone feels as though Season 5 of The Wire is comparatively weak. Further, “weak” by the standards of The Wire is still stronger than most shows at their very best. For better or worse, The Wire’s fifth season does have a primary storyline that feels a little less plausible and grounded than most of the other season’s central storylines. It follows Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) — who’s the closest thing the show has to a main character — as he tries to get more funding for Baltimore’s police force by manipulating various crime scenes to make it appear as though a serial killer is targeting Baltimore. This naturally stirs up drama, and becomes something intensely focused on by reporters at The Baltimore Sun, with this further increasing public attention on this make-believe serial killer.
Perhaps it clashes with the more realistic storylines the show had become known for, but it still uses this serial killer storyline as a way to provide interesting commentary about ethics in news reporting and the interactions between journalists, police, and the public at large. It’s the most outlandish thing McNulty does throughout the show, sure, but it doesn’t clash with his prior characterization, considering how often he would do his own thing and rebel, frequently clashing with superiors in the police force like Bill Rawls (John Doman). Further, it’s far from the first time clashing against a system while trying to achieve a noble goal in an unconventional way is explored in the show, as Season 3’s Hamsterdam storyline shows. And, for what it’s worth, “-30-” does a great job at wrapping up this contested storyline and showing the consequences that unfold because of it, all the while wrapping up just about every other storyline and character arc the earlier seasons had explored.
The Epic-Length Finale of ‘The Wire’ Wraps Up Just About Everything
Long before the iconic HBO drama series Deadwood got a much-delayed feature-length conclusion in 2019 with Deadwood: The Movie, The Wire had its own epic finale. While no one can call “-30-” a movie by any means, it did run for 93 minutes, making it easily the longest episode of the show (perhaps comparing it to the two-hour M*A*S*H finale “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” would be more fitting). With five seasons, 60 episodes, and hundreds of named characters, it certainly needed all the time it could to conclude things satisfyingly. Many of those still standing at the show’s end are visited throughout “-30-,” with the finale sparing no expense when it comes to bidding farewell to as many people as possible.
Naturally, the characters in the police force — including McNulty — were prominently featured throughout all five seasons, though the Barksdale organization they pursued throughout Seasons 1-3 has essentially been decimated. As such, the finale provides closure to Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector) and his crew, who more or less replaced the Barksdale organization. Certain characters prevalent in Season 2 (perhaps the show’s most self-contained season) return here, the political side of the show gets concluded thanks to Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) and his staff finding out the truth behind the serial killer reports, and some of the young characters from Season 4 — like Dukie (Jermaine Crawford), whose ultimate fate proves emotionally devastating — also feature. It may be a long episode, but it makes every single minute count, and proves to be thrilling and hard-hitting as a way to wrap up 60 excellent episodes of television.
‘The Wire’s Finale Has a Closing Montage for the Ages
The final sequence of The Wire’s final episode finishes things on a particularly notable high, and is likely striking enough to make even the season’s detractors feel moved. Given the scope of the show and the number of characters (many of whom died before the finale, sure, but certainly not the majority) who are sent off in this episode, ending with a montage feels like the right move. Though it might not be quite as devastating as the more personal — and yet more all-encompassing — final montage seen in another HBO show, Six Feet Under, it’s still close to perfect. And while the season finales of The Wire were no strangers to using montages to illustrate where numerous characters all ended up, showing each for a few seconds at a time, but the show saved the best of the lot for last.
McNulty seeks some level of redemption for what he did in Season 5, picking up a vagrant he’d used earlier in the season as a potential fake suspect to be reported on. McNulty sent him away from Baltimore, but tracks him down right at the end of “-30-” to bring him back. He stops to look over the city where the entire show’s been set, and that’s when the final montage of all The Wire’s final montages plays, giving short snippets into the lives of many remaining characters. Some are tragic — like Dukie, who’s shown to be addicted to heroin — while others offer some hope, like Bubbles (Andre Royo) being accepted by his sister and quite likely overcoming his own drug addiction for good. Life goes on for others, with promotions among certain politicians and police officials, the journalists continuing their work, and some criminals like The Greek (Bill Raymond) and Slim Charles (Anwan Glover) remaining at large. It’s a grounded and level-headed approach to a climax, suggesting change in some areas, but an endless cycle of things like crime and addiction repeating for some, with this sort of finale feeling realistic and genuine without being too overwhelmingly despairing.
‘The Wire’ Ends On a Note That Fits the Show as a Whole
Some shows end triumphantly, and others end tragically. The Wire, overall, arguably sort of just ends. But it feels fitting, even if it’s hard to describe that ending with only an adjective or two. Perhaps “bittersweet” could be appropriate, given there are characters who end the show in a better place than where they started (again, Bubbles), and there are some who end in a worse place than they’ve ever seen before. Other characters didn’t even make it to the finale, and their lack of presence is felt, most notably fan-favorite character Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), whose sudden death earlier in Season 5 might be the show’s single most shocking moment. But The Wire has always been hard to pin down emotionally; it’s one of the things that make all five seasons so great and memorable.
It uses Baltimore as a way to explore numerous social issues that were all prevalent in America during the early years of the 21st century, and continue to be relevant during these not-quite-so early years of the 21st century. A finale that’s occasionally triumphant, sometimes downbeat, in parts climactic, and in other areas more concerned with showing that “life goes on” and “history repeats” is perfectly appropriate for The Wire, and what the show’s creators were trying to comment on throughout all five seasons of the show. For these reasons, “-30-” is an iconic conclusion, and one stunning conclusion where it’s hard to work out how it could be any better as a final note for The Wire to end on. It’s ambitious and far-reaching, leaving very few things unresolved thanks to its length, and hitting emotional beats that feel earned and appropriate. It perfectly represents the show at its densest and most thought-provoking, and it’s hard to imagine many people sitting through 59 episodes of The Wire, only to find themselves not 100% satisfied with this 60th and final one.
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