The Wire is, in my opinion, the greatest TV show of all time. I've seen most of the other contenders for the title - Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Better Call Saul, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Boardwalk Empire, etc.
But nothing compares to The Wire. Its portrayal of systemic corruption, its depiction of urban life, the depth of its characters, the realism, the grit - it's just utterly incredible.
As the Showrunner, David Simon, described it:
"[The Wire is] really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals. Whether one is a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or a lawyer, all are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution to which they are committed"
But David Simon was too restrictive in saying the show was really about the American city of Baltimore, or just any American city. I'm not American, and I see the dynamics of that show play out every day in my own city.
For example, I see people juking the stats. I see people with good intentions enter politics and become corrupted by the very system they originally set out to change. I see it all. I see The Wire every day on my own street—real-life characters going about their lives, no director yelling “cut.”
In The Wire there was a ruthless drug dealer named Marlo. He was the most ruthless drug dealer on the show. My favorite TV villain.
When Marlo was introduced, he was an up-and-coming dealer—a youngin—looking to usurp the Barksdale organization led by Avon, the top dog at the time.
Marlo wanted everything Avon had. It's not that Marlo hated Avon personally, for there was nothing personal about it. Marlo just wanted to be the top dog, and that meant taking everything Avon had.
In their feud for supremacy, Marlo was really making Avon bleed - metaphorically and physically.
One night, in a classic rooftop scene - the scene that inspired this piece on my blog here, Avon said the classic line to his associate Stringer Bell:
"There's always gonna be a Marlo, man. No Marlo, no game".
That right there just might be my favorite line in the entire show. Might.
There’s always gonna be a Marlo—someone who wants exactly what you have. Someone who wants what belongs to you, or what you think belongs to you—your girl, your market share, your position, your spot.
You're going to fight that person for possession or supremacy, and this fight need not necessarily be physical, and you're either going to win or lose. But, regardless of the outcome, that's just the way it is. That's life. That's the game.
You're also a Marlo in someone else's story.
The game is the game. Always.