Life After THE WIRE – Final Thoughts and Lessons Learned

A week ago, it was with great anticipation that I watched the finale of THE WIRE and I have to say that it was worth the wait.

Quality shows like this only come once or twice in a lifetime and the strange part of this is that at first I didn’t think much of the show. Don’t get me wrong I liked the show but I never thought much of it the first couple of seasons. But then everything changed.

The last two seasons of The Wire really brought it home from me. The story rose to a level of ….for lack of better word, “realness” that really enhanced my enjoyment of the show. I think The Wire‘s finale was superb and beautifully concluded this incredible saga that plunged us in the depths of the drug world, politics and society in a way that no other show out there has ever managed to capture. Although many fans of The Wire still clamor for another season of The Wire or a movie, I have made my peace with the fact that there will be no sequel to the stories of The Wire.

In addition, I thought it would be suitable here to outline the lessons that I have learned from The Wire; lessons I intend to keep in mind in my day to day.

So here are the Five Life Lessons that I have learned from The Wire:

Lesson 1: Never Trust a competitor under any circumstances. Cooperation is never an option when the other guy will gain from your destruction. Game Theory 101, folks! Prop Joe should have known better.

Lesson 2: There is no such thing as a secret. As soon as more than one person knows any information, the likelihood of somebody finding out increases exponentially. McNulty should have known better.

Lesson 3: You are always somebody’s bitch. No matter how high you climb in the hierarchy, there is always someone who has your balls in their hands. It is an inescapable truth and my man, Carcetti, found this out the hard way when he became Mayor of Baltimore.

Lesson 4: Let stuff go. So many problems in life can be avoided if we let things go. Right, Marlo? Had you let things go with Omar, you would have been a happy camper.

Lesson 5: Most things in Life are not black or white but really just grey. Just because you messed up doesn’t mean you have really ruined things and just because you did well doesn’t mean you have fixed anything. This goes for you too, McNulty.

Here we are then. It is kind of sad for me to find myself at the end of this journey. These might be the last words I may ever write about The Wire but let me tell you, it was all worth it.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this extraordinary show that literally changed my view of the world.

(Photo: Nicole Rivelli/HBO)