Just finished Episode 7 of Season 1 of The Wire, "One Arrest." I might place it as the weakest episode thus far, but the show really is damned good. It's the rare show that actually pretty much lives up to its reputation. There's still a... broadness (for lack of a better term) to some (only some, mind, as some of the writing is really excellent) of the writing that simply can't compare to the tight scripting of the best movies, novels, etc., but I'm starting to accept that that's just inherent to the nature of a more populist medium like television. One wonders if there'll ever be a popular TV series completely shorn of cliches, genre conventions, etc. (for there are some "cop show" things that happen in The Wire, even as it does them well - and does subvert them often, as well), but perhaps that's simply too great of an expectation for the present market (though it's why I'm looking forward to The Prisoner later this summer, for everything that I've heard about that show sounds extremely unconventional). Still, I'm really enjoying the ride of The Wire, so far, and I'm kinda excited that there are still 55 episodes left.
