Way Down in the Hole

Recently I dealt with the death of a long time neighbour only a few years older than myself. She had been ill for a number of years and even though her death was not unexpected when it happened , it still threw me for a loop and brought back the untimely deaths of both my younger sisters. I had a hard time concentrating on my art or on my writing, when I came across the superb HBO TV series that ran from 2002 to 2008, "The Wire", a crime drama set in the city of Baltimore. This series grabs you like a Charles Dickens' novel, the way it is so richly complex in both characters and storyline. The violence and heartbreaking poverty and misery it chronicles seen through the eyes of both the criminals and the police made me take notice. It is hard to believe that kind of abject poverty exists in a number of cities in what is considered the wealthiest nation on earth. Apparently, " with freedom and justice for all " is taken with a lot of liberties. What is encouraging about the show is its focus on the humanity of both the offenders and the victims, on the hope that with relentless effort, kindness can make a dent in the face of staggering challenges against corruption, despair and poverty. Parents who neglect and abuse their children, because they themselves are stuck in a cycle of hopelessness and isolation, passing the cycle of resulting violence and dead end lives to their children. One adult character stands out, "Bubbles ", played with Shakespearean dignity and intelligence by Andre Royo. Every time he is close to breaking his addiction and loneliness, another tragedy sets him back, but he never loses his human dignity or heart. The drug lords are hard, cold beyond what one would think acceptable in a civilized country, the children working for the drug gangsters break your heart. They never had a chance at innocence or dreams. The teachers working in the broken and broke inner city schoolsystems try with Sisyphus like courage to roll the boulder of futility back up the hill of glimmers of hope and chance,while the politicians both crooked and straight, try not to get stuck in either the quagmire of their corruption, or the odds of decency winning the game. Watching this series, it really feels like you are in the company of masters of the genre. All the actors are superb, just like in a well written novel. Dominic West, Idris Elba, Sonja Sohn, Wendell Pierce, Lance Reddick, Clarke Peters, John Doman, Deidre Lovejoy, Seth Gilliam, Dominick Lombardozzi, Jim True - Frost, Michael K. Williams, J D Williams, Chad L. Coleman, Robert Wisdom, Aidan Gillen, Tristan Wilds, Jamie Hector, Chris Partlow, Felicia Pearson, Robert F. Chew, Wood Harris, Larry Gilliard Jr. , Chris Bauer, Pablo Schreiber, James Ransone, Paul Ben Victor, Tristan Wilds, Maestro Harrell, ... an impressive list that gives justice to the novel like depth and scope of the series. The writing is nothing short of brilliant in the hands of David Simon and Ed Burns, and there too, the additional list is extensive : David Mills, Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos, William F. Zorzi, and  Chris Collins. I mention them all, because the baroque like richness of the story and characters deserves mention of every writer involved. The theme song written by Tom Waits is very appropriate for the Dickensian struggle between the poor and the well to do criminals and politicians who perpetuate the misery. "When you walk through the garden You gotta watch your back... Well, I beg your pardon Walk the straight and narrow path If you walk with Jesus He's gonna save your soul You gotta keep the devil Way down in the hole ... He's got the fire and the fury At his command Well, you don't have to worry If you hold on to Jesus' hand We'll all be safe from Satan When the thunder rolls We just gotta help me keep the devil Way down in the hole...  All the angels sing  About Jesus' mighty sword And they'll shield you with their wings And keep you close to the lord Don't pay heed to temptation For his hands are so cold You gotta help me keep the devil way down in the hole... Down in the hole, down in the hole Down in the hole, down in the hole Down in the hole,down in the hole You gotta help me keep the devil Down in the hole"... The song is worth writing out in its entirety because it speaks to the crux of the dilemma in the series, the timeless battle to keep the evil men do at bay. TV has gotten a lot of bad publicity over the course of the years, but this series is definitely a shining star in that often beleaguered firmament. " The Wire " is a melancholic yet simultaneously upbeat testament to the efforts of man from way back at the dawn of his appearance on this planet to make life's struggles worthwhile in spite of his conflicted nature and instincts. In this case, it is the highly lucrative drug trade in the inner city districts of Baltimore. Watching the series is a Dantesque like descent into the hell the dope trade perpetuates, its deadly grip on both the sellers and the users, give or take a few years in favour of the first; the destruction of its young users' future, bleak as it already is because of the suffocating poverty it targets. The acting done by the teenage actors and young children is first rate, their ability to convey the despair and bitterness of the cycle of poverty, addiction and violence is truly moving. The series speaks to our conscience and leaves an imprint that makes us question the moral fabric of our big cities, and how they in turn reflect on a culture of greed and calculated self importance. " The Wire " is like touching and looking carefully at a very complex and intriguing piece of art that surely will stand the test of time.