Speaking to the frustration in these posts and the veering away from realism in the show this season towards its more didactic, soap-operatic, parody-like tone, I think it's a case of writers rushing to an ending for their story. I think that apart from the social commentary of the show, which is obviously very pessimistic and open to question, its main virtue is that is has consistently presented a complex social place and a host of characters in an incredibly vivid and realistic light. It's introduced to viewers the foreign cities within American cities and has made the characters we dismiss as marginals and criminals compelling.

To venture interpretation of this season I think one needs to look back to season three. There, the idea was that reformers in the system can't succeed. The inhuman social forces, and the ruthless characters (i.e. Marlow) who master these forces, and the personal ambitions and trade-offs that the system forces on ambitious reformers (i.e. the the Mayor, Carcetti) doom reformers to failure or to betray their ideals. This season, the outlaws, or renegade, rugged, individualistic characters fully break from the institutions and try to reform them by manipulation. I don't think this excuses the loss of quality realism and compelling character narratives, but it at least explains the commentary of the show. The institutions are broken, and they eventually break the most capable people. If the people turn cynical or desperate, they abandon institutions and finally, desperately, try to manipulate them. In this light, Bunk is jaded and the narrative is stacked against him, but at least he isn't willing to compromise his principles (even Omar has betrayed his promise to Bunk). So the fight isn't between Omar and Marlow in the show's moral universe, it's between Marlow and Bunk. Omar and Marlow will probably have the penultimate duel.

Add in the newspaper as the embodiment of outsiders trying to hold the institutions to account, the institutional soul of outsider reformers. The institutions at the center are broken and they break people. The institutions on the outside, the watchdogs, are atrophying, failing to notice important stories, and even corrupting and breaking their own members (Stephen Glass Templeton). The ultimate message might be that news cycle coverage and focused sociology and reporting works on shining the burning limelight on peripheral issues, or maybe issues in isolation of their full context and distorts and narrows, and ultimately destroys reform and the full, comprehensive, panoramic understanding of the modern condition that would necessarily precede this reform. It's perhaps ironic that the show has sacrificed its telling of a complicated, realistic and representative narrative for the sake of being didactic.

I agree with your comments. It seems like that's what the writers are intending, but the way in which they're going about it is rushed and sloppy. I think the point at which I realized how horrible their handling of this season was happened during the conversation between Freamon and Sydnor where Lester was describing how he considered dropping the case against Marlo again to be an invalid order so it was okay for him to start breaking the law. Normally in the show you'd see a character progression towards that, especially with Freamon (who'd been screwed over far worse in his police career when he got moved to the pawn shop unit, yet still didn't go off the deep end) but this year apparently characters do things completely out of line with their characters and make sloppy and ham-handed speeches to explain it to the audience. That's what we get instead of character development.

The only scenes that seem to play dramatically this season are the ones with Carcetti proving he was nothing more than a hack, Bunk Moreland diligently doing his work, and Marlo and his crew on the street. Almost everything else just seems like badly-written filler so they can cram in as many characters as possible.

Agree the best (and really, the only good) scenes this season are those that take place on the corner, in the mayor's office, and in the course of Bunk's investigation (well, that ain't fair - Clay Davis is knocking it out of hte park as well).

But why does everyone think this season reveals Carcetti to be "nothing more than a hack?" The point certainly isn't that he was always this way. I'd say the Carcetti storyline is not about a hack who pulled the wool over voter's eyes, but rather is more about the depredating effects of politics (and, yes, ambition) on even the most well-intentioned people.

Not that that storyline is any more brilliant, original or insightful than Carcetti as degenerate, irredeemable hack...

Sittingduck,

I agree with you that Carcetti himself probably thought he went in with the best of intentions, but his entire focus about getting elected was always about self-aggrandizement first, getting results second. He worked with Royce once, but quickly gave up on it when it became apparent that screwing him over worked better for him personally. He was willing to talk to the governor and ask for funds, but only if it meant he didn't have to look weak or give anything up that might hurt his political future...once that happened the city can suffer for Carcetti's personal pride. Carcetti wasn't the worst politician ever on "The Wire" but looking out for number one was always his top priority in office, which is why I said he's revealed himself as nothing more than a hack this season. Ultimately doing the hard work and making sacrifices to achieve good results just wasn't in his makeup.

I'm not as shocked by Freamon's sharp turn on faking the serial killer and am somewhat persuaded by his comments about calling off the Marlo investigation as being "illegitimate." That doesn't mean I agree with him but I think it is a valid motivation for him. Why? Because I seem to recall that the reason he got bumped to the pawn shop unit (or whatever it was) was because he didn't kow-tow to some political outcome. Now, he gets brought back into real police work with the major crimes unit; personally uncovers 20+ muders; and then it is told that the murders aren't important. Now, again, I don't agree with his tactics, but given his previous experiences and unwillingness to play along with authority, I can buy that he would be motivated to do this.