The prophetic profanity of The Wire
One of the Christmas gifts in Mrs Rainy Day's stocking was the first season of The Wire, the police and thieves drama set in a globalized, deindustrialized, living, dying Baltimore. Unlike, say Six Feet Under, which can grow upon viewers regardless of their knowledge of undertaking, The Wire is a take-it or leave-it show. You'll either love it or hate it from the get go, and one of the things that you'll find addictive or repulsive is the language. Here's an example as Officer Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and Detective Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce) do their CSI thing.
According to The Wire: Truth Be Told by Rafael Alvarez, this hilariously surreal scene is a tribute to Baltimore cop Terry McLarney, who predicted that the police would eventually communicate using a meta-language consisting exclusively of swear words. Most def.
Comments
"The Wire" is the top show on TV now that "The Sopranos" have departed the screen.
Can anyone explain why RTE with its millions can't come up with something as decent and real as either of these programs?
Posted by: Larry May | January 7, 2008 7:30 AM
Most diffucult job for a dialogue coach - I could do that!
Posted by: Xtian | January 7, 2008 6:50 PM