Well that went by quick! Intro weeks always seem to fly by, but this one even more so. This week in ds106, we were tasked with blitzkrieg-ing the world of social media, as well as catching up on episodes of “The Wire”. Just as an aside before my recap, I have to say that I never realized how awesome having to binge watch a TV show as a school assignment would be.
First things first: The Setups…
Most of the various types of social media we were required to setup accounts for I either already had an account or had at least heard of. All of these were fairly straightforward in the setup process and initial introductions.
Getting everything set up for my #ds106 class. So far so good!
— John Meadows (@Physx28) August 26, 2014
Youtube
SoundCloud
Flickr
I also decided to do some of the daily creates this week just to get into the flow of things. On Wednesday (the 27th) I submitted a photo to Flickr in response to “Take a photo for Willa Cather”. This photo was one I took last Summer on my honeymoon in Aruba. To me, it exemplified the written passage because when you look out over the ocean, especially around sunset, the sky and water seem to blend together into a solid sheet of moving colors.
Also, today (8/31) I did the “1000 Yard Stare” daily create. I think this is kinda self-explanatory.
The Meat and ‘Taters: The Wire…
Season 1…..wow. Just wow. What a ride. I had heard about The Wire before, but had never seen an episode. I will admit that when the show started, I assumed it was another run of the mill cop drama, and after a couple episodes, I was still convinced that it was. However, around episode 4 or so, I began to see the subtle, underlying tones and internal struggles that make this show so much more than a simple cop show.
One thing that stuck with me was the story that is told in the opening scene of the first episode. At first watch, I thought this was an odd way to start this show. I mean, you have no idea who any of the characters are at this point, and this is the first scene the audience is going to see. I first assumed it was just a colorful anecdote to ease the viewer into the gritty world of the Baltimore drug scene. However, something about the scene stuck with me, and I kept that scene in my mind for the rest of season 1. There are several things in this scene that tie to the entire first season as a whole. In this scene, we see McNulty questioning someone at a crime scene. The possible witness tells a story about the murdered man, Snot. The story goes that Snot and some others would gather every Friday night and shoot craps in the alley. Snot had a habit of waiting until there was money on the ground in play and then grabbing the money and running. Every time he got caught, but every time he was back the next weekend. The obvious approach would be to not let Snot play anymore, which McNulty suggests. The witness is shocked at the suggestion, and replies “Got to…this is America man.” This one line is a great wrap up of the odd set of rules that seem to govern many of the characters’ lives throughout the show. The idea that you have to let someone play the game even though you know he is going to steal the money, just because “this is America”, and then beat him weekly when he does so is, in my mind at least, equivalent to the “not-so-lawful” practices that the police in the show use in the name of upholding the law.
Another great foreshadowing tactic used by the show writers that is shown in this scene is when the witness and McNulty are speculating on the origins of Snot’s name. When McNulty explains his theory, and then comments that it “doesn’t seem fair”, the witness responds with “Life just be that way I guess…” Unfair is, I’m my opinion, the single word I think would best describe The Wire. ***SPOILER ALERT*** The best example of this is shown in the season 1 closing scene. The drug kingpin, Avon, is going away, but for a petty charge that will keep him in jail for a short period of time. DeAngelo is going away for 20 years and Wee-Bey is getting life without parole (these are probably not unfair). And for bringing this case to the forefront of the BPD’s attention and putting a whole crew of drug dealers behind bars, Jimmy McNulty is reassigned to the marine division, the one place he said he didn’t want to go, just out of spite.
One thing to note, and many of my classmates blogs have discussed this, is the use of symmetry in many shots within the show. I won’t restate these observations, but I do want to add an observation. The first time we see McNulty in the show, he is sitting interviewing a witness. The last time we see him in the season finale he is sitting again, but far fallen from the elite detective that he was when the show opened.
I really have enjoyed watching the recaps and reading the other blogs takes on the show. I am looking forward to seeing the blogs and creative content of this class evolve over the next 15 weeks. Thats all for now. Until next time!
