top of page

INTRODUCTION

 

            Although the impossibility of institutional reform is a recurring theme in The Wire, our group argues that it is the most ever-present in the third season in particular. Not only is the notion of “reform” referred to explicitly and implicitly in every episode, the episode titles themselves ring out with the cynical claim that reform is just a “buzzword” that represents the cyclical nature of power struggles within institutions1. The titles of episodes 8, 10, and 12 themselves can be seen as framing the arc of reform: recognition of the problem where corruption is noticed (Moral Midgetry), someone decides to do something about it (Reformation), and in the end they feel as though some good has come out of it (Mission Accomplished). The reality of the matter, as the title of the first episode laments, is that this same arc is doomed to be repeated (Time After Time). In the words of McNulty, and voiced in different words by different characters throughout the season: “You don’t look at what you did before, you’ll do the same shit all over again” (E2).

 

            In this paper, we will examine the notion of reform in three different spheres, and how individual attempts are thwarted in order to maintain the power of the institution in which it arises. First, we will examine the realm of politics through the power struggle between Mayor Royce and Tommy Carcetti, next the Barksdale crew through Stringer Bell and Avon, and finally, the rise and fall of Bunny Colvin in the Baltimore Police Department. In each case, reform actions taken by individuals are spun into spectacles that “send a message” that re-instate the status quo instead of enacting real changes as initially intended. The three reformers we discuss all capitulate to the structures, persons, and ideology that brought them into power, ending in submission, death, and demotion, respectively.

 

 

“REFORM IS NOT A BUZZWORD”

 

            Initially, Tommy Carcetti appears to be genuinely concerned about fighting poverty and violence in Baltimore (E4). However, the viewer is never sure he is invested in this from a moral standpoint, or is simply a bored, manipulative man whose empty ambition drives him solve Baltimore’s problems for the sake of his ego and position (see E1, lunch with Burrell scene). Regardless, throughout the season we realize that despite his best efforts, in the end he must succumb to the status quo in order to advance his position of power. The slow death of Carcetti’s moral code is a major plot arc in this season, particularly since it is juxtaposed with that of the waning power of the complacent incumbent, Mayor Royce.

 

           The first scene of the season is a display of Royce’s power and open use of political rhetoric, contrasted with Poot’s ironically symbolic take on the event and Bodie Broadus’ common-sense interpretation of the events unfolding at the towers demolition (Opening Scene: Towers Demolition, E1) Poot’s experience is an ironic metaphor for the inadvertent consequences that will occur because of the demolition; since although he lost his virginity in the building, he now has an STD, and while the city will tear down the towers to reduce crime, Royce inadvertently starts a territory war (Bodie even notes that now the politicians have snapped up the “best territory in the city”). Royce tries to build up the event as addressing “Some of the city’s most entrenched problems”, while Bodie recognizes the truth in the cyclical nature of reformation and corruption: “They’ll tear this building down and put up some new s***”. Royce continues to spout political hyperbole, hammering home the idea that Reform in this season is in fact the smoke and mirrors of politicians aiming to be re-elected (“Mistakes have been made. But we will learn from those mistakes. Reform isn’t just a watch word in my administration- it’s a philosophy.”) However, Carcetti still buys into the idea that reform may be possible. In the end, Bodie comments, “No matter how many times you get burnt, man, you’ll always end up doing the same! N**** do not learn.” On the surface, he is speaking of Poot’s STD, and yet his commentary can be extended to the political situation going on around them. The emphasis on the inability to “learn” from past mistakes echoes Royce’s speech, and foreshadows Carcetti’s inevitable failed attempt at Reform. Also important to note is that Bodie’s musings are the epigraph of the season premier episode, and set the tone for the rest of the season. This opening scene as a whole is also symbolic of the reality of political “Reform”: full of buzz-words and comprised of the empty act of demolishing the towers as if it will make a real difference. Even the spectators are tentatively inclined to believe in Royce’s rhetoric, as they will later in Carcetti’s speech at the end of the series, but the result of this spectacle is that they all end up choking on the dust of their crumbling city, and not one thing has changed. Even the episode title, “Time After Time” is a reference to failed reform, since throughout the season, and even in the rest of the series, all of the players are up to their same tricks.

 

            Later, we see Royce’s inability to make real change reflected in Carcetti after he decides to run for mayor, in an impassioned speech he delivers in a council meeting in Episode 12 (Carcetti "Tough on Crime" Speech). In this scene, he uses Bunny’s true attempt at reform as a showpiece, insisting that he “will not stand” for the kind of violence and poverty taking place in their city. On the surface, it seems as if Carcetti is aiming to make a difference for the citizens of Baltimore. However, we know that he had seen the positive side of Hamsterdam with Bunny, and how it already made a difference, and instead he decides to throw Bunny and the police department under the bus in order to further his own political career. He even ironically states that one cannot simply “use this disaster to make a political point or two”, and yet, that is exactly what he intends to do. Carcetti’s rhetoric even invokes the language used at the end of Season One, when Rawls asks for “dope on the table”: “We can’t let them think for one minute that this will stand” (S1, E11). Both are examples of when power structures attempt to “send a message” instead of actually solve problems, and in turn reinforce the status quo. This scene in particular shows the hierarchical relationships between different characters in different systems succinctly, in that Carcetti holds power over Rawls and Burrell, and therefore can afford to turn them (and by extension, Bunny) into a spectacle to assert his own authority. In the end, he ends up becoming a new Royce, spouting the same political rhetoric in order to ensure his own position, succumbing to the ideology of the oppressor and reinforcing the status quo.

 

 

GETTING PAST THE “RUN AND GUN SH**”

 

            Ever since Avon Barksdale was hauled off to prison in the first season, Stringer Bell had been maintaining the Barksdale Empire using his own methods. Throughout the season, we see his attempt at reforming the way the crew operates, particularly in his Barksdale board meetings (see Stringer’s product speech). In this scene, Stringer strives for the façade of business-like practices, and yet still verbally intimidates Poot in the same fashion that a drug lord would. One can see that Stringer’s desire to legitimize what he sees as the drug “business” looks and feels like an elaborate farce, a view that is shared by kingpin Avon once he returns from prison. At another juncture, we see McNulty as another affirmation of this attitude when he meets with Stringer at his copy shop, and laments, “I had such high hopes for us” (E5). Obviously this is a huge departure from the usual good cop versus criminal motif, and one that puts the odds in Stringer’s favor. So long as he stays “quiet” and refrains from “dropping bodies”, as Prop Joe recommends in Episode Three, he can transcend the power structures that aim to haul him to jail. By changing the rules of how the game is played, like Bunny, he aims to succeed personally and systematically. Like Carcetti, we see in Stringer both selfish and selfless reasons behind his desire the stop the violence (“How many corners do we need? How much money does a n**** need?” E6). However, the decision to stop dropping bodies (in particular that of Marlo Stanfield), brings him in direct opposition with the power that brought him there.

 

            In a scene from Episode Six, Avon and Stringer finally confront one another about the direction that the crew should be going ("Just a Gangster, I Suppose" scene). Stringer tries to emphasize his loyalty, stating, “I’m here like I’ve always been”, affirming that his intention is only to change their relationship to the drug trade, and not to one another. However, as D’Angelo states in the first season, “The King stay the King” (S1 E3), and Avon maintains that his opinion from the throne is, “I’m no suit-wearing businessman like you. I’m just a gangster, I suppose. And I want my f***ing corners.” This scene is reminiscent of the lunch between Burrell and Carcetti, where Burrell (and Avon) both understand that whatever reform occurs will be a failure, and ties will be broken in the process. Bell appears to be Carcetti’s foil, in that neither can bend the rules of the Game, no matter their intentions. Also, both are a bit blind-sighted; Carcetti believes that becoming Mayor will allow him all of the power he needs to enact change, while Stringer believes that legitimizing his drug business will allow him and Avon to “run this city”, and leave the “run and gun sh**” behind for good. Similar to how Carcetti rejects Royce’s empty Reform rhetoric and later employs it himself, Stringer pleads with Avon that they are past the “run and gun sh**”, yet later asks Slim Charles to assassinate Clay Davis after getting “rain-made” (E11). In the end, despite whatever seemingly noble reform Stringer attempted to achieve, he cannot fully depart from the “run and gun” attitude, since it got him to a position of power in the first place, a fate similar to that of Bunny Colvin (discussed below). Avon and Stringer end up betraying each other, and Stringer gets shot while Avon goes to prison. Despite Stringer’s intentions to avoid buying corners with “bodies” and “time in the clink”, the game continues on. The system of power in place that fuels these feuds remains, with Stringer Bell serving as an example to all those who come after him that any attempts to question those in positions of power in the drug trade will inevitably end with a loss of life.

 

 

“REAL POLICEWORK”

 

            Throughout The Wire, police work itself seems to serve as the primary symbol of inability for reform within institutions. Throughout this season, the “real police work” of the detail is in stark contrast with COMSTAT meetings and Herc and Carver’s useless exploits. In Season Three in particular, continuing from themes laid out in Season One, collecting information and solving problems is always thwarted by the need to “send a message”, whether that is with statistics, clearance levels, or “dope on the table”. However, the question remains as to who exactly is receiving this message. It seems simultaneously geared towards the public, police higher-ups, the Mayor, the criminals, judges; but each message seems to be empty. One can see that the police in The Wire only act in order to preserve their own institution, rather than preserving the Law, or public good (Brooks 66).

 

            In this season, Bunny Colvin’s storyline is a continuation of the plight of “real police”, in his effort to fix the problems created by the drug war instead of “fudging the stats” (similar to the Barksdale detail’s ignoring of clearance levels for the sake of bringing the bad guys). In particular, Bunny tries a pragmatic approach rather brilliant in its simplicity: creating a drug-free zone, affectionately dubbed “Hamsterdam”. In the second episode, he introduces the concept to his underlings at the precinct, in a speech that contrasts directly with Mayor Royce’s speech in the first episode (E2). From Bunny’s perspective, the law is the actual problem, not the activity itself, and calls the paper bag “a great moment of civic compromise”. He emphasizes the need for police to focus on “real police work” as something meaningful and “worth taking a bullet for” (more on Bunny’s idea of “real police work”). He states the only reasons why cops wouldn’t “look the other way” is to avoid “all kinds of flaunting” and “disrespect”; apparently, actually upholding the law and protecting the people is of no importance to most police, only upholding their own position. So, he tells his men to “look the other way” for a while, and obviously Herc, a “War on Drugs” cowboy, resents this as slighting the image of power he’s created for himself, causing him to later turn his back on Bunny and fold the operation by showing Hamsterdam to the press. By asking his officers to rescind their power for the greater good, he thereby ends his own project before it even starts. It is obvious that Bunny believes that as a police officer it is his duty to create a paper bag for drugs, and yet as a police officer he can’t do it. His power is simultaneously the tool he uses to create the solution (by enforcing the free zones with police staff), and what prevents him from succeeding (in that his superiors shut it down). In the words of Audre Lorde, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”. And, upon being relieved of his duties, he goes down with the same words as Stringer Bell one episode previous: “Get on with it, Motherf***-” (E12). Soon, his noble action becomes a spectacle for the press that catapults Tommy Carcetti to the limelight, as discussed above, and proves once again that, in the end, instead of solving social problems or preventing violence, the job of the police department is only to maintain the legitimacy of the institution of the Law itself, and to prop up those in higher positions of power.

 

CONCLUSION

 

            Reform is a watchword throughout all five seasons of the Wire, revolving around the axis of the third season as its center point. What we see in the end is that an old maxim remains true: “The more things change, the more they stay the same”, which sums up the series succinctly. The systems of power that are wrought with corruption and deception continually quell any internal rebellions by exercising that power in order to maintain appearances and continue the status quo. Carcetti, Stringer, and Bunny can all be seen as failed attempts at making lasting, positive reform, thwarted by the self-serving ideology of the institutions themselves.

 

            However, this season does offer up an answer as to how to tackle the inability of institutional reform. Towards the end of the season, the deacon tells Bunny Colvin after seeing all the good he’s done with Hamsterdam, and that the operation will soon be shut down, that he should be proud going into retirement in knowing that he’s been “fighting the good fight” (E10, Reformation). Likewise, when confronted by his friend Tosha, Omar Little’s response to why he continually goes after Avon Barksdale, he simply says, “Because”. Although throughout the series we see that institutional reform is continually rebuffed, one can be motivated by the notion that there are those who at least try to make a difference, and that their actions far outlast the blind flailing of corrupt institutions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES

 

We would like to note that in the case of Cutty, he does technically succeed with personal reform, but with a caveat: he requires money from drug trade to actually succeed running his boxing league. Also, one could argue that Cutty never really played by the rules of the game in the first place, since he turned himself in to the police after shooting someone, and therefore chose prison as his way to escape the game, and that personal reform was never an issue (E2, 0-2:30).

 

See the Close Reading section for more analysis.

 

 

CREATION

bottom of page