The Queen Aint No Bitch

I am a little tardy to the party but last week Maxim published a great interview with the writers and cast of  The Wire in honor of its 10th anniversary. I'm not sure why this piece was published in Maxim, except perhaps because season 2 is all about Russian hookers, but in any case it was a really interesting look at how the series as a whole, and each season in particular, developed. If you want to you can read it here.
     I've always thought the Wire was one of the best shows on Television, mostly because it was written so well, but also because I grew up in Baltimore. That may seems like an odd statement given that the show deals with drug trades, corrupt politicians and an at times inept police force, but in many ways it paints the city in a fairly positive light.
   But back to the writing. The Wire, at least in season 1, is essentially a cop show, but with none of the overwrought drama or cheeseball antics. The writing is instead intelligent and realistic. There is one scene in particular that I think speaks to the depth of thought involved in writing The Wire. It's an often discussed scene so you may already know about D'Angelo explaining the rules of chess to corner boys Wallace (holla Vince from Friday Night Lights) and Bodie. If not, here's some background, and then the scene itself.

D'Angelo is the head honcho's nephew and ostensibly second in command of dealing with everyday operations. He often visits "the pit" where the corner boys make the exchange between cash and drugs. In this scene he's stopped to convince two corner boys who were using a chess board to play checkers why chess is the better game.

When I think of the sort of people who normally discuss chess I think about child geniuses in thick glasses and old men in sweater vests. The fact that here we have some thugs from the inner city discussing it immediately grabs your attention because that's unusual. That's all well and good but if the metaphor didn't also work well the idea would be a bust. I'm not familiar with the intricate workings of a building a drug empire -even though I'm from Baltimore, but you get a pretty good sense what goes down when watching the show and D'Angelo's comparisons seem spot on. But most importantly, it's what the characters say in particular that make this seen so engaging. It is rare for someone to refer to chess pawns as "little bald headed bitches" or chess pieces in general as "the other motherfuckers on the team." That's just fun to listen to, and that's what TV is all about- entertainment. 

  Of course the scene exists within the larger storyline and the really genius thing is that we get some character development and a little foreshadowing at the end. D'Angelo explains that the pawns "get capped quick; they be outta the game early," which means that Wallace and Bodie aren't long for this world. When Bodie replies, "unless they some smart ass pawns," we get a better sense that Bodie isn't content with his situation and that some shit might go down. 

      It reminds me a little what middle school English teachers tell you, "show, don't tell." All TV shows have character development and foreshadowing. But many do so using only plot points rather than language, which results in a lot of shark jumping. The Wire's plot does not lack excitement, but the nuances of its writing set it apart from just another Law & Order derivation. It's not on Netflix but I'll lend you my DVDs in exchange for a six pack of Natty Boh.