JUST PLAY THE SONG, HUGH!

OK, It's time to retire The Wire from the current ranks of the Highly Favored.

I've had several days to watch and rewatch and rerewatch the finale and to come to terms with the fact that it's over and it's not coming back. Except for the slight way that it might still come back.

From this interview with Dominic West.

"....we're trying to persuade David Simon, and he doesn't need persuading -- he just needs a story. Because Wendell [Pierce], who plays Bunk, and Sonja [Sohn], who plays Kima Greggs, are really pushing to get a movie made because it would be great, so David said, "Well, it would have to be a prequel."

Wendell Pierce even says the financing has been secured.

But that's a whole other lesser thing. I'll not even hold out hope.

I'm not going to launch into some long thing about the fully realized world of The Wire and it's various depths or it's intelligence or it's anything else. It's been said by a great many and better than I likely would. I'll just press play on The Pogues tape (and hold back the tears as I stare at my awesome Wire poster on my living room wall).

Also, because I know a lot of people who haven't seen it yet and despite my general attitude about spoilers being that you get a few days grace period before I don't feel bad about telling you that Bunk was killed and raped by McNulty after Marlo kidnapped him and got him loaded up on WMDs, I'm going to just keep my mouth shut until they do. And hopefully they avoid spoilers that can manage to show up any damned place.

I'm just going to say that if you haven't before, go and watch Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire's spiritual, if not literal predecessor. And read David Simon's book: Homicide:A Year on the Killing Streets. You're going to recognize things in both. You'll be glad you did. The Corner too.

If you've already seen and read, go do it again.

And if you have 82 minutes to spare, here's a thing with David Simon at USC Annenberg.