One of the main points of interest that seems to stick out in Season 2 episode 1 of The Wire is the expansion of the plot to involve not only the characters, which were introduced in the first season, but to inform the audience of an underlying condition upon which the series will be built. This is the decay of the American working class. Within the show, the city of Baltimore is shown to have moved towards servicing rather than manufacturing. This is an important idea to understand in regards to how the episode is presented and the considerations that seem to be given by the show's context. This context reflects the underlying condition of the modern world upon which this episode is built. The questions that are presented in the realities that the show confronts regarding social and economic decay present the need for further analysis.
This seems to reflect the evolution of the harbor that is discussed in Allan Sekula's “Fish Story.” This short passage provides deep insight into the evolution of the Los Angeles harbor, which, upon the development of modern trends of industrial growth, seems to have attained an entirely new identity. This identity is predicated on the desires of the businesses that work out of the area. He indicates that this results in a “crude materialism that is underwritten by disaster” (Sekula 12). This disaster is the result of a diminishing responsibility in regards to the economic progress of local areas and businesses. These ideas are presented through the encounter that the two main characters of the episode have with what can be understood as modern values and cultural intent.
Within this episode of The Wire this dissatisfaction with changes in how the industry and manufacturing are being replaced by service and business interests is underscored when Claude and Jimmy answer a distress call from a boat full of party goers. Within this rugged and decaying harbor a group of young people simply having a good time seems to be in stark contrast with the grim environment. These individuals present the underlying current upon which the episode seems to be built. The show develops a longing for a historic legacy that held the strength of the port in regards to the material developments that occurred there. The presence of party goers who would likely not be in the area in order to work demonstrates that the harbor has become everything but a shipping port. This belies the developing relationship between people and society that is being considered within the episode. The values that Claude and Jimmy seem to be contemplating as they patrol the harbor are brought to bear in regards to their need to help a group of otherwise helpless and skill-less individuals (Ebb Tide).
At the end of the episode an idea of how this new economy is emerging seems to be demonstrated. Claude and Jimmy inevitably accept the offer that these party goers make to have them tied to shore for a fee. Within the industrial sector that is built upon the work and sweat of laborers these rich, unskilled individuals are able to make a transaction that indicates that they are the new norm. The show therefore demonstrates how “global patterns of intrigue, hidden in the mundane details of commerce” (Sekula 32). This challenges the realities that the show is built upon and demonstrates a stark contrast between the various reputable industrial locations, which seem to withstand time itself, and the whims of those that are there for fun.
Works Cited
“Ebb Tide.” The Wire. HBO. Baltimore, MD. 1 June 2003. Television.
Sekula, Allan. Fish Story. Richter Verlag. 1995. Print.
