Neanderthal Man

My first reaction to this article is "damn, I don't watch enough TV!." Not owning a TV will do that to a fella. Then I start to wonder how much people really are identifying with the worst parts of these characters. As I've not watched much of any of the shows written about here (besides a couple of episodes of the Sopranos), I'll just take my favorite anti-social hero as a case study. Detective McMulty of the Baltimore Police Force. What a fucking asshole, and how I do love that asshole. (That was a really weird sounding sentence). Anyway, McNulty is an ass, no denying that. Love him or hate him, you gotta admit the man has no shortage of flaws. Convict him on charges of womanizing, boozing, fucking up his marriage, failing to pick up his kids, drunk driving (he's a motherfucking cop!), pettiness and extreme instances of disloyalty. Yet he's still one of the most compelling characters I've ever watched on TV. And I'm not Angelina, so it's not his pretty blue eyes that do it for me. The man has passion for what he does and he's damn good at it. Besides that, he does strike you as a good guy at heart. Whether that's enough, I don't know. It's enough to make me watch the show, the best on television (bar fucking none). Would I would actually have a drink with him? Possibly, but it'd be on the order of having a drink with one of my friends I consider an extreme fuck up, exasperating and exceedingly annoying. I mean, I can't even be mad at the womanizing. So the man is a caveman, he likes to get laid (good at it too, I would take lessons if he gave em). But like anything, it becomes a problem when it prevents you from doing what you need to with your life. If you've got kids and a worried wife, you ought to figure out your shit and get it together. I'm very anti having children if you can't keep it in your pants. Also, good guys don't hurt women willy nilly and McNulty leaves some very bloody hearts in his wake. Then there is drunk driving which I've been conditioned to really, really hate. Pettiness is fine. I can be petty myself, particularly when I feel like I've been fucked with. Fuck me over and get it like I can give it. Say a couple of rosaries, McNulty, that sin is forgiven. What can't be forgiven though is disloyalty. That's the kind of thing that'd cause me to really give this man distance. McNulty fucked (and fucks) over people who fought for him, depend on him. Political figures, his old captain (Bunny), DA lady (who he screwed in more ways than one), members of his team occasionally, and his current captain (Daniels). Daniels is particularly egregious because the show has you liking Daniels. He's the kind of captain that really goes hard for his thing, coming pretty close to losing his career for the case and the team, and buying himself a long and difficult exile in the process. For McNulty to repay that with disloyalty after all they'd already been through... that's some fucked up shit. Nevertheless, even as he makes himself harder and harder to love as the series progresses, it's hard to give up on McNulty completely. He's just dogged (and good) at his work and his everyman schtick is sometimes so appealing (the man gets intimidated at nice restaurants even when bedding hot shot political animials) and quite frankly, your favorite cops love and trust him (even though they are as frustrated with him as you are and it might be because he covered for Kima when she was cheating on her wife), you just gotta sigh, wish the best for the man and hope he somehow finds some moral redemption. So I guess I'm one of those people that the article talks about. I might not have a beer with the dude, but I guess I'm always rooting for him, flaws and all. I never claimed to be anything more than a neanderthal anyway, just one with manners. (Hey, remember that awesome scene in Closer where Clive Owen chases Julia Roberts down the stairs demanding to know the details of her infidelity and when she asks why he wants to know, he yells "because I'm a caveman!" Wasn't that awesome? Spine tingly goood. If I ever do turn fag, it'll be that man that does it). Anyway, what all of this bellyaching and analysis really is, is a love letter to my favorite show on TV, the grittiest, most realistic, nihilistic, totally truthful, hot as a flaming poker show to ever land on TV, The Wire. Insert a motherfucker somewhere there if you like. Check out the HBO website, buy a TV, order cable or just start ordering the DVDs in anticipation of its return. That's that show and you ain't seen nothing yet if you ain't checked it. Sermon over, I got work to do.