The Greatest Television Episode I've Ever Seen

Of course I’m talking about The Wire finale.  I saw it on Monday, but I waited so as not to spoil it for the folks that don’t have  On Demand.
Last night’s episode really was that good.  We start with Bubbles at the police station, a storyline done so well that it’s forgivable how predictable it was that Sherrod was going to take the hot shot by mistake.  At the station, we got proof that the dude playing Bubbs is the best acted character on the show.  He’s totally convincing, and he manages to bring out the pure positive emotion of Bubbles while making clear how being addicted to that shit is debilitating for him.  I’m curious to see how Bubbs comes back next season, since it seems like the stage has been set for him to get cleaned up.
Michael going to the darkside was inevitable.  There’s not too much to say about it other than expressing the same wonder about where he’s gonna be when we see him again.
What broke me down, though, was seeing Dukie on the corner.  What a tragic chain of events–social promotion sends a kid to a grade he’s not ready for, and he’s so not ready for it that he doesn’t even walk in the door.  And since his parents are fiends, he’s got nowhere to stay but with Michael, who’s fresh into the darkside.  Think you’re stayin’ with a dope boy for free without getting on the payroll?  Hellll no.
And just that fast, the least likely kid to wind up on the corner is there.  Sadly, it really looked like there was nowhere for him to go.
Randy being branded a snitch in the group home?  Goodness, that’s all bad.  Of all the kids, he was the biggest loser.  Michael’s turning into a monster, but he’s away from the molesting stepfather and his irresponsible mother.  Dukie’s in a similar boat.  But Randy?  He’s lost in every way.
The winner?  Namond Brice, baby.  I mean, he went from being forced to slang by his mother to moving in with Bunny, which provides him with a responsible environment he was never going to get.  And what earned him this good fortune?  Getting smacked around like a sucker by Michael.  Never has a pimpslappin’ saved a man’s life before like this.
Omar…quite simply, he’s my favorite character on television right now.  If you don’t watch the show, I just can’t explain it.  But there’s nothing like seeing a man that’s totally despised but universally respected.  That’s gangsta, and I mean that in a good way.
Prop Joe?  His time’s short.  Notice he charged Marlo a different price on the dope than he was charged by Omar?
I also have no idea how Chris and Snoop are gonna be able to get outta this.  Their days are good and numbered.  My guess?  At some point, Michael’s gonna be asked to take Chris out.  Maybe he’ll take Marlo out instead.  But something serious is gonna go down.
I also really dug the parallel endings for Bodie and Carcetti.  A moment of pride got Bodie killed.  A moment of pride could do the same for Carcetti’s time as mayor.  Gonna be interesting to see that play out.
After watching that episode, I was struck again by the genius of David Simon.  The most interesting thing he’s shown here is how societal factors drive people into these games.  A lot of it has to do with bad decisions, but really think about the decisions these kids made that will lead their paths?  With what they had in front of them, it’s really hard to knock what they decided to do.  Dukie got evicted and couldn’t even find his parents.  He’s gone from school, and nobody would try to find him, even if they could.  Is the corner really worse?
Same with Michael.  What were the alternatives?
Maybe that’s apologist writing, but I don’t think so.  These situations are so realistic and very similar to stories I’ve heard.  The stuff with the schools was particularly telling.  Expectations are so low for black students, and funding’s even more deficient.  Kids are bumped up year after year with little concern to whether they know a damn thing.
So forgive me if I don’t wag my fingers at a lot of folks that ain’t trying to go to college.
Anyway, the show was gripping at every turn.  And it managed to provide powerful climaxes while perfectly setting the stage for the next season.  Gave us all we could handle, then saved the rest for later.  Few of us are able to do that right.  I rarely am, that’s for damn sure.
So what did you think of it?