Jimmy McNulty was on the road to self-destruction in React Quotes, the latest episode of season five of The Wire.
His boozing and constant comings and goings are causing problems on the domestic front, and his serial killer fabrication is surely leading to disaster. Gus Haynes, city editor of The Baltimore Sun, may have had his doubts – ‘Ten minutes ago I would have said this is all bullshit’ – but he’s all ears in the editor’s office as McNulty reveals more information about his ‘killer’.
What’s been so great about The Wire is its realism. I’ve always felt it’s tried to get to the heart of its subject matter, that it’s not interested in stereotypes or neat, well-rounded endings. However, the McNulty storyline is where, like the sozzled detective himself, it’s started to go off the rails. Would McNulty really risk his career, not for personal gain, but to increase the police budget so that they can go after the drug gangs? It seems to me as likely as Marlo showing mercy to a rival.
Still, the pay-off is that the writers can examine how the newsroom deals with McNulty’s made-up tale. Will the cutbacks that have seen experienced journalists leave affect the paper’s handling of the story? Will principled old-hand Gus Haynes be able to keep the overly-ambitious reporter Scott Templeton in check?
There were still some great moments in this episode. Watching Omar and Donnie patiently waiting in a car listening to love songs on the radio before going on the rampage was brilliant. This mix of the simple pleasures of life with the madness to come was like watching a scene from a Coen Brothers movie.
