The world goin' one way, people another, yo

I applied for jobs and took classes my last semester of college. I’m sure I hung out with my friends sometimes, too. But I’m not sure when I did any of those things; I watched 65 hours of The Wire.

Papers waited, class skipped, the gym abandoned. It was an intense experience and like in most intense experiences, powerful bonds formed. Camping trips, summer programs, study abroad. Intense experiences yield lasting relationships. The Wire was no different. (Fine, it was a little different. The friends weren’t real, per se, but only Louis cares about such details.)

What I appreciated most about The Wire were the friends I made. They’d come on the screen and it was like running into a buddy on campus. I cared deeply about them. I would have visited Kima in the hospital or loaned Bubbles a twenty, knowing full well I’d never get it back. I would have covered for McNulty and commiserated with Beatty. Nicky and I would rag on Ziggy and I would do my damndest to impress Daniels.

Like camp, The Wire ended and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see my friends again. I promised to keep in touch and sometimes I’d watch an episode or two or five to see how they were doing. We always picked up right where we left off. It was that kind of friendship.

Thankfully, the world is small and soon my buddies started showing up in unexpected places. It was great to see what they were up to. Stringer showed up at The Office. I was excited to see that his business classes had paid off. Bubbles stayed clean and got a job driving a taxi in one of Fringe’s New Yorks. Fringe let me check in on Daniels, too who got himself work in a real police department, the FBI. He also dumped Ronnie, a positive move. Randy made it out of his group home out to the suburbs. It makes me happy to see him in a school with white people, even though Suburgatory sucks. Omar became professor in prison! Granted, at a Community college, but hey, gotta start somewhere. Carcetti left divisive American politics behind and managed to get himself appointed treasurer of Westeros, a whole freakin’ kingdom! Who wants to be part of a corrupt democracy when you get better perks and no one can do anything about it in an autocracy? Well done, sir!

Sometimes it doesn’t work out so well. It’s hard to see my friends struggle. The Sobotka’s have a hard go of it. Frank’s a sheriff in a backwater Louisiana town where vampires have replaced thugs. I’m sure he misses the docks. Nicky’s got a gig selling pot to Nancy Botwin, which is never a good move. That woman is trouble with a capital T. Nurse Jackie Peyton got Chris Partlow fired from All Saints for stealing pills. I hope he ends up on his feet. McNulty seems ok on The Hour, but his emotional issues and drinking are still tearing him apart. And then, there are those for whom life imitates art which imitated life…sorry Snoop.

I don’t see some of my friends very often. Kima, where are you? It’d be great to see you teach those kids on Glee a lesson or two or finish that law degree and take down Glenn Close once and for all. (By the way, half of The Wire has been on Damages at one point or another, weird.) Prop Joe, there’s no money in smack anymore. Challenge Walter White and make New Mexico your kingdom. There are plenty of appliances to tinker with out there. [Homeland Spoiler Alert] With Estes dead, Homeland could use another black character, Brother Muzone, could you be Chris’s karate teacher? Carrie’s shrink? Saul’s racquetball buddy?

I miss you guys, keep in touch.

Sam Cohen wishes he could think of a clever way to use "cadaverous motherfuckers" in this bio.