As one of the finest shows ever made for television, The Wire has made a pretty lasting impact on those who watched it, but there is one thing that you might not have noticed even if you're a big fan.
Throughout all five seasons, the show had a a tendency to use tautologies, saying the same thing twice (see what we did there?), but it was not repetition simply for the sake of it, rather it served a purpose.
It may have been a mere reflection of a penchant in Baltimore to use the linguistic device on a regular basis, but it also highlighted the cyclical nature of a lot of the problems that the city faced in the show. Through the use of the tautology, you end up back where you started without having achieved a whole lot. The game is the game, the rules are the rules, and it is what it is.
Via Slate
