Doubled Ethics and Narrative Progression in The Wire

Abstract

Rush looks at the handling of ethics in screenwriting through ideas of character and personal conflict. He suggests that the privileging of character conflict through concepts such as narrative ‘spine’ is limiting, and works at the expense of treatment of public conflict and wider social issues. Suggesting that some long-form television represents an alternative approach, Rush develops an analysis of the celebrated serial The Wire focused on what he terms a ‘doubled’ ethics, one that combines a focus on character growth alongside the larger, social world of the story. Drawing on narrative theory, especially the work of James Phelan, Rush develops an approach to character and narrative focused on concepts of narrative judgement and alignment. In making his argument, Rush teases out the relationship between personal and public conflict, and borrows from moral philosophy to show how personal conflict can be examined through an ethics of care, and public concept in terms of an ethics of justice. Rush also revisits theories of television as a ‘cultural forum’, showing how doubled ethics contributes to ethical debate.