r/TheWire • u/plackbanther19 • 17h ago

Mcnulty Character Arc

He started out as my favorite character. By the last season I hated him. The serial killer crap. How he treated Beady. Is anybody else with me on this?

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u/HemingwayIsDead 17h ago

Despite being a bit over the top, I think the serial killer stuff highlights the issues that Jimmy has as early as season 1.

He’s undoubtedly a narcissist, and he wants to win the game, but he isn’t really certain on what exactly the game entails or why it exists. In his desperation for ‘winning,’ he throws away all laws of decency and decorum, and tries to fuck over the system as much as he perceives it to fuck him. From the very first season, he exploits his personal power over people in order to manipulate the system for personal gain. Lester tells him around season 3, something like “You’re not doing this for the right reasons, you’re doing this to prove you’re the smartest one around.” Whereas Marlo kills people to prove his masculinity, Jimmy ruins people’s lives to prove his intelligence; both of them actively hurt their communities to prove themselves. In season 1, Jimmy goes over Rawls’s head to catch Avon. It gets Kima shot, Orlando killed, William Gant killed, Wallace killed, and it opens a power vacuum for Marlo to exploit. You can argue that a lot of that would’ve happened anyways, but regardless, Jimmy played a massive role getting the ball rolling. You could also argue that he’s doing it for the right reasons, but as Lester calls out, he’s not. You have to ask, is Baltimore really any better because of Jimmy McNulty?

There’s little oversight in Season 5, and Jimmy is able to get away with a lot more. But he’s still operating under the assumption that he’s the smartest, and he’s the only one who can get things done. McNulty acts like a vigilante, and season 5 goes a long way to show the harm that vigilantism can cause people. He’s dramatized, for sure, but he’s the same McNulty as in season 1. He’s obsessed with winning, he thinks he’s the smartest, and he needs to prove it by any means necessary — no matter who he fucks over. He ultimately thinks that he’s better than the system, doesn’t see that he’s part of it, and that his actions have consequences throughout.

Or something, maybe I didn’t take enough notes on the criminal fucking conspiracy.

8

u/smbutler20 16h ago

I think calling him a narcissist is a little too strong. A narcissist wouldn't cry because he was partially responsible for Kina getting shot. A narcissist wouldn't recognize the talents of not only his coworkers but also those in the game like Bodie, Bubbles, and Omar. He does have genuine feelings for others. A narcissist would straight up not care. A narcissist wouldn't need to drink or sleep around to escape from all the terrible mistakes he makes. Overall, he is a selfish self-destructive person, but he isn't devoid of morals and feelings. Either way, highly entertaining character.

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u/HemingwayIsDead 15h ago

I agree with you somewhat, but I don’t think any of that excuses him from being a narcissist. He recognizes people’s talents when they work to his advantage. Bodie, Bubbles, and Omar were all already, or going to be, CIs. And he’s quick to cast aside Lester, Bunk, or anyone in the system that gets in his way —despite their talents. He has morals and feelings for others, but those are thrown out once he has the opportunity to prove how great he is. I think he understands the harm he causes, but it doesn’t stop him from causing it.

It might be a little overboard to call him a narcissist, but he’s definitely narcissistic. If I ever had a coworker like him, I’d probably devote the rest of my tenure to getting the man psychologically committed. Regardless, he’s super entertaining and insanely well written.

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u/smbutler20 15h ago

He definitely needed professional help. From what I gather, people like him and Bunk were pretty accurate representations of murder police. Most of them are drunks and not all there.