Realism til the end

It seems like a few people have finished the Wire and are disappointed with its ending. I too kind of felt that at first, but the more we got to talking about realism in the show, the more it makes sense. In a normal cop show, the bad guys get caught and sentenced to what they deserve, the good cops go home and "pound some Budwisers". But that's not real life. In ending of the Wire, the detectives charged who they could, and some one has to get away. D, who wanted to get out of the game takes the sentence. Avon gets a light prison sentence and Stringer takes over the business. We then see Poot telling the new kid about the Don't Get the Drugs From the Same Person You Give the Money To rule- the game will go on. Like Carver (I think) said at the beginning, its not a war because "Wars end."  This is real life, the game goes on. The no happy ending just follows the realism portrayed throughout the show. I think a lot of viewers would have been disappointed if all the bad guys ended up in jail, all the cops were heros. Plus, then there could be no second season :)