The Wire: The Complete Second Season (2005)

5 Discs DVD

The second season in David Simon's Baltimore story arc The Wire is when the show really left the pack. More like a visual novel than a TV show, The Wire progresses like any good book. Unlike other cop dramas like Law & Order or CSI, each season of The Wire is dedicated to one huge case, as opposed to each episode being a very condensed depiction of a crime, the investigation, and the punishment. So like any good book that you just can't put down, The Wire is less of an episodic series of shows and more like a visual novel; the chapters get better and better as you go along, thus hooking you to the story and characters.

The story picks up not long after season one ended, with the Major Crimes Unit destroyed due to internal dissention, and the Barksdale gang crippled with their leader behind bars. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) has been demoted to Harbor Patrol by Col. Rawls, and the rest of the MCU have suffered similar fates. Unlike season one, the backdrop of the case in season two is not the project housing or the street corners where Barksdale's soldiers sling drugs. The story shifts from Western Baltimore to Eastern, more specifically the Patapsco Harbor and the dockworkers that toil there day after day. The huge, almost Gothic shipping cranes along with all the other sights and sounds of the Baltimore harbor give the season a look and feel that the previous one did not have. That being said, you don't need to have seen any of the season one episodes to enjoy season two. The characters are introduced quickly and you will pick up on the style of the show within the first half hour.

The story picks up as a horrifying discovery at the docks leads to a massive investigation that involves the Western District, the Harbor Patrol, and other agencies as they try to piece together the links between Proposition Joe's Eastside drug ring and the Dockworkers Union, who are into serious dirt. The leader of the dockworkers is an angry old son of a bitch named Frank Sobatka, played expertly by Steven Bauer. His family and friends are at the center of the controversy regarding the discovery at the docks, and they have to find a way to get clean before the Major Crimes Unit can setup their wire taps and bring his union down. This is the basis for the major crime in the season, but there are so many orbiting storylines and characters (not the least of which is the power struggle among the leaders in the Barksdale Gang) that will keep you clinging to your seat every episode.

The Wire: Season Two isn't particularly flashy... it doesn't sell the audience with cheap visual tricks like CSI and it doesn't glamorize the violence that goes on in America's deadliest city. It is a powerful, expertly woven tapestry of crime- half cautionary tale, half cop drama. This is the most authentic, believable, and realistic depiction of the Baltimore Ghetto from producers, directors, and actors who know what its like to struggle there. This IS the best show on T.V.

Episodic Previews and Recaps:
This is a feature most shows have on their DVDs. Its just the option to watch the "Previously on: The Wire" segments and the "Next on: The Wire" that air at the beginning and end of each episode on HBO.

Audio Commentary with Stars Dominic West and Michael K. Williams:
This is great commentary from two of the shows biggest stars. Dominic West plays the main character, Det. Jimmy McNulty, and Michael K. Williams expertly plays Omar, the legendary Cut & Runner who robs drug dealers. Michael K. Williams' stuff is great, since his character is in many ways nomadic he tends to come and go during the season, and Michael K. Williams sheds some light on what kind of person Omar really is.

Creator David Simon has taken the cop drama and turned it into something more. The Wire: Season Two is one of the most expertly crafted series in the history of television. The acting is superb, the pacing is perfect, and the story shines without a single dull moment. Forget everything you think you know about cop dramas, because this show will knock the wind out of you.