The Wire: Season 2

I just finished watching the second season and I absolutely had to write about it (at 1 in the morning, although I have to be up at 6). I had heard that season 2 was the least compelling of all three seasons. I haven't seen season 3 yet and so can't comment on that. What I can say is that I LOVED season 2!

Season 1 was definitely a high-action and very fast-paced season and I am so glad that I have the series on DVD, so that I could stop and play-back scenes that went by too fast for me. Although season 2 might initially appear more sedate, a lot of things actually happen, setting the stage for the major drama that is to come in season 3. I particularly enjoyed seeing a different side of the drug trade.

Season 1 focused almost exclusively on the drug dealing activities going on within the Barksdale organisation, in the Towers and the Pit. Season 2 switches gears slightly. At the start of the season, we think that the major focus of the investigations will be primarily a smuggling ring at the docks. It turns out to be more than that and, through interwoven storylines, we start to learn about how the dealers get the drugs that they sell and how chinks in the distribution line can affect their entire organisation - in short, we get a bird's eye view of the entire production and have a context in which to place the daily nitty-gritty.

Now, I'm dying to see the third season. I know some of what happens - especially the BIG shock (Wire fans will know what I'm talking about). Alas, I will have to wait until the middle of next year when it comes out on DVD.