The Wire: Season 3 [DVD] [2007]

The storyline for Series Three is set up by two major events. The first is the municipal demolition of the Franklin Towers, the infamous and run-down high-rise residential blocks where the first series was based, and which housed and symbolised the drug-running community of western Baltimore. This ill-advised move pushes jailed crime-boss Avon Barksdale's uprooted troops into other areas of the city, triggering a string of bloody clashes for territory with rival gangs. The second event is the release of Barsksdale himself, his parole date brought forward massively as the result of some clever scams and set-ups both within and without the prison walls.Lt. Daniels' unit, featuring everyone's favourite insubordinate drunk, Detective Jimmy McNulty, has finally earned the right to exist on its own terms, in Daniels' superiors' eyes. However, things are getting increasingly tough for McNulty, Greggs and co. The telephone wire-taps upon which the unit relies become useless after a misinterpreted phone conversation is acted upon by the police. Not only is the resulting arrest worthless, but Daniels' unit has tipped its hand to its opponents in the criminal community, letting them know their phones have been bugged. The crims promptly switch up onto a new system which sees them use mobile phones, each of which is discarded and replaced after a few days' use.This leaves the police unit floundering aimlessly for several episodes, vaguely chasing up weak leads here and there and not making much progress. For me, this cost the storyline focus and a sense of direction, too. That said, and in true Wire form, it's when you're roughly half-way through the series, having been wondering when the story is going to begin properly, that you realise it's always been there and you've been following it right from the beginning. No other drama rewards perserverance and concentration so handsomely.Another of The Wire's calling cards is present and correct in the third series, this one not so welcome: the heavy overuse of slang and jargon, often rattled through too fast and/or muttered inaudibly. This is doubly unforgivable in a program which is establishing itself as a modern benchmark of character- and dialogue-driven substance over style. I have surrendered to the use of subtitles to get the most out of the series. Subtitles!The Wire often gets compared to The Sopranos, for a whole cocktail of very good reasons. In The Sopranos, you'll find a production that gets the balance between clarity and authenticity in its dialogue just right. It can be done.On a more positive note, and something that's been missing from my reviews of The Wire so far, is a nod to the program's sense of humour. Because of the series' subtely and the often grim subject matter they portray, it's too easy to forget their frequent moments of wit and levity. The program never goes for ha-ha, try-to-make-you-laugh gags, but does have its own brand of dry, or gallows, humour when it is called for. And because it is used well and sparingly, it is always genuinely funny.Series Three lacks the depth of the second season, which followed the two parallel storylines of Frank Sobotka's world and the continuing Barksdale saga simultaneously. That said, by the time the curtain closes on the third season, it has developed into a mind-blowing polemic on the possibilities of more liberal narcotics laws, within which Daniel's unit plays only a small role. For this alone, it's compulsory viewing. Whilst the series is a little late in developing, even by the unrushed standards of its two predecessors, the final two episodes are shatteringly good. Where can The Wire go from here? Stay tuned.

So much has been spoken about The Wire's challenging "visual novel" style and deliberate pace that the show's abundance of grade A, straightforward entertainment is often overlooked. For a series whose heart and soul is rooted in realism and journalistic detail, The Wire has actually mastered cinematic conventions, whether it's the show's effortless sense of humor, the expertly crafted thrills derived from "cat-and-mouse" dynamics or the endlessly stylish stick ups of Omar Little. And all of that is important to note, because without drawing the audience in, the show's searing themes and atypical goals wouldn't hit as hard as they do.There are so many moments where the show's immediate pleasures seem to almost trick you into thinking that there will be a satisfying ending to wrap everything up. But no matter how hopeful things get, there's never any escape from the show's inherent sense of classically rooted Greek tragedy. There are no happy endings, there are no heroes or villains and plot lines often end with very little resolution. The only constants are the gods (the corrupt systems of order; "The Game," so to speak) and the inevitability of their design. Every character introduced chooses to either play by the rules or become a victim.Now, there's no doubt that Greek Tragedies are one of the oldest storytelling formats and that many dramas have already pondered upon the destructive relationships between and within modern American institutions. But very few works of art have seamlessly fused both and none of them have done so with as much confidence, resonance, ambition and realistic, in-depth, examination, as The Wire. No matter what aspect you wish to explore; the working class, the drug subculture, police forces, school systems, politics, journalism, or almost any other major force of power or source of downfall in a capitalist society; the writers and cast of the show have done the research, pinpointed the probable problems, and embedded a vital sense of drama, perfect pacing and brilliant, almost mythological, characterizations.The result is a masterpiece; a series of 5 finely crafted, concise and powerful theses, each contributing to a near-flawless whole that, hopefully, will become aknowledged, not only as one of the most vital commentaries on inner-city America of our time, but also as one of the greatest works of fiction ever made.

Stunningly good, again. Who'd have thought that a TV show about cops and gangs would be so subtle, 3-dimensional, funny, moving and intelligent? Everybody who wants to understand drugs, crime or America should watch it!In this season, the makers of The Wire have expanded the universe of the show by adding a new political dimension while bringing the focus back to the drug-littered west Baltimore streets of the first season, where names like Barksdale, Omar and Prop Joe still "ring out". It's the same old "game": gangs fighting for street corners, sergeants demanding arrests and Jimmy McNulty going behind his boss's back to pull strings for a short-cut solution to his big case...I have no wish to give away the plot, which is a humdinger, but suffice to say it the story is jolted by realism and twists just like in the first two seasons. New people join the game, others leave it, and one man thinks he may have struck on an answer to clean up the whole scene...And the characters are so well drawn, it is hard to believe these are actors. I mean, surely the guy who plays Omar really is chillingly ruthless and charmingly eloquent? And surely the guy who plays Jay must really enjoy needling his subordinates in a gross and funny way? But actually the men behind McNulty and Stringer are both British, which shows how convincing the whole dramatic illusion is, even though it often feels like a documentary.Please note, you must watch the first two seasons before this one (or at least you REALLY should because they are excellent and you will spoil the fun if you discover the plot backwards) and, yes, the DVDs of all three seasons have subtitles, and you will probably need them, unless you are a Baltimore drug dealer.