“All the pieces matter” Probably my favourite show of all time that I initially didn’t fuck with but I stuck it out and found one of the most thematically rich crime dramas ever produced. David Simon creates a raw and gritty masterpiece by putting the streets of Baltimore under the microscope with perspectives of both the police force and the criminals as they build their drug empire. The show feels almost like a documentary which was the intention of the director with it originally being filmed in 4:3 and a limited use of needle drops and preferring to use ambience and radio music to create immersion and capture the feel of being there. Each season presents a different department of the drug industry with everything connecting: Season 1 - The Pit (focuses on the projects and the towers and the police on the trail of the Barksdale gang) Season 2 - The Docks (shifts to a view of dockworkers and how the drugs find their way through the harbour and the impact on the blue collar workers, this initially disappointed me but it’s actually one of the better seasons on a rewatch with the Sobotka family being tragic pawns in the greater game. Season 3 - Hamsterdam and Avon vs Stringer (The two head honchos of the Barksdale organisation come to a heated confrontation after the events of Season 2 with Stringer’s corporate ambition clashing with Avon’s street nature and it all culminates in a Greek tragedy that I won’t spoil meanwhile Colvin solves the crime rate by allowing criminals to take drugs on the streets as long as it’s contained in paper bags as it’s the murders they care about). Season 3 features a balcony scene with some of the most real and moving acting I’ve seen especially with all the background elements surrounding it and is a scene I consider one of the most important of the entire show Season 4 - The Schools (The most heartbreaking season by far as it shows just how quickly kids can be manipulated and turned into corner boys because of how fucked up the guidance in their lives are, it follows 4 boys - Duquan, Randy, Namond and Michael and how their lives drastically change, it also shows Bodie and Poot standing their territory as the last of the Barksdale boys as new blood comes onto the scene to take over with Marlo Stanfield and his associates Chris Partlow and Snoop who dispose of bodies by hiding them in vacant houses which becomes the main focus of the season for the police Season 5 - The Media (David Simon uses his experience as a former writer for the Baltimore Sun newspaper to tell his own story of the disgruntlement he had with the corruption behind the media and it seems very tongue-in-cheek, this season is seen by many as one of the weakest due to the fake serial killer storyline which McNulty and Freamon create to get more funds for the investigation which Bunk disapproves of heavily, this involves interfering with the corpses of homeless people to make it look like there’s a pattern but it is saved by an incredible finale that wraps everything up beautifully. The Wire features incredible performances from Dominic West, Michael K Williams, Lance Reddick, Idris Elba and more. This show is an experience that will stay with you because of how gripping it is while being a biting indictment of the corruption of the American government and all the different departments that come with it. The king stay the king 5/5