Way down in the hole

The third season of The Wire explores a layer of American life that is often ignored in both the media and television: local politics.

This season follows three interwoven storylines that explore the impact of politics on the war on drugs and the possibility of finding a way to win it.

The most compelling new character of the series is Police Commander Howard “Bunny” Colvin, a pragmatic and intelligent veteran of the war on drugs. He has grown weary of the game, or at least his side of it, and after one too many transgressions, he attempts to win the war on drugs by simply not enforcing it. He uses his considerable influence and experience to funnel the dealers into open-air markets. A small ecosystem emerges, named by the locals as “Hamsterdam.”

The similarities between Bunny Colvin and McNulty only become harder to ignore once you realize that Bunny was his mentor. Colvin, like McNulty, sees the problems with the system. Instead of wanting to simply annoy or stick it to the bosses, you get the feeling that Colvin wants to make legitimate change. He wants to improve the way things are done.

Avon is released from prison early in the season after cooperating on a drug case inside the prison. Once released, he finds that the world he knew has changed. His best friend, Stringer Bell, wants to use the money made from drug dealing to become legitimate by investing in real estate and becoming so far removed from the drug game that all they have to do is make money. Avon wants to control territory and continue running his drug enterprise.

There is a real tension between String and Barksdale that takes it time continuing to build from the last season. Both men want the same thing, but ultimately, they have become too different, and Barksdale's time in prison has made the gap between them impossible to overcome. The simmering animosity between them boils over in spurts and finally ends in a handful of scenes that, in aggregate, are the very best The Wire has ever put on screen.

Helping to drive that tension is a new West Baltimore kingpin, Marlo. Played by Jamie Hector, his clinical approach to violence and the rules of the drug trade instantly lets the audience know this man is different. Marlo's casual indifference toward violence is in stark contrast to Avon's emotional outbursts. Marlo's introduction to the world is gradual, and by the time his impact is fully felt, it's too late for anything but war between him and the Barksdale empire.

Councilman Tommy Carcetti is one of the few white men in Baltimore who has any real political power. He is more shrewd than smart, as he knows where he is weak and uses his position as an outsider to use more connected men and gain more and more influence. His story is the story of political ambition and the sacrifices he must make to get ahead, even if his intentions are good. He ultimately brings media attention to Hamsterdam, thus causing its end.

These stories weave back and forth as we see the local politics of each level—the city, the police, and the dealers—make deals and plans to retain power, eliminate enemies, and move ahead. And beneath them are foot soldiers asked to absorb risk and sacrifice for whatever organization they are a part of.

As a whole, I think Season 3 is the second-best season of the series, but it does have the single best scene in the entire run of the show. I don't exaggerate when I claim that it's as close to Shakespeare as any TV has ever gotten.

Spoilers The best scene in the series is the final one between Avon and Stringer, both men betraying each other, blind to the other's intentions and regretting things got so bad between them.