After a riveting first season, the creators of The Wire decided to really step things up for season two. To the two “families” of cops and drug dealers they add another new environment with even more characters: the stevedores who work down at the Baltimore docks. This being The Wire, of course, these stevedores have their own problems and their own kinds of misdemeanors and felonies. What’s amazing about the second season of The Wire is the balance it keeps between five or six different stories and over two dozen major characters, and the threads that run between all of them that slowly get pulled tighter and tighter together as the season moves on. I was completely drawn in by the labyrinthine plot, trying to figure out all the connections and being shocked by the twists and turns.

The new characters completely change the flavour of the show. Really, going along with the food analogy, it’s almost a new dish. I really became attached to the dockworkers, and to Officer “Beadie” Russell, as she went from being the regular dock patrol officer to the new member of the task force. Also in this season, the returning cast gets given the opportunity to play a little bit more with their characters. I came out of this season with some new favourites, particularly “Bunk” Moreland (Wendell Pierce) and “Stringer” Bell (Idris Elba), who got a lot more time to develop their characters and make them work.

It’s been said by more astute writers than me, but I honestly believe The Wire is one of the best television shows that HBO ever produced, and that puts it in position to be one of the best shows in the medium. Season Two is even better than Season One, and I’m looking forward to starting up Season Three.