5/5 The Wire Season 2
  by St. Christopher
I'm not kidding, I'm 51 years old and apart from season 1 (and possibly 3) this is the best TV I've ever seen. Visually, where its shot on the waterfront, its even better than 1. Least good version of Down In The Hole though, yeah I know he wrote it, but Tom Waitts just tries too hard...tru dat

5/5 Great Show!
  by Eugene L. Curry (Houston, TX United States)
I had heard about this show when it first came out but I never had the time to look at it. Boy what a mistake! The writers and actors are first class! I suggest it to everyone I meet.

5/5 The Wire Complete Second Season
  by Carl W. Burton (Rockvale, TN USA)
The Wire was very well done. We don't usually get to see "that" side of life but it's out there and we should know about it. The characters themselves (casting) made this a very good series.

5/5 A Snapshot of Our Culture . . . .
  by Shasta Kath (Eureka, CA)
Told through an array of richly developed characters, The Wire Second Season shows the ruthlessness of today's business culture in vivid detail, complete with highlighting the utter lack of moral conscience -- and the effect of that lack on the characters and their lives.

5/5 The Finest Season Of The Wire
  by K. Steckfus (Philly)
I'm not going to give an episode by episode synopsis of this masterful season of what is the greatest show ever aired on television, in my opinion. However, in the view of this reviewer, this is finest season David Simon and Ed Burns wrote.

I've seen the negative reviews and have heard many people complain that Season 2 is "slower," "takes longer to develop," and "the characters aren't as interesting." The reality is that each of these individuals along with each of the reviewers on this site that are saying this have never been to Baltimore. I've lived in Baltimore my entire life and was born here. My family to this day runs a small manufacturing business in the steel industry and this season pretty much captures each side of the true Baltimore - this is a blue collar manufacturing and port town plagued by heroin, disease, prostitution, and perhaps the highest murder per capita rate in the entire world (if you don't count Detroit). And that is what The Wire strives to achieve.....this isn't just a dramatic cops and drug dealers show....this is epic about the city of Baltimore and here we witness the decline of the city's industries that have long supported its communities (along with the drugs, murder, gangbangers, ect.)

At the beginning of the first episode when McNulty is on the boat, they go by the former Bethlehem Steel Sparrow's Point plant. McNulty says his father worked there but was laid off. That is the theme - The deindustrialization of this town, and hence, our country.

In my opinion, Frank Sobotka is possibly the greatest character of the entire show (except for Omar). He has the responsibility to so many men at the port but doesn't have the work to give them so he has to resort to bringing in contraband for the greeks. By the way, the prostitutes in the barrels and the giant drug bust REALLY HAPPENED here several years ago and there IS a large Greek community here (even though the greek wasn't really greek). Also, another perk for me here is NO MARLOW.....Stringer Bell is the perfect villain here, an Adam Smith-following, enterprising, kill everyone in his way, straight up businessman.

I'll stop there but if you want to really witness every side of Baltimore and really know what this town is about, look no further.