TVSquad

Ah, how good it is to get back to The Wire. I've been steered off track by other DVDs landing on my doorstep for Jane After Dark, so season five of The Wire has been a while coming. One again, the show blows me away with the writing, characters, cinematography and realism. I'm just part-way into season one, but I love all of the references to everything that's happened thus far in the series, and the crew's continued attempts to bring down Marlo's organization. And, apparently, Omar is still in the game ...

First of all, I loved the opening scene of episode one so much I had to play it over a few times. Seeing Bunk and Norris play their game on the corner boy was priceless. If you need a refresher, they were trying to get the kid to talk and told him his partner had already rolled in exchange for some McDonald's lunch. Then they marched the kid to a Xerox machine and duct-taped his hand to the glass -- their flawless lie detector.

The first two questions were name and place of residence; the machine delivered "True" answers. Then Bunk asked the kid if he and his friend shot Pookie. The boy denied it, and the machine shot out its verdict: "False." The kid gave up the truth on the spot. "The bigger the lie, the more they believe," says Bunk.

I'm already loving this season because it centers on the goings-on inside a newspaper, The Baltimore Sun. Finally, a season I can identify with, having worked in newsrooms sporadically throughout my writing career. I know what it's like to get my first byline and break some amazing news story. I also know the frustration of shrinking pages, fewer add dollars, lower circulation numbers, and staff cuts.

And is McNulty on a path of self-destruction or what? Boozing and womanizing when he's got Amy Ryan at home? And oy, manipulating evidence and files to try and score more cash for the department from the cash-strapped city. But is that all it is? I think he's just plain frustrated with all the beaurocracy and can't stand the wall that he -- and others in the department -- keep coming up against. We'll see how it all plays out, especially when Bunk knows the truth (and Freamon is onboard). Is this that much different than Bunk's "lie detector" test? Sure, a serial killer on the loose has more impact overall, but both things are based on lies.

I've been hearing awesome things about season five of The Wire ever since it aired, and now I can find out for myself how good it really is.

Read my thoughts on other seasons of The Wire:

Season one, part one
Season one, part two
Season two, part one
Season two, part two
Season three, part one
Season three, part two
Season four, part one
Season four, part two