It’s so funny that we are watching and absolutely loving the HBO show “The Wire”, because we were both reluctant to try the series out because we thought it might just be another lame cop show.  Boy were we wrong.  Although the first season took a while to develop the main characters, once you were hooked in to the story line, you really began to care for the characters, and you even liked the bad guys and wanted to see them succeed, not just the “good guys”.  Shows that have this sort of dichotomy are rare, and it just goes to show how good writing can manipulate people’s emotions and make them think of how there are always two sides to every story.

Each season of the wire has focused around different stories and different groups of people from different walks of life.  The 4th season centers around an inner city Baltimore school that has gone completely out of control, and of course there are also subplots galore, even with one of the Wire favorites, Omar, who loves to mess with the drug dealer’s stashes, and makes a good living from it.  However, he finds himself on the defensive when there is a price on his head and he’s thrown into jail on false murder charges.

The only character that is not really likeable or compelling in the fourth season is actually the object of the latest Wire, named Marlo, a new kid in town who’s taken over most of Avon Barksdale’s corners, and seems to have a penchant for making people mad and not following the rules - he’s a cocky guy, and it’s hard to take him, and he definitely isn’t likeable, but I think that’s what the writers wanted this season.  In other words, you cared if you saw Stringer Bell or Avon Barksdale or Omar get killed, but you would actually relish the idea of this Marlo guy getting killed because he has no charisma. 

With the cops now chasing after evidence against Marlo, and having a hard time finding the “bodies” to get him, you find yourself rooting for the kids at the inner city school and hoping that they don’t take the path that so many of their peers do, especially when being tempted all the time by Marlo’s henchman to play corners and sell drugs.  Marlo’s henchman are just as unlikeable and cold blooded, Snoop and Chris.

Each season of the Wire is unique and brings in new characters, but the really cool thing about it is how they hook you in and at first you think nothing is happening for the first episode or two, but the acting is so good and the emotions run high, and you soon find yourself caring for these characters like they were family.