THE WIRE Season 1 Recap, Review, Breakdown & Ending Explained

[00:00] This video is going to contain major

[00:02] spoilers from the off, so I'm warning

[00:04] you now. Plus, it's been 23 years, so

[00:06] what do you expect? The Wire is one of

[00:09] those TV series that has always been on

[00:11] my radar, but I never truly got around

[00:13] to watching it. When it first aired on

[00:15] TV back in 2002, I was about 6 years

[00:18] old, so there wasn't a chance that I'd

[00:20] be sitting there at 9:00 at night

[00:22] watching Wallace getting his head blown

[00:24] off by two people that he thought he

[00:26] could trust. What I did say there'd be

[00:28] spoilers from the off. However, now at

[00:30] the ripe old age of I'll let you work it

[00:33] out, I thought it was about time that I

[00:35] finally gave a show that's held in such

[00:37] regard and is considered one of the

[00:39] strongest TV series ever made a chance.

[00:42] And boy, am I glad I did. Focusing on

[00:45] the drug trade in Baltimore, we saw the

[00:47] true effect that drugs were having on a

[00:49] community. Barkstdale's organization,

[00:52] politics, the police force, rival gangs,

[00:54] and those that were keeping the trade

[00:56] alive. And with corruption, murder,

[00:59] betrayal, loyalty, the true cost of it

[01:01] all, and the feeling like there was

[01:03] hardly any victory when the season

[01:05] reached its end, it mirrored the reality

[01:07] of the entire situation in real life.

[01:10] So, without further ado, let's explore

[01:12] the first season of The Wire together.

[01:15] I'll be doing this for all of the

[01:16] season, so subscribe and stick around.

[01:19] The core theme of the season, what it

[01:22] felt like the overarching theme of the

[01:23] first season was was that it was all

[01:25] about the cost that the drug trade was

[01:27] having on everybody across Baltimore,

[01:30] which was perfectly summed up by the

[01:31] episode 10, which was titled The Cost.

[01:35] This episode truly allowed us to see the

[01:37] impact from everything that we were

[01:39] watching unfold, whether it be from

[01:41] Barkstdale, Stringer, and their crew,

[01:43] McNalty Ka Wallace Orlando D and

[01:46] Omar. This episode truly leaned into

[01:49] everybody's price that they were paying

[01:51] for being involved on whichever side of

[01:53] the law that it was. And that was a

[01:55] theme that was slowly simmering away and

[01:57] building up throughout all of the nine

[01:59] episodes that came before it. For

[02:00] example, with that specific episode

[02:03] starting with Bubbles looking at the

[02:04] kids playing and having fun in the

[02:06] sunshine and it contrasting with the

[02:08] unhygienic dirty look that he had, it

[02:10] reminded him of how he wasn't able to

[02:12] see his own children due to the

[02:14] addiction that he had. And even though

[02:16] he was trying to get clean, he knew that

[02:18] he still wasn't at that point where he

[02:20] was out of the hole. But that's why he

[02:22] looked for help in chemo. So his cost

[02:24] was what he was doing to himself and the

[02:26] fact that he was isolated and without

[02:28] his family. With Wallace, there was the

[02:30] guilt that he was holding on to inside

[02:31] of him for calling in the location of

[02:33] Omar's boy, Brandon, to string her and

[02:36] ultimately seeing what happened to him

[02:37] and feeling like he wasn't cut out for

[02:39] that life. With KMA, we saw that she

[02:42] ended up taking two shots and was left

[02:44] in a critical condition whilst

[02:45] undercover. For McNalty, he bore the

[02:48] weight of responsibility for Ka getting

[02:50] shot and was also on the cusp of losing

[02:52] the right to see his children because he

[02:54] involved them in the case.

[02:56] With Omar, he ended up leaving town

[02:58] because he knew that he wasn't truly

[03:00] safe from Avon, even though a parlay was

[03:02] agreed. And with Alando, it ended up

[03:04] being death because he snitched. So

[03:07] through that episode, the individual

[03:09] cost of the crimes that were taking

[03:10] place was truly felt. And that was

[03:12] genuinely the entire point of the first

[03:14] season. It was about how the selling of

[03:17] narcotics snowballs into this wider

[03:19] issue and organized crime, which ends up

[03:21] fueling murder, testing people's

[03:23] loyalty, losing their lives, and making

[03:25] them do things that they wouldn't

[03:27] necessarily ordinarily do. Essentially

[03:29] putting them in a prison whilst on the

[03:31] outside because if they stepped away

[03:33] from it or went against it, they'd end

[03:35] up dead. I'd say the most impactful

[03:37] moment was definitely when Bod and Poot

[03:40] killed Wallace when Stringer felt like

[03:42] he was snitching. Throughout the

[03:43] entirety of this first season of the

[03:45] show, Bod, Poot, and Wallace were like

[03:47] the three amigos. They had each other's

[03:49] backs and were spending all their time

[03:51] with each other in the pit. But the

[03:53] moment that Stringer wanted to see if

[03:55] Bod was able to step up, Bod didn't

[03:57] think twice about it, knowing that if he

[03:59] didn't do anything about it, then he'd

[04:01] be thrown into question himself, showing

[04:03] the kill or be killed world. But with

[04:05] Poot, the person that didn't want to do

[04:07] it in the first place, he actually ended

[04:10] up being the person that finished

[04:11] Wallace off because Bod couldn't. This

[04:14] showed that even the people that you

[04:15] least expect to participate and be

[04:17] involved still chose to be because they

[04:19] knew what needed to be done even though

[04:21] it hurt them. Another core theme that I

[04:24] feel was explored outside of the cost of

[04:26] what being involved in the world of

[04:28] narcotics and murder in any capacity was

[04:30] the way that no matter what side of the

[04:32] law you're on, the body that you're

[04:34] under, the organization that you're a

[04:35] part of has a way of instilling beliefs

[04:37] within you that ultimately makes you

[04:39] question your moral values and it tries

[04:41] to make you go against them. We saw this

[04:44] obviously with Avon Barkstdale's crew.

[04:46] For example, D'Angelo Barkstdale wasn't

[04:48] cut out for that world, and he was only

[04:50] within it due to the association with

[04:52] Avon, as he was family. He was fine

[04:54] being involved in the distribution of

[04:56] narcotics, but when it came to

[04:58] everything else, such as the murders,

[05:00] you could tell he didn't fit in.

[05:02] However, he never truly spoke up. He

[05:05] just stood there silent, absent, and

[05:07] participated. Take some of the murders,

[05:09] the two innocent witnesses, Wallace, and

[05:12] even Kesha. He was hurt by every single

[05:14] one of them because he didn't want to be

[05:16] around that or have blood on his hands.

[05:19] That's why he empathized with Wallace

[05:20] following what happened to Brandon.

[05:22] However, because he ultimately

[05:24] suppressed how he truly felt and wasn't

[05:26] able to walk away due to the rules that

[05:28] Barkstdale's organization had. Even when

[05:30] he was behind bars and was offered the

[05:32] opportunity of being able to go free and

[05:34] start a new life somewhere else, he paid

[05:36] the highest price and instead was

[05:39] sentenced to 20 years behind bars. So he

[05:42] couldn't express how he truly felt and

[05:44] was stuck there even though he didn't

[05:45] agree with any of it, showing that he

[05:48] was forever trapped. The same could also

[05:50] be said with the police department and

[05:52] the government body. For example,

[05:53] Lieutenant Daniels, Detective McNelte,

[05:55] and their team were constantly facing

[05:57] uphill battles in order to work on the

[05:59] investigation in the way that they

[06:01] wanted to. constantly coming up against

[06:03] red tape, blockages from the higher-ups,

[06:05] and even seeing that within the FBI,

[06:07] they didn't put the same value on the

[06:09] criminals as to what they did. The

[06:11] federal officers were willing to allow

[06:13] Avon Barkstdale to get a lesser sentence

[06:15] despite being the head of this large

[06:17] narcotics empire and responsible for

[06:19] multiple murders if it meant that he

[06:21] could be used as a porn in order to take

[06:23] down the politicians, senators, and

[06:25] government officials that were involved

[06:27] in crime. So, it showed that it wasn't a

[06:29] level playing field across all parties.

[06:31] So on both sides of the law, nobody was

[06:34] ever truly able to be themselves unless

[06:36] they were sitting at the head of the

[06:37] realm. They were almost all up against

[06:39] each other. So it showed that how with

[06:41] the likes of an institution, whether it

[06:43] be above board or on the streets, it was

[06:45] always watching, it was difficult to

[06:47] navigate and it always knew what you

[06:49] were doing, ultimately making you be

[06:51] considered a soldier no matter who you

[06:53] were.

[06:54] The importance of Wallace. For me,

[06:57] Wallace was arguably one of the most

[06:59] important characters in this first

[07:01] season. It's not like we were Wallace,

[07:03] but he was the most innocent character

[07:05] in all of this. He was 16. He was on the

[07:08] streets working, and he hadn't truly

[07:10] been exposed to the consequences of his

[07:11] own actions just yet. So when he phoned

[07:14] in about the location of Brandon and he

[07:16] saw the dead body that had been tortured

[07:18] throughout the night and was thrown out

[07:19] of a window onto a car, he felt that

[07:21] weight of responsibility on his

[07:23] shoulders to the point where we once saw

[07:25] a young man that had life within him

[07:27] slowly looking at the other side of the

[07:29] dollar bill. And he himself started

[07:31] using, trying to escape his mind, which

[07:34] was reminding him of what he felt that

[07:36] he'd done. This was almost a gateway

[07:38] into seeing how the likes of Bubbles and

[07:40] other addicts end up buying off of them

[07:42] and using. It showed how one thing in

[07:44] your life goes bad and then you end up

[07:46] in that pit that you're trying to climb

[07:48] out from. For the longest time, all

[07:50] throughout this season, we saw small

[07:52] moments which would lead to Wallace

[07:53] questioning if he wanted to be there.

[07:55] And he witnessed firsthand the effect

[07:57] that being in the pit had on those that

[07:59] were around him. for example, he was the

[08:01] only person that seemed to care for the

[08:03] young kids of the pit, making sure they

[08:05] were fed, getting them ready for school,

[08:07] and sending them on their way. However,

[08:09] when one of them couldn't do a simple

[08:10] maths equation, but was able to work out

[08:13] how to deal because they said that if

[08:14] they got their count, they'd get messed

[08:16] up. That was one of the final things

[08:18] that showed Wallace delight because he

[08:21] saw how these kids were being messed up

[08:22] and introduced to this dangerous world

[08:24] from the moment that they could walk,

[08:26] talk, and speak. With Wallace going to

[08:28] the police, then to his grandmother's,

[08:30] and then ultimately returning back to

[08:31] the pit because he felt like he couldn't

[08:33] function outside of it. It almost showed

[08:36] the hold and the effect that that place

[08:38] had on him. Functioning in normal

[08:39] society around normality wasn't what he

[08:42] knew. Not because he didn't want to, but

[08:44] it's because he simply couldn't. He

[08:47] didn't know how to operate in that

[08:48] world. It's like in Shaw Shank when

[08:50] Brooks got released from jail after

[08:52] decades and he didn't know how to

[08:53] function anymore. That was Wallace in

[08:55] the real world outside of the pit.

[08:57] However, with him returning back home

[08:59] after showing that he tried to flee. The

[09:02] rules that Barkstdale and Co had needed

[09:03] to be followed. And even though he was

[09:05] young, even though he didn't mean to do

[09:07] no wrong, there was still a price that

[09:09] needed to be paid, which is why he was

[09:11] ultimately killed by his two best

[09:13] friends. Wallace is a character that

[09:15] wanted out, but simply didn't know how

[09:17] to find a way. And even though he wanted

[09:19] change and was on the cusp of getting

[09:21] that freedom that he desired, when he

[09:23] had it, he didn't know how to cope with

[09:25] it. So it showed that when these people

[09:27] were being brought into the game at a

[09:28] young age, it meant that they stayed

[09:30] there because if they left, they'd have

[09:32] nothing and they wouldn't know what to

[09:34] do. Wallace died because he wanted

[09:36] better. And that's the harsh reality of

[09:38] it. He wanted exactly what D did.

[09:41] The cyclical nature of it all. One thing

[09:44] that I thought this first season got

[09:46] across really well was the cyclical

[09:48] nature that was clear to see for

[09:49] everybody involved. For example, the

[09:52] ending was relatively anticlimactic in

[09:54] the sense that even though Avon

[09:55] Barkstdale was caught, he only got a few

[09:57] years behind bars. And even though he

[10:00] was going to jail, it didn't stop

[10:01] anything at all on the streets. This is

[10:04] because Stringer Bell was going to be

[10:05] heading up the operations in his

[10:06] absence. The streets were still going to

[10:08] be supplied, murders were still going to

[10:10] be taking place, and corruption was

[10:12] going to carry on being present. We even

[10:14] saw with the likes of Bubbles, he ended

[10:16] this season essentially right back where

[10:18] he started in the very first episode on

[10:21] the gear and going up to a dealer so he

[10:23] could get some, despite spending most of

[10:25] this season being conflicted about where

[10:26] he was in life and actually wanting to

[10:28] kick it, better himself, and have a

[10:30] relationship with his family. But the

[10:32] sad reality of this world was that there

[10:34] was always going to be a steady supply

[10:36] there for Bubbles to be tempted by. He

[10:38] was even ashamed as he told McNalty not

[10:40] to tell Kea, but he just couldn't help

[10:42] himself. That was one of the saddest

[10:44] moments in the season for sure. Then

[10:46] when you look at the detectives, there

[10:48] was still more work that needed to be

[10:50] done in order to even make a dent. When

[10:52] you look at the amount of murders that

[10:54] were solved, that were pinned on people

[10:55] and also the sheer amount of people that

[10:57] they put behind bars. It was just a

[10:59] stones drop in the ocean when it came to

[11:01] the ripples that it was causing and the

[11:03] impact that it actually made. Showing

[11:05] that no matter what they did, there was

[11:07] always going to be more that needed to

[11:08] be done. Even when we saw the two crews

[11:11] fighting towards the end of the season,

[11:13] if Barkstdale were going to be shut

[11:14] down, somebody else would just move in

[11:16] on the pit. So, there was always just

[11:18] going to be this repetitive cycle that

[11:20] would likely never be eradicated. Death

[11:22] or jail is the only way to break the

[11:24] cycle, and it's a harsh reality. a

[11:27] review of the season. All I can say is

[11:30] that I'm a fool for waiting so long to

[11:32] watch The Wire. I don't know why it took

[11:34] me so long to finally put it on and

[11:36] immerse myself within the world. The

[11:38] story is so gripping, and you find

[11:40] yourself enjoying whatever part of the

[11:41] law that you spend your time with. The

[11:43] casting in this show is simply

[11:45] phenomenal, too. From McNalty to Keema

[11:47] to Daniels to Stringer to Barksdale to

[11:50] Omar to Wallace, there's not a single

[11:52] performance in this show that doesn't

[11:54] hold up to the name that they

[11:55] essentially went on to become decades

[11:57] later. I didn't know a young Michael B.

[11:59] Jordan was in the show, and when I saw

[12:01] him, I questioned what it'd be like. But

[12:03] genuinely, he's one of the strongest

[12:05] performers in the show. I'd say my

[12:07] favorite characters in the first season

[12:08] are Omar, McNalty, Stringer, D, Wallace,

[12:12] and Bubbles. I know there's a lot, but

[12:14] it's difficult to whittle it down

[12:15] because the performances were so strong

[12:17] and there was something about most of

[12:19] them that you could just latch on to.

[12:21] One thing that I feel allows this show

[12:23] to thrive is the 13 episode structure

[12:25] that it has. Whilst back then it didn't

[12:27] feel out of the ordinary to get that

[12:29] amount, but in today's world 13 episodes

[12:31] in a season would be seen as a luxury as

[12:34] sometimes we only get six per season

[12:36] now. The same HBO only commissions seven

[12:39] episodes for The Last of Us. So, I feel

[12:41] like that says a lot. I've not actually

[12:42] watched season 2 and beyond of the show,

[12:44] so I'm intrigued to see where it's going

[12:46] to go. As I'm watching it, I'm going to

[12:48] be releasing videos on the channel at

[12:49] the end of every season. So, if you

[12:51] enjoyed this one, please do subscribe so

[12:53] you can watch along with me and share

[12:55] your thoughts in the comments, too. For

[12:57] now, season 1 has been and gone, well,

[13:00] 23 years ago. And I'd say that the

[13:02] season holds up to its reputation in

[13:04] 2025, as it did in 2002. That's how you

[13:07] know it's definitely a gem. Also, if you

[13:10] want to see more classic TV series being

[13:12] broken down, then I've put a playlist

[13:14] below for when I covered Band of

[13:15] Brothers. I've got Chernobyl down there,

[13:17] too. If there are any other older shows

[13:19] that you'd like to see on the channel,

[13:21] then please let me know in the comments

[13:22] below. Thanks for tuning into this video

[13:25] and I'll see you in the next