The Wire 2x01: Ebb Tide

The Wire's back, negating my previous concerns. Hurrah!

So it's a new season and a new story -- not that the events of the previous one have been forgotten. Far from it, in fact, as what remains of the Barksdale gang struggle on with new problems despite the investigation being over. What those problems are exactly remains unclear though, as The Wire sticks to its opaque style of storytelling, arguably more than ever.

This first episode is mostly catch-up and set-up: alongside seeing where (most of) the first season's team have been shoved away to, there's a raft of new characters at the docks. I can see how this complete change must've been unsettling for viewers expecting more of the same, but the variety and new mystery seem pleasantly fresh. This production team know what they're doing, and I wager it'll pay to trust them and go with it.

That said, my main fear is that it could go the way of Damages. There, an excellent first season has been followed by a bit of a scrappy second, which tried to juggle hanging plots from the first season with a brand new one. The result is a bit of a mess, a result I'm hoping The Wire won't emulate.

(I say "emulate" -- The Wire did its second season years before Damages even began.)