The Wire had an extremely successful first season critically, but never really mustered up big viewing figures for HBO. Thankfully they didn't pull a FOX and give up on the show, and so we get a second (and three other) seasons of this brilliant show.

After his brash but ultimately noble actions at the end of the first season, McNulty's superiors have him sent to the harbour as a patrol guard; it's an apt punishment as McNulty gets seasick, and frankly can't stand the job. With Avon and his brother D'Angelo in prison, the criminal mastermind Stringer Bell has taken over the Barksdale operation, and it is running smoother and smarter than ever. The main part of the story takes place at the local docks, though, as union leader Frank Sobotka attempts to keep the union alive through dealings with criminals. However, when a shipping container full of dead bodies shows up on the dock, and is discovered by Office Beadie Russell, he has a lot to answer for. This causes McNulty to become somewhat involved with Russell, encroaching further on his already strained relationship with his family.

This series did alienate me, I will admit, at first; the change of scenery and the fact that McNulty isn't present through a lot of it is a bit disconcerting at first, but the dock characters are superbly crafted, and the season's final episode truly delivers on everything built up throughout the series. The season's end-montage particularly is a reminder that no matter how much the forces of law act against the criminals, they can barely put a dent in them for good. It also features a shocking death and some fitting closure to great characters.