Everyone has their favorite season of The Wire but there’s certainly a strong case for the third series of David Simon’s seminal crime drama being among the very best.
Arguably the most ambitious of the five, it juggled the political and sociological struggles of Baltimore’s war on drugs as well as the continued decline of the Barksdale organization and Stringer Bell. Omar Little continued to wage his lethal one-man war against those who crossed his path while Dominic West’s McNulty was back, front and center, after a season spent on something approaching the periphery.
This season introduced fans to Aidan Gillen’s ambitious city councilman Tommy Carcetti along with Major Howard “Bunny” Colvin and his radical new approach to the city’s spiraling drug problem.
Season 3 featured arguably some of the biggest and best twists in the show’s entire run while the writing remained second to none. Despite retaining an unmistakable authenticity, the writers of The Wire still found a way to weave wonderful lines into each and every episode. Here are 10 of our favorites.
"If that idiot worked for us, he'd be a deputy commissioner by now"
As a police officer, Detective Roland ‘Prez’ Pryzbylewski’s conduct often left a lot to be desired, with the character’s trigger-happy, act now, ask questions later approach often landing him in trouble while also paint the police force in a terrible light.
While Prez may have made for an incompetent detective, he was an undoubtedly intelligent and decent man capable of wry observations. Observations like this moment when, after observing a dealer openly disclosing sensitive information on a tapped phone line, he draws a neat parallel with his own superiors.
"I ain't no suit-wearin' businessman like you. You know I'm just a gangsta, I suppose."
The Wire’s third season was the one that finally saw the relationship between Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell fracture beyond repair. While ultimately the breakdown of their working relationship harked back to the old adage about there being “no honor” among thieves, it was more than that.
Bell and Barksdale had a fundamentally different outlook on the world and their place in it. Bell had dreams of going legit and explored them to a series of dead ends this season. Barksdale, by contrast, had no desire to make it as a suit-wearing businessman and, in this memorable exchange, laid it all out to his soon-to-be-ex partner.
"A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It's the s**t that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come."
Lester Freamon was a man of few words on The Wire but when he did speak, everyone took note. Season 3 may have featured plenty of big moments but it was the small ones that held the most power. Like this simple exchange between Lester and McNulty, discussing life on the job.
While McNulty seeks recognition for his police work, Lester tries to help him understand that no such accolades are coming and that he should seek happiness in other areas of his life.
"All in the game yo, all in the game."
Omar Little was an enigmatic presence throughout The Wire’s run; a one-man army causing mayhem and creating drama wherever he went.
He loved a good one-liner and regularly spoke about “the game” during his time on the show. “All in the game yo” was a simple reflection on his life, living on the wrong side of the tracks, and the inherent risks and rewards that come with that.
It served as a reflection on Omar's semi-charmed existence, a belief that you must take the bad with the good when you choose the life he has chosen. And he did. Until the very end.
"Middle management means that you got just enough responsibility to listen when people talk, but not so much you can't tell anybody to go f**k themselves."
Bunny was the most level-headed of all the higher-ups in the Baltimore police department. That proved both a blessing and a curse. Surrounded by bureaucracy and a war on drugs that no one could ever truly win, Colvin’s frustrations ultimately led to him taking an unusual approach to the problem.
Along the way, however, there were wry observations on the hopelessness of the system and the role so many in management play in facilitating the problems further. This particular quote about middle management is particularly special in that it transcends The Wire, becoming a sardonic reflection on society as a whole.
"If the Gods are f**king you, you find a way to f**k them back. It's Baltimore, gentlemen; the Gods will not save you.”
Frankie Faison is one of those actors who had popped up on countless television shows over the years - Banshee was a particular highlight - but The Wire's Ervin H. Burrell was Faison at his very best.
The acting police commissioner in Baltimore, Burrell demands results. He knows the pressured faced by the police, that the odds are heavily stacked against his officers, and that the system is broken. However, Burrell wants results anyway. There are no favors or easy wins coming. Either his police majors find a way to make busts, bring the crime rate down and generate positive headlines, or they pay with their jobs. It’s that simple.
"Conscience do cost."
Omar’s confidante, bank and all-round advisor, Butchie may be blind but he sees more truth than most when it comes to the streets, particularly when it comes to human behavior. While the characters that swirl around The Wire are flexible when it comes to fair and decent justice, a moral com of sorts still exists.
Consciences are a little different though. On both sides of the tracks, characters struggle with the impact of their actions and lifestyles. Everyone wrestles with their conscience at a cost, even Omar.
"You call something a war, and pretty soon everyone is going to be running around acting like warriors."
One of the crowning achievements of The Wire Season 3 was the Hamsterdam plotline that saw Major Bunny Colvin introduce experimental areas of the city where the police would monitor but not punish s as a means of improving other regions.
Creator David Simon made no secret of the fact he was drawing parallels with America’s failings in Iraq and the war on drugs. How the US’s heavy-handed approach and choice of words like “war” created a hostile mentality rather than a viable solution to problems that the system simply can’t fix. In one memorable moment, Colvin lays out the whole sorry state of affairs perfectly.
"What got you here is your word and your reputation. With that alone, you've still got an open line to New York. Without it, you're done."
Brother Mouzone was not a man to be messed with on The Wire. A smartly-dressed, intelligent presence throughout, he was capable of seeing off rivals whether armed with a weapon or just a few choice words.
This was no better demonstrated than in his exchange with Avon Barksdale. Demanding information on Stringer Bell’s whereabouts, he hits Barksdale in the one spot he knows would hurt most: His reputation. Threatening to damage his s with those in New York, rendering Barksdale all but obsolete in the process, Mouzone scores a direct hit and gets the information he wants in the process.
"Well, get on with it, motherfu..."
As final lines go, Stringer Bell’s may not be big and it may not be clever but it’s arguably the most badass of The Wire’s entire run. This was a man, facing up to the futility of his situation and demanding that his two captors – Omar Little and Brother Mouzone – get on with the job at hand rather than drawing it out.
It’s classic Stringer: Cool, dismissive but with an edge that reminds you why he courted so many enemies in the process. It was also a game-changing moment. A reminder that no one is safe on this show. In a single moment, what could have been the scene that damaged The Wire served to instead enhance it.