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*** This review may contain spoilers ***
As the political capital to be made increases, the Franklin Terrace towers themselves become a target and are razed to the ground in an effort to eradicate the drug problem in the area. It has been months since Daniels' team first got their leads into Proposition Joe thanks to their work on the docks; however six months up on the wire has given them nothing than a couple of thin drug cases on low level players, leading them to try a different tact to get into Prop Joe's organisation and hopefully get closer to Stringer Bell who, since the loss of the terraces has been forced to face that the violence and conflict of the game is as big as part as the business principles he has instilled into the crew. Meanwhile the pressure on the district commanders from the Commissioners to reduce crime causes Major Colvin to consider a radical new approach to handling the drugs problem.As in their life, the destruction of Franklin Terrace causes a cloud of pollution that engulfs politicians, residents and slingers alike and it is with this marvellous piece of symbolism that season 3 of The Wire opened. Although I greatly enjoyed season 2, it was good to find myself back in the core of the story with the focus around the Barksdale crew as it was in season 1. This does not mean that we end up repeating the plot of season 2 but rather it continues to develop the characters and themes that it has built so far. On a character level this can be seen in some of the best characters being built on again and again. McNulty is the most obvious as we continue to learn what a jerk he is, how powerless he is and ultimately how empty he is as a person – all about self again and again and always playing a losing game. Bell is probably the biggest development in the characters and it is a fantastic thread to watch him form a business in Barksdale's absence only to struggle to reconcile it with the realities of crime and the street.This is not to suggest that nobody else steps up, because The Wire has always been strong when it comes to keep multiple characters going. Some are slightly scaled back from other seasons but the additions all serve to strengthen the season. The realities of the street back into season 3 with the struggle over the corners while also continuing the strong, consistent thread surrounding the nature of political power and the games played as part of either climbing the ladder or trying to stay at the top. Omar maybe continues to be used the way he has always been used but he remains to be a wonderfully interesting character. The narrative arch that sees Colvin trying to tolerate the drugs menace is really convincing and throws up consistently interesting problems and questions; as the heart of many of the episodes it works really well. Here the season shows its strength in the way it is patient and respectful to the audience – it offers no easy answers and only highlights the problems associated with the drugs issue on the street and in the corridors of power. However one of the best threads this time is the role of Bell in the game. It is fascinating to watch him thinking himself a big fish in the drugs trade but gradually finding that the world of "business" that he aspires to is just as ruthless if not more so. It sounds simple perhaps but it is really well done and delivered with such subtlety. It is a strong arch that produces great tension within the Barksdale crew and the other drug crews.With the nature of the script it is yet again hard to pick out any one actor who dominates the season; some will have more time than others but this doesn't mean that they are better than the others. That said though, the standout performance for me was British actor Elba in the role of Bell. Not only is his accent good but his performance is brilliant. He is wonderfully subtle and he does the great material justice. The only downside is that the narrative arch means he will play no part in season four. Reddick, Sohn, West, Peters et al are as good as in previous series but Gilliam and Lombardozzi are a bit sidelined here. Wisdom is good as his character expands while Doman and Faison deliver well in the power middle ground below the Mayor as played by Turman. Gillen is a solid addition to the cast although I'm not sure he was the most convincing – I guess the test will be if his material gets better with season four because here he didn't have much to work with by comparison with the others in the cast. Harris is better than in the last two seasons as his material gives him more complexity. The depth of others prevents me going into the rest of the cast but suffice to say that, since the material rarely serves anyone a bad character, there aren't really any weak links in the performances either.Overall then this is yet another great season in a series that is one of the best currently out there. Perhaps a bit slow and detailed for those looking just to chill in front of glossy stuff like CSI etc, this is a very adult and respectful season that builds the story really well with the layered approach with lots of characters producing much with comparatively little time for any one character. I don't want to hype it too much but I also feel I can't over praise it because it is so strong is so many regards.
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