Part One

So similar, yet so different. For those looking for a continuation of The Wire: sorry to say but WOTC is simply not in the same league. Some of the original actors from The Wire are recycled to appear here, but it somehow only serves to emphasize how the acting on WOTC is stiff, unnatural, wooden. Wunmi Mosaku was imo miscast as an attorney; she can memorize and deliver her lines, but her presence isn't very strong. Then there's Jon Bernthal whose suburban white rapper demeanor/vocab feels very forced. All in all, WOTC seems to portray inner city black people and gritty cops as they were envisioned by sheltered Ivy League graduates. The Wire was special because it was so raw and honest. It's just not the same vibe with WOTC, not even close.

Bal'imore is a crime infested cesspool. The homicide rate is off-the-charts. So what do the Feds do? Investigate cops. This series is off to a very interesting start, but it could go South, at any moment, if it goes woke.

The writers work the name Freddie Gray into every other sentence, but in fact, of the 6 officers indicted by Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby, 2 were acquitted and the charges were dropped on the other 4. Further fact, Mosby is currently under a 4 count Federal indictment for Perjury and Fraud.

We have a couple of 'The Wire' alumni in Delaney Williams and Tray Chaney. I've always liked Jon Bernthal and thought he was better than the supporting roles he usually plays. Here he is one of the stars and sports a wicked Bal'imore accent. I thought David Corenswet was very good in the mini-series 'Hollywood' so I'm interested to see what he does in this very different role. So far, impressive.

The writing and direction moves between several main story lines, as did 'The Wire,' and it takes place in Baltimore, but that's where the similarities end.

So much gets dumped on you this first episode and some parts are outright confusing without flow but Joe Bernthal is so damn good here he ties it all into a good show.

Honestly didnt realize alot of things that had happened until I read a recap. The writers could of done more to tie things together and make the plot points more pronounced.

But i feel like this series is only going to get better and anything from the wire creator has got to be good. Look what happened with the wire, the first season was good but each subsequent season got better minus the last.

This episode is amazing from start to finish, all these dirty cops and the tension... Man that was magical! Can't wait to see the next one, haven't felt this way since the wire!

We see the actions of corrupt police officers and the start of an investigation into their behaviours.

The narrative is fairly coherent considering the two separate timelines, and the themes around corrupt police officers clear from the start. There are some similar concepts to The Wire such as the stats driven policing, but the case of Freddie Gray along with the attitudes of both police and public in the wake of his death underpins much of the culture on display.

People are introduced well and there are some shocking incidents depicted already. I do not know enough about the subject of GTTF indictments to comment on the accuracy of what is depicted, but it has done in enough to make me want to do my own research and find out.

It is hard not to compare with The Wire (for obvious reasons), but as you would expect with it being based on a true story the humour and general entertainment value associated with fictional characters is absent.

All actors are excellent, particularly Jon Bernthal. Plus the production values and Baltimore street scenes are predictably great from these filmmakers.