With “The Wire” David Simon once created a classic of serial storytelling. Almost twenty years ago, the author and his home broadcaster HBO impressively demonstrated how multifaceted, complex topics could be illuminated in the medium of “series”. Drawing on his own experiences as a reporter for The Baltimore Sun and his year alongside homicide detectives, Simon and his creative team offered a comprehensive five-season diagnosis of America’s metropolitan malaise between drugs and violence, systemic racism and political failure. The series struck a perfect balance between the impact of major social forces and insights into intimate human dramas. “We Own This City” now feels like a return to basics. Like one of those series reunions in which the stars gather again for a nostalgic look back in front of the camera. The familiar and iconic figures of yore are absent from this return to Baltimore aka Bodymore. Only the city itself returns as a backdrop, location and main character.
Reality also serves as a template in “We Own This City”. This time, however, it’s not Simon himself who has his ear to the pulse of the city. Justin Fenton, investigative reporter for the “Baltimore Sun”, researched a corruption case that deeply shook trust in the police: Officer Wayne Jenkins (strong: Jon Bernthal) rose from a simple patrolman to the head of the increasingly mafia-like Gun Trace Task Force. From the start, he’s drilled into the illegal practices and tricks used to keep arrest rates high in order to give the appearance of successful police work. Later, Jenkins’ group expanded their criminal repertoire to include extortion, embezzlement, drug dealing and money laundering.
A series that works
Simon and his longtime True Crime colleague George Pelecanos have now prepared the case brought to light by Fenton as a miniseries. Where “The Wire” uncovered the causes of the complex web of urban problems, “We Own This City” shows itself as a complementary piece to that mixture of assaults, abuse of power, arbitrariness and distrust that, two years after the death of George Floyd, made the news and big Parts of the public discourse around policing dominate. The sobering result: None of the problems that “The Wire” unraveled so comprehensively and that were discussed again and again in the discussion of the series seems to have been solved.
From multiple perspectives and at different time frames, the miniseries meticulously dissects the political dependencies and institutional dysfunctions that Jenkins and his colleagues let prevail. Unfortunately, the comparatively short running time of the mini-series leaves little room for character development and those atmospheric moments that are important for secondary strands. In the thicket of police jargon, investigative details and legal subtleties, “We Own This City” skilfully follows the tortuous path of the history of corruption and its uncovering in order to focus on the central problems of police work with almost documentary sharpness. However, the density of the material leaves little time for the audience to catch their breath. As a result, the six hours of the series sometimes seem like work – and less like relaxed pleasure. However, the deep and gripping insights into the systemic problems of police and politics that “We Own This City” provides makes this series work more than worthwhile (Sky).
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