We Own This City (TV Mini Series) Part Two (2022) User Reviews

$46 worth

[slak96u · 7/10 · 4 May 2022]

Simply too much going on... the storyline is spread so thin, the episode tries to cover more plot than is conducive to a focused narrative. It's all a little confusing, some of the editing doesn't help, a lot of fast cuts and certain scenes end up a bit dizzying.

Not bad TV, at all, but also not great television. I just don't understand the pacing, what's the ridiculous hurry?

Correct episode

[Skanama · 8/10 · 3 May 2022]

We Own This City Season 1 Episode 2 explores the origins of the system the show is telling us about. The police brutality, corruption, the system of bringing in more arrests, and where all of this narrows down to. Wayne's story explains to us how Baltimore Police Department has become the corrupt place it is.

On top of that, his training officer was happy that Jenkins was learning. This same cycle continues with Jenkins training a new officer about the ways he learned from his training officer. For years, the Baltimore system has built itself upon these ways.

While Jenkins' story told us about the origins of this system, in the same way, Nicole Steele started realizing how this system works as she chased Officer Hersl's story. The same goes for McDougall's team, who had tapped in G-Money as one of their leads while investigating Antonio Shropshire. The coming episode may see McDougall's team bringing in G-Money while Steele goes in deep to investigate Hersl.

Rats!

[douglasmcbroom · 8/10 · 3 May 2022]

This series is staying very close to actual events. Actual people are identified by their real names. Events that really happened are referenced.

But here's the problem this series faces. Before defund the po-lice, when we thought G-Men were the good guys and the DOJ stood for justice, we could take a rooting interest, or at least a neutral position re the Feds. But, we've seen the blatantly political actions of a corrupt FBI. Political prosecutors. Prosecutors who turn perps loose at every opportunity. Most especially the politically biased Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. The Order, in Law & Order, has turned on the Law. So, we can't automatically root for the justice 'good guys' because we know how bad they are.

We also have corruption in the PD, but corruption, in all its manifestations, rolls downhill from the politicians to the Feds, to the police bosses to the street cops. So, the writers and producers of this series need to understand that the Feds no longer get the benefit of the doubt. We presume them to be political and equally corrupt.

All that said, two episodes in and this series is looking good. If, however, they go woke, it could all come crashing down in a single episode. The writing cannot devolve into a wokeathon preaching systemic racism and Up With Antifa.

Jon Bernthal continues to be excellent. Written by Ed Burns who also did 'The Wire.'

The Wire vibes

[denisvananken · 10/10 · 5 May 2022]

This serie gives me Wire vibes, not just because its about Baltimore. The acting is just superb! Jon Bernthal is so unbelievably dark and creepy. Only bad thing, its only 6 episodes.

Shades of "The Wire"... Very 'Real Life'...

[Erin50266 · 8/10 · 1 June 2023]

I read the other book regarding the corrupt Baltimore Police Department and Jenkins, et al. (CF: " I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Corrupt Police Squad" by Bernard Woods and Brandon Soderberg.) So I knew all the players and the premise but wanted to watch this because of Jon Bernthal and Jamie Hector. So far I am not disappointed; great scripts, very true to life, and this episode especially reminds me of "The Wire", one of the best police dramas out there and set in Baltimore as well. Baltimore has always been a bad example of how police should not operate, starting with the first police involved shooting in 1857. If one looks at the number of police per population and the amount of settlements in the last decade, Baltimore ranks up there with Chicago, New York and Los Angeles and has about 25% of Chicago's population alone. These two books and this series are a great effort in showing our country why something must be done with local law enforcement for the betterment of our citizens.

Narrative moves forward and performances continue to be strong

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 2 June 2023]

A member of the GTTF answers questions about corrupt police officers.

This is a very strong episode with some memorable moments.

Part two is slightly more informative than the previous, as the introductions have finished and it starts to reveal what has been going on in the GTTF.

There are also some interesting moments of backstory about Sgt. Jenkins, particularly the early hints of financial motivation behind certain actions. It does not excuse the criminal behaviours but it does highlight the vulnerability and opportunities within certain institutions where it pays more to be dishonest. The filmmakers handle the larger time jumps very well with the typing police report used as a transition tool.

It is incredibly strange for a fan of The Wire to see Jamie Hector playing Det. Sean Suiter but it is something I am getting accustomed to slowly.

All actors are superb and naturalistic as ever and it helps that the dialogue is superbly written.

All Baltimore street and police department scenes are captured as well as you would expect from the filmmakers.

For me it's an 8.5/10, but I round upwards.

Self-absorbed waste of time

[bosporan · 3/10 · 3 May 2022]

After a decent first episode, this is a dreadfully poor follow up. Simply a laborious and uninteresting grind with one-dimensional cardboard characters that are impossible to care about.

Not worth the time to watch further.