We Own This City (2022)

A chronicle of the unspeakable corruption of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force.

A must-see! We Own This City is not just a miniseries; it’s a case study. The more you go into it, the more it divides you and makes you question your beliefs. Political beliefs are based primarily on our readings and/or life experiences. Again, the more we read and experience life, the more our political beliefs get either enhanced or debunked. Needless to say, certain people just stick to the beliefs they were taught, learn nothing from life, and inevitably, mentally stagnate. But that is another story for another time…

Based on the book by Justin Fenton, creators George Pelecanos and David Simon, as well as director Reinaldo Marcus Green, stick to the facts and stun with their accuracy. While dramatised, the events displayed are purely shocking. Not just for the American audience who is, unfortunately, used to experiencing those events regularly, especially African-Americans, but for the rest of the world that only gets quick snippets of those tragic events, and, if not most times, sometimes the distorted version of them. What Pelecanos, Simon, and Green have achieved is introducing right off the bat, in a non-linear manner, all the main players and their involvement in this case, as well as the set-up of the scenery of that case. Admittedly, even though that’s too complex for my standards, they immediately cut to the chase and still manage to intrigue with that complexity. The intriguing factor, though, passes the torch on to the devastating corruption that constantly and increasingly keeps blurring the lines of legality and morality. What’s more, the deeper you get into it, the more you start questioning the already doubtful system, the role it plays, who it represents, the reason(s) it’s there as well as the way it has been developed, the people who pull the strings, and the way they are pulling them.

On the other hand, the series will make you question the role of society, the individual within it, and its relationship to that system. As We Own This City colourfully portrays, society comprises totally innocent individuals, minor criminals, and major criminals. Respectfully, the system consists of hard-working, honest, apathetic, and deeply corrupted people. The burning and realistic question that instantly arises is: How will this work? How will a corrupted system be able to serve a corrupted society? A less burning and unrealistic question (yet tremendously important) is the oldest in the book: Does the corrupted system ruin society, or does the corrupted society unavoidably generate a ruined system (chicken/egg)? We Own This City addresses those questions, deliberately messes with your head, and provides academic food for thought once the 6th episode’s credits start rolling (and way after that).

Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, Josh Charles, Dagmara Dominczyk, Delaney Williams, Treat Williams, and the rest of the beautiful cast AMAZE with their shockingly realistic performances, conveying the intended messages to the audience. Bernthal is an extremely diverse actor and a powerhouse who deserves a lot of praise, and so does Hector. I remember how much I hated Marlo in The Wire (2004 – 2008) and how much I loved and empathised with Sean in this one.

You will love it! You absolutely will! It’s a must-see if you like series like The Wire and The Shield (2002 – 2008).

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Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

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