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The Best Episodes of The Wire Season 1

Every episode of The Wire Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Wire Season 1!

Binge this in 12h 47m•Peaking at 9.2/10

Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy,

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Wire Season 1 Episode 1 - The Target
    7.8/10(10195 votes)

    #1 - The Target

    S1:E1

    "... when it's not your turn." - McNulty. Baltimore homicide detective Jimmy McNulty gets into hot water and winds up assigned to a detail of narcotics outcasts charged with investigating drug lord Avon Barksdale and his powerful operation in Franklin Terrace. Meanwhile, Avon's nephew D'Angelo is fresh off beating a murder rap, but he finds himself demoted upon his return to the gang.

    Director:Clark Johnson
    Writer:David Simon

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  2. The Wire Season 1 Episode 2 - The Detail
    8.1/10(8238 votes)

    #2 - The Detail

    S1:E2

    "You cannot lose if you do not play." - Marla Daniels. McNulty feels the heat when a witness who testified against D'Angelo is found murdered. Meanwhile, Greggs is given the lay of the land regarding Avon Barksdale's key players, and Herc, Carver and Prez find big-time trouble at the towers.

    Director:Clark Johnson
    Writer:David Simon

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  3. The Wire Season 1 Episode 3 - The Buys
    8.1/10(7691 votes)

    #3 - The Buys

    S1:E3

    "The king stay the king." - D'Angelo. The early-morning 'field interviews' by Herc, Carver and Prez result in a minor riot, a boy losing an eye and some bad publicity for the department. On the other side of the law, D'Angelo teaches Wallace and Bodie how to play the game (chess) and later impresses Bell with his 'take' from the low-rises.

    Director:Peter Medak
    Writer:David Simon

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  4. The Wire Season 1 Episode 4 - Old Cases
    8.2/10(7434 votes)

    #4 - Old Cases

    S1:E4

    "It's a thin line 'tween heaven and here." - Bubbles. Greggs and McNulty try to get Hardcase to turn informant as arraignment begins for those caught in the raid. Barksdale places a bounty on the head of rival gang leader Omar. Meanwhile, McNulty takes Bubbles on a cultural field trip, and Herc and Carver try to track down Bodie.

    Director:Clement Virgo
    Writer:David Simon

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  5. The Wire Season 1 Episode 5 - The Pager
    8.2/10(7120 votes)

    #5 - The Pager

    S1:E5

    "..a little slow, a little late." - Avon Barksdale. McNulty's detail finally gets 'clone' pagers to track Barksdale and his gang, but nobody can crack the codes used by the callers. Meanwhile, Bell instructs D'Angelo on how to school his lookouts while simultaneously flushing out a possible snitch. Later, Carver and Herc find Bodie, but their interrogation doesn't turn up results.

    Directors:Clark Johnson, Peter Medak
    Writers:Ed Burns, David Simon

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  6. The Wire Season 1 Episode 6 - The Wire
    8.5/10(7293 votes)

    #6 - The Wire

    S1:E6

    "..and all the pieces matter." - Freamon. When Rawls looks to make a premature arrest for three murders that are linked to D'Angelo and Avon Barksdale, McNulty and Greggs must argue for a delay in order to preserve the valuable wiretap gains they have made. Meanwhile, Wallace and D'Angelo struggle with their consciences after Avon pays them blood money.

    Director:Ed Bianchi
    Writer:David Simon

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  7. The Wire Season 1 Episode 7 - One Arrest
    8.4/10(6853 votes)

    #7 - One Arrest

    S1:E7

    "A man must have a code." - Bunk. Tipped off by the wire, Greggs, Herc, Carver and Freamon make a bust, but the incident makes Avon and Stringer suspicious, leading them to close shop in the Pit. Meanwhile, Bunk and McNulty look for another witness in the Gant slaying and hunt a suspect known as 'Mr. Bird.'

    Director:Joe Chappelle
    Writer:Rafael Alvarez

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  8. The Wire Season 1 Episode 8 - Lessons
    8.5/10(6846 votes)

    #8 - Lessons

    S1:E8

    "Come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar. An unlikely source gives McNulty the tag of a car driven by Stringer Bell. Meanwhile, Greggs and Carver bust a congressional aide carrying dirty cash, but are forced to let him go. Omar earns his 'loose cannon' moniker.

    Director:Gloria Muzio
    Writer:David Simon

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  9. The Wire Season 1 Episode 9 - Game Day
    8.7/10(7097 votes)

    #9 - Game Day

    S1:E9

    "Maybe we won." - Herc. Barksdale plays an expensive game of one-upmanship with an east-side rival. Meanwhile, Herc and Carver take some cash off of Wee-Bey's hands, and Omar resurfaces with a bang.

    Director:Milcho Manchevski
    Writers:David H. Melnick, Shamit Choksey

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  10. The Wire Season 1 Episode 10 - The Cost
    9.2/10(8190 votes)

    #10 - The Cost

    S1:E10

    "And then he dropped the bracelets..." - Greggs. With Wallace in custody, McNulty and Daniels try to figure out what to do with him in the months before he testifies. Sydnor and Carver track down one of Barksdale's stash houses, and Prez shows off his 'gift for the paper trail.' McNulty's estranged wife Elena takes desperate measures after learning that he had their kids follow Stringer Bell.

    Director:Brad Anderson
    Writer:David Simon

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  11. The Wire Season 1 Episode 11 - The Hunt
    8.8/10(7032 votes)

    #11 - The Hunt

    S1:E11

    "Dope on the damn table." - Daniels. The police turn up the heat on tracking down Savino, Wee-Bey and Little Man. Burrell orders Daniels to hit drug dealers for results that will impress the press. Barksdale sees his ranks thinning after the hit on Orlando. Bubbles tries to stay sober while scoping out the projects for McNulty; and Freamon determines there's a rat in the detail.

    Director:Steve Shill
    Writer:Joy Lusco

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  12. The Wire Season 1 Episode 12 - Cleaning Up
    9.1/10(7684 votes)

    #12 - Cleaning Up

    S1:E12

    "This is me, yo, right here." - Wallace. The low-rise pay phones are out of service, so McNulty and Daniels try to keep pace by tapping Barksdale's office. Bodie gets new responsibilities from Stringer; Freamon gives Shardene a 'new look'; and D'Angelo goes to NYC on an errand for his uncle. With the detail's future hanging in the balance, Daniels faces off against Burrell and his political allies.

    Director:Clement Virgo
    Writer:George Pelecanos

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  13. The Wire Season 1 Episode 13 - Sentencing
    9.0/10(7476 votes)

    #13 - Sentencing

    S1:E13

    "all in the game..." - Traditional West Baltimore. Every crew has weak links--including Avon Barksdale's. With the heat turned up in the high-rises, Daniels and McNulty turn to a higher authority in an effort to crack the case wide open. Season finale.

    Director:Tim Van Patten
    Writers:Ed Burns, David Simon

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"The Target" is the best rated episode of "The Wire" season 1. It scored 7.8/10 based on 10195 votes. Directed by Clark Johnson and written by David Simon, it aired on 6/2/2002. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "The Detail".