Due to the complexity of the plot and the large number of characters, many people find that it takes a few episodes before have a good grasp of what's going on and they are fully gripped by the series.

This season has been described as an elegy to America's working class. The decline of manufacturing in Baltimore and the port workers' struggles for a livelihood are an undercurrent running through the whole season.

Meanwhile veteran police commander, Major "Bunny" Colvin tries a new strategy to rescue normal life for the residents of his drug-ravaged district, and Tommy Carcetti positions himself to run for Mayor.

Meanwhile we continue to follow the investigations of drug trafficing and the homicides that result from it, and everything comes together as the street kids get caught up as witnesses, victims or future criminals.

In the final season, we are also introduced to the workings of the press and its relationships with the politicians and the police. Press coverage influences politicians and policing priorities, while The Baltimore Sun itself faces the financial pressures of the declining newspaper market, and reporters pursue their own career and personal goals as best they can.