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i do appreciate that the wire was half made by a journalist which is one of the most skeptical of authority jobs you can have (Remember: National Political Reporters Are Not Real Journalists, Or Even Real People) so you get the rare show that is about how authority often inherently sucks, not even usually due to the fault of the people wielding it but just because of human nature, but one which is unusually sympathetic to what one could generally call the "defiant personality." mcnulty is a dick but he's not being a dick just to be a dick. bunny's actions are deranged but also understandable and sympathetic. bodie's refusal to knuckle under to authority he doesn't respect is irritating at first and then ultimately admirable and heroic. the kids in season 4 who act out all have logical reasons to do so. you understand why frank sobotka does what he does and you also understand why the black union members take the stance they do and you also understand why everyone votes for the dead guy. and you understand why nick leaves witness protection. It's nice to see the stubborn, strong-willed, "I know exactly what I am and you will kill me before you make me be anything else" personality treated with that much care and respect and nuance, not just blindly lionized or demonized depending on the context