Gangland: Season 2

Get even closer to the truth about America's gangs in Season Two of Gangland. Rarely seen footage and unique access to the lives of both former and current gang members provide a solid insight into why gangs exist, how they operate, their increasingly destructive methods, and the alarming rate at which they're spreading to suburban and rural areas. Delve deep into the rich and bloody history of gangs in America, from the long-stretching tradition of the Asian Triads, to the full-blown motorcycle gang war between the Outlaws and the Hells Angels, to the growing occurrence of girl gangsters, as this season of Gangland goes to the darkest corners of America to infiltrate some of the most dangerous terrain in the world. Other gangs featured in Season Two include the Maniac Latin Disciples, the Texas Syndicate, Los Angeles' 18th Street, and the Mongols. Gangland: Complete Season Two continues the History Channel program's focus on the gang phenomenon all over the United States. While the 12 episodes in this box set speak to the cultural and ethnic diversity of gangs in different parts of the country, there are some fascinating common threads. Among them, many gangs begin not as organized criminals but have roots in protecting a vulnerable community. A lot of gangs offer protection to individual members both on the streets and in prisons, testimony to their powerful reach. Finally, some gang members grow up to become repentant community activists, forsaking violence after seeing too much of it.

Aside from those sociological observations, episodes of Gangland offer collective portraits of different gangs in different cities. Two shows--"Crip or Die" and "The Blood"--tell the story of the longtime rival gangs Crips and Bloods in Los Angeles and their bloody war in neighborhood streets. Brutal and gruesome, the show tells a number of stories of arrogance and impulsive actions that took the lives of many innocent people. "Maniacal" is the story of the Maniac Latin Disciples out of Chicago, waging a war with rivals for drug turf in the city's Humboldt Park. The Maniacs are among the few gangs talked about in Gangland with a female membership as destructive as the gang's men. "Deadly Triangle" focuses on Asian gangs in America, including Chinese tongs, which began as protectors and enforcers for different industries (a garment industry tong, for example). "Texas Terror" concerns the Texas Syndicate, a very different kind of crime organization comprised of everyone from common street thugs to white-collar lawyers, all involved in the lucrative drug trade. --Tom Keogh