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I really enjoyed doing a write-up for my episode and I wanna write more, but I don't wanna step on escape artist's toes by jumping the gun on anything he could be writing up. Would anybody mind if I shifted to season 2 and did write ups for its episodes?
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Mar 4, 2013 23:55
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^^I'm not writing anything up man, I hosed my back up and I think I herniated a cervical disc. I barely been able to get out of bed this past week. So the baton is yours my man.SpookyLizard posted:Landsman himself is in the show, playing the Lieutenant in the Western who is works directly for Bunny. That tall guy with the mustache? That's Landsman. I love his legit Bawlmore accent.
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Mar 5, 2013 00:02
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Ouch, sorry to hear that man! I will do a new write-up soon. Hope you feel better soon.
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Mar 5, 2013 00:04
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I always hear it as Bawlmer.
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Mar 5, 2013 00:06
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HelmetCheese posted:I'm onto season three of my rewatch. I'm noticing a lot more small details on my second time through, and seeing a fair amount of callbacks to Simon's book, Homicide. Detective Worden, for instance, gets mentioned in passing a few times during the first season. And that scene at the start of the first episode--"this America man, you got to let him play"--it's so cool knowing that that actually happened. Blew my mind when I learned Bubbles, Omar, Landsman, and McNulty are all based on real people, too. Worden actually gets a speaking cameo in season five. He plays a night detective being relieved by Bunk, and asks his colleague in the office to "type quieter rear end in a top hat", while Lieutenant D'Addario plays the grand jury worker who sells the sealed court documents to Levy
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Mar 5, 2013 00:11
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Bunk is also based on a real person. So is Avon -- the deacon (Melvin Williams) is actually the guy Ed Burns locked up, and was the basis for the story of Avon. If you can track down the episode, look up the American Gangster episode with Melvin Williams. There's lots of stuff like that. And of course Brother Mouzone's partner Lamar is the real life DeAndre McCullough from the Corner, who, sadly, passed away at only 35 years of age recently. Jerusalem posted:Ouch, sorry to hear that man! I will do a new write-up soon. Hope you feel better soon. Thanks, I hope so too.
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Mar 5, 2013 00:21
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SpookyLizard posted:I always hear it as Bawlmer. Balmer Merlin, located in Balmer Canny.
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Mar 5, 2013 00:56
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watt par posted:Balmer Merlin, located in Balmer Canny. This is exactly how my stepmom, first generation American, born and bred in Baltimore, says it. I was born and raised in California and pronounce it Ball-tea-more. She knows I am loving with her when I say "Balmer." She also does an amazing pronunciation of "hon." It's like "huuuuun." escape artist posted:^^I'm not writing anything up man, I hosed my back up and I think I herniated a cervical disc. I barely been able to get out of bed this past week. So the baton is yours my man. Oooooowwwww, I hope you are OK.
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Mar 5, 2013 06:39
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escape artist posted:Bunk is also based on a real person. So is Avon -- the deacon (Melvin Williams) is actually the guy Ed Burns locked up, and was the basis for the story of Avon. The Bunk is based on several Detectives. If any of you guys haven't watched the Wire with the commentaries what the hell is wrong with you go do it now.
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Mar 5, 2013 06:57
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Episode 5: The Pager Avon is in the bathroom of his girlfriend's home when he hears the phone ring. He asks who it was and she tells him that whoever it was hung up without saying anything. Avon is immediately suspicious, looking out the blinds and spotting two sporty looking guys hanging out on a nearby corner. He motions to Wee-Bey to check it out, and Bey (checking his gun) backs the car up, the two guys immediately moving on. They seem to just be a couple of random guys waiting to be picked up to go play some sport (Lacrosse?) but they obviously know enough to clear out when Wee-Bey backs up. Avon leaves the apartment (a model apartment, in fact, meaning his name won't be anywhere on it) and joins Bey in the car, immediately telling him that he wants the phonelines taken out. Bey is surprised, and points out that the girlfriend won't be pleased, but a single look from Avon makes it clear that this wasn't a request. As they drive to a nearby payphone to answer a beeper message that Avon recieved, Bey brings up that they're "going past careful" and that they're maybe being paranoid. Avon refuses to use the payphone since he used it recently, and when Bey makes an exasparated sound Avon immediately calls him out on it, asking him if he thinks he has nothing to be paranoid about. Wee-Bey, chastened, agrees that Avon is right.  It's a nice little opening scene that tells us a fair few things. Avon's high level of caution/near paranoia shows us how he has managed to rise to and stay at the top, and we learn about how he uses girlfriends (such as the one in D's story last episode) in order to stay anonymous. Wee-Bey is confident and secure enough in his position as a trusted lieutenant to question Avon's orders, but is quick to fall into line when it is made clear he is going too far. In a future episode we'll see Bey himself is more lax than Avon when it comes to caution/discipline, a theme that will come up later in this episode. As a neat aside - there is a fun bit of diegetic music during the opening scene where we see Avon and Wee-Bey are independently listening to the same radio station at the same time. Omar, Brandon and Bailey are laying out a plan of attack for their next heist. The crude drawings in the dirt of the layout of the streets is intercut with shots of the streets themselves and the dealers working in them, clearly lax and undisciplined. Brandon is impressed by Omar's plan, which is simple but effective, he will scare the dealers into running and Brandon and Bailey will wait to ambush them in a narrow alley, which Omar is convinced they will run down because that is what "rats" do. Omar happily tells Brandon he's just a man with a plan, and Bailey laughs that he's got a shotgun - despite Bailey's nervous homophobia exhibited in the last episode, he clearly likes and respects Omar. Judge Phelan and Rhonda Pearlman arrive at the basement offices of the Detail to see Kima and Jimmy, Phelan amused by being delayed by getting lost. Everybody knows that their location is sending a message - nobody really cares about this detail, they're out of sight and out of mind. Massive piles of paper are quickly exchanged between the police, the ADA and the Judge, the painful bureaucratic necessity of legally pursuing a case - the foundation of the case according to Pearlman - you lay it in right you can build on it, and if you lay it in wrong then everything falls down. With everything signed off, Phelan gaves his legal blessing for them to proceed (jokingly "marrying" Greggs and McNulty) and they bring out the cloned pager, which they are now legally allowed to turn on. Jimmy does so, and everybody gathered around stares at it waiting for it to do something. It's a decidedly anti-climactic ending to all that paperwork.   On the streets, two small children run around the corner followed by a loud whistling of "The Farmer in the Dell". They warn one of the dealers who shouts out warnings to his compatriots across the street - but one of them had headphones on and is completely unaware that a legendary figure is coming. People on the street begin to rush to cover in doorways or inside buildings, and one of the unaware dealers realizes belatedly that something is up, finally spots Omar and warns his buddy with the headphones with what will become a familiar term,"OMAR COMING!" They run in fear, dropping their CD player in the process, and go straight down the narrow alley and right into Brandon and Bailey, just as Omar predicted. Omar comes up behind them, eying up one of the dealer's bling with appreciation - "the cheese stands alone." In the low rises, Poot and Bodie are having a good natured argument over whether you can get "the bug" from getting your dick sucked. Bodie is adamant that you can't, saying that if you could then he'd have it by now, and that if Poot wants to wear a condom he can, but nobody likes sucking on rubber. D shows up and asks how Bodie would know, which greatly amuses Poot. Bodie takes the joke in stride, still respectful of D following the story of the murder of Avon's ex-girlfriend. As the conversation continues, D notices that Wallace is sitting of by a wall happily playing with an action figure, a sight that pleases D immensely, enjoying the sheer innocence of the act. Bodie follows D's gaze and sees Wallace too, but he has a far different take on what it means. Stepping up from the couch, he grabs an empty bottle and pitches it at Wallace, yelling that it's easy to see why they got robbed. D'Angelo is furious at Bodie for ruining the nice moment, and strides towards Bodie (who does NOT back down, interestingly), but a beeper message interrupts (saves?) him from having to follow through on his threat.   In the Detail's basement, Freamon and Daniels are watching as the message comes through on the recorder for their cloned beeper (the recorder will retain all the data and be used in court). Unfortunately for them, the number being displayed makes no sense. Everything they've picked up so far has used a non-existent telephone exchange with a 2 digit addon to identify the caller. McNulty calls to check if the recorder's number matches the one on the cloned beeper which he is carrying around, and Prez gets a chance to listen in. Freamon and Daniels explain that the dealers are using a code, a fact that McNulty is sharing with Greggs as he meets up with her on the street. Kima figures the code can't be too sophisticated considering the people that have to use it, then comes to the unpleasant realization that it says a lot about them if they can't crack a code used by uneducated street dealers. Bubbles has spotted the van used in the stash-house heist by Omar, and they're still hoping to catch Omar in possession of a gun and get him to play ball as an informer. McNulty offers to wait on the corner watching the van while Kima returns Bubbles to his downtown haunts, which she takes him up on, Bubbles waking up and asking her how the cops do what they do every day without getting high. She pulls away and McNulty pulls up in her place, and we see another indicator of the police's detachment from the world of the criminals they are hunting. Kima had parked directly by a fire hydrant, and McNulty does the same thing, surely that is going to get people's attention? D's message apparently came from Stringer, who has traveled down to the Low Rises to see him. He's concerned about the recent stick-up followed by the police showing up the next day for a raid, and tells D'Angelo flat out that he and Avon suspect there is a snitch in D's crew. D doesn't want to think like that, but Stringer isn't interested, informing D that he wants him to withhold pay for the crew (it's Friday, payday for the low rises crew) and tell them it's due to his (D's) anger over the way things are being run. He laughs off D's warning that people won't work for free, asking if he thinks the crew are going to give up the drug game and get a real job or go to college, displaying the depressing truth that helps keeps the drug business going strong - for a lot of these guys, the options are between being a drug dealer and starving to death. He wants D to keep an eye on everybody, wait for people to show up begging for a loan or an advance because he'll know they're not being bribed, and look out for the people who are still eating - because that will be the snitch. D is impressed by Stringer, though I feel he's also quite intimidated, as Stringer towers over him and hammers home each point by roughly jabbing his finger into D's chest. Spotting Poot on a cellphone (presumably to the girl he was talking to Bodie about), Stringer grunts at D to take care of it and walks away, ignoring D's attempts to compliment him. In a mirror of Bodie's treatment of Wallace, D storms up to Poot and smashes the phone out of his hand. At the basement, Polk shows up clearly drunk, chewing gum to hide the smell on his breath. He is startled by the sound of the copier and realizes that Prez is there, and staggers over to see what he is doing. What IS Prez doing? "Copying" he says happily, copying out multiple images of a telephone dialpad. "This loving Detail," mutters Polk, who must be feeling like he's drunker than he thought  Kima and Jimmy are still on stake-out waiting to see Omar, watching the van and wondering where he and his crew are. They briefly discuss one of Jimmy's former CI's, a stick-up boy like Omar who saw the street like police wished they could. The fact they don't see it is made abundantly clear as school children come walking by (it's just past 3 and school is out), turning to look at what is obviously two cops in a car on stake-out. Jimmy makes a call to his estranged wife to confirm that the boys will be at his place this weekend, and quickly gets into an argument with her over whether he has picked up the proper furnishing for the boy's room. Jimmy is shocked and outraged that she'd question him on this, assuring her he has (he hasn't), and the conversation quickly ends. Jimmy wants to vent, somewhat held back by the fact Kima is a woman, so he struggles to splutter out a pathetic roundabout way of calling his wife a oval office. Kima is unimpressed, asking if he REALLY just called the mother of his children a oval office, and Jimmy insists he didn't, then gets out of the car, saying he has things to do (the things he told his wife he already did). We're treated to four very different Saturday nights, scenes interspersed as the night progresses. Bodie is sitting alone on the couch when a car pulls up out of nowhere, a rare instance of the "creepers" getting the drop on the crew. Herc and Carver leap out and give chase to Bodie who makes a frantic limping attempt to escape, but is quickly run down. He's quickly cuffed, Herc and Carver mocking him by asking if he wants to fight them as opposed to an old man like Mahon, and point out that Bodie is still hurt from the beating that Kima gave him - she beat him "like a cop should", "like a man". Carver frisks Bodie for weapon and finds Herc's screwed up card, handing it to Herc who is clearly upset after opening up to Bodie's grandmother. As I noted in the last write-up, I don't think this should be seen as an indictment of the grandmother, but rather of Bodie himself who probably listened to her suggestions, nodded and agreed to keep her happy and then forgot all about it. At the station, Herc and Carver are discussing how to deal with Bodie's interrogation. Carver is going to be the good cop and Herc can pretend to be the bad cop, and Herc happily (and without the slightest sense of irony) declares he won't have to pretend. Carver's attempts to ingratiate himself to Bodie seem to be working, he explains how he came up in rough territory in the Flaghouse Projects on the East Side of Baltimore and that Bodie reminds him a lot of himself, and he's trying to protect him from Herc who wants revenge for Mahon who is Herc's Uncle (ha!). Bodie asks what he gets for helping Carver out and Carver - pleased his plan is working - asks him what he wants. Bodie leans forward, and then quietly whispers,"I want you.. to suck my dick!" Carver immediately launches himself at Bodie and starts beating on him, catching Herc by surprise. Herc rushes in and hauls Carver off of him, yelling,"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE GOOD COP!" - but when Bodie mouths off again the two of them both join in on punching and kicking Bodie into the ground. They call Juvenile Intake to take Bodie away (remember, Bodie is still technically a child), but get no answer. Complaining to the Duty Officer, they attempt to have him "babysit" Bodie for them until the midnight intake arrives, but one grumpy look from him disabuses them of that notion. Instead they take him to the break room and get him a sub, playing pool while he watches. Bodie being Bodie, he can't resist trying to take advantage, and asks to play. They agree, and it doesn't take them long to start playing for money - there's a wonderful bit where Bodie loses a game and tries to hand money over to Carver, only for Herc to stop him. At first I thought he was going to tell Bodie they can't take money from a minor in custody, but instead Herc quietly tells him he can't just hand over money in the open where the Duty Officer might see, if has to be done on the quiet! They play through to midnight, Bodie losing regularly, and he is surprised when they hand him over to Juvenile Intake. Herc and Carver seem amused, telling him he shouldn't try to hustle people if he doesn't have time to win his money back. Bodie insults them back, but then pauses and admits that the sub they bought him WAS nice, and then he's gone, there'll be no quick escape from Boy's Village for him this time. It's been an interesting night - Herc and Carver have gone from wanting to put a vicious beating on Bodie for wasting their time, to having him be frustrating baggage, to enjoying playing him along on an attempted hustle. In the end, time and exposure has allowed them and him to see each other as actual people as opposed to just "police" and "drug dealer". A drunken McNulty is having a quiet Saturday night at home. Hauling in the ikea furniture he told his wife he'd already bought, he is prepared for a night of assembly. His good mood - singing, swigging, carrying and tossing things about - won't last. As the night progresses and he gets steadily drunker, the plans make less and less sense to him and he finds it more and more difficult to put things together, eventually just flinging them angrily across the room. D and Donette are out for a night on the town (remember that everybody else on the crew hasn't been paid for the week), going to a nice restaurant in a far more upmarket area of Baltimore. They don't have a reservation, so the Maitre d' leads them to a less than desirable table, though he is gracious and pleasant and explains that this is only because the better tables are all by reservation only. D'Angelo, clearly uncomfortable, keeps his coat, and Donette admonishes him after the maitre d' leaves, telling him he should have pushed it - as he stares at her, a waiter bumps his arm as he steps out of the kitchen, and doesn't bother to offer an apology. They have their meal, which they enjoy, but D is still clearly uncomfortable in the restaurant, treating every word from the staff as an insult or giving it weight it doesn't deserve. His conversation with Donette clearly indicates a man who is unhappy in his life and trying to reconcile how he feels with how he should feel. Donette is a less than sympathetic sounding board though, mistaking his concerns at first as worry about the fact they're black, sighing as he tries to explain himself and shutting him down by telling him firmly that he has money, and that means he can say he is whatever he wants and people have to believe him. Donette seems to view money as a passport to power - the ability to control who she is and what she is - while D'Angelo is concerned that nothing will change what he is - a criminal and a drug dealer who doesn't "belong" in the legitimate world - and he even wonders if people can just automatically tell what he is just by looking at him. For Avon and Stringer the night is about business. In the Strip Club office they're discussing Stinkum, who has spotted a prospective piece of new territory. Stringer has checked it out and likes what he sees, and Avon is doing the final screening, asking Stringer questions. The crew that was running it have been taken down by the Feds, and most of their low level dealers are "laying low, getting high" - there's only one firm threat there, a dealer who goes by the name of Scar. Having been informed of all the variables, Avon is satisfied and can make his decision, they'll take the territory for themselves. Scar will get the benefit of being informed who runs things in that territory now, and if he resists then Bird (one of the top enforcers for the Barksdale Organization) can deal with it for them. Avon dictates that Stinkum will be the one to run the territory - he saw the shot, so he gets a shot. It seems Avon believes in a meritocracy, which we'll deal with in just a little bit as it proves quite important. Stinkum is informed of what is happening, Stringer giving him the nod as well, and Avon explains that they'll be going in strong to claim the territory, so Stinkum will be getting the best quality product they have to sell - it's up to him to put together a crew, and he'll be getting points on the package so he's not just going to be making money for the Organization, but for himself as well. Stinkum takes it all with aplomb, maintaining his professionalism, but Stringer lightens the mood as Stinkum leaves the office by laughing that he should "smile or something!". Avon is impressed with Stinkum, and Stringer agrees that he's earned it. A beeper message from Wee-Bey completes Avon's night, as he gets the report that one of the stick-up artists who raided the low-rises stash-house has been killed. Is it Omar? Avon says no, he thinks it is one of the young'uns. It's always interested me that Avon collects the money from the safe only when he's alone. Stinkum has been sent down to wait in the alley for him, Stringer is sent down to wait by the door, while Avon makes sure the office is locked and he's alone before he'll go to the safe and collect the money. We already know that he's cautious to the point of paranoia, but it surprises me that this goes so far as to include (or rather, exclude) Stringer.     On Sunday morning, one of the police's lab tech's brings Bunk a result from the "gently caress" crime scene - the shell casing they found matches up to two cases from the previous year, both ones that Jimmy identified to Phelan as the work of the Barksdales. Bunk can't believe it, Landsman was correct, the case IS linked to the Barksdales, and he calls up Jimmy to let him know. Bubbles arrives at Greenhill Hospice to see Johnny, who took the savage beating from the low-rises crew that caused Bubbles to start informing for Kima. He brought Johnny some McDonalds, and Johnny reveals that he needs to use a colostomy bag now, trying to make light of it. He shows Bubbles his medication, and at first Bubbles treats it lightly, thinking they're painkillers/opiates, until he discovers that Johnny has "the bug" (Aids). He tries to hide his horror, but is careful to put the pill bottles down as if they were infectious. Johnny asks where he has been and Bubbles declares he is on a mission, quietly informing Johnny that he is working with the police to make the low-rises crew pay for the beating they put on Johnny. Johnny is horrified by this, not understanding WHY Bubbles would do this, telling him that the beating he took is "all in the game". Bubbles tries to change the subject, learning that Johnny goes to NA meetings and he'll be out of the hospice in a month. He's pleased to hear about NA and tells him there are meetings he can attend when he leaves the hospice, but Johnny isn't interested. He wants to know who has the best product, and Bubbles reluctantly tells him that while it has been weak all over, just recently a crew at Baker and Calhoun put out some quality stuff. He can't believe that even as badly beaten he was, Johnny is still wanting to get back into the swing of things, and Johnny declares himself to be a Viking. McNulty - apparently none the worse for the previous evening's heavy drinking - arrives in Homicide where Landsman gloats over the Barksdale connection he found, showing far more of his rear end than we'd ever want to see, telling McNulty to kiss it. McNulty can't resist pointing out that this wouldn't have been necessary if the original detective has examined the scene properly in the first place. Landsman takes that opportunity to tell McNulty about the deal he did with Rawls, telling him to shut down the special detail in a couple of weeks, get back onto the night shift, and everything will be forgiven and forgotten. McNulty shows rare resolve by just nodding, but a guy like him can't leave well enough alone and shortly after he spots John Bailey's name on the sheet of murders caught overnight. He goes straight to Landsman to complain that he linked the Kresson case to the Barksdales but it didn't occur to him that the murder of a known stick-up artist might be linked as well. Landsman's reply is depressingly accurate to the police department's culture - that murder happened under another shift, why would he bother with/worry about another shift's case? At the Low Rises, the crew are complaining about not being paid when D'Angelo arrives. Wallace hands over the money collected from sales so far and then takes a moment to remind D that he and Poot (presumably they know that Bodie was sent to Juvenile Intake) are reliable workers, and asks if they could get an advance on their pay because they're currently broke. Poot is clearly embarassed by this, standing off in the distance and deliberately not looking. D is happy though, pleased that Wallace has proved himself loyal by Stringer's logic. Bunk has gotten a new address for Tywanda - Dierdre Kresson's friend whose number was in the case file - and he and McNulty go to see her. She seems to be a successful woman, though she is clearly concerned to be involved in the case again in any respect. The detectives learn a great deal more about Avon Barksdale from her, as well as hearing another side of parts of the story D told Bodie, Poot and Wallace. Dierdre and her met Avon when they were both heavily into the club scene, and Dierdre fell for Avon hard. She became extremely possessive of him, jealous of his other girlfriends, and in an attempt to maintain her grip on him she threatened to write a letter about all the things she knew Avon had done. Bunk and McNulty are very interested in this (you can see why Avon is so paranoid!) but Tywanda has no idea if she even actually wrote the letter or not. She does mention Avon's club, which is news to the detectives, who had no idea about it, learning for the first time that the strip club "Orlando's" belongs to Avon. At the club in question, D'Angelo is having a drink and chatting with Orlando himself. Both think the other has it good - Orlando has heard that the low rises are bring in lots of money and believes that D is getting points on the package. D'Angelo is sure that Orlando is getting a little of the money coming through the bar and probably getting lots of pussy as well. Both explain it isn't like that at all, and both agree as to the cause of their woes - Avon is keeping them on a tight leash. D learns from Orlando that Stinkum is being put in charge of a new crew in new territory AND getting points on the package, and doesn't appear to pleased to be hearing it for the first time from Orlando. An argument at the bar interrupts their conversation, one of the club patrons has been "buying drinks" for Shardene - the stripper that has spoken with D a couple of times before - and has gotten into an argument with the female bartender other whether he paid for a new drink or for the last drink. The customer gets loud and angry, complaining that he treats the women with respect and THIS is how they repay him (he's a NICE ogler of women!) and Orlando calls security to throw him out, but Shardene takes pity on him at the last second and hands over her own money to him, mollifying him somewhat and allowing him to leave of his own volition. D'Angelo is surprised by this, asking why she did it, did she steal his money? She seems offended by the suggestion, and he comes back down the stairs and gives her some money of his own, then asks if he can see her sometime - outside of the bar. She seems intrigued but spots Orlando watching closely, and tells him she doesn't usually see men she meets in the club. Larry Gilliard Jr has a lovely bit of facial acting here as his brow falls in disappointment, then screws up in understanding and anger before he puts on a mask of indifference. I can't help but consider it in conjunction with the restaurant scene, where he was sure that everybody knew what he was. Does he feel the same way about Shardene's rejection here? In any case, as he heads back up the stairs, she adds in a little,"...usually...." and they share a smile.   Freamon, Daniels and Greggs are in the street outside Orlando's, noticing the security camera is pointing outwards. Tywanda has given them a list of properties/businesses that Avon owns - the strip club, the warehouse, an apartment building and a tow truck company - everything that Deirdra told her that Avon bragged about. This is good news for the detail, since property forfeiture can be used to swell the Department's coffers, and Daniels says they'll look into the corporate papers for those places. McNulty tells them about Bailey who he suspects was killed by the Barksdale Organization, noting that he was found dead with 39 shell casings from three different guns, and that he was killed despite wearing Kevlar. It's overkill UNLESS he was one of Omar's crew and the Barksdales were out for revenge. They spot D'Angelo leaving the club, and get a cloned pager message just after D gets the original. It's no good though, the number is still coded and they still have no idea what that means. For once, Omar is behind the police on the news. He and Brandon are preparing to head out for their next stick-up job, which will be happening before dawn. They've been waiting for Bailey to arrive, but there has been no sign of him. Brandon angrily blames drugs, saying that you can't trust them, and upsets Omar with his foul language. Omar tells him that nobody wants to hear dirty words, especially from such a pretty mouth. To me Brandon seems to really play up his immaturity towards Omar, though I don't know whether it is from a desire to have a macho controlling partner or because he feels it is what Omar wants from him, there's always been something about it that struck me as false/over-exaggerated. Omar decides they won't wait, and they head out on their job. That morning, Prez is playing a word scramble and looking very pleased with himself when he sees McNulty. He tells him he beeped him and checks the number on McNulty's pager, then tells Kima that he beeped her as well and reveals the number he sent, and asks if she called it. Kima did, but it was a non-working number, and Prez takes great pleasure in telling her she would have gotten the number if she'd known the code. McNulty and Kima are sufficiently intrigued, and Prez happily pulls out one of the telephone keypads he photocopied earlier and shows it to them, explaining that he got the idea from the word search puzzles he enjoys. He eventually figured out the code, it's incredibly simple and straightforward - each number is actually the opposite number found by jumping the 5. 9 becomes 1, 3 becomes 7 etc, with 5 being 0 and 0 being 5. This is why the code has been so easy for the dealers to use - there is no math to worry about or remember, no need to be able to calculate anything in your head. You simply look at the dial pad and follow the numbers. McNulty is amazed, grabbing Prez by the sides of the head and planting a huge kiss on him   Earlier I mentioned Avon's sense of meritocracy, which I felt was demonstrated by giving Stinkum the new territory to run - Stinkum was the one to spot the opportunity and as a result he was given the chance to make it work. When D'Angelo heard about it - from Orlando - he wasn't pleased, since he is making record money in the Low Rises and still not getting points on the package. He and Orlando both clearly felt they were being held back/kept on a leash, and D'Angelo in particular feel aggrieved since he is Avon's nephew. In the following scene, we see just how far Avon maintains his discipline and sense of caution though, as he tries to impart a message to D that I believe falls on deaf ears. They go to Maryland State Rehabilitation Center together, accompanied by Stinkum. Avon is taking D to visit his uncle and Avon's own older brother, a comatose gunshot victim. Avon's sister (D's mother, who we will meet in a later episode) has wanted to move their brother to a Private Care Facility for some time now, and refuses to let the issue rest. But Avon controls the money in the family, and they have no way to justify or explain an expense they could easily afford. They have no insurance, no identifiable source of income, Avon has no home or assets in his own name, etc. They are living outside of the law, and as a result they can't take advantage of certain things that legitimate money would bring them - Avon's caution and paranoia has kept him at the top of the drug game, but it means that his own brother - who he clearly deeply loves - lies in a small bed in a little ward in an underfunded public rehab center, slowly wasting away. In an earlier episode, D asked Stringer where all the money went, and in this episode we saw Avon collecting money from the safe for a money run. We can assume the money is being sent away to be laundered (in a later season, Proposition Joe demonstrates this process) and eventually return in a way that can be used openly - but Avon will not make a move before then. Avon admonishes D to remember that the wasted figure in the bed is his uncle, he's family, and family is what is all about, why they're doing everything that they do. He talks to his brother, explaining to D that he used to brag,"Live the life, leave the life, ain't no big thing" but he never saw this coming - he might have expected to die but he never expected to be left like this. Avon freely admits that it scares him, he could deal with it if his brother was dead, but not like this, waiting for the inevitable. He tells D that you can't plan for life, one mistake is all it takes - just being a little slow, a little late.... and how can you never be a little slow, a little late? Avon is paranoid, he's cautious, he runs a tight ship and he maintains strict discipline - but he knows that it can't last forever, eventually there will be a slip-up or a mistake, and all he can do is take every effort to prevent them until eventually something gets through, something slips, he's just a little slow or a little late.  Kima and McNulty are watching Omar's van, McNulty telling her that he has his boys for a sleepover tonight. Omar and Brandon appear, getting into the van without a glance in any direction and heaving away, and Jimmy and Kima are instantly tailing them. To their surprise, Omar and Brandon head to the cemetery, leaving them no choice but to follow them inside. They pull up at a wall, stepping out with hands up, leaving McNulty and Kima on the backfoot. It's clear that Omar is fully aware they've been tailing him, but rather than calling for backup they decide to see what is going on, though Kima checks the back of the van before holstering her weapon, Jimmy having already done so after Omar joked that if he needed it, he would have used it already. The van is clean, and Omar and Brandon aren't carrying any weapons. Omar says you have to be clean for a parlay, revealing he has been aware they've been watching his van and he thought it was better to just find out what they wanted. Jimmy explains that they think the Barksdale Organization may be after Omar, and he dismisses that as not a problem, before admitting that maybe it is a "little" problem, but it's not anything he is going to talk to the police about - he doesn't believe in snitching, doesn't think it is part of the "game". Jimmy tells him he respects that but asks him to keep them in mind if he changes his mind or needs help, and introduces himself and Kima. Omar and Brandon prepare to leave, this whole thing has been Omar's way of getting rid of the tail by confronting it head on and making it clear (in a friendly fashion!) that he isn't going to help them, but Jimmy stops them by pointing out he used to work in the area where Omar's brother operated. He tells them that John Bailey was killed the night before (Brandon gives the game away by instantly turning to stare at Omar) and that Omar should tell his brother (No Heart Anthony) the next time he sees him. Omar keeps his poker face, but then throws the dog a bone by noting that he heard Bird killed a working man. It's a clear reference to William Gant, the witness killed in episode one, and Omar happily tells them that if they need to find Bird they just need to ask their snitch - revealing he knows exactly who that is by laughing that Bubbles knows Bird.  Jerusalem's Reading Too Much Into It Time There's something that happens just before the cemetery scene that I love to read too much into. As McNulty and Kima have to make the decision on whether to enter the cemetery or not, a limousine passes them with what appears to be a flattering country flag on the door. It immediately makes me think of a diplomatic or ambassadorial vehicle, which immediately puts me in mind of a conference, a meeting, neutral ground, non-hostility. The cemetery is "holy ground", it's a place where no violence is expected (though there is nothing officially stopping violence from breaking out, this isn't Highlander) and where people can expect to meet and talk. Am I reading too much into this? Almost definitely, but I like to think the whole scene is set up to really cement the idea that the stick-up boys and the police detectives are meeting in a neutral place to talk freely to each other.  McNulty heads to his wife's to pick up the kids, but there is no answer at the door and nobody appears to be home. Returning home, he lies in the bunk beds he somehow managed to put together while drunk and stares around the room he has meticulously decorated. At the Detail, Freamon knocks on Daniels' door to have a quick word with him before leaving for the night. He tells him that he is back in the game after 13 years (and 4 months) and that he KNOWS it is his fault he was on the shelf that long. Freamon thinks the case needs to be PROPERLY managed - they should have had a tap on the project payphones by now. That would give them the drugs, and if they pushed further they could get to the money too. He lays it out succinctly for Daniels - he knows how slippery the career ladder is that Daniels is on, but if they're doing this? Well, he doesn't want to go to the dance unless he can rub some titty. Wallace and Poot have gone to a local arcade to get something to eat, having been paid out money by D'Angelo. Wallace is bragging that he got D to cough up by giving him an ultimatum that it was pay them or the money would come out of the count. Poot doesn't believe it, and Wallace claims that he can punk niggas when he's got to. Poot is more interested in the rear end of a pretty girl walking by, but as she leaves he notices Brandon playing a pinball machine and recognizes him from the stash robbery. He tells Wallace who takes him outside to a nearby payphone where they immediately put through a call to D'Angelo. In the Detail's basement, the recorder (now set up to auto-translate the coded numbers) makes a record as calls pass from Wallace and Poot to D'Angelo, from him to Stringer and then back again. Stringer, Wee-Bey, Bird and Stinkum are eying up Scar ahead of pushing into Stinkum's new territory (they haven't parked in front of a fire hydrant!) when they get the beeper message, Wee-Bey joking that maybe D got robbed again, causing them all to laugh. These are Avon's top four guys and they clearly feel very little regard for their boss' nephew. Calling D, Stringer learns that Omar's boy has been spotted and has him call Wallace and have them wait. Poot is sure that nobody is coming but Wallace insists they wait, and soon Stringer arrives with the others, asking if Brandon is still there. They've been keeping an eye on him and Stringer is impressed, making certain to get Wallace's name. He tells the others that Wallace will point out Brandon to them, and Wee-Bey begins ominously playing with a set of handcuffs. Not longer after, D gets a phonecall from Stringer telling him "it's done" - Omar's partner has been taken, all through an efficient series of messages relayed through their beeper network. The difference is, this time the messages and phone-numbers have been recorded by the police's cloned pager, from Wallace's payphone all the way up to the number 2 man in the Barksdale Organization.   
Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 12:51 on Mar 5, 2013 |
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Mar 5, 2013 10:52
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Great job on this Jerusalem. I really like this part that it looks like you almost didn't post. Don't hold back if you catch more symbolic scenes please.Jerusalem posted:
I'm sure you will feel better soon escape artist.
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Mar 5, 2013 12:28
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loving fantastic write-up! I want to point out a couple of things that are probably obvious. D and Donette going to the restaurant-- D won't take off his coat. When Namond and Darnell and Zenobia go with Bunny to a restaurant in season 4, the boys from the street also do not take off their coat. And of course, getting drunk and assembling IKEA furniture-- we get a callback to this scene in Season 5, when Kima goes to IKEA because she wants to spend a night with the child she ran out on, Elijah. Kima and McNulty are two peas in a pod. And I agree -- point out some symbolism if you think it's there. Even if you aren't sure of it. Believe me, I'm going to, in a savant-like fashion, point out parallels of what seem to be throw-away lines and try to draw inferences from them. I have a couple in mind in Season 3 and 4. escape artist fucked around with this message at 12:33 on Mar 5, 2013 |
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Mar 5, 2013 12:31
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Fragmented posted:Great job on this Jerusalem. I really like this part that it looks like you almost didn't post. Don't hold back if you catch more symbolic scenes please. escape artist posted:And I agree -- point out some symbolism if you think it's there. Even if you aren't sure of it. Believe me, I'm going to, in a savant-like fashion, point out parallels of what seem to be throw-away lines and try to draw inferences from them. I have a couple in mind in Season 3 and 4. Thank you!  In that case, something else that stood out to me in the cemetery scene - Omar has the high ground. Omar picks the site of their meeting (and Jimmy and Kima are unaware they're even going to a meeting) and despite not bringing weapons, he makes sure that he has the high ground, making it harder for Jimmy and Kima to get at them and easier for them to come at Jimmy and Kima, should it come down to that. Not that I think he's preparing for battle, but the earlier scene where he points out the dealers will go for the narrow alley to escape shows that he is somebody who considers geography and troop placement and likes to be prepared before he goes into anything. The imagery of him walking down the street whistling is amazing, he looks like some dusty old cowboy from straight out of mythology - I'm sure it's been noted before that Omar's character is intentionally very much larger than life, especially compared to the emphasis on realism in the rest of the series. The only time that really feels wrong in the show to me is the meeting with Brother Mouzone, which feels (quite deliberately) like something out of a movie or a comic book or a cartoon. It does a great job of selling the fear that the lower level of dealers would have for the likes of Omar though - he's like a boogeyman, some unreasonable, unrelenting force that comes out of nowhere like something from a nightmare.
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Mar 5, 2013 12:44
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Jerusalem posted:Omar, Brandon and Bailey are laying out a plan of attack for their next heist. The crude drawings in the dirt of the layout of the streets We see the police doing exactly this in S03E01, though their gang has twice as many people. A testament to Omar's efficiency.
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Mar 5, 2013 14:23
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pokeyman posted:We see the police doing exactly this in S03E01, though their gang has twice as many people. A testament to Omar's efficiency. Also Omar was successful.
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Mar 5, 2013 16:09
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Jerusalem posted:Thank you! That is a great observation. And I loved the entire write-up, with one small nit: Johnny has AIDS, not Aids. AIDS is an acronym and I don't know why that completely bothers me, but it does. It's up there with "I could care less" for me. It makes me want to punch things. I recognize I am a total freak about this issue. escape artist posted:
I think we've all been there.
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Mar 6, 2013 02:31
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I work overnights at a gas station in a typical low-income high-crime 'hood' area a few hours outside Baltimore and last night some obvious dope boy comes up to my register and jokingly asks if he could walk out with a Tastykake and not pay for it. I give him a smiling "nah" and he says to me "Man, you want it to be one way". It was the single greatest moment. Sorry if this isn't on topic but I felt the need to post that somewhere.
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Mar 6, 2013 04:06
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That's hilarious AND depressing at the same time!
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Mar 6, 2013 04:25
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chesh posted:That is a great observation. And I loved the entire write-up, with one small nit: Johnny has AIDS, not Aids. AIDS is an acronym and I don't know why that completely bothers me, but it does. It's up there with "I could care less" for me. It makes me want to punch things. I recognize I am a total freak about this issue. Well in the pedantry department there's also that HIV-positive doesn't mean one is suffering from AIDS yet, either.  Jerusalem posted:
I'd say there's another significance there, though I don't know if this is intentional: Jimmy is about the bodies, not the drugs. He's fought from day one to make the detail focus on the guys responsible for the murders at the top level, which is Avon and Stringer. He threw his whole snit and refused to accompany the unit when they took the door in the low rises, among other things. So meeting in a cemetery calls on that- Jimmy's making a significant move on the case while surrounded by dead bodies.
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Mar 6, 2013 04:59
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I'm on Episode 4 season 2.... and I am liking it way more than I thought it would with some of the comments here. I am glad Mcnulty and bunk is still around and the I rather like the dock guys. But stringer?!?!? gently caress you stringer for messing with Dee's girl. Hope he gets his at some point
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Mar 6, 2013 05:35
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Tiny Chalupa, don't read this thread! It is filled with spoilers! I'd hate to ruin this show for anybody.
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Mar 6, 2013 07:13
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Also, Jerusalem, your loving write-ups are better than mine, man. You pick up on stuff that I haven't. And you don't cut corners like I do. You are the Bunk to my McNulty  chesh posted:That is a great observation. And I loved the entire write-up, with one small nit: Johnny has AIDS, not Aids. If we're going to super nit pick, it's probably HIV e;fb Randomly Specific posted:I'd say there's another significance there, though I don't know if this is intentional: Jimmy is about the bodies, not the drugs. He's fought from day one to make the detail focus on the guys responsible for the murders at the top level, which is Avon and Stringer. He threw his whole snit and refused to accompany the unit when they took the door in the low rises, among other things. I'd say "holy ground" is more likely to be the symbolism. Parallel this with the Sunday truce in Season 3. All warfare is put on hold on Sundays, because it's a holy day. Amateur Saboteur -- that is so awesome. It parallels Marlo stealing the candy in Season 4. Also, Chalupa, there's another Wire thread on here that isn't full of spoilers. You will more likely than not get a majorly emotional moment spoiled for you if you do continue to post in here, even if its only accidental and you proceed with the utmost care. We'd love to have you around, with your insights, once you finish the whole series. We're just trying to protect one of our own, ya dig?
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Mar 6, 2013 13:02
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escape artist posted:You are the Bunk to my McNulty I ain't that humble  But seriously, thanks, and I really hope your back gets better soon.
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Mar 6, 2013 21:41
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Jerusalem posted:D and Donette are out for a night on the town (remember that everybody else on the crew hasn't been paid for the week), going to a nice restaurant in a far more upmarket area of Baltimore. They don't have a reservation, so the Maitre d' leads them to a less than desirable table, though he is gracious and pleasant and explains that this is only because the better tables are all by reservation only. D'Angelo, clearly uncomfortable, keeps his coat, and Donette admonishes him after the maitre d' leaves, telling him he should have pushed it - as he stares at her, a waiter bumps his arm as he steps out of the kitchen, and doesn't bother to offer an apology. They have their meal, which they enjoy, but D is still clearly uncomfortable in the restaurant, treating every word from the staff as an insult or giving it weight it doesn't deserve. His conversation with Donette clearly indicates a man who is unhappy in his life and trying to reconcile how he feels with how he should feel. Donette is a less than sympathetic sounding board though, mistaking his concerns at first as worry about the fact they're black, sighing as he tries to explain himself and shutting him down by telling him firmly that he has money, and that means he can say he is whatever he wants and people have to believe him. Donette seems to view money as a passport to power - the ability to control who she is and what she is - while D'Angelo is concerned that nothing will change what he is - a criminal and a drug dealer who doesn't "belong" in the legitimate world - and he even wonders if people can just automatically tell what he is just by looking at him. I think the best part of this scene, echoed again when Bunny takes the kids out for a "proper meal" and they're confused by the menu, is when D tries to order dessert, but doesn't understand that you just point to what you want on the cart and the server gives you one from underneath. If he ever wanted direct confirmation that he's not a part of this world, boom! it's right there, staring him in the face. That he could be, without too much effort, doesn't really dawn on him. This should be one of those "do it once, never do it again" kinda things, but he takes it personally. The waiter shrugs it off like it's no big deal, because it probably happens pretty regularly, but D won't let it go. A similar thing actually happened to me at a Chinese restaurant once, where neither myself nor my friends knew how to properly flag down the roving food carts (this style of restaurant has a proper name which is escaping me). It was a little embarrassing, but we got over it. Anyone can learn to order food at a restaurant. But D isn't exactly one for getting over things or learning from his mistakes...
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Mar 6, 2013 22:01
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Spoilers Below posted:A similar thing actually happened to me at a Chinese restaurant once, where neither myself nor my friends knew how to properly flag down the roving food carts (this style of restaurant has a proper name which is escaping me). It was a little embarrassing, but we got over it. Anyone can learn to order food at a restaurant. For anyone interested, I'm pretty sure you're talking about a Dim Sum restaurant 
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Mar 6, 2013 22:27
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Spoilers Below posted:
Heroin dealer spotted
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Mar 6, 2013 23:33
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Jerusalem posted:I ain't that humble Got a doctor's appointment in two weeks. I can handle that, for sure. But I appreciate your sentiment.
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Mar 6, 2013 23:34
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deoju posted:Tiny Chalupa, don't read this thread! It is filled with spoilers! I'd hate to ruin this show for anybody. Yeah I've been avoiding reading most anything posted previously to my posted, and/or skipped ahead when I started seeing some spoilers earlier. Just started "All Prologue" in season 2 and really hope it focuses on these guys past more. Freakin love me some Omar
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Mar 7, 2013 04:13
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Binged through all of season 2 in the past 2 days and I loved it. Absolutely loved season 2 and was really surprised by a lot of the twist
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Mar 7, 2013 08:37
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Escape Artist and Jerusalem: when the thread gets to season three, you mind if I do a couple of write-ups? I'm re-watching 3 now and I think I was kind of a moron the first time I saw it, because I never realized that the whole season is an allegory for 9/11 and the Iraq War. There's a lot of stuff I want to talk about.
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Mar 7, 2013 23:55
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3Romeo posted:Escape Artist and Jerusalem: when the thread gets to season three, you mind if I do a couple of write-ups? I'm re-watching 3 now and I think I was kind of a moron the first time I saw it, because I never realized that the whole season is an allegory for 9/11 and the Iraq War. There's a lot of stuff I want to talk about. Oooh, dammit, I've been looking forward to season three write-ups. But if it's cool with Jerusalem, I'm cool with granting thee thine wish!
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Mar 8, 2013 00:12
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escape artist posted:Oooh, dammit, I've been looking forward to season three write-ups. I really just want to do the first episode and the last; all the rest are yours. I invaded Iraq just about this time in 2003 (Marine Corps; similar to some some of the things that went down in Generation Kill) and now I have an MFA, which means I like to get drunk and write about poo poo, and I really want to cover 3x01 (Time After Time) and 3x12 (Mission Accomplished) because I want a reason to look at that dumbfuck war through a different lens. So thanks!
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Mar 8, 2013 00:38
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3Romeo posted:I really just want to do the first episode and the last; all the rest are yours. I am really looking forward to your write-ups on those. At this rate, we'll get to season 3 in 2015!
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Mar 8, 2013 00:58
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3Romeo posted:I really just want to do the first episode and the last; all the rest are yours. I would love to see these and would be happy to pass the baton to you for those episodes. I'll try to get a write up done every 2-3 days so long as nothing gets in the way, so we're probably talking about a month/6 weeks from now. That's as long as we continue in order, which is my preference, though there is nothing from stopping people from jumping ahead to another episode/season I guess.
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Mar 8, 2013 01:45
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3Romeo posted:I really just want to do the first episode and the last; all the rest are yours. Those are cool!! Just let me get 3x11
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Mar 8, 2013 02:19
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Jesus talk about giving a gently caress when it ain't your turn to give a gently caress. I'm sure we can handle more than one of you doing write-ups on the same episodes.
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Mar 8, 2013 03:06
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Fragmented posted:Jesus talk about giving a gently caress when it ain't your turn to give a gently caress. I'm sure we can handle more than one of you doing write-ups on the same episodes. Or, if y'all really get your poo poo together, combine the effort into a single super excellent write up.
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Mar 8, 2013 11:38
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pokeyman posted:Or, if y'all really get your poo poo together, combine the effort into a single super excellent write up. Thing is, we all have our own style. Frankly, I think Jerusalem is more insightful than me. I'm more of a behind-the-scenes and paralleled characters and repeated lines type of guy. But we can no doubt combine all of our abilities!
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Mar 8, 2013 17:16
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If you guys take too long i might have to throw my ignorant rear end in to the ring. So on my latest rewatch i noticed that it's Butchie and Prop Joe(and hungry man but who cares right?) that get taken out. The two old heads. I know Marlo has been made to be an allegory to the Iraq insurgency. But. I always thought it was more than that. When you all start doing season 3 i will have some words.
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Mar 8, 2013 18:16
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Actually Marlo, as far as I know, has been a metaphor for relentless, unfettered, drat-near-sociopathic capitalism. Avon's war on Marlo actually parallels the Iraq War. It's a fake war, based on a lie (Stringer's death at the hands of Marlo.) Not to mention an unnecessary war, and as Slim Charles said "Don't matter who did what to who at this point... We're in a war... That's war is... If we fight, we fight on that lie... but we gotta fight."
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Mar 8, 2013 18:56
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