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SpookyLizard posted:Don't forget that prop Joe has a court officer on the take/blackmail. He's probably much more confident in knowing that hell get sufficient warning to change up his operation when a police investigation hits anything resembling serious (warrants, wiretaps, court orders, etc). If the detail had initially gone up against Joe they would've had a much harder time of it (assuming they thought up that plot point that far in advance. Also, I get the impression from what Cheese says to Bodie in S2 (That a west side dealer can make a deal without shoving a gun in a fiends face) that East side dealers are not as violent as the West side and that they generally drop less bodies too, which is what got the police interested in Avon's crew in the first place (well that and Jimmy being Jimmy and having two show everyone what a loving genius he is). Also, I'm not sure if anyone else noticed this or if it is just me, but West Side seems to hate the East Side way more then East Side hates the West Side...
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Mar 19, 2013 23:25
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Joe seems to save himself a massive amount of grief, simply by deciding that he doesn't particularly want a rep, and that he doesn't particularly want to leverage his drug money into a position like stringer/clay/frank. It lets him take things slow. Slow and boring. Real loving boring. e. sorry. he keeps it dead loving boring. ScipioAfro fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Mar 19, 2013 23:34
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Man, I shouldn't watch this show while drunk...I actually teared up a little on Clay Davis' court speech. 
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Mar 20, 2013 00:18
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DarkCrawler posted:Man, I shouldn't watch this show while drunk...I actually teared up a little on Clay Davis' court speech. Carcetti's speech at the end of season 3 should make you cry too, but for completely different reasons 
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Mar 20, 2013 01:01
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Jerusalem posted:Carcetti's speech at the end of season 3 should make you cry too, but for completely different reasons Need to watch that while drunk. I'd say "or high" but when I am high and I watch the Wire I just rewind every second scene about half a dozen times to ponder upon the various meanings and to reflect how loving deep it all is, man Holy poo poo Gus is a horrible character though. He is always right. He is literally never wrong about anything, even if it should be impossible for him to pick up on things. If Gus was removed season 5 would be so much better.
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Mar 20, 2013 01:21
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Joe has to have some enforcement capabilities going on- remember the line about 'cadaverous motherfuckers'? However, he has settled turf and some strongarms to keep everything in line, so he doesn't have to be belligerently on edge like Avon and later Marlo had to be. You could say that the 'cadaverous motherfuckers' line refers to just letting Cheese off the hook to deal with the situation as he sees fit, but that still counts for the capability for his organization to do violence. It's exactly how he explains the situation to Nick- if Cheese lets Ziggy off the hook, everybody will take Cheese for a punk who can be hosed over. That philosophy of not letting anybody get away with shenanigans on his operations has to carry through the whole organization or else he wouldn't be running his little east side empire. However, Joe definitely runs on the 'iron fist in the velvet glove' MO rather than Avon/Marlo's 'iron fist holding a baseball bat' approach.
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Mar 20, 2013 01:22
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Okay, for all the manly men tough guys in this thread, us hardcore gangsters like Marlo and Chris, which moments made you cry (while you were sober)?
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Mar 20, 2013 01:24
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escape artist posted:Okay, for all the manly men tough guys in this thread, us hardcore gangsters like Marlo and Chris, which moments made you cry (while you were sober)? Bubbles' speech. You don't need me to clarify which one.
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Mar 20, 2013 01:25
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Randy yelling at Carver after Ms. Anna gets burned.
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Mar 20, 2013 01:28
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DarkCrawler posted:Need to watch that while drunk. I'd say "or high" but when I am high and I watch the Wire I just rewind every second scene about half a dozen times to ponder upon the various meanings and to reflect how loving deep it all is, man There's a level of meta-commentary going on with Gus and the entire newsroom storyline in Season 5 that is admirable, but unfortunately falls flat (for me at least) because of the flattering surface level story that makes Gus out to be a Super-Journalist who totally owns those scrubs in upper management. It feels flat and one-dimensional in a way The Wire normally isn't, perhaps because there were less episodes to develop, perhaps because David Simon was too close to the subject matter - the upper management guys are flat, stupid and pathetic whereas other "bad guy" upper management types in other seasons have had more depth and shown us reasons why they might act the way they do. Basically the story that we SHOULD be taking away from Season 5 is that the newspaper has become so wrapped up in its own problems/naval-gazing that they're missing out on HUGE stories going on in Baltimore. The one big central lie that dominates season 5 goes completely unnoticed by them as they focus on the periphery and their own involvement - Gus first suspects and later knows that Templeton is making up large elements of his story, but he never comes close to suspecting the ACTUAL story that is McNulty's giant lie. We're supposed to see the disconnect between a newspaper that once informed the citizens of Baltimore what was going on and now is completely out of the loop, and Gus' super-journalism is meant to be an admirable but misguided act which shows him up as being as flawed, short-sighted and stubborn as McNulty. I don't think it works though, and it's a shame, because a real in-depth look at the massive pressures facing a modern day newspaper done by the makers of The Wire could have been sensational.
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Mar 20, 2013 01:38
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DarkCrawler posted:Bubbles' speech. You don't need me to clarify which one. As a former addict*, that is one of the ones that made me cry too. "Ain't no shame in holdin' on to grief, as long as you make room for other things." Other ones would be - Kima getting shot (mainly the horror and confusion of all of her fellow officers afterward) - D'Angelo getting killed - The end of Season 2... The montage that plays while Nick cries and looks at the dying docks... It really hits me when the ironic "I Feel Alright" music plays over it, and then you see a shitload of women being smuggled into the country to be sex slaves. - Dukie hooking up with the junk man** and shooting heroin Probably forgetting some too. *Correction: One an addict, you're always an addict. Even when you've been clean for years. Your "inner-drug-addict" is always whispering in your ear. ** Just noticed the double meaning of the junk man. How stupid am I to not get that? He salvages junk metal to sell, so he can get heroin (also known as junk, hence the term junkie) escape artist fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 01:40
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 Bwahahahahahhaaahaha (Sorry)
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Mar 20, 2013 01:41
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escape artist posted:Okay, for all the manly men tough guys in this thread, us hardcore gangsters like Marlo and Chris, which moments made you cry (while you were sober)? Weirdly on my second viewing the most emotional I've gotten is Kima getting shot, mainly because of what it signifies for Bubbles. The scene of him taking the money from McNulty and telling him not to tell Kima before using it to get high just breaks my little heart.
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Mar 20, 2013 01:48
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Randy gets me every time. When he goes into the group home, and then the next season when Bunk goes to visit him. McNulty giving up on the Jane Doe was a rough one too.
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Mar 20, 2013 03:12
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Randomly Specific posted:McNulty giving up on the Jane Doe was a rough one too. The (I believe deliberately) juxtaposition between that and his later visit to the brothel is particularly telling. He wants to give the Jane Doe an identity, to give her death some meaning if only to himself so he can see her as <her name> as opposed to a dead body that was (to quote Kima from season one) "hosed and thrown away". But the later brothel visit is treated humorously, and bought up again in other episodes/seasons in a joking fashion - but those women who "take advantage" of McNulty are being treated just as much as nameless, disposable meat, just as much victims as the Jane Doe. Think about season one where one of the uniformed officers is joking with Carver about the late night drunken visit to the Towers, and Carver (much like McNulty with the brothel visit) is trying to deny all knowledge out of embarrassment. It's treated with fun and humor, but remember that a kid lost his eye over that "fun".
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Mar 20, 2013 03:57
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escape artist posted:Okay, for all the manly men tough guys in this thread, us hardcore gangsters like Marlo and Chris, which moments made you cry (while you were sober)? Bodie and Poot killing Wallace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hor_gOBU_GU Chris, Snoop, and O-Dog killing Bodie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFkWPNJAy14 And Sherrod doing his homework https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXqQwMtjOho
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Mar 20, 2013 05:14
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DarkCrawler posted:Also, I'm not sure if anyone else noticed this or if it is just me, but West Side seems to hate the East Side way more then East Side hates the West Side... Lingering allusion of the cold war, obviously.
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Mar 20, 2013 07:33
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West Side keeps losing to them at basketball. 'nuff said.
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Mar 20, 2013 07:35
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Episode 10: The Cost A clean and sober Bubbles sits across the road from a Church in the park, watching children playing, young mothers with prams, men taking dogs for walks. He looks at his hands, then up at the peace and serenity, the beauty of sun passing through the leaves.... and over by a tree a junkie copping from a dealer. A couple of other users pass by, saying hi to him, and he looks between them and child playing with her grandmother, then takes a deep breath. He'll talk in great depth about (what I presume to be) this scene at a point in the future, but to suffice it to say that he is at a crossroads. Wee-Bey, Stringer and Avon are in Orlando's discussing the near-miss on Avon by Omar. Wee-Bey is blaming himself, he shouldn't have left Avon alone, but Avon correctly points out that if Wee-Bey hadn't returned when he did then Avon would be dead. Wee-Bey wants to know what their next move against Omar will be, but Avon is surprisingly cautious, stating that he was wrong to dismiss Stringer's suggestion - so they're going to put out the word that they're willing to talk with Omar. Wee-Bey is horrified, but Stringer (nodding in appreciation at Avon's words) explains that Omar has to live in Baltimore too and will be as eager for peace, so they lull him out and then.... boom, dead Omar. Wee-Bey heads out to put the plan into effect, while Stringer turns to a different concern. Before we follow up though, I thought it would be interesting to look at Avon's change of heart. He's being cool-headed and sensible, but I think that the shot of him cowering behind the car last episode tells a different story. I don't think Avon ever really understood what he was going up against in Omar, at best he thought he was a brazen opportunist - but now he knows that Omar is dangerous, somebody to be respected and, yes, even feared. Not that Avon is scared now that he is out of immediate danger, but he's seen that he can't just put a bounty on Omar's head and expect him to be shot down in the street by any thug with a gun - Omar needs a more sophisticated approach. What concerns Stringer now is that the police had eyes on Avon after the game - which means they have a name. Avon reveals that he was aware of two of the cars following him, and jokes that he was going to lead them on a wild goose chase and take them to the barber's - he knows they weren't looking to get him on any "humble poo poo", they wanted to see where he was going and what he was doing. Stringer's reaction is immediate and authoritative though - Avon hasn't been using phones and he doesn't touch drugs, but from now on he won't be handling money either, he's no longer responsible for the money runs, those will be Stringer's responsibility now. In addition, he wants Avon's pager, he'll get him a new one and make sure the only people who can get in touch with Avon is his New York Supplier (so this is the source of Avon's drugs), and if anybody local wants to speak with Avon, they'll have to go through Stringer first. Avon is amused at Stringer's measures but absolutely accepts them, they aren't really orders since Avon could easily refuse, but they make perfect sense and fit in nicely with Avon's sense of paranoia and caution. He hands over the pager and bumps fists with Stringer, whom he trusts implicitly. As well he should, Stringer is now the highest point that anybody can get in the Barksdale Organization which ALSO means he is the one who will take all the weight if the police make a bust. I believe that at this point in the series, Stringer is acting out of pure loyalty, love and friendship for Avon - he wants to protect him and keep him from harm, and is willing to sacrifice himself (ala the Queen and the King on D'Angelo's chessboard). But he's also just taken on the day to day tasks of overseeing/running the Barksdale Organization, and I imagine anybody would find themselves starting to like the idea of having THEIR ideas on how things are run be the way things happen.  McNulty is doing exactly what Daniels accused him of the previous episode - he's gone to Phelan asking for another 30 days of a wiretap on the new payphone being used by the Low Rises. Phelan signs off on the affadavit, but he's clearly starting to feel the stress and rather sharply tells McNulty that the faster he closes down the case the better for everyone. McNulty is confused, Phelan was all over Burrell a couple of weeks earlier when the Deputy Ops tried to shut the Detail down. Phelan diverts him with some banter with Rhonda Pearlman, but he's already given a little away to anybody who is aware of the importance of acceptance by social peers (so not McNulty) - other Judges are starting to avoid or excuse themselves from his company. Word seems to be getting around that Phelan is making a nuisance of himself with the top police brass, and people are getting clear. Pearlman reveals harder evidence to McNulty, showing him a flier for a campaign fundraiser for Baltimore City Circuit Court Judges - five Democratic incumbents are on the flier... but there is no Judge Phelan. McNulty is confused, he thought Judges got 15 year terms, but Pearlman (who obviously is up on her politics) explains that he completed the two year term of a former Judge. If he wants re-election, he'll have to stand as an Independent instead of relying on the formality of winning on the Democrat ticket (Carcetti will joke in a later season about the complete lack of a Republican threat in Baltimore). McNulty can't understand why they left him off the ticket, and Rhonda teases that maybe it is the company he keeps. McNulty is dismayed though, perhaps remembering Bunk's drunken words about how bad he is for everybody around him. Donette is complaining to D'Angelo about his place, saying it is fine for him alone but not for them as a family. She won't stop talking, explaining all the things they'll need, and D'Angelo clearly doesn't care in the slightest, and can only think about his girlfriend (and mother of his son) cramping his style. As she lists all the things she wants, he's probably thinking of Shardene who told him she didn't want anything from him. He tries to grab a drink from the fridge and finds a toy inside, and presses a cold drink against his forehead in exasparation as she drones on and on. Finally he's had enough, collecting his keys and beeper and leaving without a word - Donette yelling after him that she needs money for the new furniture. Donette is painted in a negative light, but it goes further towards showing how selfish a person D'Angelo is, despite what he'd like to believe about his intrinsic good nature. Donette is going on and on about the things she wants, but she is also the mother of D'Angelo's child and the things she are saying ARE sensible. The place is designed for a bachelor, and D'Angelo isn't one anymore... at least he isn't if he wants to have them in his life. That's D'Angelo to a tee - stuck between two worlds, where he wants to be and where he feels he has to be. He liked the pleasant, no-strings attached relationship he had with Shardene till she walked out on him (with good cause, once he helped dump Keisha's body he hasn't given her a second thought) but he wants to be the good guy who provides for his family. He doesn't like being in the drugs game, but he likes the money and respect that comes with it more - notice how he stopped being "hosed up" over Brandon's death once he got paid? Freamon, Carver, Sydnor and McNulty are listening in on the message recorded during Daniels' botched follow of Avon. McNulty and Freamon explain how they've established it came from the Main Stash House - Freamon (always Freamon) picked up the pattern over the last few weeks - whenever the Towers reports being low, a call immediately follows within 30 minutes to a Mondo Mart payphone way out in Northwest Baltimore. Always the same payphone, every time, and then the re-ups come through not long after. So what can they do with that information? The question is really what can Sydnor and Carver do with that information, and Carver realizes that he and Sydnor are expected to stake-out that payphone day and night. Herc would be there too, but he's got in-service training for the next week, which means that instead of three interminable 8 hour shifts, Carver and Sydnor are going to be dealing with two soul-destroying 12 hour shifts. McNulty has a huge grin on his face, but one does wonder WHY it has to be Carver and Sydnor. Is there any reason Greggs or McNulty or even Freamon can't be sitting a shift? I guess one could argue they have other work to do that Carver (and Sydnor?) aren't capable of doing, but technically speaking aren't they all the same rank? Greggs pops in asking if there has been any word from Omar, and asks McNulty if he'd like to join her in hunting him up, but McNulty is following a lead of his own (things like this are why it's always Herc and Carver, I guess) - the phonesex call from Poot that revealed how hosed up Wallace was over Brandon's murder. Speaking of hosed up... Orlando has been stupid enough to try and pull off establishing a drug-connect of his own despite Avon giving him a beating. He is frisked and then joins his potential connect in a car in the middle of nowhere, telling him he can buy four ounces of rock this time, but if it is good quality then he can step it up. The connect tells him it almost isn't worth it for four but Orlando insists, he can turn it around and up his orders after this first one. He hands over the money (intercepted by the muscle in the back of the car) who checks it, and then the connect hands over the product. Orlando eagerly opens the bag to check it out, thinking of all the money he'll finally be making for himself.... and the connect and his muscle start to laugh, and Orlando realizes that something has gone horribly wrong (other than his hair).   McNulty enters Wallace's squat (did he figure out the address when he saw Poot laughing at him from the window?), messy mattresses on the floor but laundry folded on the table amongst litter, a strange mixture of home and lair. He checks the fridge then heads outside to the car where Brandon's corpse was found, looking up at the window, realizing that Brandon would have been fully visible. Bubbles is still in the park, joined by Walon who is getting to know him a little better. Bubbles explains his mother is dead and he has no idea where his father is, and he is staying in his sister's basement but isn't allow upstairs... but he understands. He has a son named KeyShawn whose mother took him as far from Bubbles as possible, saying he couldn't be in her life, and he accepts that as well. Walon notes that at least he still has his health, causing Bubbles to laugh till Walon reveals that he himself has "the bug" (HIV) and that he gave it to his lady as well, though their daughter was thankfully spared. He tells Bubbles that the most important thing he can do is to forgive himself, because once he has he'll be able to start the (neverending) healing process, but Bubbles finds the idea terrifying, especially when Walon tells him to come to meetings. Walon isn't giving him easy answers though, telling him that he won't lie and tell Bubbles he is strong enough to survive by himself, because that simply isn't true. Getting clean is easy.... but then comes life.  McNulty has called in a couple of uniformed officers to the site of Brandon's body dumping, pointing out the window of Wallace's squat and noting that they are illegally drawing power from other houses through their long extension cord. The officers can't believe their time is being wasted on this, especially when McNulty tells them to sit in their cruiser waiting for Wallace to return and arrest him, but McNulty has a sweetener that he never thought to offer Herc, Carver or Sydnor - a box of Heineken beer and some crab cakes for them to while away the time while they wait. One of the officers happily tells McNulty that he's a good guy.... no matter what anybody Downtown has to say.  D'Angelo is waiting outside of Orlando's for Shardene to come to work, and when she arrives in a cab he tries to grab her arm and pull her aside to talk. She pulls loose, and he storms after her demanding just five minutes to talk, but she ignores him and heads inside, leaving him to kick over an outside stool in frustration and storm off. To any onlookers he must seem like a pathetic patron who has mistaken a stripper's attention for actual interest. As an aside, their argument takes place with an unfocused game of checkers being played in the foreground, though I think in THIS particular case it might just be pure coincidence - I can't think of any reason to make the allusion to the checkers/chess conversation, other than maybe the fact that the D'Angelo/Shardene break-up really is as simple as it seems - she hates him for his role in Keisha's death. Greggs has got word to McNulty that Omar wanted to meet, and they find him sitting on a back alley stoop clutching his arm in pain, and he fills them in on his botched hit on Avon. Greggs sternly reminds him that they warned him to back off and he reminds HER that he only said he'd do what he could. He's gotten word that Avon's people want to call a truce and offer him amnesty, and Greggs take that at its word, saying he should take the truce. He smells something dirty though, noting they've asked for a meeting so they can parlay, and he suspects their intention is to draw him out and then kill him. His major problem is his arm wound though, which he shows them - he can't go to the hospital because he's sure Avon will have men stationed on them and they'll be waiting for him when he leaves (he apparently isn't concerned at all about the police questioning him over being shot), so he's come to them hoping they're friendly with a doctor who can stitch him up. Orlando is stitched up - the people he thought were a potential drug connect were actually undercover officers (is this why one of them said 4 almost wasn't worth it?), and they're extremely amused by his attempts to avoid jail time. Stepping out of the interview room, the narcotics detectives tell their Lieutenant that he is offering them somebody called Avon something... Avon.... Barksdale? None of them have heard of him, but the Lieutenant tells them to run the name and see if anybody is currently investigating him.   At night outside the Mondo Mart, a bored Carver sits in a van watching a woman chatting on the payphone. The van is full of the most unbelievable junkfood snacks, Carver having nothing to do but eat, burp and watch the phone. Sydnor shows up to take his shift, disgusted by the smell and the various foods, and Carver freely admits he is disgusting before staggering out of the van and making his way across the parking lot, relieved to finally be out of there. The next day Freamon gets a call from Santangelo that Little Man is about to make a call (Freamon has to identify Little Man for Santangelo, even though this is literally the only thing that Santangelo has to know), and when it comes through Freamon recognizes from the pattern that the Mondo Mart is about to get a call. He calls Sydnor (still on the shift he started the previous night) to warn him. Bunk and Ed Norris find McNulty asleep outside of the interview room and wake him up, amused and thinking that he was too drunk to come home. McNulty can't help but grin, getting up and checking the interview room before calling over Bunk and showing him what is inside. In what turns out to have surprisingly been an off-air scene, Wallace has been arrested and brought to McNulty.... and he has spilled his guts without being offered a thing, letting out everything that has been eating him up for all these weeks - he has given them Brandon's murder, including Stringer Bell's involvement. McNulty has a shot at his white whale. He explains that Wallace was high when he found him, and reveals the reason why - Brandon's corpse was dumped in full view of his bedroom window, and he's had that image stuck in his head ever since. They stare through the window at the 16 year old kid sleeping on the table, a major asset in the Detail's case... but what do they do with him till it's time for him to testify? At the Mondo Mart, somebody has arrived to use the payphone. Sydnor takes photos while Santangelo confirms to Freamon that Little Man is picking up on the other end. Little Man tells the man that they're running low and he replies he'll see them tomorrow morning, and the phonecall is over just like that. Sydnor is on the move immediately, grabbing a bottle in a brown paper bag as cover and following the man from a distance. At the City Lock-up, Orlando is brought in for holding while they check his story. An inmate (Marvin Browning) is sweeping and spots Orlando being checked in, and immediately gets onto one of the phones, putting out the word "Pimping rear end Orlando" is in lock-up. The Stash Man returns to a small, brick suburban home. Sydnor passes on the other side of the street, taking in as much as he can as he passes. The place has small, barred windows and a solid bar screen door with a warning that it is private property. The Stash Man has to disarm an alarm when he returns, and there are cameras set up facing out onto the street so that those inside can see from all angles - it's a surburban fortress, and it contains the bulk of Avon Barksdale's drugs.   Wallace is being interviewed again by McNulty, with Daniels in attendance. He tells them he has been dealing drugs in some form or another since he was 12, though he hasn't been working under D'Angelo for long, it was mostly under Ronnie Mo for the Barksdales. They ask if D'Angelo told them anything about the murder he was exonerated for in episode 1 and he tells them no, so they ask him if he knows about anything else like that by D'Angelo, and McNulty specifically brings up Deirdre Kresson, though not by name. Wallace clearly remembers D'Angelo's story and almost says something, but pulls up at the last second, telling them that D'Angelo was always good to him. Daniels persists from a different angle, D'Angelo WAS the one who Wallace called on the night Brandon was killed, and Wallace admits as much, but tells them he didn't come along and get involved in snatching up Brandon - that was mostly those Tower Boys. That last line kind of hits home to me how "innocent" Wallace is, that kind of phrasing is the type of thing you'd expect from a kid caught being naughty at school - I'm sorry sir, it wasn't me sir, the older boys made me do it, sir - that type of thing.. but this is about a murder. Wallace admits that Stringer was there, and McNulty and Daniels leave to confer with Rhonda and Bunk - in addition to corroborating evidence from the wiretap and cloned pagers, they have a solid case against Bird, Stinkum, Wee-Bey and Stringer, the top dogs under Avon Barksdale, and can wrap up D'Angelo in it as well despite the fact he didn't take an active part. Of course Stinkum is dead and Bird is already under arrest for William Gant's murder, and they had Wee-Bey on the money collection... but this further reinforces their case AND gives them Stringer Bell. The Detail's case is starting to come together, but they still have the problem of what to do with Wallace until it is time for him to testify. His mother is an alcoholic, he has a Grandmother on the Eastern Shore he hasn't seen in years, and the Deputy Ops won't spring for a hotel room. McNulty gets a call and leaves with Bunk to take it, while Daniels suggests to Rhonda that maybe the State's Attorney would be willing to foot the cost of looking after Wallace. She poo-poos the idea immediately, and tells him that even if that was possible, putting a 16 year old kid in a hotel room for 6 months isn't the optimal solution - he'll need to call the Grandmother. Carver and Sydnor are showing Freamon the photos of the Main Stash House, and Carver is in his element. He eagerly shows off the placement of the cameras and explains what their field of vision is, this is an element of police work he understands. Similarly, Sydnor has taken the extra step and checked with Verizon, confirming that the house has no phone lines connected, which Freamon notes is a major sign that there is something going on in there. They disappoint him when they ask if they're going to request a search warrant though, instead he rather maddeningly walks away with a disappointed look on his face (maybe if you explained yourself, Freamon, rather than being disappointed when people don't immediately understand?) and goes to see what Prez is doing. He's laying out a chart of Barksdale assets, impressing Freamon who notes how clearly everything is laid out, and tells Prez he has a gift for paperwork. But now he wants him on the street, telling him he won't need his gun (he's not allowed to do streetwork that involves a gun, remember) for what he has in mind. McNulty's call is terrible news, his wife has decided to contest and limit his custody and he has to show up to court... right now! He can't believe it, they can just do this without giving him warning of the date? Apparently so, he has to show up with a lawyer or lose his kids, so in desperation he turns to Rhonda - the woman he had an affair with which lead to his separation in the first place - to come along with him. At the court, Elena McNulty's lawyer is painting a pretty clear picture of why McNulty isn't a fit father, bringing up the fact that he decided it was a good idea to have his kids tail a criminal suspect and that he lost them in the market in the process. The Judge admits this isn't good, but that holding an emergency hearing like this is still pretty extraordinary, but the lawyer says he can provide a laundry list of terrible, horrible, awful parenting decisions that McNulty has made. Rhonda has nothing to offer to counter any of this, pointing out that she's a criminal lawyer who deals with criminals, and that technically speaking as an employee of the State she shouldn't even be there. The Judge sighs and tells them all that they're all going to take a deep breath, and then she is going to go to lunch while Jimmy and Elena discuss this like adults, and when she returns she'll see if she HAS to make a ruling. To be fair to Elena, she has a point about Jimmy being an awful parent, but to be fair to Jimmy calling an Emergency Hearing like this without warning is a pretty huge dick move. Another legal proceeding is taking place, a babbling Orlando is sitting with Levy, explaining that he knows he did wrong but the least that "their people" could do is throw down a little money to get him out of lock-up. Levy is uninterested in what Orlando has to say, handing over a Deed of Transfer for the club as well as a liquor license transfer form, both notarized and backdated to the previous week. Orlando is shocked, and Levy explains in that oily, smug way of his that a Front needs to be clean, and he no longer is, so this is necessary. Orlando fumes and declares he won't sign anything unless Levy brings in a bail bondsman, and Levy's face lights up with a rather cruel smile, knowing he has Orlando over a barrel. Is that REALLY what Orlando wants Levy to report back to Avon? That Orlando won't sign? Frustrated but knowing he has no choice, Orlando grabs the pen and signs as a now bored Levy checks his watch and distastefully stuffs the forms in his briefcase, wanting no part of Orlando's presence now that he is out of Avon's protective shield. Standing up, he offers one last thing to Orlando - he wanted to be in The Game? Well now he is.   Out in the corridors of the courts, Elena is furious at Jimmy, telling him it is unbelievable that he would bring Rhonda to this custody hearing, though Jimmy quite rightfully points out that Elena sprung the emergency hearing without warning. She tartly offers to him the chance to return Rhonda the pictures the private detective (an ex-cop who McNulty held in low regard) took of them out on dates together, but he tries to turn things back to the custody hearing - WHY is she doing this? She brings up the kids following Stringer Bell again (justifiably, Jesus Christ, McNulty!) and he blatantly lies to her, saying it wasn't a criminal but a guy he knew, and the boys were safe the entire time (Jesus Christ, McNulty), then can't help but justify it further by saying that it was broad daylight anyway and they would have been safe following Al Capone. They're his boys and he loves them, and he'd never put them at risk... and he loves her too. This shifts things back to Rhonda, who apparently has no idea that a Detective followed and took pictures of them, and Jimmy insists that they're not still together.... well they are... a little bit. Jesus Christ, McNulty. They seem to have reached an unspoken agreement though, as Jimmy suggets they go make nice for the Judge and she agrees - Jimmy won't have his already limited custody limited any further... for now. Wallace is half watching an old black and white television in Daniels' office - Clay Davis is giving a rousing speech about re-electing the current Mayor of Baltimore. Daniels joins him, he's going to drive him down to the Eastern Shore, but first they're going to stop and grab some dinner. Wallace says he isn't so hungry but Daniels insists, and winces as he watches the difficult with which Wallace gets up. He asks how many drugs he was taking, insisting to an alarmed Wallace he only wants to know if he's going to be sick in the car, and confirming that when Wallace got high, he was "only" snorting it, not injecting it. He tells him he'll be fine in a couple of days, and they head out together. In a pleasant part of downtown Baltimore (where Avon owns a confusing number of vacant storefronts), Stringer Bell waits by a fountain for a meeting with Proposition Joe. They're meeting Omar there, Prop Joe is acting as the intermediary at Omar's request, and informs Stringer for the first time that he will be paying Joe's "fee". This is news to Stringer, and Joe explains he is going to be like a marriage counselor, the kind of guy who is paid by the hour to tell a husband to bring home flowers every so often and tell the wife to suck cock every now and then. "Speaking of cocksuckers" Joe says in a surprisingly crude aside to Stringer as Omar arrives, shaking Omar's hand and introducing himself, saying pleasantly that he doesn't believe they've met but if Omar ever stole from him he'd kill him and his whole family. With the two together, Joe declares his part in this done and heads away, leaving Omar and Stringer to walk around the fountain together discussing terms. Stringer is offering Omar his life back, if he can restrain himself from stealing from them, they'll call it even. Omar retorts that after killing Bailey and torturing Brandon they're a long way from even, but Stringer acts like he has no idea what Omar is talking about and reminds him there are dead on both sides... but one side has more soldiers than the other. Omar admits this is true, and asks Stringer to pass on to Barksdale that his men are safe but he can't guarantee the same about his drugs. Stringer won't be drawn into that, declaring he doesn't know anybody called Barksdale but he's sure that whoever Omar is talking about can't have his product stolen, so Omar backs down again, saying that in this case he'll need money for his retirement, and Stringer can organize that through Joe. Stringer disagrees, if Joe has the money then Omar will see very little of it, so they'll just have to sort out another way to get him the money. Omar agrees and leaves, every word heard and recorded by Kima and McNulty, who are listening in on a wire that Omar agreed to wear. He admirably tried to get Stringer on record admitting to Avon being the drug kingpin, but Stringer was too cautious to risk it even in an open area of downtown talking with a notorious stick-up man. So they still have nothing on Avon, but they've got Stringer linked to the Brandon murder thanks to Wallace. Omar joins them in the car and removes the wire, telling them he did what he could. Night has fallen when Daniels pulls up at the two-story home of Wallace's grandmother, a place he hasn't been to and people he hasn't seen since he was 9. It's quiet and peaceful, crickets are chirping which confuses Wallace, he has no idea what they are, he's a child of the city.   At Orlando's, Avon can't believe that Omar had the gall to ask for MORE money. Wee-Bey opens the door when there is a knock, and Shardene enters with a pleasant smile and a tray of drinks for them. Stringer makes a rare lapse by openly talking in front of a stranger, mentioning that Omar wanted to go through Joe, but Avon hushes him, throwing a winning smile Shardene's way and telling her she is wonderful to look at, but they don't need her there any longer. She leaves with a smile as he calls out to her to make good tips for herself, and Wee-Bey closes the door behind her. Outside, Shardene loses the smile and carefully listens at the door till she hears somebody coming up the stairs and quickly darts away. Avon knows the police are aware of him now, but he has no idea just how many ways they're trying to get at him, or that they've already got an angle on every high-flier in his Organization other than himself. Kima is having a girl's night out with Cheryl and a three friends. They've drunk and boisterous, laughing at everything, Cheryl mocking Kima for holding back on a drinking contest because she has to work the next day. Two of the other women are a couple, leaving one single girl who watches them kiss and laughs, though I always get a sense that she's kind of wildly out of her element and slightly freaking out on the inside. Cheryl insists that police in Baltimore aren't poo poo if an art gallery manager can out-drink Kima, but Kima takes it all in good stride, demonstrating willpower by not drinking the shot to prove herself (can you imagine Bunk or McNulty holding back?) and turning it into a joke. The slightly frazzled single friend asks Kima how she knew she wanted to be a cop, and Kima tells a story about her field training in the Northeast. She wasn't sure then if she was going to stick with it, until one day while out on the street and she got a call that lead to chasing a purse snatcher up into the projects. Separated from her Field Training Officer, she somehow managed to locate the snatcher and tackled him in a parking lot and report in on the radio. As she struggled to hold the snatcher who was flailing and kicking trying to escape, she looked up and saw a uniformed officer watching her. It was a legendary policeman named Charlie Smoot, and he simply smiled at her, dropped his handcuffs and said,"Here you go, rook," and walked away. "And then he dropped the bracelets" says Kima, the opening title quote for this episode,"And walked away." She looks up at a frowning Cheryl and tells her she knows that she doesn't like Kima being a cop, but she was proud of herself that day. In answer, Cheryl smirks and grabs Kima in for a kiss, the other couple cheering on and their slightly frantic single friend giggling in quiet, drunken desperation.   The next morning, Prez and Sydnor find themselves working on the back of a garbage truck. They only take one delivery, picking up the rubbish from outside the main stash house. Returning to the Detail basement, they dump out the rubbish and take photos of everything, but Sydnor still doesn't understand why they don't put together a search warrant, they have plenty of probable cause. Greggs and McNulty finally do what Freamon wouldn't and explain - they know the location of the main stash house, so it makes more sense to keep an eye on it and follow any traffic from it. By doing that, they can map out the ENTIRE West Baltimore drug trade, and find parts of Avon's world that they don't even know exist. Sydnor takes it all in, he came into the Detail as a superstar and quickly discovered he was a long way from being a great Detective, but he has an opportunity to learn that he taking, just as Prez is, and how Herc and Carver appear to have failed to do. The State Policeman who arrested Orlando arrives on the scene, declaring he had a hell of a time finding them. Kima is delighted, this is Troy Williams, and they worked together back when Kima was still starting out, presumably in the Northeastern. After sharing some playful ribbing, Williams gets down to business - explaining that he pulled a reverse buy on a wannabe who wanted to buy four ounces. McNulty is unimpressed, and Williams agrees it isn't poo poo (almost not worth it for 4, remember), but once they got him he began freaking out and claiming he was connected to a bigger fish by the name of Avon Barksdale. This gets their attention, and Williams explains how he looked him up, found out he was part of an active Baltimore City case and eventually tracked them down. They're even more interested when they find out it was Orlando - the (former) Front for the business where Avon spends most of his time. Shardene is having a meal with Freamon and explaining the difficulties she has hearing anything in Avon's office - the door is always closed and even when she can get in there on an errand they stop talking and quickly get rid of her. Freamon is happy with what he can get though, showing her pictures of the top Barksdales people and asking which one was talking about making somebody come into the towers, but all she can offer is that he was tall, and she can't identify who else was there either. She admits that she doesn't see so well without her glasses, Freamon's face falling at this information. She shows him her glasses and he notes that she wouldn't wear those while dancing and she laughs, agreeing that she needs to work for tips. Freamon sees the funny side, and they share in a good laugh. Daniels, McNulty and Greggs are meeting with Pearlman at the State Attorney's office, where McNulty (backed by Greggs, glared at by Daniels) is insisting that Orlando is full of poo poo. If his name was on the liquor license then he was the Front and he would have been kept clean. If he was really connected into Avon's drug network he wouldn't have needed to buy 4 ounces from a nobody, he's just somebody who got greedy, got caught, and is now trying desperately to find a way out by making wild claims. Rhonda suggests that they use Orlando to make a buy from Wee-Bey or Savino, but they point out that they already have a charge for Wee-Bey and there isn't much to be gained from going after Savino, who is the "runt of the litter". Daniels seems to agree, tossing up his arms at Pearlman, so she agrees that they'll cut a minor deal with Orlando, using his evidence on money laundering and prostitution and shaving a few years off of his sentence. Somebody pokes their head through the door looking for Daniels, saying he has a phone-call from the Deputy Ops, which is a surprise. Daniels says he'll head out into the office to take it, while McNulty notes that not much gets by the Deputy Ops. Kima gets a beep too, and looks irritated. Shortly after, she arrives at the park where Bubbles is waiting, annoyed that he has called her out across town on a hosed up workday just to get $10 from her. He quickly corrects her, barely able to sit still, telling her he doesn't need $10, he needs real money so he can buy sheets, get a place, get new clothes... ESPECIALLY new clothes. Kima stops and looks him over properly for the first time, and picks up what is going on - how long has he been clean? Three days - a marathon for Bubbles - and he freely admits he has no idea if he is really serious about it, but he has to find out. She sits down on the bench with him and sighs, then agrees, telling him she'll get him money to help him out, teasing him by asking what she is going to do with a clean informant. He smiles, probably feeling better than he has in a long time - his family has justifiably abandoned him, but Kima believes in him and supports him. He eagerly tells her that he figures with a couple of hundred dollars he can get a place of his own, a mattress, new clothes, sheets, etc and she agrees, telling him that she has something she needs to do tonight, but if he pages her tomorrow then she'll meet him with the money. His face falls a little, wait until tomorrow? (he's a junkie, he's been clean 3 days, one more night is probably going to feel like a year) but she touches his shoulder and reassures him - she has his back.  Daniels and his Major are meeting in Burrell's office, where Daniels is arguing against trying to use Orlando to make a buy-bust on Avon. The Major is against Daniels on this, saying that Orlando is claiming he has direct access to Avon, but Daniels knows this is bullshit - even if he dislikes McNulty, he knows he is right on this. He explains it to Burrell, asking him how many drugs get Avon Barksdale to the table - 1 kilo? 2? 20? This isn't somebody who deals with buying the drugs personally, it's not how they'll make their case. They need to stay on the Wire, put together the case piece by piece. Why is Daniels fighting for this now? Outside of knowing that Orlando is exaggerating his importance, he's also seen remarkable progress over the course of this episode, as well as seen his own traditional policing methods fail against Avon in the previous. But Burrell is having none of it, positively seething as he reminds Daniels that he asked for Buy-Busts at the start of this case, and now they're going to follow through on that. "It's what we do, successfully, time and again, to make these cases," he snaps, and the Major just shrugs, apparently in complete agreement with this nonsensical statement. If this method works, then why has nobody ever heard of Avon Barksdale until McNulty told Phelan about him? Because the police have been wasting their time with buy-busts on minors, nobodies and wannabes, while the true kingpins continue to haul in huge amounts of money, happily sacrificing their pawns to the police's stats game. McNulty is with Omar at the bus station, where Omar is about to grab a bus for New York, having confirmed during his meeting with Stringer that they're simply trying to get him into the projects so they can kill him. McNulty asks why New York and Omar states,"There must be something happening out there, it's too big a town," close to a line from a Steve Earle song. Omar asks for some cash from McNulty, admitting he's a little strapped for cash at the moment and while he COULD go around the block and "get paid" he figures McNulty would prefer he didn't. McNulty smirks and hands over some cash, telling Omar to be safe, they need him to testify against Bird. Omar heads away - like he told Wee-Bey,"You come at the King you best not miss", and he did, so he's getting out now, his revenge for Brandon's death not quite complete, but as good as things are going to get for now. That night, Daniels lays out the framework of the Buy Bust they're going to attempt. Orlando has put through a call making a request and gotten a meeting with Savino at least, and he'll be wearing a wire and taking $30,000 provided by the DEA. The DEA officer is adamant that this money needs to be returned to them, they're lending it, not giving it away. To assure this happens, Kima will be going along as Orlando's girlfriend, and she's dressed the part to, much to Carver's amusement. She'll be stashing a gun underneath the rear seat of the car in case she is patted down, and Daniels warns them that they won't be able to stay close enough to keep an eyeball, so Kima will do what she can to relay her position back to them across the wire in the car. Rhonda reminds Orlando that his plea deal is contingent on cooperation, and getting Savino is "less cooperative" than getting Avon Barksdale or Stringer Bell, so if he can he has to get Savino to talk about them on the wire. Carver notes that it is common knowledge that Orlando was arrested on a reverse buy-bust so won't they suspect him, but the cover story is designed with that in mind - because Orlando has been cut loose, he needs money for a lawyer and the only way to raise it is by taking what he has and buying drugs to sell to make more cash. Kima takes the money from the DEA Agent and shares a look with McNulty, they both know this isn't going to work like the Deputy Ops wants. Bubbles is still in the park, trying his best to keep it together. With the playing children and happy mothers gone, there is nothing but the sound of traffic and dealers calling out what they're selling. He gets up and starts to leave, spotting a dealer passing by and resisting the urge to pick up some "Death Row", continuing on down the path and hoarsely whispering,"I ain't up." Orlando and Kima pick up Savino, Kima heading into the back as Savino gets in the passenger side, not pleased at Kima's presence. Orlando explains sheepishly it's his girl and half the money is hers, and Savino turns the radio up in response. They head on up the street, Kima calling out to Orlando that since they're going up North Avenue they can stop off and pick up some cigarettes for her, letting the other police know which way they're going. Savino gives her a look and turns the radio up louder, making it near to impossible for the police to hear Kima if she does talk. As they continue on, Savino gives barely audible directions to Orlando, while the various police units search desperately for an eyeball on the car. Orlando pulls in to the spot Savino indicates, a dark alley with multiple exits. Savino counts the money to make sure it is all there. He tells Orlando not to gently caress with the count, he'll be right back with "your poo poo" and immediately leaves and heads into the night. Kima wants to know where they are, the sign they passed said Longwood but she's sure they're on Warwick, and Orlando explains that young hoppers turn street signs to gently caress with the police. Kima reports over the wire that she makes them to be on the north side of Warwick, in an alley half a block west of Longwood... maybe. Daniels hears, they're about 8 blocks away, and he tells the others they're going to get in a little closer. As the other units converge, Kima can feel that something is wrong. In one of the connect alleyways two hooded figures approach, and Kima spots their shadows immediately, reporting it over the wire, saying that something isn't right. She reaches for her gun under the rear seat but she can't find it, and the two figures appear out of the darkness and open fire on Orlando with a shout of,"Snitching motherfucker!" "SIGNAL 13! SIGNAL 13!" reports Kima, the other detectives listening in horror,"Two males, black hoodie, both armed. One i-" and then the sound of gunshots cut her off. As the sirens sound and more units are called in, everybody searches desperately for the alley, reporting which alleys have been checked, calling in the police helicopter and telling them to look for a green Lincoln towncar with a brown vinyl roof. The helicopter spots the car, and Daniels and McNulty arrive first, guns drawn and checking for any sign of the shooters. Orlando is dead in the front seat, and McNulty grabs Kima from the backseat, shouting for a medic. Carver arrives and reacts in a fury, stomping about before clasping his heads in horror, Sydnor staring in shock as McNulty lays Kima's blood-splattered body on the ground and checks for signs of breathing. Daniels is screaming into his radio for a medic to arrive, the DEA Agent a nervous bystander whose concern is more financial than personal, and McNulty begins to apply CPR. The last shot of the episode is a birdseye view of the chaos as the police radio asks if anybody has a description of the suspect.     A police officer has been shot in Baltimore. Next episode we see what happens when the BPD finally acts as a cohesive unit.
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Mar 20, 2013 09:47
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Like clockwork, Jerusalem! Nice work. Even to this day, that episode makes my spine tingle. It's so loving good. That one state police officer who was selling the "coke" to Orlando, I like to believe that once the cash exchanged hands, Orlando was handed a bag that had a police badge in it. That's always what I've imagined, but they don't actually show it. I'll have the aftermath episode write-up posted tomorrow. escape artist fucked around with this message at 10:51 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 10:47
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Bodie always gets me. Bodie was the best.
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Mar 20, 2013 11:35
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I'm always struck by how McNulty reacts once he hears Kima get shot. For most of the series he's this sort of goofy, self destructive idiot who only ever cares about himself but he starts screaming into the radio as you'd hear a typical cop on a show like this to do (and of course IRL cops). It's the only time we ever see him act that kind of way until season 3, not coincidentally, also a shots fired situation he has to react to. That sequence is remarkable too because it has to be one of the few times the show really works as suspenseful entertainment, independently of context. Can't think of another scene like it off the top of my head. Also I never made the connection between Stringer gaining more day to day power in this episode and the power conflict between him and Avon for the next two seasons. Not sure if they were thinking that far ahead but it is set up earlier than I realized. Also the buy bust mission looks even dumber on rewatch. I mean they know that Orlando's arrest is public knowledge yet no one even thinks that Avon might want the guy dead (if not for snitching, then for going behind his back and trying to sell his own package). He wasn't really at fault here but I still got a grim pleasure when Omar blows Savino's brains out in season 5. Did he even have any other significant scenes other than this one, his arrest and his death? Guy really was the runt of the litter; it seems like we only hear of him this episode (though I'm probably wrong). grading essays nude fucked around with this message at 12:14 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 11:54
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Savino appears in these episodes: Season one: "The Target" (uncredited); "The Detail" (uncredited); "Lessons" (uncredited); "Game Day"; "The Cost" and "The Hunt". Season five: "More with Less" (uncredited), "The Dickensian Aspect" and "Took".
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Mar 20, 2013 12:14
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Spoilers Below posted:Bodie and Poot killing Wallace If you don't tear up at this poo poo, you're cold blooded. "Y'all my niggas, man." You don't get to see it in the 5th season, but I imagine that well, that's the poo poo that followed Poot. That and Bodie's death.
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Mar 20, 2013 12:34
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In the 'marriage counselor' scene, it's interesting how Omar deliberately picked a figure that was ridiculous so that Avon/Stringer would tip their hand by agreeing to it.
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Mar 20, 2013 13:10
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As everybody else has stated, great write ups, Jerusalem. I'm in the middle of my own rewatch but I'm a little bit ahead and may step back a couple episodes to keep up with the thread. I'm impressed on your take on D'Angelo. It's not hard to figure out that he's not quite a saint but you're picking up on some subtle stuff here that reveals the true heart of his character, despite his good intentions. He really is a very interesting character.
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Mar 20, 2013 14:39
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Edgar Death posted:As everybody else has stated, great write ups, Jerusalem. I'm in the middle of my own rewatch but I'm a little bit ahead and may step back a couple episodes to keep up with the thread. I'm impressed on your take on D'Angelo. It's not hard to figure out that he's not quite a saint but you're picking up on some subtle stuff here that reveals the true heart of his character, despite his good intentions. He really is a very interesting character. Yeah, the insights on stuff like D'Angelo's character definitely help me appreciate this on a re-watch. Thanks for the great work Jerusalem! escape artist posted:That one state police officer who was selling the "coke" to Orlando, I like to believe that once the cash exchanged hands, Orlando was handed a bag that had a police badge in it. This is exactly what I imagine too.
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Mar 20, 2013 22:15
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Honestly the more I watch the show, the more D'Angelo's character fascinates me. On the surface level he's a pretty nice guy in a bad situation and you end up feeling really bad for him as you watch his family influence him to go in all the wrong directions. But the more I watch, the more I get the sense that he's a pretty selfish, self-centered person who likes to think of himself as an intrinsically good person, but really isn't. How much of that is a product of his family and environment I couldn't say, though I imagine it plays a large part. But he's also a well educated, fairly affluent young man with an ability to take a more far-reaching, wider grasp on the realities of his world. He clearly identifies with Wallace and sees him as a kindred spirit, and one who he hopes to give the chance he feels he never had, but time and again we're shown that D'Angelo's own struggles with guilt don't go much below the surface level and are pretty easily sidetracked. When Wallace calls to let him know he's sighted Brandon, he immediately contacts Stinger - like Wallace he's eagerly gone up the chain of command, and like Wallace once all is said and done he clearly has a moment of,"What have I done  " - but with Wallace, that feeling persists, while D'Angelo quickly moves on, especially when he gets paid his bonus for the part he played. There's that wonderful little moment when he smiles over the thought of Stinkum being killed, because Stinkum got the promotion that he felt HE deserved purely by dint of being Avon's nephew. His loyalty to Avon goes only so far as it benefits him - you can be drat sure the reason he brings up Orlando's offer to the enforcers is because he was testing the water to see how they'd react, and he lies and pretends he was always going to go to Avon when they make it clear that going behind Avon's back would be a bad move - notice that Wee-Bey brings up that D himself is sure to get points on the package if he keeps up his good work in The Pit. D'Angelo hears that he will benefit from not deviating from his current course and THAT is when he brings up Orlando, not before. He's horrified by Keisha's death but by the time Shardene has found out how they disposed of her body, you can tell he's already forgotten it ever happened (they dumped her corpse in a dumpster, for God's sake) and when he later approaches her outside the club the way he takes her arm indicates a,"Okay fine you've had your little tantrum now let's get back to you being available to me" mentality, even though the break-up is over his complicity in the DEATH of a friend of hers. He has a child with Donette but only cares about them when it isn't cramping his style, and when she is nagging him with things that are actual necessities of being a grown-up in a relationship, he walks out without a word. Remember how he breaks down over Bunk and McNulty's sob stories about the death of William Gant.... but has he even given the man a thought once the death wasn't being thrown in his face? Now none of this is to say that he is without good qualities or that he's a bad person - The Wire avoids such flat portrayals. Rather, it's a sign of admirable depth in the character - D'Angelo is an example of somebody who doesn't belong in the environment he is forced to work in - he's grown up fairly privileged but still has to work in the Low Rises every day (or the Towers during better days), surrounded by people who haven't had his opportunities, looking down on them while simultaneously desiring to belong. In an upcoming episode he'll proclaim that he just wants to get away - he just wants to go somewhere completely unconnected from everything and everyone he knows. It's an almost sulky,"It's all everybody else's fault!" mentality, even if there is some merit to that argument. But it also demonstrates that D'Angelo deals with things by putting them aside and never confronting them again. Have a problem? Feel bad about something? Have to face up to the truth that you're a bad person? Just remove those things from your life/don't think about them or have to be forced to confront them and everything will just automatically be fine. Larry Gilliard Jr. does a really, really good job with the part. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 00:38 on Mar 21, 2013 |
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Mar 21, 2013 00:13
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I agree 100% on Dee. On the surface he appears less terrible than the others simply because he seems to feel emotions like guilt and remorse (things you don't really see from Avon/String/Wee-bey); that said, he rarely seems to consider the impact he has on others beyond, "is this bad thing I'm complicit with going to blow up in my face right now? yes/no, if no, well, it can't be that big of a deal." I was going to write about how those things don't necessarily make him a bad person but then again, he's been the cause of a few people's deaths (whether directly or indirectly), so... Definitely a great character. He's actually my buddy's favourite despite his short shelf life in the grand scheme.
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Mar 21, 2013 00:33
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Parachute Underwear posted:I agree 100% on Dee. On the surface he appears less terrible than the others simply because he seems to feel emotions like guilt and remorse (things you don't really see from Avon/String/Wee-bey); that said, he rarely seems to consider the impact he has on others beyond, "is this bad thing I'm complicit with going to blow up in my face right now? yes/no, if no, well, it can't be that big of a deal." We only really see Weebay after, and we do find out that if nothing else, Weebay will stick up for his crew and do the right poo poo for his son. He doesn't think Namon should be in the game, and he wants something better for his son. Basic American dream kinda stuff. Even for drug dealers. And the murderous enforcers.
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Mar 21, 2013 00:45
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In Wee-Bey's case I wonder how much of wanting Namond out was having him avoid the streets and how much was having him avoid De'Londa.
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Mar 21, 2013 01:02
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watt par posted:In Wee-Bey's case I wonder how much of wanting Namond out was having him avoid the streets and how much was having him avoid De'Londa. Well you have to figure that he has some idea what the streets are like, too.
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Mar 21, 2013 01:06
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Do you guys remember the actual conversation that Wee-Bey and Bunny had? When confronted with the fact that Namond might be dead in several years, Wee-Bey says "that's the game." Bunny hits him with some cold hard facts and after Bunny leaves, remember Bunny says "if it goes the way I think, he'll be back with his mother tomorrow." Don't give Wee-Bey the credit that Bunny deserves. Wee-Bey has to let these epiphanies, or rather, these truths that have just been thrown in his face, gestate for a while, and then he makes his decision. "Man came in here and said my boy can be anything he drat please." "Except a soldier." "Yeah... well look at me in here [in prison for life]. Who the hell would wanna be that if they could be anything else DeLonda?" A lot of it is Bunny cutting through the bullshit tough guy stuff and somehow, finding that tiny part of Wee-Bey that still has something resembling a conscience. Wee-Bey seems very perturbed to admit that his "standing tall" is actually an awful situation to be in. Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67CJxY-pF-8 Watch for Wee-Bey's tough outer shell slowly get broken down by Bunny's persistence. If it was anyone else, Wee-Bey would not have agreed. escape artist fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Mar 21, 2013 |
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Mar 21, 2013 01:12
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One of the more depressing aspects of that conversation, particularly the pride with which Wee-Bey says,"Man came in here and said my boy can be anything he drat please" is that it's clear that this is a concept that has NEVER occurred to Wee-Bey before. He never even entertained the idea that Namond could be anything other than a gangster, he couldn't conceive of the notion of his son having any other potential other than following him into a life of crime, and up to that point the proudest he has ever been was during Namond's jailhouse visits where they discussed Namond going out to work on the corner, and Wee-Bey being impressed at the idea of Namond following in his footsteps (though he does offer a prudent warning). Bunny basically opens his eyes to possibilities that never occurred to him, something that every parent SHOULD automatically take as a given - the hope that their children will have a life of potential and possibility.
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Mar 21, 2013 01:20
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Jerusalem posted:Honestly the more I watch the show, the more D'Angelo's character fascinates me. On the surface level he's a pretty nice guy in a bad situation and you end up feeling really bad for him as you watch his family influence him to go in all the wrong directions. But the more I watch, the more I get the sense that he's a pretty selfish, self-centered person who likes to think of himself as an intrinsically good person, but really isn't. I'm hoping whoever does the writeups for Season 2 can chart Ziggy's character development the same way. I'm rewatching with a friend who has never seen the wire, and his hostility and displeasure at Ziggy really sticks out to me as I feel sorry for the guy because everyone really does treat him like poo poo when all he wanted was a little respect. Of course knowing what happens to Ziggy and Frank helps temper the reflexive "gently caress OFF ZIGGY" that definitely occurs on the first viewing. Just like to say thanks for the write-ups while escape artist is dealing with other stuff, Jerusalem. This is one of the few threads that I completely read and I really have enjoyed looking at this show in great detail.
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Mar 21, 2013 01:56
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Fellis posted:I'm hoping whoever does the writeups for Season 2 can chart Ziggy's character development the same way.  Expect the next write-up to be up tomorrow. I'll be going out tomorrow night so I'll probably have it up before noon.
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Mar 21, 2013 02:13
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There's a really funny bit of character development that happens with Bodie in Season 2. If you don't know what I mean, pay close attention to his mannerisms next time you rewatch.
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Mar 21, 2013 06:56
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Protocol 5 posted:There's a really funny bit of character development that happens with Bodie in Season 2. If you don't know what I mean, pay close attention to his mannerisms next time you rewatch. What? His spitting? You can talk about any episode in here. Like the time that Omar got shot in the back of the head by Kenard.
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Mar 21, 2013 07:06
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I watched the episode where Ziggy shoots Double G tonight and when he comes out of the store there is a slowed down, blurry perception shot that really stuck out for me. I thought all of those shots were only in season 1. Also holy poo poo S2 really takes off when Ziggy shoots Double G and Valcheck calls in the Feds. All that poo poo hitting the fan at once and its really off to the races! I'll probably watch S2E11 tomorrow and have to say goodbye to Frank again e: Also its amazing how much the detail gets accomplished and how many toys they get when they aren't on Burell's poo poo list. The fancy GPS system is a far cry from the typewriters of S1. Fellis fucked around with this message at 08:13 on Mar 21, 2013 |
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Mar 21, 2013 08:09
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 14:03 |
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Jerusalem posted:The (I believe deliberately) juxtaposition between that and his later visit to the brothel is particularly telling. He wants to give the Jane Doe an identity, to give her death some meaning if only to himself so he can see her as <her name> as opposed to a dead body that was (to quote Kima from season one) "hosed and thrown away". But the later brothel visit is treated humorously, and bought up again in other episodes/seasons in a joking fashion - but those women who "take advantage" of McNulty are being treated just as much as nameless, disposable meat, just as much victims as the Jane Doe. It's how McNulty treats his women in general. He has more concern and compassion for a dead woman than he does for any of his relationships until he has his grown-up phase in S4. escape artist posted:Watch for Wee-Bey's tough outer shell slowly get broken down by Bunny's persistence. If it was anyone else, Wee-Bey would not have agreed. Bunny's not just speaking for Weebay/Namond on this one, he's speaking for the life they've both had. This is a moment like the DeNiro/Pacino coffee scene in Heat, two guys who've lived their lives on opposite sides of the line, lives that have basically consumed everything they had. What Bunny is telling Weebay here is that his son can be a Citizen, which neither one of them are.
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Mar 21, 2013 17:06
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