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A little thing in the previous episode that always struck me as hilarious: Stringer continues to address McNulty as "Officer", even after being corrected. It's so incredibly petty.
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Jul 3, 2013 02:15
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Randomly Specific posted:Cutty's farewell is what hits me the most in this ep. He goes in knowing full well that he's quite possibly in a 'leave feet first' situation, but he looks Avon in the eye and is completely straight about it, and Avon being Avon lets him walk. Avon knows he's going to finish out the game dead or in prison, but Cutty doesn't have to end up that way. Cutty's farewell has always gotten to me too. It always seemed crazy to me how much respect Avon has for Cutty, even after he's lost that killer instinct. I think there's an interesting parallel here between Cutty in this episode and Cheese's Dawg turning cur. Cheese loves his dog, but when it's of no more use to him, Cheese dispatches it. Avon, despite being pretty cold-blooded, even gives Cutty money out of the goodness of his own heart. Much like the basketball scene, this is one of those things that sharply delineates Avon from Marlo. There's no question that Marlo would have figured that Cutty knows too much and would have boarded up his corpse in a vacant.
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Jul 3, 2013 03:39
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I think a big part of it is that Cutty did all time in prison for keeping his mouth shut, Avon might feel like he owes him a little something. If he wants out of the game, then it's the least he could do; it'd be pretty cold to kill Cutty after he did that for him (and it's not like anyone who stands tall after all that time in prison is gonna turn around be a rat the moment he gets out; if he was gonna do that, he would've done it to get out early).
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Jul 3, 2013 03:49
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I would also argue Avon has absolutely no problem with people who walk a different path than himself, so long as they own it. Look at his interaction with the basketball ref a few seasons back, he wasn't actually so concerned about a bad call as the guy's unwillingness to stand for what he believed, even if it wasn't to Avon's favor. Even in the previous episode, he didn't want to be given a favorable report from Slim, he wants the unfiltered truth. Cutty was willing to say his piece and back it, which Avon respects.
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Jul 3, 2013 16:35
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And it might be hard to recruit soldiers willing to do their two days if their reward is death.
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Jul 3, 2013 17:34
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There are so many excellent, excellent shots like that in The Wire. I'm never one to really sperg over that kinda detail in stuff, but goddamn if the Wire doesn't make it so goddamned cool and interesting. Cutty is such an excellent character, and one almost ripped wholecloth from reality, like so many excellent characters.
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Jul 3, 2013 19:31
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How can anyone call Slim a psychopath after he shoots Cheese "for Joe"? He's one of the most sentimental characters on the show!
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Jul 3, 2013 19:52
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Skeesix posted:I think there's an interesting parallel here between Cutty in this episode and Cheese's Dawg turning cur. Cheese loves his dog, but when it's of no more use to him, Cheese dispatches it. Avon, despite being pretty cold-blooded, even gives Cutty money out of the goodness of his own heart. Cutty going back to ask Avon for money is another amazing scene. It's such a diversion from other shows/movies where it would get held over his head or they would just kill/hurt him for asking.
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Jul 3, 2013 22:13
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Luminous Obscurity posted:Cutty going back to ask Avon for money is another amazing scene. It's such a diversion from other shows/movies where it would get held over his head or they would just kill/hurt him for asking. I love how Avon is almost incredulous at the amount, like he expected Cutty to request millions.
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Jul 3, 2013 22:24
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Thaddius the Large posted:I love how Avon is almost incredulous at the amount, like he expected Cutty to request millions. Haha yeah. "That's all you want? poo poo peel off a few more thousand for him!" It's interesting how money is treated in this show - for Avon and Marlo and even Stringer it's mostly a side-effect or a means to an end. What they really want is power (and legitimacy in Stringer's case), and the money is kinda secondary to all that. Avon is furious at Omar stealing his money and drugs not because he values the money (or the drugs) but because it demonstrates a lack of respect or outright dismissal of his power/importance. Marlo seems to consider his money an inconvenience, he's not worried that it might be stolen when Joe helps teach him to launder it, he's worried that somebody might have the temerity to do something like that to him. Similarly, he doesn't care about losing money in the poker game (or having it stolen by Omar), he's angry about the lack of respect and fear it indicates. Stringer throws money into the giant pit that is his construction efforts, because he wants to become a legitimate and respected member of the inner-circle of Baltimore's power players in business/real estate/property development. When the police put "dope on the table", including large piles of money etc, they think they're hurting the dealers. But there will always be more drugs to sell, and more money made from it. What concerns the likes of Avon Barksdale isn't the money, it's the power it allows them to wield.
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Jul 4, 2013 00:11
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*Slim and Avon look at each other and crack up* "He went through all that for $10,000? Slim, go get him $15,000 cash." Then Avon hugs Cutty and says "take care of them little niggas." Once again, such a contrast to Marlo.
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Jul 4, 2013 00:29
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And even though Avon didn't want him to, Cutty ends up putting up a big poster of him as the gym's benefactor 
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Jul 4, 2013 00:39
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escape artist posted:*Slim and Avon look at each other and crack up* Marlo was giving out free money to kids for their school stuff. I can see a difference in that Marlo was doing it with his name attached, whereas Avon didn't want his name on the boxing gym. Marlo wasn't a huge fan of being turned down, but I can't imagine Avon taking that disrespect very well either.
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Jul 4, 2013 00:58
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Thaddius the Large posted:I love how Avon is almost incredulous at the amount, like he expected Cutty to request millions. Given the reaction, he probably would've seriously considered it if Cutty asked him for like 50-75K.
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Jul 4, 2013 01:19
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Marlo was doing it for purely selfish reasons - he wanted his name being spoken by people out on the streets, and people to look up to him. Avon was genuinely invested in the whole East Side/West Side thing and put all the money into the basketball game because he wanted West Side to prove their superiority over East Side. In Season 5 when Marlo ends up meeting Avon in the prison visitor's room, Avon explains he's willing to help his former enemy because they're both West Side and he wants to help gently caress over the East Side. Marlo doesn't give a single gently caress about East Side or West Side, and when he finally gets to meet Sergei, you can see his reaction to Avon throwing up the West Side symbol is an almost incredulous,"The gently caress is this guy doing?", barely repressed because he needs to keep on Avon's good side to bypass Prop Joe and get right to the source of the power.
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Jul 4, 2013 01:21
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I got the impression Avon was being heavily sarcastic in that scene.
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Jul 4, 2013 02:33
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TheBalor posted:I got the impression Avon was being heavily sarcastic in that scene. Really? I felt like he was doubling down on his prior disdain for East Side because it was really all he had left. Sure he's still a big man in prison and he's still incredibly (hidden) wealthy, but his Organization has basically fallen away to nothing (are there ANY Barksdale crews still working corners after Bodie goes to work for Marlo?) and the only influence he can muster outside of the prison anymore is making Marlo jump through hoops to visit Sergei. When Marlo invokes Avon's name to get Sergei to give him what he wants, you just know that Avon is over the loving moon - his name still has meaning and importance and influence, and he throws up the West Side sign to Marlo to show how they're looking out for each other. Marlo doesn't give a poo poo, of course, but he's happy to play along so long as he's getting what he wants.
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Jul 4, 2013 03:02
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Jerusalem posted:Marlo was doing it for purely selfish reasons - he wanted his name being spoken by people out on the streets, and people to look up to him. Avon was genuinely invested in the whole East Side/West Side thing and put all the money into the basketball game because he wanted West Side to prove their superiority over East Side. I think this makes Prop Joe all the more interesting. He didn't have that pathological need to be king and have his name ring out like Marlo or Avon. He didn't even seem all that interested in having anybody speak his name. He wasn't all that interesting in making people into "cadaverous motherfuckers." Yet he was pretty much king of Baltimore for awhile there, and didn't have to deal with some young buck biting him from behind till Marlo came along. Can't say I know how that happens.
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Jul 4, 2013 03:29
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Skeesix posted:I think this makes Prop Joe all the more interesting. He didn't have that pathological need to be king and have his name ring out like Marlo or Avon. He didn't even seem all that interested in having anybody speak his name. He wasn't all that interesting in making people into "cadaverous motherfuckers." Yet he was pretty much king of Baltimore for awhile there, and didn't have to deal with some young buck biting him from behind till Marlo came along. Can't say I know how that happens. Prop Joe is basically a bureaucrat, while Marlo and Avon are more akin to the President. Presidents come and go, some more often than others, but bureaucrats remain, and due to their seniority they get lots of power. Prop Joe's only mistake was becoming the face of the co-op, and by extension the target for the future king.
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Jul 4, 2013 03:32
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Jerusalem posted:Really? I felt like he was doubling down on his prior disdain for East Side because it was really all he had left. Sure he's still a big man in prison and he's still incredibly (hidden) wealthy, but his Organization has basically fallen away to nothing (are there ANY Barksdale crews still working corners after Bodie goes to work for Marlo?) and the only influence he can muster outside of the prison anymore is making Marlo jump through hoops to visit Sergei. When Marlo invokes Avon's name to get Sergei to give him what he wants, you just know that Avon is over the loving moon - his name still has meaning and importance and influence, and he throws up the West Side sign to Marlo to show how they're looking out for each other. Marlo doesn't give a poo poo, of course, but he's happy to play along so long as he's getting what he wants. This is pretty much how i see it too, though i think Avon didn't actually care about "West Side solidarity". I always interpreted it as Avon rather pathetically exerting what little power he has left, and the West Side thing just being a front so he doesn't have to admit this to Marlo. Though he probably partially blames Prop Joe (and the east side attitude by extension) for the downfall of his empire, since he got his hooks into Stringer, so maybe the disdain is real.
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Jul 4, 2013 04:13
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I think Avon did care. He was invested in the community- the gym was a thing, part payback to Cutty for his time in and part because he thought Cutty was doing a good thing. The East West game, the community center we see him at in S1, Avon felt like he was a part of the greater whole. There were institutions like the Sunday truce, all those things that were part of Avon's lifestyle that were utterly foreign to Marlo. Avon's play at the West Side loyalty with Marlo was probably a misreading of what Marlo was about more than anything. You look at the whole build of the Avon character from S1 and you see what being a part of the greater whole means to him. He's about family, his portion of the city, and being the top dog in his industry in that part of the city.
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Jul 4, 2013 05:06
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Randomly Specific posted:Avon's play at the West Side loyalty with Marlo was probably a misreading of what Marlo was about more than anything. And this is part of what makes Marlo so dangerous - everybody misread him or projected their own interests onto his. Avon assumed they were alike, Stringer assumed they would have the same end goals, Prop Joe thought he would welcome or embrace being "civilized", even Levy assumes that he'll want to stay out of jail at all costs. All that time, he's just moving forward like a shark, taking things for himself because it's the only thing he knows how (or wants) to do.
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Jul 4, 2013 05:10
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Skeesix posted:I think this makes Prop Joe all the more interesting. He didn't have that pathological need to be king and have his name ring out like Marlo or Avon. He didn't even seem all that interested in having anybody speak his name. He wasn't all that interesting in making people into "cadaverous motherfuckers." Yet he was pretty much king of Baltimore for awhile there, and didn't have to deal with some young buck biting him from behind till Marlo came along. Can't say I know how that happens. I think the scene that's most important to "get" Prop Joe is right before he gets killed, when he's explaining to Cheese that his great grandfather was the first colored man to own his own house in Johnson Square, a house Joe lived in right up to the day he died. He's an a bit like an older Avon, a respectable community leader who also happens to control the drug trade on the East side, one who no longer needs to demand respect or hear his name "ring out." He's too old for that childish nonsense. He knows that anyone who asks for it or demands it is a fool. He's a guy who gives a drat about where he's from and what that place is like, and if that requires being the man on top who keeps all the violence quiet and all the bangers whose the only source of income is dealing running like a proper corporation so that everyone can get paid and everyone can live their lives, so be it. He's like the guys who kept young Bunk from getting into trouble before he was ready.
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Jul 4, 2013 06:09
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I never understood how Prop Joe got to where he is, my only guess was he managed to get some top of the line connection and went from there. I mean, Avon, Marlo ,and even the small glimpses at the others in the co-op, are pretty obvious vicious predators who built their reputation, and gained the respect of others who are now working for them, through a sheer show of force. Whereas Prop Joe doesn't seem to have done anything like that. Maybe the east side is just different?
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Jul 4, 2013 12:21
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Rudager posted:I never understood how Prop Joe got to where he is, my only guess was he managed to get some top of the line connection and went from there. The implication I always got was that Prop Joe probably did some of that other stuff when he was younger and, like others have said, banked that cred and rode it for as long as he could. The bureaucrat analogy is another way to look at it but I think it's more accurate that Prop Joe is what Stringer wants to be, a shrewd businessman that owns his own (legitimate) businesses and also runs half of Baltimore's drug trade. What I think makes Prop Joe special is that he is basically the best traits of Avon and Stringer combined, he has all the street smarts to survive as long as he did and he also understands how the real world economy works, at least well enough to not get fleeced by "rain makers" and lovely contractors. Do they ever mention anywhere in the series how long Joe had been in the game? I got the feeling he had been around for a good 30 years or more and at least half of that as king pin of Eastside. On another topic since this is when Stringer first gets "rain made" did he never take a business class at that community college? I mean in season 1 they always made a HUGE deal about never talking or signing anything without a lawyer present whenever anyone was brought in for questioning so did Stringer just go full retard when he decided to become a "legitimate" businessman and forget that those same rules apply everywhere? I dunno, it was something that always bothered me that for someone so careful about keeping lawyers handy you'd think when meeting contractors and politicians you'd want to have a professional there to say "hey idiot you can file like 10 forms and get this done for nickles and not have to even SPEAK to this 'sheeeeeeiiiiiiit'y motherfucker."
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Jul 4, 2013 12:47
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Aces High posted:On another topic since this is when Stringer first gets "rain made" did he never take a business class at that community college? I mean in season 1 they always made a HUGE deal about never talking or signing anything without a lawyer present whenever anyone was brought in for questioning so did Stringer just go full retard when he decided to become a "legitimate" businessman and forget that those same rules apply everywhere? I dunno, it was something that always bothered me that for someone so careful about keeping lawyers handy you'd think when meeting contractors and politicians you'd want to have a professional there to say "hey idiot you can file like 10 forms and get this done for nickles and not have to even SPEAK to this 'sheeeeeeiiiiiiit'y motherfucker." I think it was more a case of Stringer thinking he could handle it all after his business classes and experience in The Game. Also when you look at how they deal with similar problems on the street it always involves paying a 3rd party cash to set it up. Need to meet Omar, have to pay Prop Joe to set it up, Need a basketball ringer, need to pay the coach to set it up. So it probably felt somewhat natural to Stringer to pay Clay Davis to setup a meet with "the faucet", and I'll bet Clay Davis knew that all too well after dealing with other people like Stringer.
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Jul 4, 2013 22:01
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Consider Landsman on McNulty: "No, it's not funny, sir. As a matter of fact, it is a loving tragedy, is what it is. The guy, he has come to believe that he is always the smartest gently caress in the room, and you know what? It's not his fault. Let's, let's face it, he's not going to Johns Hopkins or joining MENSA, he's taking a loving job in Baltimore Police Department.His first two years, in "Homicide" he's in Omansky's squad, partnered with Tony Martino. Christ! It must've been months even, he WAS the smartest gently caress in the loving room!" I think this applies equally to Stringer. Here's a guy who has, for most of his life, been the smartest guy in the room. He deals with guys who are street-smart and guys who are street-stupid, but he's the most intellectual of the lot. He's the guy who has done a few community college courses and thinks he is a lot smarter than he actually is (not to say he isn't smart, he is) and walks right into traps set by guys who have made a living out of fleecing inexperienced, rich wannabes or exploiting people with ambition, whether that be political or financial. Like Aces High says, Prop Joe combines the best elements of Stringer and Avon. He says himself that he understands that sometimes you DO have to go to war, and keep in mind that right here in season 3 we see that Cheese is going around killing people who have disrespected him and Joe appears to have given him some leeway to do so even though it will bring police attention their way. Joe understands both the need for his "soldiers" to sometimes let off steam, as well as the importance of maintaining a reputation. Stringer thought he could coast along on the reputation Avon had already built and use the sheer momentum to get them to that elevated place where they were above it all.
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Jul 4, 2013 23:19
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Season 3, Episode 7 - Back BurnersButchie posted:Conscience do cost. Herc and another detective called Truck are watching a corner in the Western District, showing police presence which is keeping the corner boys away - about the most troublesome thing currently going on in the neighborhood is a kid running across an intersection and causing a car to stop short. Colvin and Mello pull up and ask how things are going, and they say things are quiet which is just how Colvin likes it. The recent shootings from Avon's botched hit on a Marlo crew and the follow-up "success" of Slim and Cutty's next shot has got their attention, a fact not lost on Avon and Slim who are watching the corner themselves from a car. Slim points out the police are focusing on these corners because of the bodies being dropped and Avon shrugs that this is just what they do, and shows a disturbing awareness of police policy when he notes that somebody else will drop a body somewhere else eventually and the police will shift over to there. Marlo's crews have all disappeared, not only from these corners that the police are on, but their avenue spots as well, and Slim has gotten word that Marlo is now wholesaling his package. Avon is surprised, Marlo gave up faster than he expected, and he jokes that he was just starting to respect him for showing heart too. Businesslike now, he tells Slim to get their crews to move in to take these corners the moment the police move on, and they drive away. As they go, Herc catches a glimpse of Avon and is confused, mentioning to Truck that he locked him up on the big Detail thing he was on 2 years ago (Truck has no recollection, obviously Herc brags a lot about things he does) and thought he was away for 6-8 years. Tellingly, Herc can't even remember what Avon's last name is, and isn't even too sure if he was sent away for 6-8 years or not, maybe he got the years wrong. Shrugging, he tells Truck that the point is that Avon is an rear end in a top hat and "he" locked him up once, and immediately forgets about it all. Hammering the point home, Herc tells Truck,"Now you're thinking like police" after the two disregard the presence of one the biggest drug dealers in Baltimore and focus instead on what to have for lunch. Daniels gives the news to the Detail - they're moving off of Kintel Williamson and back onto Stringer Bell and a new player called Marlo Stanfeld. Interestingly, this is the first time in a while we see the Detail all together again, and there is a reason many of them have been absent in prior episodes. Sydnor is outraged by the news, reminding Daniels that he spent days (weeks, actually) in place on rooftops in 90 degree weather (no 40 degree days for Sydnor), taking photos and finally getting them a wedge into Williamson's crew - phone numbers that they could tap and track and build a case on. Prez has been off doing heavy asset investigation on Williamson; Massey has presumably been helping transcribe/"translate" what they got on the wire, and Freamon has probably been coordinating everything. We've seen none of this, the focus of the show (and McNulty and Greggs) has been getting back on Stringer Bell, but their cause/passion - or at least McNulty's - is not shared by the rest of the Detail. They've been doing their jobs, working hard and building a real case against a drug dealer and murderer (one who is now a member of the incredibly powerful New Day Co-op) which has now been cast aside. Greggs has the decency to look guilty as Sydnor especially rails against the unfairness of the situation, while McNulty looks like he is barely suppressing a grin because he has gotten his way, which is all that is important. Daniels hammers home that the Commissioner and Deputy Ops made this call so they have to stick with it, and Freamon adds some perspective by noting that Marlo and Stringer's crews have caused the most recent violence. Daniels puts up Marlo's picture on the board and grumpily summons McNulty to his office, and you can see how little of a poo poo McNulty gives about the repercussions of his actions as he pauses on the way to slip Prez Theresa D'Agostino's hotel room number and tell him he needs to track down the occupant, saying that it is "difficult" to say how it connects to the case. McNulty isn't just using the Detail as his own personal vendetta unit, now he's using to get laid too. Cutty is back working with the landscaping crew, enthusiastically throwing himself into manual labor. The crew chief (anybody able to provide a name?) notes how hard he has been working, and tells him if he keeps it up he'll be glad to add him to his crew each day, especially after he thought he was gone. Cutty - who is preparing to use gas-powered edge trimmer and proudly tells the crew chief he knows to prime it now, you don't have to teach him something twice - says he has nothing else and the crew chief guesses that he went back to his old life temporarily. Cutty admits that he did, or at least he tried to, but that's not for him anymore. Realizing that Cutty is looking for somebody to speak to, the crew chief asks if he has family - only his grandmother, and providing a room for him is all he can really ask of her - and then a social worker, and he admits he went and saw somebody like that (The Deacon), but wasn't ready for it. He looks ready now, the crew chief suggests, leaving Cutty to think about it.   In Daniels' office, he's just laid it out on the line and directly asked McNulty if he is responsible for them being back on Bell. McNulty tries to pull the,"Who me?" act but Daniels is in no mood, cutting him off and - with controlled fury - pointing out that he doesn't care who their target is, it's all policework to him and he'll change up when somebody above his paygrade makes that call. If they're wrong? asks McNulty, and he replies that then they're wrong, and time will tell, but that means nothing to him. That kind of detachment is a necessity, a detective who allows himself to become too emotionally invested will either rub too many people the wrong way or burn themselves out, and Daniels knows it. McNulty doesn't (or disagrees) and admits it openly at last - yes he went to Colvin and backdoored Daniels, and if it had got them back on Stringer he would have done a deal with the devil to do so. Furious, Daniels calls him a piece of poo poo, and when McNulty - who does actually look somewhat discomforted by his situation - tries to lay out justifications and explain that this is the right thing to do and the right case to be one, Daniels just stares a hole through him. Finally McNulty gets the message and leaves, but as he goes Daniels speaks up - they're complete this case and arrest Stringer Bell... but then McNulty has to find a new home, he's done in the Major Cases Detail. McNulty's face falls - in a nice bit of acting work from Dominic West - before he throws on a look of indifference, as if none of that matters against the necessity of doing this "real" case, but he knows he's hosed up. McNulty has complained for years about the police not giving cases the attention they deserve or going after high profile targets, and now he's gotten himself kicked off a Detail designed to do just that. Shamrock is on the phone while the count is being made, money piled up on the table, when a man called Bernard arrives. Stringer had mentioned to Shamrock that he would now be checking up on Bernard's purchases, and after Bernard is paid for this latest run, Shamrock warns him that they'll soon need 60 more. Bernard's job is the unstimulating but vital one of collecting pre-paid mobile phones to be handed out to the various drug lieutenants on the corners, used and then tossed aside so the police won't be able to wiretap them. This is what makes the Barksdale Organization unstoppable... and is what will soon bring them crashing down. Colvin is getting good news for a change, their latest stats are in and they're seeing an overall drop in crime of 2%. It's a surprising drop, and Colvin is keen to know the wheres of it - specifically the geographical nature of the stats. Posts near the designated drug zones are up (Mello winces) but everywhere else in the district is down, in some places by as much as 4%. Tellingly, while violent crime is down, larceny and burglary have remained static, and Colvin sees his dream coming true. He won't take credit for this drop at the next COMSTAT meeting, it might be a statistical aberration and he isn't planning to tell the upper brass about his scheme till he can present a fait accompli - but he will take advantage of the low crime areas now to peel off some of the men and move them into the high crime areas. If they've got less crime, they should be able to do better with the crime that they DO have. Bernard goes to a convenience store on his run and picks up two mobile phones, ignoring the offer of 4 at a discount. He has very specific instructions and follows them to the letter, buying a certain number of phones at a different store on a run that takes them out of Baltimore City. Waiting in his car is his girlfriend Squeak, who complains that if they just bought all the phones in one place they could make the movie she wants to see, and claims only a fool would drive the whole run when they don't need to. Bernard tries to lay down the law and warn he'll leave her behind if she isn't quiet, but it's clear who wears the pants in their relationship as she rolls her eyes and tells him she isn't letting her man go on a ride in the country without her, she isn't stupid. She isn't, but she is impatient, and it's Squeak who will eventually do what all Avon's enemies never could and take down his empire.   Carcetti spots Burrell leaving City Hall and stops him before he can get away, asking how things are going. Burrell complains about the unrealistic expectations that he prevent the number of murders for the year hitting 300 "no matter what", but Carcetti isn't interested in actually listening to Burrell's problems, he wants to discuss his own. Making sure the driver gives them some room, he asks what Burrell has been told about the Witness Assistance program, and isn't pleased by Burrell's clear confusion. Has the Mayor spoken to him about this? Apparently there has been nothing from the Mayor's Office apart from a phone call the week before by the Chief of Staff telling him to try and avoid another witness being killed... and that's it. After reassuring Burrell that he won't gently caress him on this, Carcetti learns that the Mayor hasn't said a word to Burrell about it, and that nothing is being done. Carcetti has found himself in the unfamiliar situation of being manipulated and gladhanded by a politician on an issue he actually gave a poo poo about. Bernard heads on up the road to Burtonsville, stopping at a Mondo Mart where he ignores Squeak's unending barrage of questions and complaints - where are they? Why doesn't he buy 4 or 5 phones at a time instead of 2? Why does this have to take so long? Get her a Shrek slurpee and some krispie cremes! At the Detail, they're already making progress at mapping out the Stanfeld Crew thanks to one of the discarded mobile phones that Bubbles gave to Kima - a list of numbers and times of calls placed. The trouble is that it's just raw data with no context attached, but Freamon sees that this gives them a plan of attack for getting info on Stringer's people - if they can get hold of their phones, they can start looking for patterns of phone-calls - all they need is one good phone. The trouble is, all the data they get will be at least a week old and go to other discarded phones, and he hasn't figured out how they can get a wire on any of that. McNulty puts on a stern face and tells him to figure that out, and then they all laugh - it's a challenge, but one they welcome. At Baba Jani Food Mart, Bernard has picked up more phones and Squeak complains that she's going to put on plenty of weight if they keep doing the run like this. He's only bought two phones, and she asks if he's ever heard of buying in bulk - he could save money and spend it on her instead! He ignores her, so she grumpily adds the phones to the rest of the pile... and to her great surprise finds a gun under the passenger seat. Why does he have a gun? Because now that Avon is back they're tooling up again, he tells her, and she complains that Avon isn't the only one out on parole at the moment. But note how suddenly her attitude towards Bernard changes, as she becomes flirty and tells the complaining Bernard that if he thinks she is riding his last nerve, that's not the only thing she can ride! McNulty, Kima and Sydnor are in a vacant overlooking one of the few drug corners still operating in the Western District outside of Hamsterdam, the one run by Bodie. They recognize him as formerly working out of the Towers, and note the phone he's talking on. A visibly bored and frustrated Sydnor (remember he'd just gotten off of a long stretch of gathering this type of information only to have to start again on the Barksdale Organization) wonders how many minutes he's got left on the phone. McNulty gets tired of waiting and says they should just go get a drink, surprising Sydnor and Greggs since he has been so gung-ho for this case but is already bored with it? He says he's figured out a better way to get the phone Freamon needs and they'll do it tomorrow, and if they come along to the bar now, he's buying. This is McNulty's problem though, he's always looking for the shortcut, and they leave moments before they can see Bodie get a visit from Avon Barksdale himself.  That night, Donette has made dinner for herself and Stringer, who has comfortably made himself at home, uncharacteristically wearing only an undershirt. Donette is talking away and he's only half listening, until he picks up that she isn't just talking about her relationship with Brianna, but that she mentioned the detective who visited her about D'Angelo's death. That really gets his attention, and she seems confused at why he looks so upset, she has a right to know about her son, right? Stringer slams his hand down, shocking her, and complains angrily that any mother is going to believe that her son didn't kill himself, and that after a year where everybody had moved on Donette has gone and unnecessarily stirred up poo poo. It's a reasonable point, even if it is all smoke to cover up his fear and guilt over the truth coming out, especially if it somehow leads back to him. Donette tries to explain but he shouts her down, leaving her quiet and unsure, not used to seeing Stringer angry like this. He regathers himself and asks for more information, when did she tell Brianna this? A week ago? Then why hasn't she seen the detective yet? Donette says she thinks maybe Brianna went to see a lawyer first, though she doesn't know, and she has no idea if it was Levy or not. Stringer tries to make his questioning seem playful, but the anger underneath is apparent, he needs more information. Carcetti is unloading too, complaining to D'Agostino about how Royce played him, especially since he was actually ONLY doing the right thing. D'Agostino doesn't believe that for a second though, telling him that he went to Royce hoping that he would be screwed over on this so it could make him feel better about himself and his aspiration's for Royce's position. Jen Carcetti joins them, they're at the Carcetti home, and Theresa reminds him that nobody gets into politics/takes a run for Mayor without being at least a little self-righteous. He can't believe that description of himself but Jen smiles knowingly, and Theresa isn't happy with his idea of what to do next. His plan is to roast the mayor in the press by leaking the story to a few reporters, but she says nobody will remember this 10 months from now when the votes are cast. He needs to see Royce again, vent his disappointment but not his anger, and document his meetings and maybe write a letter to the Mayor expressing his concerns so that if another witness gets murdered they'll have something for Carcetti to point to without looking like he is callously taking advantage of a murder (which he would be!). "Win-win" he says, and Jen notes that it's not if you're the witness. Theresa pretends to understand but points out he's going up against a two-term incumbent, it's only going to get ugly from here. Bernard brings the bag of phones into Shamrock's office, Shamrock as always talking on the phone but pausing to tell Bernard they'll need another 30 in a couple of days. Bernard accepts and goes to leave, them remembers at the last second to hand over the receipts to prove his purchases were made at the appropriate stores. He leaves, and as he goes Shamrock picks up the receipts and - demonstrating a lack of attention to detail that Stringer would never accept - dumps them in the bin. Like McNulty he's taking a shortcut, and this one is going to cost him, because while Bernard has his back turned and is leaving, Squeak has seen everything.   In Hamsterdam, Bubbles arrives looking to sell his "whiteys" while everybody else is selling drugs. He soon realizes that he's come to a dark, dark place, the flip side of the lowered crime stats Colvin is enjoying in the rest of the Western District. A burned out junkie rushes up trying to sell a stolen appliance for $5 and angrily kicks Bubbles' shopping trolley when he doesn't get it. Bubbles moves on through the chaos, people are lighting up in the open or shooting up by open windows in the vacants or even out in the street. Children sit on stoops staring wide-eyed at everybody, and a man called Toby selling entry into a vacant he has taken control of tells Bubbles he doesn't need shirts, he needs candles and toilet paper for the poo poo bucket. He can't get it himself or he'll lose the vacant he has staked out, so Bubbles tells him he'll return tomorrow. Drunks throw up in the street, a depressed woman sits in an alleyway watching a friend give a blowjob for drugs, and then Bubbles spots a familiar face - Johnny is standing in a vacant staring vacantly at nothing. Leaving his trolley (I'm amazed it wasn't grabbed) he goes up the stairs and finds Johnny blazed out of his mind but unwilling to leave, gasping that they're in a soldier's paradise. It sure doesn't look like paradise to Bubbles, who watches a fight break out in the street, and Johnny whispers crazily in his ear that he's a viking. The police finally arrive, purely to break up the violence - the only thing forbidden in Hamsterdam - and Carver runs to assist, ignored by Herc and Colicchio, the former saying their job is to bring them down, not play nursemaid to animals. Bubbles watches it all unfold like something out of a nightmare, but it's all a horrible reality, a concentration of the ruin and despair and horror of the drug trade. Colvin's solution is no better than the standard "War on Drugs", it's just concentrated all the disgusting aspects into one place. Bubbles looks behind him, Johnny has disappeared. Watch the scene here, words don't do it justice. Kima walks into her own version of hell at 3 in the morning, staggering drunkenly into her home and dropping the keys. Cheryl emerges from the bedroom and Kima goofily grins, asking if she woke the baby, causing Cheryl to ask her what the hell is wrong with her, what is she doing coming home drunk like this? Kima doesn't want to get into it but has basically painted herself into a corner, and to Cheryl's disgust she explains that she misses "us", the way things were between the two of them before the baby arrived. Cheryl - quite rightly - points out that this didn't happen out of nowhere, they discussed it at length and Kima went along with everything. Kima admits that they did talk, but says that Cheryl had more to say than her, and finally comes right out and admits that she just went along with the idea of having a child to keep Cheryl happy, she didn't want it herself, she just didn't want to disappoint Cheryl. The retort from Cheryl is brutal and to the point - it's not like she could be any more disappointed with the drunken, sullen wreck standing in the hallway at 3am. The next day, Carver arrives at the perimeter of Hamsterdam to see how things are going now. It's been quiet since the fight broke out, a couple were taken away after clearly casing out a place for robbery but otherwise nothing. Carver notes with distaste the number of children running about, and it's pointed out that they formerly worked as look-outs and runners, but those roles don't exist in Hamsterdam - the police aren't coming or taking notes. Herc makes the rather disturbing parallel to a nature show, saying that in a nature show interference with a habitat can gently caress a species over and kill them. Carver jokes around with Herc using a word like habitat in a sentence, but I'm more disturbed by the fact he refered to children involved in the drug trade as a "species". Carver heads up to one of the dealers with Herc and they ask about the kids, and the dealer indifferently points out that they're not needed. Carver, disgusted, points out that he needed them back on the corners, so then it was cool to have kids cut school and work on the corners for them, and now he's just let them go? Seeing that the dealer clearly doesn't give a gently caress, Carver hits him where it hurts, informing him that he's enacting a new tax initiative. From now on, every dealer who wants to sling in Hamsterdam has to pay up $100 for the privilege. The dealer assumes that Carver is looking to get paid, but he tells him that the money isn't for him, and he has till the end of the day to get the cash together. We're finally seeing the start of Carver thinking of somebody other than himself. Prez is laying out a new organizational chart when McNulty, Kima and Sydnor arrive, with Sydnor concerned that McNulty's shortcut might involve him breaking the law. Not quite, but it does involve a huge no-no as he opens a paper bag from the evidence locker full of collected and bagged phones. Finding the one he's looking for, McNulty tears it open as Prez gapes on, then leads the other two out of the office. Butchie and Omar sit on chairs in an alley outside Butchie's place, where Butchie dismisses Bunk's accusations against Omar as being nothing more than a clever police's efforts to rack Omar with guilt. While true, and something Omar understands, it doesn't change that Bunk has given him an itch he can't scratch. The scene as it plays out is a really nice look at the Butchie/Omar relationship, not quite father/son but very much a beloved uncle and his favored nephew - and it establishes the strength of the relationship, important for future events. Butchie tells Omar a story about an uncle who once, grieving over chasing away his lady friend, cut off his pinkie and ring finger in punishment. For the rest of his life he would tell Butchie,"The bitch was only worth the pinkie!", which causes Omar to laugh but also makes the point - be careful how you punish yourself for a temporary feeling, because the results could be permanent. Omar accepts it, but Bunk's words have still hit him hard (perhaps because they were so true to life) and he feels like he has to pay some kind of penance.   Stringer goes to see Levy about Brianna, sighing when he learns that she plans to go downtown and see the detective about it. Levy doesn't see a problem, Brianna is smart enough to keep her mouth shut and there was no stopping her since it involved her son. Stringer has to walk a fine line, not wanting to give away the depth of his concern that maybe the detective actually does have evidence, and tells Levy that they should consider filing harassment charges against the detective (he knows McNulty by sight and has probably been told/read his name before, but the information isn't important enough to him to retain) who was involved in putting Avon away, came to see Stringer in his print shop and is now bothering Brianna with this. Levy tells him that a charge like that wouldn't stick, and the fact is that even if it did, now that Brianna has heard somebody say that maybe her son didn't commit suicide, there is no way she is going to ignore that. The real problem is that somebody needs to tell Avon, and Stringer momentarily goes wide-eyed in horror at the idea before regaining control and telling Levy that he'll handle that. McNulty, Kima and Sydnor watch Bodie's corner, but no drugs are being sold because uniformed officers are planted on the corner as per Colvin's orders. On the phone, Bodie reports to one of his dealers that Shamrock wants him to head down to Hamsterdam to sell what they've got until the uniforms leave this corner. They all head to the car and prepare to leave, and the detectives take their opportunity, they'll make a car stop. In Hamsterdam, Carver has bought a basketball hoop and set it up near a building. Herc is pouring sand in to the base when a dealer happily dunks the ball, aggravating him, while Carver shares a look with the dealer who thought he was just looking to get paid. Carver has realized that if he can't get rid of the kids hanging out, he can at least give them something to do. A furious Bodie is being frisked by Sydnor, complaining that they can't arrest them since they were on their way to Hamsterdam. It's repeated by the other dealers, and more people are approaching and surrounding the car, all of them angry and upset at the slightly bewildered detectives as they openly admit to having the drugs but complain that they have immunity and seem baffled at why Kima is so pleased to find g-packs in the car - OF COURSE they had them, they're going to the free zone! As Bodie is frisked, Sydnor grabs Bodie's phone and replaces it with the one that McNulty slips him, but things quickly get even more out of control, as the angry onlookers start throwing bottles at the detectives, furious at them for "breaking the rules". Carver collects the money from the dealer, taking $250 to cover the cost of the hoop and his gas money, and even gives the dealer a receipt. He then gives the rest of the money back to the dealer, telling him it's to be paid out to the young'uns to cover them for the week whether they do anything or not. They're to consider it like unemployment insurance, all "employers" must kick in, and if he finds out that anybody didn't pay in, they're out of Hamsterdam and back on the street where immunity doesn't count. "The least you all can do is look after your own people a little bit" he complains, and he and Herc walk away, Herc asking if they're loving communists now. They get a call about trouble happening just around the corner and head out to discover McNulty, Kima and Sydnor standing over a cuffed and furious Bodie, who complains that they were on their way to Hamsterdam. To the horror of the Western District officers, McNulty asks what the gently caress Hamsterdam is, and Carver shocks them by saying he can't allow them to arrest Bodie and his crew. Herc whispers harshly that they were caught with a G-Pack but Carver reminds him they were playing by the rules, while Sydnor yells down similar complaints from Bodie. Kima demands to know what the hell is going on, McNulty is utterly confused, and Carver can't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation, because he's just gotten word that Major Colvin himself is coming down to ensure the release of a street crew caught red-handed with a G-Pack. Everything is upside-down in the Western District today.   Inside Butchie's bar, Omar checks the contents of a brown paper bag and asks if it is the right one. Butchie says his contact tells him it is, and Omar warns he won't pay till that is confirmed. Butchie laughs that he already told the supplier that, and that he wants $1500 for it. Omar is shocked, and Butchie laughs that conscience do cost. At the Mondo Mart, Bernard brings his latest purchase to the car and the waiting Squeak. She instantly starts barraging him once more with complaints that nobody but him gives a poo poo, and that Shamrock tossed aside the receipts before Bernard was even out the door. He calls her a liar and she angrily tells him he's the dumbest motherfucker she ever went out with, and he complains back that they only have six more to buy before they're done, it'll be 30 minutes at most. A little grin crossing her face, she decides to offer him a compromise instead of verbally berating him further - how about they buy six phones at the next stop.... and she'll spend the next twenty minutes sucking his dick? Leaning over into his lap, a delighted Bernard looks about to make sure nobody is looking, the decision about the phones already made for him. At Homicide, a gleeful Bunk sneaks up on a sleeping Crutchfield and cuts his tie off as everybody gathers around to watch. Crutchfield wakes and takes it in good humor, claiming to have just worked a double. Bunk gets a phonecall, and when he answers gets even more good news for the day. At his next stop, a clearly happy Bernard orders 8 phones at once. How many would have done differently  Less happy are the Detail detectives, as Colvin shows them Hamsterdam, explaining that there are three locations where drugs are, if not legal, at least overlooked. Horrified, Sydnor and Kima refuse to sugarcoat any of this and lay it out in the open for Colvin - he's legalized drugs. Not at all he insists, begging them to look at the improvements made to what were previously his worst corners, explaining that crime is down 5% in his district now. Realizing that this isn't endearing him to them, he tries the other old standby, claiming that his plan is to let everybody settle in here and then make a big showy arrest. McNulty raises his eyebrows at that, not believing it for a second, and Colvin again asks them not to let the Bosses know, he needs time before he can explain this to them. He apologizes to Sydnor for making them let Bodie's crew go and giving them back the G-Pack, but McNulty speaks up to say it's not a problem, they got what they needed from the stop. Kima and Sydnor still aren't happy, and McNulty takes Colvin aside to bring up a troubling fact - once they make their big showy arrest then the dealers will just return to their old corners. Plus he knows that Colvin has never cared about showy arrests... is he really planning on taking this mess to the Bosses? "gently caress the Bosses" Colvin says at last, about the best thing he could have said to McNulty, saying that nothing else is working and he's only a few months away from retiring with his pension anyway. McNulty shrugs, this isn't his problem, he's got what he needed, let Colvin run with his crazy idea. One wonders if maybe this didn't create the germ of McNulty's own insane scheme in season 5.   Bunk arrives at Butchies and finds the blind man sitting at the counter with a paper sack - yes he is the man who called him. He's not witnessing, he's blind but there is something Bunk needs to see. Bunk looks in the bag and finds Dozerman's weapon inside, wrapped in the tie that Omar used during his court appearance witnessing against Bird. Who brought it there? Butchie can't say, he's blind, but he thought Bunk might know. Bunk puffs his cigar and nods, he knows alright, and he has a message for the man. He hands Butchie the tie back and tells him that he hopes one day Omar will need to wear it in his own trial. Poot is troubled, he's been put onto a corner formerly run by a Marlo crew, and Slim expects him to hold it. What if Marlo returns? Slim tells him not to be concerned, Avon is back, and when Poot points out that Avon isn't going to be standing on this corner (Jesus, Poot, you're taking your life in your hands), Slim reminds him he's been given muscle to help hold the corner. Slim leaves, and Poot allows himself to enjoy his new position - prime real estate and it's all "his". McNulty and the others return to the Detail office and throw Freamon Bodie's phone, telling him there are still minutes on it. Prez eagerly comes over, asking if there is a speed dial, and Freamon gives it to him to work his data collection magic on it. Meanwhile Kima sheepishly asks Massey if she can stay with her for a couple of days while she gets her poo poo together, and Massey agrees, shaking her head at other people not having their poo poo together. McNulty gets good news from Prez, he's found out that the hotel room he asked about was registered in the name of Theresa D'Agostino, she's on the Democratic congressional Campaign Committee. McNulty is delighted, while Prez points out that D'Agostino doesn't sound like a West Baltimore name to him, and McNulty happily agrees. Cutty is having another meeting with the Deacon, but he's no closer to figuring out what it is that he wants from him. He doesn't want to be involved the GED program, he's happy with the work he's doing and isn't looking for a job, so what DOES he want? Involvement in the Church? Cutty considers it all and finally articulates what has been bothering him - for so long he's felt like he's been standing outside of himself, watching himself do things he doesn't want to do because he felt like he had to, and he's tired of it and can't do it anymore. The Deacon considers, and seeking to make things personal asks for confirmation that his name is Cutty. "Nah," says Cutty after a moment, extending his hand,"It's Dennis." Good for him. McNulty pulls some stalker magic of his own, calling Theresa's listed work number and pretending that he was supposed to pick her up to take her to her current engagement, and asking for a reminder of exactly where that is. He's smooth enough that it works, disturbingly, and McNulty has no issue whatsoever with the rather creepy thing he is doing. Carcetti meets with the Mayor, who spins some bullshit about scheduling conflicts over the eyewitness killing. His Chief of Staff assures him though that it is on the agenda for the next meeting of the Coordinating Council on Criminal Justice, and Carcetti complains that this is sentencing it to committee, and he's not asking for much - just a way to move cooperating eyewitnesses out of harm's way. Royce gets upset, telling him they can't lay their hands on even a few hundred thousand dollars, and asking if they should take away money already budgeted to other places? Reduce garbage collection? They've done all they can (nothing) so what does he expect from them? (something). Regaining control, Royce laughs that he doesn't mean to be difficult, but surely Carcetti understands the situation they're in and can meet them halfway (to nothing) on this. Carcetti forces a strained smile and thanks Royce for his time, leaving. Royce smiles, but frowns once Carcetti is gone. He doesn't know it, of course, but he just lost re-election. Colvin joins Carver at Hamsterdam in the early evening, where his DEU Sergeant - who is doing less Drug Enforcement than ever - tells him he could almost countenance what they were doing if it wasn't for all the children. In stark contrast to the horrors of Hamsterdam, in D.C a lively and expensive fundraiser is taking place with the creme of D.C society. McNulty arrives on this scene in his cheap suit and haircut, gaining entry via his police badge even though the woman on the desk complains about the fact he's from Baltimore, and he has to stress that's Baltimore, Maryland. He heads straight for the free bar and asks for Jamesons and can get only Bushmills, and complains that is Protestant Whiskey, but admits that the price is right. He spots D'Agostino casually chatting with a guy in a tux and knocks back his drink, realizing that he really, really, really doesn't belong there. As he prepares to leave, D'Agostino spots him across the room and stops him before he can leave, asking if he really came all this way just to stare at her from across a room and leave... that's kind of creepy! He admits that this place really doesn't suit him but she laughs that off, slipping him her room key and telling him she'll be up in a couple of hours. It seems like an adolescent fantasy, but McNulty isn't questioning it, even complaining about the fact he'll have to wait 2 hours to have sex with the woman he stalked and drove to a different city who kicked him out of her room the last time they met for a quick one night stand. The next day on the rooftops in Baltimore, Marlo is very pleased with the work of a young, loyal but clearly dim man called Nemo and praises the way he has been looking after the pigeons up there. It's one of the few humanizing elements we'll ever see of Marlo, much like Wee-Bey and his fish, he holds a strokes the head of a plump pigeon, turning his mind back to business as Chris informs him the police are starting to move away from the corners they previously occupied. Marlo tells him they're going to keep his name of the package and continue wholesaling for the time being, and Chris reminds him that Avon will consider this a weakness. Marlo knows, and when Chris tells him that Avon will start moving his own crews out onto those corners, Marlo tells him he knows that too, and the other shoe drops for Chris, a wide smile crossing his face as he realizes that Marlo is lulling Avon into a false sense of securiy. Marlo points to Snoop, telling her it's her turn, and she nods back, saying it's about time.   Prez and Freamon lay out to Daniels, Pearlman and Kima what they've learned from Bodie's phone so far. McNulty arrives late, apologizing for being late and explaining he woke up in the wrong town. Daniels and Pearlman exchange a look, and McNulty is reduced to trying to peek over Daniels' shoulder as Freamon shows the map of the calls made through the phone, which represent a closed network. Daniels is aware of McNulty but makes no effort to accommodate him, clearly in no mood to make things easier considering McNulty forced this case on them and can't even make it to work on time - it's petty, but what do you expect from the BPD? In conjunction with the other dead phones they picked up, they've established a common number that all the calls go through - a type of clearing house for the dealers, and McNulty pipes up to say that is probably Stringer, and Daniels rolls his eyes. It's a ridiculous notion, Stringer wouldn't take calls from corner dealers, this is most likely to be Shamrock or possibly Slim Charles. None of the numbers have subscriber details associated with them and the calls all tend to last only a brief amount of time, all of which indicates they're being used for drug trafficking. Prez found the speed-dials had been programmed on the phones, but nobody else but him or Freamon seem to understand the significance - this means that the phones were all pre-programmed with numbers before being passed out to the dealers, it's the only way they'd be able to keep up on the frequently changing numbers in the network. Pearlman declares that they have enough for a wiretap, but Freamon points out that they have nothing to tap - the network only lasts a couple of weeks at most before simultaneously shutting down, by the time they get a wiretap up the network will be shutting down. So what can they do? At the moment all they can do is keep collecting dead phones to further corroborate the evidence they've gathered so far, while they figure out a way to get up on the network before it shuts down. The meeting breaks up, and Kima gets a whiff of McNulty and tells him to take a shower, he reeks of sex. An accusation that just makes McNulty's grin grow even wider - everything's coming up Jimmy lately. Poot leaves the corner store with some chips and good-naturedly apologizes for forgetting to get his muscle the Newports he asked for, and tells him he'll pop back in soon to get him some. The muscle hears a bike engine and turns his head to look - he's on the ball and alert - but it's just a guy riding a bike with his girlfriend clinging tight to his back. This dismissal is a mistake though (Omar will make a similar one in season 5), the girlfriend is actually Snoop, dressed in as non-threatening a way as possible. The bike pulls up beside them and she whips out a gun, balancing back and firing as Poot dives for the ground. As quickly as the attack began it's over, leaving two bodies lying on the ground in a pool of blood, the other muscle watching impotently as they disappear up the road. On the ground, Poot lies motionless alongside his would-be protector, but then opens his eyes and leaps to his feet, shirt covered in blood and checking to see if any of it is coming from him. Miraculously he is unhurt, the other guy not quite so lucky, and he and the surviving muscle throw their arms wide over what to do next.   McNulty and Kima drive into the Western and pull up alongside Herc and Carver in their car, telling them that Freamon wants any burners (disposable phones) they find dumped on Barksdale corners. Herc asks if they want Barksdale's plate numbers too and they agree, thinking he's being his typical grumpy, sarcastic self, but he actually means it, telling them he saw the big man the other day but didn't get his plates, but will look out for them next time. Confused, they ask if he means Stringer Bell and he tells them he means the other guy, the big boss... what's his name? Avon! Kima rather insultingly tells him not to be stupid, Avon is in Jessup, and sarcastically asks if all black people look alike to him. Offended, Herc tells them they can believe him or not, gently caress 'em, he knows who he saw. While the detectives are being told about the ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system, Burrell is telling a press conference proudly about the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. Flanked by top brass, he shows Dozerman's recovered service weapon and explains how it wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of the police (grumpy, forced and reluctant half-assed handing out of cards) and the assistance of the good citizens of Baltimore (a professional stick-up artist with a guilty conscience). Mayor Royce steps up to say some happy words too, wishing Dozerman (who looks half stoned on painkillers and very self-conscious) a speedy recovery. The conference is watched on television by Carcetti, furious that Royce is taking credit for a law and order victory after refusing to do anything to assist eyewitness protection. He angrily types up a carefully diplomatic letter about their recent meeting, setting the stage for what will be a savage body-blow to Royce in the future. At the Detail office, McNulty and Kima return and hastily type in a search on Avon Barksdale, bringing up his sheet. Horrified, they call the rest of the squad to come and see, and everybody gathers around to stare in shock at the sheet. Avon Barksdale is out on parole and back on the streets of Baltimore, and he has been for weeks, and this is the first they're hearing about it. All their attention has been on getting at Stringer Bell, and they're so far behind in their intelligence that they had no idea that Stringer's own boss was already back after serving only 2 years of an already ridiculously short sentence.  How about the effectiveness of that criminal justice system, eh?
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Jul 7, 2013 13:26
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Jerusalem posted:Poot leaves the corner store with some chips and good-naturedly apologizes for forgetting to get his muscle the Newports he asked for, and tells him he'll pop back in soon to get him some. The muscle hears a bike engine and turns his head to look - he's on the ball and alert - but it's just a guy riding a bike with his girlfriend clinging tight to his back. This dismissal is a mistake though (Omar will make a similar one in season 5), the girlfriend is actually Snoop, dressed in as non-threatening a way as possible. The bike pulls up beside them and she whips out a gun, balancing back and firing as Poot dives for the ground. As quickly as the attack began it's over, leaving two bodies lying on the ground in a pool of blood, the other muscle watching impotently as they disappear up the road. On the ground, Poot lies motionless alongside his would-be protector, but then opens his eyes and leaps to his feet, shirt covered in blood and checking to see if any of it is coming from him. Miraculously he is unhurt, the other guy not quite so lucky, and he and the surviving muscle throw their arms wide over what to do next. I remember this being a legitimate "Oh poo poo!" moment when I was watching it. Still though, it seemed like a one-time sort of trick, so it still wasn't clear why this little... girl was hanging out with Marlo all the time and was clearly in a position of power. I thought that would be like a sidearm pitcher in baseball. Devastatingly hard to hit the first time you see it since you're not used to that kind of release point, but eventually you figure it out and can be prepared. Little did I know! I think it's also interesting how the advent of the handgun has changed the way that violence is done. Certainly Snoop is far less able to lay a beatdown on someone than a big dude like Cutty. Still, it's no contest who's more effective as an enforcer at this point. No way Snoop would just let some little punk like Fruit take away her money like it was nothing. There's a certain ruthlessness there that you can't teach. It makes me wonder what women like Snoop did before the advent of the handgun. In the Game of Thrones show for instance they don't have guns of any sort, but there are still a few women who act as muscle. They however, tend to have an amount of muscle comparable to a man. Certainly a woman can often use sex as a weapon to bring down the defenses of others, but that never seemed to be Snoop's style. Finally, one more thing about The Wire that makes other shows look like a cartoon is that on any other show, a woman like Snoop who killed people would basically only have sex as a weapon. Of course the downside of that is that you have to have a legitimate real-life murderer like Snoop on your payroll. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/15/AR2007031501664_5.html quote:It's been nearly 12 years since Kia was killed, but the wound is still fresh. Hearing about Snoop on "The Wire" ripped off the scab. One of Williams's daughters saw the show and called Williams, crying. The article goes on to describe the difficulty she's had continuing her work as an actor - playing a girly-girl and working on her diction to get rid of the die-cast Baltimore accent that served her so well on the show. In the end, she seems to have spent some time trying to use her good fortune to crawl out from under a terrible crime she committed as a teenager, with sometimes mixed results. In 2011 after the article was written, she was arrested during a Baltimore drug raid. twerking on the railroad fucked around with this message at 17:15 on Jul 7, 2013 |
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Jul 7, 2013 17:12
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Decent article on Slate today about the actors' personal lives during the show's production: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2013/07/david_simon_s_the_wire_a_behind_the_scenes_look_at_mcnulty_kima_bunk_and.single.html quote:Whether it was born of institutional transparency or overwhelmed disorganization, the Baltimore Police Department extended an open-door policy to The Wire’s actors, many of whom were brought down for educational ride-alongs. Even for those who regarded themselves as reasonably savvy about urban realities, it was a shocking experience. There's a lot more to it, but apparently the show really hosed with everyone involved.
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Jul 8, 2013 15:37
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Hey so apparently Alec Baldwin has a podcast, there's two up and one of them he interviews David Simon. They mostly talk about his career trajectory, but it was really well done, and worth a listen. Vvvv uh yeah my bad there's a ton more than two. Blind Melon fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Jul 9, 2013 |
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Jul 8, 2013 17:10
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Blind Melon posted:Hey so apparently Alec Baldwin has a podcast, there's two up and one of them he interviews David Simon. They mostly talk about his career trajectory, but it was really well done, and worth a listen. It is really worth a listen, but I just wanted to point out that there are many more than just two up. My podcast receiver only saves the last 10 episodes, so I'm not sure how many, but there's at least 10.
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Jul 8, 2013 18:28
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Whitey Sale!!!
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Jul 8, 2013 19:15
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"In Baltimore, Peters’ house became a kind of groovy bohemian salon for an older set of cast and crew members that included Doman, Jim True-Frost, and others." Lester and Prez spending their off time hanging out is the best thing i've heard in ages
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Jul 8, 2013 19:50
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It's funny how a lot of the actors off-screen persona are similar to the characters they play. McNulty and Bunk hit up the strip club, Freamon and Prez hang out and take it easy.
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Jul 8, 2013 22:05
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So I mentioned a little earlier in the thread about getting some books and started with The Wire: Re-Up because it's not as heavy going as the other two (Truth Be Told & The Corner). Anyway, there's an interview with Dominic West inside, and he's come up with a few choice quotes, which kind of tie in nicely with the above. For starters, here he is on getting the role:Dominic West posted:Originally, they wanted Ray Winstone, but I think he turned the down because he didn't want to live in Baltimore for five years. MAybe they were desparate or maybe I did a great tape. I don't know On not getting a better deal on British TV and missing awards: Dominic West posted:I always blamed it on there being far too many black people. We should have had more white people and we would have been a glorious success and won loads of emmys. It was always accepted that you had to have a white lead otherwise no-one would watch it. I felt a bit uncomfortable about that, or more uncomfortable than I did being a Brit stealing an American job. But it was always a great atmosphere among the actors. Among the princpals, we all had the same trailer. We all got treated like poo poo. We were all subordinate to the writing On getting homesick and wanting to leave the show: Dominic West posted:David would have to try to persuade me, you know, offer me loads more sex scenes. Half those sex scenes were to try and keep me quiet It's deliberately short, but he does bring up a few salient points, mainly about shows with a predominantly black cast getting screwed by awards and ratings, and the writing being king. I'd like to see an honest to goodness roundtable discussion with some of the cast, writers, directors and just let them shoot the poo poo for hours.
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Jul 8, 2013 22:55
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Jerusalem posted:Hey escape artist, I noticed the OP hasn't been updated with links to any new write-ups beyond episode 12 of season 1. I think I've got all the correct links here if you want to copy/paste it into your OP. Thanks. I fixed it.
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Jul 9, 2013 00:56
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Jerusalem posted:Season 3, Episode 7 - Back Burners What those kids need is a union. *cough* failures of capitalism *cough*
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Jul 9, 2013 06:03
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SuperKlaus posted:What those kids need is a union. *cough* failures of capitalism *cough* Jesus Christ, that parallel never occurred to me, but you're exactly right - the kids are basically in the same spot as all those laborers who bought into the American Dream of manufacturing and industry only to be left swinging the wind when they weren't of any value to their employers anymore.
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Jul 9, 2013 06:54
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