|
Ainsley McTree posted:I dunno, I got the sense that the mom was looking out for herself more than him. She wanted him selling drugs because the barksdale "thanks for keeping your mouth shut about all those murders, Bey" faucet was drying up and she didn't now where else to look. Wasn't it also implied that she had gambled away a lot of that money instead of saving it up, hence her pushing Namond so hard?
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 20:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:39 |
|
|
Soupisgood posted:Wasn't it also implied that she had gambled away a lot of that money instead of saving it up, hence her pushing Namond so hard? Heavily; if not gambling, she squandered most of it. Breanna says as much when he cuts them off - it's why she insists that Namond come to hear the news. On the other hand, Michael's mom seems to be just as bad if not worse. Being a drug addict is one thing, willingly allowing a child molester back in your house is quite another.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 21:39
|
|
|
Soupisgood posted:Wasn't it also implied that she had gambled away a lot of that money instead of saving it up, hence her pushing Namond so hard? She definitely squandered it because she got used to the easy money (not that she didn't spoil the poo poo out of namond), but she was pushing Namond hard because she knew he was soft and soft men die in the streets. I'm not sure De'Londa actually knows that men can be anything except soldiers or addicts.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 22:19
|
|
|
the black husserl posted:I'm not sure De'Londa actually knows that men can be anything except soldiers or addicts. Note WeeBey's proud (and almost awed),"Man came up here saying my son could be anything he drat well pleases," after his meeting with Bunny. It never even occurred to him before that Namond COULD do anything else, even if he accepted that Namond might not be able to be a soldier - remembering his "either you're real out there, or you're not" warning. Speaking of people not thinking others could be anything other than what they are, I only really just noticed the parallel between Frank Sobotka telling the lobbyist about the father who wanted his kids to be astronauts and Bodie mocking Michael by asking if he is going to school to become an astronaut. In both cases, there is an explicit statement by guys who have become mired in the system that people simply cannot get out of/rise above their situation. The notion of,"My child can be anything he/she wants to be!" is dismissed with contempt by Frank and Bodie - things will never get better than they are, they may in fact get worse, but they will never get better so all they think anyone should do is try to make the situation they're stuck in as good as possible. For Frank that means trying to get more work down at the docks and keeping the property developers away, for Bodie that means getting his corner business humming and keeping Marlo away (Marlo is to Bodie as Andy Krawcyzk is to Frank Sobotka).
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 22:55
|
|
|
Do you think Frank ever had a chance of winning in Season 2? Like, even if the dead women thing never happened, and the authorities never investigated him, and he just went on "smoothly" earning smuggling money on the side and spending it on lobbying, is there a chance in hell that he ever would have won and saved the docks? At best, he would have maybe bought time by influencing the politicians to vote for him but it seems like it would have been inevitable that the developers would have swooped in and finished him eventually. Season 2 is seriously tragic as hell when you think about it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 23:24
|
|
|
Yeah that's a really subtle and maybe underexplored aspect of Frank's story. It's mentioned at one point (during All Prologue, after Ziggy burns the $100 bill at the bar) that Frank has another son who went off to community college; Frank says that Ziggy should have done that too. This is, however, the only he is mentioned. The rest of the time, you get the impression that Frank, Ziggy and the others are completely trapped by economic circumstance just like the average slingers. There's other examples too, like the fact that Nick's dad apparently lives comfortably and ethically while retired (even if he's the same class level as Frank) and Brucie pointing out that his grandfather bootstrapped himself out of the working class a long time ago. I sometimes think that, while the tragedy in season 2 is definitely the death of the working class at the hands of modern capitalism, the deeper tragedy of the Sobotkas is that Frank didn't see the writing on the wall once Reagan and neoliberalism arrived, and take steps to prepare his family for the transition. Of course that's not to suggest that the lobbyist's bootstrap speech should be taken seriously, just that Frank may have had more agency for his family and himself than he realized. Ainsley McTree posted:Do you think Frank ever had a chance of winning in Season 2? Like, even if the dead women thing never happened, and the authorities never investigated him, and he just went on "smoothly" earning smuggling money on the side and spending it on lobbying, is there a chance in hell that he ever would have won and saved the docks? At best, he would have maybe bought time by influencing the politicians to vote for him but it seems like it would have been inevitable that the developers would have swooped in and finished him eventually. Well yeah. Frank would have had to smuggle in a hell of a lot of poo poo to outspend the developers enough to make them give up. They show that even with all the money he has, at a time when he's getting triple the regular payment from the Greek, he still barely gets the votes for the grain pier. It's like how the end of season 3 shows that even if Royce and Burrell had gone along with Hamsterdam, they still would have been crushed by the feds. Even if Lester and McNulty had gotten away with the serial killer, Marlo would still have walked once Levy started to poke holes in the case. Etc. grading essays nude fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Aug 21, 2013 |
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 23:29
|
|
|
I think Andy Krawcyzk and his like were always going to make Frank's dream an impossible one - there is just too much money to be made from Krawcyzk's property developments to get in the way of his desire to build those waterfront condos. On top of that, Frank was also a "victim" of his own Union's practices, as he was going to have to give up his position as Secretary-Treasurer (or fight a Union damaging battle to keep the spot) which was what allowed him to set things up for the Greek in the first place.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 23:44
|
|
|
I finished The Corner, and my emotions have ran from  to  to  to  I don't think I'll ever read anything with that much power, that much pure rage at the deconstruction of the American dream and The War On Drugs. So many wasted lives, wasted dreams and the odd story of redemption but those are so few and far between. A few point's that will stay with me though are:- Fran going to detox after telling the corner to go shove it... and not getting the bed - Gary meeting his grandson for the first time then completely falling apart and realising what he's become - Gary's death in his grandparents basement. This one actually teared me up, I'm not afraid to admit - Fat Curt's visit to the bay - Ronnie's mum being the devil herself in court - DeAndre's English speech There is a passage on The War On Drugs which is really fascinating, as Simon & Burns essentially call it America's greatest military failure since Vietnam, which makes Rawls choice of music when they raid Hamsterdam all the more fitting, and the aftermath especially. Simon & Burns even jokingly suggest that carpet bombing the derelict husks of inner cities back to the stone age with napalm might be the only way to actually solve the problem, which is in turns horrifying, amusing and, from the narrative of the piece anyway, an believable solution. There's also a piece on welfare which is again thought provoking - if the government cuts the amount given in welfare the crime will rise because the people on welfare chasing the blast will just have to resort to crime earlier in the month due to the lower handout. It's all just a complete and utter clusterfuck, and all these themes end up getting played out on screen in The Wire. I really wish I could put it all down in text form though because my head is swimming with all these thoughts and ideas and concepts that have been planted in my head from reading it. In short, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE should read this drat book. One more thing, there was a lot of references to people getting hacks across town and I assumed that it was some local slang for a taxi or getting a lift with a friend. It wasn't. It was Simon & Burns doing the driving. I felt like such a tool.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 23:48
|
|
|
That book really is a horrifying read, and though I'm sad that DeAndre eventually died, at least Fran managed to get clean, and even found love with Donnie Andrews (the inspiration for Omar) and enjoyed a few years of married life before he passed away late last year.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2013 23:59
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:That book really is a horrifying read, and though I'm sad that DeAndre eventually died, at least Fran managed to get clean, and even found love with Donnie Andrews (the inspiration for Omar) and enjoyed a few years of married life before he passed away late last year. She got out, Tyreeka got out, Blue got out, Eggy Daddy got out but that's it. RC almost escaped but got dragged back and DeAndre... he never made it. His last words about Gary are just so... I dunno, I can't explain it really: "I know this sounds wrong, but I'm almost glad for it. I feel like he was never going to get out of it, you know, he was never going to be what he was, and I think he was sad from knowing that. I feel like he's at peace now." That could almost be a lament for the corner.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2013 00:06
|
|
|
I'll never forget the moment when Gary gets clean...and then slips right back into CRIPPLING DEPRESSION and you realize that heroin addiction was actually the only way this man could afford his medicine. quote:He was never going to be what he was Gary knew he had a disease and he knew that disease wasn't addiction. The disease is being forgotten in America.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2013 00:27
|
|
|
the black husserl posted:Gary knew he had a disease and he knew that disease wasn't addiction. The disease is being forgotten in America. I don't like emptyquoting, but this is worthy of it. Sums it all up really
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2013 08:13
|
|
|
The Midniter posted:Randy ends up in a group home, obviously becoming a hardened, damaged individual. Sorry I meant what happened to the actors. I know Micheal went off to 90210 but have any of the others continued acting?
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2013 13:29
|
|
|
Pretty sure all the kids are professional actors.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2013 14:11
|
|
|
Season 4, Episode 4: RefugeesPrez posted:No one wins. One side just loses more slowly. It's a Sunday morning, and Marlo is "enjoying" a poker game that has presumably been running through the night. I put enjoy in quotation marks because there was never a man born with a better poker face, the seemingly emotionless Marlo not changing facial expression as he is cheerfully goaded by the man across the table from him. He has been "nibbling" at the man all night and now he wants to see if Marlo can take a bite of the whole rear end, challenging him (again, in a friendly way) to go all-in and see if he is bluffing or not. The only sign that he has gotten under Marlo's skin is an aside from Marlo that he has a mountain of chips in front of him, but the man just says he is doing okay. It's a curious scene, there are many men at the table, and Marlo may be the youngest but he is also the most dangerous, most powerful and most likely to take things overly-serious. It's a wonder that the man can goad him as freely as he does, but that's what makes this scene so curious and proves that still waters run deep - Marlo is a more complex character than "just" being a monster of pure capitalism. Remember his conversation with Vinson in season 3 when he points out that he wants to be the King, sitting at the head of the table, even if it means his death? For him, respect and acknowledgement are more important than life itself, and his presence in this poker game is an acknowledgement of his power and wealth. Just having a seat there proves that he has made it, and so he lets the old-timers goad him, because he wants to beat them and prove himself to them, to gain their respect and admiration. Later in the episode he will comment glibly to Chris Partlow that if he loses any more money to them he'll just get Chris to shoot the place up and take all their money from them. I'd love to hear what other people think about this statement, because personally I don't believe that at all. Yes Marlo is the kind of guy who will kill a person over just the perception that he might have been disrespected, but I don't see him hitting the poker game. I believe he craves their respect too much for that, that he HAS to beat them at their own game and prove he belongs at the table. In any case, he is goaded into going all in and loses, and - keeping his cool - replies to the old-timer's early suggestion that he buy a Town Car because a man looks correct in it by saying one day he will leave this game driving a Rolls Royce. The old-timer cracks that with the schooling he has been getting at these poker games, he believes Marlo be able to afford Morgan Freeman to drive the car for him too, getting uproarious laughter from the other old-timers and even the barest cracking of a grin from Marlo. He leaves, farewelled politely by the bouncer on the door, and puts a call through to Chris to tell him to pick him up at the grocers on the corner. He heads inside, passing a security guard who takes note of him, clearly recognizing WHAT Marlo is if not WHO he is. Unfortunately for him, he pays too much attention to Marlo who notices him as he grabs a drink from the fridge. Marlo, suppressing how upset he is by being beaten in the poker game, takes his frustration out on the guard. Paying for the drink, he deliberately and provactively slips two lollipops into his pocket, staring right at the security guard as he does it, then walks out the door. Furious, the security guard follows him out and confronts the (seemingly) indifferent Marlo, walking a fine line between not wanting to disrespect a gangster and having to stand up for his injured pride. He points out that he hates his job and would love to be doing anything else, but he's a man and he is supporting his family, and he can't just stand back while Marlo treats him like he doesn't even know he's here. I don't," replies Marlo smoothly, and the furious guard gets in his face, but immediately turns his head (ala Michael) when Marlo looks him right back in the eye, insisting again that he doesn't want to disrespect Marlo, he's just asking for Marlo not to disrespect him... at least not so openly. "You want it to be one way," Marlo replies calmly, and repeats himself several times to the confused and agitated guard as Chris pulls up to the corner,"But it's the other way." With that he walks without a care in the world to his car, having taken out his (probably completely subconscious) frustration and rage over the lack of respect he felt he was getting in the poker game on the security guard. He appears calm, but Chris looks furious, staring wide-eyed at the security guard who is gaping after Marlo, and when he gets back into the car and drives away he never takes his eyes off of the man. The guard committed two fatal mistakes - he created the perception of a challenge to Marlo by looking at him, and he was seen by Chris to be standing aggressively close to Marlo while Chris wasn't around. The poor bastard is about to suffer the same fate as William Gant, only in this case he wasn't a witness but he was everything that Bunk and McNulty once lied to D'Angelo that Gant was.     So what does "You want it to be one way, but it's the other way" mean? Others have discussed what they think in the past, and I'd welcome hearing more. For me, it's about Marlo's viewpoint on the world. The security guard simply doesn't matter, he might as well not even exist, in fact to Marlo he DOESN'T exist. As much as he might want the world he lives in to be one where he matters and the sacrifices and hard work he makes mean something.... they do not. Not to Marlo, at least, to whom respect and acknowledgement is everything. The only time he reacts to the security guard with anything other than indifference is when the guard gets into his face and says,"I'm here,", and then Marlo's reaction is delight as he steps up to the challenge which the guard immediately backs down from. The security guard only exists when he steps into Marlo's way, that is the only time he registers on Marlo's radar as an entity worthy of acknowledgement, and even then it's to massage his own ego. The poker game is the same way, he wants to defeat them and gain their respect and acknowledgement because his ego demands it - that is why I don't think he would let Chris hit the place, kill them all and rob the place, because that would be an admission of Marlo's failure. Marlo wants things to be a certain way too, but unlike the security guard he has the power and the agency to make it be that way. At Cutty's Gym, the man himself is standing concerned in the open entrance, looking for Spider who is late for practice for his fight the following week. Michael is working the heavy bag while Namond loudly retells the story of Laetitia cutting open Chiquan's face, making cutting motions in Dukie's direction, unable to resist embellishing the story by claiming that Laetitia threatened to cut off Chiquan's tits and pussy. Dukie shoves Namond away and yells for him to stop, and Michael shuts down Namond's protests, saying that Dukie asked him to stop so stop. Namond complains that he was "just saying" and Michael - cheerfully! - notes that Namond is always "just saying". Funnily enough, now it's Dukie who can't resist speaking up about the incident, saying that Laetitia's parents drove her crazy, he heard that her father killed 3 police and her mother boils cats to make money! It's school kid gossip, a nice reminder that despite their hosed up lives they are still just kids, and Namond mocks Dukie for believing it. Randy speaks up at last, and quiets everybody when, unusually subdued, he tells them that Laetitia comes from a group home, and you don't need to eat boiled cat to go crazy if you live in a group home. Everybody takes on an uncomfortable look, Randy is clearly speaking from experience, and when you consider he's got a foster mother it informs you a great deal of how bad his own past must have been. This makes his bright-eyed, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial attitude a bit of a marvel, and his eventual fate all the more depressing. Cutty asks if any of them have seen Spider, and Michael takes the opportunity to ask if he can use the ring since Spider hasn't shown up. Cutty shakes his head at first but then changes his mind and offers Michael a one time chance to use the ring without being trained. Michael eagerly takes him up on the offer as a concerned Namond tries to figure out a way out of this, and is saved unexpectedly by Cutty who tells Michael that he won't be sparring with Namond, he'll be sparring with him. Everybody oohs in excitement as Cutty explains he is gently going to show Michael exactly how much he DOESN'T know. Michael looks taken aback, but then grins, for once able to just enjoy himself and the challenge. As Cutty prepares to glove up, the Deacon arrives and makes a joke about Cutty not attending Church (Cutty explains the ring is his church, and he's about to sermonize with his fists on Michael), then tells him that he needs to go to Edward Tilghman Middle School and see the Assistant Principal there about "custodial work", which she will explain to him. Cutty asks how the Deacon has so much wisdom about where people should be, and he jokes back that a good Church man is always up in everybody else's poo poo. We get our first ever look at Prez's home life, as he sits at home ignoring a football game while he goes over notes for the talk he wants to give to his students over the Laetitia/Chiquan incident. We also get our first look at his wife, who joins him and asks who is winning the game (from which we get the epigraph), then suggests they go outside for a walk and some fresh air, if only for a hour. He insists he has to get his notes written up, and she can clearly see how badly he has been shaken by what he saw, and agrees to let him write. It's an interesting scene in how much it stands out from almost every other home life for a police we've seen so far - she is warm, positive, supportive and encouraging, about as far from her father as you could expect and clearly a loving partner to Prez. It's a wonder he found somebody like her, and one wonders how their relationship was life when he was still police, especially before becoming involved with the Major Case Squad when he hated his job and kept loving up - did he put up with all of it so he could come home to her? Did he keep his home and work life separate? Whatever the case, they're clearly both happy and living a fairly good and secure life now, even if Prez is only earning a teacher's salary. What does she do? Their home looks solidly, comfortably middle-class suburban - are they supported by Valchek or does she bring in the bulk of their income? Whatever the case, they're happy, and that's a rare thing in The Wire. Kima is spending her Sunday at Homicide, arriving with her stuff and greeted by Landsman, who is pleased at her dedication (what does it say about HER home life though). She explains that she heard her new squad was working a weekend shift, and besides it meant she could clear her things out of the Major Case Squad when Marimow wasn't there. Landsman gives her a brief tour, shows her the desk she'll be working at (it's clean, which he promises she will soon "fix"), notes that her chair has gone missing and assigns that to her as her first "case". He takes her over to the interrogation room, where Bunk is talking with a witness to Fruit's murder, and then shows her where their mail can be collected. Freamon shows up, having already made his move back to Homicide on the Friday, shaking Kima's hand and asking her how she is wrapping her head around things. He assures her she'll soon make herself at home, and Landsman has already informed her she'll be eased into things as she partners with Crutchfield, and won't be primary on a case for at least a few months. Landsman spots mail in her box, she needs to contact a Mr. Lyon, and Freamon is shocked that Lyon is on her already, and tells her she needs to get onto that right away to discuss the methane probes. Concerned, she goes back to the desk and makes the call, unknowingly watched by the entire gleeful squad as she suffers the first of what will be many pranks (it's nothing personal, it happens to everybody), as she finds herself arguing with a woman at the Baltimore Zoo about giving Mr. Lion a methane probe before realizing what is going on.   That night at Vinson's Rim Shop, Old Face Andre discovers the difference between the Government and Marlo Stanfield. One of Wallace's "young'uns" once explained that he could figure the count but would screw up his maths because failing the latter meant nothing, failing the former would get his rear end beat. Andre is complaining that Omar is like a terrorist, coming out of nowhere, unable to be planned for, blowing poo poo up without a care for who he hurts (about as far from Omar's philosophy as you can get). When terrorist attacks happen, the Government gives companies like Delta Airlines a break, a chance to recoup their losses before paying what they owe. Marlo nods along, Chris even throwing in a,"The man has a point," and Andre makes the mistake of thinking he is getting through to Marlo, and makes the huge mistake of declaring that Marlo understands there is nothing that can be done about Omar. Marlo lets Andre talk, then calmly points out that he likes the ring (that Andre hid from Omar), and ignores his claims that it only has sentimental value, asking what the real value is. Andre says he hasn't had it valued in some time and Marlo "offers" to do it for him, and when Andre makes one last ditch effort to pretend he can't get it off, they all but threaten to break his finger to do so. Finally he slips it off and hands it to Marlo, who instructs Andre that he isn't Delta Airlines and that Omar isn't a terrorist, they're just a friend of the family who got his poo poo took and a friend of the family with a gun, respectively. Andre is going to pay what he owes even if the drugs were stolen from him, and that's just the way it is. Andre leaves, probably lucky just to have lost a ring and been told to pay what he owes. Marlo reveals another surprising facet of his relationship with Chris once Andre is gone, as he informs him that he is going back to the poker game and that he'll need $150,000. It seems that Chris is the one who accesses money for him, and Marlo doesn't exactly have to request cash, but how curious that he isn't the one who handles it personally. Remember how strict Avon was about being responsible for money runs? And one final note on this scene. Marlo says he doesn't care for sentimental value, but that's exactly what the ring's value to him is. He doesn't care what it's worth, he cares that it was worth something to Andre and that he took it from him. More than that, he made Andre give it to him. That ring represents Marlo's power and prestige, in the same way that he destroyed the security guard's sense of self-worth, he has done the same to Andre. Which makes what happens to the ring at the end of this episode VERY important. Monday sees Colonel Foerster (looking VERY old ) in a meeting with Burrell and Rawls. Rawls is in a corner of a room, leaning on a cabinet and offering silent gestures to Foerster to make it clear to him how he should be reacting to Burrell's inquiries. Burrell is very deliberately and carefully giving "suggestions" on how the investigation of the dead witness should proceed, stressing that they don't know the witness element is relevant and talking down Norris' ability to handle the case himself. Burrell makes it very clear that he doesn't want the case getting any traction for the time being while simultaneously talking up how he wants the case investigated around the clock till it is solved. Foerster, alarmed at the idea of bringing in "new blood" and making Kima the primary investigator (Burrell notes the fact she took a bullet in the line of duty a few years back) makes the mistake of saying he would like Norris to stay on and can guarantee nothing would be leaked and no progress would be made till AFTER election day. Burrell fumes at the (completely valid) implication and Rawls shakes his head in warning, and Foerster sadly capitulates.Bubbles is also giving instruction, upset that Sherrod missed school last Friday. He explains that at the moment, school is like work, and missing school is like missing work - and he doesn't appreciate that HE is missing his "work" at the moment by dragging him to school instead of selling from his mobile "depo". Sherrod insists he'll go, and Bubbles agrees, he'll go to school or go out of the business, one of the two. Inside, he is infuriated when Donnelly reveals that he didn't just miss Friday, he missed the entire first week of school, and covers for Sherrod by saying the boy was only trying to help him start his new business. Donnelly is impressed by the lengths Bubbles is going to in order to keep Sherrod in school (she probably doesn't see too many committed parents/guardians taking an active interest) and agrees to give Sherrod another chance, and then explains to a confused Bubbles why Sherrod is going straight to 8th Grade despite missing the last three years of school. It's Social Promotion, because they don't have the resources to let students repeat a year and can't risk the disruptive influence of an older student in class, Sherrod is on the cusp of going to High School despite having barely any education at all, simply because of his age.   Foerster complains to Rawls in the lift about the hosed up situation he's been put in, revealing that his concerns were less about the case not being investigated properly as he was about its impact on his own career. He's only 2 years away from 40 years on the force and a bump up in his pension, and if the mishandling of the eyewitness case hits the news he is likely to suffer the consequences, not Rawls or Burrell. Rawls does the age-old trick of blaming his superior, claiming that he commiserates and agrees entirely with Foerster's complaints but that there is nothing that can be done - they have to do what Burrell tells them, and Burrell himself is doing what Royce instructed. He leaves Foerster behind in the lift, a big grin crossing his face as he does - no matter what happens, he won't be the one taking the blame. In Prez's class, Donnelly brings in Sherrod - everybody instantly stops their happy chatting to stare at the new kid. They quickly go back to chatting as Prez attempts to bring up what happened with Chiquan, and he demonstrates that he is starting to pick up some skills as he yells out for everybody to be quiet and they actually listen. He starts to discuss the issue but Namond quickly laughs off the idea that they need to get their heads around it, reminding Prez that it wasn't any of them that got cut open. Prez quickly loses control of the conversation as another student informs everybody that Prez was police, and they all start peppering him with questions about if he shot or beat anybody, what kind of gun does he carry, did he ever put anybody in a headlock, did he arrest one student's brother etc. Namond pretends to be shot and other students rush around him, miming shooting him or beating him with a nightstick and laying into him with their boots, and Prez rushes to break it all up. In the confusion, Randy makes his escape from the classroom to sell candy, and Sherrod - seeing one student doing it - follows suit, heading out of class before Prez can spot him. Randy gets changed and heads off down the corridors with his pocket full of hall passes, while back in the class Prez finally gives up, seeing that the students have quickly bounced back from the shock of Laetitia's actions - maybe some of them do need the counseling, but none will admit it, and there may be some depressing truth to Namond's comments - it didn't happen to any of them, so why should it bother them? As Prez drops his notepad down by the windowsill, he spots through the window Sherrod collecting some books from the bushes where they've been thrown out of another class window, jamming them into his bag and heading away. Prez looks back at the empty seat and realizes it is one of his students, but he can't do anything about it now. Outside the grocery store across the road from the poker game location, Chris and Snoop watch the security guard chatting amiably with a local woman - he's clearly a well-liked fixture of the neighborhood, giving locals at least the appearance of security. Chris explains that he works Sunday - Thursday, 7 early to 5 late - which means he's Mickey Mouse Security, not a real police moonlighting. Snoop asks what he did to earn their attention, and simply nods at Chris' answer that he "talked back", not seeing anything wrong with that at all. They move on to their next piece of business, Bodie's corner, where Bodie continues to work the bustling trade he has built up based on quality product and reasonably efficient staff (though Michael is now gone). Little Kevin heads away the moment Chris and Snoop arrive, Bodie shaking his head at this lack of back-up, and then turns to face the two most feared enforcers currently working Baltimore. "Decision time, son!" grins Snoop, and Chris asks Bodie what his play will be. Bodie spits through his teeth, the three face off and the tense moment... is completely broken as all three watch in disbelief as Donut drives casually buy in yet another stolen car    Turning back to their confrontation, Bodie shrugs and says that he instructed Little Kevin to shoot them both in the head twice when they arrived, but he walked away sooooooooooo..... Snoop grunts that he's funny and Bodie turns to Chris and says with about as little enthusiasm as you can muster that he guesses he is on their package now. Chris looks around and asks where Michael is, and Bodie explains he wasn't a regular, just working off a debt... why is Chris interested? Chris tells him nevermind why, why isn't in his repertoire anymore, and walks away. Snoop cries out a fantastic,"YEEEEERRRRRPPPPPPP!" sound as she leaves too, which summons another car from down the block, and a small kid exits and hands over a bag to Little Kevin - the new package. Bodie is told it is a 60/40 split and he is warned not to gently caress up Marlo's package, and then they drive away, leaving Bodie to glare grumpily over at Little Kevin. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Aug 24, 2013 |
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2013 05:40
|
|
|
Randy is selling to the 6th graders when his old 6th grade teacher arrives and asks what he is doing there, and he insists he just forgot and wore his old shirt today. She quips that if he was still a 6th grader he would still be in her class with all the other knuckleheads, which would mean it was 2 years ago, which would mean time stands still at Edward Tilghman, and that's a thought she just can't bear to live with. He shows her his hall pass which doesn't impress her at all, and she takes him to the office where a surprisingly cheerful (and flirty!?!) Donnelly is explaining to Cutty that he will be filling one of two custodial positions she keeps on the books for September/October each year, but he will be acting as a truant officer (which they're no longer budgeted for), picking up kids on a list she has prepared. When Randy arrives she excuses herself to talk with him, wanting to know why he left his class. She doesn't buy that he got hungry and couldn't concentrate, but he is alarmed when she suggests that he is responsible for the tagging that has been happening in the corridors. Of course he can't admit that he has been skipping class to sell candy to students, so his protests come across as lame, and Donnelly expertly manipulates him, telling him if he can't tell her who is tagging, then maybe he is the one doing it... so can he tell her who is? He looks to Cutty for support but Cutty just shrugs, bemused by the situation which seems so big to Randy and so inconsequential to himself. He retreats into silence, and Donnelly threatens to call his foster mother at work, freaking Randy out. He's not scared of Miss Anna, though he is respectful of her - what Randy truly fears is that she will give up on him and send him back into foster care, because that will see him end up in a group home, and he knows how terrible those things are. So he capitulates and tells her what she wants to know. Foerster calls in Landsman to give him the bad news - Norris is being taken off of the eyewitness case and it is being given to Greggs instead. Both men know it is bullshit, but Foerster doesn't want his questions ordered. Like Rawls, he puts the blame on Burrell, and when Landsman asks what Rawls himself had to say, Foerster stands up for him, showing that Rawls' politicking worked out as he had hoped. Landsman summarizes exactly how hosed up this is - they're pulling a veteran officer off of an eyewitness murder and giving it to a rookie so that progress will be slowed or halted completely, and they're doing it for political reasons. Foerster won't go so far as to agree, just sighing and telling Landsman to get it done. Colvin and Parenti meet with the School Superintendent to discuss their pilot program, and she is immediately on the defensive, seeing the program as a suggestion that there is something wrong with the school system (there is). Parenti tries to explain but Colvin cuts through the bullshit, declaring that the school system is absolutely fine and that nobody is suggesting otherwise, they just want to deal with some troubled kids who may not be in that perfectly fine and functioning system much longer. She considers the money, $200,000, and tells them they can do it so long as they don't make any waves - there's an election going on and they don't want to get the school system muddled up in the middle of it (somewhere, a single tear formed in Tony Gray's eye). Colvin - who knows the dangers of politicians getting involved - readily agrees. At the Major Case Squad, the computers tracking cellphones are waiting to be shut down, as Massey registers the last all and Sydnor hits the switch to cut off the wiretap - the Stanfield Case is over. They leave the room, turning off the lights as they go, and return to the main office and pack up their things, leaving a surly Marimow behind. Elsewhere, Freamon and Bunk are joined by McNulty, the two homicide detectives laughing to see McNulty in a patrol car like a young buck. They share a happy greeting, the word having already gotten around to McNulty that the wiretap was torpedoed, and when Freamon explains he went after the money a gleeful McNulty tells him that guys like him never learn. Freamon and Greggs have left the unit, Sydnor will jump at the first chance he gets, Marimow is living up to his reputation as "The Unit Killer". The other uniformed officer asks if they were summoned for a reason and they explain they're going to raid Lex's mother house, not expecting to find him there but wanting to make sure. They offer to Jimmy to come in the front with them like old times, but with a grin he volunteers to take the back, catching Freamon by surprise - he really has changed. Tradition dictates that the guy who volunteers to take the back buys the first drink and Freamon tells Jimmy to meet them at the bar later that night, and is surprised again when Jimmy tells him (and Bunk confirms) that he'll toss himself out after one. Shortly after they clear the house, and as expected there is no sign of Lex. Freamon heads out to the back and tells Jimmy to meet them tonight at the tavern, and heads back in the mother is telling Bunk that Lex isn't here, she told them that. Bunk's suspicions have become more concrete now, as he shows Freamon the collection of photos on the mantelpiece - the collection isn't assembled as photos of a beloved son for display, but as a memorial. Freamon asks her if Lex is alive, and Bunk explains that if he is dead, this ends right here, but otherwise their warrant says they can return as many times as they like. The mother, clearly still grieving but still too scared to say anything, speaks the honest truth when she replies miserably that she doesn't know where her son is. Proposition Joe meets with Marlo at one of his pigeon coops, where Joe attempts to sell the idea of Marlo joining the Co-Op. Stringer failed when he first disrespected Marlo by sending Bodie (who now works FOR Marlo) and he failed when he reacted to his crew being run off their corner by offering a deal to Marlo to join his Co-Op instead of coming back physically. Joe has made the right move by dealing with Marlo as an equal, and opening with high praise of Marlo's position, and that has got him a meeting at least. But what Joe is offering is of little interest to Marlo - the Co-Op offers the security of a lawyer and bondsman for anyone in Marlo's employ who is arrested, but Marlo claims he can hire his own lawyers. Joe offers the security of a connection to the highest grade drugs as well as shared information that will see him warned BEFORE a bust goes down, and that does get Marlo's attention... but what does Joe want in return? Muscle is the quick answer, they want Marlo's muscle to join in with them to chase the New York crews out of East Side, which is exactly the wrong answer. Marlo doesn't care about the East Side, because his territory (the best territory) is on the West Side. So Joe offers the security of knowing that nobody will gently caress with him if he stands with the Co-Op, which is again a mistake, as Marlo insists that nobody fucks with him now. Joe attempts to explain that things can change, something that younger gangsters often fail to understand, but Marlo cuts him off by extending his hand. Out of respect for Joe's reputation and the respect he has been shown, Marlo has shown respect in exchange and heard out Joe's offer, much as he did with Stringer. In this case, he holds no ill will towards Joe or desires on his territory, but the conversation is over, and his extended hand is a cue that Joe can accept this and walk away none the worse, or he can stay and raise Marlo's ire. Joe, no idiot, shakes Marlo's hand and walks away - unsuccessful in his effort... but now with an understanding of exactly how he can show Marlo the error of his ways.    The politicians are getting busier as the primary approaches, and Royce's Chief of Staff is pulling out all the stops to get the Mayor re-elected. Now Royce's campaign colors are unabashedly African, and Royce quips bitterly that Parker will be expecting him to wear a Dashiki next. Parker has a point to make though, it's not just Carcetti benefiting from the debate, Royce was hurt enough that Tony Gray has picked up support, now on 24%. Still a distant third, it is taking away from Royce's lead over Carcetti, and all the niggling irritations that Royce has sent Carcetti's way aren't going to change that. Parker also wants some "walking around money", about 75k or so to spread around for votes (the fine line between bribery/corruption and legal election finances still leaves me utterly confused), and there Royce has no issues, he knows exactly how to get it - call another game. Carcetti discusses his next move with his campaign staff. D'Agostino wants him to avoid speaking with the politically influential Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (known as "The Ministers), because they're all but guaranteed to endorse Royce and he has nothing to gain from wasting his time with them and is likely to just piss them off. Carcetti has a different take on things though, since he also risks pissing them off if he pretends they don't exist while visiting every other section of the city claiming he represents more than his base. Norman agrees, noting that even if they endorse Royce, what each of them says from the pulpit ahead of the election is still something that can be influenced... and besides, if nothing else it will be nice to let them see a begging rear end white man on his knees! At a sparsely attended Candidates meeting, Eunetta Perkins is demonstrating she hasn't held her position on the City Council as long as she has by accident. Telling the few attendees that she has been too busy doing "real" work to attend City Council meetings, she happily offers to fix everybody's problems, telling one man concerned about a rehab center opening in his neighborhood that she will make sure it doesn't happen. Nobody has any questions for the other candidates, so Marla Daniels speaks up to remind them all that the city has thousands of drug addicts in need of rehab, and the rehab centers have to go somewhere. Eunetta counters with the race card, saying it doesn't happen in white neighborhoods, getting applause. Marla makes a valiant attempt at a comeback, reminding everybody again about the obligation they have as a society to help those more unfortunate than them, but it lacks the punch of Eunetta telling everybody what they want to hear. In the back, Odell Watkins is less than pleased with how things are going, and his anger grows when he spots one of the fliers showing Royce's ticket now includes Eunetta on it rather than Marla. Andy Krawcyzk and another developer bemoan their current situation as attendees at the game that Royce has called. In complete contrast to Marlo playing the high-stakes all-night poker games he attends straight, Royce calls his own whenever he needs cash, and everybody in attendance deliberately loses to him till he built up enough "won" cash to use as "walking-around money". Krawcyzk is rather upset at the gall of Royce calling two games in one month, but this is the cost of doing business with the Mayor, something which DOES get them large amounts of money in return. He returns to the table, where everybody partakes in the fiction of Royce's remarkable run of "good luck", and smile through the pain of being told by Royce there is no limit on betting.   Freamon and Bunk are out drinking, but true to his word McNulty has already gone home, leaving the two to talk past each other over their two obsessions - two obsessions which Jimmy would have understood and provided a bridge between. Bunk is drunk enough to be eagerly eying up two young women at the bar, but where McNulty would have aided him in his attempt to seduce them, Freamon just looks them over and declares they're too young and skinny for Bunk. For his part, Freamon can't let go of the mystery of how Marlo held onto his territory without dropping bodies, and runs through the various methods that Marlo might have used to hide them. What has brought this on? Both Detectives agree based on Lex's mother's reactions that Lex is now dead, and since he killed a Marlo Lieutenant, this means Marlo is probably responsible.... so where is the body? While McNulty would have keenly tackled the puzzle and taken on the challenge to prove he was smarter than Marlo, Bunk is uninterested in delving into the work side of things and ignores Freamon to make unwelcome facial gestures towards the women and then declare happily to Freamon that the plural of pussy is pussi. The women leave, Freamon doesn't rise to Bunk's goading, and Bunk cries out a drunken lament for the lack of McNulty, crying out,"JIMMY! JIM-MAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!" The next morning, Chris and Snoop stand across the corner and watch Michael and Bug leave for school. Despite living in a rundown home with an addict for a mother and a guy drinking out of a brown paper bag on the stoop, Snoop contemptuously refers to Michael and Bug as "the Huxtables", as if the fact they has a fixed abode and go to school makes them one of the well-off, loved and cared for children of The Cosby Show. She tells Chris that if they went at him, they could get him to come to work for them, and he just sees they'll see what happens. Kima and Bunk arrive at a homicide scene, where Kima has picked up that Bunk is hungover but he is all business. Putting on rubber gloves, he ignores her attempts at jocularity to tell her seriously that "soft eyes" are needed at a crime scene, because it lets you see more. She picks up on his seriousness and watches as he and Crutchfield review the body, slightly alarmed to hear them smoothly discuss the murder with terms she doesn't recognize, refering to equipment she has never heard of. Despite feeling in over her head, she examines the body when they offer her the chance, and she immediately notices that the corpse has something in his hand. Bunk offers her some tweezers and she extracts the paper, unrolling it to reveal in typed letter,"TATER KILLED ME." Bunk hunkers down next to her and just as seriously notes that it will hold up better in court if it is typed, and she finally realizes they're loving with her. Tossing the paper aside, she walks away in a good natured huff as Bunk, Crutchfield and the two uniformed officers laugh happily - of course there is still a very real dead body on the ground there that they've used as a prop for their joke, but that's another example of the black humor that is a somewhat necessary pressure valve for people who deal every day in the worst that humanity has to offer. Colvin, Parenti, the School Superintendent and Principal Claudell Withers sit at a desk together, passing around large stacks of paper reminiscent of the first time we saw all the paperwork the police had to file in order to get their wiretap on the Barksdales. Amongst the many papers to be signed, initialed and witnessed are standard anonymity agreements and also agreements that the school is not liable for any injuries sustained while they are there. Meanwhile, Cutty and another large "custodian" pull up to the side of the road elsewhere in the city where some kids are hanging out and order them into the van - it's the kind of thing that usually screams stranger danger, but in this case they're looking to get the kids into school. Most of them accept the order, though one kid makes a run for it and Cutty is stopped from pursuing by the other man - Marvin - who tells them they'll get him next time. Cutty makes a joke of it, that the kid is so excited he means to race them to school, and they return to the van. Back at the school, Colvin and the 8th grade teacher Grace Sampson walk the halls, where Sampson tells Colvin that the other teachers are calling him and Parenti this year's "band-aid". He says he hopes to be more than that, and she jokes that maybe they'll be this year's splint - clearly this is not the first time that some well-meaning group has come to the school with high-minded intentions to make things better. Two small kids pass by, one of them politely greeting Miss Sampson while the other loudly notes to the other that Colvin is police, apparently already able to recognize a cop by sight alone. Sampson explains that you can tell the day by the faces of the kids, a Wednesday is best because it's when the students are the furtherest away from their home lives and the street. On Monday's they're angry, on Tuesday's they're caught between Monday and Wednesday, on Thursday they can feel (and dread) the weekend coming and on Friday they're bad because they know they have two days of home or street life to deal with. It's deeply depressing, especially in how resigned Sampson seems to be to the whole thing despite being one of the more respected teachers amongst the students. She leaves Colvin when she reaches her class, telling him to walk the halls himself, the children act different when she is around and he should get a better sense of how the students usually are. He sits in and takes notes on different classes, walks the halls, watches students horsing around in the halls or sitting around in class. The younger students are more engaged, eager to answer questions and sharing in delight with their enthusiastic teachers. The older students sit disinterestedly, paying no attention as their teachers complain or warn them about how they're not taking an interest in their own future - the older students only seem to perk up when they're out of class and roaming the halls freely. Elsewhere, Cutty and Marvin stop to check on some kids enjoying themselves throwing bottles at a wall, and check them off against their list. One of the truant students laughs it off, explaining he was in school on Friday so they can't bother him. Cutty doesn't understand, grabbing his arm to pull him into the van, but Marvin stops him and explains the actual point of their "custodial" duty, which really isn't Truant Officer work, even unofficially. The school gets Government funding so long as it doesn't fall below a certain number of students in the first two months of the school year - so each of the students on the list only has to come one day in September and one day in October, and otherwise they don't bother with them. Cutty is disgusted at this gaming of the system that accomplishes nothing other than allowing the school to maintain it's (under)budget, but that's the way it is. Marvin tells the others that if they still have a day they need to take this month to do it now so they can be left alone for the rest of the month. Grumpily they comply, getting into their van, while the lone student goes back to smashing bottles on the wall, Cutty staring sadly at him, hating that he is just going to drive away and leave him to do this.   Omar visits Butchie's, who has set up a meeting on safe ground between him and Proposition Joe. Joe, rebuffed by Marlo, plays things utterly superbly as he kills two birds with one stone, manipulating the very intelligent and dangerous Omar with expert precision. Seemingly putting himself in danger, he explains he asked for the meet because he wanted to put to rest any suspicions that Omar had that Joe was actively involved in Stringer's decision to use Omar against Brother Mouzone. Omar shares a surprised look with Butchie, that is not something he ever suspected (though it is absolutely true!), and by Joe being the one to bring it up, he has effectively secured Omar's belief in his innocence. Joe then uses his "desire to make amends" as an excuse to position Omar to hit the poker game that Marlo regularly takes part in, explaining it is a west side game (and thus not on his territory) filled with high rollers. He insists there are no strings attached and that this isn't an ambush, reminding Butchie that he's never been a stupid man, and all he asks for in return is a very reasonable 25% cut of the six figure proceeds. Omar - no fool even if he has been fooled - warns Joe he will scout the location first and come after him if anything seems wrong, which Joe happily accepts. He's just made a friend of Omar, negated any lingering suspicion Omar MIGHT have felt (he didn't) and set things up to teach Marlo a lesson about how unforeseen circumstances CAN see somebody gently caress with him. Joe plays chess, everybody else plays checkers. At the Major Crimes Squad, the replacements for Freamon and Greggs arrive and it's.... Herc and Dozerman....  Nothing could sum up the way the Major Crimes Squad has been wrecked than this. Herc, now a Sergeant, is introduced to Marimow who angrily points out that Herc made Sergeant after driving around the Mayor, which must make him a hell of a driver (he's no Morgan Freeman). Herc is surprised to learn that Freamon and Greggs are gone, and that Sydnor and Massey (!) are now on the street making rips, because that is what the Major Crimes Squad is about now - rip and runs. Herc has no problem at all with that, and even gets as close to a smile as you can get from Marimow when he says that this is the Western District way. Marimow heads back to his office and Herc rolls his eyes at Dozerman - even they know their Lieutenant is a jack-off. Carcetti meets with the Ministers, waiting politely to be gestured to seat. Once that is out of the way, he waits in the uncomfortable silence a moment before speaking, and quickly launches into a Carcetti-brand political speech. He explains he isn't expecting their endorsement, but that it is important for him to let them know that he is running because he thinks he can be a better Mayor for the entire city than Royce can be. He reminds them he voted twice for Royce before, but now he has become disappointed and angry with the Mayor and wants a change, not just for his own neighborhoods but there's as well - and he lists off the neighborhoods he has visited, the problems they are having with crime and drugs. He finishes with an assurance that even without their endorsement, if he wins his door will always be open to them, thanks them for their time and leaves. There is nothing but silence as he goes, till finally one of the Ministers speaks up to thank him for visiting. It seems that, if nothing else, he succeeded in not pissing them off. Bunk, Crutchfield and Kima return to Homicide where Bunk cries out for an APB on "Tater", much to everybody else's amusement - it seems this is a common joke for new Homicide Detectives to experience. She finds another memo and correctly guesses it is another prank, but all the laughter stops when Landsman comes up and curtly informs her she is now the primary on the dead eyewitness case. Bunk's face falls, Greggs doesn't believe it, and Landsman can only grunt through gritted teeth that she has caught her first murder, so kudos to her. The kids leave school, Namond jokingly throwing faux-punches at Dukie and declaring that they need to beat on whoever is snitching. He explains that somebody snitched on Rashid for tagging, and insists it must have been snitching and not Rashid being caught since Miss Donnelly came and pulled him out of class. Randy keeps quiet, knowing he is responsible, but happily the topic of conversation changes as Michael says his goodbyes and he and Bug head home, Michael telling Namond he'll come by the gym. He and Bug head inside, ignoring their addict mother who makes a brief attempt to converse with them before going back to arguing with her current boyfriend about the remote. In the kitchen, Michael settles Bug at the small table to do his homework, Bug proclaiming happily that he likes math and Michael affectionately telling him he is good at it. He gives him a small snack and a juice box (shades of Wallace) and then collects his gym bag, making sure Bug is okay before heading out for the gym. Donnelly and Prez meet with two uniformed officers to discuss the Chiquan/Laetitia incident. It isn't looking good for Chiquan, who appears to have facial paralysis from the wounds to her nerves. Laetitia is likely to end up in a juvenile facility, which is only slightly worse than the group home she comes from, and Donnelly explains to Prez that Laetitia was brought up in the system, has a history of violence, and that - contrary to Sampson's earlier explanation of the week to Colvin - she spent Monday to Friday angry. Prez tells them that his class seems to be acting like it didn't happen but Donnelly assures him that they ARE processing it, even if it doesn't seem like it. Then, in an example of just how bad things have gotten as well as how ill-prepared Prez is for this world, she tells him that there is a silver lining - at least Chiquan wasn't HIV positive. What kind of hosed up world do we live in where this is the silver lining? At the gym, Michael stops working the heavy bag to come over and stand near Cutty as he shouts instructions to Justin and Marcus, who are sparring in the ring. Cutty roars out to Marcus to think and pay attention, and with easy familiarity places his hand on Michael's shoulder and comments warmly to him about how Marcus doesn't listen. Michael instantly pulls away, alarmed by the physical contact, reading entirely the wrong message into it. The sparring ends and Cutty tells Marcus again to think in the ring, then explains that he got two extra tickets for the boxing happening tonight and was planning to take Spider and Justin. Since Spider hasn't been coming around and Marcus has a thing with his mother, Cutty offers the other ticket to Michael, who looks troubled by the offer and checks first with Justin that he'll be attending. Justin, who not so long ago wanted to smash Michael's face in for being an intruder, happily says he'll go and Michael agrees, feeling safe with another boy there. It's a sad fact that victims of abuse like Michael struggle to accept kindness like the type Cutty is offering without being able to see an ulterior motive. Chris and Snoop board up the door of the vacant they've just put the corpse of the security guard into. Chris is irritated to see Snoop playing with the badge, moreso when she says she wanted a souvenir, and he grabs it from her and tosses it aside. She takes it all in stride, laughing that the trouble with the way they're doing things is that nobody knows they're doing it, a mindset that Chris doesn't share - nobody knowing what they're doing is the whole point. Bubbles - high as a kite - is sharing his meandering thoughts with Sherrod in the little shack they call home, talking about how his mental map of the world as a child was centered on the playground, and that as he got older the playground became smaller. As he happily, sloppily chats away, Sherrod pulls out the books he took from the bush and begins reviewing them, explaining to Bubbles that he uses them in conjunction for his studies - one is the workbook for the other. Clearly Sherrod cannot read, as the props for his lie are an algebra book and the dictionary, and even a high Bubbles can see that Sherrod is lying about being back in school, thinking he can fool Bubbles with a couple of books. Bubbles doesn't call him on it though, just sadly gets up and shuts the door on the shack for the night.   At the boxing, people whistle at the ring girl between rounds and then the bell rings for round 2 to begin. Cutty, sitting between Justin and Michael, offers a running commentary on the match and stresses the need for them to pay attention to the way the boxers move, hold themselves and their positioning in the ring. Unfortunately, his close proximity is upsetting for Michael, who continually tries to talk across Cutty to the safer Justin. He points out how cut the boxer is and Cutty notes that this is a sign of discipline, you take care of your body and it will take care of you, but that kind of talk just further upsets Michael. To prove the point, he out of nowhere exclaims to a clearly slightly confused Justin that he bets the boxer has a fine girlfriend, and Cutty sighs in disappointment, thinking that Michael isn't taking the "sweet science" seriously, having no idea that Michael is desperately afraid that Cutty is trying to groom him for sex. And now the episode comes full circle. We began at a poker game, where an old-timer defeated Marlo and cleaned him out. We return to another game, and this time things have finally gone Marlo's way. His full house has beaten the same old-timer's hand, and for just the briefest of seconds Marlo is able to enjoy this victory, having defeated the old-timer at his own game.... and then everything goes wrong. The door is kicked open and Omar emerges, appearing like a terrorist who can't be planned for just like Old Face Andre claimed. Twin guns drawn, he warns the muscle in the room to back up as Renaldo pushes the bouncer through the door with his shotgun and gets him up against the wall. Quipping that his "four fives" beat Marlo's full house, a bag is thrown to the banker to fill with the cash brought in by all the high rollers... and Marlo finds himself on the other side of humiliation that the security guard and Old Face Andre suffered at his hands. Used to his cold menace getting him what he wants, he calmly states that this is HIS money, and a bemused Omar tells him that money has no owners, only spenders. Marlo speaking up has brought him to Omar's attention though, and he notes that he likes Marlo's ring, his intention clear - Marlo must submit to him and give him something of personal value to himself, as a demonstration of Omar's domination. For Marlo this is the worst thing in the world. To him, respect and acknowledgement is everything and Omar offers him neither - Omar (the legendary, near mythical figure that Marlo dismissed as just a "friend of the family with a gun") has stepped into his moment of triumph, taken his money and forced his submission. For just a moment Marlo seems to consider dying as a preferable alternative to submission, but then he slips it off and leaves it on the table for Omar to take, and offers a prophetic warning as it is taken - "This isn't over." This is when Omar reveals that he is fully aware of Marlo's identity, as he grins and tells Marlo that if this is the way he wants to carry it, Omar can find his people far easier than they can find him. Marlo looks over the guns, keeping up the appearance of calm and not being bothered, and even offers to Omar to wear it in health. Omar winks and heads out the door with Renaldo and the money, and as everybody else breaths a sigh of relief, Marlo barely perceptibly licks his lips, revealing a hint of the fury and impotent rage he is feeling.   The eventual fate of both characters was sealed in this moment. Cutty drives Justin and Michael home, offering sage advice to both about how the boxers they saw tonight were the real deal, and they should be able to see the eventual culmination of all the hard work he is putting them through now. Justin listens seriously, taking it all in, while Michael is struggling to keep his apprehension down as they arrive at Justin's home and he hops out of Cutty's car, leaving just the two of them alone. Cutty waits to make sure Justin is getting inside, then starts to talk to say he'll drop Michael off by his place, but Michael freaks out and is out the door, closing it behind him. Cutty, amused and confused, asks what the hell he is doing, and Michael - struggling to hold down his panic - insists that he can walk from here, then turns and walks away, ignoring Cutty calling him back, turning the corner. Once there, he presses against the wall and looks back around, waiting apprehensively for Cutty to finally pull away and drive back home. Finally he goes, and with relief Michael braces himself against the cold and walks home alone through the night - a lonely young man who can't trust any adult male who offers him something for nothing. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Aug 24, 2013 |
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2013 05:40
|
|
|
 Links for the OP, escape artist, season 3 now complete - just copy and paste! Season Three Episode 1 - Time After Time Episode 2 - All Due Respect Episode 3 - Dead Soldiers Episode 4 - Hamsterdam Episode 5 - Straight and True Episode 6 - Homecoming Episode 7 - Back Burners Episode 8 - Moral Midgetry Episode 9 - Slapstick Episode 10 - Reformation - Part 1 Episode 10 - Reformation - Part 2 Episode 11 - Middle Ground Episode 12 - Mission Accomplished Season Four Episode 1 - Boys of Summer - Part 1 Episode 1 - Boys of Summer - Part 2 Episode 2 - Soft Eyes - Part 1 Episode 2 - Soft Eyes - Part 2 Episode 3 - Home Rooms - Part 1 Episode 3 - Home Rooms - Part 2 Episode 4 - Refugees - Part 1 Episode 4 - Refugees - Part 2
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2013 05:45
|
|
|
Terrific work as always. One minor disagreement - I interpreted Cutty's reaction to Randy as less him being apathetic and more him feeling deep pity for the kid. He shakes his head a little as Randy cracks, knowing full well the consequences if word gets out that Randy snitched. Not to mention he might have known Randy from hanging around Michael at the gym. What makes the later Bubbs-Sherrod scene especially heartbreaking to me, for some reason, is not only his poor attempt to lie to him but the fact one of the books is a FRENCH dictionary. Every time I see it I think, Christ, what is a hosed up school like Tilghman even doing teaching French? Also seconding how sad it is to see Richard DeAngelis clearly dying of cancer. Odd how he was kept on the screen, with his cancer written into the plot; he's hardly necessary in the scenes with Rawls and Burrell. grading essays nude fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Aug 23, 2013 |
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2013 06:28
|
|
|
It's probably too simple of a view, but I read the "you want it to be one way" line to be about authority. Marlo was saying that the security guard wants their status relationship to be one-way: the man in the uniform says "stop, empty your pockets" and the other guy has to do what he says. But for Marlo, it's one-way, except in the other direction. He's just pushing people around because he can and he's too powerful to gently caress with. That's what I think, anyway.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2013 18:13
|
|
|
So...I'm on my first watch through of The Wire, and I just finished up season 2. People had been telling me for years that the show was fantastic but I'd just never gotten around to watching it. Holy hell are the first two seasons great. I'm avoiding the discussion in this thread for the most part but the episode breakdowns are really fantastic to read through after I watch an episode.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 01:49
|
|
|
cletepurcel posted:Terrific work as always. One minor disagreement - I interpreted Cutty's reaction to Randy as less him being apathetic and more him feeling deep pity for the kid. He shakes his head a little as Randy cracks, knowing full well the consequences if word gets out that Randy snitched. Not to mention he might have known Randy from hanging around Michael at the gym. I always thought Cutty was king of giving him the go ahead to snitch, the shrug saying that it wasn't a big thing and that he should play straight with her rather then get himself in trouble, as opposed to Cutty who stood tall and did the 14 years rather then snitch. Cutty knows how things play out on the streets, but he'd rather see the kids at his gym on the straight and narrow instead of ending up like him.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 01:50
|
|
|
I think what we're seeing of Cutty in this season further serves to remind us how much things have changed from "back in the day" - when he is acting as a "truant officer" he thinks his job is to get those kids into school to learn, and is upset to discover he's just supposed to make sure they show up at least one day of the month so the school can keep its funding. Even though he is anti-snitching (as demonstrated by the time he spent in jail) I do think he is looking at Randy's situation with a bemused,"Haha kids have no idea how unimportant this poo poo is!" attitude, not knowing that this is eventually going to result in destroying Randy's life because things HAVE changed, and the consequences for these actions are far worse than they were when he was a kid. Cutty has always been shown as a character with a conscience. Even when he was a hardcore gangster, I think it's important to remember that he went to jail because HE turned himself in after a murder. He refused to snitch on anybody else, but he served his time because he thought it was something that he needed to do. Combo posted:So...I'm on my first watch through of The Wire, and I just finished up season 2. People had been telling me for years that the show was fantastic but I'd just never gotten around to watching it. Holy hell are the first two seasons great. Enjoy it! And yes, as you've probably already guessed, you'll want to be careful of spoilers in this thread - sorry if I spoil any future stuff in the write-ups you'll be reading!
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 02:35
|
|
|
Narcissus1916 posted:I don't entirely understand how much we're free to talk about the show's later years here, but Prez's transformation as a teacher might be my favorite character evolution in the whole show. The ways in which he goes from blusterous fuckup to a codebreaker to the guy who recreates the MCU to take on Sobotka to his desperation shooting of the officer to naive do-gooder teacher to THE BEARD - man, talk about earning your character moments. Everything is open to discussion. e;fb Help a goon out! Lots of books - horror, nonfiction, classics and more for sale. escape artist fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Aug 24, 2013 |
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 04:03
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:I think what we're seeing of Cutty in this season further serves to remind us how much things have changed from "back in the day" - when he is acting as a "truant officer" he thinks his job is to get those kids into school to learn, and is upset to discover he's just supposed to make sure they show up at least one day of the month so the school can keep its funding. Even though he is anti-snitching (as demonstrated by the time he spent in jail) I do think he is looking at Randy's situation with a bemused,"Haha kids have no idea how unimportant this poo poo is!" attitude, not knowing that this is eventually going to result in destroying Randy's life because things HAVE changed, and the consequences for these actions are far worse than they were when he was a kid. Combo, you might want to wait until the end of the show because we have in the past, and likely will in the future, draw parallels between certain scenes from Season 2 and Season 5, for example. And those will include spoilers. Not trying to run you out of the thread or anything, we love introducing new people to the show-- just want you to have the richest experience you can with this tremendous televisual novel that has held a special place in our hearts for many years. Help a goon out! Lots of books - horror, nonfiction, classics and more for sale.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 04:27
|
|
|
escape artist posted:Combo, you might want to wait until the end of the show because we have in the past, and likely will in the future, draw parallels between certain scenes from Season 2 and Season 5, for example. And those will include spoilers. Yeah, it's a fair warning. Even limiting yourself solely to the recaps is risky, because the writers will sometimes mention things that happen in future episodes (it just happened in the most recent one, in fact). This is a great thread once you've watched the show, but if you haven't finished it yet I'd definitely recommend staying out completely, because you only get to watch The Wire for the first time once. The other times are also great, (honestly I think my second run through the show was my favorite), but so is the first. It wouldn't be the same if you knew what was coming. For example, the part in Season 5 when Omar gets elected mayor? Didn't see that coming! (jokes aside, I'd definitely avoid the thread until you're done)
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 05:08
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:I think what we're seeing of Cutty in this season further serves to remind us how much things have changed from "back in the day" - when he is acting as a "truant officer" he thinks his job is to get those kids into school to learn, and is upset to discover he's just supposed to make sure they show up at least one day of the month so the school can keep its funding. Even though he is anti-snitching (as demonstrated by the time he spent in jail) I do think he is looking at Randy's situation with a bemused,"Haha kids have no idea how unimportant this poo poo is!" attitude, not knowing that this is eventually going to result in destroying Randy's life because things HAVE changed, and the consequences for these actions are far worse than they were when he was a kid. I would dispute this but then I remembered that later, Marlo himself actually almost lets Randy off the hook, then gets talked out of it by Snoop.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 06:17
|
|
|
IIRC, Snoop wanted to flat-out kill Randy. Marlo decides not to be that drastic, but "merely" let word slip that Randy snitched.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 18:06
|
|
|
I'm at episode 12 right now in Season 4 and I always forget how bad I feel by the end of the season. I really think that it's because everyone does start so high at the beginning of the season and then everyone just ends up hosed up. And Bodie 
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 20:20
|
|
|
Interesting thing about the end of season four - I dragged my mother into watching The Wire this year (she ravenously reads a bunch of crime books and raised me with a healthy love of stuff like Colombo) and I fully expected season four's finale to wreck her. And it did, but not for the reasons I thought it would. She told me that she had been girding herself for the other shoe to drop with all four of the boys, so she was saddened but not depressed when the stories started dropping misery on them. But Bodie? She freakin' wept when Bodie was shot. This from the same lady who asked me "which one of the gangbangers is Bodie?" during season one.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 20:34
|
|
|
Narcissus1916 posted:Interesting thing about the end of season four - I dragged my mother into watching The Wire this year (she ravenously reads a bunch of crime books and raised me with a healthy love of stuff like Colombo) and I fully expected season four's finale to wreck her. Yeah, Bodie's death was the one that affected me the most. His absence is felt in Season 5. The worst part about Season 4? All of that stuff is finishing up around December
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 20:54
|
|
|
Boywhiz88 posted:I'm at episode 12 right now in Season 4 and I always forget how bad I feel by the end of the season. I really think that it's because everyone does start so high at the beginning of the season and then everyone just ends up hosed up. I took a nearly 2 month break before renting and watching the last disc of season 4 from blockbuster, because I knew fully well it was gonna be a bummer and I needed to distance myself from the characters. That's to me the mark of a well written tragedy. When you have to take a breather to catch your breath before the hammer finally falls.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 21:40
|
|
|
Yeah, I don't know why exactly, but I got really bummed about Bodie's death too (I really hope you stopped reading the thread by now, Combo!). I couldn't say why exactly; he's not somebody that I'd like if I met him in real life. He's a drug dealer, a murderer, he doesn't really give a poo poo about what the game does to the community, it's all just business to him, he's pretty amoral and unsympathetic when you look at what he actually does with his life, but for some reason when you follow his story arc, you're rooting for the guy and it's tragic when he dies.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 21:41
|
|
|
Ainsley McTree posted:Yeah, I don't know why exactly, but I got really bummed about Bodie's death too (I really hope you stopped reading the thread by now, Combo!). I couldn't say why exactly; he's not somebody that I'd like if I met him in real life. He's a drug dealer, a murderer, he doesn't really give a poo poo about what the game does to the community, it's all just business to him, he's pretty amoral and unsympathetic when you look at what he actually does with his life, but for some reason when you follow his story arc, you're rooting for the guy and it's tragic when he dies. I think part of it is how much time we've had with him that we get to see if things had gone differently, he may have ended up alright. He's a clever guy, he's got a work ethic, but he's also a product of his environment. We see it with a bunch of characters, but the charisma of Bodie and moments like the entrapment dodge for Hamsterdam really help to humanize him for me.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 21:48
|
|
|
It also helps he's been there since the beginning. Slim Charles and Bodie were the last vestiges of the Barksdale Empire; though Poot is also around, after season 1 he was never so much in focus as Bodie. Career choice aside, it's hard to watch a community staple be put down like that.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 22:08
|
|
|
It's easy to like Bodie because we stay with him as he grows up, from those wild youthful days at 13 until he's an old seasoned vet at 17. I never forgave him for wallace though 
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 23:16
|
|
|
To me, the reason Bodie's death hits hard is because of the "pawn" element. He realizes what D'Angelo was trying to tell him, but not in time to save himself. They do a good job of humanizing him before he dies too; I love the scene where he talks to Poot about the marlin fishing show he saw on Animal Planet Also the first time I saw it, I thought it was Michael that killed him (a lot of people make this mistake) so it was like 2 gut punches in one. grading essays nude fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Aug 24, 2013 |
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2013 23:55
|
|
|
It really is a testament to the writing on the show (and J. D. Williams' performance) that we feel so bad about his fate even though in season one he (and Poot!) murdered the sweet and "innocent" Wallace. Normally there would be no coming back or redemption for a character after something like that, but Bodie becomes somebody we feel a personal investment in, and Poot becomes a fun and almost comic character despite his own part in the brutal murder of one of his closest friends.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2013 00:33
|
|
|
Not to mention, Poot or Bodie may have killed an innocent bystander child as well (at the very least they caused his death). I think the turning point in his characterization for me comes when Cutty gets out of prison and notes that he knew/worked with Bodie's brother James - 14 years ago, while Bodie was still in diapers. There's a sense of inevitability attached to Bodie's role; he's like a younger, less wise version of D'Angelo.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2013 00:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:39 |
|
|
Jerusalem posted:It really is a testament to the writing on the show (and J. D. Williams' performance) that we feel so bad about his fate even though in season one he (and Poot!) murdered the sweet and "innocent" Wallace. Normally there would be no coming back or redemption for a character after something like that, but Bodie becomes somebody we feel a personal investment in, and Poot becomes a fun and almost comic character despite his own part in the brutal murder of one of his closest friends. I still chuckle about the conversations between Poot and Bodie about Poot's various venereal diseases. Burn them bitches back! cletepurcel posted:Also the first time I saw it, I thought it was Michael that killed him (a lot of people make this mistake) so it was like 2 gut punches in one. First few times for me. I wonder if that was intentional at all, because it also felt like a loss on innocence for Michael.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2013 17:09
|
|
