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I think it's really important to remember something here - Carcetti's decisions about his political chances as Governor come when he's only been the Mayor for a month or so at most, if even that long. His seat isn't even warm yet and he's freaking out because he MIGHT not get to be Governor in TWO years, but have to wait 4 years or 6 years or 8 years. This is purely about self-interest, he knows he's hot with the Party at the moment, he knows that taking the Governor's money would dent his appeal with the Party so he makes the short term, self-interested decision to make the city crawl through austerity measures so he can capitalize on his appeal to get an even better job. He may even believe what he says about doing more good for the city of Baltimore when he becomes Governor, but as noted when he learns that somebody from outside the city is planning to run against him he is quick to offer them State money that COULD go to Baltimore. I imagine the moment he becomes Governor he is already thinking about a run for President... why think of all the good he could do for Baltimore from The White House!Ainsley McTree posted:No, it was a different meeting; I can't remember her name, but she was a black woman with glasses. I think she had glasses anyway. She's a representative from the School Board, if I remember correctly. It becomes pretty plain in the meeting that she is fully aware of the negative audit that the Mayor has just been told about, and is terrified of doing anything out of the ordinary in case City Hall leaps on that to point the blame, even if it is showing demonstrable benefits to the school. She and the Arena Superintendent basically chicken out and don't want to take responsibility, telling Parenti and Colvin that THEY need to be the ones to get approval from City Hall if they want the program to continue, because they sure as hell aren't going to stand up and fight for it. comes along bort posted:That's part of it, but also teacher/public employee unions are a major part of the Democratic fundraising and organizational base. If he took the money it'd essentially doom his future gubernatorial run by pissing off those groups statewide. I imagine that there is also a fear that a State run school system would ignore Baltimore's individual concerns/problems/needs in favor of a one-size-fits-all system intended for other cities and counties in the State. While the city system sure as hell isn't doing much good for the students, at least they're familiar with the problems/issues/needs of the kids/parents/social problems they have to deal with that are Baltimore specific. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 11:45 on Oct 11, 2013 |
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Oct 11, 2013 11:43
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Jerusalem posted:I imagine that there is also a fear that a State run school system would ignore Baltimore's individual concerns/problems/needs in favor of a one-size-fits-all system intended for other cities and counties in the State. While the city system sure as hell isn't doing much good for the students, at least they're familiar with the problems/issues/needs of the kids/parents/social problems they have to deal with that are Baltimore specific. That's sort of the argument made by the existence of the pilot program plot. Which is ironic given that local administrative/curricular control is more often than not a Republican issue (see also the conservative complaints about Common Core Standards).
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Oct 11, 2013 13:33
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Yorkshire Tea posted:
This isn't quite how rainy day funds work. They don't get any revenue of their own, and only receive money when excess money exists in other funds and the taxing unit (in this case, the city of Baltimore) wants to move it to a fund where it can be used for any purpose. It really isn't smart to use this money for a permanent pay bump as there's no guarantee that it will always be there. It's another case of Carcetti playing the short game and having his sights on the statehouse.
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Oct 12, 2013 01:12
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Red Lancer posted:This isn't quite how rainy day funds work. They don't get any revenue of their own, and only receive money when excess money exists in other funds and the taxing unit (in this case, the city of Baltimore) wants to move it to a fund where it can be used for any purpose. It really isn't smart to use this money for a permanent pay bump as there's no guarantee that it will always be there. It's another case of Carcetti playing the short game and having his sights on the statehouse. Thanks, that makes a lot more sense.
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Oct 12, 2013 22:42
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Red Lancer posted:This isn't quite how rainy day funds work. They don't get any revenue of their own, and only receive money when excess money exists in other funds and the taxing unit (in this case, the city of Baltimore) wants to move it to a fund where it can be used for any purpose. It really isn't smart to use this money for a permanent pay bump as there's no guarantee that it will always be there. It's another case of Carcetti playing the short game and having his sights on the statehouse. It's actually the opposite though - it may be the only time we see Carcetti act in the interests of the city. He bumps the police pay as part of a genuine effort to fulfill his crime agenda - at that point he thinks the rainy day thing won't matter because he doesn't know about the school audit. But a year later, because of he turns down the governor's money (the fateful decision where he does have his heart set on the statehouse) he has to literally cut the police pay entirely. How much the cops get paid has nothing to do with his appeal for Governor, the only thing that mattered there was getting more made-up stats.
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Oct 13, 2013 09:02
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Season 4, Episode 12: That's Got His OwnBubbles posted:That all there is to it? In the previous episode, Chris Partlow was given disturbing news by Marlo that Michael was seen standing tall with "Snitch Boy" (Randy). This episode begins with Michael fleeing through the alleyways, pursued relentlessly by Chris and Snoop, and the first thought is that they've decided he is a liability they can't trust after all. It's neat misdirection, after thinking they have him cornered, both Chris and Snoop are shot by Michael from an unexpected hiding place, with Michael approaching Chris to finish him off before the revelation (to the viewer) from Snoop that they're just firing paintguns and this whole thing has been a training exercise. Chris asks Michael to explain why he aimed low on their torsos when he opened fire, and he and Snoop are gratified to hear him echo the instructions they gave in the training sessions we saw earlier - aim for the head if they're close, aim low on the torso if they're at range in case they're wearing a vest. It seems he is also getting these training sessions now, the "snitch boy" concerns have apparently been set aside - they see potential in Michael and they mean to bring it out. Hell, maybe they even value the loyalty he has shown to a friend. As an interesting aside, it pays to point out that Chris would never allow a situation like this to occur if it was NOT a training session. Everything we've seen so far indicates that he is careful to assure he doesn't go into "combat" unless he is in complete control of the situation. Chasing down Michael like he did was an eventuality he wouldn't allow to occur if he could help it, so why train Michael in this type of situation? Because it is necessary that Michael be educated in how to deal with any theoretical situation, before teaching him how to control the battle and ensure it happens in a time and place of his choosing. In this regard, Chris' "training" is much the same as Cutty's, and like Cutty he is showing Michael as gently as he can how much Michael DOESN'T know. Today he learned how to turn a perilous situation to his advantage, I imagine future lessons will teach him how to avoid being in a perilous situation at all if it can be avoided - something that will stand Michael in very good stead in season 5.   At the vacant by the playground on Fulton, the skeletal remains of Lex have been uncovered, giving Bunk closure on the shooter in one case but opening up a whole other murder to be investigated, and potentially many more. The latter is what is troubling Sergeant Landsman, who arrives at the vacant in a fury as Freamon and Bunk discuss entering every house in the row to search for more bodies. He is livid that they've gone out of their way to find even one extra body, but MORE? There are three weeks left in the year, the Unit clearance rate is below 50% and Lester wants to put MORE red names up on the board? Not just any murder either, but moldering John Does - the hardest of any case to solve? He callously tosses aside the nail Freamon shows him (that's evidence!) and warns him that though he is now in Major Crimes, he's still in CID and that means he still has to answer to Landsman's rank - until the Sergeant clears anything up the Chain of Command, he forbids Lester from opening any more houses. He doesn't care that they KNOW there are dead bodies in there, as far as he is concerned, if Marlo Stanfield put them there, then they belong to Marlo Stanfield. At City Hall, Carcetti is also venting, furious that his excited plans for a "new day" have been upset by an unexpected gigantic debt by the School System, especially after he already committed the rainy day fund to a 5% pay increase to the police force. He's summoned Norman - Adviser; Andy Krawcyzk (!) - School Board President; Nerese Campbell - City Council President; the nameless School Board Representative from the previous episode.... and Michael Steintorf - Carcetti's brand new Chief of Staff, who we'll come to know and loathe soon enough. Everybody is quick to deny any wrongdoing or blame in the School System owing 54 million dollars - it happened bit by bit, budget shortfalls being rolled over into the following year - the Council only voted on City Money and never saw what was happening with State Money - the money was spent correctly on programming etc, etc. Steintorf, after quickly being put in his place over trying to blame the Council, decides to move the meeting on - okay so nobody is to blame, then what do they do about the actual problem? Norman suggests bumping the property tax rate which NOBODY comments on, since they like having their jobs. Steintorf recommends scaling back the City Budget and putting pay freezes on everybody for a year or two until they can claw back reducing the debt, but Carcetti can't agree to that, he just got elected on a Law and Order campaign with a promise to clean up the streets, and he's just personally gone around telling every cop he can that they're getting pay increases. Nerese offers the final, most sensible but unpalatable option - he needs to go to Annapolis and beg the Republican Governor for funding to bail out the School System. Norman's idea will turn the voters against him. Steintorf's idea will turn the civil servants against him. Nerese's idea will cost him politically and sidetrack his personal ambitions... temporarily at least. So what is he going to do? Omar watches Cheese, whistling Farmer in the Dell from the back of Renaldo's cab. After all their following/changing targets they're back where they started, outside the concrete playground where Marlo holds court. Demonstrating the value of hiding in plain sight, they're able to pull out of the alley and right by Marlo's watching enforcers, none of them looking twice at a yellow cab heading up the street. Soon Omar and Renaldo are back in their old look-out spot, watching as Cheese meets with Marlo and his men. Cheese, being Cheese, tries to crack jokes with the watching Stanfield men, who simply stare blankly back. Laughing, Cheese refers to them as "Semper Fi motherfuckers" and asks where he can enlist, coughing nervously after the joke falls on deaf ears - they're not here to joke or make friends, this is business. A small boy rushes up with a backpack which is thrown to Cheese, it contains the 25k Marlo was short on after trying to impose his will on Prop Joe re: the New Yorkers being run off. There is another 150k in there as well to bring them up to 600k paid in total, alarming Cheese since Marlo is only down for 400k worth of the heroin shipment coming in. Marlo, still trying to impose HIS way onto Joe, tells Cheese to short somebody else if that is the case, and an uneasy Cheese says he will talk to Joe about what HE wants to do. He tosses them a phone, telling them they'll call when the shipment is ready and they can pick up from the usual place 30 minutes later. Chris informs him they aren't using phones anymore (not mentioning it was at Joe's warning) and Cheese explains that they aren't either - they'll phone from a 958 exchange, there is no need to answer, they can just throw the phone away and go to the meet, and they'll be given a new phone the next time a shipment is due for pick-up. Cheese heads away, and Renaldo asks if they're changing targets yet again and sticking with Marlo? No, Omar knows what he is up to, and he wants to keep on Cheese. At the Major Crimes Unit, Herc can barely believe his eyes and his luck as he, Dozerman and Sydnor watch Marimow furiously packing up his office. Freamon joins them, and Marimow has to bite his tongue and force the closest approximation he can get to a smile as he carries his boxes out of the office and seethingly asks Dozerman to open the door for him. To add insult to injury, Dozerman looks to Freamon first before doing so, and as soon as Marimow is out the door they're all laughing with delight. Herc can't believe it, declaring himself the luckiest man in the world... and then proves he has learned NOTHING from his close shave with career destruction. Freamon leaps right back into action by giving everybody direction - Sydnor is to get back on surveillance of Marlo; Dozerman is to requisition property sales over 100k on the off-chance Marlo has started laundering cash; and Herc is to work on getting back the wiretap equipment that Marimow sent away while Freamon heads down to Missing Persons to investigate possible leads on the Stanfield murders. Everybody jumps into action, but Herc takes Freamon aside, telling him he's cool with Freamon running things... but could they work it so the direction APPEARS to be coming from him? After all... he is a Sergeant! On Namond's corner, he's rather miserably getting his hair braided to avoid being so easily identified by police, though Donut notes that now they'll be after the guy with the distinctive braided pattern to his hair instead. Kenard arrives on the corner, Namond noting how late he is, and Kenard calls him aside to give him bad news - police kicked in his back door and took the stash, they have no more drugs to sell. Namond is horrified, how did they even know where to find the drugs? Kenard insists somebody must have been snitching and he's going to track them down - the threat sounding somehow ominous even though it comes from such a small child. He puts out his fist for Namond to bump, then heads away up the street as Namond watches, knowing for a fact that Kenard is lying and has played him to sell the stash for himself and keep all the money. Fruit did the same thing to Cutty, but being played by a small boy like this must be deeply humiliating - an indication of now just how much of a front his tough-guy act is, but how obvious it is too.   At an eatery called Polock Johnny's, Colvin meets with the Deacon where they joke about pork - the Deacon isn't Muslim but he agrees with their ideas about pigs - before getting down to the serious business - the pilot program being shut down. He explains what progress they've made (remember it was the Deacon who got him into the program in the first place) and why they're currently being shut down - nothing to do with them, but the School Board being concerned about rocking the boat considering the financial crisis they're facing. The Deacon considers and mentions Odell Watkins as a possible help, which is just what Colvin was hoping for - Watkins has Carcetti's ear, and might be able to get them the support they need. Bubbles has also gone looking for help, though not from a religious man. At the Horses' Yard he speaks with the local Arabbers, who he has worked with in the past on their food stalls, about a way to deal with the tormenter that is still attacking him even with Sherrod around. At first the responses are jokey - wait for him to nod off and hit him with a brick! - but soon they turn serious, as they discuss slipping the junkie a hot-shot to either put him in hospital or kill him. One Arabber recommends Sodium Cyanide, which looks like and cooks up just like heroin - it is relatively easy to get hold off and guaranteed to kill. Bubbles is somewhat surprised, giving the epigraph of "That all there is to it?" and in reply is told that it isn't much work to kill somebody who is already killing themselves with drugs. The police won't investigate the overdose death of a junkie too hard either, it's basically going to be down to whether Bubbles can live with taking a life or not - that's a decision he is going to have to make for himself. At Missing Persons, Lester looks through a disturbingly thick pile of missing young adult males, Little Kevin included amongst them. There has been no streetwork on any of them, the detective sadly tells him that they were cut down to just him as sole detective for the "Department" five years ago, and it is all he can do to (barely) keep up with the paperwork alone. He is happy to let Lester take the paperwork away, provided he makes copies and returns the originals. Lester looks over the huge pile of files stacked up everywhere for the poor bastard to deal with and assures him he will. Missing Persons are not a priority in Baltimore, and it is easier to do the bare minimum of having one guy keep files on everybody than to actually actively pursue people who may have just got fed up and moved on... or even worse, discover another whodunnit for Homicide to have to deal with in their clearance records. Michael and Namond discuss the stash being taken, and Michael is quickly picking holes in Kenard's story while Namond tries to back up his "Lieutenant", either unwilling or frightened to admit that Kenard ripped him off. Michael notes that nobody was locked up, questions whether the hinges were broken on the door that was kicked in, and insists that Kenard has ripped him off, while Namond insists that he "sweated" Kenard and assured himself he was telling the truth. Michael insists though, Kenard stole from Namond, and now Namond has to back up his big talk and show everybody what happens when he is crossed. At Butchie's, Omar is reunited with the two enforcers that kept him alive while he was jailed - Donnie and The Big Man. While Renaldo keeps an eye on Cheese, Omar is out hunting up soldiers for what he is planning, though not either of the two big men - he wants to go subtle for this one. Butchie is concerned, though that is pretty much his job. To Omar's delight, one of the feelers he put out has born fruit, as Kimmy enters the bar and warmly greets Omar, while Donnie and The Big Man give her an appreciative (but utterly wasted) look-over. They parted acrimoniously but it seems time heals old wounds, especially since Dante is no longer around, and Omar tells Butchie happily that this is what he was talking about - Kimmy knows how to be subtle.   Miss Anna washes the dishes and Randy dries them when there is a knock on the door, Prez has come by to drop off Randy's homework and offer his hopes that this will all be sorted out by the following week. Miss Anna agrees, but says she is considering moving him to Booker T. Washington school the next term, though she hopes it isn't necessary. Prez offers his best wishes to Randy and leaves, scowling at the obvious unmarked police car parked up the street, the sound of their police radio clear even from this distance - so much for low profile. The next day in Annapolis, Carcetti and Norman are forced to wait on the Governor's pleasure - he's in a Conference Call that has apparently been running for over an hour now, and they both know that it's a deliberate ploy by the Governor to remind him of his place in the world. An assistant arrives to apologize for the wait and offers them coffee which they turn down, Carcetti reminding her he has other appointments he has to keep, and she assures him it won't be much longer. Norman shows him an article in the paper in which the ability of Baltimore to manage its own School System is called into question, infuriating Carcetti who offers rather hopefully that it's just the Governor playing to the suburbs. Norman knows better though, the Governor sees Carcetti as a potential threat at the next election two years down the track, and he's already laying the groundwork to damage his electability. At the Major Crimes Unit, Herc joins Freamon to look over the Missing Persons files. Freamon discards the missing security officer, saying it doesn't fit in with what he thinks of as the general make-up of Marlo's victims. To his great pleasure, Lieutenant Asher walks into the building, confused as to what the hell is going on and why he was removed from the MCU only to be returned to it after only a few months in Telephone Reporting. Freamon happily asks how his beach house is going before moving on, welcoming him back and getting back to the Missing Persons files. Asher seems suspicious but thinks nothing more of it, returning to his office while Herc asks Freamon who he is. Freamon happily reports that Herc is looking at THE most effective supervisor in the Baltimore Police Department. The Governor's Assistant apologizes again for the ongoing delay, leaving Carcetti and Norman sitting on their asses on the bench with no choice but to wait. At Edward Tilghman, Prez is confronting Donnelly about Dukie being shifted into High School, warning that he's not ready for it yet - the others sure (they're not either, but Prez has no personal investment in them) but not Dukie! Donnelly, not unkindly, informs Prez of the facts - she knows that Prez has "adopted" Dukie, that he's been better nourished, in cleaner clothes and sometimes even smelling of soap. She knows that Prez has taken an interest in helping him, and she doesn't question this.... but she does point out that he has to be able to let go. He and his wife don't have kids? Then they should have some, because for better or worse those will be theirs for life. Students like Dukie will be Prez's for a certain amount of time only and then move on, and there will always be more students coming along behind him who need just as much help. For his own good, he can't become too attached. In the Pilot Program class, the students are bitterly complaining about the new emphasis being put on teaching the test, which goes completely against the reasoning for the Pilot Program being created in the first place. Parenti knows it, Colvin knows it, and all they can do is sit and watch as their hard work goes down the drain. Namond - troubled for his own reasons re: Kenard - shares a look with Colvin, who can't help but show his own disappointment as they go through the motions of faking progress to create misleading statistics to make people feel better about the state of education and congratulate themselves that,"the system works!" Ironically, in Prez's class the opposite is happening. Prez is attempting to teach a problem which suddenly becomes a question and answer session about why people get married, with Prez explaining the importance of intimacy in more than just a sexual sense. He talks about building a life together, sharing it with somebody you care for, enjoying each other's company and having fun - like tickling each other! "Tickle these nuts!" replies one student, much to everybody's amusement... including Prez's! He hides his smile and tells everybody to get back to work on the test, and when they moan he reminds them that soon the test will be over and they can go back to the regular teaching they prefer. They ask if they can talk more about things like intimacy then, and he agrees... provided he doesn't get too embarrassed in the process. In the Pilot Program, things have degenerated, as the students complain that there is no difference between this class and the regular ones. In the background, Colvin and Parenti mutter agreement - not only does "The Test" not speak to the world that these students live in, it doesn't even speak to Colvin's own.   Lester meets with Pearlman and Daniels to discuss Lester's problem with Marlo's dead bodies - he knows they're out there, he knows how to find them.... and he is being forbidden from doing so because of the stats, even in spite of the "new day" promises. Pearlman is shocked, at least 12 murders? Maybe more? Freamon can link Lex's murder to Marlo and at least two of the others were on the wire when he was working it months back, so yes he can link them. They're getting back up on the Stanfield Organization now, but they need to work it hard, so he's come to Daniels. Reassuring himself of his own suspicions, he asks if Landsman ran this up to them like promised, and of course he did not - Landsman doesn't want his Unit saddled with a dozen new murders, he was never going to go up the chain of command. Pearlman tells Daniels it is his call, Bond isn't going to be interested until there are case files to work from, and after reviewing Lester's notes he promises that he WILL take it up the chain of command and see what he can get Lester. It's the same promise that Landsman made, but unlike Landsman he intends to keep it. Carcetti and Norman are STILL waiting, and when the Assistant is sent out again they decide gently caress it and walk out despite her assurances it won't be much longer. Storming down the corridors, Carcetti rants furiously about the fact he's the Mayor of a major US City being forced to sit around waiting, ignoring Norman's reminder that in the same position he would probably do the same thing to a potential political rival. Carcetti hates being on the other end of that type of thing, reading from a newspaper article in which the Governor claimed that "those are my kids in Baltimore too", giving vent to his rage until they're almost out the door. There, they're stopped by a security guard (actually the then current REAL Governor of Maryland!) who tells them that he's just recieved a call that the Governor is now ready to see them. It's another power play, but when Norman reminds him that 54 million is a lot to walk away from, they turn and walk straight back up the corridor, Norman merrily singing,"We won't go until we get some!" to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" being played over the building's speaker system.   In his shack, Bubbles makes up vials with the Cyanide, wearing a bandanna over his mouth to keep from inhaling any of the poison, wearing rubber gloves to keep it from getting on his skin. He's dealing with lethal stuff, and he knows it. In Prez's class during a break, a sad Dukie asks Prez if he did something wrong - for him, getting into High School isn't something to celebrate, it feels like a punishment. Prez offers encouragement, he's earned making the step up and Prez knows that Dukie can make it. He promises him he'll be able to stop back by to make use of the showers if he needs to. Dukie, grateful to Prez for everything he has done, decides to show him how to operate the computer, something that Prez probably already knows easily how to deal with - but Dukie insists that he needs to do it in case he isn't around, and Prez allows himself to be "taught" to make Dukie feel better. Bubbles stares at the vials of cyanide in his hand, then places them in his pocket and takes a breath, committing himself to the act, feeling he has no choice in the matter. He brings his shopping carts outside as Sherrod comes up the alley, and gives Sherrod some good news - he has divided the inventory into two carts and he wants Sherrod to work one while he works the other, dividing up territory between them. Sherrod is surprised but pleased, Bubbles asking him if he is ready and handing over half the cash in order to give out change. Tickled pink, Sherrod is eagerly to prove himself, and he and Bubbles go their separate ways with a smile - Bubbles giving him a warning to just hand over cash to the junkie tormenter if he runs into him, he considers Sherrod more important than the cash. Namond and Michael walk up an alley, Namond having worked himself up to confronting his tiny Lieutenant after all and asking Michael to come along with him in case "things get out of hand", as if Namond might fly into some kind of hulked up fury. Dukie catches up to them and lets them know that Miss Anna is considering moving Randy to a different school, clearly not pleasing Michael. He and Dukie continue on their way, Namond saying goodbye to go his own way. Daniels meets with Rawls to discuss Lester's problem, and the problem the Department might be facing if an extra dozen bodies or more suddenly show up on the stats. However, Daniels has been thinking about that, and he has a rather surprising suggestion for Rawls - why not turn use the Stats game to the advantage of quality police work for a change? If they pull the bodies out of the vacants before New Years, then the stats will reflect Mayor Royce's last year in office, NOT Carcetti's. In fact, it will give Carcetti an advantage in his first official year of crime stats, as the bodies would be found eventually, and finding a dozen new ones would probably give Marlo second-thought to dropping bodies with such impunity. Rawls is impressed, noting that Daniels has thought things through politically, but when Daniels happily agrees he catches a sense that Rawls isn't entirely too pleased with Daniels showing political long-sightedness. He makes Daniels promise not to bring this up with anyone else, this is now Rawls' problem to deal with.... and Daniels' idea is now Rawls' to take credit for. Michael and Dukie round a corner laughing about the girls at Dukie's soon-to-be high school when they spot a very disturbing sight. Dukie's house has been cleared out, furniture piled up on the street and a notice of eviction on the door. Dukie has no idea where his family is, not only is he losing the familiarity of Edward Tilghman but now he's homeless and family-less as well. Michael, no stranger to negligent parents, reveals that he and Bug now have their own place away from their junkie mother, and makes a kind offer to let Dukie come and stay with them. Dukie, who hardly has any other option, nods his head in agreement, and the two continue on up the street. There may be worse things than having a mother who doesn't take an interest in their lives, though. Namond has revealed to his mother that Kenard ripped him off, and she's furious at him, demanding to know what he is going to do about it. She refuses to listen to any of his excuses or his insistence that he is trying his best, screeching at him that he's making a mockery of his name, acting like a bitch and disgracing his father who stood tall on the streets like a man. He snaps back that Wee-Bey being "a man" got him locked up for the rest of his life and she slaps him hard, yelling at him that Wee-Bey walked into prison a man and he'll walk out a man, disgusted to see tears in Namond's eyes. Overwhelmed by his mother's endless pressure to live up to a legendary father who was brought up hard while he was brought up enjoying every luxury, he grabs his coat and storms out the door, for once ignoring her as she roars at him to come back, she's not done tearing into him yet. He heads up the road, desperate to just get away from her somehow. Michael and Dukie have never had a parent who cared, but like D'Angelo once complained, sometimes family make it difficult to breathe.   McNulty has joined Bunk and Freamon at a bar for a drink, though of course he's drinking responsibly while the other two are well on their way to a drunken stupor. Freamon is upset, he's a Murder Police (well kind of!) and he's got a bunch of bodies that he's not allowed to "find" for bullshit reasons. McNulty of course jumps straight to what - for him - is an obvious conclusion, just go over Landsman's head. Bunk laughs that this is a McNulty play, but Freamon isn't that dumb, and Freamon doesn't correct him or let on he has been to see Daniels. Bunk, as usual, shifts onto talking about sex instead, so while Freamon lauds Marlo's genius, Bunk laments that Jennifer Lopez is in a relationship with a little bitty Spanish guy who can't fill that "prime cut of rear end". Freamon pulls out the nail he collected and exclaims it is the key to finding Marlo's dead bodies, and Bunk laughs that Freamon is acting like he is chasing Pol Pot ("Who?" asks a confused Jimmy). Freamon, drunkenly wanting to prove his point, throws $10 on the bar and declares if they look in any boarded up vacant with a nail like this, they'll find a body. Bunk convinces him to make it $20, suggests they have another drunk before going looking, and tries to get McNulty in on the action too. But McNulty has drunk his limit and is ready to head home, and when Bunk tries to mock him, McNulty grabs his head and forces it towards his crotch, telling him to drink that, while Freamon continues to peer at the nail. Namond has been worked up by his mother's accusations to want to lash out at something, and Kenard seems the best bet. Collecting Michael along the way, he heads to a corner where Kenard is hanging out and demands to know why Kenard ripped him off, saying he checked Kenard's door and his story is bullshit. Kenard knows he has been caught out, but he doesn't cower or panic or beg for mercy or make justifications, he just snaps at Namond to get on with it, clearly expecting a beating. Namond is taken aback, unsure how to deal with this, still not able to get physically aggressive beyond pushing and shoving, no idea how to deal with Kenard's complete indifference. Kenard, who has long suspected that Namond has no backbone, goads him for his hesitation. He calls him a gump, taunting him for his pathetic threats, all while Michael glares in the background... and then Michael acts. Out of nowhere he's viciously beating the foul-mouthed little boy, who stares in utter shock up at the bigger boy as Michael lays in short, hard punches directly to his face. Namond is horrified, watching as Michael works with brutal indifference, no expression on his face as he wails on a small child. In the background, defusing the horror slightly but also showing the screwed up culture of the drug trade, a voice cries out with glee,"Look at that little nigga getting his rear end beat!" as Michael hits Kenard with one last punch that drops him to the ground. Kenard lies on his back, blood around his face, eyes staring emptily at nothing above him, in an utter daze of pain and shock while Michael spits at Namond that he talks too drat much, just get his package back so they can go. Namond, horrified, backs away and gasps that he doesn't want it, then turns and runs away into the night, leaving a confused and angry Michael behind.   In a vacant, a slightly sobered up Freamon and Bunk stand over a dead body, not quite decayed like Lex's was. They're still drunk enough for Bunk to complain it is too dark to see the notes in his wallet so he can't pay up the bet. They step outside where McNulty is waiting, Freamon nailing the board back up, and McNulty asks if he should call it in. Bunk says no, he's too drunk to work the scene, and Freamon says no too, because even though they have now proven the body is physically there, it still doesn't exist until the bosses say it does. So they'll have to keep quiet until Daniels can ride to the rescue, though when he does, they'll be working a major case and McNulty will be missing out. McNulty grins and insists that the bosses will find a way to gently caress it up like they always do, but Freamon still believes that there is a "new day" coming - things are going to be different now. Bubbles returns home, having walked the streets not even attempting to make a sale, just looking out for his tormenter without any luck. Inside, Sherrod is already back and sleeping, so Bubbles looks through inventory and seems pleased by the day's sales. He takes off the coat and settles down his bed, spotting the money that Sherrod has left there, and smiles - maybe it wasn't such a wasted day after all. The next morning, Carver brings the men watching Randy's place some food and heads to the door to check in on him. Randy opens the door after Carver identifies himself, and Miss Anna joins them. Carver explains they're still watching the house and they expect this to be all over within a week or so, and asks if Randy will be returning to school. She's still keeping him at home, though she dislikes leaving him unsupervised while she works. Randy stares at Carver with distrust, after all it was him who hooked him up with Herc in the first place, but Miss Anna is more than pleasant, offering him some breakfast and refusing to take no for an answer. Any other show, and this scene and the one in a previous episode where Carver and Miss Anna talked about Randy at the dinner table like they were his parents would make you think romance was in the air - but the Wire isn't any other show. Bubbles wakes up from a good night's sleep full of ideas. The knocked down street light made him realize that if they take a hacksaw, they can climb up and knock the top couple of feet off of the odd street light here and there, making sure that people still have enough light but that they can trade in for cash at a scrapyard. He still has to deal with some "other" business though, but its clear he's thinking for the first time in awhile of long term plans and the growth of their "business". Sherrod doesn't answer as Bubbles chatters away, making his bed and settling back down on it, clearing his eyes. He looks over at his shopping cart and notices that the coat he placed there the night before is no longer there, it fell to the floor during the night.... and that Sherrod isn't lying in bed, he's lying on the floor beside the cart. Horror overtakes him as he realizes what has happened, and he rushes in a panic to Sherrod's side, dropping to his knees and finding a now empty vial in the young man's hands. "What did you do!?! What did you do!?!" he demands in despair, listening to Sherrod's heart, attempting to give him CPR, begging him to come on before breaking down into disbelieving tears. Sherrod is dead, and Bubbles' hotshots are to blame.... is Bubbles to blame, too? At the MCU, Freamon is getting frustrated. Sydnor has gotten back onto the various players in Marlo's organization and discovered that they've stopped using burners, all of them are still out on the corners but none of them are making calls anymore. Before all the bullshit with Marimow, they were on the wire and collecting information from the surprisingly security-lax Organization... and now they're back and Marlo has learned to be careful. To make matters worse, two men from IID show up with some bad news, they're hear to see Herc to discuss a camera he requisitioned, as well as his paperwork on a couple of informants. It's not just Herc they're after either, they also want to speak with Detectives Sydnor and Dozerman, though here Herc actually demonstrates what little integrity he does have. Standing up, he tells them that there is no need to talk to the other two, the paperwork on the camera and the informants is all on him, and he leaves with both of them, knowing his career is effectively over. At least he went out with some dignity, though as Sydnor warned him a long time ago, he could have probably avoided the worst of this if he'd just stepped out in front and admitted his gently caress-ups right from the very beginning. Rawls joins a busy Carcetti and Norman at City Hall, where he informs him of the potentially large number of dead bodies to be found in the vacants, all of them presumed to be the work of a single drug organization. Rawls tells him that in HIS opinion they should get the bodies out sooner rather than later, so that the bump in the stats affects Royce's final year and not his first one. Carcetti thanks him for his consideration but complains that he wants an end to stats games, the bodies need to be "found" because that is the right thing to do.... but then he smiles and tells Rawls he would appreciate it if it happened before the New Year. Rawls, basking in the Mayor's appreciation and successfully stealing Daniels' thunder, thanks him and heads off to give the order. At Edward Tilghman, Dukie sits at the computer and watches the rest of the class happily go about their teaching - all except for Michael, who is sitting considering his own concerns. Prez is helping Charlene understand math with the assistance of some lego blocks, everybody else is chatting or working or generally being productive. The bell rings and a sad Dukie turns off the computer, gets up and walks out of the class with a lingering look back - he'll be heading to High School come the New Year. Carcetti meets with Norman, Steintorf, Nerese and his Budget Adviser to discuss the Governor's offer of State Money to bail out the school system.... and it is not a very palatable deal. As Norman puts it, taking the money will bring the schools to broke and hosed up to merely hosed up, but there are a couple of conditions attached designed to massively handicap Carcetti. Not only would the deal give the State more oversight into the school system, but it would remove union protection for tenured staff as well. It's a deal designed to drat Carcetti if he does and drat him if he doesn't - it'll cost him potential votes in a Governor's race down the line (why did we have to pay for money for your city's hosed up schools?) or anger middle-class black Baltimore citizens (why'd you refuse to take the money and sell out our children's futures?). Nerese seems delighted, telling Carcetti that either way she and the Council will tear him a new one and make sure he gets all of the blame. Norman advises him to take the deal, as does the Budget Adviser, while Steintorf shakes his head an empathatic no and Nerese refuses to give him advice one way or the other. What she does note is that she's glad she isn't the Mayor right now, causing Carcetti to give a forced smile. Better news comes Freamon's way, as he is summoned to Daniels' office and given the news - word has come down from up top that they can go into the vacants and get the bodies out. Freamon is delighted, and agrees that MCU will need more manpower to deal with this case, especially now that Herc is facing an IID investigation. Daniels is surprised to hear that, he recommended relatively light punishment for the car stop on the Minister, but Freamon tells him this feels a little bigger than just a car stop. Daniels gives him leave to take two detectives from Homicide from now, with maybe more to come once he's up on the wire. Freamon heads outside, where he finds Kima happily chatting on the phone about a girl she saw at a club. When she notices Freamon looking she asks what he wants and he asks her how she is enjoying Homicide. She LOVES it, why does he ask? He just considers thoughtfully and heads away, already planning his A-Team to run the Stansfield Case. At Prop Joe's store, Slim gives him the word - the latest shipment has arrived. Joe, as promised, puts through a call to Omar in order to let him know where to hit Marlo AFTER he picks up his drugs, but Omar is playing a game with far bigger stakes than that. Cheese has also gotten the call, and he and the others in his crew follow Joe's nephew as he drives to collect the shipment and break it up for members of the Co-Op. At Cutty's Gym, Michael is working the heavy bag and Dukie is using the jumping rope when Namond arrives. Clearly uncertain and nervous after the previous night's incident, he tries to play it off, joking with an indifferent Michael about feeling like he could "pancake a young'un", getting no response. He turns to Dukie instead and asks if he wants to spar a little, and when Dukie says pleasantly that he's working the rope, Namond jokes that he's working it like a gump before looking back at Michael for approval. Omar and his crew arrive at the isolated old warehouse where the shipment is being delivered, setting up to make their move. Omar laughs at the sight of Kimmy, who has made herself up to look like a prostitute with a bad habit, and tells Renaldo to call his friends and let them know where they are - it's showtime. Namond continues to verbally accost Dukie, accusing him of stinking, and Michael has finally had enough. Shoving Namond against the wall, he begins open-hand slapping his shocked best friend, not pounding him like he did Kenard but humiliating him with his strikes. Cutty rushes to break them up, grabbing Michael by the hand and glaring him in the eyes, and Michael does NOT look down - the boy who once instinctively looked away when faced with an authority figure stares right back at Cutty, snaps,"gently caress this!" and shoves Namond into the wall before storming out. Cutty, furious, yells at him to go, they don't want him anyway, and turns back to Namond who has broken down into tears, his own life completely falling apart. Privileged he may have been for most of his life, but he's a victim just like Michael, Dukie and Randy.   Cheese and his muscle wait out back of the warehouse/factory, having arrived early and thus given Omar time to get he and his crew into position. Despite Joe's cautious nature, Cheese and his men have done only the most cursory of checks - after all, who would know this location? As they prepare to unload the drugs and pay over the cash, Renaldo climbs onto the roof, Omar gets into position and Kimmy gets into character. She staggers down the hill from the tracks to the factory, singing and shouting a slurred hello to the two guys guarding the door, putting on a flirty act and asking for $10, much to the guard's disgust. She offers to suck his dick for $15 or to show him what is under her skirt, and he shouts at her that nobody wants to see that stinkbox... but his eyes drop down to her legs as she begins to slide her tight mini-skirt up her stockings. A painting van arrives, blocking the exit much to Cheese and his enforcers' concern, Cheese pulling a gun as they yell at the confused men getting out to go away. "We're painters, we paint!" they insist, heading to the back of the van. Meanwhile, Omar appears around the corner behind the two guards on the door, distracted by Kimmy, and gets their attention, shotgun drawn. Kimmy pulls her own gun, and a whistle from the roof shows them that Renald has them covered from that angle too. The painters pull guns from their van and Cheese and his men immediately throw their hands up, Cheese placing his own gun on the ground, knowing he's covered. Grinning, Omar asks who is going to open the back of the truck, and when nobody responds Kimmy shoots the guard she was flirting with in the back. He drops in agony and the other guard, muttering,"Amateurs" in an East European accent, goes straight to the door to get it open. In Cutty's gym, Namond takes a drink, sitting between Cutty and Carver. He doesn't know what to do, and when Carver offers to take him home he begins to break down, insisting he can't go home... his mother wants him to be his father, but he just can't do that, he isn't like him. Cutty, who presumably called Carver, asks what is going on with Michael, and a weepy Namond tells them that "Mike ain't Mike no more", telling how he hosed up a boy last night, before returning to his mantra - he can't go home. Cutty and Carver step aside to confer, Cutty saying he made a mistake in shutting out Michael, that Namond did push Michael and Cutty overreacted to the violence. Carver points out that Namond sure as hell isn't pushing anybody now, and Cutty says he'll go find him and try to mend fences, but he looks over at Namond and gives Carver the honest truth - his gym isn't a house, Namond can't stay there.   The Deacon pops in to see Odell Watkins, the two joking about him sneaking past Watkin's people and how he only sees him when he wants a favor. He explains he is here on behalf of Bunny Colvin, who is standing outside and overhears Watkins note grumpily that Colvin was the one who tried to "legalize drugs". A call buzzes on Colvin's phone - presumably Carver's - but he doesn't take it, summoned in to see Watkins and telling him he's hear about another "big idea". To Watkins' credit, he frowns but still offers them a seat, willing to hear them out. Cutty goes to Michael's home, asking the woman who answers if she is Michael's mother. She assumes he is police and he corrects her, and learns that Michael got his own place and no longer lives there, and he took Bug with him. She doesn't know where the place is, and complains that Cutty had better tell Michael she needs help around here, muttering that she shot him and Bug out of her rear end but they've forgotten where they came from. Namond is back on the same bench he slept on in Carver's office not so long ago, asking Carver if his mother was mad when Carver called. Colvin arrives and offers a supportive hand on Namond's shoulder, they heads out into the corridor with Carver where they discuss De'Londa - when Carver called, she replied,"Put that bitch in baby booking where he belongs so he can learn something" and hung up before he could even tell her they had no charge. Night falls and an anonymous call is made from a payphone to the police, warning that an officer is taking a beating on a nearby street, now shots are being fired! The phone is hung up, and the call goes out of an officer in need of assistance - and who should be nearest to the incident? Why the two plainclothes officers watching Randy's house, of course. They head away at once, siren blaring, and within seconds two hooded men rush the house and toss molotov cocktails through the windows, and in moments the whole place is blazing. Joe lights up too, smoking a cigar as Cheese explains how they got hit - losing not just a package but the entire shipment. He insists there was no chance to resist, Omar was rolling with a Commando Squad! One ho was pulling guns out of her pussy... poo poo was unseemly! Joe can't help but appreciate Omar's play, he didn't see it coming at all, he's been completely outsmarted in revenge for his own playing of Omar to get Marlo into the Co-Op. Cheese is furious though, he wants to get together as many people as he can and turn the city upside down finding Omar, insisting that is the way poo poo is done. Joe offers a counter though, an important one - before they can worry about revenge on Omar, they have to worry about convincing the Co-Op that they weren't in on this scheme... after all, they already collected the money from all the individual members, including 600k from Marlo. Cutty heads around the streets and alleyways until he finally spots Michael standing on a corner with a group of others, and heads straight for him wanting to sort this out. He apologizes for the way he handled things but explains he can't allow outside problems to enter the Gym. Michael just glares at him, and sitting on the stoop mostly in shadow, the Stanfield Organization's #3 Lieutenant - Monk - warns Cutty to clear out. Cutty grabs at Michael's arm and he slaps him away, telling him not to touch him, and Monk stands up and gets in Cutty's face, telling him the boy doesn't want him touching him - Monk is not a nice person, but on one subject he can always be relied on, he looks after his own. Cutty grunts at Monk that if he was talking to him, he'd know it, and Monk replies simply enough... by pulling out a gun and shooting him twice in the leg. Cutty goes down in a heap and Monk, almost looking bored, prepares to finish him off with a shot to the head, but Michael stops him. Indifferent, Monk heads away with the others in tow, and Michael squats down beside Cutty, telling him he'll wait till the ambulance arrives at least. The Chinese storekeeper rushes outside, yells something to Cutty and runs back in, presumably to call the ambulance or the police. Cutty tells Michael calmly to go, he should be with "his" people, and after only a moment's hesitation, Michael heads away, putting up his hoody and putting his childhood behind him - he's Michael Lee, Stanfield Soldier now. Carver arrives at the hospital, not to see Cutty but somebody far worse off. He's gone to the Burn Unit, where on a white board he sees that Miss Anna is in critical/stable condition with 2nd/3rd degree burns. He heads on down the corridor and sees Randy sitting in the waiting room staring at nothing, sooty but otherwise unhurt. Carver settles down beside him and tells him he is sorry, promising to talk to Social Services and get him some help. Like Cutty he reaches out to the young boy, and like Michael the young boy knocks his hand away. Unable to put into words his guilt and sadness, Carver gets up and starts to walk away, and Randy speaks up - spitting back Carver's earlier words to him - he's going to help, huh? He's going to look after him? As Carver continues to walk down the corridor, Randy's angry, grieving words follow him - he's got his back, huh? He's going to look out for him? Carver has no answer, and can only walk away - there was nothing he could do, but that isn't going to assuage his guilt, comfort Randy or heal Miss Anna. The Wire isn't like other television shows, there was no happy ending for Randy the moment he became a "snitch".    
Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:02 on Oct 13, 2013 |
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Oct 13, 2013 10:59
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 Links for the OP Episode 11: A New Day Episode 12: That's Got His Own
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Oct 13, 2013 11:02
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Some interesting things to consider/discuss (I hope!): The episode title "That's Got His Own" refers to a Billie Holiday song which itself is loosely based on a biblical verse. God Bless The Child That's Got His Own - those who have will have more, those without will lose what they have. Which - if any - of the kids do you think has "got his own"? Who is to blame for Sherrod's death? Which of Carcetti's options were truly better - turning down the money and retaining City control of the school system or taking the money and giving the State more control and damaging the union? Is it cold of Donnelly to recommend Prez not get too attached, or does that lead to teachers who don't really care/start seeing pupils as nothing but numbers? Was Kenard stupid to so obviously rip off Namond? He seemed to assume Namond would beat him up till he realized he wasn't going to, why risk a beating on something so obvious and get cut out of the ongoing corner action? Could Carver have done anything more for Randy?
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Oct 13, 2013 11:28
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Jerusalem posted:
I always thought of Donnelly as a person who knew the system, decided to work within the system and make the best out of a very, very bad situation. I think she is right in a sense to tell Prez not to get too attached, he'll burn out and not be able to do his job; a job I have no doubt isn't exactly the most desirable. She clearly sees potential in Prez as a force for good in the school but him getting too invested in individual cases (and as a result having a good chance of packing it all in out of disgust for the system) would end up curtailing that overall good and hurting the school in the long run, at least in her eyes. It seems to be a classic example of "Macro" vs "Micro" that pops up in this show. Whether she's right or wrong I really have no answer to, but I believe she is a good person trying to make change from within which, unfortunately, seems futile. In the end I think she was cold but very fair.
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Oct 13, 2013 12:30
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Jerusalem posted:Is it cold of Donnelly to recommend Prez not get too attached, or does that lead to teachers who don't really care/start seeing pupils as nothing but numbers? Here I can weigh in. Donnelly is generally pretty cold-hearted, and the way she phrased the subject to Prez was unnecessarily rough ( I would be seriously pissed to hear a colleague talk about whether or not myself and my significant other should have kids). Still, in substance she is absolutely right. At the end of the day, your students are not your friends and you are damned sure not their parents. They show up in your life for a short time, you get to know them, and hopefully most of them stand up on their own two feet afterwards. That's your job. If you take too much of a personal involvement then you can impede that. As far as Carver, I think he should have put up more of a fight about adopting Randy. At least filled out some paperwork. At the end of the day the only thing Carver did wrong with Randy was to trust Herc. Given where they were at the beginning, this was a reasonable thing for Carver to do, but Carver still bears responsibility. And any sliver of responsibility for something as awful as what happened to Randy's foster parents is huge. Plus I think that of all the boys, Randy could have most benefited from a good situation. twerking on the railroad fucked around with this message at 12:54 on Oct 13, 2013 |
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Oct 13, 2013 12:48
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I read it as Donnelly recognizing Prez as one of the few teachers who can hack it, and warning that he can only give so much of himself regardless of how capable he is. She's never presented as incompetent (rather the opposite), so it's probably safe to assume she's aware which teachers are working out, and especially in distressed schools the ones who can handle it, let alone effectively teach, are extremely rare. Sounded more like she didn't want to lose a natural teacher.
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Oct 13, 2013 14:15
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Jerusalem posted:Which of Carcetti's options were truly better - turning down the money and retaining City control of the school system or taking the money and giving the State more control and damaging the union? He had a third option: increase property taxes. Political suicide, but the right thing to do.
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Oct 13, 2013 15:00
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Skeesix posted:As far as Carver, I think he should have put up more of a fight about adopting Randy. At least filled out some paperwork. At the end of the day the only thing Carver did wrong with Randy was to trust Herc. Given where they were at the beginning, this was a reasonable thing for Carver to do, but Carver still bears responsibility. And any sliver of responsibility for something as awful as what happened to Randy's foster parents is huge. Plus I think that of all the boys, Randy could have most benefited from a good situation. This is definitely more my arena, and while I don't know the procedures for Maryland, it's honestly not difficult at all to work around the foster system long enough to get certified as a foster parent, adoption is more difficult but still doable, it just takes time. What Carver could have pretty easily done is just shelter Randy as a runaway from the group home, nothing would have stopped Randy from walking out the front door of that place, and no DHS agent would be so picky as to object. We pretty routinely have kids running away from their foster placement and staying with relatives/friends/girlfriends who aren't certified or their legal placement, and our first criteria is that the kid has a safe place to go; besides, what's the benefit in having the police drag the kid back when they can jus run off again, causing further bad interactions between the kid and the system, and damage your relationship with them in the process? Once the kid is safe, fed, has a place to go, and is making an effort to go to school and court and whatnot, then DHS is willing to fight the battle of where the kid is "supposed" to be living. That Carver is caring, involved, and a police officer would just be an added bonus. Now, whether Randy would be willing to go and stay with Carver is a bit more up in the air given their damaged relationship and his recent trauma, but that's kind of a moot point I suppose. As for the actual foster certification process, it's not too bad either, for us it's a matter of weeks for most homes, especially given that the state has a vested interest in seeing kids placed with relatives or other caring, familiar adults, rather than with a strange foster parent or facility; this is doubly so with Carver as he likely makes enough that he wouldn't qualify for the bigger foster stipends, so he'd be cheaper than a foster home, and we all know how big a bonus that is for the state. Adoption is another matter, it requires quite a bit of legal work and time, but remember that the state is Randy's current guardian, so their people would be taking care of much of it, not Carver, and they'd be all for getting a kid out of the foster system, both so they didn't have to pay for his placement, and so they get a kid off their caseload. TLDR: that issue I suspect is more a dramatic decision than one grounded in reality, but this bears the caveat I haven't worked in Maryland, and their laws/regulations/processes may be different.
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Oct 13, 2013 16:48
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Yeah I feel like they took a bit of dramatic liberty with how Carver gives up on adopting Randy so quickly. It's season 4's equivalent of Pearlman letting Frank leave the MCU office. Still, the ending of season 4 is such a brilliant tragedy that I can't really complain. Regarding Carcetti's choice I don't feel like it was black and white but the important takeaway is that he's doing it for the wrong reasons. It should be noted that greater state oversight and weakening of the teacher's union are not good things (re: the latter, if there were a conservative version of season 4, it would have pinned all the blame on the teachers) but Carcetti sure as hell isn't considering that when he turns down the money, he's thinking about himself. I remember reading this is an actual ripped from the headlines story that the actual Governor seen in this episode (Robert Ehrlich) and the IRL Carcetti, Martin O'Malley had to deal with. I feel like Donnelly was trying to give Prez a pragmatic view of his job. Much like how the Homicide detectives specifically can't, and don't, care too much about the victims, if you care too much about the kids good teachers can get burnt out. I recognize that isn't a perfect analogy though; obviously a teacher has to be more compassionate to begin with. I'm stealing yet another thing from Sepinwall's reviews but I feel Donnelly should be understood as the Landsman of the school system - the semi-sympathetic guardian of the system. Who is to blame for Sherrod's death? With the police option apparently exhausted (I wonder now why Bubbs didn't go to McNulty for help though - surely he knew McNulty was working the Western beat?) it's hard to see how he had another option to deal with the tormentor. What he should have done in retrospect is told Sherrod about what he was planning to do, and told him which vial to avoid. I feel he probably didn't do it to help him avoid the burden of being involved in killing someone - unlike that fat idiot Little Kevin (RIP). grading essays nude fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Oct 13, 2013 |
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Oct 13, 2013 20:14
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I agree that the Carver/Randy adoption/fostering idea is handled more from a dramatic than a realistic point of view. It is interesting that Carver tries to work within the system and is left frustrated, while the older and wiser Colvin steps outside the system and goes straight to Wee-Bey (via Cutty) to informally adopt Namond. I doubt there is ever anything official about Namond going to live with this man and woman who bear no blood relationship to him whatsoever, but it bypasses all the bullshit and bureaucracy and just gets something done. Of course this kind of "common sense" approach only works in certain cases, and would be ripe for abuse if everybody tried to handle things that way. That's one of the problems with the system, whether it is the police or education or social services - a lot of these restrictive bureaucratic processes actually have a very good reason for existing, but the system is so overloaded and overwritten and suffering from years of conflicting ideologies and politics that it often ends up doing more harm than good at an individual level.Orange Devil posted:He had a third option: increase property taxes. Political suicide, but the right thing to do. Good point - Norman brings it up and they just immediately move on, because they know no politician would ever dare to do it.
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Oct 14, 2013 00:54
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Jerusalem posted:Some interesting things to consider/discuss (I hope!): I see Kenard's theft as him trying to push Namond- he's seen that Namond doesn't have the instincts or the heart for the game, and I think he legitimately thought there was a possibility that Namond either wouldn't realize he'd been scammed or else wouldn't be willing to step up and do something about it- and even if he does, Namond's soft enough to give him another chance. He's certainly right about the latter, and I didn't get the sense that Namond initially realized that Kenard was playing him; it was only later, upon further reflection, that it even occurred to him to doubt the flimsy story he'd been fed. It's also possible that Kenard wasn't even thinking about that at all- his sense of consequences doesn't seem to be especially strong, especially given how he just caps Omar right in front of a witness. As has been noted before, none of Carcetti's options are "good," each one has very significant drawbacks- what's important is not what he chooses so much as why he chooses it. Taking the money isn't a panacea; leaving aside state control of the schools, which is kind of ill-defined, the ability to dismiss tenured faculty with cause is, as I understand it, a very significant concession, only a few steps behind doing away with tenure entirely. Recall the previous episode, when Burrell points out that he can use police regulations to get even a saint fired if necessary- how hard do you think that sort of scenario would be to engineer for the school system? As far as Sherrod's death goes, as heartless as it sounds, I feel that Bubbles really does bear primary responsibility- not sole, by any means, but Sherrod died as a direct consequence of Bubbles' decision to pursue a violent solution to his problem. I don't blame him, though; he was placed in a lovely situation and made the best call he could, given what he knew. This is one of the biggest elements of his redemption during season 5, I think- the realization that one can bear responsibility for even something as terrible as ending someone's life without necessarily being a worse person for it. Also, I love the shot of Krawczyk when Carcetti starts asking how the budget shortfall could have come about- he looks incredibly uncomfortable when Carcetti starts asking about the possibility of fraud or embezzlement. I don't think Krawczyk is stupid enough to have done anything blatantly illegal, mind you, but what are the odds that he hasn't used his position as school board chairman to enrich himself in some way?
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Oct 14, 2013 09:00
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Chaos Triangle posted:I see Kenard's theft as him trying to push Namond- he's seen that Namond doesn't have the instincts or the heart for the game, and I think he legitimately thought there was a possibility that Namond either wouldn't realize he'd been scammed or else wouldn't be willing to step up and do something about it- and even if he does, Namond's soft enough to give him another chance. He's certainly right about the latter, and I didn't get the sense that Namond initially realized that Kenard was playing him; it was only later, upon further reflection, that it even occurred to him to doubt the flimsy story he'd been fed. It's also possible that Kenard wasn't even thinking about that at all- his sense of consequences doesn't seem to be especially strong, especially given how he just caps Omar right in front of a witness. Going with the last thing first, it is pretty much 100% guaranteed that Krawcyk has made money via the school district. Either by buying land that the district later bought from him, or buying abandoned schools to later tear down and develop. Possible third option is supplying material to the schools, but I'm not sure if Krawcyk is in that line of business or not. Jumping back, I'm pretty sure Kenard thinks almost everyone is someone he can scam until proven otherwise, or he just doesn't really care about taking a beating. He poo poo talked Dukie in Season 5, for pretty much no reason. While Dukie is skinny, he's still twice as big as Kenard, and if Kenard didn't have his crew behind him, I'm sure he would've taken a similar beating that Michael gave him this episode. Sherrod was probably the ultimate death by the system. An abandoned, and homeless kid who turns to drugs is practically inevitibale. Attempts to go back to school, but is pushed many years ahead of where he should be due to his age, and thus drops out immediately. Ends up getting accidentally killed because Bubbles couldn't get help from the police because the police don't really care that much about the problems of homeless drug addicts.
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Oct 14, 2013 21:14
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Meltathon posted:Sherrod was probably the ultimate death by the system. An abandoned, and homeless kid who turns to drugs is practically inevitibale. Attempts to go back to school, but is pushed many years ahead of where he should be due to his age, and thus drops out immediately. Ends up getting accidentally killed because Bubbles couldn't get help from the police because the police don't really care that much about the problems of homeless drug addicts. And the system doesn't give a drat either. Sherrod dies, Bubbles is distraught, but as far as the system goes he pretty much didn't exist anyway so who cares? Even Landsman, ironically in a rare moment of not being beholden to the stats, essentially lets Sherrod's death go unpunished (by the system). The only person in the world who grieves for Sherrod is Bubbles, the only person who feels guilt is Bubbles, the only person who seeks to punish the guilty is Bubbles. I think it's telling that Bubbles' tormenter - such a presence throughout season 4 - doesn't return after Sherrod's death, because now Bubbles has a far worse tormenter to deal with, one he really can't escape from.
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Oct 14, 2013 22:10
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I wonder if Landsman would have let Bubbles go (and hence let a death remain red) if the clearance rate hadn't already been hosed due to the Marlo murders. Probably not but a nice moment nonetheless, he has a similar one when he tries to figure out why the gently caress Ziggy shot Double G. Regarding Kenard, I interpret the character as literally a young psychopath. Before he goes to kill Omar, he's about to light a cat on fire (animal torture/killing is one of the trademarks of psychopathy in the young). I think with Namond, it's just him, like everyone else, seeing that Namond is all talk and no action, but just being the first to try to exploit it. In the larger picture though, I've always seen him growing up to become the new Marlo (then again, he does get arrested for Omar's murder; I don't know how much/what kind of time he'd have to serve given his age.)
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Oct 14, 2013 22:31
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Meltathon posted:Attempts to go back to school, but is pushed many years ahead of where he should be due to his age, and thus drops out immediately. Do you think he would have stayed in if they'd placed him in a lower grade level though? I feel like he walked out because he just didn't want to be there, not because he found the material too challenging.
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Oct 14, 2013 22:50
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cletepurcel posted:I wonder if Landsman would have let Bubbles go (and hence let a death remain red) if the clearance rate hadn't already been hosed due to the Marlo murders. Probably not but a nice moment nonetheless, he has a similar one when he tries to figure out why the gently caress Ziggy shot Double G. The attempted cat murder is interesting because while it's generally seen as a sign of psycopathy, it's mentioned in The Corner that D'Andre brags about setting a cat on fire for loving with his pigeons, and sees nothing wrong with having done so. He's certainly not a psychopath, but he's been raised in such a moral vacuum that he hasn't ever really been taught the difference between wrong and right. I think what really marks Kenard as dangerous/a psychopath is the fact that when Omar arrives, the other kids who were eagerly egging Kenard on scatter and run - either scared of Omar or just the fact that an adult has walked in on them doing something they know is wrong. Kenard doesn't even blink, he isn't intimidated or concerned by the impression of an "authority" figure at all.
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Oct 14, 2013 23:14
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Not just an authority figure, but Omar himself (they may have just been scared of him.) Kenard had seen Omar on Michael's corner earlier and dismissed him as "gimpy". I can see your point though. I mean, it's easy to diagnose Marlo as a psychopath as well, but I think the intent is more that he's been raised in that same moral vacuum. As much as Poot dismissed the comment, he really does represent the "crack babies' babies". Also of note, a few episodes ago Carver raided Namond's corner because he knew the only shot at talking to the dealers is when they're that young...yet the youngest one, Kenard, declares that he ain't scared of baby booking.
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Oct 14, 2013 23:24
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cletepurcel posted:I wonder if Landsman would have let Bubbles go (and hence let a death remain red) if the clearance rate hadn't already been hosed due to the Marlo murders. Probably not but a nice moment nonetheless, he has a similar one when he tries to figure out why the gently caress Ziggy shot Double G. I think all signs point to "probably not." I think it is also partially even Landsman giving in to the "new day" in Baltimore. Given how long Bubbles has been in the BPD system as an informant, it's possible that Landsman even recognizes the name Bubbles. If so, I could see Landsman deciding that quality policework is going to be a lot easier with a Bubbles around. Re: Kenard. I think the show was very clearly trying to signal both that he is a psycho and that he's Marlo:The Next Generation. That said, I don't think that's why he came up with such a flimsy excuse for taking Namond's package. I think he just works on instinct and he had the package in his hands. Emboldened by his view of Namond as a bitch, he became the Scorpion to Namond's frog and took it. edit: That last line may have been the whitest thing I've ever typed.
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Oct 14, 2013 23:47
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Skeesix posted:edit: That last line may have been the whitest thing I've ever typed. When I got the fifth season of The Wire on DVD, I put it next to the other four and noticed that the titles didn't quite line up and I got irritated... then I thought about the issues and problems that the people in the show have to deal with and realized that I'm a "First world problems" person.
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Oct 15, 2013 00:40
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I forgot how full on sad that episode was. I never really released how much of it was to do with the lose of family. Bubbles kills his surrogate son (Which he bears some responsibility from - if you keep a gun in your house you have a responsibility to take steps to ensure your children couldn't find and use it) Randy loses his step mum and ends up in a foster home and by season 5 is such a different person and not just physically, Dukie loses two families of school and the people he lives with, Namond can't bear to be around his. Oddly Micheal is the only one who gets to pick and choose his family as he takes his bro to a new house and goes with "his" people. I feel bad for Cutty, he always seems to make bad in the moment decisions and then trying to do the right thing gets hosed up by Monk. gently caress you Monk, Cutty is the man. At least he gets to meet a cute nurse soon enough even though he cant watch Deadwood in hospital!
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Oct 15, 2013 11:49
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Ainsley McTree posted:Do you think he would have stayed in if they'd placed him in a lower grade level though? I feel like he walked out because he just didn't want to be there, not because he found the material too challenging. He really needed special attention instead of getting stuck in gen pop, so to speak. If he gets stuck in a smaller classroom, with teachers designed to bring these kind of kids up to speed, then he might have stuck it out. Maybe he still ditches eventually, but at least he makes it longer than a minute into class. School systems like this though don't really have programs for kids like Sherrod.
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Oct 15, 2013 20:46
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Just going to post this now so I don't forget about it once the episode this is relevant to comes around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsIpQ7YguGE "Deserve got nothing to do with it"
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Oct 16, 2013 20:43
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God what a piece of loving poo poo.
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Oct 17, 2013 01:39
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^^^^ I'm wondering why you think this? I don't necessarily agree with his points, but it is pretty clear to me he isn't making them because he believed women and minorities are inferior. He believed equal pay hurt women because it took away bargaining power and added a cost to sexist or racist hiring practices.
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Oct 17, 2013 15:37
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ally_1986 posted:Bubbles kills his surrogate son (Which he bears some responsibility from - if you keep a gun in your house you have a responsibility to take steps to ensure your children couldn't find and use it) This is really just about right.
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Oct 17, 2013 20:42
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I'm watching series for the first time(ep8, season 4) so, obviously, I don't what what's actually going to happen, but I do want to say I'll die laughing if Herc brings down Marlo's drug empire because of a loving camera. Anyway, sprinting the hell out of this thread now.
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Oct 18, 2013 07:32
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Well since you left the thread, he essentially does do that, although there's a lot of steps involved to get to that point.
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Oct 18, 2013 14:06
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Sorry for the doublepost. Here's an article on Grambling State University's football team going on strike. http://deadspin.com/whats-behind-the-grambling-football-teams-protest-1447273282 Essentially the university doesn't have the money to properly fund the football team, resulting in them having to take 1,500 mile round trip bus rides to away games. Part of the reason the school doesn't have money is because Bobby Jindal turned down federal stimulus money for the state in order to appease Republicans in the state and further his career. It's like the Republican version of Carcetti, and there were more than a few governors who did the same thing as Jindal.
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Oct 18, 2013 19:28
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Tha Duke posted:^^^^ I'm wondering why you think this? I don't necessarily agree with his points, but it is pretty clear to me he isn't making them because he believed women and minorities are inferior. He believed equal pay hurt women because it took away bargaining power and added a cost to sexist or racist hiring practices. Given his politics, I think it's not a stretch to claim he did believe women and minorities are inferior and that's how he got to his points in the first place. I mean, this is the guy who praised the gently caress out of Pinochet, unsurprisingly, given how he pretty much designed his economic policies.
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Oct 18, 2013 20:06
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Shutting down Major Crimes is the new "Vinny is off the movie!". Just started season 5, super heartbroken about Bodie and Mcnulty going back to Mcnulty. Alright, see you kids in a few days.
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Oct 19, 2013 06:01
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I'll be finishing up the last episode of Season 4 this weekend, I have quite a bit to say about it (yes more than usual, I'm sorry!) and the season in general. After that, only 10 more episodes to go 
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Oct 19, 2013 06:19
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Early on in episode 4 of the Corner, a police officer, played by Jay Landsman asks to see Clarke Peter's arms (marvelling at the track marks), he then calls another police officer over to look at them too. I'm certain I've seen the guy who plays that 2nd police officer in the Wire in a small role, and I'm guessing, like Landsman, he's one of the real life police from Homicide, but I just can't seem to place him. Any help?
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Oct 20, 2013 00:09
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Somehow I just didn't believe Omar was dead until I saw the body again at the end of the 8th episode. That wild boy, RIP.  "Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet." I'm on the home stretch here and I still couldn't care about this damned newspaper if my life actually depended on it.
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Oct 20, 2013 06:50
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Double post, sorry. Just finished the series for the first time, man. What an excellent loving show, never once did it ever go where I thought it would. I have to say I hated the newspaper sequences for the most part but I did end up enjoy its parallel to the police department. Other than that and Brother Mouzone, just about everything else was wonderful. Looking forward to having my girlfriend watch it for the first time so I can get my first rewatch underway.
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Oct 20, 2013 11:03
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Bumping for a new page, sorry!
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Oct 20, 2013 11:19
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