Some Favorite Scenes

NOTE: If you have not watched all four seasons of The Wire and don't want any spoilers I suggest you don't read this post. JB.

There are so many excellent shots and scenes in The Wire that it's hard to really pick any sort of "list" or "top ten" because to give any preference over the other is almost a sin, no?

Unlike most shows that use dramatic orchestration or slow motion shots to build drama, The Wire might take eight episodes before a storyline reaches any sort of climax. Now that is build up.

I can correlate it to a good song in many ways. Perhaps one that has that one certain part that really grabs your attention. It happens 3/4 of the way into it so you spend the first half eagerly awaiting your part to come. You might even ignore the other parts leading up to it because you just can't wait to hear it. But once that part finally hits your ears you get that great feeling from it. You have been "enhanced" by it. Next time you hear the song you start to realize it's the entire song that grabs you, not only your favorite section. You start to appreciate the parts that lead up to the climax because they are in and of themselves what make the climax so enjoyable: the build up.

Each of my favorite scenes, if taken by themselves, might not seem like huge dramatic events. I think what makes them so great are the storylines that lead to these scenes and the emotions that come out of them. The first scene that comes to mind is from season 1: Poot and Bodie shooting Wallace. This was really the first time The Wire "hit" me with real emotion. I had grown attached to the Wallace character. His ability to watch after the kids, to use his intelligence as a sword, and his ultimate demise via his attempts to leave the game. This was the first major character that would be killed in the show and the scene just shows all the rawness of the streets and how friends become enemies with one wrong move. Watching him beg for his life as profressing their brotherhood shook me to a core. With his death we were exposed to the brutal nature of the game. How old was he? 15? 16?



Another great scene is the infamous Pelecanos penned Omar vs. Brother Mouzone showdown in the alley during season 3. Omar whistling with his latest stash down a wet, dark alley, and the sudden voice of Brother humorously telling him to, "drop your laundry" as Omar slowly turns, drops, and returns the banter. A classic western showdown in a modern urban setting. Two code-driven men standing off against each other knowing neither will back down. The exchange of gun calibers and tense stares just make the scene intense the first time through. Would this really be the end of Omar?

"I want to ask you a question....brother."

Pause.

"Omar Listenin'."



And finally, another emotionally touching scene gets a nod. Season 4, Carver and a sulking Randy in the hospital waiting room after his foster mother was burned in the fire bombing of his apartment. Carver had promised to look after Randy and tried to do his best with a kid caught up in the system. Once the street played the cops with a false alarm Randy's apartment gets torched and his foster mother ends up in critical condition. Carver's men had abandoned their post on the false alarm and Randy was betrayed by the very police he had come to realize might be his only hope. As Carver approaches Randy's look of disappointment and disgust is overwhelming. The storyline of Randy had reached its climax and with profound sadness he yells to Carver, "you looking after me. Oh, you got my back?" Carver walks down the hallway, back turned with the symbolism of a man who is being forced to walk away from a problem he couldn't fix.

There are some other great scenes of course. Bubbles breakdown at the end of season 4, The Greek and Spiros' escape from Baltimore--revealing he wasn't even Greek--during season 2, almost every scene with Omar is classic including his suit and tie courtroom shoot down of Levy and "you come at the king you best not miss", D'Angelo asking Stringer "where's Wallace? Where's the kid String?", Michael Lee being hunted/trained by Snoop and Chris with paint guns, Rawls at the gay bar, Omar and Mouzone taking down Stringer, Bodie's end (prequeled with McNulty telling him he was a solider), and almost every line that either Prop Joe or Bunk speaks is awesome.



I look forward to season 5 for many reasons. I anticpate some new characters and some old ones keeping form. I look forward to Marlo vs. Lester Freamon. Something tells me we might be seeing the cycle come to an end. A friend and I have a theory put together about the sumnation of one of the show's main storylines:

The Old: Avon and Stringer.

The New: Michael Lee and Dukie.

The game's the same.