Season 5 Episode 54: Transitions

"I wasn't made to the play the son."

And with his usual calculated coldness Marlo Stanfield has moved up yet another rung in the ladder. Once The Greeks insinuated they might be able to do business with the street king, combined with the off-shore account set up and Levy introduction, Marlo finally made his much anticipated move on Prop Joe. The murder wasn't shocking, but Cheese turning in his blood was. "The boy always was a disappointment."

I feel the need to discuss Prop Joe here a little further. First, he has always had some of the best lines on the show, but this particular episode really had him shinning. While discussing the history and passing of Butchie, "he quieter than a puppy walking on cotton." While writing the note for the flowers for Butchie's funeral, "Woe to any man who calls evil good, and good evil." I am so glad that Simon used Joe's last moments to have him shine one last time. Just so very sad that such a smart (and relatively non-violent) man such as Joe would be so blind to the moves being made by Marlo. Did he really think his education of Marlo would change him for the better?

"Sweet Jesus I'm gonna do them." And with that line, finally, Omar is back. Being the smart player he is, he crew's up, starts scouting the Marlo crew, and is making his plans to hurt some of his people so the "snake pops his head above ground." The previews show a shootout between Omar, Chris, and Snoop. I really hope that if Chris or Snoop (or Omar) get got, that it isn't during a shootout. I think Chris needs to die Tarantino style, like Drexel in True Romance. Die with a gun in his face being forced to look into the eyes of his killer and know the reasons for his death. Same goes for Snoop. They just need to die.

Burrell finally went down as well, but I must say his final speech to Rawls about what it's like to run the department was great dialogue. Perhaps we saw what actually made Burrell the man in the first place: a willingness to carry the burden of the politicians. "Get elected Mayor and suddenly you know police work." It was a great scene and almost made me sympathize with Burrell.

Did anyone else catch the shore man from season 2 at the homeless pit? He was the guy with the dog drinking a bottle. He was the kid who stole the cars with Ziggy in season two and was in on the capers. As well, the flower shop guy was back too. I think in season one he was there when Bodie came in to buy flowers. I love how loyal and intricate the show is to throw back cast memebers like that.

McNulty and Lestor are up to the serial killer thing and it looks like they might start using the newspapers to help their cause. "Jamey and mouth wash, your scent." Beadie tells the scheming McNulty. She was and is too good for a fuck up like Jimmy.

I will say this again, Herc is going to be involved in the take down of Marlo. Once again, the camera is brought up and the show made a point of placing both men in the same room. No WAY that doesn't eventually eat at Herc. Does he go to Carver about Marlo and his money? Does Carver tell Bunk who tells Lestor who puts it in with his case? Does Kima find out and then get the little witness to agree to finger Chris and Snoop? I am not sure, but I am telling you that Herc is going to be involved in the play against Marlo's crew.

No shows: Bubs, Cutty, Randy, Namond, Colvin, and Prez. Starting to think the kids and Prez wont be shown till the season ending montage.

One last quick note/theme of the episode besides the obvious transitions (Burrell down, Prop Joe down). Stories of origin. Prop Joe giving us some background info on both Butchie and Burrell. Is there anyone Joe doesn't know? We learn how Butchies was blinded and we learn how dumb Burrell was in the Glee club. Good stuff.

I will go out on a not so long limb here and predict one or more of the following characters are going to die in episode 5: Cheese, Chris, Snoop, or Monk.

Season 5 Episode 53: Not for Attribution

Am I loosing my mind or did I actually see an idyllic shot on The Wire of a beach paradise? At first I was confused: was that Marlo taking in the sun after checking on his off-shore account? Why was such a beautiful scene appearing on one of the most dark and drab shows on TV? It threw me for a loop but once I realized who it was, well, damn, what I have been writing in the past few posts looks to be finally coming true: Omar comin!

McNulty is still up to fixing the stats his own way: by playing in dirt. Does anyone think that McNulty's infamous line, "you play in dirty you gonna get dirty" might come back to haunt him? I know The Bunk certainly wants nothing to do with it and was utterly shocked when Smooth Lester not only didn't talk McNulty out of it, but actually started giving him advice on how to better the fix. It should be humorous to hear what sick, demented fantasy they come up with for this "serial killer."

Prop Joe trying to civilize Marlo. It has me thinking really: why is Prop Joe doing this? Is it really for the coop? Or does Joe have a plan? It was interesting seeing Cheese move around Joe to get Marlo's people the line on Butchie. I still think Cheese is going to try and make some bold move this season and get taken down. As well, I truly believe that the second Chris fired that shot into Butchies head, he essentially shot himself in the head. My prediction: Omar comes back, gets to both Chris and Snoop, but then gets taken down himself (maybe Michael Lee?). Speaking of Michael Lee, we still his continuation of questioning the game in his own manner. Whether it was asking Chris and Snoop why they had to kill someone for talking shit, or why Monk cared that he took the day off from the corner, I think we are starting to see that no matter how good Michael is at the game and no matter how far into it he is now, he will always question why its played the way it is. I wonder if this is Michael getting out, or perhaps starting to make his own rules for the game. We know he is Chris's "pup" so he probably has more immunity that others in Marlo's crew. Also, how much do you love Dukie? Does any character--besides Bubs--garner more empathy? "Nice dolphin, n***a" Monk tells him. We then see Dukie walk away, head down in shame, as if enjoying a "child-like" affair to Six Flags is something to be ashamed of. I love Dukie and would be devastated if he went down.

McNulty screwing that girl on the car, and then flashing his badge, might be the funniest scene in The Wire's history. Not necessarily a show known for its humor, when it does present itself, it's usually in this type of off-key manner.

No shows: Bubs, Colvin (starting to think we might not be seeing him at all this season), Prez, Randy, Namond, Carver, Herc, and whats up with Kima getting so little air time this season? She is one of the strongest characters on the show. Come on!

I don't really want to address the newspaper room because I simply don't think it's that strong of a story line. While we can stay invested in the plights of Marlo, Bubs, McNulty, and even Carcetti, I find it hard to really "care" much about the newspaper people. Does a story being chopped and moved below the fold measure up to a child being forced back into foster care? I really hope they find a way to get the press more involved in the investigations. And perhaps we are starting to see that with Norman planting the commissioner shake-up to Gus. Regardless, just knowing that Omar is on his way back to Bmore is enough to keep me excited all week. I just hope he finally takes Chris and Snoop down because I have never wanted to see two characters on a TV show die more than these two.

Season 5 Episode 52: Unconfirmed Reports

The Downward Spiral of Reginald, better known as Bubbles, continues...We now see Bubs in recovery listening in to the stories of other Bmore addicts and being forced to face his own demons via sponsor Walon (Steve Earle--who sings the theme song for season 5). Just when we thought that perhaps Bubs was really turning his life around we see that soup kitchens and meetings are not suiting the life that he envisioned. The old way is right on the corner and it seems as if each day that goes by Bubs is more and more tempted to just give in to it.

The Downward Spiral of James McNulty (or as Bubs calls him, "McNutty") has started. We knew Jimmy liked to drink and womanize, and in a way it's what makes us love McNulty. For some reason, even when I watch the show with lady friends they find his ways adorable--yet would they be as forgiving of me if I drank Jameson and slept with every women in the bar? I don't think so. We knew McNulty was frustrated with the force, the mayors office, the higher-ups in the white suits, but this week, well damn McNulty, you just about damn near lost your crazy-ass mind.

After the plug is finally pulled on the Marlo detail, McNulty takes it upon himself and his fifth to stage a strangulation of an apparent OD victim. Bunk watches in astonishment as his faithful partner has finally gone over the edge. Wisely, the Bunk--being the straight shooter that he is--leaves the scene and we get the sense that this might be the beginning of the end of McNulty. Or at minimum, the end of Bunk/McNulty.

"What's up Boris?"

That line had me in tears since I was always a fan of Sergie professing, "Boris. Why always Boris?" But what really had me about Marlo making his move towards The Greeks was not seeing Avon intercede, but that Avon--so it seems--is actually choosing his loyalty based upon geography. Marlo went to war with Avon and in a lot of ways led to his downfall. Now he is choosing to help Marlo because he is west side? At first I thought it was a play on Marlo, but once he actually sat down with Sergie and Avon flashed the sign, I knew Avon was for real. Marlo walked about probably thinking he has Bmore by the balls now. But he's making one bad move right now, stirring the hornet's nest that is Omar. Like we saw with Michael Lee questioning the legitimacy of a kill based on simple verbal disrespect, we are learning that Marlo is very much a sociopath with a megalomaniac inside him. Avon would brush aside a perceived diss, Stringer would laugh at it. Marlo chooses to kill people who simply "talk back" in order to enable his name to ring out. And this my friends, is why he must die. "What's the point of having the crown if you scared to wear it?" he asks. The ones who wears it in private last longer.

Carcetti is up to his usual political bullshit. The newsroom story is obviously focused around Gus and his righteous ways. It's just a matter of time before Clay "Sheeeeeeeeeeeet" Davis goes down--but I am going to miss his awesome accent and half baked ghetto talk. Does Burrell go down with him as Clay insinuated?

No shows: Omar (again--but if you watched the previews you see Chris blasting a bottle/fist into Blind Butchies face, meaning once Omar gets word, Omar comin...), Cutty, Namond, Randy, Dukie, Carver, Herc, Colvin, and Prez.

So...who is goin down first, or at all? McNulty, Marlo, Bubs? Is Avon really helping Marlo? And if so, how long till Prop Joe and Cheese go down? Are the "serial killer" murders actually McNulty's set up?

Season 5 Episode 51: Do More With Less

Always a fan of the Bunk, I was pleased to see season 5 start off with a nice dialogue between Bunk and #1 male. The scene really was a great mix of both humor and sadness. Funny how they played those kids and sad that these kids are so easily manipulated that they would think a copy machine is a lie detector test. That it printed out its answers was a hilarious touch. And the smoothness by which these cops manipulate makes you realize why they tell you to keep your mouth shut when arrested.

I felt overall that this episode was a set up for the rest of the season. We had the obvious introduction of the newsroom and seemed to have been introduced to most of its main players. Love seeing Clark Johnson in there, he's a nice addition to the cast with his deadpan delivery and wit. And once again we see how bureaucracy and politics can stifle anything from a murder investigation to a news report on a shady land deal.

What excites me most, still, about the show is the drug war storyline. Marlo is obviously up to something and is gearing up to make a move on Prop Joe. I predicted in a previous post that might be the case but also thought that Herc would be involved. How is this for a theory: in the preview episode "The Oddessy" they showed before season 5 started, there is a shot of both Herc and Prop Joe reading a newspaper in the same room with each other. It got me thinking, "why would Herc and Prop Joe be in the same room together in that manner?" At first I assumed Joe was arrested and Herc was interrogating him. Now we see that Herc is in fact working for Levy as an investigator. So...could it be that Chris is after Sergie to get a direct connect with The Greeks or to make a move on Prop Joe? Could Joe be visiting with Levy when Herc finally puts the pieces together and realizes he now works for the drug kingpin attorney of Bmore? You think Herc wont run across Marlo's name somehow and think "that motherfucker owes me a camera." And yea, he makes his cash now, but Herc is still a man with a hot head. David Simon did say that a character is going to "redeem" themselves this season. I think the obvious choice is Bubbles (how great is it that we found out his real name after all this time? Reginald. How about "Reginalds Depot"...just doesn't sound as good as "Bubbles Depot") but something tells me Herc is going to have a moment of clarity and help to bring down Marlo.

Michael Lee and Dukie are full out in the game reaping the benefits of nice TV's and scooters. Michael still showing his devotion to both Bug and Dukie. While Dukie didn't seem too keen on moving off the corner, I think Michael realizes that Dukie is more valuable elsewhere. I still don't think it lasts though, Dukie and Michael are still going to step up.

Carcetti has grown into a full-blown real Mayor and seems about as high strung as they get these days. Norman...wow. I'm really starting to appreciate his character. "You just a weak ass Mayor in a broke ass city." Classic. I'm curious to see where this storyline is going to go but it's obvious the money issue is going to be major.

No Shows: Omar (but he rarely shows up in season openers), Cutty, Namond, Randy, Prez, and Colvin.

So while not much really happened in this episode I still feel it was solid because it was setting us up for the rest of the season. I hope the newsroom pans out and doesn't drag out. I hope McNulty does some crazy ass shit and I need, I repeat, need to see some Chris and Snoop shit go down because at least we know McNulty is on to them all now (and they to him). I sense a war brewing in the co-op with Marlo and Joe. I loved the look Cheese gave Marlo too. Something tells me he is going to make a move on Marlo. Something also tells me he ain't coming back alive from it.

You just know this though: Omar comin!