I recall a comments post on Heaven and Here by Simon about Marlo being based on a gangsta that everyone, street and police, agreed had something wrong with him for being that cold.

Marlo has to be that cold, canny, ruthless and stupid to show us the effects that the failures of institutions (government, police and schools) are having on young people.

It’s more on the parents though - in my opinion. Like the father said at the Newark funeral, “It’s on you people. Not the mayor.” I love me some Cory Booker.

Marlo has a reputation -if you remember all his dealings with rivals- of cleverly testing his competitions level of gangsta. No way should any of those bosses let Marlo get away with that outburst. Like Prop Joe said to Cheese “I don’t remember you being a charter member”. Marlo should have received the same admonishment. Which is why Marlo made eye contact with Cheese to say “see I told you the last time we talked that Prop Joe is a punk”.

Like Avon Barksdale, Marlo ain’t interested in becoming a businessman. He revels in the hood life of being at the top and wants all of those from the Co-Op to bow down to him not be on equal footing. Its a Baltimore thing.

Marlo knows that Omar is the only one standing in his way of total domination. He takes it personal when Omar jacks his re-ups not to mention the ring jack. That fact alone is why he has such a hard on for killing Omar.

Marlo’s lady problems.
Marlo was an institution kid so he never really had those awkward teen years of trying to holla at girls. His lack of familiarity with the opposite sex coupled with his “I am King” complex is the reason he sent Snoop and Chris to kill that other dealer and family just for saying he “sucked d”.

Bomani is right the writing on this show is unlike any that is being done on or has been done on television for a long time. Every scene is important to something in the past or future. Even scenes that look totally benign like Chris walking in the courthouse and asking the DA, Asst DA and Colonel Daniels for directions. Here is one of the most notorious killers in the city and they haven’t got a clue.

I am resisting the urge folks. People are posting links to the rest of the season and its driving me maaaaaaaaad I tell ya.

Growing up in Bmore I saw a lot more Marlo’s and Avon’s than Prop Joe’s. IMHO look for Marlo to continue his power play with Prop Joe out of the way. Meaning busting up the Co-Op and leaning on the other Bosses starting with the weak one’s. Oh yeah and Cheese is gonna get muscled or popped or both. Even though Marlo respects Cheese’s hoodness he knows there is no way a guy like that can operate because sooner or later they go for the brass ring.

i hated to see joe go too, but i know why marlo did it. it’s just like nikki said. with him controlling the council and having a straight connect with the dope, he’s feels virtually unstoppable.

either omar or the greeks will be his downfall. marlo is dumb as a brick. if omar dies, i think i might be highly upset!

i’m shaking my head at lester. i can’t believe he is helping that crazy mcnulty.

and you’re right about daniels. he fought so hard for this and right where he started, except with more money.

I’m a fiend about The Wire since day 1 and it’s good to see a Bruh (you) really tapping the right keys.

Here are a couple of thoughts, just to add on…

1) Clay Davis and Omar are flip sides of the same coin. Think about it. Pretty much every archetype in seasons 4 and 5 have a “before” and “after” player. Dukie = Lester Freamon (don’t believe me, do you?). Michael = Avon (but will wind up with a conscience like Cutty. Watch what I tell you). Prop Joe = Burrell. Carver = Bunny Colvin. Snoop = Wee Bey. So on and so forth. Some are just more pronounced (literal) than others.

Back to Clay/Omar… One is a stick up artist who jacks the corrupt, passes no judgment (part of his code is that it’s all chargeable back to The Game), lines his pockets, is damn near bullet-proof, and has the love of the regular folk. The other is… the same damn thang. Now… contrast the distaste we hold for Clay with the universal love we have for Omar, and it really gets interesting. Why do we love one and despise the other?

2) Omar… as much as I love his character, he’s gotta get smoked. I would love to see him live, but that limp is a liability and in the true nature of the streets anybody can be touched. Even O-Dog. The sickest cat in the history of the show, Bro. Mouzone, got touched by Omar. Right? Don’t think that somebody out there can’t get with O? We just haven’t met that character yet.

3) And speaking of Mouzone, he has GOT to come back (probably as an unexpected ally for Omar). Hell. Mouzone needs his own damn show. Mouzone is what “Ghost Dog” should have been.

4) Slim Charles will rise to the top despite his solid, confident role as muscle. He’s got to drop some bodies. That’s what he’s there for.

5) McNutty loses it all and commits suicide. The fuck up of all fuck up has to have one last fuck up. Has to. The worst part is that it won’t be clear if his demise was suicide or accidental.

6) Freamon goes down in infamy. Sadly.

7) Bunk and Kima stay right where the fuck they are under the pudgy, suspiciously clammy thumb of Landsman.

8) Bubbles has an ‘experience’ and becomes a ‘minister’ of sorts - and hopefully gets a chance to score some tail. I mean damn… Bubs. Don’t take your eyes off the prize, playa.

Watch what I tell you.

One.

Omar did that without Joe’s knowledge or support. There’s no way in hell Joe lets close to $3 million of heroin walk out the door and sets up a meet between Spiros and Marlo without getting a pay-off like turning a big-time cop solidly his way.

I dig the fact that Carver is set for the come up for all the right reasons. Brotha man started off strugglin a little bit with the responsibility but he never backed down. He wants to do whats right and so far it seems like its for the right reasons. Seems like Daniels when the show first started.

Marlo’s kind does have to fall.

Joe did have to go. With Joe out the way no one but Omar can stop Marlo from running amok and taking over everything.

It was a good point made about the loyalty Chris and Snoop have to Marlo. I really wonder what he did for them.

The whole lot of them are the last ones in the kiddie pool and there just aint enough rooom to give them space to grow.

“the news tells you there’s a serial killer. How do you know that’s true?”

We tend to blindly follow news stories (like those folks in the show) as absolute truths, even though we know they can sometimes be ideas in the works. The great part about the show is how we can all eye it from differing views, and still not be too far off.

I’m not pro-clap by any means, but Mr. Marlo has now placed himself in a gotsta go situation. Lots of folk from the co-op seemed to punk out on Marlo’s foul talkin at the last meeting so we can’t expect too many of them to conform… but with Joe gone, who’s going to keep the co-op working together? Especially now that Marlo’s going to take the connect and have the lead spot on the goods from the Greek, the rest of the co-op is on the outside looking in, lest Marlo start offering up prices to them… more than likely less generous than the kinder, gentler, jollier prop joe…

But I understand why Marlo took Prop Joe out. Prop Joe was his link to the Greeks. With Joe out of the way, he doesn’t have a middle man to the Greeks. Still, I don’t like it. Joe was so integral to the show.

And Lester is trippin’ me out by helping to aide McNulty with this whole scheme to bring Marlo down. Lester has graduated from making doll houses and toys to making false teeth for an alleged suspect? Lawd have mercy!

I wonder if Slim Charles will team up with Omar to bring down Marlo? We already know that Slim can’t stand Marlo and now that Joe’s dead, Slim may feel like he’s on the list to be axed as well. Siding with Omar would give him a leg up on Marlo.

The kid who was found in the house after the shooting is getting to Kima. Makes her think about her own kid.

And now Daniels is caught up in some “on the take” shit from his past. I swear, I have no faith in the system.