Let me begin this entry by saying that Episode 54 is to me, without question, the best episode of The Wire ever done. Significant plot movements, great dialogue, and an ending that shifted the direction of the show. Add to that the fact that the ending was totally unexpected, and you’ve got genius in a one-hour television show.
1. Officer Gravy Boat deserves all that happens to him. Sorry, but I have no love for the frustrated police officer taking his frustration out on civilians. He deserved getting a hand full of feces when he reached for the “ground stash.”
2. I’ve come to pity Burrell. Hey man, Ervin’s right. He does what the man asks him to do and takes the weight every time. He’s good at his job. It’s just that doing the job of police commissioner means something different than most of us would like. He’s a tool in the bureaucracy, and a good one. And, in the end, he fell on his sword again. Watching The Wire reminds me of why I enjoy working for myself, even if that means paying for my own health insurance. That said…
3. …if Burrell had walked behind me with a golf club, I’d have got up and hit him. Sorry, but if I have anything to do with it, I’ll never get hit first again. Dude’s about to get fired, Daniels is going to get his job, and Daniels just sits there while dude holds a golf club? You must be out of your damn mind.
4. Being a decent human being was Joe’s downfall. Everyone knew Joe had one weakness in his operation–his idiot nephew. He’s been an idiot since Season 2, and he’s still an idiot. Joe should have taken him out immediately after Butchie died. He knew dude did it. But, Joe showed respect for family. Can’t knock that. I guess.
5. I hope Marlo burns to death. By that, I mean that I hope he contracts an aggressive, painful strain of The Clap. I may echo this sentiment every update. Marlo, this nigga. His kind. They got to fall. They got to.
6. Noreese is oh so gangsta. I’m not sure how old her character is supposed to be, but the actress that plays Noreese is only 30 years old. You don’t get that gangsta in 30 years, at least not in the above-ground economy. Set Erv in his place and shut him up. Power move on her part.
7. Things won’t end well for Daniels. He’ll be the commish. Noreese has the information on the old days. Prediction–Noreese will be mayor, and Daniels will be powerless under her. Burrell used to own him. Now she does. That’s gotta suck…Daniels got all the way to the top, what he always wanted, and now he can’t do anything with it. If his wife hadn’t already left him, she would have after this disappointment played out.
8. McNulty and Lester keep digging their own graves. Yes, they’ll get caught. No, I don’t know how. However, it’s worth noting how easily they’re doing it. Think about it–the news tells you there’s a serial killer. How do you know that’s true?
9. He’s baaaaaaack! And you know who I mean. Omar ain’t playin’ this go ’round. But before we get to that, let’s get to the best line of the show.
10. “I’m gon’ work them. Sweet Jesus, I’m gon’ work them.” Also of note, Omar knew this was Marlo’s deed. Not sure why he was hunting for Joe so hard, considering. Was it really a secret that Omar was cool with Butchie? I find it interesting that such information was worth so much.
11. Another Clay Davis classic. “I come here to help, but y’all out for blood!” Only Clay. Only Clay.
12. How did Marlo survive that co-op meeting? Seriously–even dope dealers don’t call each other motherfuckers and just let that slide. Same with that punk Cheese tipping over chairs and things. Speaking of which…
13. That was hard up what happened to Hungry Man. Just in time for us to learn who Hungry Man was, he gets taken out. More later.
14. You see buddy from the port living under the bridge? Cold blooded, man.
15. Unlike most, I’m okay with the newsroom scenes. Keep in mind I’ve never worked in a newsroom. However, it’s helpful to see the machinations of them. Some see them as boring, and I agree it’s Simon’s worst writing yet (the characters don’t have the conflicts that make every other character so fascinating), but that’s an essential part of the game.
16. Herc isn’t the one for Marlo to mess with. So we basically can see that Herc is going to mess Marlo up, after the fool laughed about getting Herc fired. Herc’s dumb enough to act on that. Watch. Also of note–Simon always talks about how interesting it would be to see Little Melvin talk to Ed Burns, the cop that arrested him and one of the show’s writers. He says they can interact because of a mutual appreciation for The Game. Clearly, Herc don’t have that. He’s just pissed, even though he’s making more money now than he did then.
17. But Herc has matured. Telling Carver to do what he thinks is right with Offier GB (whom I call Gravy Boat because that haircut ain’t even a chili bowl, it’s a gravy boat) was a big step for him. I almost like the dumbass.
18. Did you see it coming? Really, did you see Chris killing Prop Joe? It was written brilliantly. Why? Because that whole “get a gift, give a gift” exchange makes it clear that Cheese, who signed his death certificate AGAIN, was being asked to give Prop Joe up. But since it ran together with Cheese giving up Butchie, it didn’t look like it was going in that direction. But it was, and it was a breathtaking piece of television. Why?
19. Because Joe had to go. Marlo was right. Joe would be up to his mischief promptly if he just stepped out of the way. Joe signed his death certificate many times. That doesn’t change the fact that Marlo’s a clown, or that Cheese should catch the clap in his nose. But while I hated to see Joe go, I understood. I just hate that they didn’t begin to expand on Joe’s character until he died. The last exchange with Cheese was great, as was him talking about going to high school with Burrell. Somehow, I think that was done for more reasons than to show how small Baltimore is.
Oh yeah, and let’s talk again about what a punk Cheese is. Sold your uncle out, an uncle that gave you a job you were certainly unqualified for, just to get a little territory? Through the nose, Cheese. Through the nose.
20. I’ve finally solved one of The Wire’s great mysteries. Finally, I understand how Omar jacked the shipment in Season 4.
Let’s take a step back. If you recall, Joe was supposed to put Omar in a position to rob Marlo when he re-upped. Well, it turns out that Joe didn’t call Omar when the re-up came. When he did call Omar, it was before the shipment arrived, and Omar didn’t even answer the phone. If he was expecting a re-up, how did he have a crew prepared to get a shipment? Omar could have taken the re-up with his light skinned boo. Wouldn’t have needed the squad of Mexicans.
Slim Charles answered that question when Omar jacked him up. He said, in an attempt to prove Joe had nothing to do with Butchie’s murder, “think about it, if Marlo turns Butchie, then he puts Joe inside your big score.” In other words, Butchie would say that Joe had something to do with it.
It’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s the only way Omar could be prepared the way he was. And don’t forget that Joe turned a profit on the deal. Omar sold the dope back to Joe at 20 on the dollar, then Joe sold it to the co-op for 30. Joe masterminded the entire thing, probably because he saw that as the best way to get Omar out of town (remember Butchie had long suggested retirement to Omar). Well, it worked and, finally, that whole thing makes sense. That was an important detail that Simon had to work out, and he did it so smooth?
How smooth? Some of you probably didn’t even realize there was anything to figure out. Those that did got the answer to the question without the show having to stop to make the point. That was brilliant writing.
Can’t wait for 5, baby!