The Wire: Late Editions
(S05E09) “Deserve got nuthin’ to do with it.” - Snoop
One down and one to go. The penultimate episode. Talk about depressing. After next Sunday, there won’t be any more new episodes of The Wire. I don’t think I’ve been this bummed out about a show ending since Six Feet Under went off the air and let’s be honest — The Wire is way better than Six Feet Under, or anything else… ever. With the finale so close, this episode set a lot of stuff up as you’d expect. Everything that’s been percolating all season started to boil over and now all that’s left to find out is who gets burned and who doesn’t. Quoting Stringer Bell’s last words, “get on with it motherf*ckers!”
Let’s get Scott Templeton out of the way first. I love the direction this is heading in. He’s still schmoozing with Whiting and Klebanow, making nice because his homeless articles are being folded into The Sun’s Pulitzer submissions. I love how idiotic Whiting is. He sounded like such a fool when he made that “big bucks” comment. For those that are interested, check out this article David Simon wrote for the March issue of Esquire. He describes the crap that happened while he wrote for The Sun and the plot here mirrors it exactly, right down to the nonsense of Scott being instructed to write stories covering the change created by previous stories. All in an effort to prove that The Sun has sway in making things happen. “Covering your own coverage” as Simon puts it.
Anyway, while Scott is brown-nosing, Gus is “scratching an itch.” First he enlisted the help of Robert, the ex-bureau chief from London, to dig into all of Scott’s past articles. Then Gus interviewed a friend of Terry Hanning and had lunch with Nerese Campbell later that day. Everything he heard followed one consistent trend — Scott’s a liar. He makes up quotes; he makes up sources; he makes up just about anything. More than anything else this season, I can’t wait for the moment when Gus confronts Scott with all the ammo. It’s gonna be a great scene. The horrible thing about it is that he’s probably going to get away with it in some regard and I’m just as excited to see how he pulls that off as well.
Moving on to Lester and the detail. Everything came together. With the clock code cracked, all it took was time as they waited for a meeting location down by the ports. It happened, probably sent by Vondas even though we didn’t see him. Sydnor, Truck, Otto and everyone else watched the whole thing go down as Cheese and Monk came and went, their Escalades jam packed with heroin. It was at that point that Lester decided it was time to fess up. Couldn’t have come at a better moment either, since Lester approached Daniels with his plan right after Steintorf gave Cedric and Rawls the OK to “be creative” with the stats. Warrants signed and everyone got jacked. Cheese. Monk. Chris. All of Vondas’ Greek goons. Lester personally watched Marlo get his police bracelets. They got the drugs. They got the cell phones. They even got Marlo’s clock. If I can make one tiny complaint, it was a little anti-climactic. That being said, it really couldn’t have gone any other way. The real highlight was seeing Michael and Snoop watch it on the evening news, dumbfounded.
What it set up though was great. Marlo isn’t stupid. Levy showed him the affidavit. True to his plan, Lester said someone talked. A source had been developed. A total lie of course, but it made Chris and Marlo worry enough that they put out a hit on Michael since they knew he had spent a day with Bunk. They trust him, but at the same time… you never know. The resulting scenes with Michael and Snoop were some of the best of the season in my opinion. She was playing him and he was playing her. It was brilliant. “You look good girl.” Pop. How calm was she though? I don’t think anyone on this show has even been that cool, knowing they’re about to die.
I think the one thing that surprised me is that I sort of thought Snoop was reasonable, but the more I thought about it, this is what I came up with. She had always been Chris’ sidekick. Then Michael came along and Marlo and Chris both loved him. He sort of took away some of Snoop’s spotlight. Even though Marlo and Chris both felt obligated to put out the hit on him, neither really thought he talked. He was one of them, but not in Snoop’s eyes and she even said so. For Snoop, the hit on Michael was more about her standing in Marlo’s organization. Chris didn’t seem to care that Michael had been talking shit about Marlo and how he didn’t step to Omar, mainly because Chris knew Marlo would have done just that if he had known Omar was calling him out. Which Marlo was pissed about naturally. He could have cared less that he was in jail. He just wanted to let all the other corner boys and hoppers out there know that he wasn’t afraid. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any punishment for Chris since he kept his mouth shut on that.
It was sad the way it forced Michael to leave Bug and Dukie though. Bug, at least he’s got an aunt to live with. And a box of money. Dukie pretty much got thrown out on the street with squat, while Michael claimed to recall nothing of summers past in an effort to alienate Dukie. To keep him away. Fortunately it looks like Prez finally makes an appearance in the finale, so hopefully Dukie’s story ends well. One note on the four boys though. Namond finally made an appearance in this episode (as part of the debate team), much like Randy did a few weeks ago (when Bunk came with questions). At the beginning of the season, I had wondered if we’d see them at all since season four pretty much wrapped it all up for those two. Namond with the best possible outcome and Randy the worst. Only Michael and Dukie really had stories left to tell as we’ve seen. That being said, neither Randy’s appearance nor Namond’s really furthered the plot all that much. If you think about, both their scenes could have been cut and it wouldn’t have really changed anything. Then again, that could have been the point — to show how inconsequential they’ve become in the grand scheme of things. Just a thought.
McNulty. Why the hell isn’t he happy? He got want he wanted. Marlo fell! It looks like the guilt from making good cops work on a bum (no pun intended) case finally got to him. Then again, he is a ginormous narcissist and probably hates the fact that Marlo is in jail and his plan doesn’t allow him any of the credit. I’m surprised that even Lester seems to think that the whole mess will just wrap itself up though. He’s the smart one! But he was right. Jimmy should have never told Kima. That one scene with her and Carver was great too. She told him to get ready for an IAD probe and then asked about turning in another cop. After she spilled it all to Cedric, it led right to that scene with him and Rhonda in the evidence locker watching Marlo’s phone ring. Everything is just so well done. The best part about it is that you knew exactly what was going to happen and my jaw was still on the floor.
More ramblings…
- Bubbles. I’m not sure about him. Fletcher is certainly bringing out the good in ol’ Reginald but that speech Bubs gave about resisting the temptation a while back has me worried. Felt a little like foreshadowing to me. I don’t really expect this show to have the happiest of endings and Bubbles falling off the wagon after all this time clean certainly wouldn’t surprise me.
- Dukie had better not have decided to shoot-up with the junk man and all his buddies. That would really be disappointing because he’s smarter than that.
- “I hope Chardene is up when I get home, because Lester Freamon is in the mood for love!” Fantastic line! For those that don’t remember, Chardene is the stripper who briefly dated D’Angelo in season one and then became one of Lester’s informants. I feel like we knew they were dating though but I can’t remember what episode or scene. Anyone?
- I know this is nothing new, but I just noticed it. The homcide unit no longer has typewriters. They’ve got Panasonic Tough Book laptops now.
- Landsman called Jimmy a “genital wart.” Priceless.
- Anyone else notice Augie Polk working the evidence control locker when Cedric and Rhonda came in? I didn’t recognize him at first since he shaved his moustache. If you remember, when the detail was first formed in season one, Polk and Mahone were the dead weight on the team. Drunks. Mahone got the crap kicked out of him by Bodie and went on permanent medical leave. Polk considered throwing himself down the stairs to achieve the same goal, but never went through with it. What other show on TV would bring back such a miniscule character for two or three lines? This is why I’ll miss The Wire.
- During the press conference after the Marlo bust, I couldn’t help but think of Burrell with all those drugs: “Dope on the table.” And how great was Zorzi? Listening to Tommy’s speech, he knew what words were coming next as if he’d seen the same dog and pony show a dozen times. “Don’t forget the community…” Great stuff.
- I wish we had gotten a little more from Bunny and that he wasn’t tied to Namond’s near pointless scene. Although it was great to see him snub Carcetti’s handshake. Bunny made a good point too. If Hamsterdam wasn’t acceptable, what can be done then?
- Herc is a sleaze! Using Carver for info and then helping to cover Snoop on the gun charge that he originally jacked her for! I can’t wait for Ellis to find out that it’s Levy who Herc is working under. I will say that his speculations worry me. He’s right about Lester and the illegal tap, but how can Levy prove that? Even if he does, Lester still has the dirt on Levy from Clay. I’ve gone over everyone and can’t figure out who his courthouse mole is. It has to be someone we haven’t met before. (Sidebar: Lester was like the Omar of the BPD in that scene with Clay. Documents, his shotgun and knowledge, his payout.)
- Showtime shout-out on HBO! Dukie was watching Dexter! Perhaps a bit of an inside joke with the writers? Passing the torch? I’d argue that Dexter probably is the best show on in The Wire’s absence.
- I loved Jimmy’s “evacuated” comment. Nice toss back to Spry from the season premiere. Ironically, I think Jimmy got the word usage right… didn’t he?
Next week is going to be messy. Jimmy wants this to just all go away but that can’t happen now because Cedric and Rhonda know which means Tommy and Rawls will know. But what if the killings continue despite Jimmy? Someone else could conceivably take on the cause. Lord knows Templeton put enough detail in his articles. How would you break that to the public? The killer was fake… but now he’s real?
It seems to me that this is all going to rely on Lester. With everything he’s got, from the wiretape to the dirt on Levy, there has to be some way for him to spin this. I don’t see how he couldn’t have a contingency plan in place should it all go south. He’s not that naïve, right? Granted, I think everyone will still be pissed at him (especially Daniels) but if he can figure out a way to save face then maybe his punishment won’t be so bad.
In closing, some showdowns I’m looking forward to in the series finale. How about you? Which one are you looking forward to?
The Wire: Clarifications
(S05E08) “A lie ain’t a side of a story. It’s just a lie.” - Terry Hanning
Rest in peace Omar Little. Wow. Honestly, that’s all I really want to talk about. So let’s get everything else out of the way first. I’ll come back to Omar. Where to start then? How about my weekly rant on Scott Templeton? When I first saw that quote at the head of the episode, I was wondering who the hell Terry Hanning was. I figured he must hold some weight if his quote was the one selected to grace the episode though. Then we saw him. The military vet that Scott “interviewed” under the bridge the day he went slumming with the homeless. I’ve been waiting all season for a moment like this.
Essentially, Scott did write up Terry’s story about his time serving the USA over in Iraq. But then Scott did what he does best. He added more details, fudged some stuff, and painted a completely fake picture for his readers. He probably felt pretty confident at the time because, hey, some homeless guy ain’t ever gonna read the paper. Wrong. So here’s Terry, in the conference room with Scott and Gus, and it’s pretty much a “his word against my word” situation. Scott even has some valid points that Gus agrees with. Terry’s a drinker and maybe he doesn’t remember what was said that day. Fair enough.
I think in his heart, Gus really wants to believe Scott. But as with everything Gus looks at, it comes down to the details. Sure, Terry could be in there making a stir just for the hell of it. One thing stood out though. Scott said they drank coffee and later, all Terry could mumble was that they had chocolate milk. Why would Terry have any motive to lie about something little like that? Gus already knows Scott is willing to lie about something unimportant since he caught him on the fish lady correction. The seed was already planted. Terry’s accusation simply added water and sunlight.
So by the time Scott had written up his article on Carcetti’s homeless rally with another unnamed source, Gus spiked it. Makes sense though! There were hundreds of homeless people there who willingly showed up, fully knowing they’d probably be on the evening news and Scott happens to quote the one woman who wishes to remain anonymous? Yeah right! It’s hilarious watching him try to defend his lies. He knows he’s been caught but has no choice but to lie. That or he whines to Klebanow. I just can’t wait to watch him crumble completely in the final two episodes.
The Scott Templeton story alone has raised this season in my opinion. He’s just so sleazy. By comparison, you have someone like Fletcher who’s actually doing his job and writing up quality (true) pieces (I can’t wait for his write up on Bubbles), and it makes Scott look even worse.
Alright, moving on to Jimmy, Lester, and the Marlo detail. Tommy gave Jimmy carte blanche. Unlimited OT. Unlimited men. And even a company account at Enterprise Rent-a-Car. This might be the first, last, and only time you seen Baltimore cops rolling around in shiny Lexus’ loaded with GPS and Sirius radio. Some points:
- First off, I think Jimmy made a huge mistake by telling Kima the truth. You knew she’d be against it and she was. Bringing Carver into the mix might be bad for business too. Granted, Jimmy didn’t tell Ellis the whole truth, but he can figure it out. What if he realizes he’s being used for the non-existent detail? Let’s not forgot that early on this season, Carver developed a new found respect for his job and was willing to write-up Colicchio. The guy has gone straight and if he realizes he’s an accomplice to an illegal wire-tap (one that he inadvertently started by handing over that number), there’s no way he stays quiet.
- What’s Lester’s angle by blackmailing Clay? He went to the US Attorney to see if they’d try Clay for the loan falsification and got rejected. Fine. Can’t Clay figure that out though? Lester wants answers (not money) and I’m guessing if he can’t take down Clay, he’ll use Clay to take down someone else? But who? Royce? Maury Levy? Tommy? Who else is worth going after in Lester’s mind?
- I’m glad Sydnor was able to crack the clock code and match it to the grids of an atlas. Two things bugged me though. One, it seemed awfully convenient that Sydnor just happened to have the same atlas that Marlo’s crew was using and two, I really wish Prez had been involved with the code cracking.
- How hilarious was the scene when Jimmy and Kima went to the FBI for a profile of the “killer?” The description was McNulty dead on, t’s crossed and i’s dotted. Absolutely friggin’ hilarious. (Kima: “What do you think” Jimmy: “Uh… they’re in the ballpark.”)
- Why did Jimmy come clean with Beadie? She was pissed after taking the kids away for a few days but came back and seemed willing to give McNulty one more shot. I realize he has a guilty conscience, but at this point, he has no reason to believe that this mess won’t come out clean. Granted, some of the other detectives have figured out ways to manipulate what Jimmy is doing (weekends at Hilton Head), but still. Why tell Beadie and kill his last chance of making a life with her?
Now let’s talk about Carcetti. It’s amusing that he went from having no real platform to run for governor to being the favorite to win the seat for a democrat. Thank Jimmy McNulty’s grotesque imagination. As a result though, we’ve seen Carcetti slip. He’s aware he has a shot now and has shifted into “do whatever it takes mode.” He’s backing a homeless agenda that, let’s be honest, will not be on his list of priorities should he get elected, he’s doling out Baltimore’s sorely needed school money to other counties, and he’s making deals left and right with people like Nerese and Clay. Everything he ever stood for is being thrown out the window and the worst part is that people who were once on that same level as him (Norman and Steintorf) are right there nudging him along. The only person who seems to realize that he might not win and then become public enemy number one in the eyes of Baltimore families with school age children is his wife, Jennifer. Power may change you, but the chance of getting even more of it can really twist someone.
More thoughts…
- I was really surprised that Bunk used Jimmy’s position to juke some paperwork for a DNA check. While it did provide Bunk a link between Bug’s daddy’s murder and Chris Partlow, it was still very unlike Bunk. This whole time he’s been railing on Jimmy for how wrong he is and now he buys into it? He did repay the favor by giving that slip of paper to Jimmy from Omar’s hand (I’m getting to him! Really!). If not for that, Lester would have never had a reason to suspect Cheese had any involvement. Let’s not forget that the co-op was never found out by the police.
- Anyone else cringe when Rawls made that comment about “kinky shit” when talking about the homeless killings? All I could think of was two things. One, the time we briefly saw Rawls in a gay bar and two, the time Landsman saw that graffiti in the men’s room (”Rawls Sucks Cock”) and laughed it off as if to say, “everyone knows that.” I wonder if there was ever any real significance in suggesting that Rawls was a homosexual?
- Poot! Working at a shoe store! What did he say? Something like “shit got old?” I guess Bodie’s murder really got to him. It’s interesting though, as we see Michael making the same mistakes that Bodie did. Running his mouth about how Marlo conducts himself and all. Michael isn’t stupid though. He’s too smart to put himself in a position where someone can sneak up behind him and pull a trigger.
- Dukie got a job hauling scrap metal with the junk man. It’s kind of sad actually. He could really do so much better, even though he’s only 15. Why doesn’t he go and see if Prez can help him find better work? Or get him into a better school maybe?
OK… here we go. Omar. At first, I was really pissed off. I mean, how could they just go and kill off one of the top three characters in this show? This feels worse than when Stringer was killed. But then I thought about it. One thing to keep in mind is that on The Wire, plot serves story and not character. If a death makes sense, then it happens. The more you think about it, Omar’s death made sense. First off, he got cocky. Hobbling around like that, anyone could have popped him before he had a chance to react. Omar kept going out and hitting Marlo’s stash houses not because of his skills, but because of his reputation. When you’ve got a bum leg, rep only gets you so far and all it takes is for one person to realize, I could take him. It’s a simple conclusion, one that even a little boy could make.
Enter Kenard. We’ve always known him to be a little punk with a giant chip on his shoulder to prove himself worthy. Remember when he tried to steal Namond’s package until Michael beat the crap out of him? The kid is street hardened. Hell, we first saw him in this episode pouring lighter fluid on an alley cat! But he’s got that goofy, adorable face. Who would ever suspect him to have a gun lodged in the back of his baggy jeans? Not Omar.
There’s really no rule that says if Omar had to die, then it needed to be in a giant shoot-out with Marlo. Sure it would have been fun, but let’s be honest - that’s what happens in the movies. Granted The Wire is still a TV show, but it’s about as real as it gets. Look at it this way. Remember Omar’s motto? If there was ever a moment in this show that absolutely screams, “all in the game,” then this was it.
The Wire: Took
(S05E07) “They don’t teach it in law school.” - Pearlman
McNulty finally got his wish. After weeks of lies, Carcetti caved to the potential implications of a serial killer running amuck. For a man with aspirations to run for governor of Maryland, that can’t happen. So Jimmy’s case finally became a true red ball and the floodgates opened. Not even McNulty could have expected the insanity that came along with the department’s complete cooperation. As it stands right now, McNulty can have anything or anyone he wants. While he and Lester had been feverishly awaiting this moment, it quickly turned into exactly what they didn’t need.
Think about it. They’re running one of the biggest scams in the history of the Baltimore Police Department, and now everyone from top to bottom is involved. With that many eyes assisting the investigation of the “case,” someone has to notice something. A mistake in one of Jimmy’s doctored case files? The discovery of Lester’s dummy wires? A fresh report from the medical examiner on one of the dead homeless victims? Or maybe the discovery of Larry in that Virgina community shelter? Surely someone there must have seen those pictures of Larry posted somewhere. As Scott put it, “this case has legs,” and legs means national coverage.
So… after placing the call (and sending the picture of Larry) to Templeton using a voice modulator, things happened fast for Jimmy and Lester. The Sun and the B.P.D. rallied their troops to ensure that this thing is covered and policed from all angles and then Phelan signed off on Jimmy’s cell phone picture intercept tap. I loved the way that initial scene was set up though. I had to watch it a few times, but here’s how it worked: Jimmy called Templeton through the voice modulator I mentioned and it was attached to Marlo’s cell phone number. However, the outgoing trace signature was attached to a cell phone that Sydnor had down by the river. So when the call came through, Holley saw Marlo’s number on the tap and Lester’s re-routing of the number sent the signal to the phone Sydnor had. When the phone company ran the trap and trace, all Sydnor had to do was drop the phone into a magnetic bag, stuff it in his pocket, and walk away. As a result, the cops had to go about grabbing anyone (read: everyone) with a cell phone in that area. Scenes like that are so expertly laid out and I love that about The Wire.
Now I know I ask it every week, but here I go again: if this all plays out perfectly and Lester gets everything he needs to bust Marlo, is he really going to be able to attribute all this knowledge to an informant? I just don’t see it happening. It’s so much info and some of this has to be inadmissible right? How is he going to justify knowledge of the “clock code” without referencing the intercepted cell phone pictures? Speaking of which, they have a code to crack? Why didn’t either Jimmy or Lester call Pryzbylewski? He’s the master of cracking that stuff! (Remember season one? All you need to do is “jump the 5.”)
OK, moving on to Clay Davis. I called it. He walked and as guilty as he is… it’s probably justifiable. Bond’s case just didn’t have enough to nail him down. With the help of Billy Murphy (a sort of Johnnie Cochran/Jackie Chiles hybrid), Clay put on quite a show. The bottom line? Sure, his basketball charity may take in ten grand and the next day, Clay’s personal bank account might show a ten grand deposit. But there’s really no way to prove that he didn’t take that money and buy what was needed for the charity and then give the rest of it away to needy constituents. Legal? Probably not, but it makes him sound like one hell of a good man and created enough reasonable doubt. How did the jury vote though? Was it unanimously not guilty or was it hung? Looks like the only way to get him now requires bringing out that federal loan falsification charge and Bond definitely doesn’t want to do that. How else are you going to get Clay though?
A few “oh shiiiiiiiiiit” moments…
- Omar shot Savino! At point blank range! Unprovoked! Omar does not kill people like that. He may shoot them in the leg or if need be in self-defense he’ll pull the trigger, but Omar is not in the business of just killing people. You can argue that it’s based on revenge for Butchie, but Savino didn’t have a hand in that. On the flip-side, when Omar killed Stinkum, it was because Stinkum had a role in Brandon’s death. For those that have no idea who Savino is, he used to be Barksdale muscle alongside Wee-Bey, Stinkum, and Bird before going to jail. Now he’s running a stash house for Marlo. Bottom line? Omar has reached a breaking point. The man is hobbling around on a crutch and still scaring the crap out of people. I love how he’s just destroying Marlo’s drugs and money.
- Michael wasn’t molested by Bug’s father. Well… he might have been. But the case file that Bunk dug up said the results were inconclusive. I’m guessing young Michael was just as talkative with the social worker years ago as he was with Bunk in the interrogation room in this episode. Damn near mute.
- Gus did catch Scott in a lie! Last week, when he fed him that correction about Scott’s seafood allergy lady, it was bogus. But since Scott didn’t know that and didn’t bother to look into it, he lied and said he did. Gotcha. As Gus points out, it’s not that uncommon for a reporter to duck a correction… but it does mean that Scott is open to lying. Gus actually came out and said for the first time, “I don’t trust him.” While Gus and Rebecca are both on to him, especially with all the embellishments and exaggerations that Scott made during his homeless piece, it’ll be interesting to see if either Klebanow or Whiting continue to take Scott’s writing as gospel.
I also wanted to talk about Kima. One of my favorite ongoing stories in this show has been how she’s slowly transforming into the female version of McNulty. It pretty much came full circle in this episode. In the past, she cheated on Cheryl (with Jimmy’s help) and now she’s in the same situation he was way back in season one. Elijah is visiting for one night and she has no kiddie furniture. Cue a nice throwback as we watched Kima attempt to assemble something from IKEA with a glass of wine, just as Jimmy did all those years ago with a bottle of Jameson. Just really well done.
And speaking of McNulty, what are your thoughts on his new Robin Hood mantra? He has all this manpower and money at his disposal and no use for it, so I suppose it’s better than nothing and it is allowing actual police work to get done. You could see how Bunk was starting to get to McNulty as he was feeling guilty about the whole situation. I loved how it got all the way to Crutchfield and he knew the process without Jimmy saying anything. Then he called Jimmy “boss” as if he were Landsman. Hilarious.
More thoughts…
- How great was that final scene with Kima as she tried to put Elijah to sleep? Goodnight moon. Goodnight stars. Goodnight Po Po, fiends, hoppers, hustlers, and scammers. Police work — it’s all she knows.
- Awesome to see Day-Day Price again! He was hilarious on the stand when Bond questioned him.
- Anyone else think that Tommy’s gubernatorial campaign platform of homelessness is a little weak? It’s sad to say, but once McNulty’s “killer” is gone, I don’t think people are going to care as much and that kills any steam Carcetti had.
- “You got the right Allen wrench?” Hilarious.
- I think my favorite moment of the episode was when Jimmy mentioned to Lester that Jay wanted him to go to Quantico to get an FBI profile for the killer. Lester’s response? “You might learn something about yourself!”
- Looks like Bubbles has found an outlet for his frustrations in Fletcher. I’m guessing Fletch will eventually get him to open up about Sherrod’s death.
- Richard Belzer! He only had a few lines and no one, other than the bartender, acknowledged him. So, the big question? Was he supposed to be just some guy? Or was he supposed to be Munch? Because if so, that would create a nice little connection with Homicide. Plus it would be about the millionth show that Belzer has portrayed that role on. Also of note? The character of John Munch was based on the real life Jay Landsman, who just so happened to also be in the bar. Landsman plays Lt. Dennis Mello, whom Gus sat done and spoke with. (Not to be confused with Delaney Williams, who plays Jay Landsman on The Wire. Got it?)
- Not enough Carver this season.
Only three episodes left. Wow. Knowing that, something has to go wrong because I refuse to believe that this mess Jimmy has created can have a happy ending. Either him or Scott are gonna get nailed and from there, it falls apart for whoever’s still standing. Jimmy’s gonna wish he never came back to the major crimes detail at the end of last season.
The Wire: The Dickensian Aspect
(S05E06) “If you have a problem with this, I understand completely.” - Freamon
I thought the theme of this season was supposed to be newspapers and the media? Maybe it’s just me, but more than any other season of The Wire, this one seems to be focusing the least on its stated theme. Other than the steady story of Scott “worst journalist ever” Templeton, we really don’t see The Sun as much as I’d like. I love Gus Haynes. He’s a great character and I hope that the final four episodes take a little more time to dig deeper into his role.
That being said, I realize this is the final season and I’m hugely appreciative that any and all plots (new and old) are being addressed. Most shows don’t take the time to wrap everything up properly. Remember the final season of Alias? What a mess. I just think things could be a bit more evenly balanced.
Take this episode — homeless overload! (OK, I’m done, you can breathe. That’s the first and probably only time I’ll ever complain about The Wire. This show has earned my trust a hundred times over and then some.)
I think the best way to describe this episode is that things are starting to get messy. Cause and effect. Push and pull. One thing gains some forward movement only to send something else backwards. More directly, Lester and Jimmy are in a world of shit. Unless something drastic happens, I don’t see this ending well. The fact that Templeton has altered the scenario only complicates matters.
When the whole “fake serial killer” idea took root, both Jimmy and Lester oversimplified what would be required to achieve their goal of nailing Marlo. In theory, it all seemed much simpler. But now that the case has become a true red-ball (despite the fact that no money and only one more detective has been thrown at it), it’s becoming harder and harder for Jimmy to juke the case based on Lester’s needs. He can’t even get near a fresh homeless body without a swarm of other cops at the scene before him. I’ll come back this…
Moving on, let’s talk about Marlo and Omar. This has become the opposite of a chess game. It went from being a calculated and carefully executed ballet and now it’s just madness. Omar is blowing money up! Chris is pissed. Snoop is pissed. Marlo is pissed. And Omar has a busted ankle. How great was is that he hid in a janitor’s closet right near the balcony he jumped from? It never occurred to anyone that he was probably hurt and didn’t get far? Obviously not since Snoop searched every hospital in the city. Even Marlo confessed that it must have been some “Spiderman shit.” Marlo is smart though, offering up a huge bounty and blaming Omar for the deaths of Hungry Man and Prop Joe. Even though nobody believes him (especially Fat Face Rick), who cares? Find Omar, get money. Everyone in the co-op is going to need extra cash anyway since Marlo has doubled the price on the package. What’s the saying? Marlo isn’t a businessman; he’s a business, man.
On to my weekly rant about how much I hate Scott Templeton. This week, he wasn’t that bad. He actually listened to advice from Whiting and Gus, followed through with his plan to spend a night among Baltimore’s homeless, and then took the time to interview(!) a real live person. An ex-marine to be exact. And you know what happened? It was a great article that even Gus said felt “real.” So it just goes to show that if Scott wasn’t so uppity and full of himself and just did his job, he’s not half bad at it. All that came crashing down fast though when Fletcher brought Gus some questionable news about one of Scott’s recent articles on a mother who died of seafood poisoning. The sister of the deceased told Scott a scholarship fund had been started for her nieces and nephews, but any money that came in (as a direct result of Scott’s article) fed the sister’s gambling addiction instead. Gus asked Scott to look into it. He never did and instead fed Gus some crap about the whole situation. I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of that.
Next up I want to talk about Bond, because I have some theories on him. First off, I think my prediction about Clay walking in court is starting to play out. Bond told Rhonda that he personally wants to be the one to try Clay. (Based on that and even though he’s never said anything, Bond clearly wants to run for mayor in the next election.) Here’s the thing though and Rhonda was quick to point this out. This is a huge landmark case and Bond hasn’t tried anything in a long time. This probably isn’t the right opportunity to get back on the horse. I’m calling it again: Bond is going to make a fool of himself. Couple in the loose charity fraud charges and recall that he’s not bringing up anything regarding the loan falsification charges (or else the case would have to go federal) and I see no way that Clay Davis loses.
My other theory about Bond? I’m wondering if he’s the leak. It’s not too far-fetched, so hear me out. Obviously his eyes bugged out when Rhonda showed him the manila folder stuffed with Xeroxed sealed indictment forms that Holley found in Prop Joe’s desk drawer. Who wouldn’t be surprised? So here’s my argument. First off, I know this show serves story first and character second, but for this thread to play out properly… we need a shock. Who else have we met that can deliver that? Possibly Judge Phelan and that could be why he was so leery of going against The Sun when Jimmy wanted to tap Scott’s cell phone. If Phelan is the leak, he wouldn’t want anyone digging up dirt on him. I still think it may be Bond though. It’s not unimaginable to think that Bond knew Prop Joe from years ago. Joe knew Burrell from school after all. Maybe it’s an old connection. That being said, it would explain why he was fine with letting the row house murders get shelved as long as he could still take on Clay. He wants out of the DA seat and into the mayor’s chair. Clay Davis gets him there. Marlo Stanfield doesn’t. If Bond gets busted now, he’s replaced. If he gets busted and he’s mayor, he isn’t going anywhere and he’ll have a lot more leverage to manipulate until his term is over. So there you go, I know it’s a little loose… just a theory.
Let’s talk Bunk. He’s the only one really doing his job, following up leads on Michael’s dead step-father and Lex. He even went to talk to Randy at the group home. Great scene, huh? A year living there and that kid has changed. He went from timid to cop hating bully. I suppose you can’t really blame him though, even though his entire predicament is only Herc’s fault. Between Randy keeping his mouth shut and the complete ineptitude of the Baltimore Police Department Crime Lab (22 murders mislabeled!), it doesn’t look like Bunk’s getting anywhere.
OK, back to Jimmy and Lester. They’re not seeing eye to eye and Jimmy even called Lester a “supervisor’s nightmare.” The guy does have a lot of demands. Either way, the discovery that Marlo is using the phone to send pictures is going to require some fresh probable cause in Jimmy’s case. But he can’t get near a body now. So instead, he kidnapped a homeless guy, snapped some photos of him on an unmarked cell phone, then drove him to a shelter in Richmond, Virgina, and gave the shelter attendant fake ID on “Larry.” Now he can send the photos to Scott, claiming to be the killer. Since he can’t alter any real bodies, Jimmy can just make people disappear. Done deal. Remember what I said earlier? This is getting messy. It feels sloppy. Won’t someone recognize Larry at the shelter when his photo hits the news? This is a national story now! The unfortunate thing is that Marlo is going to require more and more manpower and that means more and more from Jimmy’s twisted mind. The well hasn’t run dry yet, but it will.
More thoughts…
- Listening to Whiting blabber on and on about “Dickensian aspect” this and “Dickensian aspect” that is hilarious. I honestly don’t think he fully understands what the phrase means or refers to, but he seems to find a way to inject it into everything he says. You need a bit more than some homeless interviews to fully encapsulate the meaning of “Dickensian.” But hey, what do I know? Whiting has a stay-at-home wife who volunteers a few times a week at the local public school! (He seems to think that makes him smarter though…)
- How great was it when Rawls handed off to Daniels during the press conference? You could see on Rawls’ face what he was thinking: “Let’s throw the new guy to the dogs.” Then Daniels got up there and handled himself better than Rawls ever has. And Carcetti noticed.
- Absolute favorite scene of the season thus far? When Tommy was introducing the New Westport condominium project with that sleazeball Krawczyk by his side. The whole time, I was sitting there thinking, “Man, this would be a great opportunity for Nicky Sobotka to show up and raise some hell.” Thirty seconds later? Sobotka! Cursing out the mayor for “tearing down the port of Baltimore and selling it to yuppie assholes.” Season two is still my favorite Wire season and if you recall, it was hard enough back then for a stevedore to maintain steady work. Think of how bad Nick will have it when that whole portion of the port is swallowed by Carcetti’s “legacy.”
- Jimmy talking to Larry (the homeless guy) in the car on the way to Virgina was hilarious. As if he expected crazy Larry to start having a normal conversation with him.
- I’m not quite sure why, but it seemed awfully appropriate that Scott’s TV appearance was on Nancy Grace.
- Heineken beer bottles. One man’s drink (Lester) is another man’s fake gun (Omar).
If last week was the tip of the iceberg, we’re definitely sliding down the side of it now. What started out as something small in Jimmy’s eyes has become larger than he could have ever imagined. The ironic thing is that no one really seems to care. National news coverage? Yes. More money from the department? No. My one final question? Say this works. Say Lester gets what he needs and can nail Marlo. Then what? Can he really attribute all this to an informant? It seems highly likely that what he and Jimmy have done will be uncovered. Even if Marlo goes to jail, are Jimmy and Lester willing to go with him?