The Wire | Season One | Episodes 3 & 4 | Full-Length Commentary
Added 2023-03-08 20:01:01 +0000 UTCCommentary for The Wire - Season One - Episodes 3 & 4
This is a watch-along, you need your own copy of the series.
Comments
The knuckle crackingπππ Misophonia
Tyrone Tyrone
2023-03-23 05:52:32 +0000 UTC* The raid in episode 3 is pretty fucked up, but Lester uses it to get D'angelo's beeper # off the wall of the former stash house. * Lester's competence and intelligence were first demonstrated when he finds the Golden Gloves photo of Avon Barksdale, but if you pay attention he's the only one of the "humps" who isn't shown being actively lazy or even drunk (Poke and Mahone) or fucking up with his gun (Prez). In the cold open, his bemused observation of the desk gag (which everyone else in the office fell for) demonstrates his superior intelligence. * With no technology or back-up or training, Omar learns more about how drugs and money and people move into, through, and out of The Pit than a whole squad of the BPD manage to, even considering that the Police are specifically focused on the same operation. * It struck me that Herc's conversation with Bodie's grandmother is the first time we start to learn something about where these kids come from. For Herc I believe that this is the only time he's gotten a glimpse at the humanity of these folks he's spent his career brutalizing. * In episode 2 McNulty/McNutty refers to Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) from Bridge on the River Kwai, saying "What the fuck did I do?". At the end of the movie he actually says "What have I done?" The misquote becomes a catchphrase for Jimmy, who repeats "What the fuck did I do?" throughout the series, usually after he's been called out for doing something wrong.. * "Drugs on the Table" and "Sending a Message" is used here in episode 4 for the first time. This shows how fucked up the priorities of the police are here (and let's face it, everywhere). The "Message" is not for the drug dealers but for the general public, and it is the equivalent of Avon's reference to hunters tying a carcass to the front of their vehicle for transport. It's macho posturing done to convince us that they are winning battles in the war on drugs while they are really losing ground in the communities being policed.
james repka
2023-03-19 23:35:16 +0000 UTCYeah, that's why most people love the desk metaphor the best.
Cliff Douglas
2023-03-10 17:56:44 +0000 UTCFYI, the desk is a metaphor for what they been doing with the case up until that point and also the so call war on drugs. Everyone has their own agenda, doing their own thing. Lester watching it happen and laughing at them while the problem stays put/stuck.
Cliff Douglas
2023-03-10 17:46:59 +0000 UTCThatβs a fair criticism but the show is also good at not over expositing most times and letting the dialogue feel natural by not explaning or changing the vernacular, as shown by how the Mrs. canβt follow the conversation at times. I think people are bit more tuned into the exposition on a rewatch.
Veya
2023-03-09 20:52:46 +0000 UTCAt the top of the chain of command for time time being is Deputy Ops, aka Commissioner's Deputy of Operations (Burrell). He oversees: 1) the Homicide division, consisting of Major Rawls > Jay the fat sergeant > McNulty and Bunk as partners 2) the Narcotics division, of whom far we know Daniels > Greggs, Herc, Carver Them, and the rest of the rank and file cop cast, are part of the same case detail, led by Daniels. investigating Barksdale organisation. Rhonda Pearlman, the red-headed woman who's McNulty's fling, is Assistant State's Attorney, in other words prosecutor, working with the cops but not under the same chain of command.
MR
2023-03-09 20:12:51 +0000 UTCI am so happy you are doing this, you're in for a great ride. I was here for Sopranos, and coming back now for The Wire. It's a subtle show, it takes few episodes to trully hook up, but once it does, it wont let go. And it probably takes couple of seasons to truly realise the weight of its message. It's so much more than a cop show.
Mino BG
2023-03-09 19:50:24 +0000 UTCThe hospital? What is it? It's a building with doctors and patients, but that's not important right now. That got old too.
Sharpgirl
2023-03-09 18:07:18 +0000 UTCMy only real gripe with the writing on the show is that there are more than a few times where a character will just repeat the other character's line as a question when there's exposition. "It's raining cats and dogs out there." "Cats and dogs???" Kima is by far the biggest culprit but pretty much every character has one of these moments at some point.
ShaneSpear
2023-03-09 16:42:42 +0000 UTCLearning the chain of command for the police was tough for me as well. Sgt. Landsman is in charge of a shift of homicide detectives that include Bunk and McNutty. Next up from Landsman is Major Rawls who is McNutty's #1 enemy. Rawls reports to the Deputy of Operations Burrell, who is who the judge calls. Deputy Ops reports to the Commissioner who we havent met yet.
MrRuss50
2023-03-09 03:32:09 +0000 UTCMy name is my name
FuzzyDunlop
2023-03-09 03:31:35 +0000 UTCYeah, it was pretty explicitly stated lol. This is one of the times were the show is too heavy-handed but it does a good job of actually weaving the idea throughout the show.
Veya
2023-03-09 01:38:14 +0000 UTCMcnulty already messed up. In the first episode he mentioned he didnβt want to work on boats. The fumes made him sick.
Bxpolo
2023-03-09 00:43:15 +0000 UTCIn chess terms Avon is the king and Stringer(Idris Elba) is the queen.
SavageDiplomat
2023-03-08 22:22:33 +0000 UTC
