The Wire 1/27/08 Transitions

[Rob Helmerichs]

Well, I guess without Prop Joe running things, the cops' job is about to get easier...

Funny seeing the young guy who's too stupid and inexperienced to wet his pants at the thought of Omar coming after him!

[Ace Deprave]

Wow. Marlo is cold blooded.

[ironchef]

Omar back....

[jschuur]

It's starting to feel like the final season of The Sopranos, isn't it?

If you're like me, and sometimes just need to know what the hell just happened, HBO has it's usual fine calibre of elaborate episode recaps (http://www.hbo.com/thewire/episode/season5/episode53.shtml) (Edit #2 currently linking to last week's episode) out.

In the words of David Simon (http://www.believermag.com/issues/200708/?read=interview_simon):
**** the average reader ... He knows nothing and he needs everything explained to him right away, so that exposition becomes this incredible, story-killing burden. **** him. **** him to hell.

Edit: Well, that answers something I've always wondered. It's the forum doing the censoring for you, not posters being too delicate to say the f-word.

[cheesesteak]

First Butchie, now prop Joe. The good bad guys are dropping like flies. Time for Omar to start evening the score. Go, Omar, go.

Looks like I was a little wrong when I stated that Marlo wasn't looking to replace Joe. I really didn't see Marlo having Prop Joe killed.

Has Marlo killed anybody on his own?

Marlo is cold blooded but he's the murderous equivalent of loud and stupid. The ruthless and conspicuous way he goes about his business should raise a lot of eyebrows among the police, the Greek and the other dealers. The other co-op members should issue a kill on sight order for Marlo, Chris and Snoop.

[markymark_ctown]

wow...shocked to see the demise of prop joe. and even more shocked that him and burrell is only 1 year older than him :)

who was it that chris and snoop had tied up in the warehouse? i couldn't make it out...

[pjenkins]

wow...shocked to see the demise of prop joe. and even more shocked that him and burrell is only 1 year older than him :)

who was it that chris and snoop had tied up in the warehouse? i couldn't make it out...

during the co-op meeting, there was an altercation. Marlo took the one participant and tied him up for the other one to kill as a gift (I think Prop's nephew maybe - he called him 'young one' or something during the meeting)

[cwoody222]

who was it that chris and snoop had tied up in the warehouse? i couldn't make it out...

It was the guy that complained during the co-op meeting that one of the younger guys was dealing in his territory.

They "served him up" to the younger guy as a "present" :)

[cheesesteak]

I think his name was Hungry Man.

[markymark_ctown]

thanks...i figured it had something to do with the arguement at the meeting, but i couldn't quite make out who it was.

does anyone feel like they need a roster during those meeting scenes? :D

[TAsunder]

I predicted that marlo wanted to replace joe, but I thought it would be protracted as a storyline and not so immediate. Does this mean we'll get to see more of method man's acting chops?

I like the story about the cop with the bad hair. I've been sick of that guy for some time - must mean that they are writing that character well.

Did burrell suddenly get noticeably more gray hair this episode?

[BadlyDrawnBoy]

that was the get a gift, give a gift.

Cheese got Hungry Man, and then Cheese gave up his uncle Prop Joe to Marlo.

[cheesesteak]

Maybe Avon's got the architectural plans for his prison tattooed on his body and he'll break out and join Omar in going after Marlo and his crew. I would watch that.

[jweisler]

Nobody has brought up the scenes of McNulty and Lester with the homeless folks under the bridge.

Am I crazy, or was the one homeless drinking guy the guy who worked the computer at the docks (big guy with long beard that helped Ziggy snatch the Merecedes -- can't remember his name)? They kept showing him. Drawing the obvious conclusion that with Frank gone and his plan gone, the docks are dead and this guy is now homeless....

[TAsunder]

Nobody has brought up the scenes of McNulty and Lester with the homeless folks under the bridge.

Am I crazy, or was the one homeless drinking guy the guy who worked the computer at the docks (big guy with long beard that helped Ziggy snatch the Merecedes -- can't remember his name)? They kept showing him. Drawing the obvious conclusion that with Frank gone and his plan gone, the docks are dead and this guy is now homeless....

Yup that was him. I noticed it too... thought it was a nice little wink. I can't remember if he was one of the ones who was indicted, but I think he was.

[cherry ghost]

He was not indicted. He was last seen drunk on a corner with Nat(I think it was Nat) drinking a 40 out of a paper bag.

[frombhto323]

First Butchie, now prop Joe. The good bad guys are dropping like flies. Time for Omar to start evening the score. Go, Omar, go.

Looks like I was a little wrong when I stated that Marlo wasn't looking to replace Joe. I really didn't see Marlo having Prop Joe killed.

Has Marlo killed anybody on his own?

Marlo is cold blooded but he's the murderous equivalent of loud and stupid. The ruthless and conspicuous way he goes about his business should raise a lot of eyebrows among the police, the Greek and the other dealers. The other co-op members should issue a kill on sight order for Marlo, Chris and Snoop.

Marlo killed the girl that Avon sent to set him up in Season 3. Went to her house and shot her on her front lawn. Other than that, I don't recall.

Cheese is even stupider than I thought. With Prop Joe gone, Cheese is no longer useful to Marlo. I see a rather quick demise for Cheese.

Interesting how the parallel fates of Burrell and Prop Joe played out. Who would have thought that they were so close in age? Also, Noriese (sp?) getting the goods on Daniels cannot be good for Carcetti.

[Joeg180]

I was shocked by the demise of Prop Joe. Marlo is definitely cold blooded

Loved the poop in the bag trick, too bad about Collucio, could he get a real haircut:)

[spikedavis]

My wife's friend Ptolemy played the homeless guy who wanted McNulty's business card. I knew he was going to be on this season but I couldn't figure out when-I thought for sure he would be working at the press. Didn't expect to see him there.

Man. I want Omar to kill every last one of Marlo and his gang. My question now is-what happens to Slim Charles?

[mrpantstm]

I'm kinda sorry that Prop Joe's gone. Last of the original criminals from the first season finally meeting their end.

[spikedavis]

I'm kinda sorry that Prop Joe's gone. Last of the original criminals from the first season finally meeting their end.


Hey-Avon's still kicking!

[jradosh]

The first body that McNulty rejected as "too old", that was the homeless guy he'd given his business card to in an earlier scene, right?

And then McNulty signed some "officer" form for the cop.

Seems to me that McNulty is leaving behind a lot of evidence that could bring him down should the fraud be detected.

[ClutchBrake]

I want Omar to kill every last one of Marlo and his gang. My question now is-what happens to Slim Charles?

Each season I hope and pray Omar makes it out alive. I just don't see it happening this time. I think he will take out Marlo but I don't think he'll make it to the final credits. :(

I've been wondering the same thing about Slim Charles. I can't see him going after anyone though. He is a soldier, not really an independent thinker. I wonder if he'll just fade away from the show.

I don't know if I can take many more deaths of great characters. I still miss Bodie. :(

[Rob Helmerichs]

And then McNulty signed some "officer" form for the cop.
He didn't sign it, he just filled it out for him--the beat cop made him do the grunt work in exchange for the favor.

[spikedavis]

I'm really really bummed that Prop Joe is gone. He was the "nice" drug lord!

[JohnB1000]

I'm kinda sorry that Prop Joe's gone. Last of the original criminals from the first season finally meeting their end.

It's a stretch to group him with them. He only appeared in two eps season 1 and was a very minor player through most of the run. He aint no Stringer or (weep weep) Bodie.

[cheesesteak]

I wish this show had action figures.

[spikedavis]

I wish this show had action figures.

Wow-that would be great! Can you imagine a little Omar on your desk with Kung Fu Grip and Shotgun Accessories (And Honey Nut Cheerios).

[jradosh]

I wish this show had action figures.

McNulty and the bendable-poseable barfly skanks :D

[Rob Helmerichs]

Wow-that would be great! Can you imagine a little Omar on your desk with Kung Fu Grip and Shotgun Accessories (And Honey Nut Cheerios).
I don't know...I find the thought of a little Omar on my desk...disturbing.

[cheesesteak]

I don't know...I find the thought of a little Omar on my desk...disturbing.
What if it whistled "Farmer In The Dell" when you pressed a button?

[lordargent]

The other co-op members should issue a kill on sight order for Marlo, Chris and Snoop.

I thought the deal with Marlo was that he had the muscle, and they brought him into the co-op as a way to keep him from taking over their territory by force.

[BobB]

I thought the deal with Marlo was that he had the muscle, and they brought him into the co-op as a way to keep him from taking over their territory by force.

Absolutely! He's the big fish in the pond, and most likely has paid informants in the smaller organizations.

[BlearyEyed]

With Prop Joe now gone and, in my opinion, Marlo no longer having any value for Cheese, I see it possible that Omar may soon be whistling "Farmer in the Dell" while the Cheese stands alone. And as a Prop Joe fan I'm all for it.

[Timbeau]

Wow that scene where Prop Joe got it was powerful!

Prop Joe: I treated you like a son!
Marlo: I wasn't cut out to be the son.

Cold, very cold.

I could feel the hopelessness of Prop Joe's situation, knowing he was about to die and being completely powerless to stop it.

[jradosh]

Wow that scene where Prop Joe got it was powerful!

Prop Joe: I treated you like a son!
Marlo: I wasn't cut out to be the son.

Cold, very cold.

I could feel the hopelessness of Prop Joe's situation, knowing he was about to die and being completely powerless to stop it.

I thought Marlo was uncharacteristically kind to Prop Joe in his last minutes. A less grateful person would have cracked-wise or otherwise insulted Prop Joe. But Marlo showed respect and (perhaps) a touch of the father-son relationship (despite his protestations that he "wasn't cut out to be the son").

It made the scene all the more disquieting.

[mitchb2]

I don't know if I can take many more deaths of great characters. I still miss Bodie. :(


Shoot, I still miss D'Angelo!
I think he was the first "shocking" death of the show.

[ClutchBrake]

Shoot, I still miss D'Angelo!
I think he was the first "shocking" death of the show.

Wallace was a pretty tough death as well. Though not as much as D'Angelo or Bodie.

[deli99]

Wallace was a pretty tough death as well. Though not as much as D'Angelo or Bodie.

When I think about Wallace, Bodie, Stringer, and Prop Joe getting killed (all "good" guys), I don't have a good feeling about Omar's fate. We'll see.

[Mabes]

My only question about Marlo's play with the Greeks, wouldn't they have told Prop Joe? The only reason I can think that they wouldn't would be because they knew it was inevitable Marlo would take over, but if they told Joe he could take out Marlo first.

One question about Clay Davis. As explained in the recap - Since Clay Davis paid back the $80k his mother-in-law gave him for the down payment on his property, it falsifies the loan application (by making the gift a loan).

So Clay makes a down payment of $80k and takes out a loan for the rest. So what if he pays his grandmother back, he still has to pay off the loan.

[Rob Helmerichs]

So Clay makes a down payment of $80k and takes out a loan for the rest. So what if he pays his grandmother back, he still has to pay off the loan.
The fact that he didn't have to pay back the money to his Grams was taken into consideration when the bank decided to give him the loan. He made a fraudulent loan application.

I know from recent personal experience that mortgage companies take these things VERY seriously. My mortgage loan was almost derailed at closing because the paper trail for a gift was only as good as the evidence for gravity, but not as good as the evidence for evolution. :D

[Mabes]

The fact that he didn't have to pay back the money to his Grams was taken into consideration when the bank decided to give him the loan. He made a fraudulent loan application.

I know from recent personal experience that mortgage companies take these things VERY seriously. My mortgage loan was almost derailed at closing because the paper trail for a gift was only as good as the evidence for gravity, but not as good as the evidence for evolution. :D

So basically this sort of thing allows you to take out loans you may not really have the assets to pay off. I get that, I really don't get your last statement. Not in the specifics in how it applies to you (are you saying you had a hard time proving a gift?), and also isn't there more evidence for gravity than evolution? I mean there's plenty for both...

[Rob Helmerichs]

So basically this sort of thing allows you to take out loans you may not really have the assets to pay off. I get that, I really don't get your last statement. Not in the specifics in how it applies to you (are you saying you had a hard time proving a gift?), and also isn't there more evidence for gravity than evolution? I mean there's plenty for both...
There's no doubt in a reasonable person's mind that both exist, but we understand how evolution works better than we understand how gravity works.

For my part, I didn't have a hard time proving a gift, I just didn't have the exact paperwork they wanted because the gift was given before the mortgage process began. Literally, they wanted a form that they supplied to be signed before they gave me the form, and that caused problems which resulted in everybody sitting in a room for two hours at closing waiting for the lender to get approval for the documentation we actually had. So I can understand both a corrupt politician getting a fake gift as a way to secure a fraudulent loan, and that coming back to haunt him when his "protection" evaporates.

[Mabes]

There's no doubt in a reasonable person's mind that both exist, but we understand how evolution works better than we understand how gravity works.

For my part, I didn't have a hard time proving a gift, I just didn't have the exact paperwork they wanted because the gift was given before the mortgage process began. Literally, they wanted a form that they supplied to be signed before they gave me the form, and that caused problems which resulted in everybody sitting in a room for two hours at closing waiting for the lender to get approval for the documentation we actually had. So I can understand both a corrupt politician getting a fake gift as a way to secure a fraudulent loan, and that coming back to haunt him when his "protection" evaporates.

We know they both exist, but we really know gravity does. We don't fly off into the air, apples fall, they brought back Apollo 13 partly by slingshoting it around the moon by calculating the gravitational pull. I guess we don't really know exactly what gravity is but we know it's there. You can't really demonstrate macroevolution in the lab.

Whatever, it's like arguing which is more true, 2 + 2 = 4 or 4 - 2 = 2.

[mwhip]

This show impresses me more and more everyday. I am in the middle of watching season 2 again and in one of the episodes Frank Sobotka is talking to the union about getting more ships if the city does not make a deal with a developer for water front condos. And in this episode Sobotka's kid is at the peer when they mayor does the hand shake press conference for the very same condos. Way to tie it all back.

[Mabes]

BTW I haven't commented on the theme song this year. I love Steve Earle's music, he plays Waylon if you don't know, but his version is horrible. Very disappointing.

[madscientist]

My only question about Marlo's play with the Greeks, wouldn't they have told Prop Joe? The only reason I can think that they wouldn't would be because they knew it was inevitable Marlo would take over, but if they told Joe he could take out Marlo first.My opinion on this is they just didn't want to get involved. They are completely indifferent to who is running the streets as long as they feel that person can be trusted. They don't want to get involved in a street war; it's bad for business. They just take the money and provide the drugs.