Talk about "Clarifications," the 8th episode of "The Wire," here. Do not talk about this episode in last night's review thread and do not discuss anything you might know about the season's final two episodes. If you can't play nice -- and feel free to e-mail me at asepinwall(at)starledger.com if you're seeing problems -- I'll turn off comments and you all can wait until Sunday night to discuss the episode with everybody else.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The Wire week 8 thread for the On Demand'ers
Talk about "Clarifications," the 8th episode of "The Wire," here. Do not talk about this episode in last night's review thread and do not discuss anything you might know about the season's final two episodes. If you can't play nice -- and feel free to e-mail me at asepinwall(at)starledger.com if you're seeing problems -- I'll turn off comments and you all can wait until Sunday night to discuss the episode with everybody else.
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243 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 243 of 243"can anyone explain why the clock code breaking was necessary if they were constantly tracking all of marlo's crew?"
and for that matter, why does sydnor need to look up a street in his map book when the police rental cars have GPS navigation?
"I entertained the notion of it not being Omar for about 2 seconds after seeing the DOB of 1960 but will chalk it up to this season being so sloppy to begin with."
This is my take on the tag: The person who prepares the tags got the first lines on each one reversed. He filled out each tag correctly, but transposed the name line (which also included race). The morgue doctor (not sure what his title would be) looked at the tags, realized that it was a black corpse being identified as a white guy, and he switched the tags so that the names would be correct, even though the other information would thus be wrong.
Looking at the white body, I have no trouble believing that guy was 47 or 48 years old (don't remember the month of birth).
So I don't see it as sloppiness on the writer's part, it was sloppiness on the part of whoever filled out the tags. (Some attendant, assumably.)
"and for that matter, why does sydnor need to look up a street in his map book when the police rental cars have GPS navigation?"
The rental cars were being used by the Western District guys. Sydnor already had a car he was using prior to the Enterprise account being opened; since that car did not need maintenance for any reason we know of, he would continue using it.
"The morgue doctor (not sure what his title would be) looked at the tags, realized that it was a black corpse being identified as a white guy"
I should also say, I briefly considered the idea that the doctor actually recognized Omar, but, given the entire rest of the episode, where it is repeatedly drilled into us that nobody outside of this tiny world cared about Omar, I doubt that they would mean it that way.
The clock code breaking was necessary to know where the meets were going to be so the police could set up microphones and cameras before Marlo's people got there. Just tailing someone doesn't allow you to listen to their conversations or know exactly what they are exchanging.
Before they break the clock code, they have no idea who Marlo is meeting with where. The only way to find it out is with a very expensive, very obvious surveillance team following them all. Through their observations, the code can be broken, at which point the surveillance can be cut back. They would only need to watch specific locations, and they would know when based on the clock code. So they don't need nearly as much manpower to track them.
I'm not sure why this is confusing people.
This might have been brought up already, but I just thought about Richard Price's Clockers (Spoiler if you haven't read the book!)--doesn't the book's fearsome street legend, Erroll Barnes, get shot by a little kid? It has been a couple years since I read the book; I don't think the parallels to Omar/Kennard run much deeper than that, but it's just something that popped into my head earlier.
I'm going to miss the way Omar says "Newpowts".
Sorry if I'm repeating something. i read about 190 posts before I went bleary. I'll get the rest tomorrow. But at the last ep. of season 4, chapter 3, Marlo comes to Joe wanting whoever was accountable in his camp and Joe says he can't give him up because it's "his nephew. my sister's boy" (13:50 or so) Cheese is definitely Prop Joe's nephew.
I don't recall that MCU knows that. When Lester said the line about "on his mama's side" he wasn't talking about Cheese. It was a browner. shorter, stokcier dude. I never caught the name.
Great catch on Kenard from S3. Great, great catch. Adds so much more meaning to Omar's death. Oh, and let me say it again, I hate Kenard. Great little actor. He's really made me despise him.
Check out this new interview with David Simon. S5 is the topic.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/114438?from=rss?nav=slate
210 comments... why does The Wire have to end so soon, give us three more episodes, traded for 7 seasons of America Idol!
Sorry...but Bunk leering at those teenage girls (on his way into the store where dead Omar was), is disgusting. Such an (unfortunete) stereotype.
Maybe i need to take a second look at that scene, but I did not see that as leering at all.
He heard them say Omar's dead that was why Bunk was lookin at him
And good interview by Simon. I was rollin when he was sonnin these internet critics
You know I piss off everybody i know, that loves The Wire, by reading this blog a week before we watch it. Because I cannot stand surprises and have always been that way. But I may have learned my lesson today, when I saw R.I.P. Omar. I slung everything off my desk and said "Fuck this show, Fuck this show". I called my brother screaming that I would record it for him on Sunday, but I would NOT be watching it, now he's pissed at me cause he knows without me saying shit.
Fuck, Bodie and Omar. My two favorite characters.
Dennis Lehane does this episode correct? Fuck, fuck, fuck!
So I have ruined the rest of the weekend for myself, and am in a pissy mood.
And yes I know you don't win the game. I am actually quite desensitized to death in my real life, but it's Omar.
Shameless self-blog-promotion:
I wrote Omar an obituary. Not to be taken too seriously, I know he's just a fictional character.
Link:
http://antwonomous.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-loving-memory-of-omar-little.html
Judge Thelan's the leak, yeah?
He's been getting kickbacks from Prop Joe for signing wire taps against west side niggas since the first season.
Except for the fact that Phelan had no idea who Barksdale was before Jimmy told him, the fact that Phelan wouldn't have consistent, dependable access to the documents Joe would need, the fact that Phelan ultimately refused to go to the mat at least once, and the fact that Joe was unaware they were investigating Stringer Bell in the 3rd season despite the fact that Phelan knew it...
Question for y'all about something that's been teasing my brain. It's about the clock code. We know how Sydnor broke the code by looking at his map book, a book all city cops that I know (and I live in Chicago and know quite a few) have. They are the only people I've ever known to have this particular kind of atlas. They have a name for it that I just can't recall right now.
Anyway, why would Marlo's crew even be familiar with that kind of map? And how would they know how to decipher it? They're not that easy to read, not like a regular ol' map you'd pick up at a gas station anyway - and where'd they get their map? I sense some corrupt cop behind this somehow.
the code is derived from the map, but it wouldn't require more than one map to actually use. You just need one meet; Marlo tells Cheese to use "34" and Monk to use "35" (which, admittedly, is a bit of a stretch), and then each individual square on each page only has one location. So "8:05" means a pre-determined specific spot within that square. The other people don't need to know why "8:05" means that spot; they only need to know that it does. (I'm going to guess that each person only has a few squares to work from.)
It's a little ironic that the first scene we see Omar in this season, a bunch of lil kids flock to him for candy handouts. In Baltimore all the kids run away from him, and one eventually takes him down.
To the anonymous above who took Omar's death "like he was kin", I feel ya. I had to hit pause for 10 minutes after the scene because it hit me so hard. I have no problems with his death whatsoever, I just wish that it would have been at the end of the episode instead of in the 17th minute.
I think it makes sense that the clock code is more complicated than codes in the past because this one was formulated by The Greeks. Marlo chose to adapt for his own personal communication. Keep in mind that none of hoppers are using this system, just a few of Marlo's top lieutenants.
I know this is a small point, but I don't seem to have seen it in 222 comments. But they mention a couple of times during this episode that Cheese's name is Wagstaff. This just happens to be Randy's last name as well.
According to HBO.com: "Having lost his mother to the streets at a young age and having never known his father, reputedly an eastside corner boy who later became a major drug trafficker, Randy grew up in group homes under the supervision of Maryland's Department of Social Services."
Is Cheese Randy's father?
^ Has been discussed before during season 4. I think it's a pretty big hint that Randy is Cheese's kid, but we'll never know for sure probably.
Some great comments and insights here. I didn't watch the preview for ep 9, and kinda skimmed over comments I thought might have more certain spoilers. I just wanted to bring up some points, most of them stirred up by the convo here.
I think Thelan could have been the leak for those sealed docs to prop joe, not directly, but through davis. Remember when thelan was not on that ticket for reelection in se1 (i think) then mysteriously he shows back up on the ticket...probably through dealing with clay and now resides in his pocket, and also remember how clay saw no problems taking money from anyone (stringer) and was probably getting paid by prop joe for info. And I bet the docs are on daniels, hence him skipping over them not realizing what they were. (also, i may be remembering wrong, but wasn't davis aware of dirt on daniels earlier when trying to work out deals when daniels name was initially being thrown around for commish?)
ALso, I have a feeling slim charles will become the new omar. I mean he values those old school values, he thinks cheese is dirtbag, marlo announced he was responsible for prop joe and then ups the brick price dirty style. slim is old school muscle guy, who is gonna get back at cheese/marlo old school omar style.
just some thoughts...great discussion
also, one more quick thing...
major crimes wasn't aware of the greek prop joe connection in se2 right?
b-bo: Actually, as I recall they had pictures of prop joe at the warehouse where the cans with drugs in them were going, so they knew he was connected to the greek..
I'm almost positive Michael will become the new Omar. (1) He is extremely clever, independent, and assertive; (2) he was trained by criminals, but is starting to disapprove of their methods, partly because of how inconsistent they are (e.g., you have to kill Junebug for mouthing off, but if Omar does it, it's no big deal)--in other words, he has a code; (3) he's better at gunplay than either snoop or Chris--remember the "chase", near the end of season 4, where he gets the drop on both Chris and Snoop at the same time.
There's no indication, though, that Slim Charles is any good at violence; he could become the next Prop Joe, though.
When McNulty's bullshit comes to light, I don't see how the police department or the mayor's office can let it get out-- it just looks so, so bad for these bureaucracies that one guy could game them so badly and set off a national news story and mobilize a whole city; furthermore, since Carcetti is hanging his whole Governor's race on his newfound appreciation of the homeless issue, he can't let it get out either.
my prediction is that when the truth comes out, city hall and the BPD keeps it quiet, and McNulty gets put back on the boat. I bet it's the last shot of the last show.
Michael is not going to be another "Omar". It's not in his character to be a full-time thief. That's what Omar is - a thief who robs drug dealers. He steals for a living. A stick-up kid is the most reckless and dangerous profession. Omar is a thrill-seeking bandit. Michael is not. He's only in the game to protect his family. Michael has to raise his little brother. He is not going to needlessly risk his life to play Robin Hood.
If anyone will replace Omar, it's that bastard Kenard. That kid stole Namond's stash. He's already a thief. Also, like Omar, he just doesn't give a phuck. He's wild and reckless. He'll do anything crazy. He poured lighter fluid on a cat and set it on fire for thrills. Mark my words. Kenard will be a stick up boy. Except no moral code.
Slim Charles is not going to be a stick up boy either. Slim was Avon's lieutenant. He's an old school soldier. Why on earth would he run around stealing from other drug dealers? That's not in his nature. Nor would be want that job.
I think Slim is waiting for the dust to settle before he makes any move. See who's still alive. Slim isn't a CEO. He's loyal and smart but still a follower. If he does act against Marlo/Cheese, it will be on someone else's order.
Count this viewer as one who doesn't understand the hatred for Kenard and glorification of Omar. Look Omar is a fantastic character, but despite that it makes 100 percent sense that he goes out as he does. He made a living robbing and killing dealers, you think that's rewarded with a dignifed death? Get real. I'd be a lot more pissed at the show for what it would be saying if it gave Omar so blaze of glory heroic death scene. That was handled perfectly. Omar ain't no saint. People overdo this whole code thing. Yes there is some semblence of him having a code but much of what people credit to his code was an ass saving promise to Bunk of no more bodies. Living within the system. Hence Bunk's response upon finding Omar's list.
Omar also brought a lot of this misery on himself. He rips and runs. He robs drug dealers. That's an extremely dangerous job. Of course these gangsters will retaliate. What did he expect? Omar and Brandon robbed the Barksdale pit. Omar shot a kid in the leg. Avon responded by putting a bounty on Omar's head and murking his boys. In Season 4, Omar was bored. He wanted a challenge. He decided to rob Marlo Stansfield. Again, it was Omar's choice to engage Marlo and antagonize him. Marlo responded by murking Butchie. It's the same pattern. Omar does something and a loved one pays the price.
Michael and Slim are not like Omar. Yes, they have a moral code, but they are also rational and cautious.
Yes, I agree with anonymous 1:37 AM above. Omar's code wasn't really about morality, it was about self-preservation (much like Dexter's code).
* He doesn't rob or shoot "taxpayers" because that would incur the wrath of the police. The fact that he can make a moral point of it is just icing on the cake.
* He lets his victims see his face so that they don't come back on someone else by mistake and create more enemies for Omar. He can play this up as a moral point too, that he doesn't hide his intentions.
* He keeps his word and doesn't lie to his victims so as not to create more reasons for them to be angry later. Of course, he's perfectly willing to lie to the police and courts, as he showed at the Bird trial.
The code starts out as self-preservation, becomes "moral" in Omar's mind, and then becomes a justification for immoral actions.
Michael starts to say "If I was Marlo..." but never gets to finish. I keep thinking that he put Kenard onto Omar, somehow.
People are taking a little too literally what it takes to become the next Omar. Becoming the next Omar doesn't require robbing drug dealers, so much as making their life hell. Moreover, having a code doesn't require having the same code as Omar.
And before you go around glorifying Michael, let's not forget that he killed someone rather cold-bloodedly at the end of season 4, and was fully prepared to kill Junebug or any adult should one have tried to escape from the house. He ain't no saint either.
And if he were to turn against Marlo, it wouldn't be fully "rational", just like his being a drug dealer and his having Marlo kill his stepfather weren't fully rational (unless you mean by "rational" something like, "maximally promotes his self-interest", in which case Omar was arguably fairly rational too, except when he went on a rampage after Butchie got killed).
And before you say that his becoming his having his step-father killed is rational (and by the same token his becoming a drug dealer/hit man for Marlo is rational too, because it is the cost of having his step-father killed), keep in mind that being a drug dealer/Marlo is also extremely dangerous; it is moreover not at all obvious to me that having the step-father around is any more dangerous for Bug than having his only guardian be a drug-slinging, murdering, older brother.
oops. I should have written "drug dealer/hit man for Marlo".
Omar's code was that he only robbed people that were in the game. He never deviated from that rule. As far as Savino goes, Omar said from the beginning that he was going after Marlo's people first. It was also a little street justice for Savino being partly responsible for Kima getting shot in Season 1 and only getting hit with a slight charge thanks to Levy's skill as an unscrupulous lawyer.
Michael went to work for Marlo because he was a 13 year old CHILD who did not want to be raped by his pedophile stepfather. He also wanted to protect his brother from sexual assaul by this same predator. His mother is a negligent crack fiend who sold their food stamps for drugs and allowed Chester The Molester into their home. He is NOT a saint but his actions are at least understandable given his age and circumstances.
Omar is a 34 year old grown ass MAN who knowingly and willingly chose to enter and continue in this criminal lifestyle because HE LOVES THE GAME. Make no mistake, he was not a "hero". He robbed the most dangerous drug dealers for THRILLS. He told Donnie it wasn't about the money. He told Renaldo that who he robbed from gave him joy. He got bored with easy scores. He didn't need money. He just wanted the thrill of stealing and antagonizing the most notorious gangsters like Avon and Marlo. Omar was reckless and wild.
BTW, why do people keep saying there is a "new Omar"? These characters are irreplaceable. Omar is Omar. Michael is Michael. Slim is Slim. Kenard is Kenard. Each have their own unique story, psychology and way of being.
I stared at the TV screen for about 5 minutes. The paused still of Kenard holding that gun is eerie, terrifying and totally unexpected. I felt something was coming. Who was it going to be? Not Omar. Definitely not Omar. Rest in peace. A true renegade, loner and bad mutha f--ka.
what need was there to crack the code? Couldn't he have found out where they were meeting simply by following them?
Use of a code proves a conspiracy. Huge tool for the prosecutor.
any ideas on what the song for the montage scene in the finale will be? inner city blues by marvin gaye would be nice.
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