tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post870037030686675646..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: The Wire, Season 1, Episode 8: "Lessons" (Veterans edition)Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87345036308040461212012-03-30T07:18:45.567-04:002012-03-30T07:18:45.567-04:00One little tiny thing that occurred to me this mor...One little tiny thing that occurred to me this morning - when Jimmy send his kids to play front and follow on Stringer, he refers to "the black guy over there" (or something along those lines) and they correct him that it's supposed to be "African American".<br /><br />Given that Idris Elba is neither African nor American (his parents are, but he's English), was this perhaps a sly dig from the writers at the common notion that there's somehow something wrong with the word 'black'?Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04203576351626307631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56716278792511503102012-03-29T05:53:16.239-04:002012-03-29T05:53:16.239-04:00Stringer tries to caution Avon about seeking immed...<i>Stringer tries to caution Avon about seeking immediate retribution on Omar</i><br /><br />A conversation mirrored much later when Chris and Marlo discuss the same issue - however Marlo seems to take the more pragmatic option than Avon.<br /><br />(* reposted as my initial attempt messed up the quote tags)Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04203576351626307631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62747466449888163282012-03-26T09:09:54.387-04:002012-03-26T09:09:54.387-04:00<>
A conversation mirrored much later when ...<><br /><br />A conversation mirrored much later when Chris and Marlo discuss the same issue - however Marlo seems to take the more pragmatic option than Avon.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04203576351626307631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-30577370471362578792010-04-27T02:10:13.412-04:002010-04-27T02:10:13.412-04:00"why is it that someone like Lester Freamon, ..."why is it that someone like Lester Freamon, who was of course stuck in the pawn shop unit but later allowed out when none of his enemies were left to care, was never able to run the special crimes unit himself?"<br /><br />That's easy; mainly, Lester would never be able to get rank. First you have to pass the sergeant's exam, then you wind up on a list, then the commissioner decides who becomes a sergeant (remember, that's how Carver gets ahead of Herc, and, eventually, how Herc gets ahead of everybody else).<br /><br />Who's going to be Freamon's rabbi to get him sergeant's stripes, let alone a lieutenant grade or higher? That's even assuming that people he previously pissed off didn't still have a connection to Burrell / Rawls / etc. And there comes a point when Rawls clearly knows that Freamon is not to be promoted, at least by the third or fourth season.<br /><br />Additionally, there's no point in the series when Freamon needs to be in command of the unit. Whenever his choice of LT is in command, he's fine. Marimow only takes over because Rawls is pushing Daniels, so Freamon had nobody to turn to there (Rawls wouldn't put him in charge). Then his choice of LT is back in command. He would never need to be the commander, so why would he do it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36653429698404026482009-05-13T02:02:00.000-04:002009-05-13T02:02:00.000-04:00Alan, the Barksdale crew isn't at a crab shack - t...Alan, the Barksdale crew isn't at a crab shack - they're at Chaps, a locally famous pit beef stand on Pulaski Highway on the east side of Baltimore (way off their home turf.) Ironically, the stand is located in the parking lot of an east side strip club much like Orlando's (which is/was also a real location, the Ritz in Fell's Point.)<br />WeeBey has loaded up his pit beef sandwich with fresh ground horseradish, a typical topping, albeit not in those quantities - that's what he's flattening down with the bun top so that he can take the first bite. It looks like he's got about a half-pound of it on there, when most people would use a tablespoon - no wonder his sinuses come back on him!JeffSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21193702377183737482008-07-31T22:13:00.000-04:002008-07-31T22:13:00.000-04:00you're just having a little fun aren't you anonymo...you're just having a little fun aren't you anonymous? pretty soon, you're roll out a real post, maybe inside a cake? and then it'll pop out, flash a little tit, give a whiff of that muff?<BR/><BR/>that'd just be fucking crembrule.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-13210068961901622322008-07-31T21:43:00.000-04:002008-07-31T21:43:00.000-04:00LOL... I guess "gaping asshole" is reserved for Mc...LOL... I guess "gaping asshole" is reserved for McNulty.<BR/><BR/>"I thought somewhere in the midst of the Cheese/Ziggy/Sergei debacle in season 2 it was first mentioned that Prop Joe was his uncle."<BR/><BR/>Nope. Just watched it again. Prop Joe says, "The Cheese won't be happy about having to pay me back [for Ziggy's car]." The family rant arises from Sergei saying that Ziggy is Nick's cousin, and that family can't be helped. So Joe talks about Cheese, and talks about family, but never says that Cheese is his family. Also, Cheese never refers to him as his "Unc" until Season 4.<BR/><BR/>Again, it's possible that these are just coincidences but it really does seem like Cheese as Joe's nephew was magically woven into Season 4.<BR/><BR/>And Rawls, once you made Acting Commissioner and Daniels was Deputy Ops, you know damn well you could give two flying fucks about what happened in any department, as long as Daniels's ass would be on the line.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9515894202234329062008-07-31T19:54:00.000-04:002008-07-31T19:54:00.000-04:00yeah but you are forgetting is that freamon is a b...yeah but you are forgetting is that freamon is a backstabbing snake in the grass detective who will backdoor anyone of rank in the hopes of making a case. <BR/><BR/>i'll give it to the detective, he's a hell of an investigator but he needs supervision. thats why he doesn't make rank, because no one wants him out there hanging more wire on people than at&t. <BR/><BR/>as long as he is not in charge, he does not call the shots, me and burrell did. chain of command officer, chain of command, and lester never learned it.<BR/><BR/>thats why he doesn't get to run major crimes, under my watch anyway. you saw him run it last year with young sydnor, and you saw the mess he caused. <BR/><BR/>so these are for you annonymous, these are for you, one for your eye, and one to shove up your narrow irish ass. <BR/><BR/>can't you connect the fucking dots?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21995577190479596682008-07-31T18:08:00.000-04:002008-07-31T18:08:00.000-04:00Not sure I agree completely,Lester is definitely a...Not sure I agree completely,<BR/><BR/>Lester is definitely about the work, bu he also about showing how smart he is (similar to Jimmy). Had he been his own commander, he wouldn't have to fool anyone before getting the subpoenas signed by a DA. <BR/><BR/>Pointing to the first season:<BR/>Landsman - "Nice pull. Where you from?"<BR/>Lester - "Pawn shop unit."<BR/><BR/>Not that I can see him going through classes to learn the material, I could see Lester acing a test and making rank once Daniels started rising higher up on the ladder.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-42878998184779170852008-07-31T15:44:00.000-04:002008-07-31T15:44:00.000-04:00"as you have Drac in S3 on the wire saying he's ki..."as you have Drac in S3 on the wire saying he's kin to Joe and implying that Cheese is not."<BR/><BR/>The point of contention, if I'm thinking of the right one, is a slang hicup, where Drac saying Cheese is "off-brand". The intention, I think, is that Cheese is inferior, like the fake Timberlands Poot accuses Wallace of wearing. I thought somewhere in the midst of the Cheese/Ziggy/Sergei debacle in season 2 it was first mentioned that Prop Joe was his uncle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-38538022318320920322008-07-31T03:13:00.000-04:002008-07-31T03:13:00.000-04:00Lester, much like McNulty, is about the work and n...Lester, much like McNulty, is about the work and not the rank. Making Sgt meant absolutely nothing to Lester, except probably having to go to in-service training, taking tests, in other words all the stuff we saw Carver do in S1 other than be Burrell's snitch. Even if he was about making a pay raise, I'm gonna guess even though it's not ever said, that Lester with his 13+ years as a detective is making more than Carver's first year as a Sgt.<BR/><BR/>Plus, having the proxy LT as they do in S4 and S5 (why can't I ever think of his name beyond the fact that he's rebuilding his house?) means Lester can pull sneaky Lester moves like subpoenas for records from Clay Davis and Andy Krawczyk without having a too-curious LT and the brass above him watching.<BR/><BR/>As for Cheese and Prop Joe, unless a writer from the show clarifies, most viewers I know think it's a bit of a continuity error, as you have Drac in S3 on the wire saying he's kin to Joe and implying that Cheese is not. But in S4 and S5, most definitely Cheese is Joe's uncle. And when Joe gives his infamous speech in S2 about family ruining his shit, he also mentions Cheese in the same conversation but not as family.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-51116807126680560272008-07-30T15:33:00.000-04:002008-07-30T15:33:00.000-04:00Anonymous,Could you explain 1 again? If he is a de...Anonymous,<BR/><BR/>Could you explain 1 again? If he is a detective, can't he become a Sergeant?<BR/><BR/>--AnonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39938946068412800272008-07-30T09:20:00.000-04:002008-07-30T09:20:00.000-04:001) Lester wasn't rank.2) Prop Joe specifically say...1) Lester wasn't rank.<BR/>2) Prop Joe specifically says that Cheese is his sister's boy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73721293026143135602008-07-30T01:49:00.000-04:002008-07-30T01:49:00.000-04:00Alan,Is it possible you could ask David Simon two ...Alan,<BR/><BR/>Is it possible you could ask David Simon two questions?<BR/><BR/>1. Along with the careers that we followed, especially Carver and Daniels, why is it that someone like Lester Freamon, who was of course stuck in the pawn shop unit but later allowed out when none of his enemies were left to care, was never able to run the special crimes unit himself? Why Sg. Marimow or any commander necessary by season 4, considering how instrumental he was in solving each of the cases?<BR/><BR/>2. I remember we reached a consensus in season 5 that Cheese was not Prop Joe's nephew, but I distinctly remember in Season 4, episode 11, he called Prop Joe "unk." after Omar robbed the stash. I know it could be just an expression, but just in case, is Cheese related to Joe (and therefore Randy related to Joe)?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5808960266443288052008-07-29T21:30:00.000-04:002008-07-29T21:30:00.000-04:00i don't care if they speak mandarin chinese with a...i don't care if they speak mandarin chinese with a cock suckers lispAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-8272326103028798032008-07-29T19:04:00.000-04:002008-07-29T19:04:00.000-04:00Alan, I'm reasonably sure that the "Bunk burning h...Alan, I'm reasonably sure that the "Bunk burning his clothes incident" was not in the book. I remember reading somewhere once that Simon claimed it happened to a famous writer he knows, but he refused to name him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21111984814437701242008-07-29T14:50:00.000-04:002008-07-29T14:50:00.000-04:00Alan,I read somewhere that the woman who plays Bun...Alan,<BR/>I read somewhere that the woman who plays Bunk's "date" in this episode is the same actress who played Miss Anna in S4. Do you know if that's true? I've not seen this epi in years.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09501291956478513961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55485116988527050772008-07-29T11:03:00.000-04:002008-07-29T11:03:00.000-04:00For fans of Tom Waits, check out this full concert...For fans of Tom Waits, check out this full concert on NPR Music:<BR/><BR/>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92916923<BR/><BR/>It has a fantastic version of "Down in the Hole."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-64749974614289104092008-07-29T00:25:00.000-04:002008-07-29T00:25:00.000-04:00Ahh, Jimmy McNulty, model parent.Ahh, Jimmy McNulty, model parent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com