Each day’s screening will have a post to start discussion and track the story. They’ll contain the official HBO plot summary, and may be updated to include some post-screening notes. Please use each thread as a place to engage with what you see, pose questions, offer thoughts, etc. Respect the spoiler policy by not referring explicitly to what will happen in the future.
One thing to think about is how the show manages to introduce so many characters (30 in the first episode alone!), and its tolerance for confusion – did you find yourself uncertain of what was going on? What effect did such confusion have on your? And for those of you watching it for the second (or more) time, what do you notice differently now?
“The Target”: “…when it’s not your turn.” – McNulty
Homicide detective Jimmy McNulty observes the murder trial of a mid-level drug dealer, D’Angelo Barksdale, and sees the prosecution’s star witness recant her testimony. McNulty recognizes drug kingpin Stringer Bell in the court room and believes he has manipulated the proceedings. McNulty circumvents the chain of command by talking to the judge, who then places pressure on the police department over the case. D’Angelo is acquitted and returns to work for the Barksdale drug-dealing organization—moving to the low rise projects known as “the pit.” A homeless drug addict named Bubbles acts as mentor to another addict in an ill-conceived scam with severe consequences.
Characters introduced:
The Law:
Detective Jimmy McNulty
Detective Bunk Moreland
Major William Rawls
Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell
Lieutenant Cedric Daniels
Detective Kima Greggs
Detective Ellis Carver
Detective Thomas “Herc” Hauk
Detective Ray Cole
Sergeant Jay Landsman
Detective Michael Santangelo
Major Raymond Foerster
Assistant State’s Attorney Rhonda Pearlman
Judge Daniel Phelan
FBI Special Agent Terrance “Fitz” Fitzhugh
Cheryl (Kima’s girlfriend)
The Street:
D’Angelo Barksdale
Stringer Bell
Avon Barksdale
Bubbles
Johnny Weeks
Preston “Bodie” Broadus
Wallace
Poot
Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice
Stinkum
Savino
Wendell “Orlando” Blocker
Shardene Innes
Attorney Maurice Levy
Deaths:
William Gant
“The Detail”: “You cannot lose if you do not play.” – Marla Daniels
The witness who testified against D’Angelo is killed, and the Barksdale organization is suspected; a detail is formed to investigate their drug dealing activity in the low rises. The detail’s Lieutenant, Cedric Daniels, is concerned with the quality of his team, while Detective McNulty is concerned with the department’s plan for the investigation. Daniels’ protégé Kima Greggs uses Bubbles as a confidential informant to identify members of the Barksdale organization. However, Daniels’ suspicions about his other detectives prove correct when a late night foray into the West side projects by Herc, Carver and Prez goes awry.
Characters Introduced:
Detective Lester Freamon
Detective Roland “Prez” Pryzbylewski
Marla Daniels (wife of Cedric)
Detective Leander Sydnor
Detective Patrick Mahon
Detective Augustus Polk
Lieutenant Walter Cantrell
Donnette (girlfriend of D’Angelo)
Little Man
Here goes for a first post (hopefully this is the right place).
One of the introduced themes of in the first episodes and one that is of overarching importance is that of the importance of hierarchy. Hierarchy plays a dominant role in every action that occurs on The Wire. Already in the first episodes we have glimpsed at the convoluted Chain of Command in the police force, from the Deputy of Operations (Burrel) to the Majors (Rawls) to Lt. Daniels and finally down to McNulty, who ignores the established hierarchy and flaunts (or badly disguises) his ability to flow up and down the chain of command. In “The Street” the young pushers serve under D’Angelo who in turn is subject to the orders of Stringer Bell and eventually Avon Barksdale.
Places have their own hierarchy. The courthouse (explicit) and the mayor’s office (implied) govern the actions occurring in the Homicide and Narcotics divisions. Within the department, Lt. Daniels’ squad serves at the bottom of the chain of command figuratively and literally by working out of the basement. On the street, D’Angelo gets demoted from the towers to the less prosperous “Pit”, like the cops, moving figuratively and literally down to the bottom.
Without ‘place’, without Baltimore as a setting, and without the West Side projects as a context, The Wire would be nothing. To be examined is how the setting of Baltimore in the Wire can be scaled up and applied to the issues occurring in other places and cities around the US.
[/ end of geographical analysis]
I was also thinking a lot about the complexities of the hierarchies that are being developed in these first few episodes. One thing to add to Jake’s good summary is that even the Pit (the bottom of the street world) has its own interesting hierarchy with D’Angelo, Bodie, Wallace (the kid), and one other guy… I think his name is Poot. It’ll be interesting to see how Bodie’s character develops in particular, since the brutality he exhibited by beating up Bubbles seems to be challenging D’Angelo’s hesitant authority. Bodie lacks the conscience that seems to be holding D’Angelo back.
On a different subject, it’s interesting the way the cops– on at least two occasions in the first two episodes– meet up to have a few beers on “the street” (McNulty and Bunk hanging out next to the tracks, and the three rambos hanging out under the overpass right before they drop by the projects). Definitely associates the cops more with the criminal underworld then with law and order…
Just wanted to make a correction. Bodie beats up Johnny, not Bubbles.
The Wire really does a great job of breaking the stereotypical dynamic of good guys versus bad guys as Alex suggested above. Nearly every character we have seen so far has their own problems or flaws. McNulty seems to be pregressing as a kind of protagonist, but his role does not dominate the story. There are plenty of other characters that viewers can either root for or dislike. The narrative does not try to force upon the viewer any one way of looking at the events of the story. It is left somewhat open for the viewer to determine thier own opinions about the characters and the events taking place. The Wire is somewhat like a documentary, in that it tells the story from all different perspectives. The characters are also complex, and I would not be surprised if, later in the story, likeable characters become unlikable.
Because I have seen the first episode of “The Wire” three times now, watching others form opinions regarding the hierarchies that the show establishes in the first two episodes is interesting. To me, Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale appear to be characters that others fear. Even though D’Angelo (D) is the new boss in the Pit, he still shies away from confrontations with Avon, his uncle. With regard to Bodie, I agree that he seems to lack the “conscience” that D has exhibited. I attribute his apathy towards brutality to his relative youth. As a “hopper” rather than a boss, Bodie has more to prove, in his opinion, than does his superior, D. In this sense, Wallace foils Bodie well, as the former demonstrates his inexperience and innocence on two notable occasions: when he correctly challenges D’s assertion that Alexander Hamilton served as a President of the United States and once again when he struggles to provide a junkie with the correct change. Clearly, the seriousness of “the game” is lost on Wallace.
In sum, I see, quite ironically, a more clear breakdown of the hierarchy among the Barksdale crew than I do within the Baltimore Police Department. At the top of the Barksdale gang reside Avon and Stringer. Then comes the muscle, Wee-Bey, Stinkum, and a few others. D, mostly because of his blood relation to Avon, is one wrung above his colleagues in the Pit, notably Bodie, who seems superior to both Poot and Wallace. As I watch the next few episodes, I intend to look more carefully at whether the drug dealers or the police respect “authority” more.
Watching this again, it’s interesting to see how bureaucratic the PD is, and how unwilling they are to take on responsibilities they don’t see as theirs. No one wants to touch the Barksdale case. Bunk doesn’t want his decomp to be a murder. The Deputy Chief wants to appease the judge by putting in the minimum amount of time and effort. Daniels wants to do this in whatever way doesn’t hurt his advancement opportunities. It’s all politics, at the expense of good police work. Everyone hates McNulty for it, while we recognize that his actions–whatever his intention–are good.
D’Angelo is an especially interesting character. He’s clearly a smart and street-wise kid. His understanding of the corporate world re: the chicken nugget discussion/his better method for distributing the drugs (having customers pick up in a different spot than where they pay) are indications of it. But even though he understands the realities of the world, he’s still reluctant to inflict violence. He may have killed someone, but he doesn’t want to watch them beat Bubbles’ friend. And when Gant is killed, he feels personally responsible. Still, his distaste for violence doesn’t stop him from talking himself up to his new crew at the Low Rise. He brags about the murder to assert himself. He has to be modeled after Strike from Clockers. They’re too similar for it to be a coincidence.
I think that the two first episodes we watched today were incredibly well done. Like Addison, I had seen the pilot (as well as the second episode) three or four times, and began to notice the little details that just add to my amazement in how well crafted the show is. For instance, when Avon and D’Angelo are sitting on the steps outside of the kitchen in the second episode, the close-up of D is done with shaky and unstable camera movement, while Avon’s close-up is much more stable. This tiny, almost unnoticeable detail further adds to our perception of the characters without our knowledge.
I also would like to add that I completely agree with Tom about the differentiation between “good guy” and “bad guy”. Those people who, in a traditional cop show, would be deemed bad from the start, sometimes end up being more likable than a lot of the cops. There is no glorification of any occupation, but there is instead a very realistically gray area of morality that is not normally touched upon. The police who are beating people up on the streets are also giving insightful comments and showing a softer side. Despite the fact that he is extremely violent and likes to create havoc, we see a different side of Detective Carver, both when he is reprimanded for acting out of line with Herc and Prez in the second episode and when he says, “Girl, you can’t even call this shit a war. Wars end.” I think it really helped that David Simon and Edward Burns took time to research and be on the streets in order to understand and delve deeper into the humanity of the stereotypical “bad guys”.
It is only in a show like The Wire that you an ask people who their favorite characters are after watching the first two episodes and their responses will all be different. We relate to different characters because attachment is not forced upon us by the creators. A realistic, two-sided approach is used by the makers of the series to make us want more. Thus, even though McNulty is presented as the main protagonist, the other recurring characters in the show may appeal more or less to each individual viewer, even if some of the things they do seem wrong. E.g. a family oriented person may be extremely affected by Avon’s love for D’Angelo, despite all of the things we know about Avon’s involvement in the drug trade.
To add to the discussion of hierarchy: I was intrigued by the methods utilized by characters to sidestep or undermine the established chain of command or hierarchy especially among the law characters. McNulty’s chats with Judge Phelan provide the most obvious example of this but I think Daniels negotiations regarding Pryzbylewski also fall into this category. Pryzbylewski makes it clear moments after we meet him (shooting the wall) that his continued employment is due far more to his connections than his talent or skill. While Daniels is unable to get rid of him he does negotiate for another more proficient member for the team talking to Prez’s ex boss who is desperate to keep Prez out of his hair. Daniels action in this situation remains within his orders but acts creatively to benefit the team. It will be interesting to see in coming episodes, especially in light of Pryzbylewskis mishap with the now blind fourteen year old, how the Daniels Prez relationship will develop, and whether Pryzbylewskis connections manifest to get him out of trouble.
Another question I had as a first time viewer of the series was in regard to the role of the State’s Attorney Rhonda and her office in all of this. In some ways it appears that she is very involved in the cases, but when McNulty (i believe) went to see her, she told him her hands were tied. As an attorney is she only able to assist once evidence has been assembled and the case has been made? Why was she present when the team first assembled? Perhaps I should be watching more Law and Order but any insight would be most appreciated.
I apologize for altering the train of thought on this thread, but I noticed something the other day as we were watching the first two episodes of the series. Did anyone else notice that the guard to the Police Department always has a crossword puzzle in his hand? We never see the person’s face and the crossword puzzle has never been the focal point of the screen shot, but its placement in at least three scenes in the first two episodes seems calculated. In each shot, the crossword puzzle is far from complete, perhaps mirroring the confusion that the viewer might be feeling at this point. Maybe the empty spaces represent unsolved cases that are relevant today (this year for the PD) but will become irrelevant tomorrow when new cases, represented by new blank spaces, arrive. I will watch the next few episodes closely to see if there is something developing here. There is a distinct possibility, however, that I am spinning my wheels on this one.
The first two episodes also establishes how the in each institutions( Barksdale organization and the justice system) there are fundamental problems which prevent each from running smoothly. First we see that a D’Angelo’s murder trial is overturned as one of the witnesses rescinded her initial testimony as she was bought off by Stringer Bell. This shows how influential and elusive the Barksdale organization even when there is substantial evidence against one of the members. This continues on as McNulty and Bunk try to get a written confession from D in the pit but unfortunately for them it has no weight in court and this trend will likely continue in the future.
As Addi and Emily have mentioned, cronyism plays a huge part in both worlds. We see that Pryzbylewski and D’Angelo have family ties so they gain positions based on that and not merit. This may explain the animosity that Bodie has toward D’Angelo. He has been working in the pit for a while so it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops and how they try to find a way to work with each other.
Pryzbylewski with his shooting on the wall and his assault on the kid who was later blinded as a result, has revealed that he is not experience. This forces Lt. Daniels to prompt him to lie about the incident so that their wont be any problems for the department. I find this interesting because this theme of cronyism is apparent in the corporate world as well and sometimes leads to severe problems.
One scene that i thought was interesting was the scene in the pit where McNulty tells D that he only cares about the bodies and not the drugs, he poses a very interesting question.
“Why can’t you sell the shit and walk the fuck away? Everything else in this country gets sold without shooting people behind it.
This is one of the fundamental problems of the drug problem in America and one of the big themes of the show. It will be interesting to see how this question is addressed throughout the series.
This is my second time watching the first two episodes of The Wire. Power structure and relationships are really important in the show. I also noticed the emphasis on order and chain of command in both the drug world and the police world. One thing that really stood out to me after watching these episodes for a second time was the emphasis on surveillance especially in the police building. There were many moments where characters were shown from the elevator security camera point of view. Special attention was also given to the security at the entrance of the police station and the FBI building. I thought this was interesting and a nice contrast to areas like the Pit. Its also kind of ironic since McNulty is fighting so hard to get the necessary surveillance equipment to shut down the Pit.
One thematic thread I traced in “The Target” and “The Detail” is that of moral reluctance – or evasion, even. Few of the cops fancy exceeding the requirements of their duty as outlined by police bureaucracy, when it “ain’t [their] turn to give a fuck”. Even when McNulty notifies Judge Phelan of the link between William Gant’s murder and his role as witness in the D’Angelo trial–thereby necessitating more daunting casework for an understaffed, overworked police force–the detective deprecates himself by saying “Who said I did [care]?” Really, any righteous inclination to unearth the sheer magnitude of the drug operation is undesirable – and moreover, deterred on various fronts: departmental conflict (Narcotics/Homicide/State’s Attorney), career ambitions (Cedric Daniels), ineptitude and laziness (Mahon and Polk), and brash and morally ambiguous heroism (Herc, Carver, and Pryzbylewski). The episodes immediately upset any strict, traditional dichotomies of good and evil, law and crime.
That’s not to say the majority of characters are blind to the moral injustices occurring on the Baltimore streets. Twice in “The Detail”, the line “You missed a spot” is uttered (McNulty to Phelan when wiping his mustard-stained tie, Mahon to Cole when mopping a shit-stained floor). The characters observe these metaphoric “dirty spots” but do not–or in McNulty’s case, cannot–act on them themselves. This notion of the spectator ties into the show’s title theme of surveillance. The police are doomed to watching (in most cases willingly), just as the audience must frustratedly watch characters’ moral lapses, institutional inefficiency, and social problems run riot. Several times the show employs documentary-like, handheld shots or images of surveillance tapes and photos; so we assume the ultimate role of spectatorship, unable to affect change to an infuriatingly brutal world. And yet, to be a witness, as in the case of Gant, is still dangerous. As Bodie says so sweetly, if you’re “witnessing shit, you gonna get got.” What implications are there for us, being bystanders of a cinematic world that aspires to reflect cruel realities of urban America?
I have quite few comments to make about various parts of the episodes we have watched so far.
First I will start with Bubbles. In the scene where he and Johhny are smoking up in the rundown apartment they are situated in the corner of the room. I believe the fact that they are in the corner symbolizes where they are in their lives at that moment, in a dark corner with nowhere to go. Bubbles is actually sitting next to the window with the light shining on him while Johnny is sitting next to the adjacent wall in the dark, as Bubbles warns him to ease up off slamming that dope or he’ll “fall out one of these days.” In the second episode we see Bubbles cooperating with the police while Johnny is jumped by Bodie and his crew in the pit. Maybe the window and light signify hope for Bubbles while the darkness signifies eminent doom for Johnny?
Regarding D’Angelo and the hierarchy in the Barksdale operation:
Avon’s operation is very tightly run and they operate on a set of rules (keep your head, don’t show weakness, don’t talk in the car or on the phone, don’t talk to anyone not in the crew). D’Angelo breaks nearly all of these rules- he loses his cool and kills a man in public, he shows weakness by writing the apology letter to William Grant’s “family”, and he talks about the case being thrown while in the car. To piggyback off of what Andrew said, D’Angelo’s family ties seem to be keeping him from facing more serious consequences.
Regarding McNulty:
McNulty clearly has a problem with authority. I think the scene where he is hanging out by the train tracks with Bunk is very symbolic. At one point McNulty takes a piss on the tracks. I see the tracks as symbolic of structure, rules, or police procedure. Bunk warns McNulty that a train is coming and McNulty calmly moves out of the way, nearly getting hit by the train. I think the train could symbolize those in higher command in the PD and McNulty almost getting hit (his antics catching up to him).
McNulty also has an alcohol problem. In the second episode McNulty his passed out wasted in his car. He awakens to some kids vandalizing a car and stumbles out to confront them. As he stumbles down the hill he falls and drops his badge. Maybe McNulty’s fall symbolizes drinking as his downfall. He then picks up his badge, looks at it, and begins to laugh as if he can’t believe that he is a cop or that he does not respect the badge or take it seriously.
Lastly is the scene in the second episode when detectives Prez, Carver and Hauk go to the towers to “establish territory” or “intimidate” Avon’s operation after knocking back a few beers. Their alcohol-assisted plan quickly backfires when the residents begin to retaliate with bottles, televisions and even gunfire from all directions. This retaliation may indicate that the PD is fighting a battle that they are ill prepared to win.
I totally agree with your evaluation of D. I also wanted go off of what you were saying about D trying to prove himself to his new crew in the Pit. I think those guys (Bodie, Wallace and Poot) see right through that. I think they see D as a pretty boy that only has a position because his uncle is the boss. Although he did kill someone, the reaction of the Pit crew when D tell them leads me to believe that they brush it off as a fluke- they don’t see D as a stone cold killer.
Although D is pretty street-wise I feel that his emotions and young mind may get the best of him. It will be interesting to see how his character develops.
Back to Alex’s comments on some of the questionable behavior on the part of the police…
I find the different approaches to policework––and thus the wavering representations of professionalism––in “The Wire” to be as interesting as the hierarchical formations. For example, as street police, Herc and Carver’s go-get-em’ attitude clearly contrasts with Bunk and McNulty’s penchant for slower-paced detective work. Greggs can be found somewhere in the middle; her resourcefulness is evident in her handling of Bubbs as an informant but she is also the clear-headed member of her narcotics team, cleaning up Herc and Carver’s sometimes sloppy work. The detail then, made up of a combination of narcotic and homicide detectives (along with Freamon, Polk, Mahon, Sydnor, and Prez), is the perfect arena for professional differences to surface and commingle. The conflict over how to go about forming a case against the Barksdale organization particularly illustrates this point.
Precluding all of this is the underlying question of motive behind the characters’ decisions to be lawmen in the first place. Are McNulty’s revelations/schemings propelled purely by self-interest or by a noble desire to eradicate crime? How seriously do the rest of the detectives take their jobs? Why is it that nepotism keeps a reckless individual like Prez on the force? Of course, what makes “The Wire” special is that many of these questions can be altered to apply to the criminals as well.
I noticed the surveillance thing too. I think partly it is to emphasize the job that the cops are doing, but also I think it’s to add a real-time feel to the show. We talked in class about how the processes authorities go through are sped up in other cop shows. By showing the elevator ride, even though there isn’t even any dialogue involved, or by showing Daniels and the crew going through security when walking down to the new office, the makers of the show force us to watch everything as it is happening and emphasize the slow and detailed process of police work.
The first two episodes of the wire present a very complicated story narrative and structure that
I really like what you had to say about the tracks in the first episode Edwin. the symbolism of structure and order within the realm of policing (as well as larger societal rules and orders, which McNulty seems to also struggle with, i.e. relationships, ) But i also think that Mcnulty demonstrates a kind of courageous nature and integrity that the structures of the bureaucracy that he is apart of is not always in support of. A lot of the conversation thus far has highlighted the adherence to chains cof command, particularly within the world of the police department, a code that is often an impediment to justice being served.
The comment that resonated the deepest during the first episode came when Carver and Hurk were discussing the nature of there job, and this notion of the war on drugs not being a war at all because “wars end.” this contributes to an almost fatalistic identity that i think the overarching story battles with. How in fact society creates these spaces of unending misery, corruption and murder. and how, at least within the worlds of the drugs, and the “enforcers” of justice, are each complicit in the destruction, and dependent on one another. i find this interesting and compelling to watch. I think in many ways, while McNulty is this arogant, disallusioned figure, his role, and his ethics represent a kind of hope. His disruption of the chain of command, his insubordinate to ineffective short term policing, shows a break within this system.
i think the issue of loyalty is one that comes up a lot over the course of the show, and is of importance within both realms. on the one hand, we see the drug world, D’angelo, and Avon. When D’Angelo returns home after being exempted from the crime, he emphasizes the importance and loyalty to family.The role of family and love play an interesting part within the drug world, that seem to get tested as stakes get higher. It is interesting to me how those constructions of power within the disenfranchised world of east Baltimore work.
Another point taht i thought was interesting that Edwin also brought up was the scene in the crack house where Bubbles and Johnny Weeks (assuming his name is an intentional symbol for his most identifiable characteristic) The setting of baltimore is a very interesting one. The history of baltimore as a former slave port, a very profitable and extremely corrupted space, even after the abolition of the slave trade, is very relevant i think. Much of the economy still reflects that history of slavery and disenfranchisement, and even today, the makeup of most of Baltimore is quite literally abandoned. Houses, apartments are boarded up, disheveled, and crumbled. the scene where they are shooting up, they are using one of these abandoned spaces, im assuming, and the emptiness of the structure also seems to symbolize an overall emptiness and abandonment of some kind of social order.