As good as TV gets…
Episode #36: “Middle Ground”
“We don’t need to dream no more.” – Stringer Bell
Cutty convinces Avon to give him money to fund his gym. Brother Mouzone forms an alliance with Omar when he discovers that Stringer betrayed him. Royce continues to delay closing down the tolerant zones alienating Burrell and Watkins. Burrell leaks the story to Carcetti. Stringer learns that he has been conned into making political contributions for no return and tries to convince Avon to order the murder of Senator Clay Davis. The wiretaps begin to yield information about the Barksdale organization and the unit get a recording of Stringer discussing contract killers. Stringer meets with Colvin and gives him the location of Avon’s safehouse believing that returning Avon to prison is the best way to end the war. Meanwhile, Brother Mouzone meets with Avon and convinces him to give Stringer’s wherabouts away so that he can exact his revenge. Omar and Mouzone ambush and kill Stringer.
New Characters:
Health commissioner cameo: played by Kurt Schmoke, mayor of Baltimore 1988-99.
Deceased:
Russell “Stringer” Bell, R.I.P.
Episode #37: “Mission Accomplished”
“…we fight on that lie.” – Slim Charles
A reticent Avon readies his troops for war against Marlo. The press descend on Hamsterdam and Royce finally realizes his delay was a mistake. Carcetti is there to capitalise on the bad publicity for the Mayor. A vengeful Burrell ensures Colvin’s retirement is not comfortable. McNulty is devastated that Stringer was killed before he could arrest him but his spirits lift when he gets a chance to bring down Avon instead. With the information from Stringer the Major Case Unit arrest Avon and most of his people. Cutty struggles to keep his young boxers off the corners as the Stanfield organization enjoy their victory. McNulty leaves the Major Case Unit to patrol the Western District.
Deceased:
Johnny Weeks
Avon gives up Stringer, Stringer gives up Avon. The betrayal at so high a level of the Game seems hard to fathom. The past three seasons have been relentless in the portrayal of the comaraderie and trust between Stringer and Avon, even if more recently there has been a void between how each wishes to do buisness. The irony is that the respective portrayals were done with the same intention: that both are ‘all in the Game’. I was struck by how the portrayals connect with the idea presented in Chpater 2 of “The Corner” in that the hierarchy and rules of The Game from yesteryear have evaporated, leaving a cut-throat, ruthless and greedy system in their place.
We’ve talked a lot in class about how the initial ‘framing’ scenes before the credits at the beginning of each season function as meaty previews for the key themes and messages that the show will address. I’ve been continually impressed, though, with how the montages closing out each season bring everything and (almost) everyone together through snapshots of the effects of these thematic elements. The second season montage remains my favorite so far with director Colesberry’s string of industrial stills to the zoom on Nick Sabotka gripping the chains of the fence, but the conversation at the end of the third between Bubbles and Bunny Colvin is a very close second. Part of what makes the Wire such a great show in mind is impeccable writing and staging like this: when seemingly far-apart characters meet in the large fictitious version of Baltimore (String & Clay Davis, Teri & McNulty etc.), it best exemplifies the show’s interest in connections and the push and pull of information.
Also, musically, Solomon Burke’s “Fast Train” is a beautiful choice in rendering the want/need for reform as we see towers crumble and the hope for positive change on both sides of the gun.
I found the montages from the first and second seasons if anyone is interested in watching them again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIUCbifFL9U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SO40ansNU8
I don’t think Avon necessarily “gave up” Stringer. In the buildup to the final moments of Avon’s freedom, we could see how shaken he was about Stringer’s absence. Avon told Slim Charles that Stringer’s death happened because of some things that Avon could not fix. Because so much of his character has involved remaining loyal to family, I don’t think that Avon truly “gave up” his quasi-brother (Cousin according to Moskos). Even though Avon did not warn Stringer when he had the chance, the former did not seek out Brother Mouzone or Omar to kill Stringer. Instead, when confronted with an ugly situation, and after Stringer had already violated the rules of the game a few times (lying to Omar about Brother Mouzone’s involvement in Brandon’s death as well as authorizing an attempted shooting of Omar on a Sunday with his grandmother), Avon had little choice but to permit Stringer’s killing. Finally, what Avon did was likely in his best interest as the head of a drug crew. Brother Mouzone told Avon that the latter’s reputation carries him far, but he must uphold that reputation. As crazy as it sounds, Avon’s hands were tied and he did the right thing (according to the game).
The end of the third season articulates the fact that people always, no matter how well you think you know them, have the capacity to surprise you. Not only the business with Stringer and Avon, but also McNuties attitude toward Stringer, his seeming reform, and Kima’s infidelity. McNulty’s exclamation of “Who the fuck was I chasing” when he goes into Stringers apartment and sees the tasteful, spare decorations and the bookshelf full of economic and literary texts including The Wealth of Nations sums up this notion nicely. However well we think we know the characters this reminds us of all the things we dont see and still have to find out. Like the real world as one individual we are only privy to so much. This view into Stringers life gives McNulty a view of the person that he was rather than the malevolent criminal and drug dealer that the police chased on a day to day basis. His sense of wonder and shock is refreshing to the viewer. Watching the set up to Kima’s decision to cheat on Cheryl and become more and more similar to the Jimmy of the past, not so much fun! Watching characters surprise and defy expectations down to the very last episode of the season makes The Wire that much more exciting and interesting to view.
The title of Season 3’s closing episode, “Mission Accomplished,” is dissatisfying to me because, in many ways, it is difficult to appreciate the accomplishments of the Major Crimes team. Yes, they arrested Avon, and yes, Stringer is off the street, but so much was sacrificed in order to reach this endpoint. Emily, I feel that this relates specifically to your comments about Kima. We have witnessed a dramatic transformation in her over the course of Season 3, and we cannot help but compare the “success” of the mission with the failures in her personal life. Similarly, Prez’s failure to properly identify himself as a police officer, which led to the death of a fellow officer, calls into question the success of the overall mission that drives Season 3. A third example is the shutting down of the free zones, and the reminder that, while certain players of the drug game are now off the streets, the war continues, and the ultimate missions still remains unaccomplished. In other words, how much is there really to celebrate at the close of Season 3?