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
Wow.
I think that was the best television I’ve ever watched.
I was going to wait a while and think over what we just watched but I tried to do some other work and The Wire was just playing in a loop in my head. So, where to begin?
Well, the opening of “Middle Ground” was wonderfully shot, The Wire really gives the viewer just what he wants when it comes to Omar. It was a real tribute to the film style of the Western, which works well because Omar’s a cowboy, a contemporary, urban cowboy, but a cowboy nonetheless. The slanted angles, the tall shadows, and deep focus all made it look fantastic.
Also I’m wondering if the way Stringer shot was a nod towards Blade Runner? A chase through an empty building, birds flying into the sky, the shot life-span of the extraordinary, and the inevitability of death? Maybe I’m reading too much into it… but it was a really powerful sequence.
“Mission Accomplished” struck me in a different way. It was also well shot, as all The Wire is, but the content of this episode really upset me. The failure of Hamsterdam and Colvin’s discharge was so painful to watch. The title is so bitter sweet, sure the Barksdale empire has fallen, which is what the detail set out to do back in series one, but what about the big picture? What about the dying addicts? The uneducated hoppers? What about the street shootings? What about HIV? What about corrupt politics? What about the guns, the gangs, the drugs, the poverty, the racism? What about the structural problems? Mission accomplished? Bullshit.
Ooooh wow, what an outstanding couple of episodes! I definitely hadn’t seen Stringer’s death coming, but after that scene on the rooftop when he was reminiscing with Avon it became clear that it was the last time they were seeing each other. The curios thing is, I feel I would’ve been very upset about Stringer’s death if it were done ANY OTHER WAY, but just the way it came about – with Omar and Brother Mouzone joining forces and paying him back for all his machinations – was as natural as it was enjoyable.
Another aspect that really struck me in these two episodes was the absolutely remarkable caliber of the performances. Avon especially I thought really shined in these last episodes, and I feel his character really came to completion recently and managed to escape from the shadow of Stringer’s charm. In the rooftop scene with Stringer, Avon’s character was so alive and so brilliantly constructed and funny and sad and powerful and weak at the same time! But Idris Elba himself delivered an amazing performance as Stringer too (including in his murder scene) and I am going to miss him a lot…
And I would absolutely love it if Beadie Russell could come for Season 4 – and I think that’s a viable option, given the way last episode ended – whether she ever ends up hooking up with McNulty or not. I was just thinking about how we need female characters that are more complex and more appealing, because right now Theresa D’Agostino, the cold-hearted vacuum of femininity, Jen Carcetti, the weak supportive Stepford wife, Rhonda Pearlman, not far from becoming the department whore, and Kima, the lesbian that’s too young to be having a mid-life crisis, don’t quite do it for me.
So, Season Three is done. I’ll probably be in the minority on this one, but this was my least favorite season so far. I’m not saying there was anything wrong with it. There were fantastic plot lines, and I love pretty much every character. I guess my biggest problem was that in a very big way, it just seemed like Season One again. I loved Season One, and I loved Season Three too, but I guess I was hoping to see something new. What I loved about Season Two so much was how novel it was; I’d never seen anything like that on TV before. Also, I was disappointed with the government plot-line. Saying that Season Three is about City Hall just seems inaccurate to me, as all the stuff with Royce and Carcetti usually felt like the season’s D or E plot.
Onto my thoughts on the episodes. First of all: SEX! And lots of it! It’s not TV, it’s HBO. Not that the Wire has ever exactly shied away from sexual content, but holy crap, it got a little absurd in that final episode. I mean, what the fuck was the deal with that scene with Kima and the other lady? Seriously? Did we really need a full minute of booty shots and nipple licking? It just seemed so out of place and frankly inappropriate. It was like the show was nudging me, telling me, “Hey! I know what you like: lesbians! Check it! HOT!” The sex scene between Daniels and Rhonnie was a minor improvement, but it still seemed to … linger overly much. I don’t really need an aerial shot of Lance Reddick’s ass vigorously thrusting. Neither scene seemed to accomplish nearly enough to justify just how much was shown. I get it. Kima’s cheating. Daniels and Rhonnie don’t have to hide their love. OK. You can show the sex, but I don’t need frickin’ Skinemax.
I don’t know if we’re ever gonna see Brother Mouzon again, but I have to say that I’ve been roundly disappointed by his character so far. He suffers from a problem that lots of characters in TV shows suffer from. All the other characters talk him up into this insane badass, practically pissing their pants when his name comes up. And then … nothing. He doesn’t do anything! He showed up last season, what did he accomplish? He gave Cheese a flesh wound. And then he gets shot himself. And disappears. He returns, and doesn’t do much particularly badass again. Yeah, he kills Stringer Bell (noooooooooooooooooooooo!), but even that wasn’t done all that badassly. I was on board for the badassery when he first showed up, but dammit, I demand on-screen badassometry from my badasses. He just comes off as goofy as it is.
Finally, I’d like to discuss the final scene. When, exactly, did Bubbles get on board for Hamsterdam? When he sees it, he’s just as horrified as the Deacon. I mean, for christ sake, those scenes of him in Hamsterdam were shot like a post-apocalyptic horror film. I expected Johnny to eat Bubbles brains. And suddenly he sees Colvin all mopey. And he starts spouting off about how it was good for the junkies, it took the pressure off them. Where did that come from? When, at any time, was Hamsterdam shown to be a boon to the junkies? It was hell! Colvin had a horrible time that episode, and he didn’t need to get kicked while he was down anymore. So the show feeds him this speech that makes it seem like at least his experimented wasn’t an entire loss. But the show is lying. It wasn’t good for the junkies. It was probably the worst for them. It shouldn’t be too hard to come up with a perspective that reflects well on Hamsterdam. But at least make it a legitimate one.
Also, that last shot started fading too early. They needed to let Colvin walk off frame before the fade starts. It would’ve been such a better shot that way.
Wow. I am guessing merely by the fact that so much has already been said in three comments proves the powerful quality of this television show to really move its viewers.
Personally I am not ready to proclaim it the best television I have ever watched, nor am I ready to say that this season was my least favorite of the three. I certainly agree with Nick in saying that my favorite “story” so far was the storyline of season 2, and that season 3 really didn’t kick in for me until the last 3 episode buildup involving Avon and Stringer. I think Ioana s right in saying that the acting during this season was unreal. It almost seems that a lot of the actors were finally settling into their roles, with the actors playing Stringer and Avon being the highlights. The performances in the end are what impressed me most about this season and not necessarily the writing. A couple thoughts on the last two episodes.
First, perhaps the thing I love about the Wire most is that it is always throwing something completely unfamiliar to the audience, and almost every time it succeeds in doing so. I had the feeling that in filming the last two episodes, Simon and Burns must have been having such a great time. The scene that sticks out for me is the press arriving in Hamsterdam and the camera shots switching from the different lenses of different cameras and then back to the original shot. Its so clever and beautifully done, and its a fantastic way of capturing the realism that sets the show apart from others. In planning that sequence, I can only imagine how the director was planning those shots. For me it was just a very memorable moment and an awesome and novel way of presenting information creatively. It is stuff like this that separates the Wire from the rest of television.
Secondly, on the character side I am finally starting to really like McNulty. I was saying earlier that it was the acting that really stole the show this season, and a big part of that was I thought Dominic West really did a great job this season. In very subtle ways I think he finally realized the little nuances of his character and he was able to deliver some lines in ways so convincing that I sometimes forget he isn’t real. My favorite from these two episodes was when he talked about how he felt the reasons that he wanted to be a cop are the very reasons that he could never do anything else. I love this semi-existential version of McNulty and West really has grown with the character. Overall, in this season I think McNulty’s development is one of the great successes.
Undoubtedly in the coming days I will find myself continuing to dissect the third season, but above all else I want to echo what my classmates are saying and commend the unbelievable acting. I am not a film major and don’t get around to watching much tv or movies, but this is some of the finest acting I’ve ever seen.
I wanted to respond to your comments on Hamsterdam. I’m not sure that Bubbles was actually getting on board with Hamsterdam – while he was saying that junkies weren’t getting hassled as much (by the police or the hoppers) he stops sort of saying its a good thing when Colvin says, “it was a good thing right?” Bubbles doesn’t say yes he just shrugs. To me that scene was more about Colvin than Bubbles. Throughout the entire season Colvin has refused to say that Hamsterdam was a good thing – he even deflects praise when it is offered. It seems to me at then end of the season when Colvin has lost his rank, his job, and his higher pension he starts to look for reasons to tell himself that what he did was worth it. I think that he realizes that his name, and his career, will forever be tied to Hamsterdam and he wants to know that people will think of it as a good thing rather than a bad thing.
I found these episodes really interesting on the political side of things- it definitely showed the way the competitive, blame oriented nature of politics can limit options. For the first time these season we see Mayor Royce come to life- engaged in his job and in his element. He is not trying to pass the blame off but trying to discuss and possibly maintain something that is not at all politically tenable. His chief of staff, Burrell, and delegate Watkins saw this in strictly political terms and wanted to end it and move on. Then we get Carcetti in the mix tipping his hand to the press and making his campaign in doing so. Burrell was so convinced that Royce was going to screw him he was unable to consider the fact that Royce was truly debating the issue. It seems the regular blame game of politics killed any chance of trying something new. In the end Royce snaps to and gets back in the politics of it all- selling Eunetta Perkins down the river in favor of Marla to pay Watkins back for his loyalty and maintaining Burrell as police commissioner to save his ass.
We also get the impassioned speech by Carcetti about urban poverty that Watkins takes notice of and Tony Gray’s realization that Carcetti is competition. We are in for an interesting campaign cycle.
I also thought the use of the news cameras’ perspective was unique and different. For the entire season I feel like I have been inside the characters’ heads, knowing what they are thinking, (which is an example of why I like The Wire so much) but the short scene where the television crews descend on Hamsterdam allows the viewer to step back a little from the intense emotions that usually define the way characters interact. For example, when Carcetti was interviewed, he seemed cool, calm and collected. Contrast this with his usual demeanor when arguing passionatley with Burell at the city council meetings or talking with Theresa, his campaign strategist about whether or not to go public with the lack of funds for the police academy class. I also thought the camera effects were interesting, especially how they made the shot seem flat, as if Carcetti and the other people interviewed were standing in front of a greenscreen. Like Sam said, it was an creative and novel way of presenting information.
Based on everyone’s comments so far, I think it’s obvious that the last two episodes were a cut above the rest–both other The Wire episodes and other shows on television. I agree and I would say that these two episodes are also my favorite so far.
In regards to Stringer, I couldn’t help but notice that his usual ability to use his smarts to adapt and react to situations was missing, and was probably the main thing that got him killed. The quote for episode 36 is a great example of this failure to adapt: “We don’t need to dream no more,” he says to Avon. I think that what he fails to realize in saying this is that Avon is still a dreamer. That is to say, Avon runs the drug operation with remarkable effectiveness and foresight but he’s removed from almost every thing else, including the ambitions that had overwhelmed Stringer in the last few episodes before his death. In some respects, Avon is still the little boy going about his day to day business and content to dream about his future. Stringer, on the other hand, has the same present situatiuon as Avon but doesn’t realize that his ambition for the future (and the way he conducts his present life, like investing in real estate) drove a wedge between him and the street, and more importantly between him and Avon. The last interaction between the two, on Avon’s balcony, outlines the two characters’ views on life perfectly. The reminiscent conversation about how Stringer tried to steal the Badminton set when they were kids and Avon reminded him that they couldn’t really use it since they didn’t have a backyard serves a metaphor for Stringer’s ambition and Avon’s common sense. Stringer wanted more, even if he couldn’t use it, whether it was badminton sets or waterfront condos, while Avon realizes the value of what he has now–prime drug corners–and simply wants to protect them.
The two things I enjoyed most about this season were Carcetti’s political career and Bunny Colvin’s experiment. This surprised me at the end of the season because I wasn’t particularly interested in either when they were introduced. I got the impression that Carcetti was a sleezy, manipulator who wasn’t designed to be liked and I didn’t even get the impression that Colvin was going to be an important character when we first saw him. The interaction between the two of them in these final episodes was really rewarding. Not only was it Colvin’s last chance to expose the reality of Hamsterdam’s successes and failures before it’s destruction but it also gave Carcetti an even stronger passion for the base of his campaign. The west-side town meeting was emotional and up-lifting which was a great contrast to the previous one. However, the scene that struck me the most was when Carcetti steps out of the car alone in Hamsterdam. The close up of his face without the counter-shot of the block is great. The amazement at what is going on is clear through the intense audio layering of the hoppers, touts and other chaos of the area. Babies crying and all of that must have been added in post-production in order to get this feeling across and I loved it.
I also really enjoyed how Hamsterdam acted as a Simon and Burns’ type solution for Baltimore’s drug problem. The way in which Bunny, the mayor and even Bubbles all struggled with what it was and how it worked acts as a window into the writer’s minds and opinions. That is to say that although this solution worked on some levels, it still failed on others. A true, heroic solution has still not been discovered. The Bubble’s night scene in Hamsterdam isn’t all too dissimilar from Carcetti’s day scene, though the horror of it all as seen through Bubbles’ eyes is obviously more important. This makes the final interaction between Bunny and Bubbles really enjoyable. When Bubbles responds that he doesn’t know if Hamsterdam was all that great, I think Bunny finally realizes that as statistically successful as it was, it wasn’t an end-solution to the problem.
As for Season 4, although I expect the education piece to come into play, I also look forward to seeing Carcetti again. His impassioned speech at the council meeting was powerful and a good concluding paragraph to the season’s themes. I would also love to see Slim Charles and Bodie keep on doing their thing because the two of them, Slim Charles in particular, are really fun to watch. Glad we only have to wait a day for the first episode.
I’m glad we discussed a link between this season and the Iraq war last week, because I feel like these last few episodes really hammer that home. I few instances I finally picked up on: First and foremost, the season finale is entitled “Mission Accomplished” — you basically can’t say those two words without conjuring up an image of President Bush landing on the deck of that aircraft carrier like Tom Cruise at the end of Top Gun. Granted, as Lillian has already noted above, “Mission Accomplished” ironically characterizes the removal of criminal figureheads (like Hamsterdam and Avon) without addressing any of the root issues and ripple effects whatsoever. What is interesting to me (and is certainly no coincidence), is that all those questions Lillian posed at the end of her post (“what about the big picture? What about the dying addicts? The uneducated hoppers? What about the street shootings? What about HIV? What about corrupt politics? What about the guns, the gangs, the drugs, the poverty, the racism? What about the structural problems?”) could be applied to the situation surrounding U.S. involvement in Iraq. Are Simon and Burns using their art as an allegory for their opinion on foreign policy? Are they drawing these comparisons to emphasize that these issues don’t just exist thousands of miles away but in our own backyards as well? Both? Something to discuss perhaps.
Similarly, another memorable instance from the last episode is Slim Charles line (and I’m paraphrasing): If the reason for war is a lie, then we fight on that lie.” Again, maybe I’m reading into it too much, but it seems to me to be another fairly overt instance of Simon and Burns using their art to express their political opinion. Also, I believe there were a few other notable links in last night’s episodes, but frankly I was too engaged to write anything down. Anyone else remember them?
I thought it was humorous how much these last few episodes of Season 3 were dripping in irony. The Wire has used irony as a major element in the past, but for some reason these last two episodes were extremely overt. The most glaring example of this to me is when Burrell is talking to Daniels about a promotion to Major. Daniels literally can not believe that his merit has earned him the right to an elevated position and Burrell remarks something along the lines of, “Sometimes, it’s not politics.” I gave a chuckle out loud when I saw this last night after we had just witnessed the scene of Mayor Royce throwing his support behind Marla Daniels, as Julia mentions above. The mode in which these politicians operate is not only disappointing to watch as a citizen, but is almost unbelievable. Mayor Royce is grasping at straws and will basically use anybody to salvage his deteriorating career, and I found The Wire’s presentation of this reality to be quite humorous.
I just want to comment on that last paragraph you wrote Matt, in terms of where I stand on some of the characters at the end of Season 3. As of now this is how I feel; like or dislike.
Like:
Avon – I thought how he handled his arrest and his sighting of Marlo in the courthouse was fun to watch. He obviously understands, that in a sick kind of way, this is his passing of the torch to a youmger Avon, and has openly accepted his fate. Although he has done some horrible things, I admired him as a criminal.
Slim Charles & Bodie – Love these guys for many of the same reasons as Matt. They are loyal, street smart, and two of the only carry-over Barksdale people from Season’s 1 and 2 left.
Poot – He’s in jail, but I hope he gets out. Again, I grew a liking to him back in Season 1 and I don’t want it to end like this for him.
Carcetti – Total stud, I hope he can walk the walk.
Bunny – I really want him to come back, I love where his heart is, and I think he can make a difference, especially with some of the younger police (as evidenced by his positive influence over Carver)
Dislike:
Burrell – A dishonest asshole, not really looking out for the best interests of the community and ready to throw anybody under the bus to retain his position of commissioner.
Rawls – Self-explanatory, but I harbor more disdain for Burrell at this point.
Theresa D’Agostino – Tried to play McNulty, a user and abuser, I have this odd feeling that she’s going to hook up with Carcetti and ruin his marriage.
Marlo – Ruthless, expressionless, naive, no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Maybe if he cracked a smile, I’d like him more.
I continue to be in awe of this show. One particular thing I love about this season is the way it starts to more explicitly explore the role of police work in a community and what it means to be a good cop.
On one hand we have Lester, McNulty and company figuring out the phone network and compiling an enormous and intricate case against leaders in the drug trade. I love that moment in the wire room when they catch Stringer saying too much on a phone. The case is solved in that instant, but everyone’s just standing around. The scene lingers in that moment of exchanging congratulations to emphasize that no one is busting down doors or tackling anyone in an alley, just waiting in front of a computer in a dank little room somewhere. Less glamorous, but way more interesting. The series emphasizes this dynamic of police work throughout, but it had a particular impact here as McNulty finally “gets” Stringer.
On the other hand there is this idea of community or “face-to-face” policing that’s associated with Colvin’s character. Building upon Colvin’s earlier speech to Carver about how the drug war has created a whole generation of incompetent cops, which was more or less right out of The Corner, we get that fantastic town meeting scene. The woman who stands up and talks about the “white boy” cop walking his beat back in the day is beautifully articulate in describing how police should be part of a community, working with it rather than fighting against it. It’s about personal relationships and accumulated knowledge that simultaneously deter crime and equip police to respond to it, not about beating kids off the corner.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the season’s conclusion for me was that Carcetti is present at this meeting, he sees that the roughest neighborhood in Baltimore is now concerned with regulations about “snowball stands,” and yet he proceeds to jump right back into the political machinery and play his role in criticizing Royce for being slow to shut down Hamsterdam. Though I don’t particularly like Royce, I like that he at least considered it for a moment. It makes me angry that the political system (strongly reinforced by the media) is so narrow-minded. Maybe Hamsterdam isn’t a viable solution, but it sucks that we as a society cannot openly talk about it as an option and that leaders cannot publicly articulate the potential benefits for fear of appearing soft or subversive or whatever. The news coverage we see about Hamsterdam is frustratingly sensational and superficial – did the news broadcast go on to show the clear corners and happy citizens as a counterpoint? I doubt it.
On the question of what it means to be good police, I really like the development of Carver and the direction he’s pointed heading into season 4. For roughly the first two thirds of the season, Carver frustrated me with his macho bully tactics (even though he remained quite likable and definitely wasn’t the worst of the macho bullies – Anthony has some serious anger issues). Colvin repeatedly asked for more information about the street level dealing, and Carver didn’t know or care. After having worked on the Barksdale case in the first season, it seems like he would know better and want to be on top of things. As the story moved forward, though, Carver shows admirable loyalty to Colvin and takes a growing interest in the community through his interaction with the young hoppers, which makes me think he’s on the right track. The shot at the end of the last episode where carver visits Cutty’s gym is wonderful, both because it implies the continued viability of the boxing gym even with the drug trade ramped up again, and because it links these two characters who have both formerly played in the drug game (on different sides) but now are committed to something of a different approach (I hope).
I agree with what you said about the differences between avon and stringer, but I think Stringer’s death sentence was a little more complicated. I forgot exactly at what point Avon comes clean with Stringer and says that he never thought he was hard enough for the streets, and maybe just not smart enough to be the businessman that he aspired to be – this comment holds water when we see Stringer get conned by the senator, losing a quarter million in corrupt investments; and then he demonstrates his ignorance and disrespect for the rules of the game with decisions like the sunday shooting on Omar. His demise comes full circle combined with the fact he had betrayed brother mouzone, a then barksdale enforceer. When you break the rules of the game, you get killed, and it just so happened that Stringer was after two of the most dangerous men in the series.
Another interesting point is the fact that Stringer snitched on Avon, something that would normally cause HUGE commotion in the show, but never really was addressed aside from a small gesture from Avon. I agree with Ioana that Stringer’s death could not have been played out any better, save for a showdown with Avon himself, but that would probably compromise too much of each character and other plot lines. I suppose his snitching and getting killed serves justice to the trend that their partnership was taking for the last season or so, at the same time giving the police a shot at Avon and therefore dismantling the barksdale leadership in one swoop.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the end of season 3 the last few days and even though my views on his person have varied, Stringer’s character has to be, in my view, the best character in the show so far. He brought so much to the plot as he walked the tight-rope between two arenas: the street and the office. If, as we’ve discussed, season 1 was mainly focused on McNulty and season 2 was focused ultimately on Nick, this past season was about Stringer, and in his death he showed his true street colors. From start to finish, the scene in which Omar and Brother Mouzone trap and kill Stringer is the best scene of the episode. There’s a comparison to be made between the way the contractor reacts when Omar points his gun at him and the way Stringer reacts. The contractor hyperventilates and grovels for his life on his knees. Stringer stands tall, knowing he’s been beat and lost the game. What a badass. One hypothetical question I’ve been wondering, and I know Stringer has upset a lot of people in his attempt to get to the top, but if Omar had killed Brother Mouzone with one shot to the chest in the motel, would Stringer be dead right now? McNulty had him cought, but didn’t have a huge case on him. He helped Bunny Colvin take down Avon, could he have parlayed that into lesser jail time. I know these are all hypothetical, but I’ve been trying to get some closure on my favorite character in the show and it’s turned into thinking about how close he was to pulling it all off.
Which brings me to a theme that became very clear in the final episode when McNulty and Bunk walk into Stringer’s apartment (“Who was I chasing?”) and when Avon looks back and sees Marlo (“Marlo…?”) sitting in the courtroom: these wars are being fought, but do we really know the enemy? Do we know who we are chasing? Or are we just chasing a symbol, an idea? Stringer and Marlo are the two symbols being chased in this season, and they could not be more different. Marlo is, 100% focused on the game and on his corners, and, as we’ve seen at the start of season 4, careless. Stringer is meticulous and careful, with an eye towards a higher calling.
I love it that the other gym, that Cutty brings in to whip his boys with their far superior equipment, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue. How fitting for the other whipping taking place by the feds from DC on Royce and Burrell for their negligence.
Our conversation about the medical expirment that Hamsterdam contained made me realize one other reason why Baltimore is the perfect city for The Wire to take place. Johns Hopkins, which is located in one of the rougher neighborhoods in Baltimore, is the center of the medical universe. It has been one of the driving forces behind the medical advancements that define our lives today, and yet it has had very little impact on the drug problem that sits right beneath its nose.
I agree with many other posts, that these are some of the best episodes we have watched thus far. I absolutely saw Stringer’s death coming, and I was excited for it to happen. Stringer went from being one of my favorite characters, to one of my least favorite over the course of this season. Despite the fact that he was trying to become a legitimate business owner, his attitude towards the people around him, and his actions made me dislike him more and more every episode.
Episode 36 was very a interesting episode that left me with some questions, the first of which has to do with Avon giving up Stringer. I realized that things just were not right between them after String told Avon about D’Angelo, but I think that they were close enough to one another to get move on, which was suggested by Avon keeping quiet when Brianna came questioning him. My first question arose when Avon and Stringer were looking out at the night sky reminiscing on the old days. Avon asked String where he was going to be the next day and at what time. Since Avon NEVER has asked Stringer what his plans are in this manner, Stringer becomes slightly defensive and curious. It was unclear if Avon was trying to warn Stringer somehow by asking this question. I just didn’t think that Avon would just turn Stringer over that easily. Thus I was curious why, with Stringers extensive experience in the game, did he not pick up on the fact that he was being set up for a hit? Seems like Stringers character would have picked up on the awkwardness of the conversation and been a little more cautious. Another question that I had was in relation to Stringer talking with the police about the whereabouts of Avon. Was he somehow trying to get back at Clay Davis by making a deal? But why would he give up his entire crew to try and bring down Davis?
“Mission Accomplished” was my favorite episode of this season for a variety of reasons, a few of which you touched on. Much like our current war in Iraq, the term mission accomplished in this episode would be used by those in command (of the police) to convey to the media that they have achieved their goals (here the end of Hamsterdam and capture of Avon: in Iraq the capture a Saddam). While they may have achieved what they set out to do, the war was by no means over after the capture of Saddam, and the drug war isn’t over due to the end of Hamsterdam and Avon. I saw this episode as a direct allusion to President Bush’s address on the aircraft carrier, and I hope season four goes into this in more depth, showing all the problems that are left over even though the “mission” was “accomplished.”