We have a winner…
“Don’t try this shit at home.” – Norman Wilson
Namond is pushed into drug dealing by his mother when they are cut off by the remnants of the Barksdale Organization (who had been supporting them). Randy reveals his involvement in the murder to his teachers and is placed under Sergeant Ellis Carver’s care. Marlo proves elusive despite Herc’s camera. Colvin’s new special class separates the worst behaved students (known as “Corner Kids”) from their peers. Carcetti wins the election despite a last minute smear campaign. Omar is arrested for the murder Marlo organized.
New Characters:
Big Guy and Donnie: Butchie’s muscle
Carcetti’s election and (I believe) his administration are going to be critical to The Wire’s message of the corrupting/obstructing power of institutions. While Carcetti no doubt does really want to reform Baltimore, I don’t see him being able to, for the same reasons that Bunny Colvin and others were unable to. There is an institutional structure in place in the city that simply prevents large-scale reform, and there are too many people with a vested interest in keeping things the way they are for there to be much change.
During today’s discussion, there was a point raised that The Wire is a response to “George Bush’s America.” I think that through Carcetti we will see that that’s not entirely valid. I think that one of the major themes of the series is that regardless of the people in them, institutions endure, as do their missions. The people at the heads, be they Tommy Carcetti or George Bush or Barack Obama, can only do so much to change their direction. The issue is something more fundamental than just a Mayor or President – it’s about what the power structure in this country is. I think that during Carcetti’s term in office, we’ll see that played out. Best intentions don’t count for a whole lot in the system as is.
After today’s discussion I thought a lot about what the Wire is purposing as prospects for the future. We talked a lot about whether macro-reform/change or micro-reform/change is possible. I think the Wire is arguing that marco reform is next to impossible and that if it happens at all the change is at the margins. In fact what I think the Wire is purposing is it is indeed smaller players on the micro level making the real difference. It is people like Dennis who are taking corner boys off the street and putting their aggressive energy to good use. He is mentoring them, showing them that street talk and behavior are not acceptable. He is giving them other options for their lives and providing them with a positive place to be. Perhaps instead of slinging for a change they’ll go to his gym.
Or take Ms. Sampson (the strict teacher all the student fear) she is someone who has actually gotten through to the children, they are orderly when she is around, they don’t fight or curse or misbehave because she has commanded respect and she actually able to teach as a result of asserting her authority. We also start seeing this with Prez and his classroom.
But my point is that all the people that really have an impact do it on the micro level whether it be Bubbles looking after Sherrod and trying to make him go to school to get him back on course. To people like Randy’s foster mother who took him in and saved him from living in a group home. It is the micro level stuff that impacts our society, maybe it does it in small ways but perhaps we can be hopeful that it has a ripple effect.
Lastly I’d just like to pose a thought/question do you think that perhaps the Wire was not as popular as other HBO series or popular TV series in general because it deals with the ugly reality of failed institutions in America? As we have seen the Wire deals up close and personal with the drug war, racial politics and other really touchy and difficult subjects. It isn’t like other shows where the viewer perhaps feels more removed from it like the mafia but rather it opens the dicussion to some of the worst parts of American urban life that maybe people don’t experience first hand but feel the realness of the topic since these issues are part of most major cities in America. I mean a lot of the shows that are popular are escapist, Grey’s Anatomy is dramatic but not really praised for the realness of the stories or known to be hard to watch because it accurately protrays true aspects of American culture (I love Grey’s so I am not trying to criticize it but I don’t think the show has the depth or seriousness the Wire does). Or Lost, it is so far removed from reality and it is highly entertaining but it doesn’t have to deal with tough issues like the drugs that ruin our cities and people’s lives, that is a reality not some creation of the authors of the show. I guess what I am trying to say is that the Wire has much heavier and more challenging and real subject matter that for a viewer who wants to be entertained it may be too much. Especially since as I said in class the authors of the show experienced what they wrote about first hand so it isn’t like they are pulling characters and story lines out of thin air a lot of it comes from reality and that is hard to swallow. It is hard to swallow that in many respects we are failing and that the prospects for fixing things are grim and an uphill battle.
Again, sorry to be such a downer. But I guess I am all about the micro level changes and having faith that they can lead to something greater.
Maybe it’s less about the claim that Simon makes that “most people don’t want to watch a show about black people” than “most people don’t want to watch a show about poor people” – the vast majority of TV is about people who are wealthy or at least upwardly mobile. The Wire is one of the few shows focusing on poor people in which the poverty matters acutely and there’s not much hope for “moving on up” a la The Jeffersons. At least class and race seem to work together to frame the viewers expectations in a potentially off-putting way…
I agree with Stephan’s point about Carcetti’s election and administration enforcing the power of institutions. Jason has already hinted that Carcetti will not succeed in fulfilling all of the promises he made during the election. This does not surprise me. The Wire definitely leans heavily on the idea that existing institutions are beyond the scope of large-scale reform.
I completely agree with all of this as it relates to The Wire, yet I still believe that Barack Obama will be able to make some sort of a difference in American Society. I find this disconnect incredibly interesting. Why is it that I cannot even fathom the possibility that Carcetti will be able to clean up The Wire’s depiction of Baltimore City, but when it comes to the real live version of the good old USA, I just can’t give up hope that easily? Maybe its just a matter of not wanting to believe that our situation can’t get better. With this said, maybe there is a possible solution to all of the problems plaguing Baltimore. Maybe Carcetti won’t be the one to fix everything, but if we simply accept that the institutional problems are here to stay and there’s nothing we can do to fix it, that’s a pretty dire outlook on life. In any case, the first step is always recognizing the problems and making the public aware. At least The Wire is taking a step in that direction.
I thought that the class discussion that we had today was the best one so far in the semester. I was glad to see Professor Elder really challenging and questioning us to consider “The Wire’s” place in the greater scope of society, and whether or not it creates the kind of social movement necessary for change.
As we were talking about the different ways in which the show has “novel” qualities, it got me thinking about how one of my favorite narrative aspects of the show is the way in which the pov moves around. This works because of two things. First, by no means is the show a first person pov, but sometimes it dares to truly enter a character’s world. Second, by doing this it does not just provide insight into the character, but also shapes the way that we understand/experience what is around them. It does this in incredible ways and I found two really powerful examples of this in the episode we watched yesterday.
First is the election montage seen through the eyes of Cutty while he is listening to “moving on up.” As Jason pointed out the irony of the scene is seeing the different election day scenes through the view of a man who can’t vote because of his criminal record, where ironically he is listening to a song whose title he is achieving in one world (social), but at the same time is impossible to achieve in the other (political). I thought the way that Cutty interacted with the scene showed a lot of the detachment between the everyday person and the political machine. Absolutely great scene, but in a very subtle way.
Second, I found the scene of Omar being led through the prison, specifically in the narrow hallway surrounded by windows, to be incredibly powerful. Obviously Omar has done enough to many of the people in the prison to possibly deserve the kind of response they have towards him, but on a metaphorical level it made me appreciate Omar’s bravery and courage as an individual. Omar, even with his small crew, is truly an individual force. He is an outcast because of who he is, but he is not afraid to fight for who he is. The camera in this portion of his walk never leaves his eyes and if you watch the scene again you can see the intensity of Omar (portrayed beautifully by Michael K Williams) in those eyes. Just those 20 seconds made me appreciate Omar so much more than anything we have seen to this point.
Overall I think its important to pay attention to the way in which “The Wire” uses a shifting lens to both provide greater insight into a character’s mind as well as give a very realistic perspective on the world around them. I suppose I love this facet of the show because life is so linear in “The Wire” that I almost feel grateful to be able to see it from so many different angles. It almost feels like they could go back and use the same narrative, just switch around where our camera took us, and still have an amazing show. That, for me, is what makes “The Wire” the best television show I’ve ever seen.
One thing that I found interesting and that left me curious about this episode was the scene in the railway station where Herc arrests and then is forced to release Marlo. Was Marlo trying to trick Herc? Did he know that they were watching his cell phone conversations? Was the woman even part of the plot, or was she just a passenger? The fact that Herc’s team was able to decode Marlo’s conversation and apparent intent so easily seemed suspicious to me, but there was no indication that Marlo planned it that way, other than the fact that both he and the woman were clean. If he did plan it, the episode reinforces Marlo’s role as a not only a tough guy with no emotions, but also a smart guy.
There is also a clear parallel between this scene and the scene in season one where Daniels gets close to apprehending Avon for the first time. In that scene, Avon simply wagged his finger at Daniels as their two cars passed each other, in an overt show of “who’s boss” and “you can’t catch me.” Does the fact that Marlo neither taunted Herc nor gave any indication that he planned the fake drug swap mean that Marlo is a smarter criminal than Avon?
To respond to what Tom is asking about Marlo, I think it’s clear that Marlo did the entire train station gig as a little trick. It’s obvious he knows about the camera and wants to know why it’s there and who put it there. At first I found this whole little trick a bit too theatrical and unnecessary but I suppose there wasn’t a much better way for Marlo to find out who was watching him and to what extent. He needed to know if it was the police or some other rival and I guess he was even clever enough to figure out if they could read his cell phone conversations. The woman was also obviously not part of the plan, just a bystander.
I don’t think this makes Marlo a smarter criminal than Avon, but maybe this shows he’s thinking ahead a little more than people have given him credit for. He can outsmart Herc, which doesn’t say much, but still. And he’s beginning to negotiate with Prop Joe, which is thinking toward the future as well. I think this will develop further in the next few episodes, but I’ll make my prediction that Marlo isn’t the smartest guy in the game.
The relationship between Namond and his mother had a large impact on me and helps further explain how many are trapped by the game. It is obvious that Namonds mother is used to, and most important enjoys, the lifestyle she is living. She was able to do so as Weebay was a respected soldier and was high in the ranks. Therefore, he was able to provide her with a lifestyle that she longed for. Well, when she was told that she was no longer going to receive money from the Barksdale organization, without hesitating, she imposed her desire upon her son. With the thought of becoming poor again, she demanded that Namond go back on the street and become a full time dealer. The disheartening aspect of this is that Namond clearly did not want to do so. Although he puts on a tough guy front, it is evident that he is not made for life on the streets. Regardless, his mother forces him out there and into a life that will most likely end in travesty. This relationship between mother and son here illustrates a recurring theme of the game. We are witnessing a kid, who wants to be no part of the game, be forced in by his mother; the figure in his life who is supposed to care about him the most and guide him in the right direction. Instead, she is directing him into a terrible life that has very little promise.
Learning more about Namond’s home life has definitely given me a better understanding of his character and helped me see through his tough front. She is awful and greedy, every time she says “make me proud out there” I cringe. She is so accustomed to her way of life she sends her young son out to the corners but cannot bother herself to get a job, it really just kills me. The mother of Michael is pathetic because of her addiction, selling rice-a-roni for drugs, and now she is letting a man back in the house that Michael clearly hates/does not trust- I have a bad feeling about this situation. We know Dukie’s family is really awful but they too are fiends. Randy’s foster mom clearly strikes fear in Randy. A god fearing woman who is troubled by his bad decisions and if people find out what he is doing, at least she is able to provide the basics and structure- even if she does take it a bit far. But Namond’s mother truly takes the cake. Shen she complains that he has only made $450 because he is on a safe corner my dislike grew even more- I expect this will continue throughout the season.
I think you are on to something about people not wanting to watch the show because it is so heavy. I have been home in Kansas this week and was watching the show with my mom and aunt to catch up. My aunt made it through about 15 minutes and said it was stressing her out and she left. My mom made it through all five episodes and was really cheering for some of the characters but she commented that it was a really “tough” show and very “sad”- and is now a bit worried about my safety for my internship in Baltimore this summer. Their reactions, from immediately leaving to enjoying the show but finding it very sad, made me think about what people want from television. I think Antoinette is right, people often watch TV to be entertained and escape into the world of other people- often a world that is more exciting than their own but one that has a happy ending- or at least some closure like CSI. When this world is far more depressing than their own life and they aren’t engaging with the issues presented has it lost its entertainment value beyond voyeurism? If someone is watching the show and doesn’t really get the message then why are they watching it- for the characters, the violence?
This really makes me think about what the Wire is trying to do. It is not just trying to entertain us, it is trying to enlighten us and make us aware of the poverty and social issues that plague urban America. Yes there are some truly wonderful characters and there is humor, if there weren’t the show would be difficult to get through, but the show does not give you the warm and fuzzy feeling- through happy endings or romance- that many people seek when they watch TV. I think it is a little too real for many people. If forces the viewer to examine poverty in a complex way- something a lot of people are not bargaining for when they watch TV. I definitely agree with Professor Mittell- I’m sure some racist people out there don’t watch because the majority of its characters are black but I truly think it is about the poverty that the show depicts. Acute poverty is a depressing reality that many people do not want to face when they are escaping into TV land. I was initially really put off by the shows violence, this may have something to do with it as well.
If anyone has especially enjoyed the Carcetti-Royce battle I would very highly recommend a documentary called Street Fight (2005), about the Newark, New Jersey mayoral battle between Stanford graduate Corey Booker and longtime incumbent mayor Sharpe James. It’s an incredible piece and it reveals a lot of the same issues and barriers that Carcetti faces in The Wire. There are also a lot of similarities between James and Royce, both in their aura and their campaign strategies.