AIN'T NOBODY GOT NOTHIN' TO SAY ABOUT A FORTY DEGREE DAY: I'm not quite sure how to summarize two episodes of The Wire like "Dead Soldiers" and "Hamsterdam," which do such an amazing job of explaining how difficult it is to try to reform the systems you're in. Bunny Colvin can't seem to get the police or the public on board with his idea for Amsterdam-by-the-Bay, Stringer can't get his crew to not be knuckleheads while he's going legit, and Cutty, poor Cutty, well, we can guess where that may be going.
And then there's Tommy Carcetti, ambitious and narcissistic enough to be grinning at himself at the mirror during a one-night stand, yet caring enough about policy to show up at a West Baltimore community meeting attended by maybe ten people, none of whom are actually his constituents, and only one of whom is a beloved deceased member of the E Street Band. He wants to run for Mayor ... why? Both reasons? Yeah, that might be true to politics.
Meanwhile, Marlo Stanfield is our new Big Bad of the season, even if the police have no idea that he's not part of the Barksdale Organization (which Avon is about to rejoin); McNulty and Cool Lester Smooth are butting heads; and no one in the unit is George Washington Carver. Oh, well, here's The Pogues, "The Body of an American."
I've been enjoying watching the new people discuss the show, but I just have to step in and not Aiden Gillen (Carcetti) and his excellent IMDB photo.
ReplyDeleteThis was the point things started getting weird/awesome since most of the characters in city hall were very recognizably based on real people, name dropping other real people in city hall, and talking about things that were going on at the time. I think it was in one of these episodes, although it might have been next week's, two characters are talking about the mayoral race and as an aside, one says, "Keiffer's thinking about a run" and never mentions it again. It was a nice bit of reality since then-city councilman Keiffer Mitchell did make an (unsuccessful) attempt at mayor. And many of the rest of the conversations between "characters" all played out between real people in Baltimore at the time.
ReplyDeleteOn a completely unrelated note, LEGO WIRE (kinda spoilery)
There was a Dutch <span>Ruppersberger reference in the second episode.</span>
ReplyDelete"Like a forty-degree day!" One of the best laugh lines of the whole show.
ReplyDeleteWhat Jordan said about the city hall real life stuff is what I find fascinating about the whole safe zone stuff. From what I understand, it echoes real life very public discussions and whatnot by politicians and police in Baltimore.
ReplyDeleteThe Lego Wire thing is awesome! Thanks for posting that!
The Amsterdam/decriminalization stuff was an idea of mayor Kurt Schmoke in the late 80s/early 90s.
ReplyDeleteThe policeman's wake is one of my favorite scenes in the whole show. For those that don't know why it was there, the exec producer Robert Colesbury died during the filming of the season, and since he also played Det. Cole, this was their in-show tribute to him.
And to follow up on Jordan's comment, this season and later seasons are when you start to get weird/awesome cameos of Baltimore people
Oh good lord, I never thought of him as hot before, but i could stand to break off a piece of that! Mmmmmmmm tasty. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd weird/awesome cameos of Baltimore places! Like in season five, when they filmed in my neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI really feel like I can't discuss the first half of a season of The Wire. It's all table setting. Very enjoyable and fascinating tabel setting, but I'm waiting for so many shoes to drop that I'm sure there's a huge Zappos box on my roof. I'd very hard to comment on this stuff as it is happening.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the McNulty-Rhonda-Daniels stuff just about killed me this week. McNulty takes it like a man, which I was not expecting given how petulant he has been with his ex (and often with Rhonda), but watching him pick up that pay phone and have absolutely no one to call.....why don't you just rip my heart out and stomp on it. I am liking that the Rhonda-Daniels thing wasn't a one night stand - they have a lot in common, and there's certainly enough chemistry there. I'm sure it'll come back to bite him with something related to his wife's campaign, but for now, I like seeing them enjoy each other's company.
Bunny Colvin is rapidly becoming one of my favorite characters. So earnest, yet so practical. He absolutely believes this can work, and it should, but no one else believes him. Sigh.
Bunny Colvin is one of my favorite characters on this show, and may be my favorite (sorry, David Simon). If this show gave us no more of Bunny Colvin than the speech about the bags, he would still be top-10.
ReplyDeleteAnd who pointed that most excellent photo out to you, Finn? Hmmm?
ReplyDeleteLook, if I remembered every time Watts has pointed out something awesome I wouldn't have room in my noggin for anything else.
ReplyDeleteLet this be a lesson. Every man is more attractive with a kitten.
ReplyDelete