My name is my name
Yikes! With just the feature-length last episode to go, I wasn't expecting fireworks from Ep 59 of The Wire. I can't write about it without spoilers, so stop reading if you haven't seen it. With a lightness of touch that belies the hard-boiled nature of the middle-aged crime novelists who write this stuff, characters from the past are reintroduced, giving us a glimpse of their life after the fiction of The Wire (but of course not after the non-fiction of Baltimore, where we believe they all still live): Namond, last seen at the end of Season Four, being taken in by disgraced Bunny Colvin and his wife, delivers a speech about HIV at a student debating competition, deftly hijacked by Carcetti, whose desire for the governorship now colours everything he does and makes him more venal by the day. We are not given enough information to know whether this really is a happy ending for Namond (we hope so), but all seems well, and Colvin's blanking of Carcetti draws a line under yet another plot. These last episodes are a difficult watch. All the way through Ep 59, I was thinking, "This is nearly over." When Marlo's operation was uncovered and the whole crew locked up, my jaw was on the floor, because I'd assumed that if it was all going down, it would go down in Ep 60. I certainly didn't see Snoop coming. ("How's my hair look?") This was Michael's Michael Corleone moment. Such emotion packed into a few reasonably brief scenes with Bug and Dukie after he became too "hot" to hang around with any more. That and Bubbles' speech at the church meeting. It seems clear that McNulty and Freamon's masterplan to catch Marlo may well fall around their ears, due to the illegal wire. This means that the 60-episode saga will, after six years, end on a wire, as per the title. That's dedication to duty. I am knocked out by the way Herc is now linked to Levy, who's linked to Marlo and crew, and to Clay Davis, who's giving information to Lester, who's confessing to Daniels, who's going out with Pearlman, who's mixed up in the illegal wiretaps, which are putting Greggs in an impossible position, thus compromising Carver, who used to be the partner of Herc, and so on. Meanwhile, Gus is closing in on Templeton, leaving us with one last crime for the final episode. Discuss.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 11:16 PM
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In other news... did you guys notice that the legendary Danny Wallace has also started Jon Gaunt bashing in his Cobra Pubcast? Last episode him and Dom Joly took great offence at Gaunty using the phrase "She put the B in to Itch" - rightly so I have to say!
A note for all those who haven't seen this: Amazon have all the seasons on DVD for £14.98 each, or £89 for all five. Or for those that don't have wishlists and lazy relatives, you can also rent them from Lovefilm.
The truly remarkable thing about the last two episodes (and don't worry I'll not give anything away about next week) to me was that you felt they'd known what they were going to do from episode 1 season 1. From what I've read that isn't quite the case but it feels like that. For someone still wasting hours of his valuable time following Lost, where for two series at least, they really did just make it up as they went along, it's like an aphrodisiac.
Not that I'm comparing TW to Lost. They are in two different worlds; both valid in their own way. But I really am finding it hard to enjoy other 'serious' TV dramas post TW. Everything pales by comparison. The only answer is to watch it all again. I’m on episode 12 of season one and taking it a bit more slowly this time.
The big question the effect of TW change TV drama for ever? I know live audience figures are low but DVD Box set sales are huge. On top of that there doesn’t appear to be a TV insider on either side of the Atlantic (and lets face it that is where all our TV comes from) who isn’t prepared to heap huge praise on it. So you’d expect to see some attempt to do something on the same scale and not just from David Simon himself. But I don’t see it happening; not over here anyway. If they tried it, I reckon we’d all just sneer and say “look at them trying to do TW” and it’d die on its arse.
So more Big Brother it is. Honestly it’s the only thing for post TW blues.
I feel like Bob and Terry in the episode of WHTTLL, where they do everything to avoid hearing the result of the England v Bulgaria match. I can't even bring myself to read your update posts for fear of catching sight of a spoiler. (I quickly scrolled to the bottom to post this).
I've pre-ordered Series 5 from Amazon (other dvd retailers are available) as I can't bear to have my viewing pleasure ruined with regular ad breaks on FX.
I've never finished watching a TV episode with such a sense of dread; not just because it's all over next week but knowing it's going to end badly for some of your favourite characters (although I guess with The Wire, they are ALL your favourite characters).
McNulty (and please not Lester too) is facing prosecution, while it looks as though Marlo & Co may walk. It's almost unbearable to have to wait till Monday to see what happens.
Special praise for Ep 59 has to go Bubbles speech and the ending with Dukie - both heartbreaking.
I still recommend TW virtually every day at work, sadly to no avail. The don't know what they are missing. I know I'm going to miss it when it's gone.
One of these days I'll post a comment where all the words I meant to write are actually there.
Can't believe I wrote previously that I didn't notice Steve Earle in series one. What I think I meant is that I remember the scenes with Waylon and Bubbles but didn't know it was Steve Earle.
It really is a treat watching it again. You realise just how many things they returned to later but didn't quite twig first time round. Well not me anyway.
really enjoy your round ups. yep "my name is my name". incredible.
anyway isn't Michael's brother; Bug not Bud.
Typo!
I have to say Marlo hearing about Omar calling him out was a goosebumps moment and you are right to use it as the title this week.
I simply cannot wait for the last episode. I just so want Cedric to do what's right and bury the wire tap.
I did actually see Michael taking out Snoop coming when I saw him casing her out. I just didn't know who was going to get the first shot off.
Wasn't that the drunk officer who was going to throw himself down the stairs in the first series working in the evidence room as well by the way.
I'm very pleased these posts are coming to an end because I've not been able to read any of them for fear of spoilers.
Thank God I take delivery of the series 5 box set on Monday. For me the wait is over, and fun is just about to begin.
George Pelecanos always seems to get these penultimate episodes, and delivers with such emotional power.
Just thought I'd say how annoyed I was that FX UK butchered HBO's 'Ball of Confusion' trailer for Season 4, when they did their promo, and was hoping they wouldn't do the same to the excellent 'white lines' promo for season 5 HBO gave us. What they actually did was deliver a truly beautiful promo using the Marvin Gaye track Omar and Donnie listen to in the car I believe "A Change gon' come", and I think it is a really beautiful, but tragic trailer.
As an aside, I really can't recommend Homicide: Life on the Street highly enough to anyone who's never seen it. Test the water with the first 2 seasons and go from there.
machine levine
Just a note on the nice people at FX.
I know I cannot be the only one who, after years of watching on DVD, it has a jarring experience watching on TV. Adverts I can cope with as I never watch live and just FF, but the announcer coming right on the end of the credits over "The Fall" was too much.
However, after emails from myself and many others, I noticed last week they let the whole credits play without any announcements - which in a world of banner ads and logos on the screen, is a statement on their commitment to the fans.
Also good to see FX have bought the rights to Generation Kill too.
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I know this topic provides neither the time or the place (but if I acknowledge that maybe I’ll get away with it) but who was the regular who pilloried me on here a few months ago for describing those overpaid pillocks who ‘work’ on our stock exchange as “pissing around with our lives”? Own up cos I can’t find the thread. I was accused of having a Yuppies obsession or some such like; as if it all went away when Thatcher was kicked out.
After the news about short-selling today (how come it was allowed in the first fucking place?) I think I was going easy on them. And now 40,000 people might lose their jobs. Not directly because of those twats on the stock exchange but they were hardly helping were they?
Bastards.
WOW what a great episode.
All the peices are neatly coming together. It is gonna be unbearble to think that after all what Lester and McNulty went through,,if Marlo walks.
"My name is my name" Great, great scene.
Marlo I gotta say took me a season or so to warm to him,,but he has been first class in season 5. We saw him at his most angry and emotional in the cell with his partners in crime. In another series this would have been so overplayed.
It is amazing that on the 59th episode the writers and actors are still delivering something new and interesting about these charcters.
The Michael/Snoop scene was great,,a little telegraphed,,but who cares when the acting and lines are so good.
I have bad feeling for Herc,,if Levy and Marlo put the dots together on how cops got Marlo's mobile number.
Hi,
I went to see David Simon in Glasgow last night - really enjoyable and a very interesting Q+A after a screening of episode 2 from season 5. Simon seemed to be one of those people who is best described as being fiercely intelligent but also in awe that so many people over here love the Wire and are interested enough to have his book, Homicide, republished.
Now the Wire's nearly finished I'd recommend Generation Kill for another fix of Simon or possibly Mad Men which is really enjoyable if a bit shallow after The Wire (but then... What isn't).
Just finished Season 5. it's been beyond emotional. Was almost on the edge of tears when Michael said goodbye to his little brother.
I think Marlo's key scene for me was in Season 4 (I think) when he fronted the security guard over a stolen lollipop.
'You think it's one way.
You think it's one way.
You think it's one way.
It's th'other way'
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