Bringing Out the (Best) Dead

Martin Scorsese’s late 90’s picture about an early 90’s NYC story, recounting a fading EMS worker’s tumultuous weekend, often gets lost in the discussion of his great films. Sandwiched between the Goodfellas/Casino gangster hysteria era and the perennial Oscar hype success of recent years, it’s easy to see why Bringing Out the Dead and its timely counterpart, Kundun, get overlooked.

But, BOTD is vintage Scorsese. In a review of the film, Chicago Sun Times movie critic Roger Ebert echoes an accurate claim about Scorsese pictures: “you can watch them with the sound off, or with a picture and no sound.” Truer words have not been spoken. Scorsese’s manic attention to the sound editing and his artistic approach to each shot make all of his films so dense that they drip with atmosphere. His name and pull in Hollywood have afforded him the opportunity to offer his treatment to period stories (The Aviator and Gangs of New York), but his style was created with Mean Streets, perfected for an Oscar in The Departed, and are on full display in BOTD.

Dead is Scorsese’s most recent, modern day, New York story to date and his vision of this New York (or more specifically, Hell’s Kitchen) is one of darkly despair. The film embodies, with great help from its sound, elements from a variety of genres. The voice-over work by star Nicholas Cage and the bluesy Van Morrison number (TB Sheets) suggests a noir-like quality, while other scenes – using a haunting original score – play almost like a horror film. But, overall this is a stylized film about Frank Pierce’s (Cage) troubled journey as he grapples with the sufferings and tensions of being the front line response in a city where horrendous scenes never end.

Scorsese again teams with screenwriter/director Paul Schrader to create Joe Connelly’s novel of the same name. The themes from the book seem to have resonated with Scorsese: that the city doesn’t discriminate when it comes to who it swallows and that in this community – rich with derelicts – Paramedics serve with a simultaneous disgust and sense of duty for their patients. Much like their previous collaboration, Taxi Driver, BOTD lacks a standard or structured plot but it doesn’t need it.

This story is all about sense of place, and nobody does it better than Scorsese. He needs only to provide us with an authentic look into the average shift of an EMS worker in NYC to create the sense of disorientation involved in the endless and inevitable horrors that the city reveals nightly.

Pierce is being haunted by the faces (mainly a young teen named Rose) of people he failed to save. Ironically as he explains this, his first call brings him to a cardiac case that is pronounced dead, but, due to Pierce’s treatment, survives to earn a trip to a municipal hospital ER where the waiting room plays more like a gen pop jail cell than anything else. This case also introduces Pierce (and the audience) to Mary (played by Patricia Arquette), daughter of the heart attack victim. Their resulting relationship does not evolve into a romantic endeavor, but rather illustrates their mutual desire to have somebody to lean on as they navigate the hostile waters of Hell’s Kitchen.

I know Scorsese loves NYC, but in his attempt to capture the true grit and griminess of this 3^rd shift world, he inadvertently glamorizes it and makes it look beautiful. His use of wet buildings, smoky streets, shadowy alleys, dungy ‘take out’ restaurants are so well done that you get the same feeling of those who occupy these quarters: that there is beauty in this chaos. It once again invokes that noir quality. Scorsese also makes good use of the living spaces and interiors of his characters. One apartment, aptly named the Oasis, has a hidden level of comfort for those who spend their time there. Scorsese excels in illustrating just how cramped and desolate some of these quarters can be, but given still, how they serve as a refuge to the hostility just outside their doors.

Along with Scorsese’s beautiful craftwork comes the great performances he expels from Ving Rhames, John Goodman, Tom Sizemore, Cage and Arquette. All of them are in top form hitting their various personalities pitch point. Pierce’s partners seem to be a base of sanity for his mental meanderings as well as a thorn in his side with each one crazier than the next.

Goodman plays Larry who is a blue collar blueprint of a municipal worker gaming his way up the pay and title scale hoping “to pass his captain’s exam” and secure a better pay and benefits for his family.

Rhames’ Marcus understands the spiritual dilemma Pierce is struggling with, but his own antics generally cloud his theological revelations.

Finally, Sizemore’s Tom is just plain crazy and reminds Pierce constantly of their old days together. Days Pierce would just as soon forget as Tom represents the dangers a failing and stagnant career as an EMS worker can offer.

Hidden in all of these great performances are several HBO character actors including a dying Michael Williams (Omar), a drugged up and eventually murdered Sonja Sohn (Kima), a caring nurse (Aida Turturro aka Janice Soprano) and finally a touching performance from Arthur J. Nascarella (Sopranos crew member Carlo Gervasi) who has a show stealing scene as Frank’s passive captain: “I promise. I’m going to fire you tomorrow.”

But the show stealer might be the performance logged by Latin music artist Marc Anthony. I had no clue who he was the first time I saw this picture and was impressed. After being introduced to his persona and ensuing music fame I was amazed that I still was won over by his work on BOTD.

All of the actors are on board and they need to be buckled in as Scorsese propels them through this frantic paced story which is matched only by his style. It’s been rumored that he schedules at least a year to edit his films with long time collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker and it isn’t disproved when you see the thousands of shots he uses to create this picture. The material from Connolly seems as scrambled as the visuals, but as mentioned before, the story doesn’t need to conclude a plot. It’s a sense of place. Hell’s Kitchen: Late 90’s.

Give Up the Crown?

It is a line uttered by the incarcerated, Baltimore drug kingpin Marlo, but it might be an adequate phrase for the creators to mull over. Only their crown is the greatest show on television. It didn’t matter that past television kingpins such as: The Sopranos, MASH, Seinfeld, and arguably many others all suffer the same fate as the drug lords of Baltimore– fading relevance over time. They wore the crown. But I feel that the WIRE’s true relevance is not yet revealed.

I have had many conversations with friends/fans of the show where I laid out my belief that the WIRE will be studied in most Universities and have come to find out, it already is. As far as the finale, many (better) critiques have been made over at THND and HH, but I will say that it does complete Simon’s vision of a literary fiction played across the television medium.

But like most great books, where you’ve invested a lot of your personal time into, the ending will almost never suffice. This isn’t to say that I’m unhappy with how the series ended, but I couldn’t help fighting off that nagging feeling that the Simon, Burns and Co. should have let this season breathe out to at least an additional episode. Too much seemed contrived in the wrapping up of several plotlines. And then it seemed to drift into an epilogue (before the final montage) of the character’s fates. And for a series that feasted on subtlety, Simon (who penned the finale to his creation) revered back to his S3 finale – wrapping up most loose ends – rushed through an extremely engaging Levy plot line, and spoon fed us a lot of the themes he and the fellow creators have been picking away at the last five years.

I understand that a city’s dysfunction is cyclical. I love the idea of completing the circle to leave us where we came in S1 episode 1, but the parallels were already in place. I didn’t need to see Dukie shoot up, Carver ascend to Lieutenant, Chris befriend Wee Bay, Michael become Omar. I’m sort of shocked that Burns and Simon didn’t co-write the finale.

Burns – who displayed his strength in his installments this season along with his phenomenal completed arc credit last season – seemed to be quietly selling his share of the WIRE investment over to Simon who has filled his datebook with many PR pressers and interviews.

While all of these conclusions of mine are pure opinion and observatory, I can’t help but wonder with Simon constantly having to explain his newspaper story arc in all of his interviews, that it didn’t convey itself well on screen. I understand the newspaper theme entirely. They were sweeping aside the very stories/people that we, as an audience, have come to care about over the years – or at least have become invested in. It’s what the Sun wasn’t covering that is the story of the WIRE. But, knowing the message doesn't mean that the arc was executed well.

In an interview with Alan Seipenwall, Simon reveals that he knew a few of these fabricating journalists the season portrays, but that no one he worked with did anything (out of fear of receiving the Alma/Gus treatment) to deter them, so this culture bred more selfish writers interested only in Pulitzers rather than a generation of reporters with integrity and journalistic skills and principles. Similar to the faulty practices that the police used, that Daniels despised, to teach its cadets.

Yet, Simon himself did nothing. He accepted a buyout. And that may be the hidden genius of the finale, as Matt Zoller Seitz points out, that Simon put the viewer (and most likely himself) in front of the mirror for this finale to answer the questions the first 59 hours raised.

For five seasons, "The Wire" has been saying, "Let's look at what's wrong with our institutions, how ossified they are, how unimaginative, how corrupt, how easily manipulated for personal gain, how paralyzed, how useless." And we sit there in the audience going, "Yes, yes, it's awful, just awful -- somebody should pay for this; somebody should do something." Then at some point we get so frustrated at the sight of talented and/or hardworking people ground down by institutions that we start to demand answers. "Why are things so bad? Why is change so difficult? Why to the same problems perpetuate themselves over and over in so many different institutions, so many social strata, so many walks of life?"

On answer to this, Simon holds up a mirror and says, "There's the problem right there. Look in the mirror, motherfucker. It's you. It's me. It's human nature. We as a species do not have the courage to take our medicine, to do the hard work that really needs to be done, to really expose corruption, stupidity and selfishness even when, especially when, doing so costs us something."

It's that last part that's really crucial. Almost every major character got tangled up in some sort of deception, or moral shortcut, in this season (or in some cases chickens from other seasons came home to roost). And their response -- even the "good" character's response -- has been, "What do I need to do, what do I need to give you, the accuser, to make this go away?" The answer is invariably, "Give me what I need to make MY problem go away."

That's the problem in a nutshell. It's not democracy. It's not the failings of the school system or city hall or the police department or the media. It's a moral failure that becomes an institutional and societal failure. Simon confronts his characters with the choice between doing the right thing and doing the expedient thing. Almost to a man and woman, they go with the expedient thing.

Things don’t change, because we – much like the characters – do what’s in our best interest. It’s almost like a bizarre reversal of Barack Obama’s campaign slogan: We are the constant that we fight against.

But with all my subjective Simon nitpicking aside, I am sincerely saddened that this era has come to a close and extremely thankful to Simon and Burns. Simon’s strongest accomplishment was knowing his vision and surrounding himself with great writers and surrendering his tapestry to their better needlework. It is a piece of art that will be revealed for years to come. I look forward to always owning all five seasons on DVD and (just like a great novel) popping them in and starting the cycle all over again. It’s all connected.

How's my hair look?

(This is a recap of "Late Editions" scheduled to air in a week. Spoiler Alert.)

As predicted by me in an earlier post, George Pelecanos took the mound this episode as the writer. You may have been able to tell that by the clear DC references to Georgia Ave. and Silver Spring by the vet at Walter Reed (signatures of Pelecanos writing), or that he always writes the penultimate episode for each season. (5 gets you 10 that when the season is released on DVD that Pelecanos is offering the commentary.) But, you may just notice - especially if you read his fiction - that this is a Pelecanos' episode because your heart is heavy the entire time. Nothing pleasant is concluded.

Freamon finally makes his move on Marlo off the info from his wiretap. Unlike previous seasons - where the whole season built up to the payoff of the wiretap's success, and subsequent floundering by the bureaucracy - the wiretap storyline was more of a strong B subplot. But does it have to be anything more? We've been down this road several times. We know how it works. So let's use it as a backdrop to move our story along.

With Marlo's upper brass all convening in a jail cell, it's determined from their warrants that there is a (McNulty made-up) snitch among them. Snoop's lifetime of loyalty rules her out, leaving only Michael. But Marlo and Chris aren't positive. Marlo asks Chris if he is willing to put his life on the notion that Michael didn't talk, given that he's been asking too many questions lately. With a simple look, Chris signs Michael's death warrant. But in the process of revealing justification for Michael being the snitch, Monk reveals some sour news to Marlo about Omar's warpath and (apparently undisclosed) challenges to his name. Marlo's reaction reveals - perhaps for the first time - the power behind him as he barks orders for his lieutenants to make it a priority to get word back to the corners about his lack of knowledge on Omar's insults.

Marlo and Co.'s arrest gives the police and the mayor a much needed presser - that Zorzi thoroughly enjoys - about keeping the city safer. It also directly ties them up with the fruit from the poisonous tree that the arrest grows from. But for now, the mayor is content and moves on to push classroom achievements into the spotlight visiting the Baltimore Inner City Debate forum, where old friend Namond Brice is lecturing while his foster father, Bunny Colvin and the good deacon look on. Another rushed, ham-handed conclusion scene with Carcetti and Colvin ensues. It seems like another cheap "what are they up to" cameo. For all the talk Simon chirped about the characters serving the story, and not vice versa, these cameo scenes seem forced and jarring. I mentioned earlier that I thought it was nice because they seemed to fit the storyline, but now it seems rushed in and out of place.

Out of place or not, the contrast between Namond behind the podium against Michael on the corner was stark to say the least. Michael transformed in this episode right before our eyes. His intuition on Snoop's motives offered him the upper hand when the time came. Another patent Pelecano's scene. Both characters know themselves and the other so well that the outcome is known well before it happens. Snoop knows Michael has the advantage and that she won't live, but still offers (seemingly) just cause for why he was to be executed instead of negotiating for her life. Snoop was a solider till the end.

Michael has now crossed a line. He has saved his life, but forever altered it. He has to go on the lamb and Bug and Dukie now lose his protection. The lurking figure, donning a black wife-beater T, standing in the walkway watching a tearful Bug leave, brings reference to images of Avon and Stringer. Also the cold distant stare, as Dukie tries to relive the story of four friends goofing around on a late summer's day, shows that Michael's "Boys of Summer" innocence has been lost for some time now. He seems to understand that he's a child of the game and his future is a tunnel, not a path. So now there is only the choice of how to play it left.

With Marlo under his belt, Freamon fulfills his hunger by meeting with Senator Davis who offers up a clear money path for Freamon to follow. Freamon is surprised at Clay's candor about Levy's abuse of his clients' trust and even exposes a throw away line about his own manipulation of Stringer Bell. But at the same time that Freamon gets the idea to investigate Levy, we find out that Levy has Herc - under the guise of drinking with the guys - investigating the detail.

However, it doesn't look like Freamon will get the chance to indict Levy because Kima has gone up the ladder with McNulty's lie. Luckily, the upper brass is now Daniels who - along with Pearlman - will take the appropriate time to investigate and script a PR solution. Or at least have one in their back pocket.

The "Sun" storyline continues to disappoint and it's far too late to salvage. Perhaps on the second viewing, I'll appreciate it more, but for now I'm just enjoying Clark Johnson's performance. He seems to have gathered all the arsenal he'll need against Scott who is currently suiting himself up for a Pulitzer.

And finally, Pelecanos loops all the way back to his last episode (episode 12 of S4) to complete Bubbles' circle of Sherrod's fate. Bubbles - er Reginald's story and it's conclusion are really working for me this season. I've never been a huge Bubbles fan. I've enjoyed his story lines and understood why he remained in the picture year after year, but never felt much connection or feeling with his path. That ended in this episode. Maybe it's the hope for the salvation of one character, especially after seeing Dukie begin a similar life route with his hesitant walk into the stables, but I was near tears during Reginald's time speaking in group. Simon has spoken about the real life Bubbles many times in interviews and how he wrote the man's obituary for the Sun and how that broke his heart. I hope he isn't planning on breaking ours.

The bad news is, we actually have to catch this Motherfucker

The last line on my page of notes from the previous episode was "Kenard's assessment of Omar." That's simply it. I chuckled as he stated, "That's Omar" with the kind of disappointment one reserves for seeing a mythical figure hobbling up as just a man. I chuckled because he said it after Omar had left with the kind of faux-bravado I have, like millions of other kids, sported when troublesome situations were defused and safety was assured. Little did I know that it was the clearest bit of foreshadowing the WIRE has ever slapped on the viewer.

So here lies Omar Little. Much like the tragedy of Achilles', Omar is done in by an unlikely threat. So much so, that even as you knew the scene had carried on too long, you never expected to see the headshot and young Kenard standing there, stunned - now a murderer. The POV and setup of that scene was brilliant. All from Omar's vantage, we here the chime of the door, see Omar's quick survey of the patron, his dismissal of the child and his resulting death. The aftermath was chaos and confusion (written and directed beautifully). The constant scream of the Korean clerk was haunting and conveyed the viewers' inner thoughts: Omar just died.

This is the third major character death in a row, with Bodie and Prop Joe being the other two, where the sense of demise is palpable. Omar's wounded wandering on the corner in daylight played almost as the wounded soldier's last stand. There was also something eerie about how he seemed to be recreating his premiere "Big Bad Wolf" scene scaring the stash out of some low-level hoppers armed with a shotgun, but using just the menace of his words and his reputation.

Much like Jimmy with Stringer, Bunk is given a courtesy call to the crime scene. This homage was extremely touching and far more emotional than the actual death scene. The explanation of the young hoppers grave robbing "souvenirs" from Omar's still warm corpse was gripping and unleashed the full wave of grief and the weight of the loss was realized.

You get the sense that Marlo's last, great threat has been vanquished, but only Marlo sees the joy in this. Chris senses paranoia and perhaps anger for not getting his trophy and finishing his duel with Omar. The scene early in the episode where Michael wisely inquires as to why Omar is not hunted or killed illustrated a clear frustration and fear in Partlow, which was voiced by Snoop. His concern stemming from the thought that maybe, just maybe, Omar is legend. That look was nearly repeated as Chris finds out about the news of Omar's death, only this time his face is filled with surprise and possibly remorse. Similar to when a classic showdown is building in boxing, but one contender loses right before the title fight.

But there is a looming anvil over Chris and Marlo's head too. And it seems, from the previews for the next episode - most likely penned by Pelecanos - that their trip to AC might not happen. It's true WIRE form as everyone's tragic conclusion descends upon them.

And it seems very clear that McNulty's future won't be so bright as, in a hilarious scene, the FBI profilers describe Baltimore's serial killer to a T. "I think they're pretty accurate", McNulty asides to Greggs regarding the Feds report. (Could be the most subtly funny line of the season.) But, that was the only thing humorous about his fate. With his many disclosures to those close to him, and threats from those acquainted with him, it seems that McNulty's little agenda is on the verge of ripping at the seams. The effects are clearly taking a toll on him.

It's a shame that such an emotional impact drapes what was a very tight episode. The brilliant surveillance scenes and drug pattern revelations that made the first season so addictive seem almost lost in this current WIRE landscape. The pieces are coming together for the detail, but there is a sense that all of this intuitive and ingenious work by Freamon/Sydnor is going to be washed away by the flood of the approaching scandal and the ensuing bureaucratic response. As every politician and the unknowing participants duck for cover, McNulty will be sacrificed as the scapegoat, while all other parties exploit the silver lining of his ruse - the clearance of cases, the drop in crime (for this quarter), and, hopefully, the incarceration of Baltimore's real serial killer: Marlo Stanfield/Chris Partlow/Snoop Pearson.

One alarming trend is developing here. As stated earlier, the Kenard line was a glaring bit of foreshadowing. My fear is that the 4 characters used for the three, seemingly throw away, WIRE "prequels" will all meet a tragic fate. Bunk and McNulty are the only ones left and it seems as though they might fall in the whirlwind of this ruse's inevitable unveiling. Bunk may be collateral damage - to steal a line from Season 2 - for his knowledge and acquiescence of the lie. Let's hope it's after he serves the warrant for Partlow's murder.

McNulty has already proven that his fate will resemble that of the dealers and gangsters he so effectively polices. It will end with him in either cuffs or - if Beadie's discussion with him is another case of foreshadowing - dead. I don't see that happening, but her sentiment was somber as I couldn't help but wonder who would be at Omar Little's funeral. RIP. It's all in the game.

Thinking short when they should be thinking long...

(Due to firewall troubles with the old - or should I say month old - PC, I am seriously delayed on my "Took" post. So delayed in fact that I had watched it moments after my last post, and now - a week and the next episode watched later - I'm going to try and write about it. Bad idea. So some quick thoughts and then I'll move on.)

As the episode begins with the latest trick out of McNulty/Lester's sleeve, we see the real and disastrous impact of this lie. It's written all over Sydnor's contemplative face as he surveys legions of patrol cops - aided by helicopters - respond to McNulty's fake call to Templeton. There is a sense that this is bubbling over.

The latest play has landed McNulty with the full attention of the mayor, BPD, and the newspaper. (The dueling briefings between the BPD and Sun were great.) The feeling I got from this episode can be wrapped up in one word: "unglued."

Even Templeton's lies are starting to number so high to track fully, as we watch Haynes step past Det. Munch (cameo by Richard Belzer) to do some follow up investigation with Mello regarding Templeton's explanation on his correction from a prior story. Hayne's is sniffing out Templeton's lies. (I firmly do believe that the creator's named him Templeton after the rat in Charlotte's Web as pointed out by THND's Andrew Johnston.)

Senator Clay Davis, seeking the influence of Pro-mith-us and the counsel of Billy Murphy (actual Baltimore lawyer), watches Bond and Pearlman become unglued with his OJ-like performance in front of the Baltimore city jury. "They don't teach that shit in law school."

And finally, Omar, seems to be breaking form. The cameos continue with Sevino's return, and early demise at the hands of the ghetto Batman. His warpath continues as he interrogates Michael on his corner, again mirroring the heat Michael is getting from Bunk and the Homicide unit regarding the murder of Bug's dad.

This episode was not with out it's gray beams of hope though. The scene with the young reporter and Bubbles was understated and perfect. Bubbles finds his way to be useful and insightful - this time telling a story, not "snitching" and for free of charge. And finally, Kima's "Goodnight Moon" scene at the end of the episode felt like a nap in the middle of a hectic work week. Just to stop and breathe. The air may not be pleasant, but it's time to rest.

My Heart Pumps Purple Piss For You

The pace of this season refuses to slow down. Fellow blogs continue to criticize the overwrought "unWIRE" like writing and direction. I concur with their assessments as how it's jarring to the veteran WIRE viewer, but am sitting back and enjoying the ride. I will continue to theorize that this is a result of Season 5 wrapping up story lines that don't require an additional episode or two to flesh out character qualities. However, the sacrifice here is the "Sun" storyline which is guilty of providing us with run of the mill, TV style character developments - with the exception of Haynes (who is rivaled only by Bunk as this season's stand out character).

The episode teleplay comes from Ed Burns (who continues to be overlooked as an equal co-creator of television's greatest show) and is laced with terrific lines - including the title of this entry. The line, of course, refers to Bunk's grilling of the Forensics chief, who quietly explains why there is a significant lapse in regards to DNA evidence from the "vacant" murders of Season 4.

Bunk's storyline continues to be the anchor for this season, as he is the only person aware of the McNulty/Freamon agenda and the consequences it can have on impeding real "po-lice" work. His refusal to blow the whistle and his insistence to work - alone - on the real, open serial killer case is at once admirable and taxing at the same time - portrayed beautifully by Wendell Pierce. His veteran police prowess continues to shine as he works back on the case involving Lex (allowing for one of this episode's "where are they now" cameos) by questioning the now hardened Randy. (Other cameos include 'Niko' Sobatka's insubordination of real estate developer Kracheck.) Bunk's hard work lands him with a good lead into the murder of Michael's stepfather, a single case outside of the bungled "vacants" series - because Chris refused to wait to get him into the house - allowing Bunk a clearly identified case DNA sample. However, his work continues to take a back seat to the now stoked wildfire of McNulty's "serial killer".

McNulty's ruse needs to get bigger because Freamon is becoming more insatiable for resources to track down Marlo - whose new trick is to use pics from his cell phone to indicate meetings. As the need for higher end technology to continue proper surveillance and build a case grows, so does the justification to up the ante on their lie. Further, McNulty is getting just a little taste of his former supervisors' struggles in dealing with Freamon's persistence.

The opening scene revolving around Chris and crew's frantic search for Omar was superb. (Detective Monk? Snoop Little?) The legitimate concern on Chris' face and his anger displayed that he seems to be the only one who knows what's fully at stake. Marlo continues to convey a cold confidence and his arrogance may be his downfall as he informs the co-op (which indeed seems to be dissolving) that he controls the "connect", that he's responsible for Joe's death, and that the price on the "brick" is going up. Slim Charles - fully aware that Marlo's explanation of Joe's demise was completely false - passes his opportunity to captain the East Side drug trade over to (Marlo-made) Cheese. Slim will be one to watch.

Templeton - donning a Kansas City Star t-shirt (wonder if that was consolation for interviewing there) - spends the night on the streets in an effort to actually "pound the pavement" to follow up on his front page story based on the serial killer's call to him. He finds that actually doing the work might provide better results than making it up, as even the suspicious Haynes was impressed with his piece showcasing a Gulf War II vet's story. A favorite quote amongst the shows' writers is by one of their own, Richard Price - "God is not a second rate novelist" which Templeton may be finding out by reporting this kid's actual story. (I'm also convinced that the actual anecdote was probably based in truth as well.)

Trouble seems to be brewing for the DA's office as well as Bond's insistence to try Senator Davis locally as a dog and pony show and by himself might get derailed by a possible leak in his office. Det. Holly uncovered Prop Joe's file of Grand Jury testaments and warrants revealing how the crafty Joe was able to stay one step of the law all these years. (Bunk: "Somebody finally got old Prop Joe.") Marlo, with his reckless and impatient ascent to Joe's chair (sitting empty during the recent meeting) as the head of the co-op, may have overlooked Joe's ability to ascertain information about ensuing raids or ongoing surveillance and may eventually keep him in the dark about the small, but insistent team - now including Sydnor - surveilling him. We'll have to watch.

Take Me Off the Clock

(Spoiler Alert: With the upcoming Superbowl – even though my beloved Packers (I still can’t discuss it) won’t be playing – this Sunday, I will be at a party and probably won’t make it home for the airing so I skipped ahead. How’s that for justification for a week early WIRE fix? I hope there are WIRE’s Anonymous groups coming in a few weeks.)

Early on in this episode, I jotted down the note: Templeton + McNulty = “match made in Heaven”. It was after their scene together in the bar, where I realized they’ve both promoted themselves through their careers on false or shady practices – no matter how based in moral waters their justifications may be. Now, their both benefiting from the same lie, just opposite ends – Templeton with his 30 inches on A1 and McNulty securing unlimited overtime for the duration of the case, the latter of which is just the beginning in McNulty and Freamon’s goal for police resources to be reallocated to the department.

Maybe the writers were setting the feeling up (in which case, kudos to them) or I’m honing my WIRE watching skills (taking notes helps), but either way their collective conclusion to manifest this “serial killer” further with a phone call to some city official – in this case, Templeton – only cemented their motives. McNulty’s shock, quickly suppressed to maintain his procedural professionalism, gave way to his glee (for an opportunity to tap Marlo) rather than to his suspicion of Templeton’s motives: McNulty obviously concluding that the call was placed by some "nut case" trying to seek attention after reading reports in the papers. Haynes’ brilliant skills of observation – no doubt the reason he helms the Metro Editor’s desk – kick in with a fading line about how until now he thought this was all bullshit. He may not be on to McNulty, but Templeton is in his sights.

With that plot line cooking along, it was nice to see some developments, both new and continuing, involving some of the “citizen” characters (I don’t like grouping them under the “street/corner” tag) including Cutty, Dukie, and Bubbles. The creators’ cynicism about the "dark at the end of the tunnel" and no sense of place was dripping in the back and forth between Cutty and Dukie, and with Bubbles’ - being sober and AIDS free - apparent lifetime of reflective idleness. If they're not in the game, either as a player or fiend, where to go?

The expansion on Partlow was brief, but telling. Until now, one would think he was like a shark; no need to sleep and constantly stalking prey. His relationship with Snoop and his guidance of Michael being the only hints towards his humanism. That scene also had dark sense of foreshadowing. His surveillance on surveillance - and ensuing shoot out - regarding Omar sets the table for a near mythical battle, in which Chris’ outcome doesn’t appear good. (But given the creators' penchant for dark outcomes and three consecutive episodes resulting in as many deaths for his respected or trusted acquaintances, perhaps Omar's outcome is in jeopardy. However, I feel that if the story were to eliminate Omar, he wouldn't have slipped the noose of 3 on 1.)

And one last touch from Prop Joe with Levy’s joyous explanation to Herc about becoming Marlo's counsel just in time. Marlo may have taken the cliff notes course from Joe on appearing legit, but his ultimate undoing may stem from his misread on Levy's motives (money from litigation) and confidentiality (letting it slip to Herc that Marlo is using a cell phone – leading to Herc’s one, solid bit of good police work). This may tie in Joe's mentoring and subsequent introduction of Levy to Marlo as the spark that ignited Marlo's demise.

As stated before, many continuing complaints about this season have been about the rushed plot lines and the implausibility to the story, both uncharacteristic of previous seasons. Although, I agree with their analysis to some degree (Omar’s survival of a 3 story fall lacked any of Simon’s much coveted verisimilitude) I’m enjoying the frenetic pace and believe that this season is serving as the slow-release pay off for 4 previous years of storytelling. Much has already been established and identity’s painted, so we watch how their story concludes as the curtain falls.

The great continuity touches remain with Waylon working in the same crab docks as Gary McCullough in “The Corner.” I also like the Baltimore tie-ins with WOLB radio and John Waters filming in the city, “again.”

It All Matters

I was surprised that in a show with this much depth - where every scene, character, action and detail does matter - that Carver's insightful verse wasn't this episode's opening quote.

It all mattered to Joe - whose departure ranks near Wallace and Bodie on the emotional scale - who finally got tripped up on one of his own proposition webs. Joe's very cunning, risky power play pitting Omar against the co-op (read: Marlo) last season in order to save himself from Omar turned out to give Marlo the very ammunition to justify to the Greek his accession to become the "wholesaler" of Baltimore drug scene. ("The Greeks? They're cool with it.") Marlo's lifeless eyes while he watched Joe's death coupled with his icy line about his role not being the son was chilling and furthered his reputation as the personification of pure evil.

It appears as though the Co-op may dissolve with Joe, seeing as how Marlo has absorbed anyone useful from the group (Cheese) while eliminating those weaker lions. It will indeed be interesting to see how Slim Charles plays out his next career move. Subtle scenes earlier this season suggest that Chris and Marlo value his skill set, but having been on the wrong side of Omar's gun, I'm not so sure Marlo and Chris are the two Slim wants to saddle up with.

But as always, Joe gets in one last, beautiful line before he passes filling Herc in on the soon to be departing Burrell's membership in the high school glee club, and informing us that he was "stone stupid."

Stupid or not, Burrell played the game for 35 years ("any five of which could get him indicted.") and earned a pretty golden parachute. With Burns at the helm of this episode, we got a full dose of the cop touches including Carver's touching moment with Herc, Freamon's friend in the Southern District who had a dust up with Rawls, and the final chapter - let's hope - in Colichio's destructive career. But his introspective messages regarding the head chair from Burrell were the most poignant. Ascending the departmental ladder just means that your closer to where the bureaucracy begins. You always have to "carry the water" for someone.

You get the feeling, if you've been watching this show from the beginning - not in bunches on DVD, as if Carver and Daniels' promotions carry that empty prize with them. Viewers have grinded out these past six years with these two characters and cheered their success, only to to witness Carver's bleak outlook of how much help police really do for the community and Daniels' inevitable conclusion of not being able to change that even from the highest seat.

In one of the countless interviews, commentaries I soaked in prior to Season 4 with the Burns and Simon, one of their goals was to show the viewer the inception or creation of an Avon Barksdale/Stringer Bell. I always figured it was one of the kids from Season 4, but watching Omar stake out Monk had a sense of familiarity similar to his stalkings of Stinkum in Season 1, giving me the sense that the character they were discussing was Marlo. That brief scene felt like a slow release pay off bringing us full circle, and further slammed home the feeling that Simon and Burns have indeed - after this season - said all that they could about Baltimore and the WIRE world.

Some great small touches were Johnny Fifty - former dock union member - sitting in the homeless village underneath the overpass, the flower vendor from Season 2, Freamon's near bibilical line, "it's the coming out that tells the tale" to Sydnor, or his buddy's ducking out on a shift becoming so regarded that when he finally takes a call on Lester and McNulty,'s behalf he is berated by his fellow night shift colleagues. Nice touch including the voice of the dispatch from the woman who has doubled as the receptionist in the city hall office from season 1, and the school's receptionist in Season 4. (I'm fairly certain she is part of the crew or was someone in Simon/Burns' professional, pre-Wire Baltimore life.)

Nice Dolphin

(Note: I finally broke down and skipped ahead to the on demand schedule, so spoilers below. *I justified it by knowing I would be drunk come WIRE time this Sunday as my beloved Packers play in the NFC championship game, and I was unlikely to catch the show anyway. :)

So we see Jimmy (looking the worst we've seen him) burning the midnight oil on creating his Baltimore serial killer. Bunk, apparently unable to sleep behind his unwilling participation in this lie, inadvertently locks him and Jimmy in "his office" - the interrogation room - to try and talk his longtime friend and partner out of this briar patch he's made for himself.

My first thought was that this story line was going to stumble across the path of Sherrod - whose murder was perhaps filed, and therefore considered open, before Landsman and Norris sent Bubbles to "soft walls." Far fetched perhaps, but needless to say that Bubbles - and his guilt to protect Sherrod's name - might come into the picture if it's involving the homeless sector of Baltimore.

Stan Valcheck makes another chess move of his shifty career. I hated Valcheck during his premiere in season 2, but have come to love the character even though he embodies all the traits - selfish acts to ensure promotion, thinking only of the pension - the show's creators are preaching against. Although his pension will remain at a Major's level when Carcetti compares Valcheck's numbers against Burrell's massaged stats and subsequently outlays his plan to remove Burrell and announce his intent to promote Daniels to commissioner in lieu of Valcheck. (Interesting that we didn't see a reaction scene from Valcheck later in the episode when the newspaper story came out.)

McNulty gets his serial killer authenticated from what appears to be the same M.E. from the previous episode, while it appears certain - due to corporate cutbacks - that a handful of newspaper careers will soon head to the morgue so that the paper can do more with less. However, I found it funny when the veteran reporter who was first to be victimized by a buyout - claiming that two twenty somethings could be more efficient for less than what it would cost to retain his services - displayed why it wouldn't be efficient at all when he used his built up knowledge, bunkered in contacts and veteran news reporting skills to steal the aforementioned commissioner story from the younger reporter, Templeton. That's doing more with more experience. Templeton reverts back to his Jayson Blair/Stephen Glass mode by falsifying a react quote and attributing it to Council President Campbell.

Marlo's desire to overtake the Baltimore drug scene via Vondas needs help from the very man he plans to weed out - Prop Joe. Joe feels as though he is solidifying his relationship with Marlo and Marlo to the co-op, and "civilizing" him, but it appears Marlo's lessons are going to be turned right back on the teacher. During one of the lessons, however, it appeared that another subtle move was made towards Slim as Chris made small talk with him as the two drivers awaited their bosses.

Michael escapes the horror of the corner life for a day of teen bliss at Six Flags. This sequence resonated with me so much, as my friends and I often drove from Milwaukee to Chicago for a day "away" from it all during high school. (The scene with the teen girls was as realistic as can be, as theme parks are the single bars for teenagers.) But their utopia shatters almost immediately upon return when their "serious" life slaps them in the face with a furious Spider announcing he has already told Chris of Michael's truancy. This news, coupled with his earlier questioning of murdering someone just on heresay, may make Chris rethink Michael's commitment to the game.

Gus Haynes has two revealing bar scenes that kind of bookend the episode, one revealing a prior relationship with Norman - that will connect another string in the WIRE world - and the latter with the veteran reporter offering a quiet moment of reflection about their profession that mirrors a scene from season 1 where McNulty and Freamon exchange stories about how they got into policing.

Speaking of Freamon/McNulty: Just when you thought that McNulty's bat shit crazy move was about to die quietly and that no one would be the wiser, in steps one of the wisest characters of the WIRE and jumps off the cliff with McNulty. Both have a history of swimming upstream against the bureaucracy, but this seems dangerous. And while I applaud their reasoning - to generate interest and then money into major crimes - they are walking a fine line here. But, I guess, as they see it, "no one cares."

Someone does care about Butchie however, who thanks to info from Prop Joe's man Cheese is given up to the lethal Chris and Snoop, and that is Omar. The two killers - who horror author Stephen King says are the two deadliest characters in fiction (now that's saying something!) - torture the blind consigliere and bank to Omar to find the whereabouts and offer up closure on the modern day Robin Hood (or Rob -n- the Hood).

Note on Omar: Unbeknownst to me until pointed out on another blog, that Omar's storyline and first appearance each season is always in the third episode.

And indeed it is, as we see him in his generous ways on the ocean front of some tropical city that has an eery similarity to Baltimore.

And last, but not least, this episode offered a brief payoff to longtime viewers with the apparent fall of Clay Davis. (I will not bet against Davis slipping the web though) It was great to see the noose tighten and watch Davis scramble to cash in favors from people who have had just enough of his cons. The scene with Carcetti was knee slapping enjoyment for this fan. (Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!)

My Desk Says...

The pace of this final season has been expectedly upped given the decrease in episodes, so an episode like “Unconfirmed Reports” is kind of uncharted territory for the average WIRE viewer. Whereas in past episodes, the same amount of plot material would’ve slowly developed over a pair of episodes, this season lacks that luxury, so the result is a jam-packed, extremely engrossing hour chugging along with the energy of a penultimate episode. I thought this strategy (“more with less”) was also the brilliance of the final season, or Part 2 of season six, of “The Sopranos” (although Chase and Co. were more frequently guilty of supplying an episode with needless filler than Simon, Burns and Co.)

Bill Zorzi, former Sun journalist, penned this episode, and it had great newsroom touches including the “deadline” nightmare experienced by Gus Haynes and the “my desk” joke down at the loading dock – which is becoming the equivalent of the train tracks used by the cops. But the plot theme introduced was the Stephen Glass like story turned in by Templeton, and the obvious disregard for fact checking by the over-impressed brass.

Some have been critical of this episode as being too similar to an “ordinary” TV series in glossing over certain scenes, force feeding the plot, and painting certain characters in broad strokes – a trait uncommon to the WIRE’s creators. I’m less skeptical of a declining product and more likely to believe that this final installment’s pacing might be the necessary byproduct of the creators’ attempts to connect all the plots. Simon has said that after this season, he’s said all he has to say about the city of Baltimore. I believe that it would break the cart if he tried to maintain his “it’s all connected” theme by weaving yet another storyline into his fabric.

But speaking of being connected, Avon’s return, albeit brief, offered up a slight closure to his character – a nod to see that even in jail, he carries weight, and the game goes on. Simon is anything but subtle in his continuing, cynical theme that the more things change the more they stay the same.

Snoop and Chris’s loyal and lethal service to Marlo continues to make me wonder how that power dynamic got set up. Their all-business approach to heinous acts needed to keep Marlo in power makes me fear what Marlo has done or is capable of. I know that he was briefly on the hook for a murder, but their strict adherence to his seemingly continuous order for death sentences makes me feel that something deeper is going to be unearthed. And maybe Michael’s transformation to solider might not be so soon. As willing as he may have been to “throw down” in the alley, was as quickly as he flashed the kid that he is when the youngster stumbled out of the house. Another great moment.

But all of that pales in comparison to the budding plot development of McNulty’s frustration with the institutional powers that be boiling over into what looks like career and personal suicide. As with the notion that Avon won’t be changing anytime soon, Simon keeps his cynical clutches on McNulty’s lifeline. And once again, the lines of morality, of good and evil are further blurred. A convicted felon, murder, and drug kingpin swindles a deal to make sure his sister is taken care of, while the cop and “good police” abandons Beadie and any real semblance of a family structure, reverts back to drinking and reinvents himself as a “new serial killer of Baltimore.”

"True, True, False"

Apparently the “episode guide” writers for The Wire’s HBO web page are trying to do “more with less.” (Maybe they’re on strike) It’s disappointing because one of the best things to do after viewing an episode was reading the in-depth re-cap that would supplement some of the more subtle touches (“there’s a ‘B’ in subtle) and plot movements of the program: along with providing much needed character names to keep all the new ones straight. Guess that means, I’ll just have to watch it again.

But that was about the only thing disappointing from the final season opener. As always, the season opens with a beautiful scene meant to encapsulate the entire season. This time, the ever engrossing Det. Norris provides us with the line about how Americans will eat any shit you feed to them. It’s a cynical message from the show’s creators about the focal point of season 5: The Media.

When I first heard about this story arch for the final season, I was thrilled. Having studied and graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism from Milwaukee, I have always had a fondness for the newsroom: Two of my favorite films – due to their off the scale re-watch value – are All the President’s Men and Shattered Glass. Both movies create a sensational view out of the mundane, daily chore of form writing. So when I found out that my favorite show would offer its prolific and detail-dense treatment of one of the more interesting vocations, I was thrilled.

After spending the first half of the opener “catching up” with familiar characters, Simon, Burns and co. introduce us to this season’s focal point. To that end, I was sold seconds into the newsroom scenes. Clark Johnson – who directed the first two episodes - proved his acting capabilities mirror his directorial ones. His Lester Freamonesque ability to make a “under the fold” page one story out of the obligatory city council minutes was topped only by the audible he throws out midway through his answer to his boss about who nailed the lead - crediting his news staff with the find. (This was one of the most realistic reactions of an actor displaying thought in film/TV history.) Needless to say, I’m ecstatic to see how this storyline threads its way into Simon and Burns’ portrait of Baltimore.

As for the rest of the painting, I am anxious to follow Marlo’s power play for the entire city. Judging from the preview of the next episode with his “through glass” meeting with Avon regarding the "Greek", it appears as if Marlo is hoping to wholesale to all of Baltimore. I'm also excited to follow the transformation of Michael from student to solider.

Some other nice touches from the opener were Herc’s new job with Levy and Chris Partlow’s inquiry into court records to an oblivious Daniels/Pearlman (although I find it hard to believe that A. McNulty didn’t run into them as he was following Partlow and B. that Daniels and Pearlman – both privy to the discussion about securing a warrant to search Parlow’s SUV in season 4, and him being the top suspect in the very murders whose investigation they were meeting with Bond to plead to fund – wouldn’t have been slightly familiar with him). Maybe I’m stretching here, but I love the ambitious and successful attempts to collide characters that have no business being in a scene together. On that note it was nice to see old Sergei back in the fold - even if it was just his storyline. For as much as Simon declares that characters are here to serve the story and not vice versa, he still obliges to follow some rules of the television medium and give glimpses of fan favorite characters and let the story circle back on some old faces. He’s seems to have done this with all of my personal favorites from each season including: Wee-Bay, Sergei, Spiros, (I’m still waiting for a “Niko” sighting) and apparently with Avon next week.

All in all I thought it was a superb re-entry into The Wire’s final chapter. I found myself chuckling and smiling during Landsman and Co.’s impromptu lie-detector scene – not only due to the hilarity of the scene, but because I had that feeling that I’m back with the gang, at least for 9 more episodes.

PS: I noticed that when showing Clarke Peter’s (Freamon) surveillance of Partlow, that the camera strangely never showed him walking – minus a glimpse of a long shot that displayed a severe bow-legged walk. The rest of the sequence used above waist shots of Peters. That got me to do the “Mind Rewind” to recall if they’ve ever showed Freamon without a desk or in a full shot actually walking. I know that he was exploring the vacants, but I can’t recall a specific shot showing him in the act of walking. Just thought it was interesting.

"Tech"ed Out

Happy New Year Everyone! As we await the WIRE opener (Still not on "On Demand" yet) we will always have the bowl games. Tonight's pick is the Hokies straight up over the Jayhawks and the Over (51).