Watching through my first time and me and my partner have a dispute over whether she meant $22k/year at the tolls, $30k/year for the port police, or $22/$30 per hour in Season 2 episode 4. Anybody can confirm?

In S5, ep1, Chris goes to the courthouse to get info on Sergei and walks past Daniels, Pearlman and Bond, asking where an office is. Daniels normally would have know who he was but he was a colonel at that point, too far removed from the MCU and day to day. Further irony, >!Chris is obviously tied to the bodies in the vacants, which is Pearman’s first case in charge of homicide.!<

The little nuggets keep appearing on every re-watch (my current 6/7th atm)

Let’s just say the show went on for 2 or 3 more seasons . Where does Carvers character development stop ? Which higher up officer from the show do you see him becoming ? Ex. Daniels , Burrell , Colvin

A quote from McNulty in S1

"Is that what you think it was? A crusade? Avon Barksdale was just a way for me to show how smart I was and how fucked up the department is, that's all. It was never about Avon Barksdale, Lieutenant. It was all about me"

One from David Simon about getting back at his bosses at the Baltimore sun who he thought had destroyed the newspaper -

"Anything I've ever accomplished as a writer, as somebody doing TV, anything I've ever done in life, down to, like, cleaning up my room, has been accomplished because I was going to show people that they were fucked up, wrong, and that I was the fucking center of the universe and the sooner they got hip to that, the happier they would all be."

Anyone else see a similarity between the two ? I'm sorry if this has been brought up before. I know it's very common for writers to infuse some of themselves into their characters

Just finished the show and wanted to know what you guys thought was the saddest part. For me, was definitely in the finale when the junkman was showing Dukie how to shoot up. Instant sadness. Basically, nothing changed for him, he would have been out on the streets earlier in the show if not for Michael getting his own place. He took the money from prezbo even after the sad moment they shared. Still wish someone could have helped the poor kid

There's been plenty of criticism of season 2 over the years. I remember when the season first aired, fans of the show seemed displeased by the apparent departure from the original concept of the PD vs. local drug trafficking organizations. However, I've always disagreed with that. Season two was not only the most complex in terms of story and "world building", it was also the most ambitious of the series. While at first glance, it appeared that David Simon might have been continuing the show as a semi-anthology series with the introduction of the dock workers, he masterfully kept the original plot running concurrently. Along with that, he was able to quickly get the viewer up to speed with the world of "the docks", which was night and day from the world of housing projects, street gangs, and drugs from the 1st season.

Season 2 arguably teed up the rest of the series, as so many of the themes, arcs, and storylines intertwined with the rest of the show, and it allowed the story to weave through the complex channels of government, law enforcement, and crime, while maintaining the linear progression of the original story throughout the series up to the series finale. In short, season 2 got the audience comfortable with the writers adding more and more complexity to the story as the series progressed.

Discuss!

I'm sure this has been done before but It was such a a real feeling show and then they throw the most unrealistic part of the show right after having the most gut wrenching season. I wonder if the writers changed.

I’m not on twitter really, occasionally I’ll go over when something gets linked. But I recall that being D Simon’s handle. I’m watching Generation Kill, my first time. I noticed AO on the side of the tank. Not sure if it means the same thing painted on that broadside, or what.

But, it reminded me of my curiosity. A quick goog has me thinking he means Area of Operation, in his username. Anyone concur, maybe you’d like to enlighten me?

Good to see Ransone and Ben Busch among other familiar faces. Gosh James is so lovable as this guy and Zig. Anyone who hates or is annoyed by him is just jealous of his hog.

I’m amazed how many Baltimore police officers and Mayor Pugh, and the new police commissioner, all committed federal crimes.

And sad about Sean Suiter played by Jamie Hector.

Vernon Holley made an appearance late in this show.

I feel like Marlo’s character is one of the more well rounded performances in the show by Jamie Hector. But overall his character always confused me cause he never physically intimidated people himself either Chris Snoop or someone else.

1.It just begs the question why did nobody just shoot him. Of course easier said then done but there was multiple chances to get him. ( Plot armor )

2.Even Stringer and Avon still garnered respect because at one point they put their own work in

3. As crazy as West Baltimore is how did he just avoid anything even Omar got caught lacking so who tf is Marlo

4. Granted I know Mob bosses don’t always insulate themselves with everything but at some point they must do that.

I feel like the shift of power from Avon to Marlo may represent the shift of power in the real world from physical power to psychological power. But maybe I’m over analyzing and it isn’t what the writers intended

Dominic West and Idris Elba are both nominated for an Emmy this year for Best Actor in a Drama.

Elba for Hijack on Apple

West for The Crown on Netflix

Do either have a shot or are they going to be robbed much like they were robbed of even a nod throughout the run of The Wire?

Idris Elba (Hijack, Apple)
Donald Glover (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Prime Video)
Walton Goggins (Fallout, Prime Video)
Gary Oldman (Slow Horses, Apple) 
Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun, FX)
Dominic West (The Crown, Netflix)

EDITED to correct The Crown a being on Netflix, not Prime.

Clearly Bunk had issues with Omar and how he chose to live his life but do you think there was something that endeared Bunk to Omar. They are around the same age and went to the same high school so there could be a bond there.

I just feel when Bunk tried to help get Omar out of jail it went past trying to find the real killers and obtain real justice, that was definitely part of it, but I feel Bunk went above and beyond because he liked and cared about Omar on some level.

What do you guys think? Am I dumb?

It's Autumn/Fall 2021. McNulty, having been reprieved thanks to Carcettis' political ambitions, finds himself in the Pawn Shop Unit. Rather than waiting out his retirement quietly he has sat his exams, is a first draft pick and has applied for a sergeants' position year after year after year, determined not to retire until he gets that pension.

First episode is a recap - no close ups of the face for obvious reasons - showing what McNutty has been up to to maintain his sanity and indulge his need for mischief etc.

Episode ends with a visit from Carver, now a major. He wants to put a small task force together and needs a supervisor, there's a sergeants position in it.

My questions. What would episode 2 be about? What would be the crime that needs investigating by a task force? What would the second story line be?

In season 2 we see the "Greeks" fleeing the country. Spiros (aka Vondas) tells Prop Joe to wait for somebody else from his organization to find him for his re-supply. I was surprised to see both Spiros and the "Greek" return in season 5, at the same diner no less. I understand the investigation ended, but they would still be wanted and have heat. Why send them back if the organization has other people? I don't get it.

Congratulations to Dominic West and Idris Elba, who were just nominated for Emmys against each other as Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series

In season 1 episode 8 Omar kills Stinkum but lets Wee-Bey live another day. Instead, resorting to deliver a well remembered line "Ayo, lesson here Bey: when you come at the king, you best not miss."

Hi everyone, I'm on my third rewatch, and I think it's my first time noticing how they rushed things in the episode 12 of the first season. Like, they make a big deal of getting the wire approved initially, also for each phone individually, and then all of a sudden they can just plant surveillance/bug Orlando's bar, without a warrant, or anything new issued by the judge? Did I miss something? That just happens.

In the same episode they catch Avon sending D'Angelo to a drug run. Immediately after that scene we see them putting a tracker on a car, even tho Avon just said it's gonna be a rental or something like that. How do they know which car is it? Immediately after that they catch D'Angelo and stuff keep unravelling pretty fast.

Then when they start with the arrests, Avon and String are for some reason in the club, all dressed up, calmly waiting to get arrested. Like why are they even there?

The whole episode feels very rushed, when you compare it to how things develop up until that point.

Or am I just tripping about this?

Wire Adjacent, hopefully acceptable. For me this miniseries by David Simon is on a par with the Wire, perfect TV art, deeply revealing and a world to immerse in, coms traffic like the Wire's street talk. Been a few years, gonna enjoy this. RIP for Wright tho, so soon, and the sad way.

I've noticed something peculiar about discussions around Ziggy from "The Wire." People who sympathize with him seem to be a rare breed. Yet, I am one of them.

Most seem to despise him for his stupid behavior and bizarre actions. He's indeed impulsive and often acts without thinking, but I can't help but feel there's more to his character that warrants not only my understanding, but also sympathy.

Ziggy is a product of his environment—he's a young man trying to carve out an identity in a harsh, blue-collar world that is always looking down on him. His antics and outbursts seem to stem from a deep-seated need for recognition and respect, something he never gets. Its a tragic flaw.

Yet then I read what people are saying about him here, and everyone is throwing up the exact kind of disrespect that is tormenting him, and would torment anyone who would recieve such disrespect.

Or my sympathy could stem from me also being a fuckup, and recognizing how he feels.

Discuss!

The second time Bunny gave Jimmy info was the address where Avon was with all the weapons, but what info did he give him the first time? I forgot when it was but Bunny asked Jimmy to check out some information to see if his informant checked out.

Did you know in season 1 episode 6 21:27, you can hear an ice cream van playing the same tune Omar whistles.

I’m going back and rewatching the Wire, and I did not realize how heartbroken for Nick Sobotka I am. On first watch season 2 is sort of the least favorite for a lot of people, but that might be my favorite season after this watch.

Seeing Nick riding so high finally thinking everything is gonna work out for him and his family, to then have it all collapse is brutal. They shoulda never got mixed up with those Greeks!!

Just noticed marlo’s number plate that bubbles reported to kima is same as the number plate of the car that avon parked outside the food joint to kill marlo. Different cars though.

It’s a quick line but always gets a laugh out of me. Mcnulty: “What was that, scared straight?” Doc Frazier: “More like bored stiff”

Avon was all about taking corners. Marlo had the corners. In season 5 Marlo was out on the streets, so it's not like he was particularly well-protected.

I understand that Omar couldn't kill Marlo because Omar was just one man by himself.

The Barksdale organization had plenty of soldiers. What was stopping them from killing Marlo?

The higher your rank, if you were ambitious you had to be a bit ruthless, but also walk a pretty fine line. You could attach yourself to the wrong politician and be fucked, while the right politician could land the job as chief of the state police. You had to think about it politically. Which of the higher ranking cops were the best and worst at doing this?

Having watched The Wire ten-odd times by now, I've arrived at the conclusion that it is impossible to know or to understand everything there is to know or understand about the world that the show creates. I am a poli-sci major but I find that a good 25% of the political battles in the show still go flying right over the top of my head.

That said: in Season 4, I think the writers very strongly imply not only that Michael was molested by his father (this is pretty obvious, albeit never said outright) but also that Chris was molested by his own father, whoever his father was.

Whereas Snoop and Marlo seem oblivious or indifferent to Michael's situation, Chris knows the score exactly, without much more than a glance from Michael. The absolute fury with which Chris attacks Michael's father isn't the violence of a hitman, but the kind of retributive violence that speaks to personal vengeance: he's taking out his past trauma on a surrogate father. Chris doesn't just beat the man to death: he punches his fucking face off. In an extremely violent show, Partlow's attack stands out as uniquely excessive; it's so brutal that we almost find ourselves feeling sorry for a child molester. The writers of this show tend not to do much of anything accidentally. All of this rare emotion on the part of Partlow seems to speak to something in his own background; it's the exact opposite of the sort of impersonal killing that he and his crew specialize in.

Chris is also an odd duck: he is calm, careful, well-spoken, with an out-of-place rural or suburban air about him. It's as though he has been transplanted to an environment where he doesn't quite belong. He isn't criming in the neighborhoods where he grew up, but arrived there through other means. Perhaps he came up in a fairly stable suburban household, was molested, and the trauma sent him into a spiral -- or sent him looking for ways of exacting his retribution.

Just a thought!

Idk I feel like I’m miss huge scenes from this show, it jumps around and doesn’t finish a story line. I’m watching it on YouTube. Idk if it’s in full or it’s edited

So I started watching the Wire after many years of knowing about the show, currently on season 1, episode 9 and I love how every little detail or character snowballs on to something else. It's crazy to think that McNulty and them saw Avon as this evil crime lord not knowing that someone (Marlo) even more unhinged was about to be King.

I was thinking, if I was a cop, I'll rather deal with investigating Avon than Marlo's shit lol

Im currently re-watching the series for probably the 10th or so time but 1st in a while. It's strange watching now and and realizing how many actors are no longer with us. Daniels, Omar, Prop Joe, Valchek, and just starting season 2 and constantly being reminded of the key bridge. I know there's a few others, but in a show full of great characters from great actors, those stand out to me.