The Wire 4x11 Reaction
Comments (24)
“Them that’s got shall have Them that’s not shall lose So the Bible says, and it still is news Mama may have, and papa may have But God bless the child that’s got his own That’s got his own.”
Lola finally recognized cheese, growth!!!
I liked the conversation around feeling ambivalent toward the police department and Omar this season. I love that about the show, stories shift and change and there is no one hero to cheer for, just people. Personally Daniels is in my favourite character bracket, but I can understand why he's not for others.
I like Daniels too although the ladies mentioned on the previous episode they're ambivalent towards him. I think he's one of the few who tries to do the right thing within a system built for the opposite.
I don't know if it's been mentioned so far by someone, but the reason McNulty is mostly absent from this season is that Dominic West wanted to spend a bit more time with his family, so they mostly wrote him out of this season, only appearing every now and then for a few minutes. His family was back in the UK but he would have had to spend a lot of time in the US for filming. We'll see him again more in S5 :)
Your last sentence is kind of a spoiler
Man it is kind of wild how Herc had the entire case handed to him and couldn't even come close to figuring it out. It didn't even occur to him that he should visit the playground Randy told him about (which would be the most likely location for the murder). Lester got the exact same information and solved it in less than a day. 😂
Re: the kids being socially promoted, Donnelly said something like "the paperwork from North Avenue came over late", so I believe they are indeed moving them to the 9th grade in the middle of the term. Bunny assumed it was "bad news" because he saw Dukie coming out looking crestfallen. I don't think the rest of the kids are particularly bothered.
We really got to give Wendell Pierce (Bunk) props as a comedic actor. Just the way he stands with the cigar in his mouth is fucking hilarious, I love him so much.
Really looking forward wait to see the next two episodes. You should do The Sopranos next
I personally never got why everyone loves Sopranos so much. It's great writing, no doubt. But I felt like I had absolutely no one to really root for in that show. I didn't like any of the characters lol. Is there anyone in that show that the girls would say "my boy" about? Maybe in later seasons but I couldn't find any in the first one. As opposed to this show, where I love many of them and root for them.
I love that viewers get the show but I cant help but feel they sleep on the writing, cinema photography, the symbolism , scene segue etc. The show is a case study in the American way, an autopsy of American Psyche as stated in the opening scene of episode 1 There are no wasted scenes in these episodes. For example, season 1 the Wire phone code was just jumping the number five , which is just avoiding the number five which is Five O the police , the unit toke several episodes learning that the drug runner goal was to avoid the cops " Ha Ha " a few episodes back, when Dukie picks up the hand fan from the street, then a few scenes forward he uses it as a sign of kindness. or when McNutty ask Prez to get info on the women from DC " he said she stayed in room 221 , or when Bodie asked the florist to make a flower arrangement of the 221 towers for D I also like that the show does not use sound sfx or a score. They use silence a lot. It helps you process the scenes. Also I think Konan is overlooked as a main character, they present him as an extra. Have you noticed that Konan dialog is often off camera, you really never see him saying his lines on camera, he is off screen- no close up of him saying his lines. He is a corner boy, a badass. This may be because the actor that play Konan was nine or ten years old at the time of filming and came from a religious background. I read his parents were on set all the time to supervise him because they did not approve of the content. For example, a few episodes back he said, I'm Omar, or when Na and the others kids are talking about what makes for a good corner boy ( dont look weak). Then Na goes out on the street and got ran off a corner, then he makes Konan his number one and gives Michaels mother free drugs. it is at that moment Konan, peeped his game. The game is not in him (Namond) the story is in the details and the Wire is good at that
The writing, symbolism, and scene segues are brilliant. I always praise the writing on this show. There's an excellent segue in the next episode which goes from one scene to Joe lighting a cigar in the next. Also, the use of background voices in the schools and in the streets is excellent. I'd say the cinematography was better in earlier seasons - the show had a more documentary feel to it and there were so many great shots of the city, more variety in the close ups, etc. Btw, you mean Kenard not Konan.
You gave Herc credit for “at least making the phone call to the detective that was mad at Bunk to ask him to pass on a message about Randy”…. But the thing is Herc didn’t even make that call. It was Carver that made that phone call 😂
1. Prez was teaching them Literature when he was supervised by someone else. So, as far as everyone knows, Prez follows the system's rules. 2. Carcetti didn't give the addresses of the issues so that they would go and search for issues and fix all of the ones they find. It was a way to basically force them to do their jobs.
He didn't sign off on Herc getting fired. He recommended sensitivity training.
They made an excellent point about “caring” about certain characters. The kids vs the police. And honestly THIS is the reason that sets this series apart from others (i.e Sopranos, GOH, BB). You get so emotionally invested in these characters. Some of these deaths and outcomes really stick with you.
What is “That’s Got His Own”? It’s arguably the best episode of The Wire. The title is taken from a line in a song: “God bless the child that’s got his own”…. The episode was written by George Pelecanos who wrote the penultimate episodes of the previous seasons and which are often the most impactful. Episode trivia:- the abandoned car which the mayor orders to be towed away is Ziggy’s car that was burned and destroyed by Cheese in Season 2. Episode 13 next. Ladies, it’s going to be a ride. Strap yourselves in.
Info on the upcoming title you mentioned (That’s Got His Own). It’s from the song, God Bless the Child. Billie Holiday did the definitive version; I’m linking to the Blood Sweat and Tears version, since they did it in my first concert ever…and it’s great. https://youtu.be/ZneH1O5Ymzo?si=vP5bff5PnjtRbqcm
I appreciate Milena's optimism towards some of the storylines in the discussion (I specially love how attached she grew to Namond), considering how we're so used to shit getting really dire in this show. We even got a wholesome thumbnail! Those aren't very common with the wire
I have officially finished the fourth season of The Wire. Very much looking forward to seeing what Lola and Milena think, and I'm interested to see what S5 will bring. This whole season has been good, if kinda devastating. It's interesting, both this season and S2 felt a lot more 'tragic' on the whole than the other seasons, and so far both have been the seasons I've enjoyed the most. Between the kids and everything that happened with Bubbles in this episode, it's just tragedy on top of tragedy. On a more conceptual level, I think the thing that The Wire really captures the best is that feeling of "the more things change, the more they stay the same". That's part of what makes it feel the most real, and also part of where the sadness comes from. And of course, even with that feeling, there are still glimmers of positive changes. The moment of Colvin and Namond joking around with each other in the hallway is so short but very important.
Coming down the final stretch 🙏🏾🙏🏾 praying for y’all
The car they towed in after Carcetti got them moving was Ziggy’s car that Cheese burned in season 2
Is there any official confirmation of that? Because the car isn't in the same location at all, when it's shown burning in S2 as Nicky and Nat Coxson show up, it's on a street lined up with apartment buildings on both sides. When it's shown being towed, it's a wide open scenery behind with buildings only very far in the distance, and it's not like they could have driven the burnt wreck elsewhere.