Imo the jewel of each season was the 2nd to last episode, generally speaking. Which one hit you the hardest? Which one was the best at setting up the finale?

Cleaning Up, Middle Ground, and That's Got His Own were all written by Pelecanos. What a fucking stud.

I don't know if it's possible to vote against Cleaning Up, but...I just rewatched season 4 and kinda forgot how perfect That's Got His Own is.

I cried like a bitch, mang.

No homo.

Poll question: Best penultimate episode of The Wire? (spoilers)

Poll result (16 votes) Cleaning Up (season 1) (2 votes) Vote Bad Dreams (season 2) (1 votes) Vote Middle Ground (season 3) (10 votes) Vote That's Got His Own (season 4) (3 votes) Vote

period

.

"shit String murda aint no thang, but this here some assassiNATION shit man...."

-Slim Charles

"Not a rumble-tumble n@$#a like Slim."

"you don't wanna get all gangsta wild with it n shit.

what i tell you about playin them fuckin away games?"

music - http://myspace.com/shamelessplug
boredom - http://twitter.com/shamelessplug
ridiculously stupid talk radio podcast - http://youlooklikecraptoday.com

Can't go wrong with any of these, but Wallace's death was brutal.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston University: 2009 National Champions

2008-09 and 2006-07 Zeno Memorial League Champion

>Cleaning Up, Middle Ground, and That's Got His Own were all
>written by Pelecanos. What a fucking stud.

Are you just singling out your top 3?

Why isn't s5's an option?

it's not the best

>Why isn't s5's an option?

out. Just wondering, man.

It's a 3 horse race

-the new unit watching Marimow leave

-"Intimacy can be a quiet conversation. Or fun. Like when you tickle your partner."

"Yo, tickle my nuts,"

-scene w/ Namond & his mom

-Michael & Kenard

-the Sherrod tragedy

-Omar & crew jacking the shipment

-Cheese: "Omar had a commando squad...bitches pulling guns out they pussies....shit was unseemly, yo"

-Cutty trying to get Michael back: "Go with your people"

-Randy: "You gonna look out for me?"

^^^^^^^^probably the best Wire episode

I cried like a baby when Carver walked that long hallway away from Randy. Still get a twinge even as I think about it right now even...



>>-the new unit watching Marimow leave
>
>-"Intimacy can be a quiet conversation. Or fun. Like when you
>tickle your partner."
>
>"Yo, tickle my nuts,"
>
>-scene w/ Namond & his mom
>
>-Michael & Kenard
>
>-the Sherrod tragedy
>
>-Omar & crew jacking the shipment
>
>-Cheese: "Omar had a commando squad...bitches pulling guns out
>they pussies....shit was unseemly, yo"
>
>-Cutty trying to get Michael back: "Go with your people"
>
>-Randy: "You gonna look out for me?"
>
>^^^^^^^^probably the best Wire episode

and is the first scene i think of when i think of the wire

Dukie and Mike splitting up was heartbreaking

Why is this not in the poll?

The bust, Mike and Dukie, Snoop ('you look good, girl') etc. etc.

I think the money trail story (which ran ever since s1) is some of the best things the series brought up.

Bubbles' arc in s5 (again like the money trail, the story began in s1) is one of the best things of the entire series. His NA speech is excellently written and performed.

Lester and Clay Davis' scene is one of my fave of the series.

Bubbles getting to the top of the stairs is one of my fave images of the series.

The fallout from Carcetti not taking the $ for the schools and his political games / maneuvering to get to the governor's mansion is one of the best stories in the series.

I'd also count the nod to the docks with the appearance of the homeless Johnny 50 and the Marlo-Andy Krawczyk scene.

I'm aware that my post isn't contesting your statement because you said "not the best anything" and none of what I list above I'd say is "*the* best" but "some of the best."

>Bubbles' arc in s5 (again like the money trail, the story
>began in s1) is one of the best things of the entire series.
>His NA speech is excellently written and performed.

we also got the third act of "eight ball girl"

S3 inncoent girl asks politely for an 8-ball
S4 tells old face andre that her pimp loves her
S5 shares at NA meeting about all the shit she's been through

>The fallout from Carcetti not taking the $ for the schools and
>his political games / maneuvering to get to the governor's
>mansion is one of the best stories in the series.

yeah and how he rationalized all his inaction by saying he'll deal with it when he gets to Annapolis.

>I'd also count the nod to the docks with the appearance of the
>homeless Johnny 50 and the Marlo-Andy Krawczyk scene.

"he's got teeth right?"

I still wish i never saw the preview for that Marlo/Avon scene. That would've been such a great surprise.

I'd also add Butchie goin' out like a G. "you're a tough old man" (c) Chris

(relative to the others) but that episode was amazing. It was completely out of place in an otherwise middling season.

I recently watched the series all the way through again, and while I slightly warmed up to season 5, I'm still stuck with the feeling that it would have benefited majorly from a 12-episode length and the absence of 1) the serial killer story and 2) the resentful Baltimore Sun arc (except for Clark Johnson)

After a whole season of seeing the other three kids getting chewed-up and spit out by the streets, seeing Naymond make it was the most uplifting moment of the season. And the way Colvin brushed off Carcetti was great.

> And the way
>Colvin brushed off Carcetti was great.

especially since Carcetti was clueless about what Colvin was even mad at him for. Carcetti thought it was about Hamsterdam. Colvin looked at him like wow you're even a bigger douche than i thought

I've heard people say that it's unfair that out of all the corner kids from S4, he's the only one who made it off the block with a future.

Dukie had an awful life from day one. That kid never caught a break. He deserved a lot better than he got. And we all know how the system fucked up Randy's future. He was the smartest one of them all ( or at least had the most potential). Michael landed on his feet, but he ain't gonna last long in his new line of work. Triggermen don't get old.


But Namond? He was an asshole when they were kids, and he was spoiled rotten by his ignorant ass moms. He had a life of privelege ( for all intents and purposes). If nothing else, he had a roof over his head and food in his stomach. So for HIM to be the one that got a chance at a normal life was fucked up. But I think that might've been the underlying theme. Life ain't always fair...

that the most spoiled asshole kid would end up being the one who got out
basically he was the only one who cried and bitched until somebody helped him
all the other ones didn't do that
it's not only realistic, but it's kind of inherently american that he would be the one to get out
but that's a whole notha post

Herc, definitely, but not Namond.

I think by providing an example of what could happen when the 'worst' of these kids is given an opportunity, it helped to emphasize the tragedy of the other kids. in time we came to realize namond's situation was hopeless in its own way, and his character was written as far more than just a bad seed. We also learned over time the infinite potential of the other three, and can only imagine how far they could have gone if given half the opportunity Namond had.

I mean most of us would've liked, and probably figured the success story would've been Dukie, but not only would that have been unrealistic, it would feed into a whole "american dream" fantasy that Simon clearly rejects. in that sense it is a "life aint fair" thing but it's part of a larger point.

>I've heard people say that it's unfair that out of all the
>corner kids from S4, he's the only one who made it off the
>block with a future.

Talented, needy kids are always slipping through the cracks. That's one of the main themes of The Wire. Fuck what's "fair". That aint life.

Namond made it out partly by chance and partly because he had connections. Dukie/most of the other kids don't have connections....so they're not getting out. Seems realistic to me.

n/m

especially Michael's own reaction to not remembering the thing with the baloons

>Dukie and Mike splitting up was heartbreaking

>especially Michael's own reaction to not remembering the
>thing with the baloons

The look on Michael's face was heart-breaking.

________________________________________________________________________
He is stupid
But he KNOWS that he is stupid
And that almost makes him smart
Let's listen

Bodie's death scene was sad as fuck...powerful on some make-your-eyes-water shit.

one of the most emotional scenes in the whole show i think.

>one of the most emotional scenes in the whole show i think.

But the best scene in that ep was still Bodie/McNulty in the park. I know it's an obvious one, but damn.

and Bodie knew that was it for him too. When he decided not to run, he knew his number was up.


"you're a soldier, Bodie..." (C) McNulty

powerful. And then when McNulty grabs poot the next day and Poot tells him Bodie got killed because of him....."Leave me alone before you do ME the same...."

And I usually never watch eps a second time.

But there are so many great moments on this show.

Just thinking of Wallace's last moment alone...man.

This was the first show where almost every death scene hit me HARD.

It never gets old.

At this point, I've probably seen season one like 10-12 times, two 10-11, three 9-10, four 7-8 and five like 5 times. And every time I see a subtle touch I missed before.

Also, I get better at figuring out what the fuck Butchie said every time also.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston University: 2009 National Champions

2008-09 and 2006-07 Zeno Memorial League Champion

Just need to finish -30- again

Omar v. Bro. Mouzone ( set up by String's lie- for the foreshadowing alone)

McNulty v. Bunk ( Perry Ellis v. Joseph Abboud)- Hilarity

Ziggy in Prison ( "Fucked is what I am")

Valcheck waiting for the media to arrive before trotting Sabotka out.

Beadie going "Undercover"

That Song- you know the greek song.

Sobtoka's Dead man walking at the end of the episode.

it's not Middle Ground but it's so damn good.

the pain of a helpless Frank Sabotka having to watch his scrawny son walk back into that holding cell with dudes three times his size was powerful as fuck.

Capped off by the Greek telling Vondas, "It's not going to work."

But I'd say everything that had to do with Sobotka that episode was great.

As much I hated Ziggy's character, I wouldn't have wished that on him.

I really liked the working man's angle that this season magnified. Sobotka was doing dirt to save his union and the grain pier(whatever the hell that was). Meanwhile his son and nephew were so naive they had no idea the road they were on until it was too late.

Bad Dreams stuck with me for a while, but then again a lot of the Wire eps did.

cuz i've forgotten some shit!

>cuz i've forgotten some shit!

Shamefully, same here.