9. "How does Stringer have a better case? (spoilers)" In response to Reply # 5
Best thing he did was work a truce and form the co-op. Other than that he got played by Clay Davis, killed by his partner (whom he set-up to go back to jail), and even the co-op wouldn't have been possible without Prop Joe. And Marlo was running him out of business.
7. "I've always thought Marlo is a bit overrated" In response to Reply # 6
Dude wasn't nearly as slick or as smart as he thought he was, and made a lot of really dumb decisions. He was on the fast track to getting himself arrested **twice** and we only really saved when Prop Joe "civilized" him.
Quiet as kept, Joe was the "best" boss on the whole show. He was the one with the initial connection to the Greek. He put together the Co-Op. He had the hook-up getting the warrants in advance (through Levy). He talked his way out of certain death from Omar. His downfall was family loyality.
8. "Joe's downfall was also appeasement" In response to Reply # 7
Joe was the craftiest but he grew soft in his old age. It pissed me off how he went so out of his way to please Marlo. Especially introducing him to The Greeks, knowing how ruthless and ambitious he was. Plus he showed Marlo damn near every trick and connection he had to the point where Marlo didn't need him anymore. He was naive in expecting loyalty in return. Then there's the whole family loyalty like you mentioned. He knew better than to trust Cheese. I loved Joe but he should have known when to retire.
10. "Joe got caught up in needing Marlo's muscle/ruthlessness" In response to Reply # 8
Which is the hing that was keeping Marlo around in the first place. He'd gone blow for blow with Avon and surivived. So when the Co-Op had to deal with an outside threat (The NYers setting up their "Wal-Mart" franchises), Joe did what he needed to do to get the dude with the best muscle on his team.
Introducing Marlo to the Greeks was probably a mistake, but Joe did know he fucked up by setting in motion the set of circumstances that got that whole shipment jacked by Omar. If it was just Marlo that got jacked (like Joe thought), he could've just chalked it up to being part of the game and called it a day. And, bear in mind, Vondas did intially tell Marlo to fuck off, they trusted Joe, and would only deal with him.
Showing Marlo every other trick in the book was definitely dumb, as was going to bat for Cheese so many times. But in the end, Joe made it waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay past his life expectancy by staying below the radar and keeping it boring for the cops.
21. "I actually thought Marlo was slept on" In response to Reply # 7
Because everyone likes B&B better.
Marlo avoided the mistakes they made (remember, he actually got Omar in S4, which Avon & String could never do,) controlled more territory than they ever did, got to live out Stringer's lifelong dream (even though he didn't care to) and was smarter and more ruthless than they ever were.
Marlo should not only be in this poll, he should win it.
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12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx
30. "Marlo needed a shit-load of luck and help from others to stay" In response to Reply # 21
on top. People forget that Avon had him on the run and in hiding by the end of Season 3. And if Stringer doesn't snitch Avon out to Colvin, Marlo woulda been dead ass at the rim shop.
Furthermore, Marlo's ruthlessness also got him into trouble. Killing Butchie to bring Omar back to Baltimore notonly didn't hel at all, but ended up making him look weaker. Plus, he got sloppy as fuck as soon as he thought the cops weren't watching him. And the reason he ended up getting to live Stringer's dream is because the cops themsevles cut corners.
Marlo rose fast, but crashed just as fast. Both Avon and Joe were better, though both fucked up towards the end of their reigns.
32. "Part of it was that Stringer wanted to play it without bloodshed" In response to Reply # 31
in the beginning. It wasn't until Avon got out of prison that they got serious about taking Marlo out the picture. And by then, all four of his heaviest hitters (five if you count Savino) were either dead or in jail. One Slim Charles and a non-focused Cutty ain't going to equal Stink 'Em, Weebay, Bird, and Lil' Man.
>And Avon's reign wasn't really longer. Remember, they had just >taken the towers a couple months before the first ep (I >think.)
Maybe it was just McNulty-talk, but I seem to remember him implying that Avon had been running the West-side for a while. And also the Westside/Eastside basketball game between him and Prop Joe had been going on for a while.
And another thing that made Avon and Prop Joe better than Marlo as crime bosses was that both took over their respective area's without the cops having a clue about who they were (much less even having a pic of Avon). As soon as Marlo starting dropping bodies, the cops knew exactly who and where he was.
42. "I'll give Marlo credit for the vacant plan" In response to Reply # 37
That was a bonafide smart move he made.
But like Mynoriti said, if Marlo had his way, he would have tried to hunt Omar down just like Avon (oddly enough, he was also residing in a vacant).
I'll also give Marlo credit for doing more with less. Aside from Chris, Snoop, and Michael, his crew was a bunch of fucking incompetents. Monk and O-Dog were fucking chuckleheads. Ditto Fruit, even before he got capped.
>Bird and Weebay were gone because the Barksdales were STUPID >about killing people out in the open. that was management's >fault.
Bird was in jail because Barksdale went after Omar after he robbed, specifically after killing someone exceedingly close to him (no one else said shit to the police after the witness was killed). Which is exactly what Marlo did in the fifth season. It didn't turn out good for Marlo either.
Weebay was in jail because he (unknowingly) shot a cop, which him and Lil' Man did in the middle of the night in an abandoned alley in Baltimore, thinking she was just some random chick with Orlando.
>and even if the Barksdales held things down a year or two >longer, Marlo didn't end up locked in jail or dead when the >show ended, either.
Through no skill of his own. Marlo played it real fast and real stupid the very day after he thought the cops weren't watching him anymore. He Forest Gumped his way into a free pass, and if his last scene was any indication, was ready to blow it as soon as he got it.
52. "RE: Revisionist" In response to Reply # 51 Tue Feb-17-09 11:08 PM by will_5198
>Bird was in jail because Barksdale went after Omar after he >robbed, specifically after killing someone exceedingly close >to him (no one else said shit to the police after the witness >was killed). Which is exactly what Marlo did in the fifth >season. It didn't turn out good for Marlo either.
right, but Bird didn't need to kill that witness -- in fact, the cops (McNulty) first started sniffing on the Barksdales because of that needless murder. and Avon must not be running the tightest ship if he lets his best murderers keep the guns they use in homicides.
>Weebay was in jail because he (unknowingly) shot a cop, which >him and Lil' Man did in the middle of the night in an >abandoned alley in Baltimore, thinking she was just some >random chick with Orlando.
shooting undercovers isn't reckless? Granted, it's not that the Barksdales knew Kima was such, but I'm saying they were killing *a lot* of people without putting much thought into it. it's not as if the Barksdales were keeping their best muscle on retainer and got unlucky -- there's gonna be natural attrition when you order so many deaths over several years' time. same way Chris Partlow got locked up.
>Through no skill of his own. Marlo played it real fast and >real stupid the very day after he thought the cops weren't >watching him anymore. He Forest Gumped his way into a free >pass, and if his last scene was any indication, was ready to >blow it as soon as he got it.
By S5 Marlo had ALL of Baltimore to himself -- not just a couple towers on the Westside -- plus a direct line to the best drugs in the city. he did that through playing Prop Joe and out-muscling the Barksdales. that ain't all luck.
hell, Avon and String's best expansion plan into the Eastside was trying to take 50k from Joe in some basketball game.
I mean this ain't Godfather, we all knew Marlo was gonna go down like every other boss before and after. but relatively speaking, his apex was higher than the Barksdales, for just as long a term, and after which he was still alive and free from jail.
He ran shit in Deadwood. Had a hand in everything and always knew what was going on. Tony was NY's bitch and Bell was being pimped by the real gangstas - the politicians.
16. "yeah, let's play Who's the Real Tough Guy?" In response to Reply # 15
Tony: Fought off and overpowered two assasins (one dead one badly injured) killed Ralph Cifareto alone and with his bare hands killed Fred Peters (snitch) alone with his bare hands Shot and killed Matthew Bevalaqua, Big Pussy, Chuckie Signore and his own cousin Tony Blundetto Curb stomped Coco from NY in front of Butchie for disrespecting Meadow Beat up his own bodyguard while recovering from a gut shot/coma
Avon: On assisination attempt, hid behind a car and waited for Wee-Bey to save him Ordered multiple killings but personally killed no one Got gauged by Chris Partlow "drive!" Got punked by Stringer AFTER String told him about D (ok he was injured but see above) Hardest physical thing he ever did on the show was throw Orlando out of his office
47. "Kareem Said had them inmates thinking he was a deity forreala" In response to Reply # 20
>He ran an efficient organization of a few. >He had crime bosses fearing him. >He stole and killed.
He was much wiser and smarter than Tony(but the ol wize owl is the cage bird in this case) and belived in diplomatic relations and wasn't obsessed with greed and wasn't a big fat gluten like Tony.
33. "What else did he do?" In response to Reply # 28 Wed Feb-11-09 04:22 PM by Sponge
Disrespected the gods and goddesses telling one of them or all of them to fuck their own asses, Juno's cunt, or whatever and destroying the statues and ceremonial set up during his first meeting in the Aventine.
Vorenus should be an option, LOL, if he is considered a crime boss.
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