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O.K., it's the dead of winter,everyone is strung out waiting for Albrecht to get a sign from heaven, tempers grow short, and we are all losing our focus. What's needed is a good shot of Wire watching! S1/S2 are now out on dvd, and a lot of you have taped the show so it's possible for us to watch the first 25 episodes together again, and then chat it up here. The idea is simple: Two nights a week on the schedule below, we all watch the episode, starting with S1/E1 and then discuss it that night or the next day. The balance of the week is for ongoing discussion, and will allow those with schedule conflicts to catch up. For those without video, we will post episode summaries ahead of time so you can join in. Granted, the element of speculation about upcoming shows is lost,but even there it might be fun to ponder missed opportunities and alternate plot arcs. This little journey will get us past winter, and into spring, when we all need to shed that 'Television Tan', and get outdoors. So here we go; Stringer, D'Angelo, Wallace and Sobotka are all alive again. Avon is out of jail, and the detail is yet to meet. join us for a Wire marathon! SCHEDULE The First Season Mon. Feb 14 - episode 1 "The Target" Wed. Feb 16 - episode 2 "The Detail" Mon. Feb.21 - episode 3 "The Buys" Wed. Feb.23 - episode 4 "Old Cases" Mon. Feb 28 - episode 5 "The Pager" Wed. Mar. 2 - episode 6 "The Wire" Mon. Mar. 7 - episode 7 "One Arrest" Wed. Mar. 9 - episode 8 "Lessons" Mon. Mar.14 - episode 9 "Game Day" Wed. mar.16 - episode 10 "The Cost" Mon. Mar. 21- episode 11 "The Hunt" Wed. Mar. 23- episode 12 "Cleaning up Mon. mar. 28- episode 13 "Sentencing" The Second Season Wed. Mar. 30 - episode 1 "Ebb Tide" Mon. Apr. 4 - episode 2 " Collateral Damage" Wed. Apr. 6 - episode 3 "Hot Shots" Mon. Apr. 11 - episode 4 "Hard Cases" Wed. Apr. 13 - episode 5 "Undertow" Mon. Apr. 18 - episode 6 "All Prologue" Wed. Apr. 20 - episode 7 "Backwash" Mon. Apr. 25 - episode 8 "Duck and cover" Wed. Apr. 27 - episode 9 "Stray Rounds" Mon. May 2 - episode 10 "Storm Warnings" Wed. May 4 - episode 11 "Bad Dreams" Mon. May 9 - episode 12 "Port in a Storm" ( this thread is brought to you by BorninDempsy and donincincy: a wholly owned subsidiary of B and B enterprises.  )
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 7, 2009 9:48 AM
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Lester Freamon
Of all the characters I think Lester Freamon comes closest to my idea of 'natural police'. He seems to take a genuine interest in all aspects of the job, even the tedious ones. Perhaps this comes from his Thirteen years (and four months) in the Pawn Shop Unit.
For example Lester spends hours at the computer watching the electronic unloading of ships. When Bunk suggests they retire to the bar for liquid refreshment Lester begs off: "I'm getting a feel for this shit. How it plays, how it works." Beyond investigative work he seems to enjoy the learning process as well.
Proposition Joe Stewart
Prop Joe didn't get that nickname for nothing. His pitch to Stringer was colorful and convincing:
First he comes on humble, not as an equal:
"String. Let me pull on your sleeve about something."
Next the facts:
"You got half the Westside coming down to Fallsway twice a day because Eastside dope be kicking the shit out of Westside dope." i.e you're losing your buyers.
"You got the best territory and no kind of product."
i.e your current connect is no good.
Then the deal:
"You got the Towers, I got what goes in them."
i.e. Let's work together to make a lot of money, instead of you losing more every day.
It's a masterful presentation , worthy of an ace insurance salesman, that has logic written all over it. And while Joe could have sent the same message to Avon he is smart enough to know his competition. Stringer is the logical one, Avon, the hothead. Avon's response: Hell no! But it has Stringer thinking now. The seed has been planted.
Finally I couldn't log off without mentioning Bodie at the florist shop. It was a great opening scene and has me wondering if there are places that have a back room like that which can elicit a "Hell yeah", from one such as Bodie?
And listening to Bodie trying to explain Dee to the shop owner was something of a lesson in inner conflict. On one hand Bodie feels sorry for D'Angelo, but his tougher street persona feels that maybe Dee, being weak, got what was coming to him.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 6, 2009 11:19 AM
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> Isn't it amazing how good actors can convey so much
> emotion without words? That squint-eyed stare Avon
> gave Stringer spoke volumes. What it said to me is
> that Avon is willing to trust anyone only so far, but
> that ultimately he trusts no one completely.
>
> It is at this point in the story that I see the first
> little fault line appear in their
> partnership/friendship. It is a very tiny line,
> almost invisible, but there nonetheless. IMO, that is.
And I might add, that I am becoming better at deciphering nonverbal language in my own personal life. It is amazing.
Ya, thanks, and thank you for the update, on sharing personal stories. I have been doing it all along, and didn't think about whether it was ok or not. I like it when people link up to their personal tragedies. Besides getting to know each other better, there is that sharing the story that I love so much.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 6, 2009 9:47 AM
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The most chilling words in this episode:
Nat: "Frank, where did the money come from?"
Frank walks away without answering, of course, but he has a lot on his conscience right now. (Those dead girls, The Greek, the political payoffs.) Any truthful answer would be too painful. Like Stringer, I feel for Frank Sobotka. He's doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Stringer, in trying to reform the game is, I think it fair to say, doing the right things for the wrong reasons.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 6, 2009 9:41 AM
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> > Oh, and speaking of Stringer Bell, did anyone
> >notice
> > the cold stare Avon gave Stringer when Bell,
>> speaking
> > of Dee's death said, "It ain't on YOU?" My take
>> is
> > that for the briefest second Avon suspected
>> something
> > was up with his partner. I notice Stringer's
>> 'fist
> > bump' through the wire glass got a delayed
>> response
> > from Avon.
>
> That was a little odd, I thought so too....words that
> were left unsaid, yet again.
Isn't it amazing how good actors can convey so much emotion without words? That squint-eyed stare Avon gave Stringer spoke volumes. What it said to me is that Avon is willing to trust anyone only so far, but that ultimately he trusts no one completely.
It is at this point in the story that I see the first little fault line appear in their partnership/friendship. It is a very tiny line, almost invisible, but there nonetheless. IMO, that is.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 6, 2009 9:33 AM
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> Don, I think that T is talking about herself, and her
> own depth, not yours.
May well be. I was thinking that perhaps this is as good a time as any to revisit the original intention of The Marathon thread's creator's, donincincy and BorninDempsy.
I think it is fair to say The Wire can only be described as entertainment in the narrowest sense of the word. There is much that is difficult to watch -even painful at times, but always with the ultimate goal of telling the truth in an artful way.
Dempsy and I shared this view. We knew from the outset that our five year marathon oddessy would be one of mutual laughter, suffering, deep sorrow and discovery, but with the end result that we would be better informed and more aware human beings.
Over the years we've been around on The Forum we've had posters share personal fortunes and misfortunes alike with us; Births, illnesses, deaths, triumphs and tragedys. And we felt all along that such a response was not only appropriate, but that it acheived our goal of having The Marathon Thread mirror The Wire, both in tone and content.
As we continue on our journey along the five seasons we encourage our Marathon family to be as open, honest and sharing as they feel comfortable doing. We are all friends here -if only in a cyber way- and shared burdens are more easily shouldered.
End of sermon.
don
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 5, 2009 8:30 PM
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T says ......
> Okay...where is that waitress with the
> cocktails.....you went too deep on me Don.
Don says;
I apologize, T. It was my intention only to explain why someone else's loss had such a profound effect on me, not to troll for sympathy. Not to worry, I'm in a good place right now.
Don, I think that T is talking about herself, and her own depth, not yours.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 5, 2009 8:29 PM
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> Avon's micro-managing is putting a hurt on the
> Barksdale operation, but if they lose money will HE
> accept part of the blame? (Do birds have lips?)
> ...................................
>
Clearly Stringer is the business man, and Avon is the gansta
> Oh, and speaking of Stringer Bell, did anyone notice
> the cold stare Avon gave Stringer when Bell, speaking
> of Dee's death said, "It ain't on YOU?" My take is
> that for the briefest second Avon suspected something
> was up with his partner. I notice Stringer's 'fist
> bump' through the wire glass got a delayed response
> from Avon.
That was a little odd, I thought so too....words that were left unsaid, yet again.
>
> Is it just me or was that sexy little black cocktail
> dress Donette wore to the funeral over the top?
Definately over the top, she never looked like a grieving widow once....
Maybe
> just a little tacky considering the surroundings? It
> looked like she was going to the club, not to mourn a
> loss.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 5, 2009 3:53 PM
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More thoughts on S/E20:
"It breaks my heart that there's no future for the Sobotka's on the waterfront." ...Frank
Stringer Bell:
I feel for Mr. Bell right now. In plain words he has been handed a plate of shit by Avon and told to go have fun with it. Consider his position:
*The Atlanta product is so bad the fiends are headed to the Eastside for their fix. Stringer is losing money hand over fist to Prop Joe.
*He suggests to Avon that they drop the price to keep their clients happy. What does Avon say? "Do I look like K Mart to you, man?"
*Prop Joe offers his high quality product in exchange for some territory. Stringer, still loyal to the boss, runs this idea by Avon. Reply? NO!
Avon's micro-managing is putting a hurt on the Barksdale operation, but if they lose money will HE accept part of the blame? (Do birds have lips?)
...................................
Oh, and speaking of Stringer Bell, did anyone notice the cold stare Avon gave Stringer when Bell, speaking of Dee's death said, "It ain't on YOU?" My take is that for the briefest second Avon suspected something was up with his partner. I notice Stringer's 'fist bump' through the wire glass got a delayed response from Avon.
Is it just me or was that sexy little black cocktail dress Donette wore to the funeral over the top? Maybe just a little tacky considering the surroundings? It looked like she was going to the club, not to mourn a loss.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 5, 2009 3:28 PM
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> Okay...where is that waitress with the
> cocktails.....you went too deep on me Don.
I apologize, T. It was my intention only to explain why someone else's loss had such a profound effect on me, not to troll for sympathy. Not to worry, I'm in a good place right now.
A thought about Brianna and then on to other things. I don't think she offered Dee up to the fate he finally encountered because she was certain with Avon looking out the odds were heavily in his favor i.e. lower risk than an ordinary corner boy or dealer.
But what I will admit she did do was to play the odds with her son, even though they were stacked in her favor.
In the final analysis I pretty much agree with you. (See what a nice guy I can be?) She gambled and lost so the guilt lies with her in the end.
Brianna reaped what she had sown, but that doesn't make her grief any less. We all have flaws. What else can I say? Her tears moved me.
That's the thing about The Wire, though, isn't it?It tells the story so well we can relate to the characters and what they feel.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 5, 2009 12:21 PM
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> > Thank you....cuz I get no props from Don. (Just
> > kidding Don). I know his position is to try to
> get
> > us to see characters from their point of view,
> their
> > experience etc.
>
> True enough, T, and thanks for understanding.
>
> It just occured to me why ,perhaps, Brianna's grief
> had such an impact on me. Almost three years ago I
> lost someone very near and dear. We had been together
> for almost five years when she passed. Even today I
> attend a grief therapy group once a month to deal
> with the loss. Seeing Brianna -or anyone, for that
> matter- who lost a loved one still gets to me.
>
> "Where you were in my life there is now a big hole,
> which I walk around in the daytime, and fall into at
> night."... Edna St Vincent Millay
See, you hit below the belt...now I need a drink and a cigarette and I don't even SMOKE!
I've witnessed my cousin who lost her son to suicide maybe 13 years ago. He was 20 and shot himself (we think he was schizophrenic, he refused help. We think his onset was right out of high school going into his first year of college). He was her only child and I have watched her spiral downward into deep depression that was frightening. Finally, I got her to admit the guilt that was involved in her grief, which was unfounded.
I think that's why, for me, I cannot let the Brianna character off the hook. People lose their children for various reasons, this woman handed her own son over to destruction. She is no dummy, she knows the game and there is no way out of it, you quit, you go to jail or you die. This is what she offered her son.
Okay...where is that waitress with the cocktails.....you went too deep on me Don.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 5, 2009 12:08 PM
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> >Is she just a cold hearted person or
> > what? Does she not know who her husband is at
> heart?
> > Marla doesn't need a husband she needs a
> business
> > s partner and Cedric is not it.
>
>
> My take is that he WAS IT in the beginning. Cedric
> was Burrell's man in S1/E1 and for some time after
> that until McNulty shamed him into caring.
> Cedric was on the steep climb to the top and had
> future ambitions of becoming a lawyer.
> And he and Marla share a secret; Cedric's less than
> clean past. (It is telling that she didn't object to
> that illegal income.)
>
> In this episode she made it clear that she likes a
> man with ambition, not one who loves his middle
> income job and wants to do it well.
>
> If Cedric doesn't want to be on top in the world of
> money and influence, Marla does, and if that means
> shedding excess baggage to get there, well, she is
> prepared to do that, too.
>
> In some ways Marla is like Cheryl. She wants a
> partner who gets into a safe and lucrative job.
You are correct, but Marla is more cut throat and cold blooded in nature I think. There is nothing warm and fuzzy abt this woman at all. I think I get this impression from future seasons and how she just feels like he owes her something.
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 5, 2009 12:04 PM
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> > > Is it me or do I have a hate on for most of
> the
> > women
> > > in this series?
> >
> > No, it's not just you. Not too many of the
> female
> > side seem to be very likable. Beadie Russell is
> one
> > exception, and Shardene now that she has
> Lester.
> >
> > I like Kima, but she has her character flaws.
> Nicky's
> > girlfriend Aimee seems nice enough.
> >
> > Kimmy and Tosha are pretty cool., too.
> >
> > But beyond that the pickin's are slim.
> >
> > Oh, and let's not forget my heartthrob, Winona.
> 
> >
> >
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 5, 2009 12:00 PM
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> > > Okay, let's set the record straight before
> >> another
> > > word is said. It ain't dyed blond
> and it
> > >ain't
> > > strawberry blond. Winona's hair
> color
> > >(And I
> > > got this from a female poster years back,
> an
> > > impeachable source who, I hasten to add, is
> a
> > > cosmetologist)) is called...are you ready
> for
> > > this?......Tahitian Sunset! Tah
> Dah!
> > > Strawberry blond, indeed! (Humph!!!)
>
> > Okay, the name may have changed.....but the
> color is
> > still the same.
>
> A little respect now for my zaftig and callipygous
> dusky jewel.
> 
>
> Regarding Brianna, Don said:
>
> > I wouldn't go that far, but the little mole on
> > her
> > > chin is kinda sexy.
> > >
>
> To which tomarmas replied:
>
> > Like I said....a THANG!!
>
> Oh have it your way, then! Who was it who said a lap
> dance from Stringer Bell would be agreeable?
Yeah, I said it and I MEANT it. Although I probably wouldn't totally enjoy it because I am like terrified of him!!! Maybe after a couple 'tini's I could over look his murderous nature...NOT!
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 4, 2009 10:35 PM
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> > Is it me or do I have a hate on for most of the
> women
> > in this series?
>
> No, it's not just you. Not too many of the female
> side seem to be very likable. Beadie Russell is one
> exception, and Shardene now that she has Lester.
>
> I like Kima, but she has her character flaws. Nicky's
> girlfriend Aimee seems nice enough.
>
> Kimmy and Tosha are pretty cool., too.
>
> But beyond that the pickin's are slim.
>
> Oh, and let's not forget my heartthrob, Winona.
>
>
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Re: Wire marathon: 25 nights together!
Nov 4, 2009 10:31 PM
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> There is a moment in this episode that could be
> overlooked, but it impacts the entire lives of two
> people: Cedric and Marla Daniels.
>
> The genesis of this division can be traced to the
> scene between Lester Freamon and Cedric Daniels at
> their Detail site. Cedric has just explained to
> Freamon that Rawls wants him to take on the fourteen
> homicides. (Daniels initially refuses.) But Lester
> Freamon -who Bunk describes as "Having the smell of
> wisdom on you, brother.", offers the opinion that
> Daniels should take those open cases. As
> usual, Lester has an argument that stands on moral
> highground. Daniels is a police officer, Freamon
> reminds him. And then he delivers the clincher line:
> "You pick up this case you might eat those 14
> murders, but if you pass you got to ask yourself
> how you want to live your day-to-day." (Emphasis
> mine.) In other words are you real police or just on
> a career ladder for personal gain?
>
> Later, in what can only be described as a poignant
> moment, Cedric explains to Marla that because he
> loves the job and is a good cop, he is going to
> postpone law school and be the best police he can be.
> Marla fails to understand, and at this moment the
> marriage falters.
I saw it as Marla being honest, She asked where is the guy with all the ambition....apparently he did a bait and switch also.
>
> Keep a close eye on this situation as we go on.
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