The Wire 5x10 Series Finale
Added 2023-07-25 12:01:01 +0000 UTCEnjoy Friends
Comments
Actually, there's one more difference: remember when Valchek was laughing that Rawls thought he would actually be made permanent commish earlier in the season? Valchek said that not only was Rawls "too pale" or something to that effect, but that he wasn't even a native, as in not from Baltimore. At least Valchek is a born-and-raised native Baltimore Polish guy, from a traditional Baltimore community, so I think he actually might have had a chance at permanent commish regardless. I mean look at Carcetti winning the mayoral seat back then too...but obviously much better chances for the Big V if it's the Queen Bee doing the nominating now...
physaks
2023-07-27 19:23:47 +0000 UTCThey're called Arabbers.
Wes
2023-07-27 09:34:23 +0000 UTCDaniels was in that elevator like Darth vaderđ
JT Dehaney
2023-07-27 07:58:26 +0000 UTCI BEHOOVE y'all to REWATCH S1E1 to witness the GENIUS of David Simon THEN watch The continuation of Mayor Narese Campbell... #WeOwnThisCityđŻ
Black Valyria
2023-07-27 04:06:27 +0000 UTCI find it to be kind of a reach tbh. All seems to be based on that one line the two of them said in the same episode. Their personalities don't seem remotely similar to me.
prolifik5
2023-07-27 03:00:14 +0000 UTCWhat do y'all think about the theory that Namond is on track to become the next Clay Davis?
Raul Panzar
2023-07-26 22:04:32 +0000 UTCHe only got 50k for the Butchie information. He got 900k for basically replacing his uncle as the biggest dealer on the Eastside. Remember they took out Joe and Hungry Man. That's a lot of territory that Cheese took over.
Blood Raven
2023-07-26 10:35:17 +0000 UTCWhile the cops here are hailed as the 'good guys' they definitely showed how messed up the system of policing actually is. They're trained to bring back numbers, not to prevent crime or protect citizens. Almost every cop in the show is a gray character. Even someone like Kima wasn't above beating up a kid like Bodie even if he did assault an officer. It shows you how it's an 'us vs them' mentality. This show is far from 'Copaganda'. I'd say it's the exact opposite.
Blood Raven
2023-07-26 10:28:47 +0000 UTCMy first time noticing something. Levy Said cheese is going to put up his uncles house to get out of jail lol. Thats the house Prop Joe said his grandparents were the first to own a house in johnson square lol. Even In Joes death Cheese said fuck that house lol.
Pacman24
2023-07-26 05:43:21 +0000 UTCEven though this show fits into the category of âcopaganda,â I still think that for its time, it mostly holds up. Which is kind of crazy since itâs dealing with some of these issues before the Internet existed as it does today. But I think that it does a good job of showing that most of the time, when you think you are going to work within the system to change it from the inside for good, the system actually winds up changing you. Itâs also just nice to see a mainstream tv show provide any portrait of poverty that isnât immediately blamed on the characters themselves. And something I also think about is how the show almost implies that the police function like a gang too, by proxy of how often their situations mirror one another. EDIT for the replies: The recurring theme throughout the entire show is that, if we just got the cops more money they could do it right this time, we swear! The framework of the show is still very much within the prism of mass incarceration as the only solution. The creator himself has said this much in a long and tiresome Twitter exchange: https://twitter.com/AoDespair/status/1573854665766223872?s=20
Peter
2023-07-26 04:34:11 +0000 UTCI love Bralik's statement about appreciating Slim. But observe: the ONLY two characters that Omar refused to kill after targeting and getting the drop on them were Brother Mouzone and Slim Charles. And both saves happened after a brief, critical conversation with Omar about who had motives for murder and transgression, with Omar recognizing the truth in the others' denial of intent or participation. And both Mouzone and Charles are basically mercenaries, not wanting any real-high leadership position (something like Slim's "I'm not cut out to be no CEO" to Marlo's proposal in the Co-op meeting). They just play a role, narratively integral in the drama but ultimately unsympathetic towards tribal partisanship. They are the three Greek Furies in D. Simon's scheme, furious punishers taking people to task, on behalf of the Gods, for their shit transgressions. (Mouzone: "I'm at peace with my God" before Omar wastes him, just that he didn't. Then, "So you know, this is not my style", about not being the one who wasted Omar's boy-toy youngin, who did no wrong. All of them are experts at weaponry, Slim's scenes also showcase tactical dexterity.). And the Furies had beef between each other in the mythology, so that's what those scenes reflect, symbolically. Brother Mouzone calls Omar "Brother" in the alley scene, which in its entirety is also just a fucking comic-book depiction of mythology. How does the song go?...."Got the fire and the FURY...at His command". Here are a quick couple of those scenes links if too lazy to search but can find yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20G17K_0ghU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Pb8MHIy2s
physaks
2023-07-26 04:14:35 +0000 UTCI think out of all the reacts to this show yaâlls was the best. Yaâll always went deep into it. The reactions were always entertaining. It was the most fun I had rewatching my favorite show. Glad you guys had fun with it as much as we did. I may continue with you guys to Fargo. I only saw the first season but yeah I wouldnât mind trying to get into it again. This was cool you guys.
Haye Zeus
2023-07-26 03:16:49 +0000 UTCOh, also, those horse-buggy drivers are a traditional institution in Baltimore, historically important as fuck. The fact that Dookie/New-Bubbs joins them is quite a nice touch....
physaks
2023-07-26 02:52:14 +0000 UTCAwesome ending to the series and your reactions!! Already many great commentary from others, but I have just have to leave a few more notes about The Wire, which I just cannot omitâŠ: So, obviously Dookie is the next Bubbs. As tragic as that is, it is actually Bubbs that is one of the few characters in the tragic drama that gets saved by the end, or at least âsavedâ. The lowest of the low is the one who manages to get redeemed, or at least the lowest in our societal standard â I think there are some New Testament vibes there, the Meek shall inherit the Earth, etc., Since Mike is obviously the new Omar, you should go back and read the tag on Omarâs corpse in the morgue (the one that was temporarily misassigned ) â under the âMedical Examinerâ line you can read âMichaelsonâ. As in Michael-SonâŠI donât think I need to say more here for the symbolismâŠimpossible to be accidental. Itâs actually amusing that itâs as âMedical Examinerâ, since Mike was babbling about who actually killed Omar, whether it was Kenard, right after he was babbling about barely escaping Omarâs wrath because Omar didnât recognize him as one of the assassins in the high-rise apartment before Omar jumped off the balcony. Also, both Omar and Michael have societally-stigmatized or taboo sexual narratives. Parental molestation of Micheal and his constant, almost obsessive, worry about abuse of himself and Bug, and how Avon/Marlo/gangsters continually berate Omar because of his homosexuality, are a parallel as well. Carver is the new Bunny. Rhonda Pearlman is the new âwhoâs your daddy nowâ judge (Daniel Phelan; so sheâs ethical-enough in the end but willing to force the law to her design like he would do), and ironically her consort Cedric Daniels has now become the new Rhonda Pearlman lawyer. This might be stretching it, but maybe Namond is the new CarcettiâŠ.?? Just observe the passion and force with which Namond presented his human-rights and medical-aid arguments in his public presentation, in the same style as Carcetti did in the first scenes when he was on the City CouncilâŠand THEN, OF COURSE, Carcetti witnessed that speech by Namond, and then Namond met Carcetti in Namondâs last scene, and said some shit like, âdang, you know the mayor too Mr. Colvin??!!!â. Etc. Given how The Wire does shit, this is probably another mindfuck. Kenard is the new Marlo, a prodigy child killer who is already incarcerated for murder at a very young age (as Marlo was first introduced, âthe spawn of the devilâ or some shit like that in the police station). Kenard has a fascination with Omar, then kills him, while the new Omar â Mike â beats the shit out of Kenard, while the old Omar robs Marlo and Marlo cannot get Omar out of his head â which if you think about it is a bit unreasonable, as Chris/Snoop think: let the motherfucker go. âMy name is my nameâ is all fine and good but in this case not worth it to that extent. Omar/Marlo are intrinsically linked together in the Greek-tragedy paradigm, but thatâs enough for that here. For Renaissance dramatists, again, Christoper Marlowe, Shakespeareâs rival (compare with Christopher Partlow, Chris in The Wire, haha) died young â as Marlo essentially did here as a âstorytellerâ, and turned to a âbusinessmanâ. There are debunked theories that Marlowe did not actually die but continued to write undercover and actually was responsible for some of Shakespeareâs works. As in a sense continues here in The Wire in this fanciful way. This is a bullshit conspiracy-theory historically, almost certainly, but I think itâs a wink-wink funny homage to that by David Simon here, just for shits and giggles on his part. Lastly though, there is a âcameoâ by Marlo in an earlier season on the show, where he and his boy bump into Bubbs and Johnny (Bubbsâs friend that ODâed later â donât remember which episodes these were but easy to find online). This is on the street and annoys Marloâs dude, so Marlo says to his underling something like âif you want to do him then do him, but I got places to be [as in, hurry the fuck up whatever you want to do with this junky either way]â. Lester is the Greek Chorus, which in Classical Greek dramatic tragedies explains background context to the audience (as in, observe how he ALWAYS explains all the technical surveillance/legal aspects of law enforcement to everyone, even if you would think that a lot of the police officers would/should already know that). Of course McNulty is David Simon, Shakespeare, Gus (full name Augustus Haynes) in the newsroom, and everyone else who tells you how to think about life, with âreasonablyâ good intentions. But all that is too complicated for me to write here, especially as I havenât thought it all through or read the literature fully yet, and I need to shut the fuck up, go to sleep before work, etc. LOL...and also there are comments from others above about who might be the next McNulty.... Great job on the reactions!!! DO REACT TO THE PREQUEL SHORTS ABOUT SOME OF THE CHARACTERS! (Prop Joe, etc.)
physaks
2023-07-26 02:44:43 +0000 UTCLoved your reactions throughout the show! Love the finale as well. I think it's important that in the ending montage we see Bubbles going up the stairs after we see Dukie using. It shows that there is always hope, no matter how far down the line.
Jori
2023-07-26 02:30:40 +0000 UTCTbf to them, we don't really know much about Sydnor. He's easily the least developed of the people that are in the MCU the whole show, so if you don't remember Season 1 McNulty, it's easy to miss.
mbds
2023-07-26 02:07:00 +0000 UTCThanks to y'all for these videos. It's been real enjoyable not just to see the reactions, but also to hear the breakdowns, theories, and predictions. Really appreciated your perspective on a show I've seen a bunch of times; y'all even gave me a new slant on certain things I hadn't thought about. Can't wait to see the rest of Sopranos and what comes after that. I was one of the people that doesn't fw Season 5 as much, primarily due to serial killer and HBO cutting it to 10 eps, but no one can deny this finale is straight fire. For me, the heart of the show is that, the pieces on the board don't matter, the game stays the same, and this ending really showed it. As much as we love Omar, Marlo, Avon, McNulty, Daniels, they'll move on/get replaced and the system will stay the same. Nothing changes in the end. HBO fucked us over cutting this show's budget and ending it at season 5. They 100% wanted to do a season 6, it would have focused new Hispanic population coming in town around that time. If go over eastside now, there are a ton of Honduran, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan immigrants, so it would have been cool to see their take on it. Last thing, I don't think there is any way Marlo ends up with Stringer's dream, lol. He ain't interested in the business side, he's ignorant of how it works, and he's young. String and Avon are like 35 when they die/get locked up. Marlo's probably ten years younger and he's headstrong. He can't away from the game anymore than Avon could. This dude ain't gonna be a developer, lol.
mbds
2023-07-26 01:53:56 +0000 UTCI bet Stringer would love if he was facing jail time and was told by Levy that he could just be a businessman now. Hell he would like that even if wasnât facing jail time!
Eric Posin
2023-07-26 01:43:29 +0000 UTCMarlo in the end would have had on a silver platter what Stringer had always been after, but what Marlo wanted was what Omar had, recognition on the street. Everyone knew who Omar was by sight, but nobody knows who Marlo is, and that galls him because he's all up in arms about his name.
celilmandir
2023-07-26 00:04:10 +0000 UTCfor once i don't have hella shit to say lmao, just that it was a good run and i hope y'all love the wire even a fraction of the amount i do.
Kiana B.
2023-07-25 22:47:54 +0000 UTCAnd the game goes on. The pieces move and rearrange and change, but it's all in the game yo.....I feel like I could go a few paragraphs but I'll just leave it at that -- really enjoyed your reactions!
Craig Manning
2023-07-25 22:12:40 +0000 UTCDisappointed y'all didn't notice Sydnor was talking to the judge that McNulty would always go to get things done. And yeah they got Kenard for the Omar murder, that was Michael Crutchfield (Homicide police) that picked him up.
M Salam
2023-07-25 20:48:00 +0000 UTCCanât live any other way, but he has no recourse. How can he get back in the game? He had the most fearsome muscle; now theyâre all dead or in jail. He had the connect; now he sold it and we saw the Greeks telling Slim and Rick they only want to deal directly with them much like they did with Marlo. He took over leadership of the co-op; now not only do the members not need him for supply, he probably has a lot of enemies for how he did Joe and promptly upped the price on the rest of them. The cops couldnât get him for a long while; now they have a whole case they can prosecute if he ever gets back in. Shit, as smart as he was he got lucky in the war vs Avon; they had the drop on him at the end and if the cops showed up 10 minutes later Avon wouldâve gotten Marlo and Chris both.
John Collins
2023-07-25 19:38:28 +0000 UTCbefore hbo switched to just max, they included the prequal shorts with season 5. looks like they forgot. smh
Edward
2023-07-25 19:08:47 +0000 UTCI'd like to see a poll on whether people think Marlo's last scene is his farewell to the street, or a sign that he can't live any other way. I always interpreted it as the latter. Avon: "Just a gangster, I suppose." Also Marlo telling Prop Joe that if he lets him go, Joe would be back up to some mischief in no time.
Wes
2023-07-25 19:02:48 +0000 UTCI think what happened at the end underlined that the serial killer scheme was doomed in the long run. At the end of the day, Levy was going to smell a rat once he realised they broke the clock code so quickly, and they would have had some explaining to do once the case got to court. They were super fortunate that Lester went on his side mission to catch the courthouse leak, which they were then able to use as leverage against Levy. Meanwhile, the only reason they were able to provide any closure on the serial killer case itself was due to the emergence of copycat killer, who just happened to be a) someone McNulty was already familiar with and could easily track down and b) a mentally ill homeless guy. Honestly, I think it turned out better for all concerned that Kima snitched. It gave everybody a chance to come up with contingency plans and squash the story before it blew up in their faces later on.
prolifik5
2023-07-25 19:01:56 +0000 UTC"13 years and 4 months" was how long Lester was in exile in the Pawn Shop Unit. Brolik is correct about the 20 years. With regards to Nerese and Valchek, remember the big thing was the white mayor firing a black Commish and replacing him with a white one. Not an issue with a black mayor bringing in Valchek as acting Commish (which funnily enough he suggested to Carcetti a few episodes ago).
prolifik5
2023-07-25 18:38:56 +0000 UTCI told you guys they would stick the landing. Whatever issues some of us might have with this season, we wouldn't be calling this the GOAT TV show if it ended on some GoT bullshit. đ
prolifik5
2023-07-25 18:24:56 +0000 UTCThat was definitely the intention.
prolifik5
2023-07-25 17:37:01 +0000 UTCAfter Cheese gives up Butchie to Marlo, Joe prepares to skip town. Before he does he tells Slim he suspects Cheese too, but wonât move on him until heâs absolutely sure. He instructs Slim to watch Cheese while heâs gone, reasoning that if Cheese has money from turning in Butchie heâll show it off before long and then theyâll know. In the finale, Cheese volunteers to put up 900K to buy into the connection, and they all question where he got that kind of money. I always thought Slim killed him a minute later simply âfor Joeâ as he said, but the added detail of Slim following Joeâs instructions by waiting for Cheese to show extra money escaped me for a long while. Slim was a real one.
John Collins
2023-07-25 15:26:01 +0000 UTCCould they be showing Sydnor is the new McNulty ? ⊠that looked similar to season 1 starting off with McNulty jumping chain of command talking to that judge
Aaron M
2023-07-25 15:22:09 +0000 UTCSo I'm at work and haven't had a chance to listen to your analysis yet, but I have been chomping at the bit about something Formal said way back in 4x2. His first real opinion of Michael was that he "had a code" and I was like bro no way is he this good. I might have more to comment later, but that blew my mind a few months back. You two are just the goddamn goats - looking forward to seeing Fargo for the first time.
ShaneSpear
2023-07-25 14:37:08 +0000 UTCFor what the title means, "-30-" is used by newspaper journalists to indicate the end of a story or article that is ready for editing. Usually used when writing on deadline and you are sending little pieces of the story at a time to get it in to your editor. So that is the appropriate title for the final episode of a show where you have many different pieces that all add up to a bigger story. As the man Lester Freeman said, "...all the pieces matter."
C Perry
2023-07-25 13:14:17 +0000 UTCWatched the whole series a couple times now, itâs great and thereâs always something new to pick up on rewatch but it loses some of its zip over time knowing whatâs going to happen and all. Watching again with yâall reminded me of watching every Sunday with my friends back in the day, so thanks for that, really enjoyed it and appreciate yâallâs hard work
John Collins
2023-07-25 12:43:12 +0000 UTCWatching in real time with my friends, starting from when he killed the security guard, then from what he did to Randy and killing Joe, we were all begging to see Marlo get popped or locked up for life and were beyond pissed when neither happened. Took me a long time to realize Marlo wouldâve preferred either of those outcomes over his ultimate fate: out of the game, no muscle, isnât needed by anyone now that he sold the Greek connect, in a room he doesnât wanna be in full of people looking to take his money like they did Stringer, remembered only by those who think he was too afraid to step to a gay man hobbling around Baltimore on a crutch calling him weak. Real Twilight Zone shit right there.
John Collins
2023-07-25 12:21:34 +0000 UTC
