The Wire S05E10 "-30-"

They've already got to the Mayor with this thing?

I appreciate that Kima was the one to rat, because it's the first action she's taken that's really affected other characters. But I wish they'd built up her motivation a bit more.

This courthouse leak thing could maybe have been more interesting.

Why didn't they offer Rawls a State Police position earlier?

Oh good! We do get to see Prez this season

 He's got a beard!

I want to believe Dukie, but I just don't.

Oooh, Jay is going to be pissed if he finds out and nobody told him.

I think this elevator CCTV camera shot may have been the only camera footage shot this season.

Oh! Is Templeton going to kill this guy??

The two things about the newspaper arc that I like are Gus and the story being written about Bubs.

He's not a bad lawyer, I'll give him that.

"You got paid, too." Rawls has a point.

Another dead cop? Who's this one?

Oh, is it McNulty? Cute.

Oh Lester still is from that woman from the first season.

Where's Kima? Why wasn't she at the wake?

Is anything else going to happen, or are the last 20 minutes all epilogue?

Nice moment between Daniels and Carver.

So who's the acting commissioner?? Landsman?

Hahahhahaha, Valchek is the commissioner? Ha.

So what happens to McNulty?

The Wire S05E10 "Late Editions"

Are there roller coaster shots in the opening credits just because of that ONE amusement park scene? They don't go back there?

"Be creative, gentlemen." Bunny was creative. That didn't work out too well for him.

Nobody told Marlo that Omar was calling him out??

Marlo's "My name is my name" scene is the most fired up I've seen him and the most I've given a shit about him.

Namond?? He sure cleaned himself up!

I don't like the goatee on Bunny.

Is Kima going to rat out everyone?

Is Bubs going to speak about Sherrod?

Bubbles is one of the most consistently compelling characters on the show.

If Michael gets killed, will that leave Dukie to take care of Bug? Or will he have to go back to his mom?

I do like that Snoop asked how her hair looked before she got shot.

Was I ever supposed to care about Michael?

So is the finale going to be all fallout from stuff that just came up this season? It seems like all of the long plots have been wrapped up already.

The Wire S05E08 "Clarifications"

Oh don't look so smug, McNulty.

I thought the story about the vet was the one true thing that Scott wrote.

!!!!!!!!!!
Who the hell is this kid that just shot Omar?????

That's it? Omar's dead? Who was that kid??

Oh, Scott embellished. Of course, Omar just got shot and then they cut over to this bullshit and I couldn't care at all about this newspaper.

(Well, Gus is all right.)

So the only way to make Kima relateable is to make her a womanizer like McNulty?

There are only a couple episodes left, so where are they going with this serial killer thing? Will McNulty get caught?

Even The Wire falls into the trap of making the FBI look like buffoons to make the police look better.

Sigh. Omar's murder doesn't even get a write-up in the paper.

So far, the only people they've shown being negatively affected by the serial killer thing is the alleged victims' families.

The Wire S05E07 "Took"

I'm just not really buying this serial killer thing.

I don't care about Clay Davis enough to see all this stuff about his trial.

YAAAAYYYYY!!!!! IT'S MUNCH!!!!!

Is that it??? Is that the extent of the Munch cameo??

Omar just hobbles on up and they don't see him coming.

The Wire S05E06 "The Dickensian Aspect"

Hey! It's whatsisface! Sobotka! I was hoping he (or someone) would make an appearance.

Reporter's gonna keep making shit up, and fucking up McNulty.

Yeesh. Good speech, Carcetti.

Haha. "No connection" between the serial killer and the bodies in the vacants.

Daniels is good on his feet.

I would love to see Bunk get Marlo, just by ol' fashioned detective work.

What did Daniels just hand to Ronnie?

Marlo is going to find it hard to run this co-op, I think.

And with that, Marlo has disbanded Stringer Bell's legacy.

McNulty is such a baby.

I think McNulty may have convinced himself that there actually is a serial killer.

Don't put this on Lester, McNulty. You're not wrong, but don't shift the blame.

If McNulty kills that homeless guy I'm done.

It makes it believable when they use abbreviations to talk to each other. "PC" instead of "Probable Cause"

Is any of the stuff they get on Marlo going to be admissable??

The Wire S05E05 "React Quotes"

Apropos of a Facebook conversation I'm having: Snoop is a strong female, but she is not a strong character. Ergo, she is not a strong female character.

Remember when Stringer Bell wanted to put a hit on Clay Davis? Ah, memories!

Dukie got tall.

Surely the lawyer realizes that his new client came at the life of his old client, right?

I feel like *I* could talk more convincingly about serial killers than McNulty.

"How do you get from here to the rest of the world?" Ohhhh Dukie. Prez was trying to get you there! Going to high school is how you get to the rest of the world!

"Where am I going to find homeless people?" Seriously, guy?

This is backfiring, McNulty. Now the budget is being spent in the wrong places.

Aww, Herc just wants to make it up to Carver.

Is there Carver/Herc slashfic out there? (Have I already asked that?)

Michael is teaching Dukie to shoot. This is not going to lead anywhere good. Who's gonna get shot? Bug?

Sigh. This guy just keeps making shit up. But that's okay, because the serial killed is made up too.

Missing your kid's school play? Pretty cliche, McNulty.

Huh. Elena isn't all that smug about this.

Bubs' sponsor is such a good guy.

A few seasons ago Bunk said that Jimmy is at his best when he's working a case. Now he tells Beadie that working a case makes him worse.

Is that Royce talking on Davis' behalf? Why??

I guess I was onto something about both the reporter and McNulty making things up?

Hahahaha, now McNulty and the Reporter have each other's number.

Herc already got in trouble for a fake CI.

The Wire S05E04 "Transitions"

"Out of respect for the man's [Omar's] skill-set..." I love the way Prop Joe talks.

Whatever happened to whatever they were putting up were the towers went down?

Carver looks gooooood in that uniform.

It's nice to see how Marlo slowly comes to respect Prop Joe.

Every new person in a position of power (Mayor, Police Commissioner) gets told by a predecessor that the job involves eating shit.

The Wire, or, Men Talking About The Good Old Days of Being (Police, a Gangster, a Newspaper Reporter, a Union Worker, a Politician, a Schoolteacher)

Oh hey, it's Herc!

So is Kima babysitting just for practice talking to kids?

I bet Elena would get a smug satisfaction out of seeing Jimmy fall into his old ways.

This episode is about things that *mean* something. (Herc's discussion with Carver, Prop Joe about his (grand?)parent's house).

Marlo also seems colder than the other gangsters because he keeps killing these characters we know and love.

The Wire S05E03 "Not for Attribution"

I do not understand how Jimmy can entertain this idea.

If she gets it free at the office, why go to buy it at the convenience store?

Oh, so that's why there was a roller coaster in the opening credits.

These newspaper guys kind of reinforce the series' theme of downtrodden guys working for bureaucratic institutions that are systematically broken.

Uh oh, is Butch gonna get killed?

The Wire S05E02 "Unconfirmed Reports"

"The game's rigged" Was it Bodie that said that to McNulty?

Whatever happened to Lester's CI lady friend from the first season?

"I don't want some amorphous series detailing societies ills." Is that some sort of meta-commentary on the show?

I think this reporter Scott is played by someone who played a bad guy in Law & Order, so he seems extra sleazy.

Avon! Long time, no see!

What the hell is Jimmy trying to achieve?

The Wire S05E01 "More With Less"

From this intro it looks like we're going more digital. Internet n' stuff!

I like the visuals on this intro, but I'm not crazy about this version of the song.

Is there anyone left from the Barksdale days? Poot?

When did Carver get promoted?

Oh, well it's been a year.

Are take-home cars that common?

Newsroom, eh? Let's look at another bureaucratic institution!

Hey! It's Gale!

They send the novice lady reporter to go to the strip club to threaten a drug dealer?

Are we going to see more of Prez this season?

"I wonder what it feels like to work in a real fucking police department" Who said that in an earlier season?

Herc is working for the mob lawyer?

The Wire S04E13 "Final Grades"

I love Landsman's "Homicide" lanyard.

Why does everyone use and abandon Bubbles??

NO!!! Bubbles!!!!! How the hell did he hang himself???? :(

Oh good, he's alive.

Ha. Nice epigraph (and attribution).

This really illustrates what a massacre drug violence is.

Why does Lester want Herc?

Come on, Landsman. Do right by Bubbles. You're his last chance. Take action. Do something.

No, don't just cut him loose. Come on.

Ohhhh, Lester needs Herc because he saw the nail gun.

"Kids don't vote." Come on, Carcetti. You're better than that.

Greeks? Are the Greeks back??

Omar is a likeable character because he's cheeky, daring, and he has a code.

Ooooh, McNulty wants in on this. He's not going to be able to resist this one.

Ha. The Greeks ARE back.

Does Marlo's organization have a lawyer?

Is McNulty going to find out that Bodie killed Wallace?

Chess metaphor - nice throwback to D in the first season.

Bodie lasted a long time.

Carcetti and Bunny haven't met yet, have they? I'd like to see what they could do together.

I've never seen Bunny so nervous.

Oh man, this episode is extra long.

Marlo seems more cold blooded because he's got no "family" feel to his gang, I think. He murders people with very little proof. He's got no loyalty.

The Wire S04E12 "That's Got His Own"

Marlo's hits seem so much more cold-blooded than Avon's hits were. Is it because they're so explicitly and thoroughly premeditated?

Wait, is this Michael shooting Chris??

Oh it's paintball.

I'm surprised that vacant building was dry enough for the body to mummify like that.

Why is Landsman ripping Lester a new one? Aren't bodies Lester finds no longer Landsman's responsibility?

If the schools have such a funding issue, then Carcetti should be all for academic research grants for school programs (ie, Bunny's program), right?

Is "Farmer in the Dell" the only song Omar knows?

I don't particularly trust Renaldo, but I don't think I'd enjoy being Omar's chauffeur either if he were my boyfriend.

Poor Marimow. It must be tough to be so hated.

Oh Herc. You don't even know how lucky you are that you still have a job. Not to mention the stripes.

I kind of want to be a forensic accountant. Sifting through a paper trail actually sounds like fun to me.

Why is the $50mil school debt just in the papers now? It's not new news.

Oh no, Bubbles. Who are you going to kill?

I kind of like the principal. She's no-nonsense.

Prez's doing sex ed now?

Lex wasn't even a drug murder.

I love Freddie in this role. (Er, the actor who plays Freddie on House of Cards. What's his name? Reg Cathey?)

Dukie's smart with computers. Nowadays he COULD drop out of school and get a good job.

I like Randy's foster mom. I hope Randy doesn't get killed.

Oh no. Sherrod isn't going to wake up, is he.

Did the guy who plays Bubbles get any awards for this role?

Did Daniels let Rawls have that one (putting the stats on Royce) on purpose?

"It's another bright idea" I love that Bunny recognizes that he's kind of a radical.

Oh shit! Fire bombing??

Oh shit. I thought it would be Randy that got hurt in the attack. It was his foster mom?? She was a good lady.

This episode is heavy.

The Wire S04E11 "A New Day"

Also, last episode: Bodie was upset that Fat Kevin got killed. Does he not remember that time he killed Wallace?

That officer that broke the kid's fingers is the one that oughta get fired. The kids should report him.

Why do I feel like Cedric is ultimately going to get screwed? Things have been going too smoothly for him.

Ohhhh, this is a bad plan, kids.

Hahaha, I like this thing Carcetti is doing to get the departments moving.

Is it just because he's Littlefinger that I keep thinking I'm not supposed to like Carcetti?

Has Rawls still not picked up that he's not next in line for commissioner?

Well now he gets it.

Herc is great and all, but he really keeps screwing up. It's time for him to go.

Who was that that Lester was looking up?

Does Herc even have any idea of all the shit he's stirred up?

Bunny needs City Hall to sign off on his radical plan? Fat chance.

Ooooh they're about to find all them bodies....

That final shot of Bunk in front of the vacants is nice.

The Wire S04E10 "Misgivings"

I don't really trust Omar's new boyfriend.

This Clay Davis is one corrupt fuck.

Herccccccc. Stop ignoring Bubbles!!!

I like how Colvin looks mostly just amused by Namond calling him in.

Prop Joe is engineering SOMEthing.

Oh Bubbles. Good one. Herc is going to be in deep trouble.

So Mrs. Daniels did win.

Burrell is out. What does he care who gets the job?

What?? When did McNulty's kids get so big???

This is a pretty brutal beating. As the audience, we're meant to trust Michael that this man is a bad guy, but we haven't actually seen evidence of that. (And Chris seems to be taking it personally.)

This would sit with me better if Michael had tried talking to a social worker first. But maybe that's the point? The title of the episode IS "Misgivings," after all.

The Wire S04E09 "Know Your Place"

Guys. "Little" could be ironic.

Bunk is at his most interesting when he's interacting with Omar.

They're going to steal Prez's credit card, aren't they.

Aww, they're applying what they learned in Prez's class to a real world situation...gambling...

Why do I feel like Herc isn't going to keep his promise to Bubs?

I thought Kima and Cheryl (is it Cheryl?) got back together? When did they break up again?

Awwww, Prez has really reached these kids.

Oh no. Is Bubbles going to get killed between now and tomorrow??

So will this dinner be all feel-good or a disaster scene?

I love that Bunny isn't telling them how to act at all. Just letting them react and do what they do.

I think I've said it before, but I really like Ronnie and Cedric as a couple.

Did we find out yet if Cedric's wife won her race?

Uh oh. Is Michael going to have his father hit?

The Wire S04E08 "Corner Boys

People still said "Audi" in 200whenever?

That's bold, Kima. Saying "fuck that" to the mayor elect and telling him to make a new pot.

The murder board has more names on it when there were the dead girls in the can, and that was supposed to seem like a lot.

Omar was smart to point to the fact that if he didn't do it, whoever did is still out there.

It's nice to see that even murder detectives have downtime. (I type as I watch this at work. Shhhh.)

Man, I hated fractions.

Is Bunny using this classroom as his own personal gangster focus group?

Prop Joe is pretty good at those fake accents.

I really don't like Namond's mother. (Obviously.)

Does Commissioner guy (what's his name again?) not know that he's on the way out?

Now he does.

The Wire S04E07 "Unto Others"

I like Carver a lot. He's had a lot of development.

"This ain't for me," says Cutty. Just like he said about being a gangster. So what IS for you, Cutty?

Ohhhhhh that teacher is Cutty's ex. That's why she looked so familiar

Aww, look! Prez is making a difference! He's reaching the kids!

Poor Bubbles :(

The Wire S04E06 "Margin of Error"

I remember studying this chapter of Exodus in school!

Y'know? The Freddy scandal was maybe the worst part of the second season of House of Cards. Why escalate that? They take a good character that people like and give him more screen time, but just run him to the ground.

Oh, Prez. You can't save 'em all.

Randy's foster mother seems like a decent lady.

Oh Randy. He's just always wrong place wrong time.

Namond's mother is awwwwwful.

But isn't this just a primary?

Did Cedric's ex win?

Aw, man. I was hoping Littlefinger wouldn't sleep with his campaign strategist lady. How fucking obvious is that. Bo-ring. Oh good. He's not. Man, Teresa doesn't think very highly of men.

The Wire S04E05 "Alliances"

Why is Bubbles bothering with Sherrod?

I love the look on Prez's face when he's like "I can't believe I"m letting my student break into my car for me." And I also love that the student looks both ways to check if anyone is coming, just out of habit.

Why is Kima taking this so personally? She should know better.

Wait, how did Marlo figure out they're being filmed?

Randy is like a Bubbles-in-training.

I wonder if Prop Joe, or any of these guys, vote. Did Stringer Bell used to vote? He strikes me as the voting type.

Oh kidlings. Why are you going looking for bodies?

The Wire S04E04 "Refugees"

Is this the first time we've seen Prez's wife?

That was some pretty weak hazing of Kima.

Hahaha, they're playing Ridin' Dirty in the rims dealership.

"Ain't no 'bout adoubt it" did Bubble just say?

Good thing everybody's transferred to Homicide. That will be useful when all those bodies in the abandoned building show up.

I want to know more about Bubbles' past.

So what's the deal with Michael? Everyone is interested in this kid.