The Wire, Episode 52 "Unconfirmed Reports"

I don't want to come across as the thread tzar, but I'd like to propose we discuss the episodes individuallly, on seperate threads (like we did with the Sopranos) so that we don't ruin it for some people who don't have OnDemand and can't watch the episode until Sunday.

This thread is for the second episode of season 5, No. 52, "Unconfirmed Reports."

(I haven't seen this yet and am still trying to find some time to weigh in on Ep. 51, so I'll see you here in a few days.)

And while we're at it, remember what Mencken said:

"As I look back over a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings."

 

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!







I both enjoyed and was enraged by the juxtaposition of the reporter making up a story and McNulty making up a murder. The preview of Episode 53 definitely makes it seem that those two points play a major part in the season. Also, the scene between Marlo and Avon made the entire episode an A+.

 

I gotta say, Gus would be my dream editor. I really like that character. I just hope something awful doesn't happen to him.

 

I love that quote.

Episode 52 was a dandy, but it kind of veered into TV land for me as opposed to being a docudrama. The part about the reporter I get, but what McNulty did seemed a little over the top for real life even though I dig that he crossed himself before he did the deed.
Tivo tip time: During the open, slow down the show and read the newspaper headlines. Some interesting stuff is hidden there.

 

Gotta say.... the McNulty finish did ring out of character. One dissonant pluck of the string in what was damned close to a perfect arrangement in 52.

 

Finally saw ep. 52.

Scott's character apparently is being used as an indictment of the long narrative style of journalism that... well, let's be honest, many of the people here salivate over.

Once again, the editorial meetings on this show really strike a chord with me. The meeting in the season premiere hit rather close to home, and the one in this episode--as well as Scott's "real tearjerker" of a story--is reminiscent of my comment that the APSEs need to reserve a special category for stories about double amputees and cancer victims.

And what the fuck kind of a street name is E.J.?

 

I watched this one earlier tonight. Somebody help me out here, what's McNulty's motivation for making that dead dude look like a homicide? I'm not following what was happening...maybe I didn't catch a little of the dialogue there when they came into the house?

 

He and Bunk and Freeman were talking in the bar, the night before or so, about how they needed some high profile murders or something to get OT paid and some funding back for the police department. I guess feeling a little desperate for some action, he took matters into his own hands, in a manner of speaking. He does it again and, viola, serial killer.

Like Simon and Jay said, though, it did seem a little desperate. Though McNulty's been near the edge before - faking some wiretap documentation, the whole business with the woman who fell off the boat in Season Two - it's always been in the interest of furthering a case. This one went farther, though, and with relatively little provocation.

 

As best I can tell, this is McNulty's way of getting the cops to get some money. I think that's why he mentioned the serial killer thing with the implication that a killer on the loose would yield some action from City Hall in terms of getting the cops some financial support to do the police work that McNulty always rails about. I was disappointed in McNulty but I get the feeling that's how they want us to feel about him with that and his sleeping around and drinking again.

The scene with Avon and Marlo was teriffic. I loved Avon's "West side representin'" speech even though it was so obviously transparent that he'd like nothing more than to see Marlo back involved in a full scale war.

Did anyone else think Marlo, for the first time in the show's history, actually looked a little scared or spooker when Avon came walking out? I'm not saying he was about to piss himself or something, but the calm and cool Marlo seemed to vanish if only for a minute.

 

what i don't get is that there was a cop there already who saw the guy. it's not like it was just mcnulty and bunk who've seen him and the state he was in. I agree, the whole thing just seemed to come out of left field...although you're probably right that that's why he did what he did.

 

The original officer doesn't write the incident report or the Commander's log, McNulty says he'll do the paper work. The only one who will ever know who the original officer is on the scene will be anyone who gets the dispatchers log and radio call run. If they look closely enough at the log, they may discover the on scene officer's ID#, if they really, really realy are doing there job, they'll interview him and he'll say he discovered the body and called homicide.

Who would talk to him? The defense attorney. What defense attorney? Exactly, this case will never be solved and no one will be arrested because McNulty is the assigned detective. Unless of course, McNulty gets someone to confess and then Bunk takes on McNulty. But there are only 8 more episodes.

 

McNulty choked the guy to make it look like he was strangled. Remember the scene in the morgue with the woman from the county/state? The drug victim had bruising around his neck from the paramedics when they pulled him from behind the toilet/sink. The ME wanted to call it a homicide, but the cop there was all pissed off b/c it was an OD. he tried to get the FBI involved, but the mayor ruined that, so that is where the Serial killer came into play.....Just a theory.