The Wire: Episode 54 "Transition"

I saw that more as a taunt.

Great episode. Best of the year so far.
Once again, someone who's trying to change the game gets whacked. It is remorseless, and Marlo is the embodiment of that. I was a bit surprised how easily the Greek gave up Joe, but I guess he saw Marlo for what he is - relentless - and figured he'd adjust to the new reality. It's cold out there, man.
And I guess that leaves us just Omar from the old school, the guys with a code. He and Slim, anyway. Wouldn't be surprised at all if they team up. And methinks the days of Cheese are numbered.
Was nice to see Beadie call out McNulty, too, even if he wasn't listening.

 

I'll have more thoughts later, but as to why the Greek would cozy up to Marlo, let me offer this:

Zeke has pointed out that The Greek is the purest embodiment of capitalism on the show. Marlo may be a close second. Both are ruthless, cold individuals who lay waste to all that they touch. Joe, rest his soul, represents the small business owner who actually tries to do right by his people. The Co-Op is essentially socialism. Everyone is given a chance to profit and thrive because there is plenty of money to go around. That's not what Marlo, The Greek -- or this country -- are about. It's about the most ruthless mutherfucker winning the day until someone even more ruthless comes along to wear the crown. The Greek and Marlo Standfield are kindred spirits.

Prop Joe was probably my favorite character, so I am a sad, sad Wire fan today. The scene where Joe fixes the toaster is one of my favorites in the whole series, and a metaphor for everything the show is about. Even his final words to his nephew before the betrayal -- about one of the first black man to own his own home in the Johnsonville (?) area was Simon/Burns attempt to show Joe represented something decent, and that the game no longer had use for him.

I enjoy how the entire fifth season contains tiny echos to seasons past, just like a novel would. The brief glimpse of Johnny Fifty -- once a working class regular -- rendered homeless by the port's decline was chilling, yet a perfect reminder that this entire universe is so expertly connected. Just as Joe's line about Burrell being "a year ahead of me at Dunbar" did as well.

I really liked Carver and Herc's scene, btw. But more later.

 

Indeed. Marlo is ruthless capitalism on the street, homegrown, if you will, through neglect. The Greek is ruthless global capitalism, the devil we make a deal with for the short-term gain. Together they lay waste to the foundations of our great cities, of our society.
What caught me, though, was Vondas. He's got a soft spot, reluctant to give up Joe as he'd been reluctant to give up the Sobotkas. But the Greek overrules. Perhaps I'm overanalyzing here, but it is interesting that, in the street, each generation is more ruthless than the one that came before. While the Greeks move in the other direction.
But, yes, very sad to see Joe go. He had class. And it's funny, just before that scene, Mrs. Irish was commenting on how just about every character is so messed up. And I said, not Prop Joe. He's not messed up. But then, that's why he got killed, isn't it.

 

I agree...Cheese is just too dumb to see it. There's no way Marlo lets him in his inner circle, and of course he can't be trusted.

It actually makes me wonder about Levy, too. Marlo and his crew are sociopaths...will they take it that far?

And I gotta believe, Investiagtive unit or not, Kima, McNulty, Freamon and co. have to take notice in Ep. 5 when Prop Joe and Hungry Man's bodies are found.

 

I really enjoy the scenes where the Greeks come back into the show and I have kinda missed them since the entire season was wrapped around them.

I was very surprised when Marlo actually took care of Pop Joe... I thought Joe was supposed to be like the Godfather of Baltimore drug and gang life.

The newspaper scenes are getting better and better and I think it did a great job on the subject of hiring a new reporter. Giving him a shoot but informing him that he needed more substance and some more quality features before the post would give him a shoot. I bet this will be a big arc in the season as he does everything in his power to get those features and leave the Sun for the post by causing a scandal when he gets busted for writing fake stories made up just to get the gig at the post.

 

If you have this episode on Tivo, watch Marlo's eyes after Prop Joe is shot.

Has Marlo ever pulled a trigger? I might be totally missing something here, but I cannot remember him ever holding a gun. Is this like The Dude never bowling?

Oh, the pigeons Marlo used to keep. They fly away, but always come back. I think that is the underlying theme in all of this; so many of these people can leave, but they return to the street and it eventually kills them.

Carver reminding Herc about his fuck up was pretty sobering as well. Herc thought it was no big deal, but Carver knew it probably cost that boy his life. Everything is important.

Do you think we will see Prez again since it was a teacher that got roughed up?

 

I saw The Greek in Michael Clayton today.

 

He shot the woman he fucked in the backseat of the truck in Season 3. He also did target practice last season.

 

Thanks Doc.

His reaction at the end made me feel like he is a cold killer, but he does not like getting his own hands dirty.

Where was Snoop for this? I think her not being there is important.

 

God knows I love ya, DD. And God knows David Simon may agree with you, but I respectfully think you're both off base. Surely Joe's take on the game was much more capitalistic -- in the true sense of the word -- than Marlo's.

Joe's great insight, like Michael Corleone's, was that violence costs money (and, worse than that, that violence costs opportunities for making money). The co-op was a means of maximizing income by lowering overhead costs for things like security and muscle while making sure everyone could hang onto their corners and no one had to stop selling in order to fight.

It's absolutely a capitalistic enterprise. If it was socialist, he'd give them the package for free; he's certainly not doing that. The co-op isn't any more socialist than the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Marlo's approach, and the Greek's, is monopolist and mercantilist. They seek autarky and dominance at the expense of innovation and competition. That's not capitalism, and it's certainly not what "this country" is about, as Sergey Brin and Larry Page -- among hundreds of thousands of others -- can tell you.

I'll miss Joe. So, I think, will the streets of Baltimore, East and West.

P.S. - How great was Joe's line to Herc about Burrell being "stone stupid?" Fantastic.

 

Some excellent points, MW.

I always enjoy it when you drop some knowledge and make me look at things differently.

 

You're too kind, DD. I've been too busy to spend much time reading SportsJournalists.com this Wire season, and I've missed your insights.

And again, I think your interpretation of Marlo and the Greek is probably precisely the point Simon is trying to make. I just wanted to toss in my two cents.

The point STL made about Vondas seeming "softer" (obviously, it's all relative) than The Greek is a very good one, and I wonder what it really means. I'm sure the juxtaposition with Joe's comments about the younger generation having "lost" perspective (I'm paraphrasing from his final exchange with Cheese) isn't accidental.

P.S. - Again, I haven't been reading the board much recently, and I apologize if this has already been brought up. I want to make sure everyone was aware of the very interesting Wire talk on the NYT's "Freakonomics" blog:

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/what-do-real-thugs-think-of-the-wire/