The Wire

Episode 12 (plot heavy resolving a lot of narrative strands)

Keema ‘good police’ has been severely wounded

McNulty blames himself. Admits it is about himself but self pitying and gets drunk. Male reaction. Not strength but weakness, self pity.

Explodes the myth of the convention of the crime drama. Good cop vs villain
‘ A moment de-constructing the mythic pursuit of the bad guy. (David Simon)
Moral crusade personal him and me. Stringer and McNulty but explodes the whole narrative. McNulty has caused the problem with his vanity and ego. Asking what is the point ?

Bodie. His narrative arc is beginning. See his journey from the pit …
Learning the game and the chain of command. Moves above Wallis and gives him advice. If he’s coming back he starts at the bottom as he can’t run at the sight of blood.
Can’t turn down a promotion.
‘In any job if you turn down a promotion you have got one foot out the door’


Detail of the operation like a well run and organised business. American dream.

13 hours of television longer than the Godfather. Intricacies of character and narrative. Prolonged investigation follow the whole proves and feel involved so a lot closer.

Maurice Levy Jewish lawyer stereotypical.

Every ethic group in America is reviled and held in contempt by the other..not the melting pot of myth but the corrupt and seething mass of American life rubbing up against each other trying to make a living
Doesn’t pull punches calls him ‘that Jew lawyer’ Difficult line shows that writers unwilling to compromise
Thin line between legality and corruption but ethically wrong

Lieutenant Daniels has paid into the account held himself taut and supported the chain of command but now playing game on own terms.
Acts with his eyes
Can see how power corrupts. Chain of command.
Stands up to his superiors. Burrell brings up his past. Blackmail. Shows how it works. This was pre-figured in episode 3 but had to see clues that Daniel has a history.
Like a novel. Nothing incidental. ‘Ask your audience to commit on a different level’
Good writing Daniels speech understands the system and stands up to it
‘you’d rather live in shit then let the world see you work a shovel’

Senator is the most corrupt. Daniels upsets him so abuses his power to demote him. Daniels knows he is committing career suicide.

Can see if you follow the money then can see where the illegality goes. Drug dealers fair game bt the lawyers , bankers, politicians are the real mennace to society and get away with the white collar crime which drives and allows the lower level criminality. Officials giving money back. Obviously tainted money.

Minimalism of the acting.

Moral currency of the life of Wallis. He is a key character that we warm to. Lost in the pit looking after children. Father figure in his teens. Acting that evokes empathy. Criminal but human and can see how he is corrupted as he has no options. Has to play the game and hard to get out. Becomes his family. D’Angelo is his parallel but he is in too deep. D tries to help him, advises him no loose talk, no second thoughts no snitching, stand by your people. History of America and the variety of groups that inhabiting it. West-side is his home. Foreboding for him. Audience has a sense of dread.
Police have let him down. He is the real victim here.
Mother alcoholic has abandoned him
‘I’ll slap the bright out his eyes’
Affects Daniels shows the human cost. ‘Poor kid ‘ McNulty and Bunk more worried about the case. Shows loss of humanity and the affect police work has nullifying emotion.

Family in America and the family of the wider community. American values of individualism and looking after your own. Barksdale family clan. Tied to the history of different ethnic groups colonising America.

Food is central to the cop drama. The scene is an homage to that. Doughnuts and coffee.
Witness who changed her story in the first episode. Ambitious as need the audience to remember who she was and to recognise that Barksdale is clearing up. 10 seconds but again a clue that a hard working audience can pick up on.

Novelistic. Chapters with numerous clues and plot developments creating a rich and dense text. Can’t dip in like in a book or start in the middle. Follow the development over time.
“a novel for television’

80’s projects ‘unpoliceable’ and untenable so have been pulled down recently.

Mid level management js tricky like Daniels and the police the gang has the same issues
Stuck between a rock and a hard place

Lester Freamon becomes central. First episodes he was in the background. Strong writing and ambitious. Slow character development. Mentors Presbolowski. He becomes useful.

Hardest scene to write.. never filmed anything more disturbing’

The big king pin does not look like a stereotypical gansta rap video. Shows it’s a myth, too bright for that. Attracts attention if bling. Avon Barksdale is low key we don’t even see him until middle episodes.

Episodic tv means that stars dictate the action they need main time. Here they allow good actors to even out all the action so no one character that dominates. No stars so the plot can develop ad each character can grow.

We think D’Angelo will be the main narrative drive then McNulty then…The characters grow and the actors inhabot the roles and maintain their roles. D’Angelo explodes in this episode at Stringer Bell and we can feel the raw emotion which was unscripted and can feel the pent up emotion of someone feeling the emotion. Cathartic for him.

Playing with convention on arrest of the kingpins
‘Look as these Delta Force…’ reality is not the big bust but the compromise

The stairs scene parallels the Wallis scene down to the nod

No dialogue when the case links the money with the politicians. “if you get it you get it’
In a conventional drama they will explain.

Left thinking is it all worth it. Is Wallis or Keema worth the pay off. Not personal all a game. Reality is much more mundane than fiction of conventional narratives.