The Wire: Episode 51

So your man is back in StL, officially serving his week of solitary confinement. As excited as you are to know that you will have a post to look forward to here every day this week, I'm a little less than thrilled to spend the next five days in my apartment alone, holding my dick (and that's when I'm not sitting at a desk getting paid with your parents' tax money to do the same thing). I spent all of last night watching basic cable and talking to people online like it was a weeknight in middle school again (come on, don't front).

I actually saw this episode several days ago at my Mom's house when it appeared on ondemand, because I knew I wouldn't have access to HBO where I'm at. I thought about discussing it then, but I knew a lot of people hadn't seen it yet and I didn't want to spoil anything. Unfortunately, my $160,000+ brain has failed to retain a lot of plot of the episode, so this will be watered down from what you might have read here if I had written last Thursday when it was still fresh in my mind. My bad. I am (clearly) not a journalist nor a TV critic, so I'm just going to post some of my thoughts as though you give a shit (Note: I've revealed several plot details, so if you haven't seen the episode and you're one of those people who acts all pissy when people ruin the suspense, I suggest you stop reading NOW):

- The press? Really? The Baltimore Sun? Season 1 focused on the cops and the legal system; season 2 was about the streets and the drug trade; season 3 centered around the politicians and legislators, and season 4 dealt with the kids and the school system. Compared to those four things, do I really care about how the shitty Baltimore Sun gets written? I know David Simon is a journalist, so I'm sure he finds it interesting, but I can't lie; I'm disappointed that this is the theme that they used for, of all seasons, the final one. Throw me a bone here Ed and Dave (nullus); at least you could have made that hispanic reporter chick hot.

- That scene with the police officers fighting was pretty retarded, if still entertaining due to comedic value.

- Carcetti is really fucking up as mayor - first not caring enough about the schools to jeopardize ground in his future gubernatorial campaign by taking money from the state (toward the end of last season), then taking money away from law enforcement because he now cares about the schools. And he's running for governor in two years? Is that supposed to be a joke? (As a side note: the way law enforcement is portayed on the show is very honorable for the most part, and I know that there are some cops in the City of Baltimore who do a great job for very little money and recognition. Props to them. But if law enforcement is so high in demand that they can't pay enough officers to stay on the streets, then why do so many bitchmade officers harass my brother, friends and I? I guess there are two sides to every story, huh?)

- Dukie is Michael's weed carrier if I've ever seen one (which I have). And more. Nullus. He was apparently fucking up on the corner, so now instead he is on full-time babysitting duty for Mike's brother, Bug. I guess they suggest that there might be some tension with the decision at the end, but Duke seemed pretty tame about it. I guess he kinda owes Michael after dude let him move in last season - not to mention the fact that he got swole on Namond for trying to pick on him.

- Marlo really must be a clever, conniving dude. I'll put 20 on him breaking up Prop Joe's little alliance this season.

- It looks like Bubbles really got his shit together! Relatively speaking, at least.

- I sure as fuck hope we haven't seen the last of Snitching Randy, soft ass Namond, and that other little kid with the braids who you saw stealing all those cars last season. Nullus for good measure.

Overall, I was a little disappointed by the episode. Especially after all the hype about this being the last season and all. But foundations for a lot of interesting plot lines were laid, so I don't doubt that it will pick up.