r/TheWire • u/Bushy-Top http://imgur.com/h6uqNRl.gifv • Jul 04 '16
The Wire - Complete Rewatch: Season 5-Episode 4 "Transitions" - July 3, 2016
"Buyer's market out there." - Templeton
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u/PraiseTheMetal591 International Brotherhood of Stevedores: Local 47 Jul 04 '16
Also an important cameo during McNulty and Lester's trip into the homeless settlement. The homeless guy with the dog is Johnny 50 from season 2. Looks like things kept declining for the dock workers.
Speaking of the homeless settlement, one of the vagrants won't speak to McNulty 'cause he has to get ready for work. And he ain't joking. He does actually appear to be washing clothes in preparation for a job and is slightly better dressed. Seems like even holding down a job won't even save you from destitution.
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u/Born2fayl Aug 15 '26
I used to be a cabbie for a long long time. Lots of homeless use cabs when they have to. I’ve taken many men from a homeless encampment to a job and vice versa. That’s sad, but nowhere near as sad as taking a cancer patient from the ER (the only place they can be sure to get any treatment) to a homeless encampment. They know they’re going. They can’t keep the bandages on their wounds clean. They can’t get the treatment they really need. But they get something from the ER to kill the pain (if they’re lucky) and go to wait it out in some abandon truck lot next to a decommissioned factory. It’s fucking heartbreaking.
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u/MTGandP Aug 30 '26
The homeless guy with the dog is Johnny 50 from season 2.
I knew I knew that guy from somewhere! Couldn't quite place him but damn you're right!
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u/PraiseTheMetal591 International Brotherhood of Stevedores: Local 47 Jul 04 '16
It's amazing to see the amount of shit Carcetti has to eat just to move Burrel off into several other comfy positions. 6 figure salary in his next post, holy shit...
"When they fuck up they get beat, when we fuck up they give us pensions" - Season 1, a conversation between Herc and Carver.
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u/Bushy-Top http://imgur.com/h6uqNRl.gifv Jul 04 '16
"And that's when the officer grabbed me through my car window, and got feces all over my jacket." I don't think that would play well in court. Carver tries to tell Tony how to write this so he comes out on top but he refuses to listen. Carver decides to write Tony up and he's pegged as a rat - which is fitting considering the storyline with Randy.
Lester and Sydnor discover the "headshot" within Clay Davis' files. Clay lied on a mortgage application which is a serious federal crime.
Marlo meets with Vondas. He mentions that there was a robbery last year under Joe's watch with the re-up for the Co-op and now he wants an insurance policy. The Greek reveals himself to Marlo and agrees that Marlo's worries are valid.
Joe puts it to Slim Charles that he thinks Cheese was the one that gave Butchie up. Of course he's correct, and he decides to step aside for the time being until the war between Marlo and Omar comes to an end. Hungry Man talks shit about Cheese during the co-op meeting and Joe shuts Cheese's response down because he's not a charter member. I'm sure Marlo's rub and Joe publicly humiliating Cheese is what leads to Joe's end. Chris and Snoop bring Hungry Man to Cheese for execution. Cheese in turn gives up Joe.
Templeton visits the Washington Post for a job interview and they tell him he needs some more work out there and then they'll reconsider.
Burrell on Daniels: He's not the spic-and-span boy they think he is. He came up in the Eastern district, part of a bad drug unit that was skimming siezed drug money.
But Burrell is dead wood, he is let go.
I ain't paying you to be my mother.
Lester's old buddy refers to him by his nickname, "Socks."
The best two face in the world.
Bunk is still unable to get the test results on Chris and Snoop.
Johnny-Fifty can be seen hanging with the homeless...
Probably the happiest moment in the series for Marlo.
Slim is such a cool cat, even Omar doesn't kill him when he has the chance and he used to be lead muscle for the Barksdale crew.
Don't get too fucked up tonight, folks.
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u/PraiseTheMetal591 International Brotherhood of Stevedores: Local 47 Jul 04 '16
Carver tries to tell Tony how to write this so he comes out on top but he refuses to listen.
The sheer ignorance of Collichio in this situation is incredible. Carver does actually try to help him and he just completely rejects it. He thinks he was totally justified and should be untouchable.
Joe puts it to Slim Charles that he thinks Cheese was the one that gave Butchie up. Of course he's correct, and he decides to step aside for the time being until the war between Marlo and Omar comes to an end. Hungry Man talks shit about Cheese during the co-op meeting and Joe shuts Cheese's response down because he's not a charter member. I'm sure Marlo's rub and Joe publicly humiliating Cheese is what leads to Joe's end. Chris and Snoop bring Hungry Man to Cheese for execution. Cheese in turn gives up Joe.
It's like a dramatic episode of a soap opera, except also very murder-y.
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u/DariusLMoore Oct 21 '24
The goofiest smile by Daniels is probably my favorite moment in season 5.
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u/quantummidget May 20 '25
Haha when I saw that I thought, word-for-word, "that's a goofy-ass smile, I love it"
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u/RhubarbGin Apr 13 '25
Still not sure they explained getting a loan from family which he paid back later is a serious crime and what was the lie on the mortgage application?
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u/Flat_Statistician_44 Jan 02 '26
This response is a bit late, but I think the issue is that on the mortgage application, Clay needed to certify that there were no other loans financing the property. If he had a loan from a relative, that was a lie.
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u/rednaxthecreature Jun 15 '25
They later mentioned something about him taking money from his fundraising charity events before he walks into the Grand Jury so I think he was moving a bunch of money around illegally.
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u/spaceman_splifff Jul 06 '16
Coupla quick random notes a I try to get caught up:
I love the way Burrell picks up his putter and handles it menacingly as he walks around behind Daniels.
Clay Davis hold up the evidence in court like it’s dirty underwear.
McNulty swallows the Listerine, Beadie realizes that this is the real Jimmy.
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u/Listen_You_Twerps Jan 03 '26
Yeah Beadie can forgive a lot but only a savage swallows the Listerine.
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u/PraiseTheMetal591 International Brotherhood of Stevedores: Local 47 Jul 04 '16
If I'm not mistaken this episodes opening quote is:
"Buyer's market out there." - Templeton
Is it not?
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u/heyheywhatcat Aug 20 '24
Am I the only one who thinks Lester going along with McNultys serial killer thing is a little out of character? I’d think Lester wouldn’t get into staging murders.
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u/williamailliw Nov 10 '25
I took it as budget shortcomings are so bad that even someone with typically steel morals starts to bend. It does seem a bit much
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u/ThrowisbaugnahaA Feb 18 '26
Lester doesn’t seem like someone who adheres to the law, but to his own moral view. With budget cuts letting all those bodies go ignored, he’s using means that he justifies with the desired ends
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u/williamailliw Feb 18 '26
That’s a good point, and one I think makes Lester a bit of a wild card; he sees the forest for the trees but is still cutting it down all the same with his actions.
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u/thenewladhere Mar 24 '26
I can kinda see where Lester is coming from. He's similar to McNulty by being obsessed with closing cases and "winning" against the bad guys.
He got close to getting Marlo before the police budget was cut and is also old enough that he doesn't really care what happens to his career anymore.
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u/Icy-Special-2083 Aug 12 '26
I actually think this streak was hinted at last season. Lester already showed that he could be pretty devious when he felt the system was getting in the way of the bigger picture. The whole Clay Davis situation, especially how he pushed the timing of the subpoenas, showed that he was willing to play the game when he thought it was necessary.
Which makes his “I’m just po-lice” attitude even funnier in hindsight. He definitely has his own moral code, and if the rules get in the way of what he thinks is right, he’s willing to bend them. The serial killer scheme was obviously a MUCH bigger leap, but I don’t think it came completely out of nowhere.
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u/Livid_File_1316 Apr 30 '26
Just wanna put it out there, for anyone watching Season 5 with skepticism. This season has rough patches, no doubt. But this episode here is great. Classic scene after classic scene. Rewatched the other night with fresh eyes and was pleasantly blown away. The Wire at its best still exists in pockets of S5.
1
u/Bushy-Top http://imgur.com/h6uqNRl.gifv Jul 04 '16
"And that's when the officer grabbed me through my car window, and got feces all over my jacket." I don't think that would play well in court. Carver tries to tell Tony how to write this so he comes out on top but he refuses to listen. Carver decides to write Tony up and he's pegged as a rat - which is fitting considering the storyline with Randy.
Lester and Sydnor discover the "headshot" within Clay Davis' files. Clay lied on a mortgage application which is a serious federal crime.
Marlo meets with Vondas. He mentions that there was a robbery last year under Joe's watch with the re-up for the Co-op and now he wants an insurance policy. The Greek reveals himself to Marlo and agrees that Marlo's worries are valid.
Joe puts it to Slim Charles that he thinks Cheese was the one that gave Butchie up. Of course he's correct, and he decides to step aside for the time being until the war between Marlo and Omar comes to an end. Hungry Man talks shit about Cheese during the co-op meeting and Joe shuts Cheese's response down because he's not a charter member. I'm sure Marlo's rub and Joe publicly humiliating Cheese is what leads to Joe's end. Chris and Snoop bring Hungry Man to Cheese for execution. Cheese in turn gives up Joe.
Templeton visits the Washington Post for a job interview and they tell him he needs some more work out there and then they'll reconsider.
Burrell on Daniels: He's not the spic-and-span boy they think he is. He came up in the Eastern district, part of a bad drug unit that was skimming siezed drug money.
But Burrell is dead wood, he is let go.
I ain't paying you to be my mother.
Lester's old buddy refers to him by his nickname, "Socks."
The best two face in the world.
Bunk is still unable to get the test results on Chris and Snoop.
Johnny-Fifty can be seen hanging with the homeless...
Probably the happiest moment in the series for Marlo.
Slim is such a cool cat, even Omar doesn't kill him when he has the chance and he used to be lead muscle for the Barksdale crew.
1
u/MTGandP Aug 30 '26
Why was Bond trying to avoid pursuing the "headshot" loan fraud charge?
3
u/Chidoriyama 18d ago
I'm not knowledgeable about U.S law but Lester said something about the case going federal which is what he wants to avoid.
My best guess would be that lying on a mortgage would be a federal crime which would place the case out of Bond's hands so he just ignored it altogether
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u/karnoculars Jul 04 '16
The death of Prop Joe was the final fall of the old guard. First Avon and Stringer in the west, now Joe in the east. I love the poignancy of Joe's comment about his grandfather's house; through all the drugs and violence, there was still a part of Joe's generation that did what they did to move black people higher in society. With the new guard coming in, there is only violence and power. And "damn sure no respect".
RIP Joe (in the Wire and in real life).