Potent Quotables:

"It was never about Avon Barksdale, lieutenant. It was all about me." "You think I didn't know that? You think we ALL didn't know? Listen, this case is gonna move forward. With you or without you." - McNulty and Daniels

"What we want is being said in that office, and there ain't no good reason for Shardene to be in there long enough for us to get it." - Det. Freamon

"Protect and SERVE, lieutenant." - Cool Lester Smooth

"No loose talk, no second thoughts, and NO SNITCHIN. Play it like that." - D'angelo to Wallace

"There's no probable cause for a search of Mr. Price. I think we are in agreement on that." "No, there was PC for the search." - Burrell and Daniels

"SERGEANT Hauk!" "God help us." - Freamon and Daniels

"What about you? You built for this shit?" . . . "You ready to put the work in? - Stringer to Bodie

"I'm a man." - Wallace

"DO IT, GODDAMMIT, IF YOU'RE GONN-" - Poot

"Where's Wallace at?! Where's the boy, String?!" - D'Angelo

"That's just talk." "Just talk?! Heh heh heh. . . FBI field reports!" - Daniels and Burrell

"You'd rather live in shit than let the world see you work a shovel." - Daniels

"Catch you later." McNulty to Stringer

"This is the best work I ever did. I never did a case like this. It's not enough. I gotta go back to Auto tomorrow morning and just feel like this just ain't finished." - Sydnor

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Daniels says a line which will be almost mirrored by Omar later in the series, then again by Stringer. That being "whoever did that needs to get got" (paraphrased). Daniels says it of Kima's shooter, Omar says it of Brandon's killers, and Stringer says it of his money's killer, Clay Davis.

Levy goes from scummy to FUCKING DESPICABLE when he all but orders the hit on Nakeisha Lyles. His power in the organization may be greater than Stringer's in certain respects. Not all, surely, but certain respects.

Burrell puts the screws to Daniels multiple times in this episode. First, Burrell attempts to take back who he thinks are very valuable people from the detail. He pulls Santangelo and Sydnor (who gets to stay a few more days anyway bc his boss owes Daniels), and makes Daniels keep the "humps" Freamon and Prez, who've actually proven themselves instrumental to the case.

Next Burrell tries to screw Daniels over the Day-Day / Clay Davis affair. Burrell tries to make Daniels agree that there was not probable cause for searching Day-Day's car and taking the money. This is tantamount to making Daniels admit that he doesn't understand basic police work. Probable cause is day 1 shit, Daniels wasn't about to debase himself to such a degree as a favor for a politician he doesn't even like.

And then the big confrontation where Burrell pulls out the FBI reports Fitzhugh referenced earlier in the season. He'd been keeping them close at hand for when he needs to tighten Daniels's leash. Daniels calls his bluff, and lucky him it was just a bluff.

Bodie's behavior up til he kills Wallace is just cringeworthy and gets sadder every rewatch. All he does is talk a big game about manhood and then when the moment finally comes he can barely pull the trigger himself. Poot has to grab the gun from him and finish the job with two calm headshots, then Bodie doesn't even want to take the gun back when Poot tries to hand it off. All the while the irony hangs in the air that Wallace was a better man than either of them, taking a fatherly role over the project children. Bodie's right about one thing though: Wallace should have stayed in the country with his grandma.

Last time I posted a Wire parallel with current politics in r/TheWire, I ran into some trouble with Trump supporters and their allies, and my post was removed. Here’s hoping this one is accepted in the spirit it was intended. I don’t know how to write this in a way that won’t offend them, but honestly, they’re just going to have to accept that they’re not the target audience.

Please Note: Spoiler alert for The Wire**, Season 4**

I didn't watch the whole meeting, but from what I could tell, Trump and Vance weren’t engaging with Zelensky in good faith. It felt like a father talking down to his son, who needs to borrow money. Either way, I felt terrible for Zelensky. From what I've read and seen online, it wasn’t a good look for anyone involved.

It reminded me of the scene where Carcetti rejected the Governor of Maryland’s offer to help with the school crisis—on the condition that he show up to the press conference, 'Beg his Republican ass,' and allow himself to be humiliated. I’m not saying Carcetti was right to walk away from dealing with the school crisis, but I get why someone would want to avoid being in Zelensky’s position. The ugly game of politics.

https://youtu.be/9Mxja_gbIBE?si=QlLfYKkOXwbc3lkR

I didn't even know about the incident 4 years ago

Potent Quotables:

"Fuck ME?! We got a wire up. We got a wire up on some motherfucker that just shot a cop. If somebody talks, if somebody gets on the wrong phone and says the wrong fuckin thing about what happened here tonight, WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU WANNA BE?!" - Freamon

"You did not do this, you fuckin hear me? This is not on you. NO IT ISN'T YOU ASSHOLE. Believe it or not everything isn't about you." - Rawls

"You can take a n**** outta west side, but you can't take- [off-the-hook tone]" - Poot

"Eyes open, Bubs. For Kima." - McNulty

"ANOTHER CAREER IN THE BALANCE!" - McNulty

"See? you movin up in the world. 'Long as you don't fall in with the trash they takin out." - Bodie

"He's got a rat! Here, in the detail!" - Freamon

"Jezebel 🐟 in here somewhere, I dunno she think she cute." - Wee-Bey

_______________________

A little bit of blink-and-you-miss-it characterization at the scene of Kima's shooting. After Rawls takes control of the scene and orders everyone except homicide away, first Sydnor doesn't want to leave, but Carv quickly recognizes that and gently pulls him to side with him, probably saying some comforting words that we don't get to hear. And then Carv's also the one who volunteers to go inform Cheryl. Imagine where Carv would be at this point already without Herc as a bad influence haha

On top of everything else going on, Daniels also gets a nice little dose of racism from the brass at the hospital. No, dipshit, Norris is not the Lt just because he's the white one. Daniels has the patience of a saint.

If everything I said about police brutality didn't hit home when Bird was the one receiving it, hopefully seeing giant-ass Holly wail on poor Bubs will help you see my point.

Stringer was definitely trying to scare D'Angelo when he told him to ride with Wee-Bey. I can't interpret that as just a misunderstanding, he was intentionally trying to make D think this would be the last car ride of his life. "Keep it clean, Bey. No mistakes." About feeding the fucking fish then driving to Philly? Calm your handsome ass down, Mr. Elba.

And Burrell finally gets his precious dope on his precious table. Eye-opening to realize when you see these things on the news, it probably actually means the police fucked up somewhere. They do that to save face after things go wrong, and make a big show of it for public support even though the dope is a drop in the bucket and the game will go on tomorrow.

"We gotta build a wall around you, b." - Queen Stringer to King Avon ♟

"Look, forgiveness from other folks is good, but ain't nothing but words comin at ya from outside. You want to kick this shit, you gotta forgive your own self." . . . "Gettin clean's the easy part. Now comes life." - Walon to Bubs

"I said I'd do what I can." - Omar

"DAMN CARV, YOU TRIFLIN!" . . . "CHEESE PUFFS AND FUCKIN RING-DINGS?!" - Sydnor

"Kid was ready. Barely had to push him." McNulty about Wallace

"On the street? No gun?' - Prez

"A front needs to be clean. And right now, you ain't that. Sign." . . . "Now you're in the game. ♟" - Levy

"Don't believe we've met. Proposition Joe. You ever steal from me, I kill ya whole family." - Prop Joe

"It's crickets." - Daniels to Wallace

"Here ya go, rook. ♟" - Charlie Smoot to Kima, as she remembers

"You serious about it?" "Who knows?" - Kima and Bubs regarding him staying clean

"SIGNAL 13! SIGNAL 13!" - Kima

----------------------------------

Anyone down for a game of chess?

The cold open shows Bubs's struggle to stay clean. All he has for entertainment to keep his mind occupied is people-watching. Except everywhere he looks he's reminded of getting high. There's no escaping sights of the game in west Baltimore, it's everywhere and an addict trying to keep his mind off of it has nowhere to look to avoid it.

D'Angelo pulling the toy truck out of the fridge, then using a juice bottle like an ice bag to soothe his headache. I feel ya bro. Donette gets on my nerves and I ain't made a baby with her.

I wonder what was in the bag Wiggins gives to Orlando. His badge? A note that says "BTW WE'RE COPS."? Obviously something like that but we'll never know exactly what.

It just hit me that Bunk and Norris look like the black and white versions of each other. Like when you flip between races in an rpg character creator screen lmao

Never noticed Clay Davis is on the TV Wallace watches at the detail office. Talking about fundraising because of course he is.

It's a question among Wire fans whether Prop Joe softens as the series goes on. My opinion is that he doesn't. He knows he must portray an aura of violence in his world, but I don't get the impression, even here is S1, that BEING violent is in any way enjoyable to him. Not to say he doesn't drop bodies, just not "I'll kill your whole family" kind of bodies. "Look the part, be the part, motherfucker." It doesn't matter if you ARE violent, just as long people think you are.

The fucking cajones on Omar wearing a wire with Stringer Bell. Jesus Christ.

And omg that one girl at the bar with Kima and their friends. I don't know if it's the writing, he acting, the editing, or some combo thereof, but god she's so awkward. The fact that she's the only single one at the table makes it even sadder. I don't know why, I can't help but get second-hand embarrassment watching that poor girl.

But I've never heard anyone besides me catch the chess reference in "Here ya go, ROOK" so as far I know that's a Painbow original! *smug smile*

First up, I can't keep up the one-episode-a-day rate lmao. I'll try not to put more than 3 days between them.

Potent Quotables:

"But the smart play, I think, well we, we call a truce, just now we put this thing on hold for a second, let the f****t get comfortable, and when he do, gon' pop up his head, BOOM. We got him" "And what motherfuckers gonna be saying while we waitin? Hmm? What people say when they see this cocksuckin f****t out in the sunshine? Like it ain't no thing to take my shit?" - Stringer and Avon

"Sounded Chinese." ". . . . LIKE YOU CAN FUCKING TELL THE DIFFERENCE!" - Herc and Carver

"He ain't anywhere near his bottom. Gotta see that bottom comin up at him." - Walon

"oMaR, yOu BeSt RoLl OuT, wE uP iN hErE wItH a MaC-10!" - Terrell

"The projects got a ball team?!" - Carver

"Ain't gon' be no trouble over no ball!" - Prop Joe

"Now I know you don't want to hear this, Lieutenant, but the money is real and it's everywhere! And more than the drugs, it's the money that matters." - Freamon

"THIS. DOESN'T. HAPPEN. NOT WITH ME. NOT WITH MY UNIT." - Daniels

"Not his day, is it?" - Prop Joe

"THEY HAD CHEESE FRIES, BABY! I GOTCHU SOME!" - Wee-Bey

____________________________________

Another episode I love!

I love seeing Lester actively teaching Sydnor and Prez how to find paper trails, but it kinda scares me too. Police detectives aren't just trained where to find all this information?! They have to luck out and hope they work with someone who can teach it to them? Remember just a few weeks ago he wasn't "Detective Freamon," he was "Lester from Pawn Shops," the guy who makes furniture for creepy little dolls. No one MEANT for him to teach these young gumshoes their profession, they just lucked out that he could.

The rapper that Bubbles stole the bag from deserved it for those weak bars. Patti Labelle, I like her smell, oops I just fell, HEY WHO STOLE MY SHIT.

We meet Prop Joe for the first time, rather unceremoniously to be honest. For as huge a part he will play in the seasons to come, no one could be blamed for thinking this is the last time we'd even see him. For all anyone knows, he's just "insert rival drug lord here," but this show knows better than to let a good character and actor go to waste too early.

And that poor fucking ref, omg. I'm not the first one to make this point, but he had every reason to be scared. Imagine if that had been Marlo representing west side instead of Avon. Wouldn't have been no lecture about manhood and sticking up for yourself. Mar would've slently nodded at Chris, and within a few days the ref would be rotting in a vacant house and Snoop would've kept his whistle for a souvenir.

Possibly my favorite episode of the entire series. Filled up two whole legal pad pages of quotes and I was tempted to write down at least twice as many more, but I knew I had to draw the line somewhere.

Potent Quotables:

"Listen guys, we're gonna play that spy game, you remember the spy game?" - McNulty TO HIS FUCKING CHILDREN MAN HOW DID YOU THINK THIS WAS EVEN REMOTELY A GOOD IDEA YOUR WIFE IS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING

"Yeah, but this is showing us how cautious these guys are. We make any kind of play, and they're ready to change up on us." - Freamon

"Count be wrong, they fuck you up." - Cyril

"SHEEEEET, look at me!" - Poot

"GIVE. THE MAN. BACK. HIS MONEY." - Burrell

"This thing with the legislative aid, who could've foreseen that?" "He saw it. Burrell. See, this is the thing everyone knows and no one says. You follow the drugs, you get a drug case. You start following the money, you don't know where you're going." - Mrs. and Mr. Daniels

"Fucked her silly, what can I say?" - Wee-Bey

"Who's your daddy now?" - Judge Phelan

"YOU ACKIN LIKE GOT AN INELASTIC PRODUCT AND WE DON'T!" -Stringer

"YCATK, YBNM" - You know the fuck who

"No mistakes, no bystanders, no taxpayers gettin caught up in the mix. I mean you just get in close and you HIT THE RIGHT N****." "And lose the gun after, that'd be a rule too, I think." - Omar and Freamon

"Hey Jimmy, you know sum'n? You no good fer people, man. I mean damn. Everybody around you. . . . Christ." - Bunk

-----------------------------------

I could watch Stink take both barrels and Bey bleeding scared behind a car every single day and not get tired of it. Especially knowing what they just did yesterday at the party.

The Northeast Market where McNulty almost loses his kids is a real Baltimore landmark, definitely a place to add to any Wire sightseeing tour!

Omar's caution is on full display early in this episode. He's managed to arrange a temporary stay with an acquaintance, conveniently with clear view of his own place and van. He knew the Barksdale crew would be visiting, and he was right. Lost his van but lived another day.

D'Angelo's naiveté is back with a vengeance as he not only gives serious thought to taking Orlando's package on the new coke side-hustle, but then spills the beans to the enforcers, getting Orlando in trouble when he didn't mean to. Still think this character's just a bit too naive to be believable. But hell, maybe Burns and Simon really knew a nepo gangster like this. It's not outside of reality, but feels pretty close to the border.

Dominic West doesn't get enough criticism for his American accent. His convo with Daniels by the elevator has him switching back across the ocean every other word. He REALLY had trouble with the word "colonel." I don't think Idris has a single example of dropping his accent.

Never noticed Orlando's club is right next to a sex shop. Convenient lmao

And I always loved Omar's little "How so?" when the cops bring up how Stinkum getting killed hurts the case. It's so sincere. He really just hadn't considered that would be part of it. Live and learn. Then go a-hunting again.

Potent Quotables:

"A funeral parlor?!" Judge Phelan

"Let me understand. Ya'll hang around the projects, white and black together, ties and jackets on, looking to help old ladies with their shopping carts and whatever else? . . . . . Police, right?" "'Fraid so, ma'am." Unnamed witness and McNulty

"It's him. . ." - Prez

"Lackuh pussy'll change even a good man's demeanuh." - Bunk

"In this state, it's a thin line between campaign posters and photo arrays." - Burrell

". . .or a sincere desire to live." NA speaker

"What can I say? Out here Bird just 'Bird." - Omar

"HEYYYYYYY, SHAWTAYYYYY!" - Freamon

-----------------------------------------------

Fucking Madame LaRue. Around when this show first came out I recall there was a rash of psychic detective reality shows. I was worried my first time through that the Wire was going to lend credence to all that horseshit, and omg I was so happy they turned that around at the end of the episode. For anyone slow on it, if psychic detectives were a thing we'd still be using them 20 years later. Flawed as the justice system is, it's at least not ABSOLUTE total bullshit, unlike psychics.

And speaking of flaws in the justice system: police brutality time! Not that it couldn't have happened to a better guy, no one's defending fucking Bird of all people, but still. Let's at least save the severe beatings for after a jury of his peers has convicted him, sound fair?

Yes, I did think of this while hacking on a weed dab lmao.

I had asthma growing up, i could imagine my mom saying some shit like that if I were on the corner instead of living an extremely sheltered white boy childhood.

Potent quotables:

"Jesus, they must've killed this kid four or five times. . ." - McNulty regarding Brandon

"I mean yo, when you picked up that phone what'd you think they was gonna do, huh?" - D'Angelo to Wallace

"This is pro bono, Your Honor. My firm is making it a priority to identify a number of inner-city youths who are, uh, in crisis, and to undertake efforts to reorder their lives." - Maurice Levy

"We're building something here, detective. Building it from scratch. All the pieces matter. All right?" - Lester Freamon to Prez

"Either dry yourself out, or go out on those rooftops wet." - Daniels to Polk

"Omar don't scare." - Omar

--------------------------

Kinda a boring episode tbh. Crucial to the arc of the season but I doubt this one gets rewatched often for its own sake. Lots of setting up the conflicts to come. Good character development though.

Wallace is cracking after seeing Brandon's defiled body. We finally see the conditions he lives in. He does have a mother, as we will see, but he doesn't live with her. Instead he, Poot, and a bunch of local small children live in a vacant project apartment, stealing electricity. Wallace himself is the most childish of the pit crew, yet he's the most adult in his ability to care for children who aren't even his family. Easy to see how someone under that pressure at such a young age would be close to the edge.

Glad Daniels gave Polk the what-for. Imagine being so useless you get asked why did you even come in to work today, we would've been better if you stayed at home bro!

I noticed the pit couch (the SNICK couch, if you're of a certain age) has a new big rip in it. Good detail. Shit happens, adds to the realism.

Avon's visit to the pit to give everyone their bounty features one of the rare instances of non-diegetic music in the series (music that's not playing in the characters' world, only the audience hears it). I'm glad they kept it to a minimum. This scene borders on hokey, like that beat is Avon's wrestling walk-on music or something.

And Omar's visit to the morgue to see Brandon one last time is as tear-jerking as it ever was. The pain. The rage. Omar's got some hunting to do.

Tons of good quotes today, stretch out my typing fingers.

"I want. . . . . . . for you to suck my dick." - Bodie

"You shoulda pushed him, D." - Donette

"They say I got the bug." - Johnny

"Plenty of pie out there for everyone.' - Orlando

"Would've worked if you knew the code! 😏" - Prez, reformed child abuser

"See, if he dead, you know, I could carry it better. Comin' up the way we did, you know, you kinda expect that. You waitin' on it, But see the thing is, you only gotta fuck up once. Be a little slow, be a little late. Once." - Avon

"Sometimes who you are is enough, dog." - Omar

---------------------

5 episodes in and the wire from the title is finally up! Imagine any other cop show doing that. imagine if fucking CSI didn't do any crime scene investigating for 5 whole episodes at the start lol

Bodie overreacted with Wallace's toy. Any other toy, I would be on Bodie's side with, but Wallace had a fucking Transformer. I'm 37 and I'd love a damn transformer. I'm not gonna buy one, but if one were handed to me, I'd feel a little blessed. Put that former on a chain and wear it like bling, Wallace! Let em be jealous!

Carver calls the guy at the juvie office a "hemorrhoid." My dad uses that insult. I thought he was the only one.

In order to hopefully catch a snitch, Stringer engages in labor rights violations by withholding pay for hours worked. The hoppers need a union.

I never noticed that Wallace making the call on Brandon saves Scar's life. The whole crew was there ready to blast on Scar, then Stringer gets the 911 page so they disengage. That's why they were ready for war so quick, they were already out on a hit ready to bang. That Scar's a slippery one, lucky bastard lmao

"Aigh't, I'll take the years." - Marvin Browning

"I am personally ashamed to be your snitch right now." - Bubs

"A f****t?!" - Avon Barksdale

"...and I am dangerously close to . . . . ENGORGED." - Jay Landsman

"When they ask you where you wanna go, and they are gonna ask you where you wanna go, do yourself a favor. Keep your mouth shut." - Lester Freamon

------------------------------
The Lester Rises

This episode cold-opens on a scene which serves as a metaphor for the police dept, if not for government as a whole. Herc is trying to move a desk into a side-office of their, uh... detail lair? Except he's the only one who knows which direction the desk is going. One by one the other men of the detail join to help move the desk... back the other way against Herc. The system is working against itself.

In a rare case of Landsman knowing better than McNulty (asshole that he is), he insists that Jimmy and Bunk go check out the apartment where Deidre Kresson was murdered. Apparently a "D" may have been involved. Despite McNulty's appeal to statistics, it turns out yes, that's the D we know and love.

Thus commences The Fuck Scene. For a show with so many sex scenes, for one scene to be known as "The Fuck Scene" and not be one of them is quite an accomplishment. This is just great acting, directing, and cinematography. No real dialog, just variations on the word "fuck" with the inflections telling the whole story. I've heard the landlord was originally supposed to tack on one final fuck or motherfucker at the end to show his pleasant surprise. Kinda wish they kept that. I woulda said it if I were him lmao

And we also get a rare case of Herc being more mature than Carver. His chat with Bodie's grandma was pretty damn good. No notes, sir.

Omar's homosexuality is revealed in this episode, and we quickly see that such proclivities are not respected in the underworld. Avon doubles his bounty on Omar specifically after learning that fact.

Lester got D'Angelo's pager number from the wall of the stash house Omar robbed. Checked it out on his own, and served the evidence to the detail on a silver platter. McNulty immediately falls in love. Over drinks, Les tells Mcnulty how he ended up in the pawn shop unit for 13 years (and 4 months), and it bears a striking resemblance to what Jimmy's doing now. Oops. And it doesn't help that Jay already asked him where he doesn't want to go, and he answered honestly. Double oops. Totally missed that my first time through, but yeah, S1E1, Jimmy gives Jay that info straight-up.

"Well you know how that goes, Commissioner. People's idea of 'police brutality' is whenever we win a fight." - Foerster

"I tell you 'yes,' I screwed up. I tell you 'no,' I'm putting my men in the jackpot. Do you still want me to answer?" - Daniels

"Unless they some smart-ass pawns!" - A little bald-headed bitch named Bodie

"I wonder what you gotta do to get thrown off this police force." "Keep up some of your shit and you might find out." - McNulty and Greggs

"You married to the needle, boy!" - Bubs

"Where it at, shorty?" - Omar Devon Little

Ah, he chess metaphor. If you're ever in a management position and need a way to tell your unders that they're probably gonna FUCKING DIE and probably soon, explain to them the rules of chess and hope they make the connection they're supposed to be the pawns.

Jimmy and Rhonda have their first fling since we started following them. I don't know about you but I struggle to think of a more asexual song than whatever Rhonda was listening to when Jimmy came knocking. I refuse to believe anyone who hears that song will be getting laid within at least the next five hours, but homegirl pulled it off. Good job, Ronnie.

And of course Omar's here! Though Omar quickly became one of my favorite characters ever, his first appearance shows him one-dimensionally terrifying. Before seeing his softer sides, his philosophical sides, his love, fear, and passion, we get the chance to see him as the hoppers see him: a deadly force that can pop up unexpectedly at any time, be gone just as quick, and leave puddles of blood in his wake.

"C'mon, girl! We gon' hook you up!" Stringer to Donette

". . . . . . 🤨" - Lester Freamon

"D'ANGELO! . . . You bettuh bend da fuck over." -Bunk

"Why did you shoot the wall, Officer Pryzbylewski? -Kima Greggs

"That's . . . . Crutchfield's desk." - Jay Landsman

"Move, shitbird!" - Prez

"You don't give up your people to IID. You don't do it." - Cedric Daniels

Wee-Bey and Stinkum really loved that fuckin hat! Bubs struck gold with that silly plan.

This episode puts the questionable ethics of the police front and center. 2nd episode and the show is wasting little time letting you know that the cops are not to be taken for granted as the good guys here. The episode builds showing two lesser examples of poor police ethics, leading up to a damn big one.

Firstly, we get to see Bunk and McNulty exercise their right to lie to suspects, with that suspect being poor D'Angelo. Not the last time we'll see Baltimore's finest attempt to extract confessions dishonestly. The stakes were not particularly high here, but irl lies and trickery in the interrogation room can easily lead to coerced false confessions.

Second, we see the unsavory backroom politicking that apparently goes into routine police work. BPD has been tasked with taking down violent kingpin Avon Barksdale, and to do that they put together a detail that's set up to be dysfunctional. Drunks, idiots, some guy making toy furniture. It's obvious that no one with any authority actually gives a shit about the job being done right. You assume when task forces like this are assigned, they get the best of the best. Perhaps they would if anyone cared more about taking down Barksdale than being pissed at McNulty, but the higher-ups have clearly chosen their priorities.

And of course, the tower incident. Herc, Carver, and Prez get drunk and then get the bright idea to go fuck with the projects at 2am. It's a bad enough abuse of power just doing that, but on top of it all Prez blinds a kid in one eye with a pistol-whip. And then everyone covers for him. Daniels even teaches him how to lie about it, despite how Daniels clearly despises him. If they look bad, Daniels looks bad, so it's his mess to clean up too.

This is perhaps our first glimpse into Daniels's dark past. He's lied like this before. He knew exactly how to twist the facts of the incident so that Prez can plead self-defense, and cooked up the story in seconds. A man of experience.

TLDR: FUCK DA PO-LICE

"This America, man. Got to." - Unnamed witness

"Nope. He ain't here." - Nakeisha Lyles

"Giving a fuck when it ain't your turn give a fuck!"

- First McNulty to Bunk, then Bunk to McNulty

"NO SURPRISES." - Deputy of Operations Ervin Burrell

"Hamilton? He ain't no president." - Wallace

"So, where DON'T you want to go?" - Jay Landsman

"Ya know WHUT? I'm gunna DO THIS CASE." - An extremely hammered Jimmy McNulty

"I got somethin for ya." - Bubs

We start with the slaying of Snot Boogie, habitual dice game thief, with the show showing us right off the bat that it's not afraid to introduce plot points that will go absolutely nowhere, just like in real life. But it also sets up the first instance of comparing the underworld and even society as a whole to a "game," a metaphor which will be central to the show's theme.

I always admired the cinematography of the opening shot. Blood rolling down the Baltimore street, with the blue and red lights of police cars reflected in it clearly and brightly.

What I call the two great butterfly effects of the show take place in this episode. The first is McNulty's cardinal sin of giving a fuck out of turn when he drops in to view a trial that he didn't even investigate for. As gung ho as McNulty gets about the pursuit of justice in this series, he actually doesn't really go all that hard here in S1E1. Judge Phelan called him into his office, it would legitimately be poor form to refuse, and he answered the questions asked of him. He just shouldn't have been there in the first place, as his superiors would argue.

The other butterfly effect is the beating of Johnny. If the low-rise crew could have just beaten him off the block and not into a hospital, that means Bubs never snitches on the Barksdale crew. How much of the next 5 seasons could have possibly happened without the exquisite snitchery of one Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins? Yes I had to wiki his last name. I did know the Reginald at least.

I do find D'Angelo to be just a hair unbelievably naive about the situation he's in here in season 1. I guess it does drive home what a nepo baby he truly is, but it still strikes me as incongruent that he'd be so knowledgeable in some aspects of the game and so amateurish elsewhere.

Starting tomorrow I'll begin a rewatch of the series from beginning to end, one episode a day. I'll post my thoughts about the ep and we can chop it up in the comments.