53

The Wire episode 53 aired last night. I was watching the Giants win the NFC title game (very entertaining game), so I missed the initial showing, but I watched it after the game was over On Demand (TV timeshifting - will America ever be the same?)

Episode 53 has many different threads and the season is starting to get more interesting. This episode features a continuation of the McNulty serial murder fabrication effort. The irony is that he gets people to buy into the idea of a serial murder preying on vagrants but nobody cares. Since he did it to get attention and resources to go after real murderers (Marlo), his efforts seem wasted. Towards the end of the episode, there is a funny scene where Bunk brings in Lester to get McNulty to stop fabricating a serial killer and Lester instead gives McNulty some advice about how to make people notice (give the killer a story). Bunk isn't buying any of this and it'll be interesting to see where it all ends up (does McNulty get dismissed from the force to end the show?)

Meanwhile, Marlo is trying to double-cross the co-op by getting a direct connect to the Greek. When he presents his money to Vondas, it is rejected because it is street money. So, Marlo goes to Prop Joe to get some laundered money. Unwitting of Marlo's plan, Prop Joe helps him out on this and helps his set up an offshore account to hide his ill gotten gains. This is an interesting observation about the underclass: they have no idea what banks are all about. I suppose if you never had a bank account (and neither did your parents), it would seem kind of mysterious. Marlo wants to actually see his money and makes a trip to the Antilles to check it out.

Marlo is still going after Omar hard and raises his offer of information on his people to $50K. Prop Joe wants no part of that, but Cheese is willing to help out. He tips Chris to Butchie and he and Snoop go and tourture and murder him. Butchie hangs tough, but Chris and Snoop leave one survivor to make sure that Omar knows what happened so he will come back to Baltimore and seek revenge. I have a feeling that Marlo and crew will regret swatting that beehive.

At City Hall, the effort to replace Commissioner Burrell grinds on. To keep the thread about The Sun going, a story is leaked about Daniels being a potential replacement. This elicits no reaction from the powers that be in the city, so it looks like we will have a new Commissioner before the season is over (or will we? What kind of dirt does Burrell have on Daniels?) The wheels of justice are still grinding along and the grand jury is interviewing people about Clay Davis' corruption. He looks to be cooked and everyone is abandoning him to his fate.

I mention The Sun thread last because it is not very thrilling. It doesn't really detract and is used well to support the other plot lines, but it isn't very interesting by itself. They have layoffs, misprioritized editorial standards (a triple murder doesn't rate) and over-ambitious reporters who are ruining journalistic integrity. Ho-hum.

My favorite sub-plot is the war between Omar and Marlo. Omar was retired and out of the game entirely. Marlo has the hubris to take on Omar and you have the feeling he will get his. However, one great thing about The Wire is that the "good" guys don't always win. For all we know, Omar could get off a bus on Fayette and North Avenue and get shot. We have to wait and see.