The Wire: Moral Midgetry
January 21, 2015 4:05 PM - Season 3, Episode 8 - Subscribe

"Crawl, walk, and then run." -Clay Davis

The problems inside Hamsterdam continue to grow as the drug activity begins to draw other crime, social, health and sanitation problems. "A great village of pain and you're the mayor."
Meanwhile, the continuing drop in the Western's crime stats is beginning to draw attention from downtown.

Stringer keeps hitting snags with life as a property developer, and pushes to accelerate Clay's three year plan. "I look at you these days, and you know what I see? I see a man without a country. Not hard enough for this right here. And maybe, just maybe, not smart enough for them out there."
In response to Avon's callout Stringer confesses to killing D, positioning it as necessary to protect their business, and something that Avon wasn't smart enough to perceive as a threat, nor hard enough to do.

Avon keeps after both Marlo and Omar, hatching plans to find both. His honeytrap for Marlo goes wrong, resulting in Marlo's crew sending a message that directly impacts Avon. Omar, meanwhile, has branched out to the Eastside and takes one look at Hamsterdam and sees a trap. "This some kind of full-tilt setup, man, to catch a master scoundrel."

McNulty displays two sides in the episode: asshole, and great cop. His manipulation of Brianna regarding D is brilliant. "I was looking for someone who cared about the kid. You were the one who made him take the years, right?"
posted by nubs (3 comments total)
 
I think McNulty has even more sides than that! Don't forget, this is the episode where he outsmarts himself by pretending to be a racist to win over the decidedly non-racist police officer up county. He's pretty great in this episode.

I am always a little surprised that Avon is directly involved in the fight with Marlo, but I guess he is hurting badly for muscle at this point.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 12:23 AM on January 22, 2015


Oh yeah, McNulty is a complex character, no doubt. I just liked the fact that you have his "I'm going to play being a racist asshole" move that backfires; his ludicrous attempt at seducing Kima; and his expert manipulation at sensing and working Brianna's guilt.

I think we're taking this as a first watch approach, so I won't say much more about that last point right now.
posted by nubs at 8:39 AM on January 22, 2015


but I guess he is hurting badly for muscle at this point.

He's a soldier deep down, and he's going to lead from the front.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 6:26 PM on January 29, 2015


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