The Wire: Alliances Rewatch
March 20, 2025 9:49 AM - Season 4, Episode 5 - Subscribe
"If you with us, you with us." -Chris Partlow
IMDB Summary:
The ensuing negative attention turns Royce against Burrell, who takes the heat while Rawls comes to the rescue. At school, Prez's reward/punishment program meets with mixed results, and Colvin looks to restore order by separating disruptive "corner" kids from more attentive "stoop" ones. Chris tries to enlist Michael into Marlo's ranks, spooking Randy along the way. Dukie debunks Randy's "special dead" theory.
Wikipedia Summary:
Chris kills a woman in Andre's store and orders him to frame Omar. Marimow orders useless raids on Marlo, though Carver identifies where he holds meetings. Herc illegally installs a hidden camera and is spotted by a Stanfield man. Marlo agrees to help the Co-Op if they stop Herc. Valchek informs Carcetti of Royce's case tampering and the press picks it up. He blames it on Burrell and sets up Rawls to replace him, while Watkins pulls his support and is accosted by Carcetti. Bubbles finds Sherrod dealing and is attacked by a customer for holding him up. Colvin divides the students into nurtured and groomed for dealing, proposing a program to help the latter. Prez tries to give Dukie new clothes to prevent mockery from his peers, but learns that they were stolen by his family to sell. Randy stands guard for a pair of boys while they have sex with their classmate Tiff at school. He admits to Dukie his role in Lex's murder and his fear that Chris turned him into a zombie, so Dukie shows him a vacant body.
IMDB Summary:
The ensuing negative attention turns Royce against Burrell, who takes the heat while Rawls comes to the rescue. At school, Prez's reward/punishment program meets with mixed results, and Colvin looks to restore order by separating disruptive "corner" kids from more attentive "stoop" ones. Chris tries to enlist Michael into Marlo's ranks, spooking Randy along the way. Dukie debunks Randy's "special dead" theory.
Wikipedia Summary:
Chris kills a woman in Andre's store and orders him to frame Omar. Marimow orders useless raids on Marlo, though Carver identifies where he holds meetings. Herc illegally installs a hidden camera and is spotted by a Stanfield man. Marlo agrees to help the Co-Op if they stop Herc. Valchek informs Carcetti of Royce's case tampering and the press picks it up. He blames it on Burrell and sets up Rawls to replace him, while Watkins pulls his support and is accosted by Carcetti. Bubbles finds Sherrod dealing and is attacked by a customer for holding him up. Colvin divides the students into nurtured and groomed for dealing, proposing a program to help the latter. Prez tries to give Dukie new clothes to prevent mockery from his peers, but learns that they were stolen by his family to sell. Randy stands guard for a pair of boys while they have sex with their classmate Tiff at school. He admits to Dukie his role in Lex's murder and his fear that Chris turned him into a zombie, so Dukie shows him a vacant body.
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Watching Royce's increasingly desperate attempts at pandering to his base is amusing. First the "subtle" African colors, now shaving the goattee -- although I'm not sure exactly what it accomplishes.
Rawls is such a dope, thinking he's going to get Burrell's job. Perhaps it is the current moment in history, but the internal politics and backbiting and betrayals amongst these people is so much uglier to see. Ditto on the toxic masculinity of police culture.
On the subject of dopes: Marimow, you dope! Herc, you dope! I do kinda respect his honest approach to campaigning for Royce. But the look on Sydnor's face when Herc starts riffing over their video on Marlo, "bitch better have my herrr-on" -- you can see the pain as he wonders who he pissed off to get stuck working under this moron.
Bubbles' story in this season is so heartbreaking, as are so many others. But he's consistently the character that I most want to be happy and most sympathize with, because besides the kids, he's the most victimized, and the most selfless.
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:45 PM on March 21