The Wire 3x11 "Middle Ground"
I've been watching The Wire from the beginning over the past couple of weeks. I have fallen for it, hard. I may write up thoughts at some point, but thus far I've been so caught up in the show I haven't wanted to pause to reflect; I just want to keep going. I will say that this show has proved that my narrative kinks for ensemble cast, ambiguous characters, multiple intersecting storylines, and excellent writing can completely trump both my preference for shows with SFF elements and my general lack of interest in police dramas. Wow. Wow.
Spoilers under the cut. Pips, STOP READING.
Three scenes in this ep stand out for me.
I adored the first scene - Omar and Brother Mouzone facing off and then talking instead of gunslinging. I love that we don't even have to see the talk; we know enough about how smart these two men are that as soon as they put the guns away we know how it's gonna go.
The scene between Stringer and Avon on the rooftop? Damn near killed me. Any time these two start talking about the past... When we found out earlier in the season that Stringer wanted to run grocery stores as a kid? Broke my heart. Seriously. And then this scene, showing all the affection and shared history and camaraderie they still feel, while also emphasizing the weight of betrayal on both sides... Beautifully written, perfectly acted - I just, I had to pause the DVD because I was tearing up.
And then that last scene! HOLY SHIT! I'm not even just talking about Stringer getting blown away, although hell yes that is huge. But having the three of them - Stringer, Omar, Brother Mouzone - onscreen together... It occurred to me earlier in S3 that there are a lot of interesting parallels and contrasts between Stringer and Omar: both so smart, both with such clear values - but the motivating values are different. For Stringer, it's always business - D'Angelo, B&B Enterprises, whatever, it's all business, "just business." And for Omar it's always personal - first Brandon, then Tasha, then his grandma. In this ep, in this scene, Brother Mouzone becomes a third contrasting term: Honor. This is a matter of reputation and good name - that's what he trades on, as the earlier scene with Avon made clear. (And yeah, Avon, the missing fourth point in this scene: straight-up gangsta in a way that's only superficially related to Omar's brand of street justice, that has increasingly little to do with Stringer's priorities.)
And I love all these characters - Stringer with his community college classes and Robert's Rules (OMG LOVE), Omar with his boys and his grandma and his fearlessness, Brother Mouzone with his Harper's and The Nation - hell, even Avon with his $15,000 in cash for boxing equipment for Dennis's gym and his injunction to take care of the boys.
I AM FILLED WITH LOVE. AND FLAILING. MUCH FLAILING.
I was watching this ep as part of my lunchtime grading break, and the problem is that there's just one more ep left in S3 and I am not at all sure that I am going to be able to concentrate with the season finale hanging over my head. But then again I'm not sure I'll be able to concentrate if I watch it, either, so... back to grading it is.
(But I really want to be watching The Wire! Wah!)
Spoilers under the cut. Pips, STOP READING.
Three scenes in this ep stand out for me.
I adored the first scene - Omar and Brother Mouzone facing off and then talking instead of gunslinging. I love that we don't even have to see the talk; we know enough about how smart these two men are that as soon as they put the guns away we know how it's gonna go.
The scene between Stringer and Avon on the rooftop? Damn near killed me. Any time these two start talking about the past... When we found out earlier in the season that Stringer wanted to run grocery stores as a kid? Broke my heart. Seriously. And then this scene, showing all the affection and shared history and camaraderie they still feel, while also emphasizing the weight of betrayal on both sides... Beautifully written, perfectly acted - I just, I had to pause the DVD because I was tearing up.
And then that last scene! HOLY SHIT! I'm not even just talking about Stringer getting blown away, although hell yes that is huge. But having the three of them - Stringer, Omar, Brother Mouzone - onscreen together... It occurred to me earlier in S3 that there are a lot of interesting parallels and contrasts between Stringer and Omar: both so smart, both with such clear values - but the motivating values are different. For Stringer, it's always business - D'Angelo, B&B Enterprises, whatever, it's all business, "just business." And for Omar it's always personal - first Brandon, then Tasha, then his grandma. In this ep, in this scene, Brother Mouzone becomes a third contrasting term: Honor. This is a matter of reputation and good name - that's what he trades on, as the earlier scene with Avon made clear. (And yeah, Avon, the missing fourth point in this scene: straight-up gangsta in a way that's only superficially related to Omar's brand of street justice, that has increasingly little to do with Stringer's priorities.)
And I love all these characters - Stringer with his community college classes and Robert's Rules (OMG LOVE), Omar with his boys and his grandma and his fearlessness, Brother Mouzone with his Harper's and The Nation - hell, even Avon with his $15,000 in cash for boxing equipment for Dennis's gym and his injunction to take care of the boys.
I AM FILLED WITH LOVE. AND FLAILING. MUCH FLAILING.
I was watching this ep as part of my lunchtime grading break, and the problem is that there's just one more ep left in S3 and I am not at all sure that I am going to be able to concentrate with the season finale hanging over my head. But then again I'm not sure I'll be able to concentrate if I watch it, either, so... back to grading it is.
(But I really want to be watching The Wire! Wah!)