I thought it was a nice touch at the end that the nurse who had been so caustic to Cutty (and who got it all wrong) was with him at the gym, after Bunny set her straight (in the nicest possible Bunny Colvin way). But the reversal of Michael's and Namond's trajectories was the thing that struck me so forcibly about this season.
At first Michael seemed like he was just trying to get by and ignore his junkie mother's existence, to keep her from taking all of their food assistance money so that he and Bug had nothing to eat. He seemed pretty firmly anti-drug because of this stance. But then when his brother's dad came back he was willing to do anything to get him out of their lives, so even though he'd rejected Marlo's money earlier, throwing in his lot with Marlo now meant he had access to Chris and Snoop's services, and he decided it was worth it. The paintball sequence was pretty interesting; I was psyched out at first, but when I realized they were shooting paint it was clear that they were training Michael to be an assassin, the role Cutty had rejected as not "him" anymore, after his stint in prison. Another adult contrasted with Michael is Bubbles; while Bubbles was relying on Herc and Herc repeatedly failed him, Michael relied on Marlo, Chris and Snoop, and they came through for him. They understood his need in a way Herc never tried to understand Bubbles' need, and the vicious way Chris beat Bug's dad to a pulp and didn't even bother hiding the body spoke volumes about Chris's childhood and what may have led him to the life he's living now. (And it probably didn't matter that he didn't hide the body--this murder was a different M.O. than their usual cold-blooded hits, so police probably wouldn't connect it to the other bodies in the abandoned houses, unless forensics finds Chris's DNA on the body.)
Namond, on the other hand, started off being told by his mother that he had to go out and work to support them, since the Barksdale organization was gone and no longer going to support them. (I love the fact that his mother couldn't be bothered to lift a finger to work herself.) And while he wasn't thrilled about this, it seemed to be mainly that he just wanted to hang out with his friends, not be the man of the house, responsible for their support; he wasn't rejecting selling drugs on principle, he just didn't want to work in general, which was no doubt his mother's influence. Once he was working he was a bit lazy about it, which is the kind of thing that can get you killed. But he had the attitude of a "corner boy", so that landed him in the Special Class with the other kids who were disrupting their original classes. The look on Bunny's face when Namond's team put their Eiffel Tower model together quickly and efficiently (though with extra parts left over) was priceless. The kids' reaction to the fancy restaurant was kind of sad, though. They didn't know how to deal with people actually treating them nicely, not yelling at them, talking down to them or suspecting them of being up to something.
Meanwhile, Michael stayed in Pres' class the entire time and seemed like a model student, and if Pres had to guess whether he or Namond was most likely to become an assassin, he probably would have picked Namond even after he went to live with Bunny. Michael's is the saddest story of all; it felt like we were seeing the genesis of a Stringer Bell (the really smart, savvy kid who has both the brains and nerves to become a crime kingpin), and we all know how Stringer's story ended.
Of course, even though Michael relied on people who came through for him (Marlo, Chris and Snoop) and Bubbles didn't (Herc) they both ended up becoming killers. The difference is that Bubbles accidentally killed someone he cared about, not his intended target, and it ate him up inside. Michael clearly thinks that the upside of his current situation is worth having to be an assassin. He's living on his own with Bug, apart from his mother, and even able to offer a place to Duquon, whose family is also unreliable, since they kept selling his clothes. But I wonder when Michael will be asked to kill someone he thinks of as a friend, and what he will do when push comes to shove.
I wouldn't call Namond lazy though - he just wasn't cut out for the game. He was scared to death of it (and almost comically inept). He talked a good talk to cover his weaknesses but that was all it was. Fooled a lot of people but I'd say Michael had him figured out pretty early on; all these sideglances.
the vicious way Chris beat Bug's dad to a pulp and didn't even bother hiding the body spoke volumes about Chris's childhood and what may have led him to the life he's living now
Yes, I forgot to mention that in my review but I was impressed by the way this scene filled us in to an important part about Chris' backstory in addition to presenting a turning point in Michael's life. And it trusted the audience to get it, i.e. we didn't get Chris saying something like "I was raped/sexually molested, too" to Michael (which would have been ooc), but it was perfectly clear anyway.
The scene with Namond, Zenobia and the others at the fancy restaurant was so sad in an understated way. And it's also very Namond & the others that while they were shaken and felt humiliated at the restaurant itself, the next morning they transformed it to a story of triumph when talking to the other kids.
Bodie: it's amazing, isn't it, how the show manages to make the audience feel so sorry about a character's demise who in s1 killed one of the most sympathetic and vulnerable characters around. (But even then, I'd say the show makes it clear Bodie is victim of the "Game", too.)
At first Michael seemed like he was just trying to get by and ignore his junkie mother's existence, to keep her from taking all of their food assistance money so that he and Bug had nothing to eat. He seemed pretty firmly anti-drug because of this stance. But then when his brother's dad came back he was willing to do anything to get him out of their lives, so even though he'd rejected Marlo's money earlier, throwing in his lot with Marlo now meant he had access to Chris and Snoop's services, and he decided it was worth it. The paintball sequence was pretty interesting; I was psyched out at first, but when I realized they were shooting paint it was clear that they were training Michael to be an assassin, the role Cutty had rejected as not "him" anymore, after his stint in prison. Another adult contrasted with Michael is Bubbles; while Bubbles was relying on Herc and Herc repeatedly failed him, Michael relied on Marlo, Chris and Snoop, and they came through for him. They understood his need in a way Herc never tried to understand Bubbles' need, and the vicious way Chris beat Bug's dad to a pulp and didn't even bother hiding the body spoke volumes about Chris's childhood and what may have led him to the life he's living now. (And it probably didn't matter that he didn't hide the body--this murder was a different M.O. than their usual cold-blooded hits, so police probably wouldn't connect it to the other bodies in the abandoned houses, unless forensics finds Chris's DNA on the body.)
Namond, on the other hand, started off being told by his mother that he had to go out and work to support them, since the Barksdale organization was gone and no longer going to support them. (I love the fact that his mother couldn't be bothered to lift a finger to work herself.) And while he wasn't thrilled about this, it seemed to be mainly that he just wanted to hang out with his friends, not be the man of the house, responsible for their support; he wasn't rejecting selling drugs on principle, he just didn't want to work in general, which was no doubt his mother's influence. Once he was working he was a bit lazy about it, which is the kind of thing that can get you killed. But he had the attitude of a "corner boy", so that landed him in the Special Class with the other kids who were disrupting their original classes. The look on Bunny's face when Namond's team put their Eiffel Tower model together quickly and efficiently (though with extra parts left over) was priceless. The kids' reaction to the fancy restaurant was kind of sad, though. They didn't know how to deal with people actually treating them nicely, not yelling at them, talking down to them or suspecting them of being up to something.
Meanwhile, Michael stayed in Pres' class the entire time and seemed like a model student, and if Pres had to guess whether he or Namond was most likely to become an assassin, he probably would have picked Namond even after he went to live with Bunny. Michael's is the saddest story of all; it felt like we were seeing the genesis of a Stringer Bell (the really smart, savvy kid who has both the brains and nerves to become a crime kingpin), and we all know how Stringer's story ended.
Of course, even though Michael relied on people who came through for him (Marlo, Chris and Snoop) and Bubbles didn't (Herc) they both ended up becoming killers. The difference is that Bubbles accidentally killed someone he cared about, not his intended target, and it ate him up inside. Michael clearly thinks that the upside of his current situation is worth having to be an assassin. He's living on his own with Bug, apart from his mother, and even able to offer a place to Duquon, whose family is also unreliable, since they kept selling his clothes. But I wonder when Michael will be asked to kill someone he thinks of as a friend, and what he will do when push comes to shove.
Bodie, R.I.P. :sniff:
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Yes, I forgot to mention that in my review but I was impressed by the way this scene filled us in to an important part about Chris' backstory in addition to presenting a turning point in Michael's life. And it trusted the audience to get it, i.e. we didn't get Chris saying something like "I was raped/sexually molested, too" to Michael (which would have been ooc), but it was perfectly clear anyway.
The scene with Namond, Zenobia and the others at the fancy restaurant was so sad in an understated way. And it's also very Namond & the others that while they were shaken and felt humiliated at the restaurant itself, the next morning they transformed it to a story of triumph when talking to the other kids.
Bodie: it's amazing, isn't it, how the show manages to make the audience feel so sorry about a character's demise who in s1 killed one of the most sympathetic and vulnerable characters around. (But even then, I'd say the show makes it clear Bodie is victim of the "Game", too.)
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