tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post2834458544151220033..comments2024-03-29T05:43:36.177-04:00Comments on Doux Reviews: The Wire: Cleaning UpBillie Douxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141769005175631213noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-87052060907220328252013-09-16T12:05:52.677-04:002013-09-16T12:05:52.677-04:00To add to ChrisB's comments about Wallace'...To add to ChrisB's comments about Wallace's death scene:<br /><br />Yes, you can so clearly see Bodie's reluctance at the moment of truth, but I always got the sense that Poot taking the gun from him and finishing the job was in effect, him mercy killing Wallace, not letting him continue suffering. Wallace was already shot and bleeding, but still alive. Poot made sure it was quick.<br /><br />Either way, completely chilling and heartbreaking. Gun downed by your best friends, and for what?Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12205722077148940238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-14315206935228157762013-09-07T09:09:09.076-04:002013-09-07T09:09:09.076-04:00Poor little Wallace..so doomed. That was difficult...Poor little Wallace..so doomed. That was difficult viewing. D's speech to Stringer is amazing. He really has a heart. D I mean, not sure about Stringer.<br />AnnaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-47876456938746109322013-09-05T19:09:30.119-04:002013-09-05T19:09:30.119-04:00Adding to Chris B's comments, Bodie's face...Adding to Chris B's comments, Bodie's face is in shadow, but as he rushes out of the room, it looks like he swipes at his eyes.<br /><br />Wallace's death was so devastating. I loved that kid.<br /><br />According to the commentary, D'Angelo's explosion at Stringer was somewhat ad-libbed. I think maybe one "Where's Wallace" was written, then Larry Gilliard just ran with it, and it was perfect.<br /><br />-dAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-18171514919217256942013-09-02T13:35:18.010-04:002013-09-02T13:35:18.010-04:00Knowing what was to happen, I was dreading the re-...Knowing what was to happen, I was dreading the re-wtach of this episode. Wallace's death has a profound impact on me, no matter how many times I watch it. It is beautifully shot and it reveals more about the three involved than anything else in the entire first series, I would argue.<br /><br />Wallace has declared to his friends and to himself that he is a man. And, in some ways, he is. He is a father to a group of kids and we see how good he is at it. He feeds them, talks to them and treats them with respect. We never learn who these kids are, but it does make me wonder what will happen to them now that their caregiver is dead. What makes Wallace’s parenting skills even more astonishing is that we meet his mother in this episode. A horrible woman, it is incredible that her son is as sweet and loving as he is.<br /><br />Yet, as he is facing his inevitable death, Wallace become a child again. He wets his pants and he begs his friends for his life. I would argue that many of us would react in the same way if a friend pointed a gun at us with the intent of using it.<br /><br />In contrast to Wallace, we see his murderers, Bodie and Poot. Although we don’t get as much of their life outside the low-rises as we do of Wallace’s, neither of them appears to be as responsible as their friend. What we have seen is their relative positions in the organization. Bodie is D’Angelo’s number two; Poot is just a soldier.<br /><br />Up until the shooting, Bodie is shown to be the tougher of the two. His conversation with Stringer is chilling and he brooks no nonsense from the other boys in the game. Poot is a hanger on. He wants to be part of the in crowd, but he just misses.<br /><br />The roles are reversed during the shooting, which lends the event even more gravitas. Bodie talks tough, but his hand is shaking and it takes Poot shouting at him to get him to pull the trigger. But what comes next is incredible. Poot calmly takes the gun from a striken Bodie, calmly shoots Wallace twice more, killing him, then calmly hands the gun back to Bodie. It is Poot who actually does the deed.<br /><br />That scene so affects me that the rest of the episode tends to go by in a blur. Which, of course, is what works. This young kid is dead, but the world goes on and, finally, nothing will change. For me, that is the greatest tragedy of all.ChrisBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10843864158239536750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-75758931464810522502013-09-02T12:57:14.586-04:002013-09-02T12:57:14.586-04:00Yeah, what Jess said. Wallace's death just dev...Yeah, what Jess said. Wallace's death just devastated me. It's one of the defining events in this series. Billie Douxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17141769005175631213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-63428786330774527952013-09-02T10:46:26.346-04:002013-09-02T10:46:26.346-04:00Such a hard episode to watch. The death of Wallac...Such a hard episode to watch. The death of Wallace is one of those moments that defines <i>The Wire</i> for me. It completely wrecked me the first time I saw the episode, and it stayed with me long after I'd watched the episode. Both his death and D's reaction. Just an unflinching gut punch. Where's Wallace?! Where's the boy at, String?!<br /><br />While watching this time, my heart was racing and I felt like I was on the verge of tears every time D'Angelo, Bodie, Poot, and Wallace were on screen. What an utterly heartbreaking (if tragically inevitable) end to Wallace's story. It's not just that he was killed, but that he was killed by his own guys. The only person that tried to protect and do right by him was D. And yet he still got taken down by his best friends. Because that's the game. And D was always too weak for it, even if he knew you had to play it hard. It's such a shame it took so much death for him to finally take his stand.<br /><br />Lance Reddick was simply outstanding in this episode. So many beautiful, subtle moments for Daniels. The small smile when he's allowed to keep Lester and Prez is glorious, and his opening speech to McNulty, his quiet stand against Clay Davis, and his later "go ahead and do what you're gonna do" throwdown with Burrell are so fantastic. Even the moment when he gets the call about Wallace. Reddick has such amazing presence and talent. I wish <i>Fringe</i> had more regularly made use of his amazing talent, and not just his imposing presence.<br /><br />I really love the mirroring of the stairway shots right before Bodie and Poot take out Wallace, and then after Daniels and McNulty cuff Avon. It's not something I noticed at first (distraught as I was over Wallace's demise), but I saw it noted in another review once upon a time, and I can't not notice it now. It's this wonderful balancing grace note, that continues to highlight the terrible cost of the drug game and the similarities between the sides, even in a moment of victory for the "good guys."<br /><br />I loved the Lester and Shardene bits again. It was nice to have some moments of lightness in an otherwise heavy episode. Protect and serve, lieutenant. Protect and serve.Jess Lyndehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165015932507376656noreply@blogger.com