Shot-by-shot

New York magazine did a frame-by-frame analysis of the series finale's concluding montage. Pretty basic stuff, but I find the comments to be the most interesting:

‘The Wire’ Finale's Montage: A Shot-by-Shot Commentary

Also, just as a sidenote, guess what the Arts editor at Baltimore magazine decided to name his blog for our revamped Web site? What else, but All The Pieces Matter.

It should be flattering, Tripp, that you and Baltimore's Arts editor think on the same wavelength.

And again...

Picked up a City Paper yesterday and, what do ya know, the cover story was an exit interview with David Simon. Let's draw this out even longer by reading it:

Case Closed

It doesn't really offer up anything new: Simon delves deep into the world of journalism, explains why the five seasons were just enough and discusses his future endeavors. But it did offer me even more, pretty necessary, closure.

Simon Says

Yesterday, David Simon posted a letter on the HBO website for fans of the show. It's pretty cool.


Also, here's another interview with him from Salon.com

React Quotes

I woke up today feeling like a good friend just died.

Alma + D'Angelo 4Ever

Did anyone else know that these two actors have been married for 15 years?

My turn to be Omar!

I came across this the other day. Some people have mentioned that there have been scenes in which Kenard has looked at Omar without fear, and that for them foreshadowed Kenard's murdering Omar. After reading the interview that Jessie posted below, I saw this video and thought it interesting. Dominic West commented that we will see in the last episode who will be the next Omar, McNulty, etc. I couldn't think of anyone who could be the next Omar, until I saw this. Interesting to see Kenard "playing" Omar.

Article in Time Magazine

I was surprised that this article was in Time, because it frankly discusses the realities that "The Wire" confronts so unapologetically. Great article, and it's cool that it wasn't an interview, but rather the article was written by the creators of "The Wire."

Check it out here.

Slow Train Comin' (again)(hopefully)

So, I have no reason to think so...but I'm desperately hoping Brother Mouzone comes back in the finale. A few things give me hope.





**TO ANYONE THAT HASN'T WATCHED THE FIFTH SEASON, MAJOR HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD, DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU'RE UP TO DATE**



First of all, and correct me if I'm wrong, but every major character from the show who's still alive has been in the fifth season. Many have been brief, like Randy, Nicky Sobotka, and Colvin/Namond, but pretty much everyone has been back. Brother, I think, counts as a major character. The only other major player we haven't seen is Prez, and we know from the preview he's in the last episode at least a little (and with that RIDICULOUS beard...I'm not usually one to freak out about fashions or anything in movies/TV characters, I usually hate when people do but wow...I'm not saying it's bad but it is INTENSE). I mean, they even brought back Det. Barlow from S1, Judge Phelan (not seen since S3) and Johnny 50 from S2 (homeless now, very sad). So if they don't bring back Brother I think he'll literally be the only prominent living character not brough back.

Although I just realized that's not quite true...DeLonda Brice, Breanna Barksdale and Wee-Bay haven't been in this season. Well maybe Wee-Bay was when Avon was on, I don't quite remember. Even so, all of them seemed like they finished up their stories in S4. Besides, they could still be in the last episode. Terry D'Agostino hasn't been in 5 either, but she too seems like she's finished. Mouzone, of course, was finished too; his entire story (Baltimore speaking anyway) was wrapped up by Stringer's death. But I think he's different. I offer that he's too...well, too a few things to not bring back.

He's too iconic. He is the only character other than Omar who has mystique, the sort of western movie hero/villain Omar was. Like Omar too, he's the only character not bound to one insitution or another. He is self-employed, extremely literate, never curses, and while Omar is gay Mouzone almost seems asexual. You could say he's a Muslim, and what more rigid institution than religion is there, but we don't know that. He dresses like a member of The Nation of Islam, as Cheese pointed out in S2, but the NOI allows no involvement in drugs, so it goes without saying a member could not work for a drug kingpin as protector of his drug trade. The NOI does not allow violence against other blacks unless it is a matter of life and death, and some say not even then, so working as a hitman in urban areas like New York and Baltimore would be problematic. Also, Brother never says he's with NOI. He mentions "[his] god" when Omar is about to kill him, and we see him whispering in apparent prayer, but who knows what god he means or what he's whispering.

Another thing...this could be me just wishful thinking, but check this out, from the bio of Clay Davis on the HBO website: "Shameless as he is personable, Senator Davis is not without his charm, though this was lost on Stringer Bell, who, after finding that he had been duped out of a considerable sum by the senator, wanted to have him killed. Recognizing the boundaries between the political world and the street, Avon Barksdale refused to go forward with that contract, though even at the time of his death, Bell was angrily trying to hire out-of-town hitters to avenge himself." Now, one would think Stringer would never hire Brother, but I don't think Stringer knew Brother knew he'd betrayed him until the very end, so he may have. Also, there was never a mention of him looking to out of town hitters in that epuisode (I checked) so why put it in there? Plus, they KNOW they're teasing us when they say out-of-town hitters, because in Simon's Baltimore, we only know of one (or two, if you count the dude from DC that killed D'Angelo...and Sergei too I guess but you see my point).

And now, here's my theory on HOW it could happen. This may border on geeky fan fiction, so if it does forgive me. Again, spoilers here so be warned. Anyway, Omar is now dead, while Marlo and Chris etc. etc. still live. He seems to have failed in his revenge. But I wonder. Did anyone notice how careless he was being after he went out the window in episode 5 how careless he had become? He didn't wait for his leg to heal, just went on hobbling around everywhere, with increasing difficulty. We saw him out in the open more and more, and he seemed far more cavalier than he ever had. Was I the only one who, in the scene before he actually got killed, was waiting with this awful certainty he was going to get shot in the back while he emptied those drugs into the sewer? The man was fucking up. And while I suppose I understand why he didn't consider Kenard a threat, to go to a convenience store a block from where he'd just raised hell, even I wouldn't do that (although I suppose I wouldn't have robbed a bunch of drug dealers in West Baltimore with a shotgun either...well a man has to dream).


Anyway, consider that, and consider this: maybe Omar knew he was going to die. Obviously he would expect to every day of his life, being the man he was, but after he went out the window I think some part of him knew the end was rapidly approaching. So, since he and Brother were tight in an odd, gunslinger sort of way following Stringer Bell's death, and since he has a shit-ton of money from last season's heist, I think maybe Omar hired Brother to whack Marlo, et al. Of course, Omar could not allow himself to ask for help, and Brother may not have accepted, so what if Omar told someone, one of Butchie's surviving men, maybe Kimmy, maybe Renaldo, whoever, that in the even of his death Brother should be contracted. If Omar did this, and since he expected to die anyway, maybe he went all out throwing caution to the wind knowing he'd either succeed or die, and that meant the one man who might have a better chance of nailing Marlo would come into play. A bit intense, but we know Omar and how focused he is-if he was truly certain his death was imminent, I totally believe he'd put even his own death behind his vengeance.

Now again, keep in mind, this is just a theory I concocted so that there'd be an excuse for Brother to come back, it has no basis in reality. If it does happen, well, I might have a small heart attack. Also, if Brother comes back AND this theory of mine is even partially true, you'll have to take my word for it that I didn't cheat. I only mention this because last year I predicted Bodie's death pretty early and first everyone called me an idiot and then, when it happened, accused me of looking at spoilers or downloaded clips or something. I did not. At the risk of sounding pompous, I am a writer (well, I'm trying to be) and I tried to think like they did. That time I was right. I was wrong about The Sopranos (although who could've predicted that) but I was right about the death of a major character at the end of season 3 of Deadwood, for those of you who haven't watched I won't say who...but watch that show. Man is it good. Anyway, we need Brother to come back.

He's also just too damned good not to. They knew when they created him, I expect, that they'd stumbled on to something awesome. I mean, Prop Joe was actually afraid of this guy. He's definitely among my favorite characters...because he's one of the few left in the show that's a true enigma. I don't (really) have a good reason for how or why it could happen, but I want him back. I almost said I didn't know when either...but then again I do. I have to. It's either this last episode or nothing. The last episode. Jesus I can't believe we're here already.

I think that deserves a post in itself.

Dominic West tells all, well some...

Here's an interview with Dominic West from the LA Times, which hints at the series finale. It also talks about how the condensed 10-episode season affected the storyline and a possible movie that "would have to be a prequel."

One of the more revealing answers:

"It’s an amazing feat of logistics how he has wrapped it up. Little story shoots that were sent out in Season 1 and you never heard of again come back and are sewn up –- I’m mixing hundreds of metaphors here –- but what you find at the end of "The Wire," and I think in life, is that all these characters that you’ve come to know and are fading away are replaced by a younger generation. So you see exactly who’s going to become the new McNulty and the new Omar, because the thing about the police work against drug gangs is they bring down one and a few years later they’re building a case against a whole new one. I suppose it's the idea that relentlessly things don’t change and you keep seeing the same thing again and again."