A very important scene. An older brother schooling a younger brother to the point of frightening clarity. Both great actors and a beautiful season of the Wire, as they all were.
Earlier in the season Frank tries to spread some of that money to his older brother but he refuses to accept it and Frank mocks him for having the same kitchen never remodeled or the same piece of crap car that needs a battery and his older brother said whatever he has comes straight. Even his horse betting was very careful and he is up 7 thousand dollars.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 Yes very well remembered! Objects come and go and can be replaced later down the line. Family, freedom and the ability to earn a straight living are nowhere near as easy to come by. The short con or the long game? Imagine if they could have communicated this way before they lost track of their sons. Have you seen We own this City?
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 up 7K if he actually bet. He placed imaginary wagers and used that to say “here is what I could have made” He’s playing the game just not putting up any real money. If he was actually gambling why was he at the bar listening to the races vs at the track or an OTB location?
S2 goat TV. How does a series go from focusing on drugs, police, and the characters to the blue collared worker, incentives for crime, and the supply. Crazy how they took such a sharp turn and fit it perfectly into the series. The Wire just does it on a whole different level
I will never understand how people can badmouth season 2. I mean, in the Wire at 20, the podcast series they did, they rarely bring up season 2, and even when they do it's met with "WE'RE WELL AWARE THAT SEASON 2 WASN'T RECEIVED WELL." I think the primary reason season 2 still struggles to get the recognition it deserves is because it's a season focusing around white middle class workers in a show about black urban life. I understand the juxtaposition might be jarring, but you're right in saying that it fits perfectly into the series.
@@cainandabel7059I think there's also a thing of ethos: protestant vs catholic (in christianity). Poles culturally are mostly catholic and that makes a difference.
Gotta one of my favourite seasons. Love the last one too, I just never understood why the Greek would choose Marlo over Joe. So hard to find tv where every single episode is a+ TV.
@@michaelwyatt2223 It wasn't that the Greek chose Marlo over Joe. The Greek correctly guessed that Marlo was going to kill Joe no matter what. Even if he hadn't agreed to work with Marlo, Joe was still a dead man no matter what. Then they would be stuck with no distribution for their heroin. So the Greek made a calculated decision to work with Marlo rather than have his business disrupted when Joe inevitably turned up dead. This is never directly stated, but I think there is further subtext that the Greek also probably understood that Marlo was too reckless and would not last long as a kingpin. The Greek probably realized that working with Marlo was a short term solution and that he would ultimately be working with someone else after Marlo flew too close to the sun. Long story short, the Greek was a smart son of a bitch who knew exactly what kind of criminal Marlo was the moment he laid eyes on him.
@@thespiralgoeson I see where you are coming from and it makes sense. The side of me that loved Prop Joe just can't understand why the Greek wouldn't just murder Marlo since he was so much more comfortable with Joe. However, I can see the Greek not wanting to get involved in local shenanigans. At least Slim Charles got to kill Cheese awesomely and take a spot at the head of the table in the end. No one deserved it more.
@@michaelwyatt2223 the Greek saw Marlo's ambition and realized he wasn't going to be denied. Remember how persistent Marlo was sending them money and making multiple visits. They recognized he wasn't going to stop. Joe, as loyal to them as he was, had served his purpose and they realized he was on the way out. Marlo represented that next generation which was far more ruthless than the previous one.
Frank was only trying to keep the docks alive for his workers. His intentions were good he just went about it The wrong way, got in too deep and paid for for it with his life. None of his actions were selfish or for self gain.. but surely he asked himself what the Greeks were smuggling? They wouldn’t go to all that trouble for a few cases of vodka, he probably just didn’t wanna know what they were really up to with the drugs, even when he found out they were people smuggling he continued to work with the Greeks... but in his eyes was all for the Union, all to keep guys in work.
Saintsinnz yeah the more I think about it, the more I realize he’s the only criminal level character on the show who did what he did for no personal gain. One of the best TV characters ever created and he was only in one season.
@@DuncanUdaho67 they did imply a couple of times that Frank enjoyed the power a little bit, and was very reluctant to let someone else have a turn. But yeah, overall his intentions weren't selfish.
@@CheerfullyCynical829 The implied tragedy of Frank's character is that, while he's a good man, his priorities are completely out of order. "What other way to keep the docks alive?" If keeping the docks alive means being complicit in human trafficking, murder, drug dealing, and possibly even terrorism... you know what? At that point, you should just say "fuck the docks" and let them die. The other way in which Frank's priorities are out of order is that he sees his union as his family, but he neglects his actual family. It's no accident that he has so few scenes with Ziggy. He was an absentee father. It's clear he always put far more time and energy into preserving his union than he ever put into being a father. Yeah Ziggy is an annoying screw up, but maybe he wouldn't be that way if he had a real father figure in his life giving him guidance. Frank sacrificed his soul and even his family life for the sake of his union. And in the end, it was all for nothing. The docks were going to die no matter what. Frank was sweeping leaves on a windy day. All he did in the end was get himself killed and destroy his family.
I like to think about the good old days when Pops was in charge of a gang of ship builders at the dry dock, fixing ships with sweet high quality American steel fresh from the Bethlehem mill.
Can't say I blame his brother from getting pisssed off. You supposed to be his Uncle and you got your nephew out here doing illegal shit with organized crime.
You know.. From all of the characters in all of the seasons on The Wire... Louis "Pops" Sobotka seemed the most at peace. Living a clean, utilitarian existence has that effect. Would anyone else agree, thoughts?
@@superwario2741 He also had a decent looking (for her age) traditional wife who cooked and cleaned, and I'm sure his house was paid off. I would take his life over 90% of the characters on The Wire
I don't think he seemed at peace. For me, Sobotka always seemed near a breakdown of some sorts. His life was stressful, he was dealing with criminals and had to front being honest and hardworking for a lot of people. In the end, he dragged his family with him and his own son got locked up for life. I think he was a resillient person, and through years at the docks he managed to cover his feelings well. But I bet his character was supposed to have a lot of internal conflicts.
I rank the seasons 4,1,3,2,5 but with that being said I can definitely rearrange seasons 1-4 any which way because they are legit so close to each other. Season 5 was a bit of a let down but it gets a pass in my book because even though watching what happened in the newspaper room was at times extremely boring it was integral to the plot of the season as it displayed the effects it had on the rest of “the game” thus adding a layer of context it played in the background of the other 4 seasons
Are they brothers? The "Pops" got me confused... I thought They were both brothers and zig and nick were cousins. Also, "Pops" or whoever plays him is an incredibly good actor. Didn't get much screen time but loved every scene he was in. His non verbal is amazing.
Yes, they brothers. Louis sabotka is of course, the much older and wiser who’s been through it and has come out alive on the other side. It reminds you that older folks who have made it out alive of the 9-5 grind may know a thing or two about some things.
Humans are always like that until it's them in the hotseat LMAO Old Men love to forget how many people they've fucked over and generally have this pious attitude towards new generations no matter what.
Not as messed up as bringing your nephew into that kind of business. Like, Nicky was a good kid and had the potential to be more than what he got involved in the game. Sadly, it was a tough and shtty position for them all to be in and they had to do what they had to do to survive.
He got his nephew involved so it was fair. He was aware they were stealing and involved with very dangerous criminals that smuggle illegally through his docks. The ends didn't justify the means for Frank and it destroyed his family.
