When Bodie killed Wallace he made it very clear THE rule is: You snitch. You're dead. Doesn't matter if you're one of my best friends, or if you have a great reason to, or if you were forced to. If you even think about snitching, on anyone, you're dead. So, this a great long term payoff to that scene. Bodie was finally beaten down by the game and gave in. He considered turning on Marlo. Whatever problem was between them, the second Bodie EVEN LET THE THOUGHT ENTER HIS MIND about working with the cops, he pulled the trigger on himself. And somewhere inside, he knew that. That's why when it came time to run off his corner, he stayed true to the final words he told Wallace about being a man, accepted his fate was sealed and went out on his feet, standing tall, "like a man."
Bodie didn't kill Wallace cause hes a snitch he killed him because he was following orders and Wallace was weak. Bodie snitched on marlo cause marlo was a pycho who killed people for no reason. Wallace snitched because he wasn't tough enough for the game, his heart pumped cool-ade.
That doesn't matter, and the reason he was told to kill Wallace was because he was suspected to be a snitch because he was weak... which he was. So it's all relevant to what the audience knows to be true.
Sorry you're wrong Sir. McNulty had a mutual respect for Bodie because he saw he wasn't just a corner kid, he actually thought things out and used his brain. Bodie never snitched on anyone, not even Marlo. This scene depicts what Mcnulty always does, uses people until he doesn't need them. McNulty could see Bodie was fed up with all the shit Marlo was doing and he knew this was the time to try and befriend him to get him to flip. The scene prior to this Bodie kicked out a cop car and started yelling all sorts of shit out of frustration about Marlo. If you think Bodie was a snitch you should no longer be allowed to watch The Wire. Bodie was getting sick of the shit Marlo was pulling and the shit he has gone through, he made the decision in this scene that he would rather die than live on his knees like a pawn. He foreshadows his death when he says right at the end, "I'll do what I gotta."
He clearly implies that he will snitch and help the cops bring down Marlo.. it's very clearly implied by him saying "I'm not ratting on no Barksdale boys" implying he WILL however give up Marlo as long as he doesn't have to give up his guys in the process.
Rob Rose Are we watching the same clip? You are wrong again sir. Sorry, try again. You realize that by this time in the show Barksdale was long gone in prison, ratting on them would do nothing for any investigation as it was closed on the Barksdale crew by this time. This whole scene was to set up Bodie's death. This talk he had fore shadow's his death. Bodie was a solider and this showed it because he wold rather die than snitch on his crew.
Bodie and McNulty are parallel. Both are shrewd and instinctive when it comes to respective jobs and are often at odds with superiors that expect them to handle their jobs in a controlled, one-dimensional fashion. McNulty was often at odds with Rawls and Daniels when he bucked their conventional methods of police work. Bodie found himself at odds with Stringer when he was involved in turf wars when Stringer expected everything to be business-like. Nor did Bodie like Marlo's way of doing things. No matter how efficient they are at what they do, both of these guys know that they are "pawns" to the institutions which they serve.
The saddest part of this was that Bodie weren't just out for Marlo's head cos he was another rival dealer. Bodie just hated the way Marlo did people, Bodie was 100% game all the way through the series til he saw Lil Kevin being carried out, then he changed and became all heart. THAT LOOK he gave Poot just before Poot ran was really sayin "Im not letting them do me like they done the others (like Lil Kevin), I gotta do this...."
Pissed at the rigged game, like we all should be. Chose to die on his feet, his terms, freedom in that, at least. No kneeling. No more taking shit for shit.
That is why we live our lives with the people who we are with we have not ever been able assert ourselves with society. I always seem that even when I'm trying it's wrong so Keep myself strong and have some good days
In season one Deangelo talked to Bodie about chess and how they're all pawns in the chess game. In this season Bodie dies just like a chess piece. Snoop and Chris come at him like Bishops (Higher level soldiers in the gang) in a diagonal fashion. The hitman from the alleyway, however, comes at him like a Knight, taking one step out of the alley and three steps towards Bodie's blindspot and gets him. Bodie died like a pawn, but it took three of the most powerful pieces on the board to take him out.
EXACTLY. I didn't catch the bit about the manuevering, but you are right. I wrote already above, not having read this far down, about the whole D'Angelo speech to Bodie and Wallace, I think, about chess...the lack of value of a pawn/soldier. Then touched on what has been said here, the park scene, the pawn reference. But the angles and steps are right, one and two, to be right about chess, but the direction change for a knight, yes...and the diagonal moves of the two Bishop henchmen. I wrote, "Perfect writing--Bodie couldn't have looked more like a pawn, a rumpled little heap in poor man's garb, faceless even under his hoodie", or the like. Nice catch, the movements. Nothing in great film making, or HBO shows, is by accident. Also, he conveys the writers' intent, i.e. we all die, all we pawns in the big picture, but can choose to go out on our feet or on our knees, like Bodie I think says just don't expect him to do in the park, talking about Marlo, etc. McNutty confers his humble, sad respect to him...honor, with that quiet before the storm tranquility (at least for this edit here), and a statue, reminiscent of both hero's and chess pieces both, perhaps.
DUDE!! You are sooo right on the chess reference. I can't believe that even after watching the show twice I hadn't noticed it, but they do attack him just as you said. Two bishops setting up for the knights kill. Very nice catch bro, kudos! This show was so awesome in captivating one in to the story and its characters. sooo much so that when a character like, Bodie, dies you really feel fucked up about it. When I first watched the show 3 years ago, and wathed how Bodie gets got, I literally stopped watching the show for like a week before I could finish the rest of the show because of it. Not even game of thrones has had that effect on me, and they have character die left and right.
Soo many years later.. And it still hurts to see this.. a Real REAL Character in a TV Show. true to the game . .. RIP Bodie.. Always a Soldier in my book.. its that 2nd shot that pisses me OFF!!! fuck.. .. ! smh
I just watched this episode and it pissed me off!!! They shouldn't have wrote Bodie off the show. He was the realist baddest out of all them. Rest them street dudes was punks lol
Oh my goodness!!I was gonna seriously going to stop watching The Wire when Bodie got killed.My feelings were so hurt.He wasn't scared solider till the end!!
You are right. I watched all 5 seasons in a span of 10 days. this was 2 years ago. god, i can keep watching the wire clips all day long. this show is amazing. how is it only the greatest tv show ever made? it should receive more accolades!!!
PSTA the most painful part of Duquan is that he wanted to do good, he was on his way to doing good. Prezbo should have adopted him. I think " The Wire" shows dt sometimes drug dealers and users are often victim of circumstances.
Adeola Oluwaseun Adeyemi Dukie just never had a chance and that was what was so depressing - he was too far behind academically and just not strong enough (mentally AND physically) for 'the game'...................I hated the scene where he was shooting up, I thought he'd at least be smarter than that
Adeola Oluwaseun Adeyemi I was devastated when Bodie was murdered, even though he was himself a murderer. In my opinion, regardless of the religious views of the show creators, the wire is a Christian show, because every human being and it has worth and dignity and humanity. They'll make their own choices sometimes evil ones are but they are all human beings created by God and we are saddened by their downfall
but he would've been snitching to somebody who he never swore loyalty to, Marlo. You live and breathe the game. You respect its rules believing that if you soldier up, do your part, and shut yo mouth, it will reward you. But then here comes Marlo with no respect for anything. People like that change the dynamic of the game. All of a sudden all your work and loyalty don't mean shit. What do you do? Stay true to that? It's rough. Difficult choice.
yeah man bodie was real cool he grew on me and i unserstood him...later he was just a street dude but i think he should of been at the top of the crew.....instead of just of the streets all the time......
i've tried to put many of my friends on to the wire and the main selling point i have on it is that NO ONE is safe, a main character who has been in it since the beginning can just die with no fan fare what so ever. thats the beauty of the wire, its like life. anyone can be gotten to!
Bodie was a great character.. one 1 the trueest G's on the show, he respected things being done proper, not the Marlo chaos way of just cappin any1 who looked the wrong way
Marlo changed up the rules when he became the big man on campus, and Bodie was the only one dumb enough to keep playing by the old rules. Which is why he is my hero. I have a feeling he could have been a pretty decent soldier after he got older and hardened a little bit. When he killed Wallace he seemed a bit hesitant, but in his later years he could have fit nicely in the Barksdale organization, back when the Game was truly the Game
Bodie died cos he didn't act like a pawn, he thought for himself and tried to change the system, just like Colvin tried to do with Hamsterdam, etc, but he didn't have the power to change anything to go against the system, the game or Marlo. He's frustrated with the world he's in, instead of adapting, he tries to fight back, but to do that he would need an army.
DethDingo Bodie could of turned into something like a Slim or Wee Bey. He wasn't no Stringer Bell. Stringer might be my most hated character from the series.
Also, if you think back to the chess scene in the first season, the only piece D doesn't teach his crew about is the Knight. This new generation man. It's a whole new game, playing with rules nobody can understand.
That's how writers and cinematographers work, is the thing. Bodie's story began and ended with talking about chess, so the analogy in his final scene is no accident. If you notice, great, but if not, the analogy is still working; he did things his way, but other people do things their way, and it gives them an advantage. Bodie was straightforward, this is my corner, all that. O-dog sneaks up on him when he's distracted. They're telling the story on multiple levels, like the masters they are.
Also note Bodie's muscle stands diagonally behind him, creating the pawn wall so common in chess. Once they start running, Poot sticks around for a minute, backing up Bodie, but as soon as he's gone, the last pawn is unprotected, and the knight swoops in for the kill. It's fucking beautiful.
The scene with Bodie talking to McNulty in the park reminds me of a scene in Boyz n the Hood when Ice Cube told Tre " Even they don't know don't show or don't care about whats going on in the Hood"
Chris and Snoop were decoys cause they were waiting for that blood (DNA) sample Lester got from them at the police station, so Marlo told them to lay low, and let O-dogg get Bodie. It was O-dogg, not Michael. Michael worked for Bodie. Some of y'all need some damn glasses LOL
Mcnulty's respects Bodie alot in the end, just the way he sais ''your a soldier Bodie''. And he deserves respect. Somehow I saw his end comming with this scene, but I hated it when it happend. At least he went out standing like the man he was. Fuck Marlo Stanfield, and fuck season five without Bodie.
his acting was not as on point when he did sopranos, but in the wire he was spot on. he was easily one of the top 5 best characters in the wire & when he went i knew the series was ending. he WAS the wire. great actor, really good
To be fair, what was Mcnulty thinking? Dropping the charges like that and being all friendly with Bodie right in front of the station? I mean, Marlo had ears and eyes everywhere.
He was a pos idiot. He was like that through out the whole show. All he cared about was his cases. That was where he derived any sense of self worth. He put his cases and "the job" above everything.
bodie lived by that life and died by it. he knew that nothing last forever and that feeling of what would happen. that fear feeling he had on his mind knowing that his time was coming
It's sad to see Bodie die, but The Wire wouldn't be what it is if he didn't. Fact of the matter is the good and the bad "get got" as they say. The game is rigged, just like Bodie and Mrs. Daniels said. "But you cannot lose if you do not play".
I wish I would've been old enough to understand this show when it was still running. I feel like the camera quality back then added to the immersion. I watched the whole series on HBO Max but I believe it was enhanced.
Marlo's actual fate was better. He was stripped of the only thing he cared about: his street cred. That last scene where he fights off those dealers is one of the best scenes in the show.
yeah definitely a good point... i feel that its that way with your boys as well, there only around when its usually somehow benefiting them too, but when they know you have proven your friendship and loyalty to them in the past and times are rough, then they aint standing by your side or pledging their allegiance to you
I think Wallace was the saddest character to go of the original project boys for me. Bodie had a thuggish dip in his style after Wallace was tagged but matured when he got sick of being a street dealer for the five seasons.
did you expect Poot to? Thats a part of the game. Poot shooting back was a deathwish. And I mean, remember this shit is all full circle. i loved Bodie (I fuckin cried)...but I remember when he killed dude from first season. Its all a cycle. Thats the point.
We watched Bodie grow up, really 'got' him and when he dies after almost 5 years on the show... No strings, no sentimentality, because that is 'The Wire' through and through. Imagine if Michael Bay was directing this shit, that scene would have went on for half an hour and it would've been wank. David Simon deserves a fucking knighthood (even if he is American). 'The Wire' is the greatest show of all time...
Given fair and equal opportunities, the real "Bodies" would have built and lead some of the greater corporations of today rather then being subjected to the only hand dealt. Square Biz.
Well obviously most of those dudes ain't given no opportunities you speak of and what I ment by bodies is the low level soliders that do evrything right and see nothing for it. taking
@mankytoes He couldn't kill Wallace. He hesitated bad and couldn't squeeze. Poot had to make him squeeze, then Poot finished it when Wallace lay bleeding and wheezing. Maybe that'll help you forgive him.
When Bodie decided to take the initiative to drop Marlo he turned from a Pawn to a Queen piece. A pawn making it to the "other side" becoming Queen could be a metaphor for Bodie turning to the police to "get shit done." Earlier in the show the Queen was referred to as the "go get shit done piece" which is what Bodie was doing. Bodie had the ability to reach out to the law and the street going as far as he wanted to but only for a short time before being killed. Bodie's been a pawn all his life so it's why he was captured so easily. Despite being inexperienced Bodie like a Queen piece is very powerful and can move as far as he chooses so Marlo's crew only option was to corner him. Just like with String. Had they no trapped him Bodie would've gotten away or killed them. He damn near took Chris' head and Snoop's hand.
Seriously, though. If Monk Metcalf just hadn't happened to be there to see Bodie being picked up from the detention center by McNulty, the series would have been drastically different. Bodie never dies means McNulty never goes back to Major Crimes, which means the fake serial killer turning on the faucet never happens. Fuck, Carcetti might not even be elected Governor without that whole mess. All because Monk Metcalf was at central booking with the bondsman about Chris and Snoop when McNulty picked up Bodie.
It was because Lex saw Fruit with Patrice. The Wire was so intricate. Lex killed Fruit. Who was part of Marlo's crew. So they had Lil Kevin set up Lex. Kevin told Randy about the killing. Word got back to Marlo about Kevin running his mouth. So Kevin got killed. Bodie saw him being pulled out of the vacants and kicked out a cop's window. Getting him arrested. McNulty got him out and got him lunch. That's when Monk saw him. Thus getting him killed. So many strings.
Maybe if Bodie ain't kick the car window that belonged to the cops he wouldn't have died either. His frustrations got the best of him and got him killed.
“I feel old”. Bodies rise was fast. He went from a hopper to running a tower within two seasons. By season 3 he’s Barksdale’s main dealer. But that’s it. He hit the ceiling there. The king stay the king.
It was real hard to see Bodie get killed. He said he felt old, but he wasn't. He killed Wallace when he didn't need to kill one of his bestfriends, he called it, he was a pawn in the game, when he though he could be king. But there aren't no kings in this game, even they come and go.
