After failing to shoot Fruit, Cutty reveals to Avon that the game isn't in him anymore. (Season 3, Episode 6 "Homecoming") Featuring: Chad E. Coleman, Wood Harris and Anwar Glover
yeah such a great line. avon showed a spark of humanity here, he knew cutty already gave 14 years of his life to the game. as someone else commented he could have just had him killed to protect his secrets.
Slim Charles is a guy you really want in your corner. He was more than willing to take the blame on this and always has good advice for people who are never wise enough to listen.
The uneven duo of Avon and String showed how neither were really ever giving real counsel so each other. They both had very different ideas of how to conduct the business. I think Slim was more of a consigliere to Avon, and balanced that side of the franchise better than String’s attempts at those “away games”.
So much honor going on in one room, between these thugs man...You got Slim, who covers Cutty, you got Cutty, who steps up and admits it, ultimately telling the truth, and then you got Avon, who honorably lets Cutty go. This was enjoyable to watch
exactly why Marlo would never ever get the respect he yearned for. Marlo would have let Cutty go but would have ordered Chris n Snoop to ambush Cutty the same night
You know he only excuses it because Dennis killed a ton of people for him in the past, and did 15 years for him. Imagine if it was, say, Bodie who says this to Avon. He'd be buried in Leakin park the next day.
Avon respected Cutty here because he saw Cutty was about to do something even Avon couldn't do. Stringer gave Avon a way out of the game, to become a "businessman"--but Avon knew he didn't have any other skills, he didn't know anything outside "the game" and so, he didn't take the out. Cutty didn't know anything either, yet he was brave enough to go out into the unknown. It was nice to see how much Avon respected that.
Robert B Id like to think D'angelo and the whole shit that went down with him made Avon realise that Some Niggaz are in the Game but ain't got the heart built to be in it.........which I think may have Made him understand Cutty in this scene
When it's (the game) not in you. It's hard to find something else. However, I'm glad he found boxing. Plus, I'm glad the Pastor hooked him up with the Custodial/Truancy position (benefits).
It really is. Cutty is probably the only one in the show who actually has the guts to said that line. He probably was expecting the worst, but in the end it paid off.
i mean it makes sense, Cutty was getting old, most of the guys you see out there were young kids. The old ones were still in the game like Prop Joe and Butchie but they weren't muscle out on the streets. Cutty was too old and experienced to be doin that entry level street bullshit.
depends what you consider a good leader. Avon sacrificed a lot of money and power the gang could have had. On the other hand Stringer sacrificed the morale and humanity of it. Stringer was trying to start his own drug empire. Avon wanted an army.
I like to think Marlo is like a perfect symbiosis of Stringer and Avon. Heart, and brains. A ruthless, calculating predator with the game flowing in his very bloodstream
He did but he didnt...i think season 3 gives us alot more moments to like Avon because season 1 and 2 certainly didnt not make him look good. He was fairly cold blooded though less so than stringer.
Marlo would probably have a subordinate killed for trying to leave the game but Avon not only let him, he respected him for keeping ir real then later gives him 15k to help kids learn to box. Mad love.
I feel like Cutty leaving also caused Avon to reflect on his nephew D'Angelo who just like Cutty, wasn't cut out for their kind of lifestyle. Perhaps Avon regrets not letting D'Angelo be his own person as he would probably have still been alive. But it's even more tragic since Avon at this point in the story didn't know that his best bud Stringer ordered the hit on D'Angelo. So when Stringer reveals this to Avon later in the season, it must be infuriating for Avon to realize that no amount of regret and "what if's" could've saved D'Angelo from factors outside his control, most of which is Stringer pulling strings behind his back.
On top of that, he already had Stringer in his ear, then finding muscle was hard because he had to hear about somebody getting locked back up, somebody "cleaning they whole ack up" 😅 and all that. He didn't show it to String or anyone else, but he was wondering why he was still risking it all, too. 2nd time in prison probably made him realize he could run stuff better now just by overseeing and not being involved.
I think killing him was out of the question because he took all the years and didn't snitch on his crew. Avon knew he wasnt a threat in that way aswell because of the loyalty he showed. Just let him walk...
A commonly overlooked moment on the show was Cutty's first scene, when he, Avon, and Bey were all in Jessup watching other inmates play baseball. Avon whispered to Bey "the joint might've broken him." I think he knew all along that Cutty wasn't the same man as before, and that's why he was so understanding towards him in this scene. Avon knew his shit.
MurphyHorse Yeah first time i ididnt appreciate Avons intelligance and ability to play the Game. I was more on Stringers side off things. Bur after a second watching, it became clea ; Avon was intelliget honoroble and understood the game better then anybody. He d see things from a mile ahead. The only thing(besides selling heroun,lol) was spiking the inmates drugs with ratpoison. That was truly fucked up.
@@bajs3666 spiking the package was ruthless. They said like 8 died and 5 others in serious condition. He would have spiked it again if they dis not give him a deal. He held them hostage. Ruthless
Naw man, he recognized that Cutty had grown as a man and wasn’t the former person he was anymore. Cutty recognized that in himself. His compassion and humanity and need to leave a positive mark in the world grew in him and so he couldn’t continue being in the game anymore. He started on his path to grow and progress as a human being and Avon acknowledged his change and like before, was happy to help in his evolution as he recognized the growth that was occurring. Thus his point that he was and continues to be a man, one that owns his and is ready to move forward and walk his path.
This scene and the scene where Cutty comes back to ask Avon for money to finance a boxing Gym is why Avon is my FAVORITE character. Slim is also a close second.
it's why avon helped cutty. avon recognized himself in cutty when cutty wanted out. avon got heartso naturally he is gonna help his people. when he said to cutty: youtake care of them lil niggas, he was also kinda referring to himself. because he sees part of him in cutty. shit is deeper than just what you see.
I rewatched some of the scenes, and I really think deep down, Cutty's whole existence was unsettling to Avon as a possible reflection of Avon's own future and made him question his own lifestyle and the merits of his gangster philosophy. To see the effects of age, prison, etc on Cutty and to see him unenthusiastically and wearily respond to Avon had an effect on Avon. In all his scenes with Cutty, you can see him trying to rile Cutty up, because he himself has this deepseated insecurity about how long he can keep being a gangster and what will happen if he survives it and gets old. In this scene, when he says you aint done shit else, I felt that was Avon questioning himself, uneasily throwing the rationale he uses to justify and ease his own doubts at Cutty, to no avail. In the end, I think he respects Cutty because he knows Cutty did something he may never be able to get himself to do.
***** This exposition also applies to when Avon told D - "All you have to do is fuck up once. Be a little slow; a little late. Just once. And how you ain't never going to be slow or never be late?". Avon pondered on the future of his life, and he was sort of scared of it. He knows what this life can do to a person, and to see Cutty resign from it, evoked a little bit of jealousy. Not many people can catch this side of Avon but they have to look deep into his character if they observe deep enough. Avon is like Mitch from Paid in full - He's aware of the trial and errors of the game but he loves being the point guard. He loves the respect that comes from the game.
Taylor Giavasis Well-said, I didn't notice that convo with D, but it's spot on. The insecurity seeped into his relationship with Stringer too. Avon was the one who ended up right and he was able to foresee Stringer getting played, but to an extent, it was disappointing to see his self-destructive attitude and chest-puffed out disregard for establishing any sort of longevity or reaping anything from his lifestyle. He keeps repeating that it's all about the thrill and being a gangsta and bleeding red, but the way he said it came off more like he's just repeating something he's been taught and told his whole life rather than something he truly believes in, and that lack of conviction gets exposed through those interactions with Cutty. Avon ended up resigning himself to an unnecessarily tragic fate and lacked the self-confidence to believe he could do anything aside from the hustle or to believe he could or even should convert his violence to a reasonable contribution to society. Even in the part where Cutty asks Avon for gym money, you can see he is conflicted, his initial reaction is to want to but then those insecurities and apathy kick in and hes like na fuck all that. He only ends up funding it because it was so cheap. From where such insecurity and resigniation arises, who knows. But A look into the education system and the lives of the youth shown in the show, the Bodie's, the Michael's, the Randy's, is insightful no doubt.
juvenilemafia10 This is why I loved the evolution of Stringer and Avon. Stringer had the incentive to look beyond the game which is respectable but he was too naive and self-centered to understand the principles of converting from making money illegally to making it legally. He was always one step behind. He didn't realize that the corporate world is as corrupt as the drug world. Avon wasn't content with creating a much more comfortable world for himself b/c he had too much respect for the game he embedded himself in. But I will say that Avon was much wiser than Stringer because he was the only one who saw right through Marlo. Avon was greatly intuitive. He had a good sense of judgment. He was conflicted on whether he should accept String's proposal to join the co-op but he knew Marlo was a leach who Joe and String wanted involved with the plan. Stringer should had stuck with Avon to take Marlo out, and then proceed to try and convince Avon to join the co-op. He had Avon convinced too before he found out that Marlo killed that girl. Just like Avon predicted, Marlo turned right around and screwed the co-op over. Stringer was smarter with good intentions but Avon was much wiser with content intentions
Taylor Giavasis When it came to Stringer and Avon, they remind me of idealism vs realism, almost like Brutus vs Cassius from Julius Caesar. On one side, idealism can take you to places you've never been before, but on the other hand, realism can prevent you from losing yourself in those lofty ideals. And yea, when it comes to Marlo, it goes to the old saying "those who speak do not know, those who know do not speak." Stringer and Prop Joe thought words, ideals, offers can prevail, the "intellect," but people like Avon and Marlo, they can read people in a second and once you slip up and expose a weakness, they'll eat you up. People from Marlo's cloth, they represent the real politik, amorality, and survival of the fittest. Talk is cheap for a conqueror, and Avon knew it.
imagine fighting on the losing side of a war, and then having one of your only two good soldiers quit... and then putting your interests aside and seeing that decision on a human level - and then wishing this man well, and to go in peace? That is like Marcus Aurelius-level magnanimity
So much respect for Avon to just let him out of it easy with no real issue. Marlo or anyone else surely woulda offed him the day after. Avon has my full respect
Hannibal Mathis We dont know shit about what Cutty had done for Avon and Co before his jailtime. But yeah maybe Marlo would have done it. It would be a smart choice when you think about it, But Avon was so good at understanding people he didnt have to kill everybody, wich was Marlos answer to everything.
@@Moltisantiproductions that’s what fruit should’ve told cutty about his package “They guy…. He moved er somehthin” Avon : yo string break it down for em , since the game was invented isself… what 2 things have been recession proof String: certain aspects of the gentlemans club biz…. And red tops
+SportsLover Right on. Being able to recognize your own limitations and weaknesses is the mark of a truer, deeper intelligence and was always something Avon was much better at than Stringer.
@@RossRossford "I'm just a gangster I suppose" Avon wisely embraced what he was, accepted his place in the world he lived in and built for himself, and the lived by the game but bent the rules here. He was a wise and good king, very self-aware as others have said above me. Stringer flew to close to the sun
I love how Slim has enough respect for Cutty to cover for him even when he knows Cutty didn't take the shot on purpose. Slim was a straight up respectable dude and it's cool to see that he came out on top in the end.
he didn't realize cutty didn't take the shot on purpose. when he runs up to him, he says "damn, i fucked up your shot" or some shit to that effect. he wasn't trying to cover for cutty, he genuinely believed he was the one that fucked up
@@turdisleszechuan1381 to me it's always been one of the things in the wire that's open to interpretation. Cutty had that dude in his sights for a long time, and the dude doesn't run away until the last minute when slim Charles is already coming up to them. Part of me thinks that slim Charles knew, but was waiting to see what Cutty would say or possibly just letting it go since it was cutty's first time doing a hit since he got out
I think he was even shielding Cutty from ridiculing himself. He wants him to get his groove back, and doesn't want him to get shaken and gun-shy. He even tells Cutty "I opened up too early, man" immediately after it happened and they were alone.
The guy playing Cutty really done well in this role I think, especially the way he looks deep into Avon's eye when he says he's out of the game. Such a believable character, I loved the show and all the characters.
That's real OG respect right there. As wrong as Avon was sometimes, he respected the game at the end of the day. Marlo would've had Chris at his grandma's house that night on his way home to say "I got you covered, boss"
This is why Avon was always my favourite, despiye being a ruthless ganster he had depth, unlike Marlo who was just a moronic psychopath who had to kill everyone just to maintain control. By series 5 I was praying for Avon to take Marlo out.
I don't think Avon was meant to be shown as a good or bad person, he just had his own code like a lot of other characters. He valued respect and to him Cutty earned respect by putting in work in his day and serving time without snitching.
Marlo's far from Moronic though -- his operation was very well run ; the proof being that the cops had to break the rules to take him down. Ultimately what lead to his downfall was, yes, a lack of compassion (taking down Joe is arguably what brought him low). He may not have held the crown long, but when he did everyone knew it.
I love the way Slim get's up straight away to high five cutty, it's almost like a veteran retiring in the NBA and his team-mates are there to see him out.
This may be the single most moving scene in entire the entire series. Everything about this scene is brilliantly written, acted, and deeply deeply felt. Nothing ever topped this show
I swear this scene got me goosebumps today when I re-watched it remastered. I love how you can see Cutty, once one of the strongest soldiers in the game, all shooked because of what is going on in his head. The way he looked at Avon, legend and a king, and said what needed to be said could be one of the best moments of acting in television history.
It's even more powerful when you know what Cutty goes on to do after he gets out, his drive to help the community kids really shines new light on what must have been going through his head in this scene. I watch this maybe once a month because the acting is so damn good. Powerful stuff.
For me maybe the most important scene in the entire series..... Im sitting here trying to put into words why this scene is so important but I can't find the words to explain... Best I can do.. is if you don't have respect for something outside your self.. bigger than you... then you're nothing.. you are an animal... Marlo was an animal... but Avon...even though he did terrible things.. Had enough humility within himself to see outside himself.. and honour a thing, larger than himself.
Chigozie Oliver Oliver HE ALSO EXPECTED IT BECAUSE WHILE THEY WERE IN JAIL, he told Wee Bey , “ I think the joint broke him”. Wee bey disagreed because Cutty was so ruthless that got him in jail
@@salt27dogg Bey disagreed because Cutty called the cops on himself... ruthlessness didn't come into it. He gave himself up and served 15 years with his mouth shut. Cutty was just as strong as Wee Bey, he just didn't have the game in him anymore. He went alone and unarmed to a Stansfield corner... would any current or former Barksdales dream of doing that?
I think thats its crazy how this parallels back to the basketball game vs Prop Joe. How he wanted the Ref to be a man and stand up for himself, same thing this time in reverse cutty was willing to die for his freedom away from the game.
Naw, Prop Joe did. He played a bit differently than Avon, but he understood respect. Why do you think Slim Charles went over to him? Now Stringer and Marlo? Yeah, totally agree. Stringer was in the game for the money and wanted out ASAP. Marlo treated respect as a one-way street, you respected him and he respected nobody.
avon the reason the who baltimore failed. stringer was gettin them out the game..even tho he was getting fucked by clay davis while doing it..they had the best product and co-op..avon wanted an unshared crown..but only was able to give it to slim charles
Love the shock/anxiety in Cutty's eyes just before Avon says it's all good. He never knew how today was going to go down. He knows he is in severe danger. Avon, if he so wished, could have ended him right there.
I love this fucking show lol. But mad respect for cutty and Avon. Avon could have gotten all paranoid and had him shot later or something, but Cutty came at him as a man and the unspoken dialogue was "im not a snitch".
This scene right here shows why Avon was the best kingpin in The Wire. Marlo was just a straight up sociopathic savage but Avon still had vestiges of the "code."
Avon respected when cutty spoke up and even said it ain't in him no more. Avon knew he was locked up for 15 years, and he was real. that's why Avon helped out cutty wit the boxing gym. Just like Avons dad helped out Kurt wit his gym. Avon was a drug dealer but he wasn't murder happy. he had values. I wish him and Omar would teamed up against Marlo.
Wood Harris is an incredible actor. You can see at 1:01 that he knows the answer and don’t want to hear it but still ask “why not?” This whole scene is powerful.
I swear that watching this over and over again once realises the A+ acting within this show. Look at Cuddy's face as he gives his Big hommie and Slim a dap! You see the fear and shock on his face. How would you guys deserve it?
i don't know why but there's something in this scene right here that touch my soul. The actors are truly unbelievable, the dialogues are perfect aswell, it's crazy i can watch this like a 100 times
THATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AVON & MARLO, AVON TOLD CUTTY WE STRAIGHT & GAVE HIM 15K LATER ON, MARLO WOULDVE TOLD HIM WE COOL THEN SENT CHRIS & SNOOP TO PUT HIM IN A VACANT...
Avon truly respected Cutty. Cutty did his dirt, and now he was done, you could see it in his eyes. Avon could see it as well, and respected him for it.
Cutty is absolutely formidable. "I ain't making myself clear" says that to Avon with complete confidence and assertion. Imo Cutty is one of the scariest guys in this entire series and it's all in his face.
First time I watched this I thought Avon was going to kill Cutty. Then when he praised him by saying "He a man today", I was so impressed how they added another layer to Avon's character.
Yeah and it wasn't out of character at all. Unlike Stringer, Avon dedicated his life to the game and only the game. He was ruthless in most cases and he had to be. But he was able to show a compassionate side too when appropriate. Every decision he made added to his leadership and street credibility.
That’s why Avon more genuine than Marlo, he keep a sense of morale through out his reign while Marlo just reigned with ruthlessness and insecurity. Took out families because of an individual who spoke wrong on his name. Never respected Marlo one bit.
Moheeb Fadel True!! And Marlo wasn’t sure if Junebug actually said what he was accused of saying. Marlo killed his family on a freaking rumor!! I hated him!
@@deb7457 this will always be wat I love. Avon the wise street god slim the new soldier cutty a legend Avon hold on slim the future cutty is the past Avon respects that cutty is out slim thinks his past cutty makes him a icon to Avon past present makes u still a man
I always thought how fitting Avon would have been as the leader of some prehistoric tribe. You know, before civilisation forced everyone of us into servitude. He has an honor and dignity that somehow transcends all those years.
"No man, I'm not making myself clear." The wording of this is so vital. Most people would say something along the lines of "you're not listening" or "you're not understanding." Cutty is putting the full blame and responsibility onto himself. Just because he no longer wants to be part of the game and resents it, he hasn't lost his respect for Avon. It's that attention to detail that makes The Wire such a masterpiece.
He respected him and problem even more because he told him up front he can't do it anymore it not him and made him more a man in Avon's eyes it took courage.....
I always enjoyed avon's character season's 1 and 2. But when I saw this scene the first time, I thought it was going to be a sad end for cutty. Gained so much respect for avon after this scene and the scene where he gives cutty the 15 g's for the gym. If someone like Marlo was in this situation, he wouldn't of had the respect for an old school gangster to let him go, he would feel insulted by an attempt to retire and would of dealt with him right then and there.
Can't help but respect Avon. The comparison's been made, but we all know Marlo would have handled things differently. Avon bred loyalty out of mutual respect, but everyone knew he wasn't afraid to use muscle. Marlo bred loyalty out of fear.
This scene is a perfect example of the difference between Avon and that punk ass Marlo.. Marlo would have had Cutty killed for being truthful.. Avon respected him and still treated him as a man. OG
Slim gave Cutty an out- and hats off to him for that, Slim's a real one- but Cutty was still willing to stand up and say "no, it was _me."_ That's beautiful.
I love how Slim won’t throw Cutty under the bus. He takes the blame himself like a real soldier. I’m glad Cutty got to have a straight life and Slim ended up running the game in the end.
Avon envied Cutty.. Thats all Avon knew like an athlete, didnt know how to restart life the way Stringer was mentioning to him.. Avon quietly feared change and he respected Cutty for admitting that he was done.."He a man today", there was really nothing left for Avon to prove he just didnt know how to let go..
All hail the King, Avon 👑 . There is a reason he was still alive and thriving, in prison, while all the other leaders died. This is the difference between him and Marlo. It's all in the game yo
This bit always gave me chills. The look in Cutty's eyes. Like he thought he was effectively killing himself or something, killing who he used to be. Just this terrified realization that he can't do it anymore and he's willing to accept the consequences of that. Come what may. He's almost in shock saying it, but he still says it. And Avon sees it, he's too smart not to. He knows what Cutty just did. He's dissapointed, sure, but he understands and still respects him. Imagine this same thing happening with Marlo. Would probably be a very different kind of teary eyed ending.
