The Wire | How to Play Chess According to The Wire | HBO Max 

Bodie's remark 'If I get to the end, then I win?' is significant. It shows that in a fight between two drug gangs, the members aren't motivated by the desire to destroy the other gang. They actually want to move up the hierarchy of their own gang. Killing the other king don't make you a winner, rising from a pawn to queen in your own gang makes you one.

“They be out the game early” *Looks up at Wallace

Slim Charles. The pawn that made it and became a Queen!

Man, what a simple and yet deep and powerful scene. Unbelievably great writing.

I like how the young ones that don’t understand the WHOLE game yet are focusing on the pawns becoming the king, and D’Angelo who has much more experience knows this isn’t the way the game is played.

"Man, we ain't got no checkers." Such a sad line. They're so used to making something out of nothing and working with garbage (check out the ancient furniture and one kid sitting on a crate). Spend 5 bucks at a dollar store and they'd have all the plastic checkers they'd need, for life. One can believe that it never, ever occurred to them to do so. I also always liked their individual reactions to DiAngelo. Wallace was intellectually curious about a game that is unquestionably more mature and strategically dense than a silly kids' game like checkers. He wanted to upgrade. Bodie resisted at first, but eventually seemed more interested in the metaphor and winning conditions than actually learning to play. The dialogue is on point with their personalities, and what we learn about them here carries over throughout the entire series.

One of the best TV series ever made along with Sopranos

This scene is maybe one of the most important scenes of the show. It's filled with foreshadowing and it serves as a motif to the entire series. At first I found that it was odd that the explanation that D'angelo gave was incomplete and was really basic, but as I watched the show my understanding of this scene began to change and I came to understand that it was very deliberate the way they wrote the dialogue. I think they deliberately left out certain moves and pieces to emphasise that although these characters are in "the game" they hardly know how to play it due to a lack of education and understanding of the inner workings of said game. Wallace, bodie and even D'angelo in the end become victims of this game and their deaths are, in my opinion, a reflection of the way this scene was written. Wallace was the first one to die and in the build up to his death they have to go up some stairs to another room where he was. To me those stairs represent a diagonal which is how the bishop moves in chess, since he didn't knew about this piece he was caught off guard and so he met his end. Bodie although he was the last one to die, was also caught off guard by a knight's move and met his end fighting in a corner like a pawn. D'angelo in the other hand knew all the pieces in the game and although he was in prison AND was a relative to the king he was killed by the piece that according to his explanation could go anywere and get shit done, the queen a.k.a stringer bell. Through out the entire series we see connections to this scene and how the writers use the game of chess as a motif and as a metafore for "the game".

When simple metaphors reveal complex themes. This is the brilliance of The Wire encapsulated in 3 minutes.

"The King, stay the King, but the Pawns, if they make it all the way to the other side, they get to be Queen" The foreshadowing in that line is crazy if you know the show.

Bodie makes a chess reference with McNulty in the last season. Boy learned quick and retained too.

DeAngelo was my favourite character. Extremely smart in the game, but stuck in his knight spot.

“What about them little bald headed @$#&* down there.” 🤣🤣🤣

Perfect ending to this scene. Bodie gets it, D knows, but Bodie's idealism about the game gets him killed. Bodie knows this game, but after Marlo, it all changes. An amazing character

I just realised that Bodie’s remark about making it to the end is foreshadowed later when him working his corner is the thing that gets him killed - he couldn’t even move to the other side always stuck in the same position - even if he did make it out of his environment death would follow him like it did Omar.

I feel this is the most underrated scene in TV history. The level of foreshadowing displayed in this scene is absolutely amazing. I don’t care what anyone says The Wire is one of the greatest TV shows in the last 20 years. This show was past the idea of being just about drug dealing. It was much deeper. It’s about how the 5 key pillars of social construct in America and their massive flaws. It can be related to any city not named Baltimore. It’s also the themes of each season. The war on drugs (s1), the economy (s2), politics/policing (s3), education (s4) and the media (s5).

This season of The Wire was truly some of the best things ever seen on television

The writing on this show, man. Epic stuff.

For me, this is one of the Top 5 iconic scenes from The Wire, a show that is full of iconic scenes.

Arguably the most important scene of the entire SERIES. The game is the game. Also....the game is rigged.

I can look at this series all day, everyday. It’s so true to life.

The Real Queen’s Gambit

They say skillful analogies are one of the hallmarks of intelligence, after many years this is still one of my favorites. The writers made great use of dialog to focus on the relevant parts of the game, hits hard because its true not just in Baltimore, its the same everywhere.

He move one space any damn way he please cuz he’s the king! But he ain’t got no hustle!! Epic!!

One of the best scenes in media as a whole. Just brilliant

i just noticed bodie has a durag on to make him look like the pawn that got hit off the board in dangelos example

This remains one of the greatest peices of writing and acting ever!! Brilliant in every way!

the best chess and crime explanation i ve ever seen in any fiction of pop culture or in real life,queens' gambit is another great series,but it could learn how to teach with the wire.

This series is unmatched

Such a classic scene

Michael B Jordan as Wallace, I was so saddened when he got killed by Boddie

This is one of the best and most important scenes in television history. Can you guess why it wasn’t appreciated by the Emmy’s in its time?

This is foreshadowing on how they approached Bodie when they killed him

best show of all time

Amazing scene.

The king stay the king

Wish they didn’t add the “Like your uncle” and “reminds me of stringer” lines. I think the audience is smart enough to put it together.

Congrats on 400k subs hbo ❤️❤️

Bodie and Wallace self aware pawns

one of my favorites scene from the show

Amazing scene

the most memorable scene for me

The only show where watching one clip can turn into ten clips

Okay fine, I'll watch the Barksdale saga again.

This scene is legendary. Symbolism abound.

2:48 'you get to be queen' i swear a hip hop song sampled that line, can't remember which

so much foreshadowing and for real stuff in this scene. You become the king and for how long?

She got all the moves

Music at the beginning of the video ??

Bodie having his final meal with McNulty… in the garden with. Hess pieces. He was one of the final pieces (pawns) from the Barksdale crew… and he fell. This was def foreshadowing.

Can anybody tell me the song at the beginning of the scene?

I think there might be a metaphor to this chess talk

I watched this scene before and after I watched season 1 and wow

It's kinda wholesome that in the free time those two gangstas are playing checkers

o-dog was a knight because when he killed bodie he left the alley and went one square forward and then turned 90 degrees to his left and went two squares and then captured body by shooting him the head multiple times

My favorite scene. RIP D'Angelo Wallace and Bodie. These 3 were supposed to leave the game and move out of state and move on.

that's right my boys, be smartass pawns.

All three of them were just pawns.

DeAngelo remarks makes more sense when we see the end of Bodie.

For people not familiar with The Wire, it's a good way to explain how the gang was run

what is wrong with the sound in other version the sound is better that is some surround sound tech

I'm British, and I've seen some great TV drama. Watch Denis Potter's stuff for an example. And the greatest ever exponents of Shakespeare. But this? The Wire was new, and it was special. I saw Deadwood, which came out before The Wire, and it was obvious something new, different and exciting was happening. Then there was The Wire. The acting, the writing, the way it was staged blew me away. Deadwood took a more classical approach, but The Wire, following on from Homicide reflected real life as it was, but added an extra layer, which made it universal and everlasting. It's that important.

it's either play or get played

HBO Max grant our wish and give Firebreather a show!!! We need it!!! #bringbackFirebreather

Life is like chess simple to play to move all peices, bit to get it, it takes practice and practice makes perfect...🤯

Guy said castle like 😂

All 3 of them died. So, you could say all 3 of them were pawns.

Be honest...you didn't know how brilliantly important this scene was when we were just watching it at the time. Looking back at how each character's experience ended...mannn!!!! Nothing kn television ever written and acted like The Wire... Nothing!

GM Deangelo barksdale

With moments like this, I wonder if Deangelo survived up to season 4 he could have turned his life around and became a teacher.

But pawns can become top dawg but u can become a queen a night or bishop

But what does the knight do?

This scene is one of the most skilful ways to do exposition in any show or movie ever. It conveys so much information about the plot and characters in so little time while feeling completely natural and realistic for these characters to be doing. Just think about all the things that are developed or foreshadowed in this scene: -Setting up that Avon is the king, that everyone knows he's the king, and that he generally doesn't get close to the action which is extremely relevant to the entire police investigation against him. -Setting up that Stringer is more active in the operations than Avon and that this is a point of tension between the two, which is at the core of their relationship as the show goes on. -Developing Wallace's character by showing that he's impressionable and that he doesn't really participate in the game with conviction or understand everything going on but mostly follows authority figures or even role models like D'Angelo is to him. Extremely relevant to his arc with the stick up boy and his eventual snitching. -Developing Bodie as someone who understands the game and the role he's in but isn't willing to accept it and has the conviction to move up the ladder, thinking that he can stand out and prove himself to advance. Extremely relevant to Bodie's evolution and a tragic foreshadowing of Bodie's end, as he eventually realizes that conviction and competence don't get you any merit and that the game chews you up just the same. -Developing D'Angelo as someone who understands the game perfectly well and, more importantly, who is already critical and self-aware of his role in it. We see that he knows he's a pawn and that is the core aspect of his character, that he is too clever to just play the game and get chewed up and so he's way more worried and self-conscious about it than the other players. In just three minutes, this scene clarifies and fleshes out the main plot of the first season and lays out the themes and dynamics of basically the entire Barksdale organization and the people involved. This is truly expert writing and acting and it's why this show is so legendary.

3:14

Slim became the top dog and promoted to Queen

Sad truth in all the wisdom here... each one of them got taken out. Knowing how the game works still can't save you from the game.

Remind me of string

Later when D'Angelo lost the figurative chess match in controversial fashion, he was heard yelling, "Tainted beat!" (Or was that in another series?)

If only Brodie knew about the Bishops and knights

He forgot the bishop.

Who's the Knight though?

Botez be like the Queen is worthless.

That money was way to clean to be drug money 💰 😂😂

#BRINGBACKINFINITYTRAIN #SAVEINFINITYTRAIN #BOOK4INFINITYTRAIN

so this is the beginning of killmonger's sick obsession of being king of wakanda

I wish they didn’t have “like your uncle” “remind me of stringer lines” feels like they were put their cos the writers didn’t think the audience would connect the dots.

The Game all along is chess, not checkers. Protect your king at all costs. Pawns are disposable

Draughts

''"Parents are like shuttles on a loom. They join the threads of the past with threads of the future and leave their own bright patterns as they go."'',

...my father taught me how to play laddy. Chess and life are very similar because after it all, all the players end up in a pine box🏀

The Wire, Gomorrah, Sopranos, Peaky Blinders, and Boardwalk Empire. Best crime dramas out there - can't think of anything else that comes close to these gems.

the jurassic dead (2018) movie hbo max✔

They did D’Angelo so dirty :( lovee when McNulty talked with the mom about how it prob wasn’t a suicide but nobody cares

02:55 I love how Bodie fantasizes about being the pawn who aspires to become a Queen. He is not in the right mindset to get the game.

I wouldn't be taking tactical advice from D'Angelo

I jus realized that's michael b jordan

nah,... they aint supposed to be allowed to do that everywhere i go,....

"the king stay the king" Not exactly, and it shows when you get people who have unmoving conviction to rise to the top AKA Marlo.

Dude didn’t explain the bishop. Lol.

D's the pawn that reached the other side and became the Queen