Then he covered for him when they met Avon, & even after Avon allowed Cutty to leave "the game", Slim still talked him up saying he was a real man back in the day etc. Slim was loyal.
Charlie Soesbergen Nah Cutty was too old & wise to even bother dropping a punk like Fruit. He probably knew he would wind up dead anyway like most of them do.
T Dillinger Nah, he wanted to Bodie to come with him. But Bodie wasn’t about sucking up to Marlo, he told Poot to go. Bodie even had Chris and Snoop, two experienced killers pinned down during a fire fight even though he was just a “pawn” so to say. But then came Odog from behind, thus fulfilling a “knight” move like it was a game of chess(remember season 1 with D?). Before Bodie killed Wallace, he said “C’mon, die like a mfn man!” And Bodie indeed died like man. He stuck to his word.
The final score I got was 4-3 (Stanfield). This war was closer than people thought, and frankly, Avon had the much better strategy. He planned to wait until Marlo got comfortable, and then assault him with everything he had, which would've worked, had Stringer Bell not sold out Avon. Marlo was more aggressive and more ruthless. He might also be more tactical, but if Avon hadn't been arrested prematurely, the tides of war would've shifted drastically. Think about what would've happened if the cops didn't show up when Avon was ready to kill Marlo and Chris. The man was packing grenades, semi-automatics, and shotguns. With his powerhouse of a crew, Marlo would've been ruined. Really, in the grand scheme of things, Avon didn't lose to Marlo, he lost to Stringer.
Too many 40º days for the barksdale people if you ask me.. some rookie mistakes as well.... Anyway it doesnt matter if it was the po-pos or another nigga, avon got fucked "before" marlo.. thats what counts.... There ain't no back in the day, nigga! Ain't no nostalgia to this shit here ;)
The thing Marlo never realised was that the only way to beat Avon was to kill him. By the end of the series Avon had built his muscle back up and was in full war mode. He was enjoying it. He was never going to back down and his street rep ensured he would never have to.
Sameway to beat Marlo too. Or like, a dragon rider in House of the Dragon. You get them unsuspecting. Dishonorably. In the back. etc. Just walk. Just like how Omar got got. The "name" only protects you in so far as the person actually fears it.
Definitely, Weebay lived for this type shit. He Stinkem Bird even Bodie when Barksdale gang was strong with all their soldiers out Marlo would not have last. Slim Charles played the game correctly, if Avon had just called him that moment Marlo would be worm food, an most of his muscle as well. That's the scene where we wanted Slim to say f it something not right an blast on em.
Shit, now that you mention Slim's thinking... besides being disciplined, he had the botched mission in his memory. Probably half of why he didn't just go for it.
The first clip, Man the look in Cutty's eyes. He was ready and willing to OFF all them corner boys. If the car would've waited for the call, cutty and slim would have murdered ALL of the corner boy. He would have killed at least 2, and never would've gotten out of the game. You can see it in his eyes man, its all in the eyes
eddieguererro46 nah I think you're wrong about this actually. I think that might have saved their life those guys fuck up the guys were ready the lookout in the bicycle spotted the car and they were ready.... cutty's plan involved them taking the heat of things from the alley way while the guys in the car would flank them. however now that the guys know they're getting attacked they can take out the guys in the car(which they know they're their)... and when cutty and slim(who are just 2 guys) come up from the corner they can easily out muscle them cause they got bigger numbers. Those guys fuck up saved cutty and slim's lives lol cutty and slim didn't know that kid spotted the back up.
buddyjesus Cutty and Slim Charles were going to make the first move anyways. The other vehicle getting spotted doesn't matter because they were going to move in while the hoppers were taking cover from Cutty and Slim..
eddieguererro46 Cutty was one of the most believable hard dudes in the series. He had that thousand yard stare down pat. It's amazing what they did with his storyline - the arguably toughest character in the series being the one to turn his life around the most. I wonder if Chad Coleman's ever had some serious experiences in his life enough to help him get his character down so well.
Can't understand what's so hard about sticking to a plan. That first guy in the car was an idiot. You're potentially about to drop most of that crew. Why jump the gun because you see one dude?
It happened to me doing training in the Army, I got our unit slaughtered. Long story below for those interested lol. Dating back 03 or 04, I'm 20 or 21 doing Sergeants training in the woods at Ft.Bragg NC. The exercise consists 2 separate units with lets say 15 people. I forget the actual terminology but the purpose is for one unit to lay and ambush as the other tries not get killed. Its setup by lead instructors where the scenario will occur. We were equipped with blanks that were tied into laser targeting...think lazer tag. Setting the scene, my unit(the trap setters) are covered in green vegetation along with our green uniforms all in a line with a dirt road running parallel 15 feet in front of us. We are instructed to allow all of their men to get into the kill zone. The guy on the far right would fire i believe when they passed in front of us coming from left to right. I happen to be last guy on far left. I see them first, but my job is to hold as they come into the kill zone. I let 5 or 6 pass but that urge to kill started to take over. 8 have passed now and I don't know what the hell I was thinking. LEROY JENKINS, clearly..I couldn't contain myself and just shot. Of course, all hell breaks loose. The oppositions remaining guys can now flank my left as I have gave away our position. My team, guys on the far right aren't ready and now and can't get targeting either. Adding insult to injury, I forgot to lubricate my M4 properly before hand so it locked up after 2 shoots. 3 guys destroyed me like Hersey in John Wick within 30 seconds of my inital shot. Now they have the unit in the crossfire, game over. That's what happened to those guys, it could be wanting to be a hero, addraline, tension.. who knows. Lol. My mess up was low stakes, but when stakes are high everyone reacts differently.
1:52 "Yo I know that Nigga man!" Yea? (interest/curiosity) "Owe me money actually!" Yea? (now I'm interested/tell me more/so whats the plan?) Its amazing how the same word can have such a different meaning based on the tone its said in. Fantastic acting and writing!
tankmaster1018 called subtext in screenplays. This series is so rich with life, with all those great characters, I think I have about 12 favorites when it comes to people on the Wire. The only other series that you can discuss in the same conversation is the Sopranos, which is actually my favorite. But what a shame that the Wire never got it's recognition that it deserved compared to all these other successes. I mean the message on the Wire goes way beyond the story. Guess thinking to much doesn't pay
6:54 what bothers me most about that scene. Dropped a perfectly good sandwich, went halfway back to get it giving the audience false hope, and then just turns his back on the still hot sandwich and runs away. Truly tragic, I hope a dope fiend found it and ate it so at least it doesn't go to waste
Nah a hood squirrel or bird 7/10 times will get the sandwich. Only a 20% chance of a fiend finding it and a 1/10 chance they got in the whip and got the sandwich back
Stringer could see it inside his face, Wallace was in the wrong place.... cowards like him just get their whole body laced up with bullet holes and such.
Slim literally is one of the only people in this show with that bone in him that just makes him want to help other people like covering up for cutty instantly
It was really cool to see the difference in shooting styles between Chris and Snoop in the show. Chris showed a more military trained style with an emphasis on accuracy as evidenced by his use of the shotgun on Avon and two handed use of the pistols, while Snoop had a style that was more spray and pray with the motorcycle scene and her use of the MAC-10 in mind.
Chris had to be military trained. Too bad they didnt elaborate on his backstory but in my head I see an abused kid Chris who joined the military at 18, got trained and got his first taste of bloodlust in Iraq or Afghanistan, came home to the same rotten, decayed streets he left, and decided to put his skills to work for local drug dealers. He doesn't do a lot of that "corner talk" and isnt flashy because while his hood was growing up hard, he was serving overseas. Thats just me though but I think it fits.
@@ASWashington Her first kill on the show but most likely not her first body. I'm sure she and Chris had been getting rid of bodies in the vacants long before the start of season 4
I was raised in Baltimore and this is how things are here. Just mind your business and don’t talk to everybody. Be about your business and stay to yourself......you will live longer. If you have some goals ......leave.
Slim Charles AS ALWAYS is classy as shit, owning up to mistakes that really weren't even his fault. Fruit only lived because Cutty was too nice a fella.
Chances are , if he had fucked up the hit by going against orders, and still somehow survived, Avon would have had him killed anyway. At this point in the war, Avon would have had no tolerance for hits being compromised due to insubordination by dumb muscle. The man had zero patience at this point.
The difference between Avon and Marlo: Avon earned his stripes by earning the respect of those around him and the streets. Marlo simply killed and moved his way to the crown through fear. People can fear you all day but that doesn't mean they will respect you.
and look were they both at.. Avon locked for life and Marlo still walking around. you gonna be in the streets you gotta be like that. fear creates respect on the street. avons fuck up was Stringer..
Eric Cunninghan Stringer was by no means a fuck up. It was because of Stringer than he was able to create the organization the made him as powerful and rich as he was. The thing was that while Avon was in jail, things changed. Stringer, as smart a business man as he was, was no true gangster. It was always about the money for him and trying to legitimize his business. Avon saw the errors with that and just stuck to what he knew. All the while, Marlo was pushing through West Baltimore, becoming the most feared kingpin of the drug trade.
The Barksdale vs Stanfield war in season 3 would've been amazing if Wee-Bey and Bird were still on the street as muscle for Avon to combat Partlow and Snoop.
Dino Daquin i noticed that the guns used in the show were mostly semi-automatic pistols and shotguns (Omar). Cutty in this scene, the Greeks in season 2, Greeks dealing with Cheese, and the barksdale in season 3 are the only time I can think of anyone with a fully automatic (assuming they were full and not semi).
I think because a lot of "us" don't like Marlo, it's easy to notice the fact that Marlo was marked for death and got lucky, but to overlook that he also got lucky and almost won the war when Chris shot Avon. It's a safe bet that Avon sat on the side he did strategically, but he still got hit by the buckshots when Chris fired into the SUV. It could've been over right there. And if he knew Avon was there, maybe he would've taken the risk of firing again. If Avon was killed Stringer likely wouldn't have gone after Marlo himself for revenge, and he wasn't about the war in the first place.
Avon was at a disadvantage in this war from the start. Most of his grade A muscle had been decimated by the events of season one. Stinkum, Bird, Wee-bey all ended up in the morgue or in the pen. Cutty and Slim Charles were his only decent soldiers at this point, the rest were all pups or clowns. Then when Cutty retired that was it. Shame. The Barksdale crew in its prime would have given Marlo a real beef to contend with.
Jonthan22 I almost forgot about Bird. Played by Fredro Starr from Onyx. He was talking shshh when the cops came in the interrogation room and beat his ass lol
If Bunny hadn't dropped a dime and gotten Avons number tapped Marlo would've been dead as dirt with all that fire power Avon had for him. Too many near misses is what makes this show so great . Any turn of events can change the entire focus of everything. If the cops were smart they should've let Avon wipe out Marlo and then swoop in for the arrest. Kill two birds with one stone. This so called war is nothing in comparison to what's going on in Chicago.
Avon and Stringer literally told that driver in the first scene that he needs to drive with the passenger side closer to the targets so that he doesn't get clipped while driving. So of course he does the exact opposite and gets shot within seconds
Avon would've won this easilly. They just were dealt with too many external setbacks. Shit they were ready to really rain down on them with heavy artillery when the cops got Avon at his stash house
Stringer sold Avon and his crew out before Omar and brother mozune got to him they had a shot of killing Marlo and ending this war but because of stringer snitching they quickly lost their only chance since Avon couldn't get to his phone while his hq was raided by cops
What? She was an ass. She yells at them for being on the streets sure but tells them to get in the truck to get them off the streets. So more soldiers don't die. Numbers. She didn't care about them.
I really wanted to know the importance of this Nay Nay dude. He must've been hardcore for the driver to deviate from the plan. I want more backstory on that cat.
He was a top enforcer for Marlo. Bigger glory if you catch hood dude with a reputation. It’d be like a youngin smoking Monk or Cheese, he’d have rep off that hit.
Marlo is as hard as they get a stone cold sociopath who knows how to carry himself out there on the "street", but with all due respect to his professionalism and charisma, him and his organisation wouldve been wiped out by the barksdale crew. During the beef barksdale had just come back from jail, most of his enforcers and soldiers had been arrested or killed and stringer had other ideas about the business and wanted to run it more as a business man and not a soldier. But barksdale had more ressources which wouldve been more convenient for him in the long to "turtle-up" and go into the matress. His name used to ring in and outside Bmore and he had more overall influence, he was practically running that prison he was jailing at, which shows you the length of his reach. Also from what it looked to me, just before they arrested him for the second time, he had enough fire power AND man power to go to war with anybody, i mean the cop themselves were afraid to kick the doors in provoking some sort of mayhem
marlo should have read the prince. marlo wouldnt have lasted. he got down the fear part, but he never realized that you never want to make your soldiers hate you. once internal hate begins brewing, your time is around the corner
?? This was a highly rated show in its day, it won a ton of awards even eric holder in the obummer administration commended it from the white house, due to its depiction of inner city crime (or democrat run cities).
Those two young kids Snoop chastised tripped me out about being paranoid. I remember watching Gangland's episode about the Bloods and one soldier saying "Yeah, if you think this life is glitters and gold you've got it twisted. This is a paranoid life. Not only do you have to worry about cops, but others gangs and shit."
thegigadykid1 So true. What also tripped me out is how they weren't phased by that dead guy in the street. I think one of them continued eating his sub.
Chris is not a gentleman. He's a cold blooded psychopathic killer, what about the scene in the store where he murders a delivery woman for no reason? Him and snoop have killed the most innocents out of any characters in the wire
The woman was there to set Marlo up she was an employee of Barksdale..... Chris recognize her from the club when Marlow pick her up to have sex with her in the parking lot.... that's why they killed her in the last scene
A tv show like this, should have won an Emmy, a NAACP, or any type of award, this show is like a old school rap album, it’s a classic, its dope and it’s still relevant
I just finished this series and I loved it. Idk if I like The Sopranos or The Wire however, I believe those shows are much better than Breaking Bad (Which I also love)
". There was a Buffalo soldier in the heart of a America (Snoop), Stolen from Africa and brought to America. Fighting on arrival. Fighting for survival" I love that lyric in the mix of this scene because it represents how blacks were brought to America, fought for freedom, and now still have to fight for survival against one another because of so many disadvantages that's set before them.
It's pretty simple really, see a picture of blacks all chained down with this great feast in front of them, holding large long handled spoons so they cannot feed themselves, they are slowly starving and crying about the disadvantages and oppression represented by the chains and long spoon. Now picture whites in the same picture but they are content as they feed the ones sitting a few chairs away. Blacks have all the tools they need.
Taylor Giavasis Blacks have wayyy more advantages than other minorities today, only people on top are whites. Most minorities/immigrants come from shit conditions, live in ghettos and move their way up. And we don't have affirmative action and quotas saving our ass either. Fuck. I grew up in the ghetto, and got the fuck out. Educate yourself.
Slim was watching Cutty when Cutty had Fruit in his sights (2:23). Its about 7 seconds of hesitation. Cutty saw that the kid was cut down because the kid was going for his inhaler, not a gun. Cutty hesitates and Slim understands why (the shock of a child mistakenly killed). We know from the rest of the series that Slim is a stand-up dude; its almost as if this asthmatic kid's mistaken death affects Slim by Slim vouching for Cutty to leave the game. Its like Slim's mea-culpa for the accidental killing is by giving Cutty the cover to exit like a 'man'.
They should do a show like The Wire for New York. NY has had plenty of famous drug kingpins / stickup artists, and also the most potential for great urban shots.
Wild Bwoy That's not what I meant anyway. It doesn't have to be named The Wire: New York, I was just suggesting that NY has huge story potential for a crime drama similar to The Wire.
MrEnjoyBeats Sounds promising but the east coast has been done to death, i would more go for one in Los Angeles after Training Day, it's been terribly underused as far as crime dramas go...
Wild Bwoy I'm guessing you say that cause you think of Boston as a city full of Irish white guys, lol. It actually has a large black population, but for some reason they seem different from the ones of other cities
Wild Bwoy I know, even more recently they had Whitey Bulger, who was a ruthless, killer. But still, I'll admit that there's something about the hood that we like to see on T.V., black gangstas or more entertaining than white ones for some reason
Doesn't matter if Avon had wee bey bird or anyone else from his old crew, he was still gonna get Marlo. Stringer just fucked him over and got him arrested just before he could do it.
Avon lost to the cops, not Marlo. Marlo was such a punk ass that he didn't even get any recognition at the end. Marlo was forgotten and Omar was remembered. And ROFL @ Marlo raging in jail. He mad. He really mad.
Nah. Avon lost to Stringer. The only way the cops got close to Avon was because of Stringer. Avon had the drop on Marlo and could of ended the war and all the police attention. Instead, Stringer ratted him out and gave up Avon and all his muscle. Even if Stringer wasn't killed, Marlo wouldn't of stopped until Stringer was dead.
Ted87 I don't think Marlo would really care that much about Stringer after Avon was taken down. I'm pretty sure if the Barksdale organization backed down, Marlo wouldn't try to kill off its leaders.
The Super Star But Stringer wasn't going to back down. He was still going to push for a truce and for Marlo to join the Co-Op. Marlo wanted neither. He could take all of west Baltimore and if Stringer objects, Marlo will have him killed too.
Ted87 Now that I think about it, you're right. Marlo would've eventually killed Stringer if Stringer wasn't taken down by another party, but Marlo would've killed Stringer in a way similar to how he killed Joe. Stringer would've let Marlo keep the territory that the Barksdale organization and the Stanfield organization were fighting over. He would've been okay with having bad territory because he was getting a good supply (notice how Bodie was turning over a good profit with the bad territory). Stringer was definitely going to be sneaky about not backing down if Marlo wouldn't leave Stringer any territory to sell the good product (possibly by finding a way to snitch on Marlo). Without Omar, Mouzone, or the police after him, Stringer might've lasted as long as Joe. The Co-op would've eventually agreed with Stringer's idea of trying to get Marlo to join, and once Marlo was in, Marlo would've focused more on Joe since Joe was the one with the connect. This is all theoretical and I know Stringer isn't as smart as Joe (meaning Stringer could've found some other way to mess up). Yeah, Stringer would've died trying to control Marlo because even Joe, the smarter and more resourceful drug lord, died trying to control Marlo.
The Super Star Besides, even if Stringer wasn't killed, the detail had there case against him. When the police arrested everyone, Stringer would of been included if he wasn't killed. Had Stringer not snitched, Avon and all his muscle would of killed Marlo and Chris. Avon could of easily found new new hoppers to replace the ones arrested.
The game has rules, Marlo broke a lot of them, killing Butchie, a blind man, just to get Omar's attention, this is an act of a coward. And lastly using a kid to kill Omar. Notice before Omar's death he looked at the door when it opened, and probably saw Kenard walk in, but he didn't see him as a threat as he was just a kid. Also not going against Omar when he has on the street. All in all, Avon respected the game more than Marlo, that's why he's the king always.
But he was with Marlo, and marlo put a price on omar's head, so yes. he did tell him to kill omar. besides, when people ask who killed omar the answer will be marlo or marlo's crew the credit goes to marlo
Mkc N you seem like u didn't get my point. Kenard was in who's crew again? Michael's. Michael worked for who again? Marlo. Marlo ordered what again? killing Omar with a bounty. I'll let u figure the rest out urself. idiot.
Marlo never "used" kenard to kill omar... Kenard just did it because he didn't like Omar when he seem him in person and looked at him as weak because of his broken leg
BmoreBirds Nest I think another layer of it is Kenard being too young to really fear the legend of Omar. Rmbr when Omar runs up on Michael on the corner to pass word that Marlo is a coward? And Kernard goes, "That's Omar? That gimpy motherfucker?" Anybody twice Kenard's age is scared shitless by Omar, limp or not. But as far as Kenard knows, Omar is just another old head with a gun. He caught him slipping. I thought Omar's death was symbolic of the cyclic nature of the game. Esp when you see Michael robbing Marlo's bank in the final ep just like Omar. New generation, new street legends are born.
The way season 5 ended with those last few shots of the city and new young niggas on the corner,different fiends and new corruptible cops was showing that there can’t be a season 6 because it’s just a cycle in Baltimore.
The thing that made no sense about this scene was Avon being in the car. If you're the fucking boss or a drug kingpin why would you be out supervising hits? Really.
In this case(without really knowing the show but reading up on it). I think Avon took it personal. Thats why he was going so hard for his corners. I think it clouded his judgment. But you are right, if you are in his role, you try to isolate yourself from certain shit.
Or in this case, He wanted to see Marlo face to face and do him in. This was the only time Avon was out on a hit. Otherwise (in the show) he was never out supervising hits. He took this particular job against Marlo personal and may have gotten a little bit too involved..
Through all these wars Avon really came out victorious Omar lost buchie, Tasha , Brandon , a couple more close ones and eventually was killed Prop joe died Stringer flipped on him but was killed Marlo lost chris , snoop , Vincent was robbed , lost the connect , cant go back to the streets or its over Avon is still alive , has slim Charles in prime position to hold shit down . And the biggest thing is his name will always make him supreme
We know Avon could've won based on shoulda coulda wouldas, but, to me, the lost war was because of the war between Avon and Stringer. They both didn't listen to each other. Stringer should've listened to Avon because he knew if they wanted the corners, they would have to strategize an attack on Marlo since he wasn't one to negotiate like Stringer wanted. On the other hand, Avon could've listened to Stringer by leaving corners alone since they had good product and he only realized this after his death, just like he finally gave in to Joe's good product. It's important to note that Avon had the drop on Marlo a couple times (the rim shop and the club with Devonne), but I don't think Marlo really got close to Avon. I don't count Chris' shotgun attack on Avon because I don't think he knew Avon was in there as he would've finished the job. Avon definitely had better strategy, it was just poor execution.
Avon started off badly in this war. If you rewatch season 3 you can see the state of the Barksdale organization under Stringer is bad. He surrounded himself with the hood version of Yes men like Shamrock who can’t even do their jobs competently. Once Avon comes back he builds his own crew of reliable muscle with Slim Charles as his real #2 and from then on you get multiple instances of Avon not only making up ground but starting to win. If I recall during the Co-op meeting questioning Stringer’s right to lead them Prop Joe says Marlo is willing to negotiate an end to the way. If true Marlo was losing and knew it.
Avon still a beast and runnin shit in jail. Avon killed many Stansfield soldiers that we didn't see. Marlo took over cuz Avon went to jail and that's it. Barksdale had soldiers like Bodie and Slim Charles real to the game. This is a great series w/ all the streets, politics, media and police tied together.
Avon would’ve easily won if it wasn’t for Stringer. This is my biggest frustration with how The Wire played out making it look like Marlo went undefeated even while getting locked up
