That's a beautiful way to think of it, It reminds me of a story of a pastor, every Sunday after service he tells his members that he is volunteering and really shame them if they aren't volunteering, he does this often, but he is really just playing golf. So one Sunday he is out playing golf and God an angel is watching, he swings the balls slightly goes passed the hole, but God gave him a little help, and he get's a hole-in-one, then another, then another, until a perfect game. The angel turns to God and ask, why would you let him get a perfect game, God says "who the hell is he going to tell?"
"No I'm a fucking joke" Something about that line just resonates so deeply. Five seasons of McNulty desperately trying to win, to validate himself and finally get his "shining Jimmy McNulty day moment" it all culminates in the final episode of this season. There is no satisfaction to be found within the system, there is no end game. Whether you're in first place or last it's just another lap on the track. Meanwhile, you've shortchanged every other aspect of your life, and left yourself as hungry as you were at the start.
Not sure if you have read up about the actual story of Donnie Brosco but the poor detective after all the sacrifices gets 500 bucks and a handshake. It truly is a bureaucratic hell hole with never a finish line.
That subplot was the hardest thing for me to rewatch, even knowing it all turns out hopeful for him. I just can't handle watching my Bubs continuously getting beat on. Fucking Herc, I swear
Bubbles needed those horrific beatings as part of his trip to rock bottom. I am sure memories like those and a dozen others keep him from every going back to drugs. God Bless Bubbles.
I don't know why Ziggy would've been worse than him, he was annoying but mostly was just a guy who "was tired of being the punchline to every joke". Scott on the other hand, to me, was worse than Marlo.
Ziggy was tired of being the punchline, but he did absolutely fuck all to change his behavior. People saw him like a joke because HE ACTED like a joke all the damn time. I guess you could argue he finally changed other people's perceptions when he slaughtered Glecas.
That's true but at least at this point McNulty realized he fucked up badly about lying. Scott was trying to keep up the lie to the very end even winning a Pulitzer for it.
Mcnutty became my favourite character all over again with this scene. It's not just his put-down of Scott, it's how he lashes out at himself here too. He really caught me off-guard with that, I was sure we lost him.
It makes me so mad Templeton never got caught. He wasn't even thorough or clever, just lucky to have bosses willing to turn a blind eye. At least he got shamed somewhat about it.
I know. Out of all the characters on the wire, templeton angered me the most. I hated him more than any other character, he was such a lying slippery little snake.
i think the implication is that eventually the truth will get out and Templeton's fall will be even bigger than if Gus had stopped him in the newsroom. In the meantime, he has to live with what he's done and the knowledge of how pathetic that makes him, which is punishment enough in The Wire.
The Silent Hero There will always be rumors or some blog article following him around if this happened in the real world. Anything published gets repeated and saved a hundred times with so many ways to scrutinize it not to mention someone like Templeton will lie again likely getting caught.
+The Silent Hero ussually lying reporters end up getting caught after they make it big. they start off with small things and get more ambitious when they think no one will find out. They keep getting more bold with thier lies and thats how they get caught.
@@Onigirli i heard that a lot of people didn't prefer s5 as much as the others, but when i watched it, it was so brilliant and a great end to the show. definitely a bit boring sometimes in my opinion... at the same time so good!
Jimmy calling himself a joke was a great bit of honesty. He turned himself into a joke to save the department and it destroyed him. He should have taken Lester's advice and had himself a life.
McNulty really was a natural detective. Even in the earlier scene in the middle of season 5 when he KNOWS this reporter lied about the killer calling him, he says that the killer called the police department to just to see a reaction from Templeton (who looks shocked, and that look clearly gives away the fact that he is lying and making shit up). McNulty really got to stick it to this piece of shit in the end.
Templeton winning the Pulitzer while Gus and Alma got demoted for trying to hold him accountable bothered me more than almost anything that happened in the end. More than McNulty getting fired, Carcetti being dragged down by bureaucracy to the point where he sold everything out, Marlo getting away with all his dirt, Omar getting shot, Campbell forcing Daniels out and appointing Valcheck's hack ass, everything except maybe Dukie becoming a junkie (saddest scene in the series). There was no character that was completely good or bad (except maybe Marlo) but most of the characters who did dirt at least faced SOME accountability for it, but Templteton just completely skated by. Ugh.
Stephen Glass was discovered, as were all the other journalists who received credit for stories they completely made up. And that was in the real world. So maybe, just maybe, Templeton will be exposed somehow one day. If not for these stories then for another story that will be easy to expose because he's gotten so arrogant but is such high-profile story that it leads to the rest of his work being pulled into question
who cares about Alma? the bosses probably see her as a backstabbing drama btch when you report someone, most of the time you get the edge of the knife yourself thats why most of the time employees just keep quiet
The first season of TD is almost just that though -- if you rewatch the part where Templeton is going around interviewing homeless people, at some point one of them, who looks surprisingly like Childress, starts blurting out what is pretty much the whole Yellow King story to a T (and in True Detective, Childress has a scene where he talks about his 'grand plan' in a very, very similar way). Combine that with Lester saying that a serial killer/the killings need to have something spectacular about them, and you have pretty much the basis for the whole plot of TD's first season. Not to mention that Woody Harrelson's character has quite a bit in common with Jimmy, aside from the violent streak maybe
"You're not serious" "No, I'm a fucking joke. And so are you" I loved that, all my goodwill I thought I lost about McNulty came roaring back like the cavalry
What blows your mind is when you find out that the actor who plays McNulty is British. He's a British guy with a Baltimore accent doing a southern accent. Fucking brilliant acting.
The writing is just so great. The parallels that are draw, and not just in this scene, are scathing and brutal in their honesty. Mcnulty see's his own lie reflected in Scott's, and while it served his purpose to get Marlo he could live with it, but now that it's over he just wants to go away and can't stand to see what he must've looked like. The only consolation he has is that he knows he was doing it for what he thought was the greater good, but in the end he sees that there is little difference between them. Props to mcnulty being able to recognize it.
This scene cements the notion that McNulty is a tragic figure. "No, I'm a fuckin' joke" - McNulty acknowledges and to a certain extent accepts his tragic flaw... later this episode, his pretend wake is held. The wake, although merely symbolic, represents the death of McNulty, which is the fate of nearly every tragic figure.
@@mkn.567 I'm more inclined to believe that McNulty's ending isn't too bad. He repaired the rift in his relationship, is now free from the manic effect murder-solving had upon him, and the last episode ends with him making serious amends toward the homeless man he displaced/kidnapped.
@@fernhausluv44he objectively got off mad easy. He and Lester could’ve gone to jail- they didn’t even get fired. Honestly it might’ve worked out for the best. The homicide position wasn’t healthy for him.
It's a shame, I'm sure it would've cheered him up but at least the viewers got to bear witness to this delicious treat. "But hey I ain't part of your tribe [...]" is a line I'm in danger of using IRL
It's my favorite too. I've seen too many assholes shit on season 5. It was the most entertaining season by far. The best is S3. S4 is overrated in my opinion.
I know what Scott is thinking in this scene: "This is the real story. A corrupt cop making up a serial killer in response to an even more corrupt system. But now I can't tell this story. I can never tell this story. Now my lies have created a much bigger lie, a lie that ill be celebrated for for the rest of my life." Or at least thats what I wish we was realizing. That there was a bigger story that he couldn't unravel because he'll never be good enough to find it.
Is it weird that out of all the murdering, backstabbing, cheating characters, my most hated character was this lying sack of shit? I was hoping that the non-existent "serial" murders getting pinned on him, clearing every mess up, it would have been poetic justice. Just lock him up in a dark cell and throw the keys away.
One of the only times that McNulty held himself accountable in the show. A shame that he finally does so in front of one of the most despicable characters on the show.
I only opened a Facebook account to watch the wire. Every episode is there. Except on 2 of the 60 episodes, the last 10 minutes are frozen on episode 6 from season 1, and episode 9 from season 5.
The most awesome part about this is that Templeton actually did just break an amazing story for his newspaper, but he is completely unable to report it because it would expose him for being a total liar.
I remember reading an interview with Dominic West, in which he said he only really got used to the American accent as The Wire was wrapping for good. You can definitely see that in this scene.
The more I think about it, the more this seems like the thesis of the series: trapped in the same lie, but ignorant of how it benefits those of the other tribe. McNulty's line, under other circumstances, could just as well be spoken by Stringer Bell to Bunny Colvin, or by Vondas to Valchek, or - as is often depicted, albeit not in so many words - by Carcetti to just about anyone
I think the thing about the characters on this show is that it's all about respect. Avon is one of my favorite characters because you can't help but respect how real he was and how true he was to being a gangster. He did so many more horrible things than Scott Tempelton, but at least Avon was a man. Tempelton is a child and it's clear on reruns that he has a temper tantrum whenever anyone besides himself gets a compliment. Namond's mom, Ziggy, Kenard, and Levy all qualify as well. You could talk me into Marlo too depending on where you take it. Even someone like Herc, a comic relief of sorts, is one of my least favorite characters on the show because of how inept he was as a cop and he cost Randy his future. There was nothing to respect about him.
Correct me if I'm wrong OneTwoThreeFour...but I THINK I get what you mean...This show goes out of it's way to show there's corrupt people and honorable people at every level from drug dealer to politician and how that corruption ruins an entire society. Avon was a ruthless drug lord but he never did anything outside of the rules of his game. In a sense he played fair and had respect for the code unlike Stringer. You saw that same lack of respect in the school system where teachers are cheating to the detriment of students for career reasons. You saw police "juke the stats" at the expense of normal citizens for selfish reasons. You saw politicians encourage stat juking and law breaking to further their careers. And here bitch ass Scott making shit up and the paper running with it to stay afloat. All these people disrespecting the rules of the game they chose to play. So while Avon might have been a murderous drug dealer, he understood what he was and never stepped outside the rules of that game, which is respectable whether you like the game or not. The Whole point of The Wire was to show when people don't respect the rules of their game it fucks everything up.
Season 3 was the best in my opinion. Stringer was the best character as well; the opposite and the same as McNulty. This was the best scene in the entire series, though. It was vengeance, catharsis, self-loathing, and realization that all the things worked for are ultimately full of shit.
It IS great. The reason you (and 99% of people I talk to) haven't heard of it is because we live in a stupid society where low-quality shit gets pushed on us (everything from TV shows to music to the food we eat), and finding the high-quality stuff takes some real digging. I was lucky enough to discover this show through an old roommate of mine back when it was starting out, otherwise who knows if I'd have ever watched it.
Just finished The Wire a few days ago. So an honest question to you hardcore fans who have watched it many times and fully understood it, would you say this is McNulty's best scene? I am not looking to provoke anyone or fuck with people, I want to hear the sincere opinions from fans of the The Wire why or why this isn't McNulty's best scene. I just think this scene is a contender for the best since he openly states his true character and everything he stands for, all while giving a big fuck you to government and news. I can see how people could argue that the Irish Wake scene, or the scene where him and Bunk communicate by only saying "Fuck" or any other great scene he was in was better. I just want some opinions! And also, another point I would like to hear your opinion on is what you feel the best scene in The Wire period is. I think its Michael and Dukie's goodbye. What about you guys?
It's definitely one of the most satisfying, but I think McNulty's best scene was his similar confrontation with D'Angelo's mother. You get the idea that he is satisfied to interrogate her, but he is also audibly angry and brutal about it. It felt like it meant more than this, which is almost fun, and makes one smile to see him get his comeuppance.
his best scene is when the FBI has psychologically analyzed him. He exerts no dialogue. It's the simplest, funniest, and in some way wretched scene of his.
Is there a video with the scene where McNulty posed as the serial killer and made a phone call to Templeton ? I can't seem to find it. That was funny as hell, lol.
I like the fact that McNulty just gave him a great story about a fake serial killer, and he'll never get to report on this story without exposing himself. The only thing better would have been is if he told Templeton the mayor and the police commanders were covering it up. That would be genuine Pulitzer material.
Watch that guy at 2:03 passing in front of the door that Jimmy exits. The Wire's directors' masterpiece. (he couldn't even be there and no one would miss it, but there he was.) Every single detail at this Series happens for a reason!
LOVED THIS SCENE. All that guy wanted was the biggest story and to be the person who wrote it. He would’ve had the biggest headline on the news with this information, but since he lied so much he couldn’t even report it lol
To those of you who hate Scott Templeton, that's the entire point. He was based on a real person that David Simon worked with at the actual Baltimore Sun newspaper who also manufactured the news and never got punished by editors. So, if anything, David Simon probably hates Templeton more than we do.
Valchek might be the actual devil. He's a constant impediment to actual police work, motivated by politics over service. He uses his position to satisfy professional grievances against officers and personal vendettas against civilians. At least Rawls knew police work, despite his flaws. Valchek became commissioner solely through his willingness to perpetuate a broken system.
And then Tom McCarthy (the actor who played Scott Templeton) won an Oscar for directing a movie that captured all the best parts of the investigative journalism profession; Spotlight. Poetic.
Right, I guess my point however was that at the end the writers had to show the viewers that despite Omar's significance to the show, his true role in the big picture was small, just like a real-life stick up boy in Baltimore city wouldn't even get a 2 second blurb on the 11pm news. Just another way of showing realism. It's not like the mayor would have been like "OMG YES OMAR IS DEAD" lol
