This show has appeared on HBO on Demand, in batches of four episodes at a time, finally giving me a chance to see it. I’m only six episodes in right now, so please don’t spoil anything.
Anyway, do the drug dealers not notice that the police are running surveillance from a roof of a building in their neighborhood? Also, is there a spoiler free guide out there that explains where all the street people fit into the organization? It’s been kind of difficult to keep everyone straight. I know HBO has a page with pictures (which helps), but I haven’t clicked on the character guides, because I wasn’t sure how in depth/spoilery they were.
Your questions will be resolved once you finish the season, more or less. The show never tells you, for instance, that Bodie is a lieutenant in The Pit, but you figure that out gradually over the course of the season. The questions you’re asking are the same questions everybody has as they watch the first season unfold, so you shouldn’t be concerned about missing anything or being confused.
The first season is like being dropped into the deep end. It’s one of the reasons why it takes some people two or three attempts to get into the show.
That’s true in my case too. I tried to give it a chance a few years ago, but gave up after a couple of shows. The deep end analogy is apt but at least the show is clicking for me this time around.
The Barksdale gang run drugs in the Baltimore west-side projects, especially the towers and the Pit. The series focuses on 2 parts of the Barksdale operation - Stringer and Avon as the heads of the gang, and the group at the pit.
For a crime organization, the Barksdale group is unusually sophisticated - few people know they exist (and to what extent they’ve penetrated Baltimore society) until the detail is put together.
The Pit group is representative of a number of like setups spread throughout the towers and the W. Baltimore streets - you have the head (Dee) with some lieutenants (Bodie), soldiers (Poot) and workers (Wallace/hoppers/lookouts (“five-oh! five-oh is here!”)/touts (“Get your red-tops! Red-tops here!”).
Heads and Lieutenants
Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell - the co-head(s) of the Barksdale gang. Stringer is the money guy, Barksdale is the muscle. Avon is actual head of the organization and is very low-key - he doesn’t even have a drivers license.
Wee-bey Brice - A lieutenant to Avon Barksdale, Wee-bey is who they go to when they need some heavy work to be done. If you’ve seen the Godfather, Wee-Bey is the Barksdale gang’s Luca Brasi.
Brianna Barksdale - Avon’s sister and D’Angelo’s mother. She has some control and influence in the organization, though her role is largely undefined. Wiki lists her as in the top tier with Avon and Stringer, and while she speaks openly (and critically) to them, you never see her give orders.
Pit gang
D’Angelo (“Dee”) - Avon’s cousin, head of the group at the Pit.
Bodie - Dee’s second in command, kind of the Avon to Dee’s Stringer.
Poot - Part of the Pit gang, he becomes more involved in the muscle end as the season progresses.
Wallace - What can I say, man? Wallace is weak. (slightly spoilerish, but not really). Wallace is a young “hopper”, somebody who actually deals with the fiends - either by collecting the money or handing the drugs off to the fiend.
You’ll get a lot of useful tips on how to set up a typical drug-running operation - never let the guys handle the money be the ones who handle the drugs, keep moving the re-up location, change-up on your phones and other communication devices, etc.
There’s a Wiki page for the “Barksdale Organization,” but it definitely contains some spoilers.
I just started watching the Wire myself, and it’s blowing my mindhole. The story, the acting, it’s simply brilliant. I love Omar and Stringer, and on the law side, Kima and McNulty. Really, everyone on there is amazing. I can see how it might be hard for some people to get into, but once you’re in…you’re in.
I mentioned this in the other thread about The Wire but I would highly recommend Alan Sepinwall’s episode by episode reviews. The Newbie versions are for people watching the first time so have no spoilers other then things that happen before said episode.
Half the seasons are on his original blog What’s Alan Watching and the other half are at his current blog at hitfix.com.
I was a reader of his anyway but found them interesting and helpful in keeping track of who’s who. There are also versions of the reviews for people who have seen the entire series and were rewatching. Those are good too and worth going back once you are done.
The show definitely throws a lot at you fast and that is something that doesn’t change season to season as the universe of the show expands.
The police and drug gang hierarchies match up pretty well.
Unless you’ve quite sharp sharp, the distinction between murder police and the drug police can escape you, obv. all overseen by Burrell. Both then move through levels of soldiery to the street.
In other other entertainment I’d say this is excessive, but you could actually write down the structures in a flow chart - it might help.
It took three tries for me. Finally hooked in last week, and as of this morning I have seen all five seasons, most of them in the last 3 days.
Helluva show. I can understand and respect why people think it is a contender for The Greatest Show in the History of the Universe. Breaking Bad is actually the title holder, but The Wire is damn fine stuff and I’m ok with giving it the #2 spot.
One thing about whether the drug dealers know that they are being watched: not everyone on the Barksdale crew is a Rhodes scholar. Sure, Avon and Stringer are pretty smart, but a lot of the ground troops are working for close to minimum wage and don’t exactly make wise decisions.
When the Wire was orignally on HBO, Salon had a column every week in which critics discussed each episode. If you find it online, it won’t have any spoilers as long as you don’t skip ahead.
Yes, HBO was wise to slowly make the episodes available on demand. I want to watch at least two at a time and because they’re only releasing four episodes a month, it’s just a matter of time before I give in and get the DVDs.
It seems that the Salon.com articles have been removed.
Actually, I believe the it was Slate not Salon that had the TV club (I alwasy get Salon and Slate confused). I was on their site and it looks like the club didn’t start on season one, so it will have spoilers. There is also this blog, which if you are careful, I think you can avoid spoilers http://thebestshowontvthewire.blogspot.com/.
Also, the chapter “Why Do Drugdealers Still Live with Their Mothers,” from Freakonomics gives a lot of great background on the life of street level drug dealers. The author of that chapter had a great blog where he watched the wire with real drug dealers, but it is riddled with spoilers.
(slightly spoilerish, but not really). Wallace is a young “hopper”, somebody who actually deals with the fiends - either by collecting the money or handing the drugs off to the fiend.