Grade B+/A-
Thousand pardons for skipping the episode four recap, but the weight of Prop Joe’s death weighed heavy on my soul. Or I was just pretty busy. Whichever you choose to believe. So now the season is halfway over, and they’ve safely moved past set-up made to get into the meat of the plot.
The cuts of the metaphorical prime rib, just to extend this silly metaphor, continue to be McNulty’s fictitious serial killer and Marlo’s impending war with Omar. The focus for most of the episode is on McNulty’s scheme and how it intertwines with getting more resources for the cops to go after Marlo. McNult manipulates everyone who surrounds him while they try to play their own games. Watching McNulty and lowlife reporter Scott trying to out-weasel each other was priceless, especially when it’s clear McNulty has the upper-hand as always.
As an unexpected side effect of McNulty's maneuvering (at least for me) is the reintroduction of “the Wire,” as all of the grand-standing leads to the tapping of two phones: one completely useless and the other legit. With all the “big” issues that this series covers (schools, the media, the decaying city) it’s easy to forget that the wire itself is the common thread throughout all five seasons. It shouldn't be so easy to forget, 'cause it's the name of the show, but still. Other good little bonuses are the further inclusion of Carver and Herc, as the former coninutes to be good police and the latter does something right only after getting booted from the force.
When the story turns to the impending Omar/Marlo battle royale, most of the episode centers around the waiting game. Omar and his new partner Donnie sit in a car listening to Oldies while staking out the home of Monk, one of Marlo’s lieutenants. Omar knows it’s likely a trap, but he’s a patient man. As always Michael K. Williams does an excellent job of portraying a man of singular focus, even if he spends most of his screen-time smoking Newports in a hooptie.
One area where the episode lacked was in the lack of reaction to the death of Prop Joe. I mean the man was the Kingpin of East Baltimore and probably the most powerful drug dealer in the city (in terms of influence that went beyond Marlo’s muscle). I know the Co-Op doesn’t that meet daily or anything, but you’d think they’d have some sort of reaction. Especially Slim Charles, who must thinking things look a little fishy. I know there’s time and likely budget descriptions, but this reinforces why they need 12 or 13 episodes this season. There’s so much plot, that characters like Herc, Carver, and Beatie have to wait two episodes between appearances.
Speaking of two-episode hiatuses, Bubbles is back from his, apparently spending his time off-screen scrubbing pots at the soup kitchen. This time, his story is considerably more interesting, as he’s still gripped by grief and guilt, this time convinced that he’s contracted HIV, and gets his sponsor Waylon to take him to a free clinic. The interplay between Waylon and Bubbles this time is extremely compelling, suggesting that maybe Steve Earle had a bad day on the set the last time around.
Here’s hoping next week the plot continues to thicken. And maybe Omar can spend a little less time sitting in car.
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