"Boys of Summer"
An excellent beginning to Season Four of "The Wire." "Boys of Summer" introduces us to the middle-schoolers and continues the story thread of the mayoral race. We also see the adjustments on the street to Marlo’s hegemony of druge dealing in West Baltimore. This episode also used a lot of interesting scene juxtapositions. Of the four season openers of “The Wire” I think “Boys of Summer” is second only to “Ebb Tide,” which began the Second Season.
On a half-hour HBO special that delved into Baltimore and what to expect in Season Four, either David Simon or Ed Burns said about the show, “I’m very unconcerned with good and evil.” Hmmmmmm, I would say that has largely been true the last three seasons but I sensed some more firm moral delineations of character in this episode than in episodes past.
The four middle-schoolers and Prez, in particular, come across as virtuous. You can’t help but root for them when you see the derelict alley they play in and the equally derelict classroom that Prez has to turn into a learning center. Carcetti, the“lost-ball-in-the-high-grass muthafucka” (love that line by Royce) strikes a sympathetic pose in this episode, particularly after milking a few connections to get the “tank traps” removed from the blighted neighborhood he calls “Fallujah.”
While this season has been talked about as the “education” season, “Boys of Summer” was really about Carcetti. Next to a pouty Gray and the slimy, corrupt Royce, he looks fresh and energetic. Behind his pretty boy looks and coy political maneuverings and despite his petulant outbursts, he appears to have most of his moral compass intact. Or so it appears.
But I did find it to be an odd directorial juxtaposition between him dialing for dollars while Lex waits patiently – like Omar would – for Fruit to emerge from the club. Two killers on the prowl? I’m not sure what this was about. And yes, Carcetti’s right, the Orioles’ pitching does suck.
And Marlo. He’s the Sun Tzu of West Baltimore. He knows when to hold back, restraining himself from engaging in endless reprisals of the twisted ghetto honor culture that ended Stringer and Barksdale. He sends a message with his assassinations, but as they are targeted and discriminate, he avoids falling into the cyclical nature of violence, at least for now. He stays above the fray and realizes that you don’t need to make too many bodies to get your point across.
But, above all, the best part of this episode is the ending: the juxtaposition of Carcetti and Randy both looking out into the night. One sits tipsy on a bench in tony Federal Hill overlooking the harbor overwhelmed by his own ambitions, the other guilt-ridden after sending Lex into a fatal trap. One boy and one man staring into very different realities of life in Baltimore. It’s something you see a lot at the end of TV shows, characters plaintively staring out into the night, but in this instance it looks fresh. And powerful.
An excellent beginning to Season Four of "The Wire." "Boys of Summer" introduces us to the middle-schoolers and continues the story thread of the mayoral race. We also see the adjustments on the street to Marlo’s hegemony of druge dealing in West Baltimore. This episode also used a lot of interesting scene juxtapositions. Of the four season openers of “The Wire” I think “Boys of Summer” is second only to “Ebb Tide,” which began the Second Season.
On a half-hour HBO special that delved into Baltimore and what to expect in Season Four, either David Simon or Ed Burns said about the show, “I’m very unconcerned with good and evil.” Hmmmmmm, I would say that has largely been true the last three seasons but I sensed some more firm moral delineations of character in this episode than in episodes past.
The four middle-schoolers and Prez, in particular, come across as virtuous. You can’t help but root for them when you see the derelict alley they play in and the equally derelict classroom that Prez has to turn into a learning center. Carcetti, the“lost-ball-in-the-high-grass muthafucka” (love that line by Royce) strikes a sympathetic pose in this episode, particularly after milking a few connections to get the “tank traps” removed from the blighted neighborhood he calls “Fallujah.”
While this season has been talked about as the “education” season, “Boys of Summer” was really about Carcetti. Next to a pouty Gray and the slimy, corrupt Royce, he looks fresh and energetic. Behind his pretty boy looks and coy political maneuverings and despite his petulant outbursts, he appears to have most of his moral compass intact. Or so it appears.
But I did find it to be an odd directorial juxtaposition between him dialing for dollars while Lex waits patiently – like Omar would – for Fruit to emerge from the club. Two killers on the prowl? I’m not sure what this was about. And yes, Carcetti’s right, the Orioles’ pitching does suck.
And Marlo. He’s the Sun Tzu of West Baltimore. He knows when to hold back, restraining himself from engaging in endless reprisals of the twisted ghetto honor culture that ended Stringer and Barksdale. He sends a message with his assassinations, but as they are targeted and discriminate, he avoids falling into the cyclical nature of violence, at least for now. He stays above the fray and realizes that you don’t need to make too many bodies to get your point across.
But, above all, the best part of this episode is the ending: the juxtaposition of Carcetti and Randy both looking out into the night. One sits tipsy on a bench in tony Federal Hill overlooking the harbor overwhelmed by his own ambitions, the other guilt-ridden after sending Lex into a fatal trap. One boy and one man staring into very different realities of life in Baltimore. It’s something you see a lot at the end of TV shows, characters plaintively staring out into the night, but in this instance it looks fresh. And powerful.
posted by Andy Sywak at 12:03 PM
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