Grid Effect

So, so much has already been said about this episode. That’s the problem with doing these posts a week after they air, it feels like I’m just lifting choice portions out of ten different articles then throwing them all into my post, but the God’s honest truth is I write snippets of thoughts and reactions down while watching the episode, then turn it into a somewhat legible synopsis a couple weeks later (as is the case with being an on demander).

But this episode, more so than any other one before it has been rehashed and discussed to the point of over-analysis, so this seems particularly redundant. It’s understandable though, one way to reign in viewers during a season that loyal fans are uneasy about is to kill who’s collectively their favorite character, and do so in a very unceremonious manner that is fitting with the series. Watching him bob up and down those alleys helplessly looking for any sign of Marlo and fruitlessly calling him out and stealing minute amounts of drugs from him just felt aimless. And when he waltzed by Kenard (whom I didn’t notice stayed put while all his counterparts fled) getting ready to set a cat on fire it seemed like the beginning of the end. Take the most feared criminal walking the streets of Baltimore and have him gunned down by a kid whose nuts haven’t dropped, way to be David Simon.

Omar’s death reminded me of Ralph Cifaretto beating his stripper girlfriend to death in the alley. Not in a plot or development sense, but in a thematic one. We were never supposed to root for Omar or think of him as a hero, and seeing him gunned down and everyone’s lack of a reaction to it, from the paper not even knowing who he was, to the cops shrugging it off as another drug slaying to the mortician confusing his name tag with that of some deceased old white man, Omar’s death in Baltimore was nothing more than another gang/drug related slaying. And in the same vein that we weren’t supposed to like Tony or any of his underlings, we were never to consider Omar a noble character. Ironically Bunk, the only character who ever villainized Omar’s lifestyle (stick up artist, not sexual orientation) was the only person who seemed even remotely effected by his death.

Set aside Omar’s death, this was an extremely significant episode in plot development. McNulty is now getting an unlimited source of funds directly from the mayor and using Carver’s men in the western to supply the manpower Freamon needs to actually build a case. With the added responsibility has come with additional guilt and the airing of the plan. And saying Kima and Beadie weren’t exactly impressed is like saying Carcetti is only slightly in love with himself (more on that later). It sky seems to be falling for our fourth season absentee character. Shoulda stayed on patrol, McNulty. It’s a shame you’re a fictional character and are unable to accept my sage advice.

So long Omar, if we would have known we would never get to see you make out with another man we would have prepared ourselves more appropriately.

With his fall comes Bunk’s rise, who realized the evidence is always their if you search hard enough. While things have been dire for the city and the department for the entire season, McNulty’s ploy, while a lot of effort it did require, seemed lazy. At least intellectually. I’m now worried because Bunk got the forensics done on his case made against Chris Partlow under McNulty’s behest with the fake serial killer case. While the two are completely non-related, I worry the evidence could be rendered inadmissible by a court and everyone walks away on technicalities. Like, say, illegally gathered evidence attained by fabricating an imaginary criminal terrorizing the homeless. Not everyone is accepting his plan so willingly, detective Barlow whom we haven’t seen since the first five minutes of the first episode has now made about seven or eight appearances this season, and is now blackmailing our young anti-hero. We doubt this will have any longterm consequences, because when the shit hits the fan there won’t be any more money to use for trips to Hilton Head.

The other half of the scheme and all of its unintended consequences that goes by the name of Lester is now seeing his case on Clay Davis slip through the cracks. So, as I’m sure he figures, what’s one more cut corner. The move to bribe Clay Davis, however, is sheer genius and ungodly entertaining. There probably hasn’t been two smoother characters on the series, and use their unflappability in remarkably contrasting ways. If Isiah Whitlock can’t get an Emmy nomination or any sort of award recognition, then there is no justice in the world.

The Sun plot is finally starting to live up to the hype. The actor playing the PTSD stricken homeless veteran deserves some recognition as well as he confronted Scott (and by proxy, Gus) about embellishments of his story and profile. That was one of the more intense scenes this season and it was over nothing more than what Scott perceived to be a little white lie. That embellishment leading to Gus’s stance on Scott’s vigil piece seemed like something that Gus could have glossed over, but after weeks of suspicion, I guess he finally reached his wits end.

Carcetti is probably the least likable character on the series. Given the immense amount of power he holds you expect more out of him than a drug kingpin and he continuously disappoints. We were treated to another dose of his narcissism in this one with his unflinching focus of him on CNN, and lord even his wife picks up on it. You would think arriving home from work wanting to see video of himselg would have done that, but no, its his loving gaze of his own television image that does it. Also, its good to see he’s willing to sell out the schools yet again for his own ambition.

And the victims of said decisions? Oh, they’re doing fine. Dukie is well on his way to being a crack addict and Michael is a nose hair away from being clipped by the most vicious gang ever portrayed on television. Man, talk about wasted talent. As hard as it is to stomach Michael associating with such characters, the scene where he was rehashing his Omar encounter was done beautifully. Michael in his bright blue resembling someone with a semblance of a soul trying to humanize the situation and question the tactics of his employers, while Snoop and Chris just glare at him in their colorless garb while he rambles on looking for some sort of response. Just subtle beauty, really.

Other notes:

-MCU invoking Cheese’s shared last name with Randy Wagstaff, really had me believing we might see some dots connected, but it looks like that coincidence is going to be nothing more than a tease.

-The FBI profile of the serial killer, followed by McNulty’s ballpark line was the funniest moment of the season.

-Apparently during the third season when Bunk was investigating Tosha’s murder after the shootout at the Barksdale stash house, we saw a trio of kids playing like they participated in said shootout that Bunk later chastised Omar for, one of those kids, specifically the one who says, “my turn to be Omar”, was Kenard. If you don’t believe me, look closely at this youtube clip of said scene.

-Interesting how all the technology used in tracking drug dealers on this show actually hurts them in the instance of using the map vs. the GPS. If Sydnor had been in one of the rented cars from enterprise (the most blatant product placement ever on this show), he never would have cracked the Stanfield clock code.

This episode seems to have put an end to all the nitpicking and complaining that this season didn’t follow up the fourth season as well. Because, you know, when you make the best season of dramatic television in the history of the medium, you have to follow it up with the next best season of television in the history of the medium. Which is good, this series is always the best thing television has the best to offer. It’s good to see it treated as such. Sorry, we’re feeling very apologetic today.