Wednesday, September 19, 2012

CALLTIME:  I have seen in my day candidates who were not crazy about dialing for dollars, with clipboards full of donor data instructing them on the asks, but never one who was as self-destructively dismissive of his need to do so as Tommy Carcetti. (Verisimilitude note: and that's why there's always a Finance staffer in the room with the candidate to keep him disciplined.)

But Candidate Littlefinger is, of course, not where most of our attention goes in the Season 4 opener of The Wire, "The Boys of Summer," and for once I'm not sure if you actually want to click on that Sepinwall link insofar as his having seen the full season encouraged him to provide more background information on the four new protagonists --  Namond, Randy, Michael, and Dookie -- than what David Simon provides through this first episode. (Other recaps: AVClub, Guardian.) What we know is that they are already surrounded by a world of drugs and violence, one in which the consequences thus far have been bruises rather than body bags, but given Randy's involvement in Lex's murder (and the fact that this is The Wire), things are about to get worse, and Dookie's knowledge about homing pigeons may not be of much currency for long.

[In other news, I'm not sure what I appreciate more: assistant principal Marcia Donnelly's pure Bal'mer accent, or Snoop's ... whatever you call it, that nail gun scene is what closed-captioning was made for.]

Haven't said much about the police, and I'm not sure what to say. McNulty's living a family life, and Cool Lester Smooth is still awesome. Herc's wearing a suit and Prez is about to enter a whole new world of confusion. Just remember: I Am Lovable And Capable.

22 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:28 AM

    I've been watching Breaking Bad for the first time, just about to finish Season 2, and Herc in a suit finally drove home how much he reminds me of Walt's brother-in-law Hank.

    So that AP's accent is a Baltimore one? I was catching hints of Southern, but, like, Southern that sounds like curdled milk smells.

    And, man, if you weren't sure this show was about the wheels of bureacracy grinding slowlys and ineffectively, the cross-cutting between the teacher's meeting and the squad room should convince you for real.

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  2. <span>I've been watching Breaking Bad for the first time, just about to finish Season 2, and Herc in a suit finally drove home how much he reminds me of Walt's brother-in-law Hank.  
     
    So that AP's accent is a Baltimore one? I was catching hints of Southern, but, like, Southern that sounds like curdled milk smells.  
     
    And, man, if you weren't sure this show was about the wheels of bureacracy grinding slowlys and ineffectively, the cross-cutting between the teacher's meeting and the squad room should convince you for real.</span>

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  3. Jordan10:40 AM

    Obligatory multiple Bawlmer accents link (at 2:57)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMnWnCnE-2g

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  4. Tosy and Cosh10:57 AM

    Caught Little Miss Sunshine on cable a few months back and saw that the cop who pulls them over at the end and is bought off with porn mags, is Hank. Love seeing TV actors in bit parts like that.

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  5. isaac_spaceman11:12 AM

    There is such a feeling of casual malice in the nail-gun purchase scene, and it's so interesting how the show pays out the assumptions that one makes, knowing both that Snoop is an utter sociopath and also all the possibilities for how one can use a nail gun.  The way that Simon & Burns draw the distinctions between Chris and Snoop in this episode is also really interesting.  This is probably my favorite of the season openers. 

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  6. isaac_spaceman11:14 AM

    That's weird.  They're both bald and on the wrong side of fighting weight, but Hank is awesome and good at his job, and Herc is a lousy cop and a worse human being.

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  7. I meant more the physical resemblance, but also the un-PC comments and cop humor. They're kinda both cut from a certain law enforcement cloth, even if made into very different garments.

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  8. I was also totally impressed the hardware store clerk didn't talk down to Snoop just because she's female. I guess if you WALK IN carrying a nail gun, you get treated differently.

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  9. Andrew1:30 PM

    I also think Hank is introduced as a character who is closer to early Herc, but Hank only gets more awesome as a character and law enforcement officer while Herc only gets worse. 

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  10. Andrew1:31 PM

    This is probably my favorite of the seasons.

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  11. Andrew1:38 PM

    On another note, while catching up on the last couple of episodes of last season of Treme, I had forgotten about some of the David Simon repetory players who show up in that world, including Jim True-Frost (Prez) who plays Delmond's agent, and James Ransone (Mr. Ziggy Sobotka) plays a David Chang underling/Jeanette's roommate. And of course Wendell Pierce (Bunk) and Clarke Peters (Cool Lester Smooth) play leads who are very different from their characters on the Wire. 

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  12. I'm glad Alan's found success at HitFix- I've absolutely followed him there, added in most of the critics there to my feed, and often click through many of ther bannered stories, which is what their motive behind hiring Sepinwall must have been...

    but man, does that old site make me miss the simplicity.

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  13. Watts3:28 PM

    Ah, I haven't finished either series yet, so I don't know how either character continues to develop or where he ends up.

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  14. Watts3:29 PM

    Also, I can totally picture Herc wanting to be on Hank's mailing list for the grisly crime scene photos.

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  15. isaac_spaceman5:16 PM

    I think it's mine too.  Three used to be, but I think four rewards re-watching.  The kids are so, so great. I fucking love Donut. 

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  16. If you check out Red Hook Summer, you'll see that some of the Simon reperatory players there, too.

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  17. If you check out Red Hook Summer, you'll see that some of the Simon reperatory players there, too.

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  18. If you check out Red Hook Summer, you'll see that some of the Simon reperatory players there, too.

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  19. Marsha1:59 PM

    Just wanted to apologize for being AWOL from Wire discussion this (and likely next week). between the Jewish holidays, which I have all sorts of crazy obligations for, and having to go to a funeral yesterday, plus, you know, trying to do my job, I'm likely not going to be able to catch up until week 3 of season 4. But I WILL catch up.

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  20. Donut is awesome.  Sign me up for more Donut.

    I'm a week ahead (finally) and I already see why everyone loves this season.  I also know now why I didn't watch it when it came out - I was too close to the schooling setting for me to want to see that on TV.

    Also, I need to get you folks out among some real people - you need close captioning to understand what they're saying??

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  21. No more Idris Elba?  Wahhhhhhhhh.

    I was wondering what they'd do with Prez.  Love it.

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  22. Jordan3:12 PM

    Don't worry, he comes back in Season 5 as a ghost that only Michael can see.  At first the shift in tone to slapstick is a little offputting, but it becomes heartwarming over the course of the season as Ghost Stringer helps Michael with girls, his math homework, trying out for the football team--even acting in the school play!

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