History Fridge / TheWire

* In the finale, [[spoiler: Levy warns Marlo straight up to not be the last guy in the room with Andy Krawczyk, because "guys like that will bleed you dry". One might wonder why he didn't give Stringer Bell the same kind of warning up front, instead of after he got played by Clay Davis. Well, given Stringer's inflated view of himself and tendency to do his own thing behind peoples' backs, it's possible Levy ''DID'' warn Stringer. Stringer just thought he could handle them by being more careful.]]

* In the finale, [[spoiler: Levy warns Marlo straight up to not be the last guy in the room with Andy Craw, because "guys like that will bleed you dry". One might wonder why he didn't give Stringer Bell the same warning, which could have averted the Clay Davis situation. Yeah, he says "I wish you'd have run it by me sooner" when String got played, but still. However, given Stringer's inflated view of himself and willingness to do his own thing behind peoples' backs, it's entirely possible Levy ''DID'' warn Stringer. Stringer just thought he could handle them by being more careful.]]

* In the third season, when Avon and Stringer are on the balcony [[spoiler:for their last time together]] reminiscing about their rise to gangsters, there's a sense between the two of them that things are ending between them. [[spoiler:When Avon asks Stringer about where he's going to be and when the next day during Stringer's construction meets, Stringer looks shaken for a moment before answering. The only time anyone else in the Game wants to know when and where you'll be is when they're [[YourUsefulnessHasEnded planning a hit on you]]. Stringer had to know at that moment Avon was planning to get rid of him... but because they were still friends, Stringer couldn't bring himself to lie to save himself. And Avon knows he can't stop carrying out the hit. Both men in that moment are heartbroken.]]

* When you learn that Season 3 was conceived as a metaphor for the Iraq War (confirmed by WordOfGod on the DVD commentary), many plot points in that season suddenly look a lot different. The first scene of the first episode involves "twin towers" being demolished, the West Side dealers name their new drug package "WMD", the season finale is titled "Mission Accomplished", Avon decides to start a war with Marlo on the false pretense that [[spoiler: he murdered Stringer]], etc.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbK5HIfdyWc When the Frankin Terrace towers are demolished]], what Mayor Royce is saying directly contrasts with the conversation Bodie is having with his friends. Royce says: "Mistakes have been made, and we will learn from those mistakes", and the next second, Bodie says, "No matter how many times you get burnt, you just keep on doin' the same". Through this contrasting dialogue, David Simon critiques reform. Although Royce is saying that he is "learning", he is, in fact, just "doin' the same", as the destruction of the towers is nothing new in regards to reform. Additionally, it can be argued that the Mayor is just lying. Royce is trying to disguise Baltimore's minimal efforts at controlling the drug problem by showcasing his efforts at reform. The idea of Royce's deceit is demonstrated during the detonation proper. Royce pushes down on the plunger...then the camera cuts to a demolitionist behind Royce who carries out the actual detonation. What Royce is creating is just a front, a facade, a disguise. This is what all the politicians do, and they really are just "doin' the same".

* [[https://youtu.be/FI6mdlqnVlY Compare these two quotes]]: Marlo Stanfield's "My name IS MY NAME!" vs. Spiros' "My name is not my name." Guess which organization gets ousted by the law and forced to leave "the Game" for good, And guess which one stays at the top and is never even remotely close to being caught by the law...

* Stringer Bell fancies himself a man who is "above" the streets, and he takes college classes in an effort to educate himself. [[spoiler: FreezeFrameBonus sightings show that he gets A-'s on his tests: smart...but not the smartest guy in the room like he thinks he is.]]

* How easily the police lab could destroy or mislabel evidence, resulting it being impossible to make cases against suspects. All the more so because it's completely true, and is a problem that has bugged police laboratories around the country.

* When one thinks about it, Stringer Bell's downfall was due to him getting his thoughts and approach backwards. During the entire battle with Marlo Stanfield's crew, and even before that when the Barksdales were basically on their own, Stringer is trying to be businesslike with what he's doing on the street. But when it comes to his real business, he's going around making shady deals, and using the sorts of practices that are more appropriate for the streets. When he discovered he was getting rainmade by Clay Davis and his people, he immediately wanted to have him killed until Avon stopped it. Such an action would have been appropriate, though, if he'd been targeting Marlo, and he should have left Levy to handle the legit business dealings. Stringer had both of his worlds screwed up.

* The scene where Bernard is tempted by Squeak into making bulk purchases of burner phones for the Barksdales, ultimately being convinced to bulk-buy from an undercover Lester Freamon, illustrates how the quality of the individuals in Barksdale's crew has declined considerably since season 1. With people like Wee-Bey and Bird locked up, the organization is having to employ second rate people who just aren't as intelligent or conscientious as the previous crew members.

* The scene in the season 5 premiere where Chris Partlow ends up asking Daniels and Pearlman for directions to the clerk's office in the courthouse lobby gets this. There's already irony here - Daniels and Pearlman have come to ask for help with Marlo and the bodies in the vacants, and the guy responsible for those bodies casually asks them for directions and walks off. Why does neither of them recognize Chris? Because they are both very high on the ladder. Above a certain rank, you don't personally get involved in cases. Same as how on the street, gang bosses like Avon and Marlo don't get personally involved in the dealing. Pearlman and Daniels had been asking Rupert Bond for help because they knew the importance of the case, not because they themselves were working it.
** That said, Daniels did sense something fishy about Chris during the scene. He's been a police officer for so long that he can sense things. The other two didn't give Chris a second look, but Daniels did -- almost on instinct. He knows when someone's "in the game," like how the florist that did the arrangement for D'Angelo's funeral understood who Bodie was without even having to ask.
* Many wonder why Sydnor wasn't brought back for the Sobotka detail in season 2. Meta-wise, Corey Parker Robinson likely wasn't available. But it makes sense when one considers that Daniels, while able to handpick his own team, was only given a limited number of slots. He shows favoritism for his old narcotics team (Herc, Carver and Kima), Prez was already there, Freamon and Bunk were on loan from Homicide, and [=McNulty=] had made some contributions of his own with that floater. Considering that Sydnor is brought back in season 3, working once more for Major Crimes, it's pretty obvious that Daniels probably was going to bring Sydnor back on once someone transferred out of Major Crimes, which turned out to be Herc and Carver.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbK5HIfdyWc When the Frankin Terrace towers are demolished]], what Mayor Royce is saying directly contrasts with the conversation Bodie is having with his friends. Royce says: "Mistakes have been made, and we will learn from those mistakes", and the next second, Bodie says: "No matter how many times you get burnt, you just keep on doin' the same". Through this contrasting dialogue, David Simon critiques reform. Although Royce is saying that he is "learning", he is, in fact, just "doin' the same", as the destruction of the towers is nothing new in regards to reform. Additionally, it can be argued that the Mayor is just lying. Royce is trying to disguise Baltimore's minimal efforts at controlling the drug problem by showcasing his efforts at reform. The idea of Royce's deceit is demonstrated during the detonation scene. Royce pushes down on the plunger, and then the camera cuts to a demolitionist behind Royce who carries out the actual detonation. What Royce is creating is just a front, a facade, a disguise. This is what all the politicians do, and they really are just "doin' the same".

* When one thinks about it, Stringer Bell's downfall was due to him getting his thoughts and approach backwards. During the entire battle with Marlo Stanfield's crew, and even before that when the Barksdales were basically on their own, Stringer is trying to be businesslike with what he's doing on the street. But when it comes to his real business, he's going around making shady deals, and using the sorts of practices that are more appropriate for the streets. When he discovered he was getting played by Clay Davis and his people, he immediately wanted to have him killed until Avon stopped it. Such an action would have been appropriate, though, if he'd been targeting Marlo, and he should have left Levy to handle the legit business dealings. Stringer had both of his worlds screwed up.
* One thing you'll realize in hindsight is that Marlo only was able to operate on the streets as long as he did because of everyone else having problems of their own: he first comes along right as the Barksdales shift almost entirely away from Avon's methods of controlling the street by force, leaving them unprepared to deal with him. The turf wars between Marlo's gang and the Barksdales ramp up as the Barksdale Organization falls from infighting between Avon and Stringer, and the investigation that [=McNulty=] and Kima forced on the MCU saves him from being crushed by Avon after Stringer's death. In Season 4 the MCU has wiretaps up on the Stanfield gang and is getting close to being able to bring them down when Rawls and Burrell gut the MCU, giving Marlo a free hand to rule West Baltimore unimpeded because Marimow shut down the wiretaps. In the first episodes of Season 5, he is able to outwait a police investigation because of the city's huge budget hole, and only gets investigated because [=McNulty=] and Lester went rogue. Played with in his final fate, as Marlo's luck even extends to allowing him to walk away from prison time and the criminal underworld.

* Poot leaves the criminal lifestyle and gets a job at Foot Locker. But remember the classic chess scene from Season 1? Turns out Poot was "the smart ass pawn" that Bodie was foreshadowing that "made it to the end." Foot Locker is definitely a common job for people from Poot's age group, but the writers deliberately used it because the black and white striped uniform, reminding us of the chess board and Poot having survived the game by accepting the role of that smart ass pawn.
* The scene where Bernard is tempted by Squeak into making bulk purchases of burner phones for the Barksdales, ultimately being convinced to bulk-buy from Lester Freamon, illustrates how the quality of the individuals in Barksdale's crew has declined considerably since season 1. With people like Wee-Bey and Bird locked up, the organization is having to employ second rate people who just aren't as intelligent or conscientious as the previous crew members.

* [[https://youtu.be/FI6mdlqnVlY Compare these two quotes]]: Marlo Stanfield - "My name IS MY NAME!" Spiros - "My name is not my name." Guess which organization gets ousted by the law and forced to leave "the Game" for good, And guess which one stays at the top and is never even remotely close to being caught by the law...

* Compare these two quotes: Marlo Stanfield - "My name IS MY NAME!" Spiros - "My name is not even my name." Guess which organization gets ousted by the law and forced to leave "the Game" for good, And guess which one stays at the top and is never even remotely close to being caught by the law...

* Compare these two quotes: Marlo Stanfield - "My name IS MY NAME!" Spiros - "My name is not even my name." Guess which organization gets ousted by the law and forced to leave "the Game" for good, while the other stays at the top and is never even remotely close to being caught by the law...

* Compare these two quotes: Marlo Stanfield's "My name IS MY NAME!" Spiros' "My name is not even my name." Now, guess which organization gets ousted by the law and forced to leave "the Game" for good, and which one stays at the top and never even remotely close to being caught by the law...

* How easily the police lab could destroy or mislabel evidence, resulting it being impossible to find horrific criminals. All the more so because it's completely true, and is a problem that has bugged police laboratories around the country.

* When one thinks about it, Stringer Bell's downfall was due to him getting his thoughts and approach backwards. During the entire battle with Marlo Stanfield's crew, and even before that when the Barksdales were basically on their own, Stringer is trying to be businesslike with what he's doing on the street. But when it comes to his real business, he's going around making shady deals, doing what he should have been doing on the streets. When he discovered he was getting played by Clay Davis and his people, he immediately wanted to have him killed until Avon stopped it. Such an action would have been appropriate, though, if he'd been targeting Marlo, and he should have left Levy to handle the legit business dealings. Stringer had both of his worlds screwed up.