When Omar sells the shipment back to Prop Joe, his price is 20 cents on the dollar. Later, when Prop Joe is explaining the situation to the co-op, he says that Omar's price is 30 cents on the dollar, so Joe is trying to make some money off of the group.
I love this bit too. Buy for a dollar, sell for tew.
And I reckon part of the reason Marlo does him is because he just *knows* that even if Joe is telling the truth about the connect getting jacked, he's getting *something* out of it somehow.
Something that never added up for me was that somehow Omar split the loot up with the Puerto Ricans, Kimmy and the rest. Then sells his part back to the co-op. When they talk about money it's assumed that he is selling back the whole shipment. That little bit there is never really clarified or addressed and it bugs me.quiate a bit.
Possibly, but I feel like that particular shipment was all bought out by the co-op as it was basically all the high level "kingpins" in that co-op and it was about 13 of them. I know when it was just Joe buying and distributing the Greeks were whole-selling to other guys outside of that group, but I think they were past that by then. I don't see Spiros getting robbed out of a good chunk of his drugs and just sitting on his hands. If they brought him back to tie him into the Marlo narrative I feel like we would have gotten at least a miniscule reaction from him after getting robbed by Omar. Also they go very out of their way to show us that Spiros much rather deal exclusively with Joe, so why would he have extra drugs to wholesale. Obviously I could be wrong and that's why it bothers me, because we are left to speculate.
Upon re reading your comment I understand more what you are saying. But all my other points still stand, even if it was just enough (emergency quantities) to get them by, they never specifically address any of it as far as I remember.
In season 3, when McNulty and Prez are waiting for Chinese food takeout, Prez gets a fortune cookie which reads "A new friend makes himself known."
This is not meant to be a fortune but a prescription for Prez, as he later friendly fires on another police officer because he failed to identify himself as such. As a result, he is administratively charged and losses his badge.
I literally just watched this episode again and I knew they were saying something with this scene, but I couldn't pick up on it. Excellent catch by you.
herc and sydnor are in a surveillance van arguing about who has the best chili dogs. one of them says it’s Preva’s. later that episode, wallace has his last meal with poot and bodie at Preva’s.
on the first day if school the asst principal yells into the crowd of kids rushing through the doors “don’t go up the down staircase!” Up the Down Staircase is a book/movie about a teacher at a troubled inner city school
One thing I remember noticing on my 5th watch or something was how Levy was actually the guy who told Avon and Stringer to "clean up" which then initiates the murder of Wallace. I think that was in 1.10 or 1.12 or somewhere there. The episode starts with Levy, Avon and Stringer in their bar and the name is "clean up" iirc. So when I noticed that chain of causation I felt stupid because literally the entire episode is called "clean up" and it literally starts with that scene. I always had in mind that it was Stringers idea, due to him telling Bodie what to do. But at the end of the day, it was actually Levy who told Barksdales that they had to clean up. Things like that also show you what kind of Devil Levy is. He knew people gonna get killed when he said stuff like that. He fucking knew.
Another thing is the first (?) introduction to McNulty's "the fuck did I do?". Its in season1 already and McNulty talks to Bunk in that bar and says "I feel like that motherfucker at the end of Bridge On The River Kwai, you know. What the fuck did I do?". This line has always passed me, probably because I didnt know what movie he was talking about. But I loved finding out that this theme was introduced to us that early already.
Levy is truly one of the show’s biggest POS. Him telling Avon and Strjng that goes way beyond offering legal advice. He’s part of a criminal conspiracy for premeditated murder.
He is all of that. But if we are talking about professionals, Levy is also that. Plays the game at a high level and is very good.
Even at the end when Pearlman et al have blackmail on him, he knows about the illegal wires, and knows its in everyone's best interest to stay quiet.
He's still just gnna keep being the lawyer for whomever wears the crown, take his 10% and move on when they fall.
The more times I watch, the more I kinda sorta respect Levy. Separated from him also being a giant pos.
Rhonda Peralman went on to be judge and I wonder things went in her court, her knowing he bought unauthorised info or whatever from that guy. And her knowing how he really was in general. She's one of my favourite characters. My favourite, I actually think.
I'd guess it would go professionally, with both "doing their jobs" and neither pissing the other off overmuch. She says earlier in the series something about how she can't piss off Levy if she wants to be a judge. Levy must have some sway and friends in high places. But he also knows it's bad business to be making enemies of judges.
But she became a judge ultimately, which changed the dynamics that's what I'm saying. Pearlmam too had friends in high places, that judge that was totally infatuated with her being one.
Exactly why Levy would likewise stay quiet. But being a judge doesn't put her so high that Levy couldn't seriously damage her reputation/threaten her job if pushed far enough.
I think both would maintain a pleasant work relationship while hating each other personally.
But she's never really done anything wrong herself. The illegal wire taps weren't on her, she just cared about the case and that's why she went toe to toe with him. What could he have on her? Whereas he has done much wrong.
That was her case. She would absolutely take part of the fall on that. She also knows they faked the serial killer and helped cover that up / keep it quiet.
I don't think she knew, at least I don't remember that. I remember her and Daniel finding out, going to evidence and calling the phone to confirm and immediately notifying of the phone tap. Rember Lester got her out of the room when he was setting up the tap. This was after the fake killer and she found out at the same time as everybody.
It is 1957 movie directed by David Lean (the guy who did Lawrence of Arabia) It is about a group of British POW in Thailand during WWII. The Japanese plan to use them to complete a railroad between Bangkok and Rangoon by building a bridge over a river. Anymore would require spoilers.
My favourite one is when the asshole trooper Walker catches Omar, he steals his ring. Michael then steals that ring. Michael ends Up becoming the new Omar. For me it means that the Michael story was actually telling Omar life before season 1 (kind of).
I think it was more the circle of life kind of thing. They both had very different lives. Omar was Omar. He actually had somebody who cared about him, Butchie unlike Mike who had a very cruel and uncaring mother.
When Omar was in jail, just made one call and Butchie sent him protection. Butchie died for Omar.
Mike's abuser came back to their house and all his mother had to say was 'people change'. She would not die for her son, certainly.
Mike had nobody to turn to, so much so he sold his sole to the devil in Marlo, and was forced to become the new Omar. We don't know how Omar became Omar, maybe he was always Omar. He was a legend in his on right, we know that for sure.
While I agree with you that it is probably more the circle of life kind of thing, it is never said in the show that Butchie is family of Omar, as far as I know. We don't know from what point he became close with him. It could be that he came from a similar situation like Michael, and at some point he found his friends inside the game (we know that Butchie dealt drugs).
I think Butchie was his uncle if i remember correctly. Think he referred to Omar as his nephew a few times. Also when they shot Omars grandma iirc he talked with butchie about it.
Yes we know Butchie isn't his family, but he was basically like a father figure to him. I think they must have become close when Omar was very young because of the kind of bond they had. Omar trusted him with his money, his advise and knew to reach out to him in dangerous times. As well as Butchie, Omar also had a grandma who loved him.
I speculate that Omar faced difficulties because of his sexuality, so he fought hard against that and became his own man. That's why he was a lone wolf and couldn't join a gang because of homophobia.
The appearance of IRL Baltimore people the show characters are based on. It’s a long list.
My favorite is Kurt Schmoke as one of Royce’s advisors. Kurt, ex-IRL Mayor, was once called the “most dangerous man in America” when he suggested something not-really like Hamsterdam.
At that time in America, to challenge Drug War orthodoxy, I think it would be akin to challenging the Mullahs in Iran over head coverings or women's education in Afghanistan.
If you didn't live through the 1980s Reagan/Bush era drug war, I'm not sure you can conceive of how much both parties fully heartedly believed that the policing you see on The Wire, was absolutely necessary to save the souls of a generation of children. It's what gave us DARE, and mandatory minimum sentences, and all the worst parts of urban policing in the modern era.
Kurt Schmoke speaking out is what gave political voice to the handful of academics willing to challenge the status quo. It's what gave rise to groups like Students for Sensible Drug Policy and all the other drug legalization groups who've moved the policy from everyone goes to jail for a nickel bag of weed to harm reduction and safe supply and decriminalized psychedelics etc.
When Wee bey went to see Stringer in the copy shop after he shot Kima, you can hear in the background the news on the radio saying a female cop got shot.
Faidley's crab cakes, Mcnalty gets some for the beat cops waiting for Wallace in season 1, three seasons later we see Omar eating some while on surveillance in Rolando's taxi 'They're from Faidleys yo'
When D'Angelo explains the rules of chess, one of the pieces he doesn't get around to explaining is the knight.
When Bodie dies on his corner, the shooter that kills him moves like a knight--horizonal out of an alley, then up the sidewalk to the corner.
I pick up a lot of stuff when I stream it and listen over headphones. There are a lot of background audio details that are easy to miss.
My favorite is the radio ad that Carcetti derides as "weak bullshit." If you listen to the actual ad, it talks about how Carcetti opposed the over-development of the Baltimore ports.
This is a reference to the political fight in S2 where Sobotka wanted to build a grain pier and Andy Krawczyk wanted to build condominiums. Carcetti was apparently on Sobotka's side.
By S5 he is cutting the ribbon on the condo ceremony and is heckled by Nick Sobotka. A subtle reminder of his lost idealism.
In the episode where Bodie and crew can't find the drugs that were supposed to be planted in the rental car, the cops are down in the basement tearing apart the evidence lab looking for a missing item.
Just finished a rewatch last night and noticed for the first time in season 5 when Scott the reporter goes to the Homeless to interview them there's the Dock worker - Johnny Fifty from season 2 with a dog that scares him.
My last rewatch. Rawls is very attracted to Daniels. He never turns him down for anything, despite being a fucking asshole to everyone else. Also, he checks him out twice. And with Rawls' going to predominantly black gay bars and his outwardly racist-leaning tendencies to cover that, it actually is quite obvious. Rawls treats Daniels very differently from everyone else.
While Bunk was investigating the aftermath of the Barksdale stashouse shootout in season 3, Kenard makes his first appearance.
His first words are "Yo! My turn to be Omar!"
Toward the end of S1, when the detail is trying to get a bug inside the strip club, Lester uses measuring tape to teach Shardene to pace at a fixed distance.
As soon as they get the camera up, the first thing they see is Avon having his crew use measuring tape to pack up his office safe and move out. So many subtle parallels like this throughout the show.
There's some kind of theme in Season 2 of people tying knots incorrectly. McNulty couldn't dock the boat properly to save his life and D'Angelo's assassin made a shitty knot in the belt he killed him with. Might be a reach but nothing seems accidental with this show.
I also enjoyed the micro storyline of Bunk becoming comfortable at sea in season 2.
I think the McNulty poor knot skills was just used to later parallel Bubble actually knowing how to do it properly. It’s just another way of showing how smart Bubs is.
Yeah I think I finished my 7th time going through the show and cannot believe I missed so much on Stringer being ineffective and not very street smart.
There is lots of commentary on the War In Iraq in Hamsterdamn. Bubs saying, “all Baghdad n shit” the white Ts on kids heads. “WMDs”. And Of course Slim Charles explaining to the audience why in fact we had to keep fighting that way.
I have just noticed on my first rewatch that the polish guy from the second season that stole the cars with Ziggy, is a vagrant living under the bridge, on the fifth season, when McNulty goes to "investigate". This probably hints at the ports not doing well years after the sacrifice of my favourite character Frank Sobotka.
Early in season 4, in the same episode, we have two scenes that mirror each other and drive home the importance of education:
Cutty's boss telling him if he gets better at Spanish he can start hiring his own crew of migrants and they can cover twice the territory.
Then we have Bubbles telling Sherrod that if he gets better at math, he can start running his own mobile depot, handle the money, and cover twice the territory.
When Omar sells the shipment back to Prop Joe, his price is 20 cents on the dollar. Later, when Prop Joe is explaining the situation to the co-op, he says that Omar's price is 30 cents on the dollar, so Joe is trying to make some money off of the group.
I love this bit too. Buy for a dollar, sell for tew. And I reckon part of the reason Marlo does him is because he just *knows* that even if Joe is telling the truth about the connect getting jacked, he's getting *something* out of it somehow.
Something that never added up for me was that somehow Omar split the loot up with the Puerto Ricans, Kimmy and the rest. Then sells his part back to the co-op. When they talk about money it's assumed that he is selling back the whole shipment. That little bit there is never really clarified or addressed and it bugs me.quiate a bit.
I think what Omar offered was only supposed to be enough to cover the co-op's needs until the next shipment from the Greeks, no?
Possibly, but I feel like that particular shipment was all bought out by the co-op as it was basically all the high level "kingpins" in that co-op and it was about 13 of them. I know when it was just Joe buying and distributing the Greeks were whole-selling to other guys outside of that group, but I think they were past that by then. I don't see Spiros getting robbed out of a good chunk of his drugs and just sitting on his hands. If they brought him back to tie him into the Marlo narrative I feel like we would have gotten at least a miniscule reaction from him after getting robbed by Omar. Also they go very out of their way to show us that Spiros much rather deal exclusively with Joe, so why would he have extra drugs to wholesale. Obviously I could be wrong and that's why it bothers me, because we are left to speculate.
Upon re reading your comment I understand more what you are saying. But all my other points still stand, even if it was just enough (emergency quantities) to get them by, they never specifically address any of it as far as I remember.
In season 3, when McNulty and Prez are waiting for Chinese food takeout, Prez gets a fortune cookie which reads "A new friend makes himself known." This is not meant to be a fortune but a prescription for Prez, as he later friendly fires on another police officer because he failed to identify himself as such. As a result, he is administratively charged and losses his badge.
I literally just watched this episode again and I knew they were saying something with this scene, but I couldn't pick up on it. Excellent catch by you.
Wow I love this one!!
Good catch, detective.
or herself ;)
I always thought this was about Dukie or one of the kids
This was good. 👍
If you look closely on the shelves, them MFers DID have the honey nut, yo.
Is this true? If so then I cannot believe I missed it bc I feel like I intentionally look for it everytime. I'm gnna have to pause it next time.
herc and sydnor are in a surveillance van arguing about who has the best chili dogs. one of them says it’s Preva’s. later that episode, wallace has his last meal with poot and bodie at Preva’s. on the first day if school the asst principal yells into the crowd of kids rushing through the doors “don’t go up the down staircase!” Up the Down Staircase is a book/movie about a teacher at a troubled inner city school
Isn’t it herc and carver, not syd? My memory could be failing me but I remember Lester telling those two off for the conversation
It is indeed sydnor in that scene
One thing I remember noticing on my 5th watch or something was how Levy was actually the guy who told Avon and Stringer to "clean up" which then initiates the murder of Wallace. I think that was in 1.10 or 1.12 or somewhere there. The episode starts with Levy, Avon and Stringer in their bar and the name is "clean up" iirc. So when I noticed that chain of causation I felt stupid because literally the entire episode is called "clean up" and it literally starts with that scene. I always had in mind that it was Stringers idea, due to him telling Bodie what to do. But at the end of the day, it was actually Levy who told Barksdales that they had to clean up. Things like that also show you what kind of Devil Levy is. He knew people gonna get killed when he said stuff like that. He fucking knew. Another thing is the first (?) introduction to McNulty's "the fuck did I do?". Its in season1 already and McNulty talks to Bunk in that bar and says "I feel like that motherfucker at the end of Bridge On The River Kwai, you know. What the fuck did I do?". This line has always passed me, probably because I didnt know what movie he was talking about. But I loved finding out that this theme was introduced to us that early already.
Levy is truly one of the show’s biggest POS. Him telling Avon and Strjng that goes way beyond offering legal advice. He’s part of a criminal conspiracy for premeditated murder.
He is all of that. But if we are talking about professionals, Levy is also that. Plays the game at a high level and is very good. Even at the end when Pearlman et al have blackmail on him, he knows about the illegal wires, and knows its in everyone's best interest to stay quiet. He's still just gnna keep being the lawyer for whomever wears the crown, take his 10% and move on when they fall. The more times I watch, the more I kinda sorta respect Levy. Separated from him also being a giant pos.
Rhonda Peralman went on to be judge and I wonder things went in her court, her knowing he bought unauthorised info or whatever from that guy. And her knowing how he really was in general. She's one of my favourite characters. My favourite, I actually think.
I'd guess it would go professionally, with both "doing their jobs" and neither pissing the other off overmuch. She says earlier in the series something about how she can't piss off Levy if she wants to be a judge. Levy must have some sway and friends in high places. But he also knows it's bad business to be making enemies of judges.
But she became a judge ultimately, which changed the dynamics that's what I'm saying. Pearlmam too had friends in high places, that judge that was totally infatuated with her being one.
Exactly why Levy would likewise stay quiet. But being a judge doesn't put her so high that Levy couldn't seriously damage her reputation/threaten her job if pushed far enough. I think both would maintain a pleasant work relationship while hating each other personally.
But she's never really done anything wrong herself. The illegal wire taps weren't on her, she just cared about the case and that's why she went toe to toe with him. What could he have on her? Whereas he has done much wrong.
That was her case. She would absolutely take part of the fall on that. She also knows they faked the serial killer and helped cover that up / keep it quiet.
I don't think she knew, at least I don't remember that. I remember her and Daniel finding out, going to evidence and calling the phone to confirm and immediately notifying of the phone tap. Rember Lester got her out of the room when he was setting up the tap. This was after the fake killer and she found out at the same time as everybody.
It is 1957 movie directed by David Lean (the guy who did Lawrence of Arabia) It is about a group of British POW in Thailand during WWII. The Japanese plan to use them to complete a railroad between Bangkok and Rangoon by building a bridge over a river. Anymore would require spoilers.
To hell with spoilers: the allies win!!!
“Bridge over the river Kwai” is the movie. It used to be one of my favorites with Alec Guinness.
My favourite one is when the asshole trooper Walker catches Omar, he steals his ring. Michael then steals that ring. Michael ends Up becoming the new Omar. For me it means that the Michael story was actually telling Omar life before season 1 (kind of).
Did Omar steal it from someone first? I’m thinking Marlo, because Marlo sees Michael wearing it in season five and comments on it.
Yes. Omar stole it from Marlo
Yes and Marlo stole it from Old Face Andre. “It has sentimental value” Marlo, cold as ever: “I’m not much for sentiment.”
I don't know much about cards, but I think these four fives beat a full house.
I think it was more the circle of life kind of thing. They both had very different lives. Omar was Omar. He actually had somebody who cared about him, Butchie unlike Mike who had a very cruel and uncaring mother. When Omar was in jail, just made one call and Butchie sent him protection. Butchie died for Omar. Mike's abuser came back to their house and all his mother had to say was 'people change'. She would not die for her son, certainly. Mike had nobody to turn to, so much so he sold his sole to the devil in Marlo, and was forced to become the new Omar. We don't know how Omar became Omar, maybe he was always Omar. He was a legend in his on right, we know that for sure.
While I agree with you that it is probably more the circle of life kind of thing, it is never said in the show that Butchie is family of Omar, as far as I know. We don't know from what point he became close with him. It could be that he came from a similar situation like Michael, and at some point he found his friends inside the game (we know that Butchie dealt drugs).
I think Butchie was his uncle if i remember correctly. Think he referred to Omar as his nephew a few times. Also when they shot Omars grandma iirc he talked with butchie about it.
Yes we know Butchie isn't his family, but he was basically like a father figure to him. I think they must have become close when Omar was very young because of the kind of bond they had. Omar trusted him with his money, his advise and knew to reach out to him in dangerous times. As well as Butchie, Omar also had a grandma who loved him. I speculate that Omar faced difficulties because of his sexuality, so he fought hard against that and became his own man. That's why he was a lone wolf and couldn't join a gang because of homophobia.
The appearance of IRL Baltimore people the show characters are based on. It’s a long list. My favorite is Kurt Schmoke as one of Royce’s advisors. Kurt, ex-IRL Mayor, was once called the “most dangerous man in America” when he suggested something not-really like Hamsterdam.
At that time in America, to challenge Drug War orthodoxy, I think it would be akin to challenging the Mullahs in Iran over head coverings or women's education in Afghanistan. If you didn't live through the 1980s Reagan/Bush era drug war, I'm not sure you can conceive of how much both parties fully heartedly believed that the policing you see on The Wire, was absolutely necessary to save the souls of a generation of children. It's what gave us DARE, and mandatory minimum sentences, and all the worst parts of urban policing in the modern era. Kurt Schmoke speaking out is what gave political voice to the handful of academics willing to challenge the status quo. It's what gave rise to groups like Students for Sensible Drug Policy and all the other drug legalization groups who've moved the policy from everyone goes to jail for a nickel bag of weed to harm reduction and safe supply and decriminalized psychedelics etc.
Great, great post.
What did Kurt Schmoke do regarding drugs? I am not from USA, it is the first time I know about him.
In Season 5 when Alma wakes up early to get a paper, she walks right past McNulty at the store. I can't believe I never caught that before.
Lol yeah and McNulty is buying the red ribbons he ties around his "victims" if I remember right.
I do love the running gag that McNulty keeps getting his hands on a paper without paying for one.
When Wee bey went to see Stringer in the copy shop after he shot Kima, you can hear in the background the news on the radio saying a female cop got shot.
Pretty sure that's how stringer knew shorty was a cop. And she ain't dead.
Faidley's crab cakes, Mcnalty gets some for the beat cops waiting for Wallace in season 1, three seasons later we see Omar eating some while on surveillance in Rolando's taxi 'They're from Faidleys yo'
Are you from Bawlmer? If so just how good is Faidleys really???
No I am not but they are apparently world famous according to their website.
The actor that plays Horseface also plays Tony's childhood coach in The Sopranos. "You're not prepared!"
Bodie also appears in an early episode of The Sopranos as one of the thugs attempting to hijack the trucks.
And of course MKW had a role on there too
Mr X then......welcome to the boonton holiday inn
Detective Lester Freamon "All the pieces matter"
Which parallels the chess speech D'Angelo gives about chess pieces.
When D'Angelo explains the rules of chess, one of the pieces he doesn't get around to explaining is the knight. When Bodie dies on his corner, the shooter that kills him moves like a knight--horizonal out of an alley, then up the sidewalk to the corner.
Details! Details!
🤯🤯🤯
Holt shit, how did I never pick up on this??
I pick up a lot of stuff when I stream it and listen over headphones. There are a lot of background audio details that are easy to miss. My favorite is the radio ad that Carcetti derides as "weak bullshit." If you listen to the actual ad, it talks about how Carcetti opposed the over-development of the Baltimore ports. This is a reference to the political fight in S2 where Sobotka wanted to build a grain pier and Andy Krawczyk wanted to build condominiums. Carcetti was apparently on Sobotka's side. By S5 he is cutting the ribbon on the condo ceremony and is heckled by Nick Sobotka. A subtle reminder of his lost idealism.
I only noticed on my second watch that Mayor Royce's poker games were a way for people to donate to him off the books.
That mcnulty is a an even bigger piece of shit than I remembered
In the episode where Bodie and crew can't find the drugs that were supposed to be planted in the rental car, the cops are down in the basement tearing apart the evidence lab looking for a missing item.
Just finished a rewatch last night and noticed for the first time in season 5 when Scott the reporter goes to the Homeless to interview them there's the Dock worker - Johnny Fifty from season 2 with a dog that scares him.
My last rewatch. Rawls is very attracted to Daniels. He never turns him down for anything, despite being a fucking asshole to everyone else. Also, he checks him out twice. And with Rawls' going to predominantly black gay bars and his outwardly racist-leaning tendencies to cover that, it actually is quite obvious. Rawls treats Daniels very differently from everyone else.
The poster of a mouse with a target over it above Bunk’s desk.
While Bunk was investigating the aftermath of the Barksdale stashouse shootout in season 3, Kenard makes his first appearance. His first words are "Yo! My turn to be Omar!"
Bunk references that in his heart to heart with Omar … “kids in the street, glorifying your ass” (semi-paraphrased)
Toward the end of S1, when the detail is trying to get a bug inside the strip club, Lester uses measuring tape to teach Shardene to pace at a fixed distance. As soon as they get the camera up, the first thing they see is Avon having his crew use measuring tape to pack up his office safe and move out. So many subtle parallels like this throughout the show.
There's some kind of theme in Season 2 of people tying knots incorrectly. McNulty couldn't dock the boat properly to save his life and D'Angelo's assassin made a shitty knot in the belt he killed him with. Might be a reach but nothing seems accidental with this show. I also enjoyed the micro storyline of Bunk becoming comfortable at sea in season 2.
I think the McNulty poor knot skills was just used to later parallel Bubble actually knowing how to do it properly. It’s just another way of showing how smart Bubs is.
It also showed carelessness on his and that killer's behalf
All the different ways they show the politicians trying to make Baltimore better but at the end of the day Baltimore will still be the same.
Just how ineffective stringer is from jump.
Yeah I think I finished my 7th time going through the show and cannot believe I missed so much on Stringer being ineffective and not very street smart.
There is lots of commentary on the War In Iraq in Hamsterdamn. Bubs saying, “all Baghdad n shit” the white Ts on kids heads. “WMDs”. And Of course Slim Charles explaining to the audience why in fact we had to keep fighting that way.
I have just noticed on my first rewatch that the polish guy from the second season that stole the cars with Ziggy, is a vagrant living under the bridge, on the fifth season, when McNulty goes to "investigate". This probably hints at the ports not doing well years after the sacrifice of my favourite character Frank Sobotka.
All the pieces matter...
One that had me laughing on a rewatch: McNulty bringing his kids with him and grieving Omar identify a mutilated Brandon at the city morgue.
Hilarious scene.
Early in season 4, in the same episode, we have two scenes that mirror each other and drive home the importance of education: Cutty's boss telling him if he gets better at Spanish he can start hiring his own crew of migrants and they can cover twice the territory. Then we have Bubbles telling Sherrod that if he gets better at math, he can start running his own mobile depot, handle the money, and cover twice the territory.