I‘ve just re-watched the brilliant crime drama The Wire. In The Wire, the worlds of drug dealers, policemen and women, politicians, school teachers and children, as well as the media people of Baltimore are intertwined in revealing and challenging-to-watch ways. The drug dealers and the politicians drive around in the same cars, albeit through different streets. The crime stats are fluked as much as the school test scores to get the next mayor elected.
Each world is so multi-layered and complex with its themes, its characters and their different codes and languages that you could finish watching The Wire and start all over again straight away.
In season 5, episode 4, aptly called “Transitions”, is a fantastic breathing-cum-execution scene. Proposition Joe, an enterprising gangster who does big business out of his repair shop meets his maker, the top gangster Marlo with his right-hand man Chris.
Marlo is played to perfection by Jamie Hector, moving more or less silently like a venomous snake around the corners of Baltimore. You don‘t look him straight in the eye and you don‘t get close him. Otherwise you might well end up dead. You don’t think for one second about crossing him.
Proposition Joe is a master at juggling drug deals, with his suppliers called the Greeks and a Robin Hood style drug dealer robber at the same time, just to give an example. His clever “propositions” have made Joe a respected and well-liked member of the drug family because nobody knows he’s the one pulling all the strings. Although Joe knows he must leave Marlo out of his web of intrigues, in the end, he is who he is. His nephew Cheese rats him out to Marlo and we see the traitor leaving the scene just before Marlo enters Joe’s shop to kill him. Joe is in the process of packing up to make a run for it, but as soon as he sees Marlo, he knows what’s coming. He takes off his glasses, puts them carefully on the table and tries to wiggle his way out with Marlo, making his last „propostion“ which, this time, does not „fall on a kindly ear“.
Marlo is calm, more personal than we’ve ever seen him before, in a snakelike stillness as if he were charming a child into sleep, rather than about to murder someone. It’s a strange juxtaposition of comfort and kill with one last breath between them.
“Joe: „You ain‘t come to see me off.“ Marlo is silent. „My nephew.“ Marlo nods. „Boy was always a disappointment. But I treated you like a son.“
Marlo: „I wasn‘t made to play the son.“
Joe: „And my supply, the good dope?“
Marlo: „The Greeks? They‘re cool with it.“
Chris comes up behind Joe inaudibly.
Joe: „Proposition then. I just step out the way. You never hear from me again, I just disappear.“
Marlo: „Joe, you‘ll be up to mischief in no time. Truth is, you won‘t be able to change up anymore than me.“ We see Joe looking up at Marlo, the last glimmer of hope going out of him. „Close your eyes. It won‘t hurt none.“ Joe follows Marlo‘s words, as if in a trance. „There, there now. Joe, relax.“ We hear Chris cocking his gun. „Breathe easy.“”
Marlo motions Chris to do the deed with his typical upward nod. Chris pulls the trigger and shoots Joe in the back of the head. Silence. Marlo looks at Joe intensely, in a chilling mix of softness and certainty. The familiar drum beats of the closing music at the end of each episode ring out.