This being the third episode in the first season, it pulled me in, especially with the introduction of Omar. He provides a pivotal role in going against the Barksdale crime scene and will make up for some good tension. Final score: 8.5/10
10 Reviews
Maybe he's white
snoozejonc22 March 2022
Daniels' team just gets started working the drug dealers at the towers before the top brass intervene and cause frustration.
This is another great episode that realistically portrays command structures and helps to slowly develop the overarching narrative.
We have moments where characters interact with fairly senior members of the police and Barksdale crew. It's easy to see which is written as the more efficient and well run, however the problems within both organisations are well depicted by the scenes involving McNulty and D'Angelo.
D'Angelo's chess scene is a classic of the show and not only does it do some ominous foreshadowing, but it is a defining moment for his outlook on the world. Also good is the contrast between his attitude towards drug addicts and almost everyone else in the crew. Lawrence Gillard Jr is excellent throughout.
McNulty has an almost quintessential Jimmy McNulty episode. We see his obsession with casework, attitude towards women and insubordination all fantastically laid out in scenes that both exasperate and entertain. The only thing missing is some Bunk related drunkenness. Slight accent issues aside, Dominic West is superb.
Likewise Lance Reddick does a great job as a Lieutenant portrayed as having the unenviable job of running a high profile case being treated as a tick-box exercise by the powers-that-be. His performance and also the writing of this character is quite on-the-nose for the type of situations he is in.
There are some strong introductions to characters such as Omar and Valchek who both get more prominent time at different points in the show, particularly Omar who soon becomes a major focus.
Andre Royo has some pretty entertaining and humorous moments as the very likeable character Bubs.
As ever the cinematography and editing captures the setting perfectly and you feel like you are watching real life taking place. The art design is excellent and the scene involving Sydnor's junky fashion parade is almost self-referential in its humour.
This is another great episode that realistically portrays command structures and helps to slowly develop the overarching narrative.
We have moments where characters interact with fairly senior members of the police and Barksdale crew. It's easy to see which is written as the more efficient and well run, however the problems within both organisations are well depicted by the scenes involving McNulty and D'Angelo.
D'Angelo's chess scene is a classic of the show and not only does it do some ominous foreshadowing, but it is a defining moment for his outlook on the world. Also good is the contrast between his attitude towards drug addicts and almost everyone else in the crew. Lawrence Gillard Jr is excellent throughout.
McNulty has an almost quintessential Jimmy McNulty episode. We see his obsession with casework, attitude towards women and insubordination all fantastically laid out in scenes that both exasperate and entertain. The only thing missing is some Bunk related drunkenness. Slight accent issues aside, Dominic West is superb.
Likewise Lance Reddick does a great job as a Lieutenant portrayed as having the unenviable job of running a high profile case being treated as a tick-box exercise by the powers-that-be. His performance and also the writing of this character is quite on-the-nose for the type of situations he is in.
There are some strong introductions to characters such as Omar and Valchek who both get more prominent time at different points in the show, particularly Omar who soon becomes a major focus.
Andre Royo has some pretty entertaining and humorous moments as the very likeable character Bubs.
As ever the cinematography and editing captures the setting perfectly and you feel like you are watching real life taking place. The art design is excellent and the scene involving Sydnor's junky fashion parade is almost self-referential in its humour.
1x03
formotog6 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Another very good episode. What's striking to me is that the episodes seem to just kind of blend in together. It's probably not too early at this point to assume that the quality of the average episode is high. The pacing and flow are great, the dialogue continues to be amazing, we're getting equal parts story and character delivered effortlessly. It's a very good sign that only three episodes in, I can say all this. When the story starts to really get going, I'm sure it'll deliver some very memorable episodes
Low 8
Low 8
Omar
MaxBorg8914 December 2008
The third episode of HBO's slow-burn cop show is a fundamental one, in that it starts throwing some extra dirt into already murky waters and introduces one of American television's essential characters: Omar Little, played with astounding conviction by Michael K. Williams.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves: Omar doesn't appear until the third act of the episode, and it's only a small (but very memorable) participation. The bunk of the first season's third hour is spent on the detail's attempts to get a picture of Avon Barksdale, an operation that seems to be doomed to failure until Det. Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) remembers Avon used to be a boxer and manages to get visual identification through one of his contacts.
Minor story lines include Herc, Carver and Prez (Jim True-Frost) getting a verbal kicking for a "field interview" that went bad, Bubbles continuing with his snitch activity and McNulty learning some potentially damaging information from an FBI informant.
Once again, the details are crucial: as said before, Omar's appearance is very brief, but what he says and does in those minutes is enough to give us a pretty good idea of who he is and what drives him. Even more surprising is how David Simon allows us glimpses of McNulty's personal life: we've already seen in previous episodes that he's quite a drinker, and now we learn that his marriage failed because he cheated on the missus. Lengthy monologue about his repressed guilt? No, just a quick remark made by his bedmate, Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman (Deirdre Lovejoy).
And the teaser? Just amazing: D'Angelo explaining the rules of chess to his friends by comparing the various pieces to Avon, Stringer and the rest of the gang.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves: Omar doesn't appear until the third act of the episode, and it's only a small (but very memorable) participation. The bunk of the first season's third hour is spent on the detail's attempts to get a picture of Avon Barksdale, an operation that seems to be doomed to failure until Det. Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) remembers Avon used to be a boxer and manages to get visual identification through one of his contacts.
Minor story lines include Herc, Carver and Prez (Jim True-Frost) getting a verbal kicking for a "field interview" that went bad, Bubbles continuing with his snitch activity and McNulty learning some potentially damaging information from an FBI informant.
Once again, the details are crucial: as said before, Omar's appearance is very brief, but what he says and does in those minutes is enough to give us a pretty good idea of who he is and what drives him. Even more surprising is how David Simon allows us glimpses of McNulty's personal life: we've already seen in previous episodes that he's quite a drinker, and now we learn that his marriage failed because he cheated on the missus. Lengthy monologue about his repressed guilt? No, just a quick remark made by his bedmate, Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman (Deirdre Lovejoy).
And the teaser? Just amazing: D'Angelo explaining the rules of chess to his friends by comparing the various pieces to Avon, Stringer and the rest of the gang.
As realistic as it gets
gedikreverdi25 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm starting to like Dee. He's teaching how to play chess in the projects and starting to fall for a stripper at the club and doing better than average for the low rises. They raided the area but couldn't find the stash. And someone named Omar stole from them at the courtyard. Daniels who's running the case might have some dubious connections.
"The king stay the king"
RainDogJr26 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
In "The Wire" we get like a 3 minutes scene before the opening and the scene of this episode has in it D'Angelo saying to his pas stuff like "you can't tell me this can't get done without people beating each other, killing each other, doing each other like dogs", is a really great scene with D'Angelo and his friends that ends in a funny way for all of them thanks to Bubbles coming to sell hats but of course is funny since they don't know what Greggs or any other detective do each time Bubbs puts on to somebody the red hat (of those scenes with D'Angelo, Wallace (Michael B. Jordan, doing a superb work as a really memorable character) and Bodie (J. D. Williams) here we have the fantastic "chess scene" also which is D'Angelo teaching Wallace and Bodie how to play chess since they have a chess set and play checkers. With D'Angelo explaining the rules of chess and the boys understanding them like "the king is Avon and the queen is like Stringer" the boys will learn).
Here we have the introduction to very important and great characters, Omar certainly and also Detective Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters). Unlike Omar (played by Michael K. Williams and who together with his men robs Barksdale drugs) Lester has not his very first appearance during this episode (he appears for the first time in the previous one) however here you can say is his real introduction, quiet man, doing his hobby all day but McNulty and company at one point will get a real and pleasant surprise. This episode has the detail getting some more information, nothing big enough though however the Deputy wants some action but, what they have by the end of the day? "we ain't got s***" says Greggs after the action, after beating Bodie for hitting a detective (one of the incompetents) and that was the biggest thing that happened during their attempt to get something from the projects, well behind what happened with Lester. McNulty didn't go to the projects, he said he didn't want t do something that may hurt the case, and of course he was right. Mainly the big thing that happens with McNulty during this hour is that he finds stuff about Daniels thanks to FBI Special Agent Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh (Doug Olear): at this point we have in Daniels someone who knows how to do the Barksdale case fine but also someone who has to give stuff to the damn Deputy and after this our we have that Daniels is dirty, Fitzhugh did the investigation and gave it to the Deputy who said that they will take it from there however that was a year if not more ago and certainly Daniels is still a lieutenant.
I'm writing this comment after just finishing watching all of the 13 episodes of Season 1, truly engaging, terrific show. Overall this episode isn't one of the most memorable hours.
Here we have the introduction to very important and great characters, Omar certainly and also Detective Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters). Unlike Omar (played by Michael K. Williams and who together with his men robs Barksdale drugs) Lester has not his very first appearance during this episode (he appears for the first time in the previous one) however here you can say is his real introduction, quiet man, doing his hobby all day but McNulty and company at one point will get a real and pleasant surprise. This episode has the detail getting some more information, nothing big enough though however the Deputy wants some action but, what they have by the end of the day? "we ain't got s***" says Greggs after the action, after beating Bodie for hitting a detective (one of the incompetents) and that was the biggest thing that happened during their attempt to get something from the projects, well behind what happened with Lester. McNulty didn't go to the projects, he said he didn't want t do something that may hurt the case, and of course he was right. Mainly the big thing that happens with McNulty during this hour is that he finds stuff about Daniels thanks to FBI Special Agent Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh (Doug Olear): at this point we have in Daniels someone who knows how to do the Barksdale case fine but also someone who has to give stuff to the damn Deputy and after this our we have that Daniels is dirty, Fitzhugh did the investigation and gave it to the Deputy who said that they will take it from there however that was a year if not more ago and certainly Daniels is still a lieutenant.
I'm writing this comment after just finishing watching all of the 13 episodes of Season 1, truly engaging, terrific show. Overall this episode isn't one of the most memorable hours.
3
00Yasser3 May 2021
Very good episode with many important points; Biasing in any work is the major reason for any fail in a system; the chess scene is well written one, the King will still a king and a clever soldier maybe be a king someday; revealing of an interesting relationship; what if you found that your boss is corrupt?
The king stay the king.
Hey_Sweden27 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It's been two weeks, and the police team still doesn't know what their target Avon Barksdale looks like. That is, until they learn that at one time he was a Gold Gloves boxer and Freamon (Clarke Peters) is able to produce some vintage promotional material. Lt. Daniels (Lance Reddick) and others must deal with the fallout from the near-riot at the towers. Unfortunately for Daniels, his superiors order the team to make a move (mostly for show) that McNulty fundamentally disagrees with, leading him to defy Daniels.
Excellent direction by the Hungarian-born filmmaker Peter Medak ("The Changeling", "The Krays", "Romeo is Bleeding") and a typically solid script by series creator David Simon make this episode top entertainment. Some sequences are real-standouts: there is some pertinent dialogue right-up front, a superb moment where D'Angelo teaches his associates something about chess (utilizing an analogy he knows they'll understand), an endearing "getting to know you" scene with McNulty & Greggs, and a fun bit of business wherein Sydnor (Corey Parker Robinson) gets some advice on how to make his clothes more authentic. (He's going to be going undercover as a junkie.) The performances are all RIGHT on the money, with Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. (a.k.a. D'Angelo) getting an especially fine showcase. He also shines in the scene where D'Angelo sets about impressing a female patron at the club. Dominic West a.k.a. McNulty is fun to watch, especially when he makes a point of learning how to clone a pager.
'The Buys' is engaging all the way, up to and including a final second bombshell dropped on McNulty by a friend of his at the FBI.
Eight out of 10.
Excellent direction by the Hungarian-born filmmaker Peter Medak ("The Changeling", "The Krays", "Romeo is Bleeding") and a typically solid script by series creator David Simon make this episode top entertainment. Some sequences are real-standouts: there is some pertinent dialogue right-up front, a superb moment where D'Angelo teaches his associates something about chess (utilizing an analogy he knows they'll understand), an endearing "getting to know you" scene with McNulty & Greggs, and a fun bit of business wherein Sydnor (Corey Parker Robinson) gets some advice on how to make his clothes more authentic. (He's going to be going undercover as a junkie.) The performances are all RIGHT on the money, with Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. (a.k.a. D'Angelo) getting an especially fine showcase. He also shines in the scene where D'Angelo sets about impressing a female patron at the club. Dominic West a.k.a. McNulty is fun to watch, especially when he makes a point of learning how to clone a pager.
'The Buys' is engaging all the way, up to and including a final second bombshell dropped on McNulty by a friend of his at the FBI.
Eight out of 10.
Things finally start picking up
jace-rynearson18 March 2023
Whenever I start an HBO show, I often think it's too much of a slow burn, stuff takes too long to actually happen and it's gonna be a while before it gets good, sometimes I'm right about that, and sometimes it gets good much sooner. Even before Omar finally shows up, I was so much more invested in this episode than the previous two, it felt like things were actually happening and there was genuine buildup. I found myself paying very close attention to the dialogue and situations now, especially when they became more symbolic and stuff from previous episodes had major consequences. I even found De'Angelo teaching his cronies how to play chess was really interesting. I'll definitely keep trying it.
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