The quote above, attributed to Bunk Moreland, typifies Season Five of The Wire and describes this week’s episode succinctly. Episode Five marks the halfway point to the final season of this epic television series and we’ve been witness to enough lying to fill a newspaper and several police reports.
That just happens to be where most of the falsehoods are going down too. Detective Jimmy McNulty’s convoluted scheme to convert phantom homeless murders into a case worthy of more department resources to go after their real target, Marlo Stanfield, is falling on deaf ears until he feeds the story to the Baltimore Sun. Marginally talented and overly ambitious reporter Scott Templeton is just the man to cover this bogus story and he sets out to write it like he’s got a Pulitzer Prize in sight.
The scene where McNulty and Templeton are in the same room talking about a telephone call the newspaper received from the serial killer is simply priceless. Oh what a tangled web they’ve both woven.
Senator Clay Davis is caught in a web of his own doing and may finally learn it is better to give than to receive. When State’s Attorney Rupert Bond announces the indictment against him, Davis threatens to take everyone with him, until Council President Nerese Campbell and former Mayor Clarence Royce smack some sense into his head. Royce’s public stance is markedly different than his private conversations, another example of the art of lying gracefully.
Marlo may have created his own web of intrigue whether he realizes it or not. Having removed Prop Joe as head of the cartel, there is no place to go but down. Attorney Levy can certainly see what’s coming and his new investigator, former officer Herc, may speed the process along. Meanwhile the trap he’s set for Omar may only serve to make Omar madder.
The street is proving to be a tough road to navigate for young Dukie. His cozy little domestic arrangment with Michael has the block boys questioning his manhood. When he tries to work on his street cred, he gets some valuable advice from both Michael and Cutty. “The world is bigger than that [the street],” says Cutty. “How do you get from here to the rest of the world,” asks Dukie.
After a failed pistol practice, “Can’t shoot, can’t fight,” says a dejected Dukie. “You got other skills,” Michael replies, pointing to his head. Before he gets too caught up in the cauldron of deceit and violence, perhaps he’ll get another chance to prove it.
Finally a clean and sober life has Bubbles in disbelief that he’s come out unscathed.
If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time then surely you know I am a lifelong New York Giants fan. This is the fourth time I will witness my Gmen playing for the championship. We won Super Bowl XXI in 1986-87 over the Denver Broncos 39-20, then XXV in 1990-91 over the Buffalo Bills 20-19. Ten years later, we lost Super Bowl XXXV to the powerful Baltimore Ravens 34-7. A win on Sunday would take our wining percentage to .750; a loss drops us to .500.
The New England Patriots are a machine that has steamrolled all comers this year on the way to an undefeated 18-0 record. All the prognosticators have or will pick them and logically so.
Only three teams gave them a real scare this year. Philadelphia played physical but fell short 31-28 in Week 12. The following week the Ravens utilized the same game plan, before coming yards short of a winning score on the last play of a 27-24 loss. The final week of the regular season, in the game many feel re-shaped the attitude of the Giants going into the post season, New York put it all on the line but fell 38-35.
Three teams, all employing a very physical strategy, nearly broke the Patriots unbeaten streak, all of them losing by just three points. The Giants are the only team that will get a second chance.
It won’t be easy to defeat New England. They play 60 minutes of near error-free football every week. Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker and the rest of their offense can move the ball and score seemingly at will. In the post season, they seemed to lull opponents into a false sense of confidence before storming back for a victory.
Their defense, while older, is also quite experienced. They’ve been here before and won’t fall victim to any Super Bowl rookie missteps. They force opponents into mistakes and then capitalize on them.
To beat the New England Patriots, you have to not turn the ball over, monopolize the clock to keep their offense off the field and score touchdowns not field goals. The 2:1 time of possession the Giants held over Green Bay will need to be repeated. The defense must pressure Brady and put him on the turf. If there really is anything to those ankle sprain rumors, they need to test his mobility.
All the pressure is really on New England. They are expected to win and would face the ultimate humiliation should they lose. A 19-0 record with a Super Bowl trophy at the end is a great accomplishment. An 18-1 record is a waste of a good season.
I am 7-3 in my post season predictions. Even if I’m wrong, I finish in the win column. My pick is in bold.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
SUPER BOWL XLII
Phoenix, AZ
New York vs New England (6:00 PM ET FOX)