Throughout the first two episodes of the series, I could tell that there was a lot of shit going down, but I really didn't see how this constantly heralded show was anything special compared to the plethora of other cop dramas out there. That is until I the chess scene in episode 3, THE BUYS.
For me, this is when I started to realize that there was something different about this series. On one level, D'Angelo's explanation of the game of chess fits so perfectly with the greater, overarching game that is the drug trade. And from this, we can see that not only does Barksdale understand the fundamentals of chess, he also has a deep understanding of how this whole drug business works. As I talked about in the first episode, things don't change. To quote the man himself and the beginning quote of the episode, "The king stay the king." While Bodie is in the mindset that he can change things, rise up, make it to the other side and win, D'Angelo sees the truth. Pawns stays pawns, soldiers for the King and Queen. And pawns? Pawns get capped quick. Unless they some smart fuckin' pawns, that is.
And that's what it appears what's going on in the show. Everyone has their parts to play. At this point I don't have any fucking clue what the moves THE WIRE is making mean. At the moment I can't see the strategy. But I have a feeling that they're all going to make sense. No pawn, rook, or bishop is going to be wasted and each piece affecting the others in ways yet to be seen or understood by me.
That being said, one thing is for damn sure: The drug trade isn't checkers, a lighter game that can be played with relative ease. It's chess. It takes thinking, it takes sacrifices. You have to make moves that don't truly show their significance until much, much later. This, along with Bodie's statement at the end leaves me to wonder about the show itself. From what I've heard about it, it appears to me that D'Angelo's chess explanation may also be a metaphor for the show itself. With moves being made in this episode whose significance may not show itself for seasons to come. But if this scene in particular is any clue (and I believe it is), THE WIRE isn't checkers like so many cop shows before it. THE WIRE is chess. And I for one am ready to play.
On that note, we get a much clearer picture on Stringer, Avon's second in command. For one, Stringer has a deep (even deeper than D'Angelo) grasp on how the game is played, explaining to a shocked D how the whole "new package" scam works (call the same stuff new, make it less potent so the drug heads, who'll do anything for a fix, pay more for less) in an explanation that is as chilling as it is realistic. "We do worse and we get paid more. The government do better, and it don't mean no nevermind. This shit here, D, it's forever." It's going to be really interesting to see how Stringer really comes into play and how the queen gets shit done when she's sent out.
With that point out of the way, I also think it's interesting how the characters of the show have paralleling dialogues. For starters, D'Angelo echoes McNulty's sentiments from episode two about why the drug trade has to be so violent. "You think the 5-0 cares about people gettin' high in the projects? They come about the bodies, man. The bodies." And while McNulty did put the exact notion into D'Angelo's head, it's clear that Barksdale has been questioning things ever since he off from his murder charge. Besides Barksdale and McNulty, we see more parallel between Bodie and Burrell. Though at completely different ends of the political and economic spectrum, as well as the food chain in their respective professions, they both are equally clueless as to what the hell is going on. As I said before, Bodie seems blissfully ignorant to the fact that he's a pawn and will likely always be a pawn, not moving to the end of the board, not rising to power and certainly not winning. Burrell on the other hand is so removed from the streets with his cushy office job, that he thinks that Daniels's detail can take down Barksdale with a few speedy arrests. He has no idea that the detail can't even find a picture of him. He has no idea just how far Avon Barksdale is removed from all of this (So much so that we don't even see Avon's ass at all in this episode).
Speaking of Daniels's detail, it was really cool seeing some of the other cops being involved, though some more than others. While Mahoney and Polk prove to be about as useful as a used condom (that image seemed appropriate), the "housecat" miniature furniture maker Lester Freamon turns out to be more of an asset than anyone, including myself thought he would be, using his connections to secure the much needed photo of Avon that Polk and Mahoney failed so miserably at attaining.
On the subject of surprises, Bubbs also continues to surprise me as a character. What I originally took as a simple drug fiend, has turned out to be one of the most observant, charismatic characters in these first three episodes. I find everything he does and the way he does it to be fascinating. And his whole druggie-fashion analysis of Syndor was incredibly entertaining and darkly hilarious (apparently sneakers accented with broken heroin needles are totally in). I also found it surprising that Kima acted the way she did after Bodie cold cocks Mahoney during the raid at the end of the episode. Until that point, Kima had really been the best cop I'd seen. Even better than the often sleazy, drunk, and narcissistic McNulty. So to see her getting her money's worth out of Bodie's ass for "hitting a cop" was really shocking and definitely, as the show has already done a lot in the first three episodes, subverted what I have come to expect from a normal cop show with consummate "good cops," although seeing Polk light Mahoney up a cigarette while his partner lay prone on the ground was another really funny moment in an episode full of them.
Though to stick on the whole good cop/bad cop thing, there was the whole relationship with Daniels and McNulty. First off, we see that Daniels believe the raid is a good idea about as much as McNulty (we see this when we finally get a look at the "necessary evil" Valchek), but he goes through with it because he's a company man (or, at least, protecting his guys). However, McNulty will have nothing to do with and even though he is given many chances to be a conscientious objector without making a big to-do about it, he chooses to show his protest in the most public ways possible, continuing to show that McNulty is a pretty big egomaniac (or so it would appear). Not only this, but it actually made me fall on Daniels side about all this. That was until McNulty's DEA friend's revelation about the fact that Daniels might be a dirty cop. Though I kind of wrote off that he lived in a nice ass Victorian looking house, I can completely believe that Daniels is taking in a lot more money than he should be. Now, whether that means he's a dirty cop or not remains to be seen. I'll reserve judgment on that one for now, though I consider myself back on Team Narcissist for the time being.
And on that note, one final thought (other than I really like the music in this show and will be interested in hearing more of McNulty's favorites) about the McNulty and state attorney Rhonda Pearlman. Though the scene is one that's played out countless times, the constant back and forth between them, from her not really wanting him to come in (clearly not the first time) to him actually wanting to ask a question about beepers which makes he angrier than if he'd just asked for sex, to him actually asking for sex, to her telling him to leave, to them finally having sex, really makes for a much funnier and effective scene than if it would have played out like the usual version would.
Just to wrap things up, I think I'm definitely beginning to see how things are setting out and how the show is going to operate. Unlike most of shows of it's ilk, I'm not playing checkers. I'm in it for the long haul and I'm excited to make it to the other side. If the rest of the show delivers on what this episode sets up, I think I'm going to win. But one final note about this chess game: If Avon's the king, Stringer the Queen, Wee-bey/Stinkum/Little Man the rooks and bishops, and the others the pawns... Then who is Omar? Check.
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