Refugees. Story by Ed Burns and Dennis Lehane. Teleplay by Dennis Lehane.
Directed by Jim McKay.
First aired 1 October 2006.
"You want it to be one way. But it's the other way." Marlo.
Take a look at the opening of the episode. As we said in class today, the only organized structure that seems to be working well is Marlo's Stanfield's drug organzation. Proposition Joe, the most powerful dealer in East Baltimore and one of the No Day co-op members, offers Marlo an in to the co-op: "No one fucks with you," he tells Marlo, as one of the perks of cooperation. "No one fucks with me now," Marlo replies. And he's right.
1. After looking at the opening above, what do you think Marlo means by "You want it one way. But it's the other way"? I honestly am not sure, so help me out.
2. How would you characterize Marlo? What word or phrase best describes him? And why?
3. We talked about characters who are granted their humanity, as Emma said, and depth, as Hannah said. You can be a stone-killer like Chris but be blessed with the virtue of loyalty, something in short supply in West Baltimore (think of the loyalty Police Commissioner Burrell shows his troops; or for that matter, Major Valchek shows his mayor, when he leaks the info about the witness murder to Carcetti). Virtues—hard work, loyalty, competence, caring, a moral center—make you often toxic in this universe. So who would you call the most virtuous character we have seen so far in these three-and-a-half episodes? And why?
See you all tomorrow. Just for fun: the opening of the first season:
When Marlo says “You want it one way. But it’s the other way”, he means that the security guard wants life to be a certain he that he likes. One where he can stand up to Marlo, arrest him, and not fear the consequences. However, Marlo reminds him that his life isn’t like that. The guard can’t do anything to Marlo without jeopardizing his own, and his families safety.
ReplyDeleteI think “perceptive” is a good word to describe Marlo. Like one of the previous characters said about Marlo, he doesn’t get tunnel vision. He’s able to see each situation from almost every angle. Marlo can calculate each outcome of a particular incident, how it affects him, and decide which choice to make based on a bunch of factors. I think Marlo also has a keen insight on how to be the top dealer, mainly how to hide bodies, how to enforce his rule, and how to gain respect/fear.
I think the most virtuous character is Michael. One of the main virtues Michael embodies is hard working. During the scenes of Michael helping Bodie, as well as the parts where he is working out in the gym, we see that Michael is very good at what he does, and really tries hard to do well. He doesn’t back down from either situation, and is in fact, is a natural at both running drugs for Bodie and Boxing. Another virtue Michael has is caring. Mostly, this characteristic occurs in the scenes with Michael and his younger brother. The audience realizes that Michael deeply cares and looks after his little brother, tying his shoes, walking him to and seeing him off at school, ruffling his hair, etc. Finally, Michael is loyal and has a set moral center. This is shown most prominently in the scene where Michael refuses the $200 from Marlo. For whatever reason, he doesn’t want the money. And when pressed by the most powerful drug dealer in west Baltimore, Michael doesn’t back down. Michael also tells the slightly less intimidating Bodie that, between working for Bodie and going to school, school takes precedence. He sticks with his beliefs.
I believe that Marlo means that the security guard wants to be able to stand up to Marlo without disrespecting him however it isn't that way in this world. Marlo is a very calculating character unlike the almost stereotypical drug dealer we see this as he isn't great with a gun but rises to be the most powerful man in Baltimore through intelligence. He choses to give his money away unlike the stereotypical drug dealer and rejects the co op as he rightfully see's that he would be held down by it. I think that Marlo breaks the stereotype for a Drug dealing antagonist in a cop show as he is smart and has character traits beyond being the villain. All of the characters seem to be virtuous in some way Carcetti is seen playing with his daughter and seems to care about his family and the people of Baltimore, Chris has loyalty, Michael even is shown to be proud and tough while still being seen caring for his younger brother. It would be difficult to pick a most virtuous character as like in reality all characters have their virtues and faults however if I had to pick I may chose Prez as he seems to be trying to teach these kids rather than just giving up.
ReplyDelete1. Just as Noah and Philip have said, I think that Marlo is referring to the amount of power the police man has. Marlo takes the lollipops and looks directly in the policeman’s face because he knows that the policeman won’t be able to do anything about it. The policeman wants so badly to be able to have more control and not be walked all over by Marlo, but because Marlo has such immense power, the policeman has zero control over whatever Marlo does. Later in the episode, we see Snoop and Chris looking at the policeman through the car window, and it’s clear they’re planning to kill him because he talked back to Marlo. There’s nothing the policeman can do to stop himself from getting killed now; it’s not going to be the way he wants it to.
ReplyDelete2. The word that I would use to describe Marlo is confident. I choose this word because it’s clear that he thinks he’s untouchable. He has people that will kill anyone he wants without blinking an eye, he’s running his drug business perfectly, and the police have no evidence that he’s killed anyone in a really long time. Marlo knows that no one will challenge him, and it’s displayed countless times throughout the episode during his conversations with both the store policeman and Proposition Joe. He stays calm, cool, and collected because of the amount of confidence he has in his safety and stability.
3. The character that I think has been the most virtuous thus far is Cutty. He clearly cares about the kids that are in his boxing gym, and he’s also working on the side as a landscaper. He offers to train Michael and is respectful of Michael’s decision to decline, and he provides a location for some of the boys to hang out at. When he sees Michael and another boy about to fight over the punching bag, he settles the disagreement and allows Michael to finish his time with the punching bag. We haven’t seen that much of him, but in all of the scenes we’ve seen, he seems like a nice man that wants to do good for the boys in Baltimore.
1. I think the security guard wants the police to control the city. But, in fact, the drug dealers do. He told Marlo that he knows he’s a drug dealer but keeps telling him that he “doesn't mean no disrespect” and that he isn't “stepping to”. But Marlo tells him that he doesn’t care that he’s there. He doesn’t even care that the guard has to support his family on this job. So then when Marlo tells him “You want it one way. But it's the other way", he’s saying that the cops want to have power in the city, but they don’t.
ReplyDelete2. I would characterize Marlo as powerful. He commands people without even having to talk to them. For example, the nods between him and Chris. Chris knew exactly what Marlo was thinking but they didn’t say a word to each other. He has also established a huge chunk of the city as his territory and is so powerful that he has other people to run it for him.
3. I agree with Phillip and I think Michael is hands down the most virtuous character. He shows hard work, loyalty, competence, care, and a moral center to everyone he interacts with, even Marlo. He might not have been loyal to Marlo, but he was loyal to Bodie by not taking Marlo’s money. I think the scene that captured Michael’s virtues the best was when he was walking to school. In this scene, he showed how he takes care of his friends and family, what I think is his best quality. He gave Dukie lunch but protected him by not making a big show of it and was protective of his younger brother at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI’m not exactly sure what Marlo means by "You want it one way. But it's the other way". He might be saying that just because he wants something doesn’t mean he will get it, especially from Marlo. Joe is also probably used to getting what he wants when he wants it.
Although Marlo has some good qualities, I think in recent episodes they have been drowned out by his bad qualities. Most of all Marlo is ruthless. Just because the security officer at the grocery store talked back to him, he is going to have him killed. At first I really didn’t think he was that bad of a person, but after seeing in the last episode we watched him taking the ring from the guy who worked for him and calling a hit on the security guard, I changed my mind.
Without question the most virtuous character is Micheal. Micheal takes care of his little brother, he refuses to take the money because of his understanding of the deal he’s making, and he stands up for Duquan whenever he’s being bullied. Among other things all of the points I mentioned make Micheal the character with the highest moral standards.
I also think that it is a statement about power. I think that Marlo is saying the security guard wants life to be “one way,” as in power that goes in one direction, so that he is able to control Marlo without fear of repercussions. Marlo, however, says that “it’s the other way,” showing that he is the one who has complete control over the cop. If the cop does try to step to him in any way, Marlo can easily have him disposed of (and they both know it).
ReplyDeleteThe word I would use to characterize Marlo is firm. When the security guard tries to challenge Marlo’s power and make him put the candy back, Marlo hardly even acknowledges the policeman’s presence. He stands still and stares straight ahead with a firm belief in the absolute power that he holds over this man.
From what we have seen so far, I think that the most virtuous character is Omar. I agree with Phillip and Sabrina that Michael is a very virtuous character, and when I first read the question, Michael popped into my head. We have seen him do very virtuous things, most recently (of what I remember), when he told Namond to stop beating on Dukie. We have not seen much of Omar, but John told us that he steals from drug dealers, and he is obviously very good at it (as is shown when the people drop the drugs out the window to him). Although he steals, the targets of his robberies give off a Robin Hood vibe to me (minus the “give to the poor” part), and this makes me see him as a virtuous character.
As most have said, I believe it’s also about power. The guard wants his life to be one way but in reality it’s not like that.
ReplyDeleteI would describe Marlo as hard, street, and worry less . He doesn’t seem to give a single feeling about anything which makes him hard. He also knows the streets and known around so I’d also see him as street. He never has to worry about anything because he knows everything that can happen to him and he never has to worry about anyone trying to hurt him due to his connections/Snoop and Chris
I agree with Philip, Sabrina, and Eli. I also believe that Michael is the most virtuous because you see so many virtues that most people in show don’t have. He caring, loving (towards his family), he also has the virtue of wisedom. You see his smartness when he doesn’t take the money from Marlo. You also see a lot more virtues but they are all explained in the other responoses
1. I think that Marlo is saying that the security guard wants the world to work so that those who follow the rules get ahead, but that just isn’t the way it is. When Marlo is saying that it’s the other way, he is referring how the only way to really get ahead is to not just play the game, but to exploit the game, to “build the better mouse trap,” and because this is what Marlo has done, there is nothing that the security guard can really do to hurt him. The security guard does not have the power in this situation. Marlo does. The security guard wants the world to work so that those who follow the rules and work hard to support their families, people like that security guard, have the power and authority to enforce the law, but because of corruption, it is the people like Marlo who have the power, and because of this, there is nothing the security guard can do to punish Marlo or to make him stop stealing in the future.
ReplyDelete2. I would describe Marlo as ruthless and self serving. All that he does is to get himself ahead, and he does not care about the effect he is having on the community (or if he does care and just doesn’t show it, he cares more about getting himself ahead than about the effect on the community). You see the effect he has in so many ways. For example, you see the effect that drugs have on Dukie’s life. This could be connected back to Marlo and the other drug dealers.
However, what this show does so well, is that each character is more than just one thing. Even though Marlo is ruthless and selfish and is certainly not a “good guy,” he is more than just a “bad guy.” He is smart in the sense that he knows how to play the game, which is what allowed him to become so successful. Also, like Marie described Chris, Marlo is “cool, calm, and collected.” You see this in the way he presents himself.
3. Like many others on the blog have said, I would say that Michael is the most virtuous character. I base this off of that one small moment when he gave Dukie lunch. That moment of helping someone in need just because it is the right thing to do, not for your own benefit of any kind, is the definition being virtuous in my opinion. To me being virtuous means making decisions based on how they will affect others rather than based on how they will affect yourself. Because our society is so focused on productivity and achievement and competition, we lose sight of helping our fellow citizens just to help them with no strings attached. To be virtuous is to put aside that competitive success driven mindset just to do something kind for someone else, and in that short moment when Michael gives Dukie lunch, that is what Michael is doing. (Note: one thing I thought about was how I also considered Dukie to put as the most virtuous character, but because he has so little, he doesn’t have the means to do much to help anyone else, except for that one moment when he fans that girl.)
I’m with you, John. I don’t really have much of an idea what Marlo means here. But after watching the clip a few times, I’ve come up with a possible theory. As Marlo refuses to recognize the security officer, the officer says, “Pretend I ain’t talking to you. Pretend like I ain’t even on this Earth…. And you just clip that shit and act like you don’t even know I’m there.” The officer is understandably offended that Marlo refuses to recognize the power that a security officer holds. But then Marlo responds with, “I don’t.” The security officer continues, saying, “I’m here.” And this is when Marlo declares, “You want it to be one way. But it’s the other way.” As we’ve discussed in class, Marlo demands a certain respect; you either stay out of Marlo’s way or you are killed. So I wonder if Marlo is saying this to the officer. The officer seems to dare Marlo to continue to ignore him, thinking that someone shouldn’t and wouldn’t do so to an officer. But I think Marlo responds by telling him that what anyone should want is to stay out of his way. The officer wants recognition, but it’s actually that people should respect Marlo. Because if they’re not respecting him and getting involved in his business, then they might just see the consequences and punishment of their dare.
ReplyDeleteWhat I believe to be most characteristic about Marlo is his unaffected demeanor. He seems to have little problem being the commander of a highly violent drug business, commanding most people’s respect and buying the respect of the rest. But what perplexes me about Marlo is his distance from his own operation as well. He signs off on people's’ deaths, but he doesn’t shoot the gun that murders people. Maybe this is because he’s not good with a gun, or because the job could be too easily found out and lead to punishment. But I wonder if it’s because he is affected by the violence. He openly claims to only kill those that challenge his business, and he could have punished Michael is he’d wanted to. But he doesn’t. I think his power allows him to be so confident, as he manages his punishments as he wishes. One could argue that because he distances himself from the deaths he put into action, that he’s a “worse” person than Chris and Snoop, who actually murder people for him. I’m not sure yet- I wouldn’t know if he would be this calm if he killed people himself. And as he puts up this front of unaffectedness, I have to wonder what’s going on inside his head. We saw a little of this when he smiled as he talked with Michael, but in most scenes he is efficient to what he wants and reveals little in reaction.
I believe that one of the most virtuous characters is Marlo. In no way do I condemn his violence or the tragedy he orders, but I believe Marlo does have virtues in the midst of his actions. I’ve said it before, but I feel it’s so important to Marlo’s character: he has strict rules about when he kills someone. One could say that his actions are graphic and terrifying, but he only punishes those that become involved in the business of drugs- a violent one in this setting. Marlo doesn’t just kill people when he wants to, as Lex did, killing Fruit because he was with Patrice. Marlo has such strong morals in this sense, which sounds so ironic when his morals are about when he will and when he won’t murder people. And I also recognize his independence. He rose up to establish his own drug business that demands power. He’s thrives on his own without the help of other drug dealers, as explained by his comment to Proposition Joe. While I don’t respect his role in people’s murders, he is never just one dimensional in his actions.
1. I think what Marlo means is that the police officer wants to have power, especially over Marlo. It’s clear from this scene that Marlo has control over anything he wants, leaving the police powerless to him. Maybe Marlo is saying that what the police officer “wants” is for it to be a world where a drug dealer doesn’t have control over the police, but it’s the other way.
ReplyDelete2. I have a tough time characterizing Marlo based off of what we’ve seen of him. He is always calm and quiet. His persona isn’t what I would assume the most powerful drug dealer in Baltimore would be. However, Marlo is confident and scary, which is what I would expect from a person with this power. He is scary to me because he has power over everyone around him, including a police officer, and what he will do with this power is always unpredictable. Marlo could very easily have anyone killed, for any reasons he wants.
3. I know that many people have already said this, but I first thought of Michael when asked who is the most virtuous character. As we’ve often said, the world of this show, the Baltimore being portrayed, has corruption in every corner. Every character is honesty shown in that they have redeeming and damning traits. While every character has flaws and corruption, I think Michael is the one that has that the least. At least so far in the show, we haven’t seen Michael too negatively at all. However, I predict, because of the Baltimore as a whole that the show portrays, we will see a darker and less virtuous side of Michael later on.
1. I think what Marlo is saying is that the police officer wants it to be easy to do his job and reprimanded Marlo for stealing the lollipops, but it’s the complete opposite. Marlo has all the power in the situation and you could even tell by the way the guard talked with a softer tone to Marlo at some points during their conversation outside. Marlo is probably saying that everybody wants to manage him, control him, kill him, but it doesn’t really matter because ultimately it’s him that holds all of those powers. This also speaks to the corruption we were talking about in class because in theory the leader of a drug trade should have some type of fear of catching the attention of any police.
ReplyDelete2. I would describe Marlo as manipulative. A lot of it is because he has created this world where people fear him and in return he is able to get what he wants. What’s interesting to me is that Marlo is able to manipulate people without using a lot of words or threats. For example when another drug dealer (I assume from East Baltimore) was trying to make an alliance Marlo just stopped him by giving him a handshake. He’s a lot more calm and cool than I would have expected but he runs a very tight ship.
3. I agree with the other comments that Micheal is the most virtuous character but I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he is a kid, and the kids seem to have not done as many bad things as the adults have in this show (minus the face cutting situation.) I’m not really in love with the word virtue that we’ve been using just because to me it has an implication of innocence and I don’t think anyone in their world had any innocence left. It’s just not a word that I easily associate with this show. I think out of the kids Micheal had the most potential to get out of Baltimore because of his caring yet strong characteristics, but I’m not sure if I would use the word virtuous.
ReplyDeleteI think Marlo is referring to the “system” and the way it operates. By law, police officers should have power over civilians and protect the community. In this society, this is not the way it works. Power does not come by law but by status, respect, money, etc. We see at this moment Marlo has evident power over the cop and the way the cop wants things to operate is not the reality of the community he is overseeing.
I think Marlo is a very nuanced character that is purposefully hard to figure out. He is calm, manipulative, powerful, and confident to name a few. It is unusual and unexpected for this huge head drug dealer to be so calm and closed off all the time, but it adds an unsettling depth to his character that is really interesting. He exudes confidence and power without really having to say more than a couple words. He chooses for the people who work for him to do all his dirty work so he can do as little as the dirty work while still making the most money and earning the most respect.
I think Michael is definitely the most virtuous character we have seen for many different reasons. We see him caring for his younger brother, showing an obvious compassionate and caring side to him that many (most) of the middle school boys his age lack. We see him standing up for his morals while not showing any fear in front of Marlo. We see him turn down an opportunity to train in boxing even though he is obviously good enough. We see him not giving in under pressure to the drug addicts when he was working for Bodie. All these moments and more set Michael apart creating a character with depth and virtue that is hard to find elsewhere (to this extent) in this show.
In the opening scene, I think the quote Marlo says is referring to the power dynamic between police officers and the drug dealers. Especially with Marlo being the most powerful man in Baltimore, he knows he has all the control in this situation. This is referring to the police officer wanting it, “the other way.”
ReplyDeleteOne word I would use to describe Marlo is cocky. He is very powerful and he clearly knows it, and uses it to his advantage. He demonstrates this throughout the show by the way he talks to people. One scene that stood out to me was where he took the guys ring. It didn’t take a lot of persuasion to get him to hand over the ring because he knows the possible consequences of refusing Marlo. Especially with Chris as his right hand man, Marlo knows he is untouchable.
Like most people, I think Michael is the most virtuous character. We have yet to really see a negative character trait in him. He is hardworking which we see in school and when working for Bodie. He also has morals which he proves by declining Marlos money and deciding to focus on school instead of helping out Bodie on the corner. We also see he is compassionate by the way he treats his younger brother by walking him to school and caring for him in general.
I think that Marlow means by saying “You want it one way, but it's the other way” is that the police guard believes that they law has the upper hand in the neighborhood/city, but in reality the drug lords and trade really control the city. This reflects also in the politicians running for mayor; ex: Royce, in how they believe that the city and streets of Baltimore are under control by the police, even though they are not because of the drug war that they’ve allowed to take place in the city.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would characterize Marlow as power hungry, aware and intelligent. I would describe Marlow using these words because of the amount of time that he’s been able to control the city’s drug trade, and how he’s able to evade the police by moving around constantly, assassinating members of opposing drug cartels, and hiding their bodies from the police and bystanders. An example of Marlow’s intelligence in drug trade is how he gave Chris and Snoop specific instructions to hide the bodies of targets in boarded up row houses to hide them from the public. This has worked for hundreds of targets and represents the sheer thought from Marlow that goes into sustaining his control over Baltimore’s drug trade.
In my opinion, I would call Randy the most virtuous character so far in the show because of his ability to make sense of the situation he’s in and learn how to exploit his possessions and surroundings. A good example of Randy’s ability to show virtue in his current situation is his idea of selling food/snacks to people in his neighborhood/school for profit that goes towards himself. This act from Randy shows caring ness and hard work, as he’s providing food for his classmates and working hard obtain the snacks and sell them for profit.
I think that Marlo is talking about the rules and etiquette in Baltimore. By saying “You want it one way. But it's the other way” he is describing the officers want for the law to be upheld. The officer wants to be able to stop Marlo, and to go home to his family and feel safe, but that isn’t the case. Marlo knows that that is not the case in Baltimore. He can do whatever he wants because that is just how backwards the city is. People may even think that the city is still run by laws, but it is not. Marlo realizes just how much power he and his drug empire have.
ReplyDeleteI think that the best way to describe Marlo is as a businessman. From what we have seen he understands the ins and outs of his business. He understands that he needs allies (he gives people money), but he also will not be crossed, which is where Chris and Snoop get their jobs. His quote, “You want it one way. But it's the other way,” is also an example of his business mindset. He knows the rules to the game, even when others don’t, such as the security guard.
I believe that the most virtuous character that we have seen so far is Michael. Michael is virtuous in that he is brave, loyal, and intelligent. Although he is young, Michael demonstrates all of these virtues regardless of the situation. With Marlo, and with his friends we can see all of these come out.
I think that by saying “You want it one way. But it's the other way" Marlo is talking about how the security guard wants the world to work. He wants it to be fair, and that Marlo was caught stealing so he should be punished. Marlo states that “it’s the other way” meaning that this is not the way the world works. The security guard has no power in the situation because of how powerful Marlo is. Marlo knows that he can get away with it and that the security guard can do nothing about it.
ReplyDeleteI find it difficult to summarize Marlo’s personality from what we have seen. I agree with Sadie in that what we have seen of him doesn’t rsally match up with what would be expected from the most powerful drug dealer in Baltimore, so there is probably more about him that we don’t know. From what we have seen, however, I would say that Marlo is calm. We see him faved with several heavy situations but he never worries about them and never loses sleep.
I think that from what we have seen of Chris, he is virtuous, but we have seen so little of him that this is a hard conclusion to draw. I think that Michael is the more virtuous character. We see him work hard for Bodie, we see him helping his brother, we see him stay loyal to his friends, and he is able to look Marlo in the eye fearlessly when confronted.