"Don't try this shit at home"—Norman Wilson.
Margin of Error. Story by David Burns and Eric Overmyer. Teleplay by Eric Overmeyer.
Directed by Dan Attias.
First aired 15 October 2006.
Namond is pushed into drug dealing by his mother when they are cut off by the remnants of the Barksdale Organization (who had been supporting them). Randy reveals his involvement in the murder to his teachers and is placed under Sergeant Ellis Carver's care. Marlo proves elusive despite Herc's camera. Colvin's new special class separates the worst behaved students (known as "Corner Kids") from their peers. Carcetti wins the election despite a last minute smear campaign. Omar is arrested for the murder Marlo organized.
Carcetti, Senator Clay Davis, and Norman Wilson.
Omar arrested.
De'Londa being a helicopter mother for Namond.
This is a transitional episode in the season: the crucial conflicts are now established.
1. Carcetti wins! What will he do?
2. The school agrees to the special class with 10 students, including Namond and Zenobia whom we have seen acting out in Prez's class. What will this class do for them?
3. Randy has given up knowing about a murder—Lex's to be precise. Already he and Miss Anna are worried about the consequences of this. What will this do to Randy?
4. De'Londa and Namond have had their money supply severed by Brianna Barksdale (which effectively ends the whole Barksdale plot line of the first three seasons: the Barksdale organization is truly no more, though its soldiers, like Wee-Bay and Bodie, still hang on). De'Londa expects her son to step up and become the "man" of the house. How will Namond respond to real responsibility—how will he respond to really being a guy on the corner?
5. And Omar has been set-up by Marlo for the killing of the delivery woman in Old Face Andre's store. Will Omar survive the lock-up which holds a seemingly endless number of men he has victimized?
The season now shifts into high gear: the characters have been established, the themes set: now let the plot take over. So as we move into the second half of the season, a few questions--maybe five even.
1. Namond proved to be our class's least favorite of the boys—I'm not critiquing this, just acknowledging it. But think about what we saw in this episode: how his mother forces him onto the corner; how, like a boy much younger than he is (I'd argue), he asks Michael to share the corner with him; and think about that final image of him in this episode, the drugs spread on his bed while he grimly plays his video game. So make a case for Namond here: what about him must we sympathize with?
2. The episode kept cutting back and forth from the Carcetti story to the Omar story, implicitly making a connection between the two (it's that wire metaphor again). What do you see as the connection between them—why does the episode make a line between the two?
3. Carcetti wins. Were you glad to see him win? Or not? Why or why not?
Answer these questions thoroughly and clearly. And finally: the season 3 intro. See everyone tomorrow!
I was glad to see Carcetti win the election though part of me felt that he didn't want to win the election. I was happy to see his work pay off and I think that he at least has a chance now of trying to fix the problems that the city faces. Carcetti seems to me to be the best candidate as shown this episode where he didn't want to be owned by someone as a politician and wanted to either win himself and do what he believes is right or not do anything at all.
ReplyDeleteCarcetti and Omar are definitely similar in some respects each of them wants to go after something bigger for Omar it is Marlo and for Carcetti it is being the mayor. More obviously both of their enemies use the police against them in corrupt ways while less obviously both at the end in my opinion are trapped in a position. For Carcetti however he wanted to be mayor yet to me it seems as though he may not have wholly wanted to inherit all the responsibility with that title.
Naymond is a character who I can easily feel sympathy for as although he is not a great person and seems to have everything he wants his family is forcing him down a career path he seems to not either want or be able to do. He isn't tough and has had a fairly care free life style until now he has been suddenly without warning been shoved to the position of 'man of the house' where he will have a lot of pressure from his mom and a lot of financial responsibility to the family as a whole. His whole act will likely fall apart and he may end up a disappointment at least in his mind so he is under enormous stress. For this reason I feel bad for Naymond.
1. I think we should be able to sympathize with Namond because he is just a normal middle school boy. He wants to make his parents happy but doesn't seem too pleased with what they want of him. His mom still controls of a lot of his life. And he’s scared. He asks Michael to share the corner with him because he’s nervous of what might happen to him. He wears a brave face to cover his fear but I still see moments when he’s unsure and insecure. So in many ways, Namond is just like any other middle schooler.
ReplyDelete2. I think Carcetti and Omar share a common goal: taking away some of the power from the most powerful people in the city. In Carcetti’s case, he wants to be mayor because he feels like Royce isn’t doing what he should be with his power. And Omar steals from drug dealers. When a drug dealer loses their drugs, they lose their power. And Omar is responsible for robbing the drug dealers of some of their power. Of course, both Carcetti and Omar have other motivations. But I think the show tries to show us how two very different people can have a common goal.
3. I am glad Carcetti won, but I’m more glad that Royce lost. I think Baltimore needs a change in power. The city wasn’t working properly with Royce in charge. I think Carcetti will do some good for Baltimore, but I’m not sure if anyone could fix the city right now. There is so much corruption on every level of government, from street patrol cops to the mayor. There is more crime and murder than the police have arrested for. And the schools are more concerned with keeping kids busy than actually teaching them. I don’t think think Carcetti, or anyone really, could fix all of these problems. But I think Carcetti is the best person Baltimore has to try.
1. What upsets me about how we think of Namond is that he’s really not a bad person- he is just the least favorite out of the boys, so he’s pushed aside and seen as not as kind or supportive as Randy, Dukie, or Michael. Sure, Namond is a bit of a bully, and he doesn’t try that hard in Prez’s class, but as many have said before, he has huge amounts of pressure put on him. Namond’s lucky in the sense that he has a mother who cares for him, and his mother and him have much more money than his friends seem to have. But because of his privileges, and seeing all that he does have, it’s easy to forget what he doesn’t have. His father is in jail for life for murdering people, but he’s encouraging Namond to follow in his footsteps. And his mom doesn’t exactly let her son make his own decisions as well. Earlier in the season, she tells Namond he needs to get a job and buy his own clothes, but then she ends up giving him extremely expensive clothes for him to wear at school, explaining, “You think my son ain’t gonna go up to that school looking like himself?” De’Londa reminds me of Prez and his detention decision a little in this situation: should one go back on their word? So if she decides not to ensure that Namond care for himself in this scene, I feel bad for Namond that she suddenly expects him not only to get a job, but to get one that will pay enough for him to suddenly be able to care for both of them. I don’t think she’s a bad mother- I’m not a parent, but I get the sense it’s pretty darn hard. So I think it’s right for her to encourage her son, but Namond has to face pressures everywhere he goes. De’Londa gets her son hired as a corner boy without any input from him, but then Namond goes to school and is put in a class where he is labeled as a student who “acts out,” just because he’s a corner boy. He can’t fail his family, but he’s separated from his peers at school just for having this job. Also, I think people see Namond and expect him to act different from his friends just because his life is different than theirs. Namond isn’t supposed to be rude to his friends, because his life is a little easier than theirs, but if, for example, Dukie was mean, we’d probably excuse his actions because his parents don’t care for him. I don’t believe that Namond’s actions are valid, but I don’t feel it is fair for him to be judged based on how the life he lives is not the same as Michael, Randy, or Dukie’s lives. And let’s not forget that he only every gets to see his dad in a prison. Maybe this is better than your parents being drug addicts, or your father abusing you, or you living with a foster care provider, but Namond’s life isn’t always perfect.
ReplyDelete2. As you (John) said above in the blog description, this episode is a turning point in the season, and I think we can see this in Omar and Carcetti’s situations. They’ve both become involved in too terrifying tasks: Carcetti having the enormous responsibility of serving the citizens of Baltimore, and Omar being accused of manslaughter. For both of these men, you could see these outcomes add up bit by bit, but I never really expected them to come to fruition. I couldn’t believe that Omar was accused and arrested for the crime, and with the audience knowing he’s innocent, it’s all the more upsetting and horrible. As for Carcetti, I really wasn’t sure what to expect with the outcome of the election, but I was a little surprised at Carcetti’s reaction to the news. Though he could very well have been in shock- I’m sure part of him was- I got the impression that he never expected himself to win. It’s one thing to run for an election, but another altogether to win and actually have to have the pressures of a mayoral position. I see the same situation for Omar; he may be a drug-stealer-dealer, but he doesn’t murder civilians, which McNulty recognizes, and no one should ever have to serve for a crime they didn’t commit (though this tragically happens all the time in America). Omar was pushed into a manslaughter charge that he had nothing to do with, just like Carcetti suddenly is served a position that he may not have realized he would attain. They’re both detailed characters, as they have traits that seem good (Omar doesn’t kill civilians, Carcetti seems to want to support the city), but they are also not perfect (Omar steals from drug dealers, Carcetti has literal temper tantrums).
ReplyDelete3. I’m not sure what to think about Carcetti anymore. He does seem to care about Baltimore, but I really don’t like him all that much. If he can do as promised, and support those in Baltimore he promised to support, then I’ll be happy he won. But it’s one thing to promise people a better tomorrow, and then a whole other job to actually deliver on those promises. Similar to how Noah said he doesn’t think Carcetti really wanted to win, it was a bit unnerving to me to see Carcetti’s initial reaction when he’s learned that he won. Of course he’s in awe for a minute, but something about the fact that his wife had to ask him if it was a good thing that they won made me uneasy. So until we actually see him in office (if we see that in this season), I can’t say I’m on board that he’s won.
Honestly, I think it’s pretty simple the reason we should sympathize for Namond. I think he acts the way he does because of the constant pressure, pushing, etc from both of his parents, as well as the reputation he must live up to, that of his father. Namond has unfortunately been put in a position where he is trying to do exactly as his parents did/what they tell him to do, even if these things go against who he actually is. Within Namond, it seems, two sides are at war. Namond’s natural self, and his parents image of what they want Namond to be.
ReplyDeleteI think the show and the cuts between the two characters is trying to show the extremely similar nature of the two. Both Carcetti and Omar are both characters who fight the establishment/higher powers. Carcetti to Royce and Omar to the drug dealers. Similarly, both characters end up getting smeared/blamed for something neither of them actually did, thus hurting their mission. However, both characters end up triumphing in some way, Carcetti with the election and Omar with the allies in prison. In making this firm. Connection, I think the episode it telling us that no matter what class/background you are and come from, everyone can experience the same situations. Mayors and drug robbers (whatever Omar is) are much more similar, if not the same, than people may think.
When Carcetti won, I had a mixed reaction. Overall, I’m happy that he won. I think, and hope, that he will be a better mayor than Royce,and actually help fix some of the issues in Baltimore. However, I’m also a little nervous because I quite like Carcetti, and I don’t want him to turn like Royce after he really becomes mayor. I don’t want the power and position to turn Carcetti into a mean/bad person. I also don’t want it to destroy him. While Carcetti was running he had a set goal; win the election. With this situation, we knew the possible outcomes. Win or don’t win. Thus, we knew that the worse of the two wasn’t going to end his life/happiness necessarily. You can recover from a lost election, and still be a good person. Now that Carcetti’s won, he doesn’t have a specific, set goal in mind, aside from fixing the city. This creates the possibility for endless good, and endless bad.
ReplyDelete1. I think that we can sympathize with the pressure that Namond is under. Although instead of grades his mom encourages him to deal drugs, there is a familiar feeling to me. He must uphold the standards of the family, and in his case the family standards involve slinging dope. Namond’s mother’s norm is the drug trade. She saw her husband go through it and pull himself up, and she wants her son to do the same. I think this also reflects on his mother's reliance on others. So far, she has jumped from his dad to the Barksdales and now Namond. That is extremely stressful. The drug trade has just gotten real for Namond, and that is why his scene with the bag is so powerful.
2. Carcetti and Omar are similar in that they both want what is best, but go about it in a shifty way. Omar robs drug dealers as penance for their sins, but also to fund his own lifestyle. However, even if he is robbing criminals, it is still a felony. Carcetti uses political means to get what he wants, but not in the most ethical way. He is making deals with people to get himself in office so that he can pump some good into Baltimore. Both character’s hearts are in the right place and they use their respective skills to achieve their goals.
3. I’m glad Carcetti won, but interested to see how he does what he planned. Will he actually help the people who had a problem with alleyways on their street? Will he actually see to the investigation of the murder of the city's witness? Was it all talk? I think we will see very shortly. I think that his ideas and his heart are good, but politics has a way of turning good people into bad. His under the table deals are not a good sign to me. I wanted him to win on a clean campaign. However, I think that if he stays true to his promises then he will make a great mayor.
While Namond is a bad guy, you have to understand why he is bad in the first place. You can see when he is taking to his mom that he doesn’t want to sell drugs but is being pressured by his mother and his father’s success. You have to feel bad for Namond. He is only really mean because that’s part of the image he has to have to sell drugs in this world, you have to be able to kill people without remorse. The imagery of the drugs on his bed while he plays video games was powerful in that it showed his natural wanting to be a normal kid but it isn’t a option for him.
ReplyDeletemy opinion, Carcetti and Omar are trying to similar things in very different ways. Omar is out on the streets directly slowing down the drug game presumably for the improvement of the community. Carcetti is trying to improve the more broad Baltimore through legislation, while for Omar, it is closer to home.
I was glad Carcetti was elected mostly because the corruption in the government and specifically the police was frustrating to watch. I think he will have a positive effect on the city. I also have a feeling he might get frustrated with himself, but he must learn he’s not in control of everything.
1. I believe that we should sympathize with him. In the last scene you see the drugs on his bed and I think that just means that he’s too scared to actually run the corners by himself. So, he ran away from the corners and is hiding the package. He is scared that he will get into big troubles like his dad. I also feel that he is scared that he isn’t good enough. Another reason why he asked Michael, he knew Michael is good enough and he wants him to help him become better on the streets.
ReplyDelete2. They both get accused of things that they didn’t do. Carcetti go photoshopped on some paper that didn’t represent him well. Omar got framed for murder which sent him to jail for something he didn’t do. They connect them both because they both have a good ending. Omar gets a shank and can survive through prison while Carcetti won his election.
3. I was happy to see Carcetti win. He was seen as the most virtuous person through the whole election. Royce was so corrupt and two-faced. Carcetti was the only politician that stayed one sided and true to the fair game. Carcetti was the best mayor with the most virtues compared to Royce
1. Although Namond annoys me, the most annoying personality traits of his are also the parts that allow me to sympathize with him. Namond creates a charade to pretend to be tougher than he actually he, but he is forced to do this because of his dad. He feels that he has to keep up the family tradition. When Mrs. Barksdale cuts off the money, his mom tells him that he must provide for the family. She pushes him into moving drugs, adding to the pressure Namond feels to live up to his father’s legacy.
ReplyDelete2. One surface level similarity between Omar and Carcetti is that both were framed (although Omar was framed for a much more serious crime and he is still believed to be guilty). I agree with Noah that parallels can be seen between the two men if you look at their relationship with their enemies. Royce had more support and money than Carcetti, and yet Carcetti kept fighting that uphill battle. Marlo has more people and money than Omar, but Omar is still fighting for himself in prison. It will be interesting to see if Omar comes out on top like Carcetti did.
3. I was glad to see Carcetti win because I liked him much more than I liked Royce. I do not think that Carcetti is a fantastic person, but at least in this season, we have not seen him abuse power and corrupt the police force like we have seen with Royce. I think it will be interesting to see what a new power in Baltimore is like, and whether or not Carcetti will actually be able to change the city like he wants. He also made a lot of promises when he was campaigning, and I am curious to see if he follows through with all of them.
1.I think we should definitely sympathize with Namond. The pressure he is put under to sell drugs doesn’t give him an option of what he will do with his life. I think we also see Namond’s innocence that is fighting to remain. He asked Michael to share the corner, and he plays video games with the drugs on his bed. The image of him playing video games shows me how not ready this boy is to go into such a rough business, and to be the sole provider for his family. He is only an eighth grader, and went from being a mostly care free, spoiled kid to being the ‘man of the house’ that must deal drugs in order to care for him and his mothers lifestyle.
ReplyDelete2. The Carcetti story and Omar both involve men trying to go against the people with the most power. These stories contrast when Omar is arrested and Carcetti wins the race for mayor. At the beginning of the season, Omar was feared by everyone and had all the power in every situation. Also at the beginning of this season, Carcetti was doing so poorly in the election for mayor that it seemed as if there was no way he could win. These situations both flipped when Carcetti ended up winning, and Omar was arrested.
3. I was glad to see Carcetti finally win because we have been following his run for mayor for the whole season so far. However, his reaction to winning seemed problematic. I was surprised that he wasn’t even sure if he was happy to win, and I get the impression that he doesn’t know what he will do next. He has focused on the campaign so much lately, I think he might have forgotten to think about what he would do if he actually won the race.
1. I think I can sympathize with Namond now that I know exactly how terrible his mom is. We saw a glimpse of her when the kids all went to their house and she didn’t let Dookie in, but this episode showed me more. I think it’s awful that Namond has so much pressure to now provide for him and his mom. I feel like it was alluded that a lot of money was given but Namond’s mom but she didn’t know how to keep it responsibly, and now shouldn’t be Namond’s responsibly to fix. It’s also kinda sad to see the mom use the her definition of the word “man” against Namond. In the last blog I said Namond is confused and this I think is still very true. He doesn’t want to sell drugs, he just wants to play video games and that’s ok because he’s 14. It’s not fair that he has to become his father so early.
ReplyDelete2. The two different scenes are parallels because one character ends up getting what he wants and the other character doesn’t. I hadn’t really noticed how the episode was being cut back and forth but my gut reaction is that maybe Carcetti will end up helping Omar prove innocence is the future? However, that’s kinda hard to back up because Carcetti has never interacted with people in the drug world, but maybe they some how all come together to take down Marlo? I agree with what we said in class today on how it’s probably not possible for the police/government to gain control again, so I’m not sure.
3. I was happy that Carcetti won even though I don’t particularly like him as a character. I’m interested to see exactly what he can change, if he wants anything to change. The only part that really concerned me with Carcetti winning is how some white people (like the man outside of a store on Carcetti’s campaign trail) might think of black people. From one angle it could look like having a bad black mayor for all of these years meant that black people couldn't manage the power and now they need someone white to take over. It seems like Carcetti didn’t agree with this statement but he made no effort to correct it because “a vote is a vote.” I’m interested to see if this theme continues throughout the show and if Carcetti’s reaction will change now that he is mayor.
I am able to sympathize with Namond because of the pressure he is under from his parents. I don’t believe Namond’s parents are his only pressure, I think because Namond’s dad is like a legend in drug dealing, Namond has a reputation from the rest of the world to live up to. Namond is being forced into becoming a grown up to fast and early, and now that his family has lost most of their money, he has to learn how to be a grown up, fast, he plays video games and asks Michael for help because he does not know how to be an adult and provide for his family.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know the answer to this question, nor do I have a guess I am confident about. I would guess that while one man was wrongfully imprisoned another was (in someone’s possible opinion) wrongfully winning the mayoral election. I don’t agree with this but it is what came to my mind.
Yes, as was said earlier Carcetti is “the lesser of two evils”, I believe this to be true. Royce is corrupt and I honestly just really dislike his personality. I think Carcetti is hard working, especially since being mayor was not just handed to him like it was for Royce in the past, Carcetti had to work so hard to get where he is, which shows that he cares about Baltimore, and will work just as hard to make a change.
1. The pressure that Namond is under is incredible, and I can definitely sympathize with him. He is being forced to live up to the expectations set upon him to be like his father, and his mother won’t let it go any other way. When the money stops coming, she forces him into working the corners, rather than finding a job herself. He already has school to worry about, so it is odd for her to force him into a job while from what we have seen, she just sits home all day. It makes sense why Namond is the way he is.
ReplyDelete2. I I am slightly hnsure about this question, but have a guess. Maybe the reason for this is because Carcetti promised to do something about reducing violent crimes, and that Royce wasn’t doing this. Also, Royce let the police department intentionally slow down, and maybe with more effort they could have figured out that Omar was innocent in this case. I see it very likely that Omar and Carcetti will meet in the future.
3. I was glad to see Carcetti win. After following his side of the story so closely, we begin to empathize with him much more than we do with Royce. We see how much of an emotional toll this election took on Carcetti, and were relieved to see it pay off. While he may act childish in private, what’s important is how the public views him, and his politics. Obviously, both of these boxes were checked as he was able to secure the win.
I think when we consider Naymond’s background and home life we find much to sympathize for him about. Just as Bodie how Bodie says he understands why Nayrmond is the way he is after experiencing his mother. Considering how much pressure is put on Naymond from both his mother and father in jail, most of the behaviors that we criticize him for are explained. His need to be liked and be the best at whatever he is doing is explained by his mother constantly telling him that she depends on him and expects so much from him to provide as he is the only man in the house. Also, his jealousy of Michael and his materialistic nature tie back to how Michael is who his mom would want him to be and the materialism comes from how his mom holds money and possessions as most important.
ReplyDeleteBoth Carcetti and Omar both have a goal of making Baltimore a better and safer place and they seem to both take drastic steps to achieve this. Carcetti will do whatever it takes to achieve his position as mayor whether it be taking a inside police tip or paying someone influential to back him. Omar takes risks in his life as well as committing crimes for the greater safety of the city. I also thought there was a distinct contrast between the success that Carcetti is receiving even though his promises of good doing are just promises at this point while Omar has done endless things to combat the drug trade and is being locked up. The comparison makes statements on power, success, and questions why it seems bad things happen to good people.
For some reason, I felt mostly ambivalent when he one. It seemed from his reaction that he had done so much work trying to be elected that he hadn't exactly processed the realities and responsibilities it carries. I think because he didn't think he was going to win he never actually had to think of a game plan if elected and focused more on the race itself. This makes me question how much he will actually do with his position.
1. Even though Namond is flawed (as all people, especial middle schoolers, are) and isn’t necessarily the most lovable of the boys we are shown, he is just a young guy trying to figure out his way in a messed up world dealing with pressure and expectations from society, school, friends, and from his parents. In this sense, I can really relate to Namond. He has to deal with people who both have really high expectations for him in a sense and also those that have really low expectations for him in a sense, and that is difficult to live with. His parents want him to be something that he just isn’t, and at school, by separating him from the other students and putting him in the group for “corner kids,” the school is essentially sending him the message that he probably won’t amount to much.
ReplyDelete2. This draws the connection between the game of politics and the game of drug dealing, and reveals the parallels between these systems. Also, I really like what Sabrina said about how they both share a common goal of taking power away from the most powerful people in the city. They both want power and that in it if itself is really interesting, but it is also interesting to think about what each of them do when they have power. It is interesting to think about the differences in what it means to be a powerful drug dealer vs. a powerful politician.
3. I guess I was glad to see him win because it would’ve been upsetting to see Royce win, but I was hesitant to feel super happy (as you could tell he was too) because as hard as winning was, in the process of attempting to improve the city of Baltimore, winning was the easy part, and even though I do believe Carcetti will attempt to be a good mayor for all citizens of Baltimore, it is unknown how much he can really do for the city and whether or not his motivations will remain the same now that he’s in power.
I feel like I can sympathize for Namond because he has a lot to live up to in a career he hasn’t shown much interest for. Up until now there hasn’t been as much pressure for him to become a corner boy. However, now that he and his mom have been cut off he has to take financial responsibility. While living up to expectation is enough pressure, Namond now has to provide for his family. When Namond asked Michael for help, it was so he could have someone to fall back on. He is is too insecure to face the responsibility by himself. The scene with the drugs on the bed while Naymod plays video games is especially powerful because it shows his longing to be a kid. Instead he is being forced into dealing drugs.
ReplyDeleteThe connection between Carcetti and Omar is the way they fight power. While Carcetti does it by running against Royce, Omar achieves it by robbing rich drug dealers. Through the powers they fight are different they both are fighting on the more morally right side. Although neither are perfect in the way they attempt this, they still are fighting for good (or the slightly better).
I am glad Carcetti wins. I am especially interested to see if he will make any progress during his election. During his campaign he seemed motivated to change Baltimore for the better, and I hope he stays that way throughout his time as mayor. I don’t want to see him become corrupted like Royce and not do anything productive. I am hopeful he will be a good mayor for Baltimore and live up to his campaign promise.
I believe that we can sympathize with Namond about how he was forced to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a drug dealer when he never had a say in what he wanted to be when he grows up. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for Namond because most of the struggles that he endures are caused by his own actions, but I even believe that it’s not right for his mother to be forcing him to become a drug dealer and provide for the family, even though he is only in 8th grade and still has much time to decide on his own what he wants to be in the future. The worst thing in my opinion about Namond’s situation is how his mother doesn’t work. I feel like Namond’s mother doesn’t have the authority to talk to about providing for the family when she doesn’t herself, and just relies on Namond’s dad’s drug money for support.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the show keeps cutting in between Carcetti and Omar because it’s trying to make the connection between the two about success and failure coming from trying to do the right thing. Both Omar and Carcetti mean well, but at one point got prosecuted because of it. The only difference being the outcome of the situation by the end of the episode. I believe that this represents the fact that bad things do happen to good people, and that good intent does not always result in a good outcome.
I felt like I was happy to see Carcetti win the election because of the amount of work he put into his campaign and what his win means to Baltimore going forward. By the end of the episode I had lost most of the respect that I previously had for Royce because of the amount of despair that was shown by him and his campaign team when they found that he was losing to Carcetti. By the time that Royce had been releasing fake articles about Carcetti to smear his image days before the election, I had started to turn towards Carcetti as the better candidate for the mayor of Baltimore.
I feel like this particular scene where Agostino tries to seduce Carcetti carries such weight with it because we know that Carcetti is married with a child, and that he genuinely cares about his family and is a “good man”. Seeing something like this happen just after Carcetti’s success in his campaign would really smear the Image that we have of him being the honest, “good guy” that is meant to contrast Royce. The show so far has made Carcetti out to be the good guy so much that something like this would really ruin the flow of the show and make us question that if anyone in the show is truly “good”.
1. The reason we must sympathize with Namond is very clear, and pretty much everyone has already stated it. Being Wee Bey’s son, he has expectations to uphold. While living the life of a hitman for a drug dealer has its perks, it also has more negative outcomes that result in loads of stress and pressure. I’m not a huge fan of Namond’s mother; I think that she’s needy and lazy. She has benefited from her husband’s status the same way Namond has, but when the chips fall and she and Namond are left without their cushion, she doesn’t make any effort herself to get out of it. Being told to step up and be the man of the family is no easy task, especially considering the type of man Namond needs to step up and be. Namond also has a considerable amount of fear surrounding the drug running process, and it’s clear why. The drug game is dangerous, and it spares no one. He’s scared, he’s pressured, and he’s still shocked from the sudden lack of income.
ReplyDelete2. Once again, the connection between Omar and Carcetti is pretty clear, and it’s been addressed by pretty much everyone so far. From what I’ve seen so far in the show, Omar and Carcetti are both generally good people that do bad things. Omar is somewhat of a twisted hero. He wants to rid the city of drugs, but he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goal, even if it means hurting and killing people. Carcetti also wants to help the city improve for the most part, but is no exception to the evils of politics. He understands that Royce is a bad guy with no intentions of fixing Baltimore, but it’s also unclear how much he cares about the city versus just having power in general. Just like we discussed in class today, power and respect connect almost all of the characters in the show. Everyone wants power and respect, especially Omar, a man taking from some of the most powerful men in the city, and Carcetti, a white man running for mayor in a primarily African-American city.
3. I was partially glad to see Carcetti win. I think that a part of me was rooting for him because he was the underdog, and it’s always inspiring to see the underdog come out on top. The other part of me, however, was rooting for him because like I said a few blogs ago, Carcetti seems to be the lesser of the two evils. David Simon and other writers of the show make a point to display how awful Royce is both as a person and as a mayor. In this season, they don’t do that as much for Carcetti; they even out his bad scenes with scenes that imply he’s a good person, such as the scene where he’s playing with his daughter and the scene where he shows a slight bit of self awareness at the funeral of the witness. Yet, once he gets in office, I’m not sure how much he will actually do to make the city a better place - I think that he won’t have as much power as anticipated, and he’ll lose a lot of motivation. I want to like Carcetti, but I think the show makes him enough of a complex character that my opinion of him could really go either way.