Misgivings. Story by Ed Burns and Eric Overmyer. Teleplay by Eric Overmyer.
Directed by Ernest Dickerson.
First aired 19 November 2006.
Burrell's new mandate for quality of life arrests is met with civil disobedience and political maneuvering. Chris takes care of Michael's problem. Marlo has a member of Bodie's crew killed after he is interviewed by Herc and orders word spread about Randy for the same reason. Carver arrests Namond and he reaches out to Colvin for help. After another beating, Bubbles gets revenge for Herc's continual betrayals by setting him up to arrest a minister. The teachers are pressured to teach test material despite their recent successes. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_(season_4))
•This is the opening of the episode where Officer Walker breaks Donut's fingers.
•This is Namond being "respectful" to Bunny.
•This is Namond doing his best "Eddie Haskell" at Bunny's house. (Eddie Haskell is a character from the late 50's-early 60's family friendly series Leave It To Beaver, known for his insincere and unctuous treatment of adults).
•This is Shondra and Zanobia trying to navigate how to behave going for their DSS card. This is what a DSS card is.
•This is Bunny defending the experimental program to an official from the school system.
•This is Bodie finding out from Slim Charles that Little Kevin has been murdered.
•This is McNulty doing real police work—and showing a younger cop how it's done.
•This is Carver cutting Namond a break.
•This is De'Londa being a bad mother.
•This is Herc being a bad cop.
•And this is Chris beating Michael's stepfather Devar Manigault to death.
The relative hopefulness of the season's beginnings are now quickly fading away. Burrell is challenging new mayor Carcetti to fire him; the gains in both Prez's and Bunny's class (now he is a teacher too) are curtailed by the needs to teach the test; Randy is now identified as a snitch; Herc betrays Bubbles again; Bodie is pushed to the near breaking point by the murder of Little Kevin; and Michael shows a side to him that we haven't seen before and it is disturbing. The boys throwing piss balloons and Randy selling candy to sixth graders seems like it's from another show.
1. Running throughout the episode is examples of how power is wielded, sometimes for a just cause and sometimes just to prove who has the power. Walker shows Donut who is in charge; Burrell shows Carcetti who is in charge; the kids in Bunny's class are unable to back down when they feel challenged; Bunny gets revenge on Herc; Herc has to be brutal toward an elderly preacher, as do the cops rousting innocent citizens; and what might Michael's smile be at the end but to show his mother who is now the man of the house? At the same time...
—So: Noah, Jack, and Leo: why do you think Carver is so...what to Namond? To what end or purpose?
—So: Julian, Daniel, Phillip, and Eli: why do you think Bunny takes Namond home? To what end or purpose?
Gentleman: try to not repeat each other; build on what the previous posters say.
1. For the girls: we talked a lot about Chris beating Devar, Michael's stepfather, to death this morning. Several of you have said that you understand it. So what do you understand about it—or don't understand about it? And can one really approve of this? Does the writer even want us to approve of it? Build off what others before you write.
2. Everyone. From what you see in today's episode, is the experimental class really working? The experimenters admit that out of the ten kids in the class, only three show any real signs of being able to go back to regular classes. Is that success enough? Why or why not?
See you tomorrow.
I believe that in regards to Michael's smile at the end he is not thinking about murder or something so cruel I believe his smile is in relation to when he yelled at her for selling their food for drugs and she brought his step father back. I think that the smile is him asserting that she can't stab him in the back like that and though she is his mother he holds all the real power in the family.
ReplyDeleteI think Carver is so nice to Namond because he sees the position that Namond and a lot of other boys in the city are in. He can see that Namond doesn't necessarily want to be a corner boy especially in 8th grade but his family is pressuring him into the business. This realisation probably came to Carver when Cutti told him about Namond's father and how Namond isn't like his father. I think that Carver hopes that Namond may get off the corner at some point especially now that he knows about Namond and Bunny's class. I think that the primary reason however is that unlike many other cops Carver can empathise with these kids stuck on the corners and though he has to bring Namond in he does genuinely want to help him.
1. As many people said in class today, we saw a new side of Michael in this episode. No longer is he the protective, quiet young man of earlier episodes. He became the person who requests the killing of their stepfather- and then smiles, knowing that that man is now dead. However, I feel that it is not that Michael “became a new person,” or “showed a new side of him,” because I believe that Michael’s personality is a direct result of the molestation that he was forced to endure as a young child. Yes, he might be a protective older brother just because he loves Bug, and of course that is true, but I believe that Michael also protects Bug because he doesn’t want the abuse he suffered to ever happen to his brother. And I’m sure that Michael’s quiet demeanor grew out of his distrust of adults, specifically men, after the events of his abuse. Michael obviously seems much older than he is, and I assume that this is because he was assaulted and abused. His childhood was literally taken away from him. I’m not trying to paint Michael in a bad light- I really respect him- but I feel that the reason he acted so harshly in this scene was because his whole life has been impacted by this event from his childhood. I wouldn’t ever condone Michael’s actions, but I can understand the fear that must have driven him to do this. He felt that he couldn’t go to a social worker or to Prez, so that meant that Marlo was the only person who could help. Michael obviously doesn’t trust Marlo completely- he refused Marlo’s money earlier in the season, and he knows that the murder will demand compensation. Though we don’t get to see Michael agonizing over the decision to “hire” Chris and Snoop, it couldn’t have been an easy decision, and he must have thought for a while about his options. We do see that 20-second long scene, focused just on Michael sitting- no dialogue, no background activity, just the quiet voices from the TV in the other room and the sound of Michael breathing. He could have been thinking about anything, but with his scene placed in between the clips of the murder of Devar, I believe that there is a connection between Michael’s thoughts and the killing occuring at that time. So though Michael’s smirk at the end of the episode was rightfully upsetting, we do see this little scene of Michael, one I believe to be important in understanding the situation. Again, I don’t approve of Michael’s actions, but I also am not Michael. We don’t really know what happened with his father- the severity, the duration…. We will never be able to have access to the horror Michael has experienced, so we can’t accurately judge his actions. I still don’t think that his father should be killed because of what he did to Michael, tragic as it was, but I can also give my sympathy and compassion to Michael. He wants to protect his brother from ever having to experience what he did, and if that means killing anyone who poses a threat to Bug, then that person will die. I don’t believe that one could, or should, approve of this situation, but this one action, in my opinion, shouldn’t make Michael be seen as a murderous person.
ReplyDeleteI think the writer wants the audience to see how immensely human each character is; no character is “good” or “bad.” However, I think the writer did alleviate some of the horror of Michael’s decision by having Chris be affected by Michael’s situation as well. It’s clear that Chris must have been abused in some sense, and the violent, horrific killing of Devar is no longer about Michael. Because we have Michael distanced from the killing, but Chris so involved in the murder, I think the writer intends a bit for the viewers to have compassion for Michael. My hope is that Michael thought that his stepfather would have a quick death, as Chris and Snoop usually deliver, which would be better than the torture that Devar actually receives (though either way, he is still tragically murdered). I wouldn’t say the writer wanted us to accept Michael’s decision; instead, we should understand how badly Michael was hurt, and how this pain must have been severe enough to allow him to consider having someone murdered.
ReplyDelete2. I would say that the class is a success. As the experimenters said, Namond, Zenobia, and Darnell will be able to return to regular classes. As much as I’d love for each of the kids in the class to be able to return, the experimenters think that not everyone will be able to. I wouldn’t call the class a fail for this reason- these three kids were able to receive the learning style they needed, and if the class hadn’t been offered, then that would be three less students that were able to benefit from school. So yes, I sympathize with the students who did not profit from the class, but if even one student had benefited from the class, then I’d call that a success. And if the class was considered to not be a success and it was prevented in the future, then there could be students that would have been able to profit from the class that would no longer have that opportunity.
Bunny takes Namond home because he cares about him. Bunny is involved with the class first because he needs a job, but I now think that he is passionate about helping the kids out. Maybe Bunny thinks that if the kids in the special class like Namond see that they have people who care about their future, that they might change the path that they are on. Bunny can see the type of treatment Namond is getting from his mom and which gives him more understanding of Namond a situation, even though he probably assumed that much, if not worse. Bunny sees the potential Namond has as a student.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think it has been that long that the kids have been in the experimental class. In my opinion the class is working because the teachers are helping them to critically think and talk to others. Obviously three kids is not the ideal number to potentially return to regular classes, but it is not that bad. Making these kids more capable to learn is not the only positive effect the class has had, other kids have been able to learn. We have seen Prez’s class improve immensely since the first day.
I think Bunny takes Namond home because he almost likes Namond and thinks that Namond could still be a good kid. During the scene where Namond, Bunny, and Carver are discussing Namond’s lodging situation for the night, Namond makes a joke about saying “sir” before cursing out Bunny. Bunny chuckles at this then looks at Namond with a look of possible respect, liking, and interest. Furthermore Carver flat out says that Namond previously said Bunny’s name with respect. And, considering Wee-Bey is in jail for life, Bunny is the closest thing Namond has to a father figure. Quite possibly Namond likes Bunny because Bunny isn’t like Wee-Bey, and his feelings show enough to encourage Bunny to give Namond a second chance. Finally, later on in the episode when Bunny is naming the few corner kids to will truly benefit from the special class, Namond’s name is on that list. I also think Bunny really wants to save Namond from becoming a drug dealers and further corner kid.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the fact that without the experimental class none of the kids would be able to return to and benefit from an actual classroom, I’d say the class is working. I don’t think the class is a success in that the teachers have found a sure fire and immediate all encompassing cure for the corner kids, but considering the previous lack of such a class, I think there is some success. Also, with challenging task at hand, training kids who’ve grown up around the corners, I’d say an ⅓ success rate is pretty good. These 13/14 year olds have been influenced by the corners for their whole lives. To change their behavior and beliefs in such a short time period is an almost impossible task. Thus, while there haven’t been overt changes for all of the kids, the fact that the teachers are starting to see changes already stands to be a fairly good result. There has been improvement, so you can’t say that the class has failed. To outright dismiss the success and potential to do good in the class is impossible, as there hasn’t been enough time to entirely say its failed. Technically, it’s only been improving.
1. (I was not in class today, so sorry if I repeat something that was said) One thing that really shocked me was how into the beating Chris was. As Snoop noticed, he beat Devar before they even got him into the room. This killing was much more personal, because Chris beat Devar instead of shooting him, and this shows how angry Chris was at Devar for his actions. I agree with Sofia that is seems like Chris had some of his own experience with molestation, and maybe that explains why he was so violent. This question reminded me of when we talked about virtues in class. I think this scene adds to Chris’s virtues: he does not think men should beat on or interact sexually with kids. He could have just shot Devar because Michael wanted him gone, but instead he attacked him and made him suffer. I think it is possible to support the idea of Devar getting retribution for his actions, but I do not think the writers approve of what Chris did. The scene ended on a grotesque image of Devar’s beaten in face, and it did not make me feel good about what had just happened.
ReplyDelete2. I also think the experimental class is working. I do not think the kids have begun to lean any traditional courses, but they are showing improvement in character. They are not overtly nice to each other, but they have stopped saying “fuck you” every time a teacher talks to them. I think that helping 3 kids would work at this school, but it does not show promise for expansion. This program took the 10 worst kids, so presumably other kids would be easier to help. I also think a major part of this program is getting the worst kids out of the normal classes so that the other kids can learn better. In this way, the program is helpful no matter how many kids it changes. However, it would be difficult to expand a program that sees such a small rate of official success (changing kids so they can learn in regular classrooms) to other schools.
1. I said this morning that I can understand why Micheal chose to let his stepfather be killed because I understand that this is how he’s dealing with his grief. I can’t personally relate to Micheal’s experience so I can’t judge him on the decision that he truly made out of fear and pain. It makes sense that Micheal wouldn’t want to put himself nor his little brother in a situation where either one of them could be hurt by Devar. Micheal seems to want to hurt the person who hurt him which I think is understandable. I’m not really sure if it’s right. Personally I’m not very upset that Devar is dead because I do think he’s an awful person, but I also don’t think it’s acceptable to kill in general. However, when you think about movies and tv the bad guy usually gets killed and we’re okay with that. I don’t think the writers want us to approve of this behavior and I think the way they will show that is showing how Micheal’s path will be narrowed due to the choices that he made. I agree with Sophia when she says that we shouldn’t view Micheal as the murderous person just off of this difficult decision.
ReplyDelete2. I think the class isn’t working. I do think the kids are being better socialized and learning how to do common tasks with more rationality. However, after seeing the scene with Namond and his mom I feel less the kids are leas likely to become what their teachers are trying to make them be. For example, with Namond his mother pressures him to work the corners and “be a man” so how is this class ever going to actually work if Namond isn’t allowed to be someone different. However, I don’t think that a traditional classroom is any better for these kids. I guess it is beneficial for the kids to learn how to be better functioning adults in the future since they probably won’t be taught traditionally, but at the same time not all the kids respond to the class.
1. Carver is caring towards Namond, or as caring as he can be given the circumstance. He has a relationship with Namond and his friends. He has visited them in their hideouts, and they seem to have a joking relationship. What Carver sees when he brings Namond in is fear. The drug game has finally become real for Namond and his mother and father are unavailable to help him. I believe this is one of the first times that we see the true Namond Bryce. He cowers when Carver mention baby booking, and instead opts to sleep on a bench. This is Namond’s tough exterior fading away, and Carver recognizes this change. Carver sees the effects that Namond’s friends and family have had on him and feels pity towards him. He feels that Namond is a victim. He will never be a kingpin like Marlo, or a killer like Kris. He is too much of a coward.
ReplyDelete2. The success of this alternative class needs more time to be judged. That is not available to these facilitators, but given more time I think that this program would be successful. They just began to make strides, and with leaders like Namond and Zenobia thriving others will follow. Given that they don’t have any time left, I can not see much success in this class. Other than liking school more, these kids haven’t learned much. Namond even returns to the corner. He learns more the night of his arrest than he does in his school. I think that the rehabilitation process has been started, but this class is not a success until all, or at least most, of these kids can return to their normal classes and function at a normal level.
1. Carver is understanding of Namond. While most people see Namond as being a stuck-up brat, Bunny is able to see right through that. He sees a side of Namond that not many others do. He sees an insecure boy who feels the need to impress everyone else. Carver sees Namond at the restaurant, where it is safe to say that he was at a real “low.” After seeing Namond in this vulnerable position, Bunny seems to develop a new sense of empathy for him, and this eventually leads to Bunny accepting Namond into his home when he has no where else to go. He feels like there is still hope for Namond, and so he is trying to show him that there are good people in the world. Namond has been surrounded with the drug trade for his whole life, and being mixed up with criminals has likely given him a very pessimistic view of Baltimore, and the world. Bunny seems to be trying his best to help Namond see the world in a new way, all because he understands where he is coming from. The other adults can’t seem to grasp the fact that Namond acts the way he does because of the conditions that he grew up in, but Bunny picks up on that right away. Bunny is more concerned with Namond’s well being than any of the other adults in his life, even his mother, who we learn won’t talk to him while she is on a shopping trip to New York.
ReplyDelete2. I would say that the class is working. We have seen how the kids have begun to respect the adults much more, and I would say this is the biggest area of improvement. Even if it isn’t genuine, the fact that they even know to pretend says something. They also have gained knew useful contacts and connections, for instance if Namond hadn’t been in the class he couldn’t have stayed with Bunny. They also seem to be learning life skills, like how to order at a restaurant. Even though this isn’t a major improvement, it is a step in the right direction nevertheless.
1. As I’ve said a few times before, because of the immense amount of corruption and violence that takes place, almost everything in this show is relative: Carcetti doesn’t seem as bad as Royce, DeLonda doesn’t seem as bad as Dukie’s parents, and Omar doesn’t seem as bad as Marlo. I think the same applies to this situation. To me at least, Michael and Chris’ actions don’t seem that bad to me because I’m comparing them to all of the other times that Chris has killed for Marlo with not as much purpose. Being molested or raped as a child is a traumatizing event that spares no one from lifelong PTSD and other mental health issues. Being molested by a father figure is just that much worse. As others have said so far, I obviously cannot condone killing. However, I do think that certain scenarios result in certain outcomes, and I can completely understand why both Chris and Michael chose to do what they did. In Michael’s eyes, the only appropriate option was to ask for his stepfather to be killed. He couldn’t go to anyone else, he couldn’t kill him himself, and he couldn’t continue to stay at the house with his stepfather there. Like many situations in the series, I think the writer wants us to grapple with Michael’s request. It’s what makes the show so good; the show wouldn’t be as good if there weren’t as many ethical decisions to consider. This show seems very close to reality to me, and in real life, many decisions are hard, complicated, and need to be grappled with. The way that the show presents situations and outcomes for us allows me to relate with these characters on more of a personal scale; while I have obviously never experiences a large percent of what is presented in the show, I too am faced with difficult, complicated decisions. Michael did what he felt was right for him and for his brother, and Chris carried out the death because it struck a personal chord with himself. It wasn’t the most ethical decision on either of their parts, but it solved the problem.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that the experimental class is still working. From the beginning, Bunny and the man he’s working with were able to identify that the kids they chose were unable to function in normal classes. In the experimental class, however, while they aren’t learning the appropriate information, they are engaged and learning what they need in order to achieve their goals in life. None of the students in the experimental kids are looking to go to college or do well in high school; most of them try to get suspended most days so that they don’t have to come to school. Once they join the experimental classroom, though, it becomes clear that at least for a few of them, they're actually interested in going to school and participating in class. It’s not a traditional method of learning, and it might not teach the students want they need in order to pass the test at the end of the year, but what’s the purpose of them learning traditional material and taking the end of the year test if they have no intention of getting any sort of academic career beyond high school?Prior to joining the experimental classroom, none of the students were truly able to function in regular classes, so in my opinion, it’s great that three students are able to join regular classes. I think it shows improvement that would not be present if the students had stayed in the regular class.
1) As we talked about in class, it seems most likely that Chris has experienced similar trauma to Michael, which made him especially upset about what Devar has done. Even though the beating was deeply horrific and upsetting to watch, I could understand what Chris was doing and connect with him to a certain extent even in that brutal moment. I could recognize that emotion of having so much anger pent up inside then completely unleashing it all at once. I could recognize feeling like you need to take out your anger onto someone else. I could see how Chris might be imagining that Devar is his own abuser. The anger Chris unleashed in that moment likely came from him wanting to do what he was doing to Devar to his own abuser and wanting to have the power over his abuser, the fact that he could understand the type of pain that Devar had caused Michael, and wanting to get revenge and wanting Devar to suffer the way he has suffered. I could recognize that moment when you’re so angry and upset that your emotions not your brain are completely what control you, which is interesting to see in Chris because he is normally so calm, cool, collected, and emotionless. While beating Devar up is a way of “serving justice,” and while I personally can recognize and to an extent understand what Chris did in that moment, I don’t think anyone can approve of what he did, nor do I think the writers of this show intended for the viewer to approve of what Chris did. I think as a viewer, we are supposed to be able to recognize that this is not a healthy way to deal with anger and trauma and that what Chris does is truly horrible, while still being able to recognize why Chris did what he did.
ReplyDeleteOn a related, but somewhat separate tangent, It is interesting to think about whether this murder or the other-very different in style- murders Chris and Snoop have committed are “more acceptable” murders. I don’t know the answer, and I in no way think any of the killings Chris and Snoop have committed are in any way actually acceptable. I don’t think it matters what the answer is. It’s just interesting to compare this beating to the other killings. The almost gentle, highly procedural way Chris and Snoop have killed other people is probably “nicer” than the way he beat Devar to death. But the question I’m asking is more about the act as a whole. In a way, the other killings almost didn’t seem like murder (although, they definitely are) because they seemed more like a job, while although Chris was instructed to kill Devar, this beating didn’t seem like a job, it was a murder. So is it worse that Chris kills people just because he’s told to do so and completely detaches himself from the murder, or worse that he kills someone for deeply personal reasons and is completely emotionally engaged in the brutal beating of another person?
2) At this point, it feels that the class is working in a sense because for the three kids who could now go back to a normal classroom, it is a pretty big deal. These three kids could now have opportunities available to them that they wouldn’t have had available otherwise. Also, they are able to give each kid more individual attention, so to an extent, they can have an eye on these kids. However, when you look at the big picture of how the kids in this class, as well as the other kids at this school, are going to end up, the success at this point seems pretty minimal. This one class won’t stop the instructional oppression that prevents the kids at this middle school from getting ahead in life. And even for the kids who will be able to go back to a normal classroom, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will matter that much for them in the long run, it’s just that it potentially could.
I don’t necessarily condone Michaels decision, but I do understand why he did it. He had many reasons to, one of the main ones being to protect Bug. In a way, I feel like he would have been judged more if he hadn’t done something about the situation. Another point that was brought up is the relativity. There is a lot of death happening in the show, more and more as the episodes go on. Especially with the murders committed by Chris and Snoop, they have little to no reason for killing. An example of this in the past episode was the murder of Little Kevin. He was only killed because he was suspected of snitching. There was no proof that he did, but he was still killed. In the case of Michael's stepfather, at least you could say there is a worthy motive.
ReplyDeleteI would say the class is working, but it still needs more time to be properly evaluated. You definitely see progress within the classroom, especially with Namond, Zenobia, and Darnell. Although it is not successful in the traditional educational sense, it is more beneficial towards the kids in the program. They are more engaged and focused in the different setting and it shows. I think the classroom works for what those kids need.
I believe that Bunny took Namond home to observe what his life at home was like; who was taking care of him, and what his caregiver thinks of him getting arrested for dealing drugs. In a sense, I felt like Bunny expected an apology from Namond and his mom because of the amount of care him and his wife gave Namond. But, when Bunny went to talk to Namond’s mother, she was very disrespectful and told him to stop talking to Namond, as she felt like Namond should’ve not stayed with Bunny and went to baby bookings. This gave Bunny the look into Namond’s life away from school that he was hoping to see when he brought Namond back home and explained why Namond is dealing drugs even though he does not seem very eager to.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that the experimental class is somewhat doing its job of managing the “corner kids”, but is not teaching them the correct curriculum that the superintendent wants them to teach to. The class so far has gradually helped the kids become less aggressive and focus their energy more on something near academic, but in the eyes of the school system/superintendent, hasn’t near met the standards for a “functioning middle school classroom” yet. I do agree with Bunny in the sense that there is no point trying to prep the kids for the test if they’re going to fail either way, but I also feel as there still is a point teaching the kids academically because of the chance that it will prepare some of the “corner kids” to move back up to normal classrooms and be ready to learn academically rather than socially.
I believe that Bunyn brought Namond back home because he was starting to build a good relationship with him. Throughout all the episodes, Bunny looks at Namond a lot more. He’s starting to see the potential that he has. I also think he sees him as a son. He talks about his kid being in college, which could make him miss his kids a lot. I think Namond is like a son to Bunny, reason being why he took him to his house.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it’s a success, not a true success but just success. There’s still more to be done. Getting the 3 kids to be ready for class is really good but now they just need to get more people to be like them. Once they complete that, I believe it’ll be a true success. It’s enough success for the time being but they still have more time to switch some kids. All the kids used to be impossible to work with and now most of them are partially able to work together which is still sort of a success
1. I feel like I can understand why Chris is so brutal towards Devar, though I obviously don’t condone it. Like people said in class, there is an implication that something happened to Chris that allows him to understand Michael’s situation. Chris obviously has some bottled up feelings about his past. And I think he uses Devar as a punching bag to relieve what he’s been holding inside of him. Micheal uses boxing to let go of his anger toward his step-father and it obviously works for him because he is quiet and gentle for the most part. But I don’t think Chris has this privilege. His murders are careful and almost respectful of the person he is killing but his is still a murderer so he is clearly not a quiet and gentle person. I think his familiarity with Michael’s situation caused something in him to snap and made him more violent than we had ever seen him be. I don’t think the writers want us to approve of this but I think we see that Snoop kind of does. She doesn’t try to stop Chris or yell at him for being violent. I think the writers did this to show us that this is normal for some people. We haven’t seen murderers be violent in this show before. The violence has mostly come from the cops. So I think the writers are trying to show us how these murderers try to be calm but that they sometimes can't help but be violent.
ReplyDelete2. I think the class is a success. It has changed three kids so that they don’t impede their peers’ ability to learn. That’s three less disruptive kids than the school had before the special class formed. And the other seven disruptive kids still help their peers learn because they aren’t in the classroom to distract them. I also think that more kids will change if the class continues. Obviously, not all of them will. But I think the class is doing what it set out to do, even if this isn’t what the school system wants.
1. I understand it, but I don’t approve of it. I understand Chris losing his temper, because we get the idea that he had been abused in the past and thinking about that made act the way he did. Chris did not think about this in the way that he has to kill someone like he usually does, he wanted to kill Michaels step father in worst way possible, and he did because he believed he deserved it. I can’t approve of this because it was brutal, and usually I wouldn’t approve of murder at all, in this situation if Chris had done what he normally does, and just shot Michael's dad without remorse.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the experimental class is working really well, although other kids in the class are not showing improvement yet, does not mean they will not improve. Also, all of these kids used to make it harder for other children to learn, I think separating them is best for everyone at the school. They said that only 3 kids are improving but out of 10 kids that’s 30%, which seems like great work too me. I also think that more kids are improving, but not in as much of an obvious way, or being in the class is at least keeping them safe, because they aren’t skipping school and on the corners.
2. I understand why Chris would beat this man to death if he has a past of abuse like Michael does. He probably has past trauma that adds to his sociopathic tendencies. This also is not someone who is perfectly pure acting this way, this is a hitman that has killed hundreds of people. Of course this murder is different, as Chris clearly wanted Michael’s stepfather to feel pain. As for if this is approvable-- approving somebody beating someone else to death is probably not something I can do. However, there are certain things that a person can do to make me convinced they are unredeemable. Child molestation is one of those things. I’m not saying Chris beating Devar is an ok or right thing to do, but I completely understand why Chris killed him, and why he did it the way that he did.
ReplyDelete3. From what we see in this particular episode alone, the experimental class does not seem to be working. What we see of the class in this episode is the children being hostile, “unsocialized”, and violent. Also a student from the class, Namond, was arrested for drug dealing. I can see why the administration of the school might want to shut down the class based on the events in episode 10. However, I think any alternate for this class would be worse for the kids. These kids, in a regular class, aren’t learning anything, especially with the way that the teachers have to only teach them test prep. The experimental class is the only time these kids have been engaged in the class. While I understand that not every student can get private help, I know that these children would benefit from staying in this experimental class.