(Note: This is an early review of next week’s episode. If you have HBO On Demand, watch it now. Otherwise, wait until Sunday to avoid spoilers.)
Well said, Chris. Ya know, for being introduced simply as Marlo’s go-to muscle, Chris has really earned my respect as one of the smartest characters on the show. If you must, you could even compare him to the late Stringer Bell (and probably a younger version, at that), but I have a feeling that he’s going to come into his own as a much stronger force before long. His schooling of Marlo on how to deal with Omar was impeccable, and the execution was even better (setting him up to take all the heat from a robbery homicide). Meanwhile, Marlo’s got a few new problems of his own – namely that of the Baltimore police, who have just installed a surveillance camera in a corner of the park where he hangs – but now that he knows about it, why hasn’t he just gotten rid of it?
Dealing with trivial things like this really isn’t his cup of tea, however. He’s more concerned with recruiting street smart recruits like Michael onto his crew, and though he’s tried several times, he’s yet to win him over. If he really wanted the kid on his team, all he’d need to do is get rid of that little brother of his, but I’m still not sure Marlo is as callous as that. He certainly knows the repercussions of such an act, and if it did happen down the road, you can be damn sure that he’ll be well removed.
Michael isn’t the only kid with a spotlight on him this week, either. Namond’s feeling the heat from Prez’s new in-class regime (and is a top candidate for Colvin’s new program), Randy is being haunted by Lex’s death, and DuQuan discloses that he knows exactly where Chris and Snoop have been sticking all of those dead bodies. It’s too bad he’s not working as a detective on the case, though I have a pretty good feeling that if he tells anyone else about it, it will probably be Prez, who’s recently shown an interest in the impoverished eighth grader by bringing him “extra” lunches and shuffling off pocket change for a drink. It looks like old Pryzbylewski is finally getting a hand of his new profession, though his newly earned respect may quickly diminish when he goes running to his old friend Lestor with the information.
Finally, it looks like Carcetti just might pull through with a victory over Royce in the upcoming elections. Gray is clearly no longer an option, but he continues to steal votes from the black population every week. And with only a few more days to go in the campaign, Carcetti’s now only trailing the incumbent by four points, and may have just earned a few new supporters in Delegate Watkins and Deputy Commissioner Rawls. Of course, the latter is purely professional (Rawls has been sniffing out that top post ever since Burrell was appointed as the temporary replacement), but he’ll still probably get it, if only to play up the possible homosexual subplot that was hinted at towards the end of season three. With the election just around the corner (quite possibly as soon as next episode), things are going to start heating up in the city of Baltimore, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
