Wire 106: S04E01 – Boys of Summer

thewireseason4In this Wire 106 video discussion, Paul Bond and I to look at season 4, episode 1 of the The Wire“Boys of Summer.” This episode introduces the season about education, or as is noted on the DVD set: “No Corner Left Behind.” We get introduced to four of the most memorable characters in this episode: Randy Wagstaff, Duquan “Dukie” Weems, Namon Brice, and Michael Lee. The boys of summer. The idea of innocence lost is at the heart of the season, and one of the themes that comes up in our discussion, and an idea that will be revisited repeatedly over the next 12 episodes.

I was really taken with David Simon’s and Ed Burns’s commentary on the DVD for this episode. Turns out after serving as a police officer in Baltimore for twenty years, Burns worked as a middle school teacher in the city for seven more. His experience working in the school system is the premise for the season and, as Simon notes, this is Burns’s season.

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This season also has an amazing opening sequence featuring Snoop getting schooled on the Hilti DX460 powdered-actuated, .27 caliber Lexus of nail guns. And the opening sequence of the first episode is, according to Simon, an allegory for the season at large. Wonder where this is headed:

There is so much to talk about with this episode, and Paul and I spend an hour trying to scratch the surface. Below are some screenshots of a few scenes we discussed during this discussion:

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2 Responses to Wire 106: S04E01 – Boys of Summer

  1. That opening scene with Snoop was so powerful. I honestly felt a bit like the guy working at the hardware store that was helping him out. Snoop is super intriguing actually– I could see him starting some sh*t later on in the season. Excited to see where his character goes.

    And that frame with the 4 boys in their uniforms– so disillusioned! They almost look like “normal” students. Can’t wait to see how “Mr. Prezbo” tricks them into learning. I have a feeling that’s coming too.

    This season is definitely shaping up to be a favorite!!

    • Reverend says:

      Yeah, season 4 is pretty amazing. And Snoop isn’t necessarily a “he/him” which is one of the things while watching it the first time I found so compelling and subversive about that character.
      So good!

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