... The Life of Kings

... LIVE BLOG
PS- major spoiler alert, so don't tune in if you're planning on.. tuning in.

This episode is called -30- because apparently, that is newspaper jargon to signify the end.

First scene- Hilarious, Norman is amazing. He would have added some serious flair to the newsroom antics alongside Gus, Templeton, Fletch, Alma, Klebanow, Whiting, et al. Unsurprisingly, it looks like Daniels wants to come down hard on this sneaky business, while Carcetti and his smarmy aide that appears in season 5 want to twist this for their campaign. Fine line between heaven and here, eh, Tommy?

Lester's with Gary, the leak in the courthouse. Gary says "I always wondered if they'd get their shit together. But that's Baltimore isn't it?"
I'd love a count of how many times we've heard some variation on those words in this show, it would be astronomical.

Bunk Moreland- "Like a war, ain't it? Easy to get in, hell to get out." Oh David Simon, you politically leaning motherfucker.

OK, I stopped live blogging, I was far too engrossed in another magnificent episode.

So, Clark Johnson (who plays Gus, the silver tongued, loquacious copy editor at the sun) fittingly directed the finale, since he started it off by directing the premiere. I love the premiere primarily for the very first scene, with Snot Boogie.

Great episode. It threw me for a loop a few times. I was certain that McNulty would end up in jail, and when they showed him lying down on the pool table for the Irish wake at Kavanaugh's I thought maybe he had killed himself. Luckily it was just a roast and once again we get hope for Jimmy to live the straight life, even if some of us love his drunken life (Dan.)

There has been a lot of conversation at my favourite blog on the entire World Wide Web, Heaven and Here, regarding who is the 'next' who. This is an easy exercise to do and one that is not a total waste of time. David Simon has said repeatedly that everything is cyclical and that the 4th season was not just a commentary on the school systems, but also a narrative that shows how some of our favourite characters come to be. Some obvious parallels exist. Duquan is very clearly this generation's Bubbles, working as an Arabber, and shooting up. Michael is clearly a new Omar, even carrying his shotgun in tow. Randy we can't really say, as he hardly shows up this season, but perhaps the originally obvious parallel of Prop Joe makes sense, especially considering that he now has hardened due to the foster care facility. As for Naymond, I'm not sure we have an arc for Nay to follow, an enthusiastic former corner boy growing up clean. Easy to say it would be Colvin, but I'm not sure that really fits. Originally many had Kima pegged as the next McNulty, but clearly she has evolved over the course of these five seasons. I would say that Sydnor is quite clearly the new McNulty, judging by (no pun intended) his meeting with Judge Phelan. Fletcher, the kind reporter who does the piece on Bubbs, I think will become a very Gus-esque character, although I sort of feel the same way about Alma.

Some scenes I loved-
Cheese getting popped by Slim Charles; I have been hoping that Slim would make a return this episode, and he did not disappoint.
Dukie meeting up with Pryzbylewski; I hated watching it, but it was well done. Prezbo with a graying beard seems right to me.
McNulty verbally assaulting Templeton; beautiful, and necessary.
I loved seeing Marlo at the luncheon with Levy, it was very reminiscent of Avon going to business meeting with Stringer. Both try to live right but feel uncomfortable without the rules of the street.

One scene I didn't like much was with Michael sticking up Vincent at the rims shop. David Simon has expressed that Omar was originally only going to be around for seven episodes in the first season, but because of vapid fan interest, he kept him around. For such a character, who clearly had become a bit super human over the seasons, to be reproduced so easily by Michael felt forced to me. Not really a scene, but I was disappointed that we missed a chance at seeing Donut, one of my favourite supporting characters in the whole show.

All in all it was a beautiful, and touching finale. I'm glad that they once again stuck with their cyclical nature, and played the original Blind Boys of Alabama cover of 'Down in the Hole' for the finishing montage. And I was glad to see Kenard in bracelets, Valchek getting introduced as Deputy Officer (I immediately knew it would be him, or Marrimow, but clearly Marrimow hasn't risen up the ranks high enough to get that kind of promotion,) Spider finally 'getting it' and running the corner right, Slim Charles with Vondas and the Greek, and Chris and Wee Bey befriending one another in prison.

I love this show, and I hope and pray that it will finally get it's due at the Emmy's this year.
Finally, please do check out Heaven and Here for much more insightful commentary than I could ever hope to provide.