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The Target

From The Wire

“The Target”
The Wire episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 1
Written by David Simon
Directed by Clark Johnson
Production no. 101
Original airdate June 2, 2002 (HBO)
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology
"The Target" is the first (pilot) episode of the first season. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Clark Johnson. It originally aired on June 2, 2002.

Contents

[edit] Credits

[edit] Starring cast

The credited starring cast consists of Dominic West (Jimmy McNulty), John Doman (William Rawls), Idris Elba (Stringer Bell), Frankie Faison (Ervin Burrell), Larry Gilliard, Jr. (D'Angelo Barksdale), Wood Harris (Avon Barksdale), Deirdre Lovejoy (Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman), Wendell Pierce (Bunk Moreland), Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels), Andre Royo (Bubbles), and Sonja Sohn (Kima Greggs).[1]

[edit] Guest stars

  1. Peter Gerety as Judge Daniel Phelan
  2. Seth Gilliam as Detective Ellis Carver
  3. Domenick Lombardozzi as Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk
  4. Leo Fitzpatrick as Johnny
  5. J.D. Williams as Bodie Broadus
  6. Hassan Johnson as Wee-Bey Brice
  7. Michael B. Jordan as Wallace
  8. Clayton LeBouef as Wendell "Orlando" Blocker
  9. Melanie Nicholls-King as Cheryl
  10. Doug Olear as FBI Special Agent Terrance "Fitz" Fitzhugh
  11. Delaney Williams as Sergeant Jay Landsman
  12. Richard DeAngelis as Major Raymond Foerster
  13. Wendy Grantham as Shardene Innes
  14. Michael Kostroff as Maurice Levy
  15. Michael Salconi as Detective Michael Santangelo
  16. Ingrid Cornell as Nakeesha Lyles
  17. Larry Hull as William Gant
  18. Lucy Newman-Williams as Assistant State's Attourney Taryn Hanson
  19. Michael Stone Forrest as Detective Frank Barlow

The episode introduces many characters who are important over the course of the series, despite only being credited as guest stars. Domenick Lombardozzi plays Herc and later joined the starring cast in the third season. Leo Fitzpatrick plays homeless, hapless drug addict Johnny Weeks. Hassan Johnson plays criminal enforcer Wee-Bey Brice. Michael B. Jordan plays sensitive fourteen year old drug dealer Wallace. Melanie Nicholls-King plays Detective Greggs' domestic partner Cheryl. Doug Olear plays FBI Special Agent Terrance "Fitz" Fitzhugh. Richard DeAngelis plays narcotics unit commander Major Raymond Foerster. Wendy Grantham plays stripper Shardene Innes. Michael Kostroff plays defense attorney Maurice Levy and later joined the starring cast.

Reviewers have noted that several actors appearing in the series have previously appeared in Homicide: Life on the Street and Oz.[1] In addition to Reddick and Harris, Oz alumni include Seth Gilliam (narcotics unit Detective Ellis Carver) and J.D. Williams (drug dealer Bodie Broadus), both of whom later joined the starring cast. Peter Gerety (Judge Phelan) and Clayton LeBouef (Orlando) were both major characters on Homicide, on which Delaney Williams (homicide unit Sergeant Jay Landsman) and Michael Salconi (homicide detective Michael Santangelo) have appeared as well.[1][2] This episode was the first of several directed by Clark Johnson, also an alumnus of Homicide and another future starring cast member on The Wire. The Corner star Larry Hull appears as maintenance man and witness William Gant. Delaney Williams and Clayton LeBouef also appeared in The Corner.

[edit] Uncredited appearances

Brandon Price and Chris Clanton appeared as Barksdale crew soldiers Anton "Stinkum" Artis and Savino Bratton in the courtroom scene but had no lines and were not credited. Tray Chaney appeared as Poot Carr in the pit, notably being told by Bodie Broadus to chase down Johnny Weeks, but he has few lines and no credit. This begins a trend of minor roles and appearances remaining uncredited on the show. Producer Robert F. Colesberry makes an uncredited cameo appearance as homicide detective Ray Cole, whom he plays over the course of the first two seasons.

[edit] Plot

Detective Jimmy McNulty observes the trial of D'Angelo Barksdale. Barksdale is a young drug dealer charged with murder. McNulty recognizes others present at the trial including Stringer Bell. Central to the case is witness William Gant who identifies Barksdale as the killer and a security guard, Nakeesha Lyles, who has changed her story and now refuses to finger Barksdale. McNulty visits his colleague, detective Barlow, who goes to court with him just in time to see the jury return a not guilty verdict. The judge, Daniel Phelan, knows McNulty and later calls him into his chambers to find out why he is so interested in the trial when he was not the primary investigator. McNulty reveals that he has noticed that D'Angelo's uncle Avon Barksdale and Stringer have been tied to many murders and tells Phelan that he believes they control West Baltimore's drug trade; McNulty complains that nobody is investigating their organization.

Major Rawls is incensed that McNulty spoke to Phelan - he sees it as a deliberate move to go around him. Rawls's anger stems from being called upon to talk to Deputy Burrell about some "project nigger" who beat his unit out of ten murders that he knew nothing about. Rawls continuously berates McNulty's Irish ancestry in addition to him going to see a judge to get his goal of a dedicated investigation of the Barksdale Organization accomplished. McNulty is about to finish a shift and Rawls prevents him from leaving. As the deputy wants a report, Rawls passes the problem back to McNulty by ordering him to prepare his briefing on the Barksdale Organization overnight. He reminds him to bullet every murder as "the deputy loves dots" and then tells Sergeant Jay Landsman to arrive early to read his report. Sergeant Landsman arrives in the morning warning McNulty that his behavior could end up in reassignment. McNulty reveals that his worst nightmare would be working "the boat" - the marine unit.

Meanwhile D'Angelo Barksdale visits Orlando's strip club with Wee-Bey Brice, after D'Angelo makes the mistake of discussing the trial in Wee-Bey's car - Wee-Bey pulls over and curtly reminds him that their rules are not to talk business in the car, on the phone, or anywhere they aren't sure of. At the club D'Angelo meets his uncle, Avon, who also has advice for him - he's not happy that D'Angelo murdered someone publicly. Changing the security guard's story cost the crew time, effort and money. His ire doesn't last and he reminds D'Angelo that he is family. However, when D'Angelo shows up to the towers the next day, Stringer tells him he's been reassigned to the low-rise projects.

At these projects a junky named Bubbles and his protege Johnny try to buy drugs with counterfeit money. D'Angelo identifies the money as fake when it is passed on, after young dealer Bodie suggests he count the money. The next day Johnny is caught and beaten by D'Angelo's crew including Wallace and Bodie. Later D'Angelo goes back to Orlando's for a few drinks, where he briefly flirts with a stripper.

Narcotics detectives Shakima "Kima" Greggs, Thomas "Herc" Hauk, and Ellis Carver make a bust using information from a scorned ex-girlfriend of a drug dealer. Kima is the only one paying attention to her informant however and searches the car, finding a gun that Herc and Carver missed. Herc and Carver were both more interested in using brute force than making a quality conviction.

Their commanding officer, narcotics lieutenant Cedric Daniels, is charged with organizing a detail to investigate the Barksdale operation by Burrell. Burrell asks Daniels to organize a quick investigation and to keep him briefed at all times. Daniels brings Greggs, Herc and Carver with him. Rawls sends McNulty to join them, in addition to Detective Santangelo from homicide as well. Rawls is glad to get rid of them as McNulty has been deemed as unloyal and insubordinate and Santangelo is one of his unit's more inept detectives. McNulty objects to Daniels's plan of action - buy and busts - and suggests a wiretap is the way to get a conviction. Daniels doesn't budge, insisting that a fast and simple investigation is the way to go and also suggests looking at old murders to try to find a connection to Barksdale.

McNulty visits another contact to look for help with investigating the Barksdales - FBI Special Agent Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh. Fitz shows McNulty the FBI's far superior surveillance equipment but reveals that their drug investigations are coming to an end because resources are being shifted to the war on terror. McNulty then goes drinking with his homicide partner Bunk Moreland and complains about his ex-wife, who prevents him from seeing his two kids enough.

Greggs has a rather different evening - returning home to her partner Cheryl. Greggs goes to the hospital the next day and finds Bubbles (who she knows as a CI) distraught over Johnny's beating. Bubbles offers her information on Barksdale as revenge.

D'Angelo has a distressing start to his second day working "the pit". He passes the body of William Gant - the witness in his murder trial - lying in the street and seems upset about his fate.[3][4][5]

[edit] Deceased

  • William Gant: Witness in the D'Angelo Barksdale murder trial.
  • Snot Boogie: A habitual thief at card games who was finally shot for his recidivism.
  • Unknown: Bunk catches the case of a decomposing body in a vacant house upsetting both McNulty and Landsman.

[edit] Title Reference

The title refers to Detective Jimmy McNulty setting his sights on Stringer Bell (see picture) and Avon Barksdale's drug dealing organization as the target of an investigation.

[edit] Epigraph

...when it's not your turn. - McNulty

This line is spoken in a conversation with Bunk where McNulty is criticising him for taking on a homicide case he could have avoided because he was not up in the rotation to receive one thus breaking the rules of their institution. Bunk took the case because he was told the corpse was in a house and knew that his chances of solving the case were statistically higher with the body indoors. The conversation is ironic because McNulty has broken the rules in a much larger way by circumventing the chain of command and is about to get into trouble over his actions.[6]

[edit] Commentary

The episode featured a commentary track recorded by creator and writer/producer David Simon as a special feature on the DVD release. He is quick to discuss the seasons novelistic structure and the theme of the corrupting influence of the institutions that the characters have committed to. He mentions many real life inspirations for events and characters on the show.

He discusses the technique of using surveillance methods within shots (TV monitors, security cameras etc.) to give the sense of always being watched and a need to process the vast amount of information available to the shows detective characters. He also talks about trying to ground the show in realism by using only diegetic music (music with a source in the scene).

Throughout the commentary Simon tries to distinguish The Wire from other television crime dramas. He makes the point that the detectives are motivated not by a desire to protect and serve but through the intellectual vanity of believing they are smarter than the criminal they are chasing.[6]

[edit] Credits

Brandon Price appeared in the pilot as Anton "Stinkum" Artis one of the Barksdale crew soldiers in the courtroom but had no lines and was not credited. Tray Chaney appeared as Poot Carr in the pit, notably being told by Bodie Broadus to chase down Johnny Weeks, but he has no lines and no credit. This begins a trend of minor roles/appearances remaining uncredited on the show.

[edit] Non-fiction elements

Both the Snot Boogie murder story and Bunk's tale of shooting a mouse in his kitchen are true stories from Simon's time researching Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.[6] The Western District officer at the William Gant murder scene, Bobby, is played by real Baltimore officer Bobby Brown. Brown also appeared as a police officer in David Simon's The Corner.

[edit] Locations

The opening scene (the snot-boogie crime scene) is filmed at the corner of Faltington and Lexington in West Baltimore. The scenes at the Orlando's gentleman's club (beginning in this episode, and continuing throughout the season) were actually filmed at the Ritz in Fells Point.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wire Power. Entertainment Weekly (2002). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Post_Gazette
  3. ↑ Episode guide - episode 01 The Target. HBO (2004). Retrieved on 2006-07-24.
  4. ↑ "The Target". David Simon, Ed Burns. The Wire. HBO. 2002-06-02. No. 1, season 1.
  5. ↑ Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 David Simon. (2005). 'The Wire "The Target" commentary track [DVD]. HBO.
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