The Buys

Infobox The Wire episode


caption =
episode_name = The Buys
episode_no = 3
epigraph = "The King stay the King."
- D'Angelo
teleplay = David Simon
story = David Simon and Ed Burns
writer =
director = Peter Medak
guest_star = "see below"
prod_code = 103
airdate = June 16, 2002
season = one|

"The Buys" is the third episode of the first season of the HBO original series, "The Wire". The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Peter Medak. It originally aired on June 16, 2002.

Production

Title Reference

The title refers to the deals struck in the various institutions featured. Valchek buys Daniels' support of his son in law with resources. Drug addicts buy narcotics from the Barksdale organization. Sydnor makes undercover purchases from Bodie.

Epigraph

D'Angelo uses this phrase when describing the rules of chess using the analogy of the drug trade (pictured) when explaining to Bodie that pawns can only become queens, never kings. In the analogy Avon Barksdale is the king. This analogy as applied to Avon resurfaces in and Bodie recalls it once more in .

Credits

tarring cast

Although credited, Wood Harris does not appear in this episode. This is the first episode of the series not to feature the entire starring cast.

Guest stars

#Michael K. Williams as Omar Little
#J.D. Williams as Preston "Bodie" Broadus
#Seth Gilliam as Detective Ellis Carver
#Domenick Lombardozzi as Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk
#Clarke Peters as Detective Lester Freamon
#Jim True-Frost as Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski
#Hassan Johnson as Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice
#Michael B. Jordan as Wallace
#Corey Parker-Robinson as Detective Leander Sydnor
#Richard DeAngelis as Major Raymond Foerster
#Delaney Williams as Sergeant Jay Landsman
#Michael Salconi as Detective Michael Santangelo
#Nat Benchley as Detective Patrick Mahon
#Tom Quinn as Detective Augustus Polk
#Wendy Grantham as Shardene Innes
#Al Brown as Major Stanislaus Valchek
#Tony D. Head as Major Bobby Reed
#Brandon Price as Anton "Stinkum" Artis
#Tracy Chaney as Malik "Poot" Carr
#Doug Olear as FBI Agent Terrance Fitzhugh
#Michael Kevin Darnall as Brandon Wright
#Lance Williams as John Bailey
#Bill Zorzi as Bill Zorzi

Uncredited appearances

*Curtis Montez as Sterling

Plot

The Police

Lieutenant Cedric Daniels attends a meeting in Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell's office to account for the actions of his men in starting a riot in the tower buildings. When Daniels suggests that Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski should be restricted to office work, Major Valchek (Prez's influential father-in-law) insists this would be an admission of guilt. The other officers are more supportive. After the meeting, Burrell again insists on a simple investigation targeted at making arrests and seizures rather than spending time securing convictions against the organization's key members.

Bemoaning the lack of a photograph of the detail's main target, McNulty asks Detectives Augustus Polk and Patrick Mahone to get a photograph from the housing department of Avon Barksdale. This proves to be a dead end. Lester Freamon takes an interest when Greggs remarks that Barksdale used to box and once made Golden Gloves. The next day, he returns with a poster featuring a picture of young Avon Barksdale. Without saying a word, he returns to his desk and his dollhouse furniture. Daniels arrives, informing the detail that Prez is off the street and Herc is on sick leave for some time. McNulty visits his contact in the FBI, Agent Fitzhugh, with Greggs, looking to get some equipment to wire up Sydnor, who is being sent undercover. When McNulty tells Fitz that Daniels is the commanding officer, Fitz appears to bite his tongue because Greggs is present.

Detective Michael Santangelo is proven to be a mole in the detail, giving information to Rawls, and especially seeking (but not finding) anything to incriminate McNulty. Waiting around the detail offices, McNulty, Bubbles and Greggs discuss their relationships. McNulty admits to being unfaithful, leading to his current separation from his now-vengeful wife, Elena. Sydnor arrives, in costume, but gets some advice from Bubbles on how to be more convincing. Together, Sydnor and Bubbles later visit the low rise projects, and Greggs photographs their activities. Sydnor notices with chagrin that neither drugs nor cash pass through the hands of any key players.

Back at the detail, Daniels reports that the commanding officers have insisted on fast "buy bust" style investigation to render some arrests and seizures. McNulty leaves the office angry that the case is being pushed in the opposite direction he had hoped for. He arrives at Rhonda Pearlman's home at 9 p.m. and asks how to clone a beeper. Pearlman suggests that he needs probable cause and to demonstrate exhaustion of other investigative techniques in order to get a signed affidavit from a judge. When he makes sexual advances, she remarks that their "dates" are not any better now that he's not married than they were before, but they end up in bed together anyway.

The following day, Daniels readies the detail to storm the projects in an effort to find a stash. McNulty refuses to participate in the action because he believes it will sabotage their case, and also refuses to sign off sick. Daniels is enraged at his perceived insubordination. In contrast, Det. Herc insists on aiding his co-workers despite being injured.

Later, Fitzhugh and McNulty have a meeting where it is revealed that the FBI has previously investigated Daniels for "integrity concerns". When the FBI found thousands of dollars of unexplained assets, they turned their findings over to Burrell, who has failed to take the investigation any further.

The Street

Omar Little and his gang spend several days in a white van watching the low-rise crew sell their drugs. D'Angelo Barksdale instructs Bodie Broadus, Poot Carr, and Wallace in showing respect to their customers and shares his belief that if there was no violence involved in their trade, then the police would not be interested in them. While waiting for more product to be delivered (waiting for "the stash" to be "re-upped"), D'Angelo spots them playing checkers with a chess set (pictured). He teaches them the game of chess using the analogy of the Barksdale crew - Avon as king, Stringer as the queen, the stash as the rook, soldiers as pawns. When Bodie learns of the possibility of a pawn becoming a queen, he draws a comparison with himself. D'Angelo is skeptical, remarking that pawns die early in the game, but Bodie insists that a smart pawn can be successful.

At Orlando's, Stringer is impressed by the amount of money D'Angelo is making in the courtyard. D'Angelo suggests that things will be better when they get a new package of narcotics. Stringer explains that there is nothing better on the way, but points out that if they sell a low-quality product, addicts will buy more of it, and the Barksdales will actually make more money. On his way out, D'Angelo strikes up a conversation with Shardene. She doesn't remember him but is open to his advances.

That night, back at The Pit, D'Angelo leaves to buy food just before Omar and his crew burst in to the stashhouse to steal the drugs. When the Barksdale dealers refuse to give Omar the location of the stash he shoots one of them, Sterling, in the knee. When his partner Brandon uses his name in front of the dealers Omar is exasperated. Bubbles is on hand to watch the whole proceedings and reports back to Greggs. The next day, Wee-Bey Brice berates D'Angelo for the theft of his stash while he was not even present. Bodie is able to report Omar's name to Wee-Bey.

Just at this moment, the detail arrives to arrest anybody they photographed previously. The dealers have changed stashhouses, so the detail finds little evidence, though Freamon notices a number written on a wall. While searching the crew, Detective Polk is punched by Bodie. Herc, Carver, and Greggs respond with a savage beating. Carver reports that a camera crew has offered to show their seizures. Daniels is disgusted when Greggs points out they have nothing to show.cite web
year = 2004
title = Episode guide - episode 03 The Buys
publisher = HBO
accessdate = 2006-07-26
url = http://www.hbo.com/thewire/episode/season1/episode03.shtml] cite episode
title = The Buys
episodelink = The Buys (The Wire episode)
series = The Wire
serieslink = The Wire (TV series)
credits = David Simon, Ed Burns
writers =
network = HBO
station =
city =
airdate = 2002-06-16
season = 1
number = 3] cite book
last = Alvarez
first = Rafael
year = 2004
title = The Wire: Truth Be Told
publisher = Pocket Books
location = New York]

First Appearances

This episode introduces the recurring character Omar Little, a homosexual stick up artist who robs drug dealers for a living. Little is played by Michael K. Williams. Initially intended to die after seven episodes

cite web
author = Joel Murphy
year = 2005
title = One on one with... Michael K. Williams
publisher = Hobo Trashcan
accessdate = 2006-07-21
url = http://www.hobotrashcan.com/interviews/michaelkwilliams.php

] , the character instead became a major part of the show, frequently cited by critics and fans as one of the favorites.

cite web
author = Robert Bianco
year = 2004
title = 10 Reasons we still love TV
publisher = USA Today
accessdate = 2006-07-21
url = http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-05-26-tv-mvps_x.htm

]

cite web
author = Brent McCabe and Van Smith
year = 2005
title = Down to the wire: Top 10 reasons not to cancel the wire.
publisher = Baltimore city paper.
accessdate = 2006-07-21
url = http://cpgo.citypaper.com/film/story.asp?id=9538

] With the third season, Michael K. Williams joined the starring cast. His character is accompanied by his partners in crime Brandon Wright and John Bailey.

The episode also marks the first appearance of recurring Baltimore police department officers Major Bobby Reed, commander of the internal investigations division (IID), and Major Stanislaus Valchek, South Eastern district commander and Prez's father-in-law. Valchek plays a major role in the second season, and has appeared in all five seasons of the show.

Reception

Critical response

A San Francisco Chronicle review picked the scene of D'Angelo instructing his subordinates in the rules of chess as one of the first season's finest moments.Cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/06/05/DD113931.DTL|title=Fighting crime, and bureaucrats. Creator of HBO's 'Wire' takes police drama in new direction|accessdate=2007-10-04|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|year=2002|author=Peter Hartlaub] They praised the character of D'Angelo and the shows portrayal of his difficulties as "middle management" in the drug organization having to deal with unreliable subordinates, demanding superiors and his own conscience.

References