I mean, that just means Shamrock was a good choice for that job. Stringer probably told he was gonna do it, and what has to do. Shamrock then went and looked into what a job like that may entail, then followed through with his newly gained knowledge.
Stringer is one of the best written characters I've ever seen. The writers must of spent so much time perfecting his dialog and motivations. And Idris Elba absolutely crushing the performance. Truly outstanding work.
They interviewed and worked with sever actual Baltimore gang affiliates and Police at the time so their language and actions were as realistic as possible
@@jordanford9320 that was going to be my response. Initially I thought like @MrTurtleTail and figured it was deep writing and research. Over time we've learned that the reason that this series was so real and consistent was indeed the writers and producers based this on real people where many of the events actually happened to some extent.
Elba has the wet sounds in his voice though when he talks his voice is irritating When he pronounces words with Ps, Gs, Ks and Cs that sound like Ks it has these weird almost like clicking noises to them
Stringer Bell reminds me of the old adage, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king". He's much smarter than the average "player" in the game. However, that difference is often literally the difference between a college student and a high school dropout. Stringer spent much of his life surrounded by people less intelligent than he was, who were easy to manipulate. However, once he stepped outside of that circle, he learned just how limited his "vision" actually was, and got played himself.
What I find interesting is that Stringer theoretically could have adapted. But his hubris and paranoia got in the way. Yah Clay played him this time, but if he took the L and learned he may have eventually succeeded. But he needed to be in control and the smartest person in the room and created the scenario for his death and to lose anyone who may have had his back.
He thought he was smarter then the people around him and that was his down fall and the people above him where not smart at all he just wasn’t a good businessman like Avon who brought the whole city including clay Davis
It's like this in anything. The higher up you go in any social structure the more you see that everyone that is there is there for a reason. They may not be good at what their job description says they should be good at but they are good at SOMETHING. Stringer ran into people that presented themselves as people good at paperwork and getting past bureaucratic red tape but they where really just good at taking people's money. Stringer didn't get outsmarted as much as he didn't consider the possibility that guys in suits could be criminals. It's not like clay davis did anything creative he just promised things and broke his promises. If Stringer would have approached clay as a criminal his normal strategies would work. He threatens someone close to clay's life if money dissappears similar to what happened to brandon.
Rather than high school versus college, I always framed String's problem as the difference between undergraduate and post-grad work. He's literally only got a first-year community college level understanding of business, but he would need to dive into Masters or PhD work in Business (and Public Policy, since that's really what The Wire is about) to understand the complexities of the environment that he's operating in. As the saying goes, he "knows just enough to be dangerous".
My guy watched the wire for the first time during the pandemic and cannot stop thinking about it. 20 years after it came out almost. Talk about a show with a legacy.
I hear you Adam. Much of how I process reality is through "my guy did x" or "my guy and I did y." Aren't we lucky to have a 2nd self? ❤️❤️ Unfortunately my guy is more like three totally different guys. 🧡💜❤️ But I still Love the one that's Mine...❤️
ALSO: That's Why We Need SPOILER WARNINGS! Great shows will be watched and rediscovered for years, even decades. "Better Call Saul" Just ended. I'm trying to start from the beginning after getting hooked by the penultimate season. Now I'm getting spoilered every time I check my recommends. Video analysis etiquette! It matters...🧡...😉...
Stringer always sounded like the smartest guy in the room but so many of his plans backfired and it became obvious why Avon was in the top spot. Avon didn't just have the attitude not to mention the emotional intelligence to inspire loyalty but if you looked at his planning, while they didn't all work out, a lot of his plans did. When getting rid of the correction officer his plan went perfectly. He basically had Marlo and only timing got him, he knew he needed to give up Stringer and Stringer was taken out, in prison he played Marlo to his advantage, hiring Brother Mouzone was smart and worked until Stringer ruined it, he even saw right through Stringer. His biggest issue was not seeing through Stringer sooner and it's understandable as they had been friends since childhood. Avon made his mistakes as he was not a perfect leader but he was by far the better leader. Stringer was a perfect #2 who just didn't understand he was always a #2.
Lol yes man I just said that. Brother mouzone is what stringer thinks he is, a smart person and business man. Yeah stringer is smart but not as much as he thinks. He has no respect for the game, who buys corners 🤣🤣🤦🏾♂️
Emotional intelligence is the key term here, plus Avon knew how to pick the right people for the job - another sign of a good leader. If Avon was to pursue the real estate/legal income path like Stringer, he would've hired someone knowledgeable to handle it (Levy for example) instead of trying it out himself - because he knew that wasn't his game.
Stringer Bell was actually extremely unlucky. He did make some questionable choices, but Mouzon surviving an attack by Omar and then eventually teaming up with Omar to go after Stringer was an extremely unlucky chain of events for him. The thing is, the world would probably be a better place if all drug gang leaders were as rational as he was. Committing murders and fighting wars is generally a very inefficient way to deal with rival businesses, and tends to blow back on you, one way or another, in the end. If the police left the most peaceful drug king-pins alone, there'd be a lot less drug related murder and gang violence, and the drugs themselves would probably be safer/ higher quality, and less likely to be contaminated or improperly made. Other examples of more civilized/ business like fictional drug king-pins come to mind, namely Frank White (King of New York) and Walter White (Breaking Bad).
Crazy that after he survived the shooting he built a career in management at a Steel company before taking an executive role at a paper company. What a great character!
Nah, Stringer thought he was way smarter than he actually was. He tried to treat the dope game like a legit business but he lacked the perspective that the much less educated Avon had about what really rules the dope game. Fear and brute power. Stringer thinking he was much smarter than everyone is literally the thing that cost him his life in the end.
Same here. It took until he raised his voice for me to notice something was off. For some reason, that's often the case for foreigners doing American accents -- once they start yelling they slip up.
The fact that Stringer somehow finished school (or something equivalent to it) and went to college, and wanted to leave the criminal life behind and become a legitimate businessman shows much of who he was and what he could have become. I wasn’t happy with his death. Marlo wasn’t interesting as he was. And I wish we had more information on Stringer Bell’s upbringing.
I disagree, Marlo is just as interesting, but in a different way. Stringer was addicted to money, but Marlo is pure chaos, he's basically a junkie for power and an evil force, the end of the show with him taking heavy breaths after taking the corner is like someone relapsing after having been sober for a long time.
My issue with Marlon wasnt that I didnt think he was interesting, more that I didnt believe that this dude who didnt even know what money laundering was could end up so high on the food chain
Stringer climbing the stairs and being blocked before his death is a metaphor for him trying to climb the construction business world and not being able to make it to the top. This show is truly genius writing
He was the queen appose to Avon being the king. He could have been the legal/business side but never the street. Avon knew that, but Stringer didn't understand it. And it go him killed, not understanding the role of the soldier.
The way he changed his tone when D asked....Where's Wallace? Where's the boy, String?....his whole energy shifted. Mask came all the way off. I love the way they scripted this character. Thanks for the video.
Please keep it coming with your Wire videos! There's such a drought of good video essays on this show and it deserves better. Also, I love both your analysis and writing, thank you for the content!
What a character, Idris played him far too well. Great analysis by the way, Stringer always thought he was smarter than everybody in the drug/street game. Downplayed Omar’s street code, thinking his personal vendetta for Brandon would help him get rid of Mouzone. Which ultimately ended in Stringer’s demise. Hate that he wasn’t a character anymore, but there was no better way to write him off. Kudos David Chase
@@realranger6297 don't get me wrong I still love the entirety of the show and i absolutely realize how every storyline is interconnected. I just think the street gang focused segments are far more real than the cop aspects when it comes to the acting, dialogue and writing. The police segments felt like just another typical NYPD Blue style of television, particularly in the dialogue and acting (the fat slob cop behind the desk snarfin on cheetos barking orders while the snarky young Irish detective is always firing off one liner quips was old hat years before the wire was even conceived), what made the wire so much more memorable were the real aspects of the streets. Even during season two or three when the whole dock workers aspect came into play was a refreshing glimpse of fictional reality with how the actors played their parts with the dialogue, because the writing made it feel like you're actually seeing how real people talk instead of how television wants you to think people would talk. It almost felt like two different shows every time the police had screen time, the forced "jokes" in the dialogue were unnatural which is why shows like the Sopranos or Better Call Saul are so gripping: it's believable
@@cloudbloom idk the cop aspect of the show was very much believable to me because it’s subversive to typical cop shows. Sure, they had familiar/tropey characters, but their behavior was flawed, self-serving, and ultimately unheroic. Most cop shows try and give the viewer the notion that those working in law enforcement are all working for the greater good and actually care about the impact they have on the community at large. The Wire shows (mostly) cops acting in their own best interest, taking/refusing/sabotaging cases to move up the ladder. That’s just as real as the street gang segments to me because it’s the truth: most cops don’t actually give a fuck about the state of the public, it’s a job like any other at the end of the day
@@aarontheruler that's a great point, I think mostly I didn't like the acting during the cop segments I'm really sucked out of the believability in shows when the writing (dialogue) and acting aren't portrayed realistically but I know that's a personal problem lol
There are so many characters in fiction like Stringer. Dangerously intelligent and in control, seemingly 5 steps ahead of everyone and calculating everything. But, what makes him one of the best characters of all time in visual media, is that those exact traits also are his downfall. He becomes the epitome of "too smart for your own good". For example, one of my favorite details is how throughout the series he obsessively would have doors locked. This is a very smart tactic of a drug kingpin. However when Omar and Mouzone come to get him he had no escape route from them with every door being locked. His strategic paranoia that protected him from the cops is what killed him. A lesser show would have just had that with no context or contrived some reason to prevent his escape. But The Wire forshadowed this. And basically every aspect of his story and character had this much detail and nuance. Ultimately his arrogant belief that he could see past the game made him too short sighted to see what the game was about.
Stringer Bell's story reads like a classic Greek tragedy...a (anti)hero on a complex path, who the audience empathizes with, yet knows that his actions will end in his demise.
@@TC8787-yq7og OF COURSE he's a terrible individual...many antiheros are; think "Tony Soprano", "Walter White", "Nucky Thompson", etc. If a person can't appreciate complex, tragic characters, perhaps they should turn to fairy tales for entertainment.
@@f.r.etling6226 That's why the Greek tragedies are so appealing...the real world doesn't have fairy tale happy endings where one-dimensional characters live happily ever after and ride off into the sunset. Put another way, the all-too-common Hollywood endings in modern entertainment suggests we crave escapism, which is why The Wire was a refreshing pivot for some, but too uncomfortable to watch for others.
His fall from grace hurt me the most. Man was the best second-in-command one could ask for. Smart, ambitious but also cautious. Losing Avon put too much on his plate and that's when he lost his shine.
He had his own agenda. Dude gave up Avon to the Police, how is he the best second-in-command? He killed Avon's nephew without cause and he tried to have the muscle Avon hired killed.
Great analysis, recently rewatched again and always gutted at the end of season 3 but you've distilled Stringer's arc. Probably for the best the writers didn't stretch it over 5 seasons
@@jakel7213 eh String has far more depth than Gus tbh. String actually wanted to bring about change to the streets for the better even though his methods weren’t the best. Gus was just a walking talking smoove capitalist machine who also wanted revenge because of what happened to his partner.
String operates within the 48 laws of power. His only mistake was thinking his business acumen trumped out the streets. He didn't pay attention to the streets and allows his crew to become weak and lack for soldiers. The entire time Marlo was building an army and winning the perception war in the streets.
He also forgot the number one rule never outdo the master, he tried to over take Avon. Which was the ultimate failure, of Stringer was loyal and had a code. Avon would have forgiven him for his mistakes in the game. But stringer had not code, killed his nephew, lied to him multiple times and tried to take his organization from him. He did a bad job running it, Avon knew at that point what good are you to me. Can’t run my organization and you can’t even be a loyal friend.
Well done and perfectly executed. I hadn't caught the parallel between he and Wallace's fate for cooperating and the subsequent outcome (being killed by your own friend).
Fantastic Analysis. I think a video on Christopher Moltisanti would make for a very interesting video since you made a few on Tony but not really any other characters on The Sopranos
Stringers such an interesting character cus he has good ideas but hes not smart enough to actually make them happen. Initially it seems like hes on the ball but by season 3 hes getting played by everyone from marlo to a downtown developer and wants to assassinate senator davis for scamming him. At the end he wasnt in the street enough to be a drug dealer, and he wasnt clean enough to be a legit developer, and the ultimate irony is that at the end of the show marlo gets the life stringer always wanted, but throws it away and returns to the street.
But Stringer main mistake was not staying loyal to Avon. All this issues stems from him uncontrollable ambition and disloyalty toward Avon. All he had to do was be loyal and do exactly what Avon told him.
When you think about it stringer is more like Marlow then we think! Putting any and all things in second place where the game and his crew and their dominance are first place always no matter what the cost. This show is so hard man top three best shows hands down💪
Stringer failing in the "real" world is not a case of him not being smart enough. It's a classical case of him lacking the social background (hello, gangster) to know the rules of the "real" business world, either through family upbringing or a classical education career. Avon's advantage is that he never tried to play any other game but the one he knew how to play.
Just like Michael Corleone, Stringer found out that you can’t legitimize a criminal business. Dirty money will always be dirty money and your past deeds will always haunt you.
Man this was an amazing character analysis. Please do more on characters like Brother Muzone, Omar, Slim Charles, The Greek etc. You can corelate the characters of these shows back to books like the 48 laws of power. Also can you do characters from other movies and shows like Carlitos Way, Scarface, Count of Monte Cristo, Hannibal and other movies
The irony is that Stringer was actually smarter than Avon, but Avon still outsmarted him all the fucking time. Why? Because Avon was aware of his limitations, Stringer wasn't.
Good commercial placement as I was playing this in the background while doing other stuff "Here is everything Stringer says in that scene..." and cut to commercial "Lowes knows everyone is an MVP!" That was jarring.
The great thing about watching Stringer is watching a man be above the drug game in terms of how to successful run it but how he cuts himself short in the process. In the end that's what killed him.
The queen piece taken out by the bishop and the castle. Once the queen is taken out, its only a matter of time before the king goes down and loses the game.
I love how literally everybody was afraid of mouzone, but Omar had him on the ropes dead to rites. Omar is a beast and the only reason zone ain't die is because Omar smart too, wanted to make sure he had the right dude, he clearly didn't after questioning him so he didn't pull the trigger
Great analysis! So many people really love Stringer but I’ve always been indifferent…plus he absolutely played the game wrong and caused his own demise.
Even though the show already stated this, this little documentary has added to the fleshing out of one of the most best written characters in one of the best written shows." Not hard enough for this world, and not smart enough for their world out there ". Great observation!!!
Man this gives me some flashbacks, I started this Series in 2010 and bought and watched the final season in 2011. I originally bought the first season as something to just watch in the background, but by the end I was buying the second season, and then it really picked up around season 3. This video was great. Made me think how much I've forgotten, which will be great when I rewatch it again oneday. I think that day will be soon.
One other thing the narrator left out is when Stringer confessed to Avon that he had his nephew killed in prison, that pretty much made Avon realize who this dude truly was. From there, their brotherhood was dead and Avon only needed an opportunity to have Stringer executed. Obviously he didn’t count on Stringer selling him out right before that happened
Great video!! You capture a lot of truth and get really in-depth here. I always found myself relating to stringer. I’m no gangster killer or anything but coming from a similar area and growing up in schools like in season 4, our goal is passive income and to get out the hood. It’s hard to try to make good honest money on your own coming from these areas. It’s a struggle and if you don’t have a good mentor to guide you and help you, you will be lost. Stringer was smart but not smart enough . He needed someone whose done it before to help him get out. He thought clay was that person.
James St Patrick from Power is a character inspired by 50 cent who is a great Businessman. James St Patrick would give you a lot to analyze therefore providing content for your channel
Great Video Analysis.... I'm sometimes torn between hating Stringer, and simultaneously feeling sorry for him. On the one hand, yes Stringer was a manipulative snake, whose own backstabbing decisions led to his demise. And at the same time I can't help but feel that if he had grown up in a different environment with better opportunities, and without the poverty that surrounded him, Stringer could have, as you say, easily ran a very successful business, without constantly looking over his shoulder for the long arm of the law. The Wire is littered with characters like that. That's why, in my opinion it is the Greatest TV Show of All Time. He may well be one of the most tragic characters in The Wire.
this was a really good breakdown. i feel like the story of him and avon is all to common. Avon was the muscle, he was street and knew the game in and out. Avon also had morals n principle which is why he couldnt get mad at cutty when he wanted it. He treated it like a grown man situation. string on the other hand u can tell probably grew up a little nicer probably definitely different. probably didnt come from a big family, and all these facets give u a guy that was too smart for his own good. he wasnt ever ready to " physically get down" on his own, and his lack of morals n principles (especially from a street) were poor. Marlo was like the perfect storm to what he had to deal with
McNulty said “We got him on the wire and he doesn’t even know it.” He went out thinking he at least got away with all the crime but if Omar had been a week late…🤷🏾♂️
I would be curious to see how you categorized Baltimore. Maryland is a very congested sports state due to close proximity to DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Baltimore is itself a small city, but many people around the state are fans of one of the other three city’s teams, meaning B’more could meet your definition of small market.
I think it’s so funny that Marlo ended up achieving what Stringer was aiming for. He was able to be a legitimate business man and get out the game . And Marlo did it by being the hardest, while string wasn’t hard enough. Marlo was probably smarter too, because he played Prop Joe; while stringer got played by Clay Davis
What people always forget about the characters Avon & Marlo is that they had no desire to leave the game. So there was never any plan or strategy to implement for success outside of the game. What Avon said to Stringer was bs about him not being hard enough for the game because his ultimate goal was to leave the shit. But brilliantly, thats the big neon sign of the show : nobody escapes the vicious cycle.
I was suprised when he got smoked. I thought he'd make it out of season 3. Whats crazier a lot of these actors are now famous actors. I fist saw Avon in "Judge Dredd" 2012, I thought he was just starting out.
In my opinion, once Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale are out of the show it’s not as good. The first season of the Wire has the best cast and most memorable characters.
Stringer Bell is the type of guy who knows he is sometimes the smartest person in the room, but THINKS he is always the samrtest person im the room. That led to his downfall.
The funny thing is: Clay Davis actually warned him that he's still too green for what he was getting into, and when Bell was persistent on moving up, Daves welcomed him into his con.
Stringer Bell: "N**ga, is you taking notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy?"
Probably the funniest line in the entire show :)
100%🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I mean, that just means Shamrock was a good choice for that job. Stringer probably told he was gonna do it, and what has to do.
Shamrock then went and looked into what a job like that may entail, then followed through with his newly gained knowledge.
@@jacobp.4593 Great point
cracks me up every time!!!!
snot boogy is right up there with it...
Stringer is one of the best written characters I've ever seen. The writers must of spent so much time perfecting his dialog and motivations. And Idris Elba absolutely crushing the performance. Truly outstanding work.
It's wild to me how after ALLLLLLLLLLL of these wire videos, this is the first I've seen about dirtydawg community college mastermind
* must have
They interviewed and worked with sever actual Baltimore gang affiliates and Police at the time so their language and actions were as realistic as possible
@@jordanford9320 that was going to be my response. Initially I thought like @MrTurtleTail and figured it was deep writing and research. Over time we've learned that the reason that this series was so real and consistent was indeed the writers and producers based this on real people where many of the events actually happened to some extent.
Elba has the wet sounds in his voice though when he talks his voice is irritating
When he pronounces words with Ps, Gs, Ks and Cs that sound like Ks it has these weird almost like clicking noises to them
Stringer Bell reminds me of the old adage, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king". He's much smarter than the average "player" in the game. However, that difference is often literally the difference between a college student and a high school dropout. Stringer spent much of his life surrounded by people less intelligent than he was, who were easy to manipulate. However, once he stepped outside of that circle, he learned just how limited his "vision" actually was, and got played himself.
What I find interesting is that Stringer theoretically could have adapted. But his hubris and paranoia got in the way. Yah Clay played him this time, but if he took the L and learned he may have eventually succeeded.
But he needed to be in control and the smartest person in the room and created the scenario for his death and to lose anyone who may have had his back.
He thought he was smarter then the people around him and that was his down fall and the people above him where not smart at all he just wasn’t a good businessman like Avon who brought the whole city including clay Davis
It's like this in anything. The higher up you go in any social structure the more you see that everyone that is there is there for a reason. They may not be good at what their job description says they should be good at but they are good at SOMETHING. Stringer ran into people that presented themselves as people good at paperwork and getting past bureaucratic red tape but they where really just good at taking people's money. Stringer didn't get outsmarted as much as he didn't consider the possibility that guys in suits could be criminals. It's not like clay davis did anything creative he just promised things and broke his promises. If Stringer would have approached clay as a criminal his normal strategies would work. He threatens someone close to clay's life if money dissappears similar to what happened to brandon.
Rather than high school versus college, I always framed String's problem as the difference between undergraduate and post-grad work. He's literally only got a first-year community college level understanding of business, but he would need to dive into Masters or PhD work in Business (and Public Policy, since that's really what The Wire is about) to understand the complexities of the environment that he's operating in. As the saying goes, he "knows just enough to be dangerous".
And in the land of two eyed, the four eyes reign supreme.
My guy watched the wire for the first time during the pandemic and cannot stop thinking about it. 20 years after it came out almost. Talk about a show with a legacy.
I hear you Adam. Much of how I process reality is through "my guy did x" or "my guy and I did y." Aren't we lucky to have a 2nd self? ❤️❤️
Unfortunately my guy is more like three totally different guys. 🧡💜❤️ But I still Love the one that's Mine...❤️
ALSO: That's Why We Need SPOILER WARNINGS! Great shows will be watched and rediscovered for years, even decades.
"Better Call Saul" Just ended. I'm trying to start from the beginning after getting hooked by the penultimate season. Now I'm getting spoilered every time I check my recommends. Video analysis etiquette! It matters...🧡...😉...
Rotten tomato meter🍅🍅🍅you're sophisticated enough to manuever around spoilers, right? @@judeannethecandorchannel2153
@@judeannethecandorchannel2153me too bro and I done watched it 8 times since no cap
There ain't no nostalgia to this shit
Edit: hope someone remembers the line lol
Stringer always sounded like the smartest guy in the room but so many of his plans backfired and it became obvious why Avon was in the top spot. Avon didn't just have the attitude not to mention the emotional intelligence to inspire loyalty but if you looked at his planning, while they didn't all work out, a lot of his plans did. When getting rid of the correction officer his plan went perfectly. He basically had Marlo and only timing got him, he knew he needed to give up Stringer and Stringer was taken out, in prison he played Marlo to his advantage, hiring Brother Mouzone was smart and worked until Stringer ruined it, he even saw right through Stringer. His biggest issue was not seeing through Stringer sooner and it's understandable as they had been friends since childhood. Avon made his mistakes as he was not a perfect leader but he was by far the better leader. Stringer was a perfect #2 who just didn't understand he was always a #2.
Lol yes man I just said that. Brother mouzone is what stringer thinks he is, a smart person and business man. Yeah stringer is smart but not as much as he thinks. He has no respect for the game, who buys corners 🤣🤣🤦🏾♂️
Emotional intelligence is the key term here, plus Avon knew how to pick the right people for the job - another sign of a good leader.
If Avon was to pursue the real estate/legal income path like Stringer, he would've hired someone knowledgeable to handle it (Levy for example) instead of trying it out himself - because he knew that wasn't his game.
@@saadishsnake That’s a fact man. Even Levy asked stringer why he didn’t come to him first.
@@jojodagoattv9186 no it’s not a fact and opinion
Stringer Bell was actually extremely unlucky. He did make some questionable choices, but Mouzon surviving an attack by Omar and then eventually teaming up with Omar to go after Stringer was an extremely unlucky chain of events for him.
The thing is, the world would probably be a better place if all drug gang leaders were as rational as he was. Committing murders and fighting wars is generally a very inefficient way to deal with rival businesses, and tends to blow back on you, one way or another, in the end. If the police left the most peaceful drug king-pins alone, there'd be a lot less drug related murder and gang violence, and the drugs themselves would probably be safer/ higher quality, and less likely to be contaminated or improperly made. Other examples of more civilized/ business like fictional drug king-pins come to mind, namely Frank White (King of New York) and Walter White (Breaking Bad).
Avons’ analysis of Stringer was spot on. Not hard enough for this & not smart enough for them out there!
In the middle 😂. Even worst
A man without a country, always playing away games
Idris Elba's most iconic role of his career as Stringer Bell is literally one of the most methodical and strategic crime bosses in TV history.
Crazy that after he survived the shooting he built a career in management at a Steel company before taking an executive role at a paper company. What a great character!
Luther, Stringer he to good
I SECOND THAT
The wire definitely spring boarded a lot of careers
Nah, Stringer thought he was way smarter than he actually was. He tried to treat the dope game like a legit business but he lacked the perspective that the much less educated Avon had about what really rules the dope game. Fear and brute power. Stringer thinking he was much smarter than everyone is literally the thing that cost him his life in the end.
Idris Elba did a fantastic job as Stringer Bell. I didn’t initially realize that he was British because of how spot on his accent was.
Same, whenever I hear his actual accent it sounds fake to me lol
Same here. It took until he raised his voice for me to notice something was off. For some reason, that's often the case for foreigners doing American accents -- once they start yelling they slip up.
McNulty is British as well like in real life
I still remember the first time I heard him speak with his real british accent. I was surprised to say the least.
The fact that Stringer somehow finished school (or something equivalent to it) and went to college, and wanted to leave the criminal life behind and become a legitimate businessman shows much of who he was and what he could have become. I wasn’t happy with his death. Marlo wasn’t interesting as he was. And I wish we had more information on Stringer Bell’s upbringing.
Jimmy McNulty : " who the fuck was I chasing?
I disagree, Marlo is just as interesting, but in a different way. Stringer was addicted to money, but Marlo is pure chaos, he's basically a junkie for power and an evil force, the end of the show with him taking heavy breaths after taking the corner is like someone relapsing after having been sober for a long time.
When you think about it, we didn't even get a backstory with Marlo either. He just appeared out of nowhere.
Agreed
My issue with Marlon wasnt that I didnt think he was interesting, more that I didnt believe that this dude who didnt even know what money laundering was could end up so high on the food chain
Stringer climbing the stairs and being blocked before his death is a metaphor for him trying to climb the construction business world and not being able to make it to the top. This show is truly genius writing
Lock the door
Stringer ALWAYS fails because he underestimate people intentions. It’s very telling that he studies in macroeconomics and not microeconomics.
BOOM!
Damn….😂 I got this.
He was the queen appose to Avon being the king. He could have been the legal/business side but never the street. Avon knew that, but Stringer didn't understand it.
And it go him killed, not understanding the role of the soldier.
Your recent vids on this show made me finally watch The Wire, and boy howdy have I been missing out
I wish I could watch it for the first time again.
"You still don't get it, do you? Huh? This ain't about your money, bruh..."
That's a fact, there's a kid in here lost in admiration over stringer's deluded ambitiousness
Great video. Never really thought about Stringer's name in that way of "pulling the strings" of others and being "strung" along by others.
The way he changed his tone when D asked....Where's Wallace? Where's the boy, String?....his whole energy shifted. Mask came all the way off. I love the way they scripted this character. Thanks for the video.
Please keep it coming with your Wire videos! There's such a drought of good video essays on this show and it deserves better. Also, I love both your analysis and writing, thank you for the content!
Check out “A man’s world podcast” he has some good videos
I think a "dearth" of such videos is more accurate.
What a character, Idris played him far too well. Great analysis by the way, Stringer always thought he was smarter than everybody in the drug/street game. Downplayed Omar’s street code, thinking his personal vendetta for Brandon would help him get rid of Mouzone. Which ultimately ended in Stringer’s demise.
Hate that he wasn’t a character anymore, but there was no better way to write him off. Kudos David Chase
You mean David Simon
The best part of the wire is the street gang stuff as opposed to the police aspects, and Stringer is a big part of what makes it fascinating
So, so good, as always.
Thank you.
@@realranger6297 don't get me wrong I still love the entirety of the show and i absolutely realize how every storyline is interconnected. I just think the street gang focused segments are far more real than the cop aspects when it comes to the acting, dialogue and writing. The police segments felt like just another typical NYPD Blue style of television, particularly in the dialogue and acting (the fat slob cop behind the desk snarfin on cheetos barking orders while the snarky young Irish detective is always firing off one liner quips was old hat years before the wire was even conceived), what made the wire so much more memorable were the real aspects of the streets. Even during season two or three when the whole dock workers aspect came into play was a refreshing glimpse of fictional reality with how the actors played their parts with the dialogue, because the writing made it feel like you're actually seeing how real people talk instead of how television wants you to think people would talk. It almost felt like two different shows every time the police had screen time, the forced "jokes" in the dialogue were unnatural which is why shows like the Sopranos or Better Call Saul are so gripping: it's believable
@@realranger6297 Why yes, I'm glad you asked
@@cloudbloom idk the cop aspect of the show was very much believable to me because it’s subversive to typical cop shows. Sure, they had familiar/tropey characters, but their behavior was flawed, self-serving, and ultimately unheroic. Most cop shows try and give the viewer the notion that those working in law enforcement are all working for the greater good and actually care about the impact they have on the community at large. The Wire shows (mostly) cops acting in their own best interest, taking/refusing/sabotaging cases to move up the ladder. That’s just as real as the street gang segments to me because it’s the truth: most cops don’t actually give a fuck about the state of the public, it’s a job like any other at the end of the day
@@aarontheruler that's a great point, I think mostly I didn't like the acting during the cop segments I'm really sucked out of the believability in shows when the writing (dialogue) and acting aren't portrayed realistically but I know that's a personal problem lol
There are so many characters in fiction like Stringer. Dangerously intelligent and in control, seemingly 5 steps ahead of everyone and calculating everything.
But, what makes him one of the best characters of all time in visual media, is that those exact traits also are his downfall. He becomes the epitome of "too smart for your own good".
For example, one of my favorite details is how throughout the series he obsessively would have doors locked. This is a very smart tactic of a drug kingpin.
However when Omar and Mouzone come to get him he had no escape route from them with every door being locked. His strategic paranoia that protected him from the cops is what killed him.
A lesser show would have just had that with no context or contrived some reason to prevent his escape. But The Wire forshadowed this. And basically every aspect of his story and character had this much detail and nuance.
Ultimately his arrogant belief that he could see past the game made him too short sighted to see what the game was about.
HELL YEAH!!! So happy you’re making The Wire videos and especially Stringer one of my favs.
Stringer Bell's story reads like a classic Greek tragedy...a (anti)hero on a complex path, who the audience empathizes with, yet knows that his actions will end in his demise.
It's based in the concept of Hubris
empathy? I thought he was the worst character on the show bar none - horrid individual.
@@TC8787-yq7og OF COURSE he's a terrible individual...many antiheros are; think "Tony Soprano", "Walter White", "Nucky Thompson", etc. If a person can't appreciate complex, tragic characters, perhaps they should turn to fairy tales for entertainment.
By that logic pretty much everyone in the show is a Greek tragedy. None of them win in the end
@@f.r.etling6226 That's why the Greek tragedies are so appealing...the real world doesn't have fairy tale happy endings where one-dimensional characters live happily ever after and ride off into the sunset.
Put another way, the all-too-common Hollywood endings in modern entertainment suggests we crave escapism, which is why The Wire was a refreshing pivot for some, but too uncomfortable to watch for others.
His fall from grace hurt me the most. Man was the best second-in-command one could ask for. Smart, ambitious but also cautious. Losing Avon put too much on his plate and that's when he lost his shine.
Hey now, A Man's Gotta have a code
Running with them wolves is all fun and games until they realize you're just a pup
worse second to me very conniving but i respect the take
Im glad that someone actually respects his strategy
He had his own agenda. Dude gave up Avon to the Police, how is he the best second-in-command? He killed Avon's nephew without cause and he tried to have the muscle Avon hired killed.
Nah too greedy and for damn sure too self preserving. He and his type Gotta fall.
Great analysis, recently rewatched again and always gutted at the end of season 3 but you've distilled Stringer's arc. Probably for the best the writers didn't stretch it over 5 seasons
Shame alright. I saw an interview with David Simon before though where he said stringer tried to change the game and the game doesn't tolerate change.
Stringer is arguably the best written TV Antagonist Of All Time
I gotta put it at a 3-way tie with Stringer Bell, Gus Fring, and Homelander.
Gus fring, Anton Chigurh, Stringer bell
@@gregorio853 Anton is a film character lol
@@jakel7213 eh String has far more depth than Gus tbh. String actually wanted to bring about change to the streets for the better even though his methods weren’t the best. Gus was just a walking talking smoove capitalist machine who also wanted revenge because of what happened to his partner.
@@gregorio853 you can't put anton up there🤣🤣🤣🤣
I finished watching the wire yesterday and I always saw Stringer as the boss he’s so intimidating,smart,calculated and such a great actor .
String operates within the 48 laws of power. His only mistake was thinking his business acumen trumped out the streets. He didn't pay attention to the streets and allows his crew to become weak and lack for soldiers. The entire time Marlo was building an army and winning the perception war in the streets.
He also forgot the number one rule never outdo the master, he tried to over take Avon. Which was the ultimate failure, of Stringer was loyal and had a code. Avon would have forgiven him for his mistakes in the game. But stringer had not code, killed his nephew, lied to him multiple times and tried to take his organization from him. He did a bad job running it, Avon knew at that point what good are you to me. Can’t run my organization and you can’t even be a loyal friend.
Well done and perfectly executed. I hadn't caught the parallel between he and Wallace's fate for cooperating and the subsequent outcome (being killed by your own friend).
Fantastic Analysis.
I think a video on Christopher Moltisanti would make for a very interesting video since you made a few on Tony but not really any other characters on The Sopranos
Masterpiece of a show and masterpiece of a breakdown
You did a great job on this. First video, your analysis was spot on my guy.
Stringers such an interesting character cus he has good ideas but hes not smart enough to actually make them happen. Initially it seems like hes on the ball but by season 3 hes getting played by everyone from marlo to a downtown developer and wants to assassinate senator davis for scamming him. At the end he wasnt in the street enough to be a drug dealer, and he wasnt clean enough to be a legit developer, and the ultimate irony is that at the end of the show marlo gets the life stringer always wanted, but throws it away and returns to the street.
Can't live another Man's dream, Marlo knew that better than all of em
You are so right about the irony of Marlo getting what Stinger dreamed of and didn't even want it
But Stringer main mistake was not staying loyal to Avon. All this issues stems from him uncontrollable ambition and disloyalty toward Avon. All he had to do was be loyal and do exactly what Avon told him.
When you think about it stringer is more like Marlow then we think! Putting any and all things in second place where the game and his crew and their dominance are first place always no matter what the cost. This show is so hard man top three best shows hands down💪
Stringer bell reminds me of my cousin Who took one dietitian course and think they know everything about nutrition
I know the vibes- you couldn't shut me up after my first Psych course, couldn't tell me nothing either😤
Lmao
dunning kruger effect
Stringer failing in the "real" world is not a case of him not being smart enough. It's a classical case of him lacking the social background (hello, gangster) to know the rules of the "real" business world, either through family upbringing or a classical education career. Avon's advantage is that he never tried to play any other game but the one he knew how to play.
Amazing series analysing an amazing series. Looking forward to more insights ❤
Just like Michael Corleone, Stringer found out that you can’t legitimize a criminal business. Dirty money will always be dirty money and your past deeds will always haunt you.
Nah, look at the Kennedys.
Great analysis.
I would add the aspect of fear. This made Stinger's reactionary nature betray him.
Only thing Omar feared was going against his principles, and not getting a soft pack of Newports
Stringer is that kid who overprepared for the test and flunked anyway, trust me, I'm Indian
Stringer was more sophisticated than the average request for Bob n vagene that's for sure
No bobs n vagenes on this side of youtube my guy
Facts
Well said.
@@youknowwhoyouare2269 milk truk just arrive
I like "A man's world podcast" breakdown on this character very in- depth observations.
Nice thanks for doing the wire content 🎉
Man this was an amazing character analysis. Please do more on characters like Brother Muzone, Omar, Slim Charles, The Greek etc. You can corelate the characters of these shows back to books like the 48 laws of power. Also can you do characters from other movies and shows like Carlitos Way, Scarface, Count of Monte Cristo, Hannibal and other movies
Stringer is basically what Ghost would’ve been if he kept working under Breeze
My fav character hands down. idris did this character justice
The irony is that Stringer was actually smarter than Avon, but Avon still outsmarted him all the fucking time. Why? Because Avon was aware of his limitations, Stringer wasn't.
I appreciate the new wire content in 2023. Was convinced I’ve seen every video on TH-cam at this point.
Good commercial placement as I was playing this in the background while doing other stuff
"Here is everything Stringer says in that scene..." and cut to commercial "Lowes knows everyone is an MVP!" That was jarring.
The great thing about watching Stringer is watching a man be above the drug game in terms of how to successful run it but how he cuts himself short in the process. In the end that's what killed him.
Stringer is everyone after taking their first college course, running back to the block with basic 101 and passing it off as graduate level wisdom
@@youknowwhoyouare2269 😂
awesome analysis. best stringer bell explainer yet
The queen piece taken out by the bishop and the castle. Once the queen is taken out, its only a matter of time before the king goes down and loses the game.
Unless you sacrifice your queen purposefully as part of a strategy
Stringer would've shined if he had stayed in his own lane...
Stringer understood that his lane only led to 2 destinations: Dead or in jail. The game was rigged.
I love how literally everybody was afraid of mouzone, but Omar had him on the ropes dead to rites. Omar is a beast and the only reason zone ain't die is because Omar smart too, wanted to make sure he had the right dude, he clearly didn't after questioning him so he didn't pull the trigger
He had more bodies than a Chinese cemetery, lol
@@idkwhodidthis2990 lol part is hilarious
I feel like Marlo would have went against him no questions asked too but Marlo hit different lol
Chris and snoop don't have the capacity for fear I don't think
Brother mouzone could’ve easily killed him him
Great video. Stringer was a love/ hate character for me. By any chance could you do a video on Avon barksdale.
Thanks for such a well researched overview of this incredible series.
Great analysis! So many people really love Stringer but I’ve always been indifferent…plus he absolutely played the game wrong and caused his own demise.
Excellent commentary.
Excellent analysis!!! I wonder how many hours watching, writing, and thinking it would take to put a video like this together…
Even though the show already stated this, this little documentary has added to the fleshing out of one of the most best written characters in one of the best written shows." Not hard enough for this world, and not smart enough for their world out there ". Great observation!!!
Man this gives me some flashbacks, I started this Series in 2010 and bought and watched the final season in 2011. I originally bought the first season as something to just watch in the background, but by the end I was buying the second season, and then it really picked up around season 3. This video was great. Made me think how much I've forgotten, which will be great when I rewatch it again oneday. I think that day will be soon.
Bruh you nailed it❤️👍🏾. Great video
One other thing the narrator left out is when Stringer confessed to Avon that he had his nephew killed in prison, that pretty much made Avon realize who this dude truly was. From there, their brotherhood was dead and Avon only needed an opportunity to have Stringer executed. Obviously he didn’t count on Stringer selling him out right before that happened
Great vid. Hearing that Omar never cursed is as amazing as hearing that in Mission: Impossible, Ethan Hunt doesn't fire a gun once.
Great video, Just subscribed. More content on the wire please
I've always considered Idris' performance in this masterful series as his audition to play Lucifer...
That's how sinister Stringer Bell is and how well Idris brought him to life
Stringer never wanted to leave the game, he wanted to stay in the cut and make money off the shipment wholesale.
Stringer: _talks in clean language_
*self-snitches to Brother Muzone in the hospital*
I've really been enjoying these vids!
This was incredibly well done. Thank you.
Great video!! You capture a lot of truth and get really in-depth here.
I always found myself relating to stringer. I’m no gangster killer or anything but coming from a similar area and growing up in schools like in season 4, our goal is passive income and to get out the hood. It’s hard to try to make good honest money on your own coming from these areas. It’s a struggle and if you don’t have a good mentor to guide you and help you, you will be lost. Stringer was smart but not smart enough . He needed someone whose done it before to help him get out. He thought clay was that person.
I really like the analysis at the end about him finding out things he couldn’t outrun!
Good vid! Stringer was always one of the smartest people in the show and you helped me understand him better. Thanks!
One of my favorite character's of all time
Stinger Bell is "smart enough to get himself into trouble" he ends up getting gassed up and manipulated by everyone smarter than him.
James St Patrick from Power is a character inspired by 50 cent who is a great Businessman. James St Patrick would give you a lot to analyze therefore providing content for your channel
Great Video Analysis.... I'm sometimes torn between hating Stringer, and simultaneously feeling sorry for him. On the one hand, yes Stringer was a manipulative snake, whose own backstabbing decisions led to his demise. And at the same time I can't help but feel that if he had grown up in a different environment with better opportunities, and without the poverty that surrounded him, Stringer could have, as you say, easily ran a very successful business, without constantly looking over his shoulder for the long arm of the law.
The Wire is littered with characters like that. That's why, in my opinion it is the Greatest TV Show of All Time.
He may well be one of the most tragic characters in The Wire.
this was a really good breakdown. i feel like the story of him and avon is all to common. Avon was the muscle, he was street and knew the game in and out. Avon also had morals n principle which is why he couldnt get mad at cutty when he wanted it. He treated it like a grown man situation. string on the other hand u can tell probably grew up a little nicer probably definitely different. probably didnt come from a big family, and all these facets give u a guy that was too smart for his own good. he wasnt ever ready to " physically get down" on his own, and his lack of morals n principles (especially from a street) were poor. Marlo was like the perfect storm to what he had to deal with
Please do one on Avon. He had unique quality to him that I feel needed to be explored more.
Good video. Doesn't jump to conclusions based on conjecture. Just presents the facts of the series
Stringer Bell’s evolved Pokémon form is Roper Gong
Omar snatch up all your stash of pokiemans don't you fret none
Punishing the group to weed out the traitor is a common military tactic.
McNulty said “We got him on the wire and he doesn’t even know it.” He went out thinking he at least got away with all the crime but if Omar had been a week late…🤷🏾♂️
The Wire is full of great character arcs but my favourite was always the tragedy of Stringer Bell.
I would be curious to see how you categorized Baltimore. Maryland is a very congested sports state due to close proximity to DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Baltimore is itself a small city, but many people around the state are fans of one of the other three city’s teams, meaning B’more could meet your definition of small market.
Great analysis as always!
Awesome analysis!
I think it’s so funny that Marlo ended up achieving what Stringer was aiming for. He was able to be a legitimate business man and get out the game .
And Marlo did it by being the hardest, while string wasn’t hard enough. Marlo was probably smarter too, because he played Prop Joe; while stringer got played by Clay Davis
It’s funny how Omar ended up achieving what Marlo wanted :to be remembered:
What people always forget about the characters Avon & Marlo is that they had no desire to leave the game. So there was never any plan or strategy to implement for success outside of the game. What Avon said to Stringer was bs about him not being hard enough for the game because his ultimate goal was to leave the shit. But brilliantly, thats the big neon sign of the show : nobody escapes the vicious cycle.
I was suprised when he got smoked. I thought he'd make it out of season 3. Whats crazier a lot of these actors are now famous actors.
I fist saw Avon in "Judge Dredd" 2012, I thought he was just starting out.
I would like to see your breakdown of bubbles
His arc was the most satisfying, from nothing to something meaningful- the only happy ending in the show
Could you start doing deep dives on OZ? Maybe 6ft under? Seriously HBO had BANGERS in the late 90s-00's
Excellent take on such an interesting character
In my opinion, once Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale are out of the show it’s not as good. The first season of the Wire has the best cast and most memorable characters.
that’s cool & all but s4 is the greatest season of tv ever
This is stringer after his first econ class at community college vibes, even Icarus was bold enough to try to reach the Sun
Season 4 and 3 are the best tv seasons of all time
I think Avon kinda knew stringer had smn to do with Dee’s death reason he hesitated to dap him at the visit 🤔
You go to west baltimore, the Stringer Bell’s run the show. You go to city hall, the Clay Davis’s run the show.
Stringer Bell is the type of guy who knows he is sometimes the smartest person in the room, but THINKS he is always the samrtest person im the room. That led to his downfall.
Do Marlo Stanfield next also add Chris Partlow!
String's downfall goes right back to that prison scene in the english lit class.
He was a manipulator until he realized Davis was manipulating him. Sad for him not reaching his graduation day.
The funny thing is: Clay Davis actually warned him that he's still too green for what he was getting into, and when Bell was persistent on moving up, Daves welcomed him into his con.
Ayo lock that door
" A child playing dress up" that's a very apt analogy.
I caught him Bunk, on the wire, and he doesn't fucking know it.