The Wire (TV Series) Old Cases (2002) User Reviews

1x04

[formotog · 8/10 · 7 August 2020]

Very good again. I'll mention the obvious scene first; they managed to make re-enacting a crime scene using only profanity an enthralling experience. The way The Wire introduces and develops its characters with such subtlety is very impressive. One thing I will say is the vertigo shot is becoming a bit overused but other than that, this show is continuing to be very engaging and very well written

Low 8

"Thin line between Heaven and here."

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 8 June 2022]

Beginning with a lightly comic interlude as some of the men on the unit try in vain to move a desk through a door (with not all of them on the same page regarding WHERE the desk is going), 'Old Cases' soon gets down to business. Bodie, one of D'Angelos' henchmen, escapes detention by pretending to be a janitor. Herc and Carver intend to pursue their typical brand of law & order until Herc converses with Bodies' grandmother and experiences a change of heart. And McNulty & Bunk go over an old crime scene (wherein they indulge in 38 liberal doses of F-bombs and F-bomb variations) to see if they can tie it to the usual investigations of the unit.

'Old Cases' has some appealing scenes where we get to see different sides of some of the main characters. For example, we get a sample of Greggs' home life with her partner, and we get to meet McNulty's ex-wife and son. McNulty realizes that he's been under-valuing unit member Detective Freamon, who's one of those very quiet but very efficient types. (It's Freamon who's able to discover D'Angelos' pager number.) This leads to a great scene in which McNulty gets to know his associate a bit better; we learn that Freamon had been unfairly bounced out of homicide and then spent over a dozen years on the pawnshop detail. We also spend a bit more time with the cunning street character Omar Little (the late Michael Kenneth Williams), who'd brazenly ripped off Avon in the previous episode; in another of this episodes' standout moments, Avon gathers his associates to reveal the price that he has put on Omars' head.

This viewer can't say enough good things about this cast or this writing staff; they always hold my attention with their flair for grittiness, their colorful dialogue, and their attention to detail. Great stuff.

Eight out of 10.

Highly realistic

[851222 · 8/10 · 10 October 2023]

Greetings from Lithuania.

"The Wire" episode 4 of season 1 was another solid episode in a series which i just started to watch. I know i'm late to the party but sometimes great things come later. I haven't read any synopsis prior watching The Wire, only heard praises about it.

What striked me the most in this episode as well is in previous is a gritty reality this show is taking place in. Dialogs sounds real, characters are like real people and not movie detectives. All of the so far are interesting to watch and absolve. The plot is building up slowly but i kinda like it - it takes its time to flesh out the place, characters and plot. I like it very much so far.

A taste of real police work

[MaxBorg89 · 10/10 · 13 February 2009]

The first three episodes were just an appetizer of sorts: this is where the first season of The Wire gets real and serious, with the investigation actually heading somewhere and the characters interacting in a way that's never been seen on television before.

As usual, it starts with a teaser that has nothing to do with the main narrative: in this case, Herc, Carver and the others trying to move a desk through a door, without knowing each one has different ideas as to where the freaking thing is supposed to go. After the credits, the real deal begins: Bodie, one of D'Angelo's henchmen, escapes from protective custody and returns on the streets, while Herc and Carver continue with their brutal arrest method until Herc has a change of heart after meeting Bodie's grandmother. Back at Homicide, McNulty and Bunk take a look at an old case to see if it can be tied to the Barksdale gang, while Avon informs Stringer and the others that there's a substantial reward for anyone capable of killing Omar. Finally, Lester has reason to celebrate after achieving a partial success with the pager operation.

Whereas Episodes 1-3 were meant to establish the premise and set the story in motion, Old Cases is all about character interactions, with a few minor exceptions (Lester getting D'Angelo's pager number being the most obvious). In fact, the conversations between these people fit in seamlessly with the overall plot, and give us some valuable insight as far as psychology is concerned. The biggest example is of course the first appearance of McNulty's ex-wife Elena (Callie Thorne), a brief scene that speaks volumes about the show's troubled protagonist without giving away too much. The tone shifts from oddly touching (Omar talking to his boyfriend) to laugh-out-loud funny (Rawls and Landsman discussing McNulty's "addiction to himself" with as many derogatory terms as one can think of) without making the changes seem contrived or out of place.

In addition, the episode contains the most hilarious scene of police work ever filmed (and the humor is entirely unintentional): McNulty and Bunk observing a crime scene and recreating the murder with an audio description that consists largely of repeated uses of the F-word (the wonders of HBO). They're never going to show that on Law & Order, that's for sure.

F***! An amazing episode of television

[Jemiah · 10/10 · 16 January 2007]

This is an exceptional episode of a consistently exceptional show. There's a confidence in changing the rules by which the TV game is played that I have rarely seen matched. This show is genius, and knows it. It's not about actors or cinematography, though it excels in both areas. This is a show that is all about story, and it's immaculate - no waste, no loose edges. The scene in this episode where a crime scene is re-enacted by two cops is a masterpiece - no real dialogue, just a disarming stream of f-bombs which I realized after a few moments perfectly illuminated the way that these two detectives work together; they have an interactive flow, outlined by but not described by obscenity, that reflects the show in miniature. What other show is so well-structured, intellectually challenging, emotionally engaging, and completely entertaining?

F#&k! The entire dialog form an important sequence.

[phlbrq58 · 10/10 · 9 October 2019]

This is one of the great eps. One of the exemplary, great eps of all long form dramas. If U don't know what I'm talking bout, I don't know why you've read this far. As an evangelist for The Wire episode 4 is the one that hooks ya.

Obviously, I gotta open my eyes and admit to myself that my whole night is ruined

[snoozejonc · 10/10 · 22 March 2022]

Bunk and McNulty work an old unsolved homicide, whilst Phelan demands more progress from the Barksdale case.

This is a great episode with a number of memorable scenes.

There is a lot going on in 'Old Cases' and it's all excellent.

The fallout from the previous episode's enforced raid on the low rises includes great scenes involving characters like Bodie, Herc, Carver, Phelan, Burrell, Avon, Stringer, and Omar. Actions and events impacting characters from the top to the bottom of the command brilliantly connects everything and everyone.

Lester Freamon gets some good screen time and development. This character has been on the periphery until now and the clever sidelining of the character makes his contributions here more impactful. His exchange with McNulty is so memorable that ever since I first watched the scene, many years ago, I have always kept my mouth shut when the powers-that-be at my place of business inquire about my professional ambitions.

A major theme in the visual storytelling is the numerous contrast between 'heaven and here'. We see this in several different forms, most notably in two scenes involving Bubs that transition brilliantly. However, it is quite apparent throughout many of the visuals and dialogue throughout the episode.

On the subject of visuals, this episode contains one of the most famous sequences in the show's history. I won't spoil, but it is nicely set up by an earlier scene and involves copious use of the f-word.

Generally, the whole episode is full of great moments where the cinematography, transitions and general editing is top drawer.

All actors are fantastic as ever with the likes of Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, Andre Royo, Delaney Williams, Sonja Sohn, Lawrence Gilliard Jr, and J D Williams on top form.

Pagers

[RainDogJr · 10/10 · 27 April 2009]

We saw Lester doing some interesting things during the previous episode and in this one, "Old Cases", McNulty and company will finally "discover" Lester. During the previous hour Lester found something that McNulty and Greggs really need at one point of this episode and at that same point is when the detail finally "discover" Lester. Here we have a little talk between the Deputy and Daniels in which Daniels says "McNulty says this case needs a wire", here we have something else for the case: the Barksdale people use pagers instead of cell phones, Greggs say they should continue with the buy busts if they don't want to go further otherwise they could "clone a couple of pagers, see where that take us" and there is when Lester enters to "save" everybody, Lester enters with D'Angelo's number and with a picture that proves that the number is correct. Pretty much Lester was like McNulty and because of that he ended in the Paw Shop Unit (where he worked for 13 years…and 4 months), you know for doing police work his superior asked him where he didn't want to go and he said he didn't want no f****** paper shuffle or office s*** then he was transferred to the Paw Shop Unit. Now after 13 years and 4 months of that Lester has a piece of advice for McNulty but damn since episode 1 we know where McNulty don't want to go!

"Old Cases" has in it what is absolutely one of my most favourite scenes of Season 1, a great part with McNulty and Bunk recreating a murder that may have a connection with D'Angelo. There's the owner of the apartment in which the murder took place seeing both McNulty and Bunk working and is like "what is thinking this man while seeing McNulty and Bunk?", well at least the man never leaved the scene and never stop looking at the detectives, I think the man was just impressed because of everything, from the fact that in the apartment a woman was murdered, the way that McNulty and Bunks work to the fact that the word f*** was said between both McNulty and Bunk about 40 times! Hilarious scene and certainly it shows that both McNulty and Bunk are truly good detectives. And Omar and his men (including his boyfriend Brandon, played by Michael Kevin Darnall) are certainly wanted dead or alive by Avon. As "The Wire" goes on the episodes seems to be getting shorter and shorter!

Intriguing start...

[Red_Identity · 12 June 2011]

For anyone who loves film and television, it was only a matter of time that I was going to give The Wire a go, seeing as how it is considered one of the finest series of TV.

I saw the first four episodes tonight, and I can say that the show has slowly weaved me in. I do not expect to see ground-breaking stuff on a TV show this early, and I do not like to just anticipate how good a critically-acclaimed TV show will be. I can say that I am very much into the plotting and characterization of the first four episodes. There are a lot of characters, and surely has been kinda hard to keep track of all of them. But I don't think it matters because there is pretty much always something going on.

I will not say that any of the first four episodes were incredible, but this is definitely something that I will continue to devote some time to. I don't want to rush it though.

Old case

[gedikreverdi · 26 November 2021]

Dee killed a woman who'd date his uncle and he had to kill her when she started to threaten the uncle. Lester who used to make pawnshop lists found the pager number of Dee an they'll clone their pagers to track their callings. And Bonie from the courtyard fled the juvenile and headed back to the low rises.