The Wire Season 5 Episode 7: King of Diamonds

"Ain't you the King of Diamonds," Bunk sarcastically remarks to McNulty, as McNulty hands out resources to a revitalized Baltimore police - revitalized because McNulty's charade about a serial killer of homeless people has galvanized everyone from the Mayor on down. No "weak shit" this, as Bunk termed this a just a week or two ago.

McNulty started off the show with a great performance as the putative serial killer, putting in a new call to Scott Templeton, his contact at the Baltimore Sun - a conspirator in his own sham on the same serial killer, which McNulty is taking good advantage of. Freamon compliments McNulty on his fine Baltimore accent in the phone call. The comment is especially and meta-well deserved: Dominic West's accent from the east, old side of the Atlantic is so strong that I can sometimes barely understand the actor when he speaks as himself. McNulty's accent in The Wire is just another part of West's tour de force performance.

But McNulty may be getting more than he bargained for. His self-created "red ball" may be drawing so much attention that it could conceivably backfire and land McNulty and Freamon both in hot water, or worse.

Back at the Baltimore Sun, McNulty's priming of the pump with the phone call is having just the effect desired. But Gus is growing increasingly suspicious of Scott. I'd say it's just a matter of time until Gus figures out what's really going on, and/or Scott cracks.

Meanwhile, there's a priceless scene in a bar with Richard Belzer - Munch - in evidence! Gus walks right by him, and I would have loved to see him break character for an instant and say hello as old Meldrick to Munch! But it was almost as much fun to almost see that.

Lots of other good things in this episode, including Omar on the hunt. He kills one of Marlo's muscle, and lets Michael know he did it - all to get Marlo to come on down and fight him...

And State Senator Clay Davis (finely played by Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) won his case! Shee...eet! I know he's corrupt, but I was glad. (Right, I sometimes root for the bad guys...)

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Only a few more episodes left ... a superb, finale season!

See also The Wire's Back! Review of Season 5 Episode 1 and Episode 2: The Great, Dangling Conversation ... 3. McNulty and Marlo ... 4. One Down ... 5. Media Chasing Their Own Tales and Tails ... 6. Superman Omar and Tall Stories ... 8. Two Down ... 9. Cold, Killer Sweetheart ... 10. The Wire Bows out Gracefully

When Will iPhone Make Its Debut In a Major Television Series?

Last night's episode of Californication - the new, hilarious Showtime series - had a scene which, for some reason, rang a real bell with me. Hank is writing a blog post for his new gig at Hell-A Magazine in Los Angeles, and his laptop freezes. He throws it on the floor, then goes out to a local Apple store - from which he writes and posts his story.

Now, actually, I was sort of doing the same thing from a local Starbuck's parking lot in the middle of the night a few weeks ago during a power failure - I was able to log on and buy some wi-fi - but the Apple store in Californication got me thinking: when will an iPhone make its first appearance on a television show - in which series?

Well, it won't be Battlestar Galactica, where digital media are banned - lest the humans be further compromised by Cylons - and the phones are attached to walls with wires. It won't be Lost, either, which is not quite yet in the present (though anything is possible after that mind-blowing Season 3 finale in May).

Otherwise ... well, if we're talking about the first appearance of an iPhone, we'd likely do better to look for shows playing in the Fall with new episodes - which would leave out 24 and its January new season debut. (Otherwise, 24 - suggested by Kabren Levinson, no relation, in response to my posing this question over on Pownce, and by Tenacious MC over on my iphonematters blog - would be a great choice.)

Let's also keep this question focused on major, scripted series. Chris Wolf said over my iphonematters blog that an iPhone was spotted on TLC's Big Medicine, but as Aaron H noted, this game is more fun when we stick with fictional characters. Obviously, iPhones have been on a lot on TV news shows already. But we can give Big Medicine a footnote.

OK - so major, scripted series ... certainly any of the Law and Orders, "ripped from the headlines," could sport an iPhone, and probably will, sooner or later. When that happens, I predict it will mostly likely be in the hands, or at least the view, of John Munch (Richard Belzer's digitally savvy character).

But let me offer a flat-out, unfuzzy prediction. I have no inside information, but I predict the first iPhone we'll see will be in .... Heroes ... on NBC ... on a late-November episode.

Why? Because Heroes is technologically cool and sharp, with characters moving around a lot in need of constant, explicit, multi-dimensional information (that's why 24 is a good bet, too). I bet there already may be an iPhone scripted for an episode (and, if not, who knows, maybe all of this talk might encourage that).

In any case ... let's check back here in the November, and see if I'm right ...




Further reading ...

Californication Continues

Galactica Dylan (spoilers)

Lost: Season 3 Finale (spoilers)

24: Season 6 Finale (spoilers)

Heroes: Season One Finale (spoilers)

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The Plot to Save Socrates

"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book