The Wire (TV Series) Ebb Tide (2003) User Reviews

2x01

[formotog · 7/10 · 16 August 2020]

The introduction to season 2 was quite different to season 1. We got introduced to a variety of new characters, and honestly I feel like there's a bit too much going on. We've got what looks like a new case, but we're also keeping our eye on Stringer's new operation. We've got familiar faces in new roles, and it's looking like McNulty's gonna have a hard time doing anything of real relevance from his position. It was nice seeing the season 1 characters in their new positions, and in some cases it revealed just how corrupt the police force is. They'd rather delegate one of their best detectives to a useless unit out of spite rather than have him working on important cases, opting instead for knuckleheads for the most part. Overall it was an alright opener but not really on the level of season 1 so far

Low 7

Intriguing start to a 2nd case...

[Red_Identity · 17 June 2011]

The first episode of the 2nd season of The Wire was intriguing, if still a little uneven, although that was to be expected because that is the same way the first season started.

There is definitely a difference in tone from this season and the first, and it is apparent. I think this adds originality to it but also tells us that while many of the old characters will be back it will be focused on a different scenario. The last scene of the episode definitely gave me chills and was pretty disturbing and is foreshadowing of the type of things that we will see this season. Cannot wait to see where it goes

Prince of Tides

[snoozejonc · 10/10 · 5 April 2022]

I think this is an excellent start to the second season.

The plot is mainly concerned with updating us on the lives of previously established characters whilst introducing new faces and locations. I think this is done very effectively, aside from one or two very unsubtle exchanges of exposition dialogue.

I am intrigued by the new waterfront locale and characters. Shifting the focus off the tower blocks to another area is thematically a great move by the writers.

The scenes set dockside are all superbly made. It shows the decay and decline of an industry, but also the remaining heart of a working class culture in full swing during the scenes at the dockers' club. In the same breath characters like Frank, Nick and Ziggy all make compelling first impressions.

For me the real high point of the episode are the scenes involving McNulty. It is a very different role for the character, but what he does is typically Jimmy McNulty. It also brilliantly connects the main characters from season 1 to the new setting. It is, for me, one of the (darkly) funniest plot lines in the show. Speaking of humour, there is also plenty of great banter between Kima and Herc, Rawls and Landsman, and naturally Bunk and McNulty.

In typical Wire fashion, 'Ebb Tide' presents strong parallels, particularly between the working classes of the police force and stevedores. Lost evidence - shipping containers, instances of bribery, epic drinking sessions, and the senior figures connection to the Catholic Church.

There are some intermissions involving characters from the Barksdale crew that give a good continuity to the overarching narrative of the show. The scenes involving Bodie, are remarkable given what transpired during the first season. You should hate this character, but the writing is so clever and J D Williams conveys enough humanity that you cannot help but stay with him.

The tone of the episode is (for The Wire) reasonably light until it hits you with a brutal final scene that brings it crashing down to reality. The timing of this is very effective and hooked me into wanting to know what comes next.

All performances are wonderful as ever with the standouts for me being Chris Bauer, Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, J D Williams, and Idriss Elba.

The cinematography and editing, as ever, is great, particularly during the waterfront scenes.

For me it is a 9.5/10 but I round upwards.

Cold

[RainDogJr · 10/10 · 14 May 2009]

I'm beginning to write my IMDb comments for each episode of Season 2 of the amazing show "The Wire" after seen already the entire Season and is just as great as the first one, actually I liked a little more this one. Anyway, "Ebb Tide" is the first episode, is winter, cold days certainly, "freezing my balls off" is first line of the Season and the first line of Jimmy McNulty… Officer Jimmy McNulty of the Marine Unit I should add just to remind you that now Jimmy McNulty wears normal uniform and is in the boat. Those main characters, those characters that did nothing but a remarkable work, those that could have gone deeper in their case if not for the superiors are suffering cold professional days. Daniels suffered just what McNulty, I mean now Lieutenant Daniels is in the Evidence Division. Kima isn't happy at all also however was her own decision to be in office, after the incident that almost killed her she promised to her girl that, to be in the office without any risk. Lester Freamon on the other hand is back to the Homicide Unite (we don't see him in this episode though) but just remember the 13 years and 4 months. But anyway, there's not much going on with our guys yet but still we have great stuff with McNulty in this first 2003 episode of "The Wire". The stuff with McNulty begins when he finds the corpse of a woman floating on the water. At one point McNulty comes back to Homicide looking for his old pal Bunk Moreland and asking about the girl who was already dead before she touched the water. Is near the end when this panes but we have time to see McNulty working hard, doing things nicely just to give Colonel Rawls an extra body, is really nice, McNulty found the girl in the east side of the bridge so is work for the Baltimore County however well we see McNulty, as I said, working hard for hours…"f****** Jimmy, f****** with us for the fun of it. I gotta give the son of a bitch some credit for wit on this one" are words of Rawls, you know the case returned to his unit. But the corpse of that girl is not the only one we get to see during this first hour, actually Officer Beatrice Russell (Amy Ryan) will find about a dozen of dead girls, where? Well, inside one of the containers at the Baltimore docks. During this hour we see Detective Pryzbylewski in only one scene, pretty much hearing from his father-in-law, Major Stan Valchek, how easy he will get to be Sergeant, Lieutenant, etc. Here Valchek goes to see Father Lewandowski, by when Valchek goes we already saw another scene with the father, Valchek will be really p*ssed off and with only one name in his head: Frank Sobotka (Chris Bauer is simply fantastic as Frank, the secretary treasurer for the International Brotherhood of Stevedores). Frank is a great character and during this hour we get to meet both his son Ziggy Sobotka (James Ransone) and his nephew Nick Sobotka (Pablo Schreiber), stevedores, drunks and well you will laugh thanks to Ziggy, you know he usually shows his dick at the bar, many reasons not to blame Nick when he don't want to take his cousin with him to see the Greek, is "real people" says Nick to Ziggy however the two cousins will eventually meet with the Greeks and that's one of my favourites scenes: Ziggy ends driving Nick to see the Greek and few minutes later Ziggy with his sort of annoying voice is calling Sergei (Chris Ashworth) Boris (Sergei is Boris for the stevedores), saying "you must be the Greek" to Spiros (Paul Ben-Victor), talking about Boris and Natasha, Rocky and Bullwinkle, you know Nick will be like "shut the f*** up, huh?". Anyway Nick will return to the docks from the Greek's place with the necessary information, and what will they have in the docks by the end of the day? A dozen of corpses. Is a great Season premiere, great music also and not only the new musical theme, Tom Waits' "Way Down in the Hole" – no one can top the original, but also here we have Iggy and the Stooges and my my my my My Sharona!

class metaphors for America

[edantheman · 12 April 2011]

The prologue of this brilliant opener to my favourite season of 'The Wire' sums up what America has become: a corporatist state for the rich, in which working class Jimmy McNulty and his new boat buddy Claude Diggins carry the weight of wealthy Baltimore Yacht Club members through the dark waters of the Patapsco River as they laugh uproariously. Then the Tom Waits' theme kicks in...

This is the most tragic, unremittingly bleak season of 'The Wire'. It takes a canny few more episodes than usual for them to get a wire up on the baddies. If season one had studied race relations in the modern American city, with an almost entirely black drug element and what was then a fairly white police department, season two considers class relations regardless of skin colour as Burrell becomes the new Commissioner and the entirely white enclave of North Baltimore is explored to find the same culture of drugs and violence exists.

A war between two Polaks from the old neighbourhood is incited when Prez's father-in-law Major Stanislaus Valchek tries to have his stained glass window installed at the front of the church: a tribute to Polish-American police officers. But he's too late. Local stevedore union boss Frank Sobotka has snatched it up, but there's still a spot in the rectory. Only ol' Stash ain't takin' it. Instead, he gets a detail to investigate the reasons for Frank's unusually fat pockets.

The wire season 2 started

[thorodinson-50130 · 6 October 2021]

After finishing season 1. I stared to watch s2 just finished s2e1. Some New characters, mc nulty posted in new area, kima in indoors work. Let's how good is this season.