The Wire | How to Play Chess According to The Wire | HBO Max

[@lucybrowning2640]

Bodie's remark 'If I get to the end, then I win?' is significant. It shows that in a fight between two drug gangs, the members aren't motivated by the desire to destroy the other gang. They actually want to move up the hierarchy of their own gang. Killing the other king don't make you a winner, rising from a pawn to queen in your own gang makes you one.

[@Apfam266]

Yu broke it down 💯

[@fugglestv3830]

It's the same with the police, there's a conversation between Pres and his father in law in season 2 where the major tells him what he should do to rank up, but all Pres wants to do is catch bad guys. So many decisions that people in power make are motivated by their desire to have more power/influence and not actually by a desire to do a good job.

[@KAMProductions]

Corporate America in a nutshell.

[@SpellingBeeC]

best show

[@ducksoda7]

More so, I think it illustrates the futility of everything for them. They have no hope of moving up. They’re all sacrificial

[@Deon82]

Slim Charles. The pawn that made it and became a Queen!

[@DAllanRixxTV]

Facts, n wow, Its crazy to see that as I watched and caught on to that little clip, you wrote my exact thoughts in the comment section. that line only confirms Avon’s rifle position as King who will continue to wear the crown once he got out of prison, and that the red carpet is rolled out with his throne awaiting his presence to reign the top dog and king of Baltimore. when I heard D’Angelo explain how the pawn can only become the Queen once he made it to the other player side, which is something that went way over my head. I instantly thought about Slim Charles and started to piece together and connect the dots of every single line and dialogue that Slim Charles had explaining his position as the Queen. Like when Slim Charles, Avon and Stringer bell were in the car together right after Avon came home from prison, they we’re discussing the territory and how Marlo took over all the prime real estate. Stringer who was the Queen was trying to explain to Avon why it happened but Slim Charles kept butting in, Avon then told Stringer to allow Slim Charles to talk because they hired him for muscle but in all reality he was gradually giving Slim Stringers position. Stringer bell gave a look like hold up that’s my position. Avon sensed that Stringer was trying to take Avon’s position which was probably another reason why Avon went through with Brother Mouzone killing Stringer because he could have been taken Stringer out for what he did to his nephew and cut off his ties to NewYork all for his brother. Then Slim Charles telling Marlo that he wasn’t cut out to be no CEO, Marlo then laughed because he knew that he was in fact qualified but respected that that’s just who he was. Which now it all makes sense why he killed cheese because he would have had to be the Queen to cheese, someone who was clearly unfit to be the king. The Wire is my favorite show of all time.

[@Deon82]

@Shane Gallagher that was metaphorical, you slow sloth!

[@ejc6394]

More like the queen who became king

[@jpowers55]

@@ejc6394 no. Avon still the king and when he gets out Slim will be his new Queen.

[@henrybiggs3113]

I'd like to think Slim came into the game higher than a pawn... But without a background story, can assume he once was a pawn...💯💯💯

[@juliocruz2945]

Man, what a simple and yet deep and powerful scene. Unbelievably great writing.

[@JJJ111JJJ]

I find it horribly crass and cheesy. Chess pieces are like people, get it?! Yeah they're supposed to be...

[@juliocruz2945]

@@JJJ111JJJ The scene there is nothing to do with that man... you had a really superficial thinking lol

[@JJJ111JJJ]

@@juliocruz2945 What do you mean.

[@pniner]

"Man, we ain't got no checkers." Such a sad line. They're so used to making something out of nothing and working with garbage (check out the ancient furniture and one kid sitting on a crate). Spend 5 bucks at a dollar store and they'd have all the plastic checkers they'd need, for life. One can believe that it never, ever occurred to them to do so. I also always liked their individual reactions to DiAngelo. Wallace was intellectually curious about a game that is unquestionably more mature and strategically dense than a silly kids' game like checkers. He wanted to upgrade. Bodie resisted at first, but eventually seemed more interested in the metaphor and winning conditions than actually learning to play. The dialogue is on point with their personalities, and what we learn about them here carries over throughout the entire series.

[@johnnycage435]

I don’t think they seen life that far Bodie was up a couple 100k

[@gothamcity337]

“They be out the game early” *Looks up at Wallace

[@TalonBrush]

Oh my god, you're right! I missed that on first viewing. Is it foreshadowing or just coincidence?

[@mujahudin]

Foreshadowing fo sho!

[@stevenstocker7425]

@@TalonBrushwtf did you think it meant😂

[@mykelparris1812]

@@stevenstocker7425idk??? What if something bad happens in season 2 while he’s locked up? Wait? Where’s Wallace???

[@josenogueira9986]

This scene is maybe one of the most important scenes of the show. It's filled with foreshadowing and it serves as a motif to the entire series. At first I found that it was odd that the explanation that D'angelo gave was incomplete and was really basic, but as I watched the show my understanding of this scene began to change and I came to understand that it was very deliberate the way they wrote the dialogue. I think they deliberately left out certain moves and pieces to emphasise that although these characters are in "the game" they hardly know how to play it due to a lack of education and understanding of the inner workings of said game. Wallace, bodie and even D'angelo in the end become victims of this game and their deaths are, in my opinion, a reflection of the way this scene was written. Wallace was the first one to die and in the build up to his death they have to go up some stairs to another room where he was. To me those stairs represent a diagonal which is how the bishop moves in chess, since he didn't knew about this piece he was caught off guard and so he met his end. Bodie although he was the last one to die, was also caught off guard by a knight's move and met his end fighting in a corner like a pawn. D'angelo in the other hand knew all the pieces in the game and although he was in prison AND was a relative to the king he was killed by the piece that according to his explanation could go anywere and get shit done, the queen a.k.a stringer bell. Through out the entire series we see connections to this scene and how the writers use the game of chess as a motif and as a metafore for "the game".

[@darrellglover493]

"The game is rigged, man. Be like those little bitches on the chessboard".~ Bodie in season 4.

[@HaYouDontSay]

And the Pawn that made it across the board - Slim Charles, when he did 'attack' Cheese, he did it from an angle.

[@MobinAziziFakhr]

👌

[@dd.4910]

Brilliant analysis, thank you.

[@RaulGalhardi]

Are you serious? Hahahahaha come on... people really see what they want to see.

[@charliestewart3082]

I like how the young ones that don’t understand the WHOLE game yet are focusing on the pawns becoming the king, and D’Angelo who has much more experience knows this isn’t the way the game is played.

[@MishaElRusito]

One of the best TV series ever made along with Sopranos

[@ИльяЯкуба-з1э]

what about Breaking Bad?

[@johnlocke623]

@@ИльяЯкуба-з1э these 3 cant be ever beaten

[@kwwells9531]

@@ИльяЯкуба-з1э the wire set the tone for breaking bad. The Wire is on another level. Greatest tv show of all time

[@ИльяЯкуба-з1э]

@@kwwells9531 Maybe you're right

[@JustinStormCatcher]

@@kwwells9531 The Sopranos set the tone for Breaking Bad, not The Wire. The Sopranos created the trope of the antihero protagonist, the main character who was capable of doing bad deeds. The show forced you to root for Tony Soprano even though he was a bad person in many ways, just as Breaking Bad often forces you to root for Walter White.

[@satevo462]

"The King, stay the King, but the Pawns, if they make it all the way to the other side, they get to be Queen" The foreshadowing in that line is crazy if you know the show.

[@Rrr_558]

Slim Charles and fat face Rick

[@Detroitdawg1983]

DeAngelo was my favourite character. Extremely smart in the game, but stuck in his knight spot.

[@kanarip8798]

His only flaw was that his heart pumped kool aid

[@mattphilcarver6218]

@@kanarip8798 Nah, that was Wallace. Although I guess you could say the same about D. For all his faults, I'd say D's downfall was simply a misplay by Avon. Their opponent (the wiretap detail) had Avon flustered. When he sent D on the supply run, he was basically moving his rook out into the middle of the board with no other pieces to cover him. When Brianna went down to the detention centre, she was basically reminding D that he's a rook and he has to be sacrificed to protect the king. Or something, I dunno.

[@sdn5682]

Idk man, he's more like castle to me

[@KtotheG]

Dee wasn't smart in the game. He kept having to be schooled by Weebey, Avon and Stringer on his fuckups. He just wasn't built for the game. He should've stayed in school and opted out of the family business.

[@AreamtheGreat]

@@KtotheG i argee

[@buzzedbrain]

Bodie makes a chess reference with McNulty in the last season. Boy learned quick and retained too.

[@_meangreenjersey973]

Yeah and he was about to snitch and was a Hypocrite

[@jd-yo2is]

@@_meangreenjersey973 shut up

[@LiberiArcano]

@@_meangreenjersey973 I can agree about Bodie being a hypocrite for killing Wallace, but being a snitch? He got capped by Marlo's men because they thought he was a snitch, and that suspicion was enough to sign his death warrant.

[@xxxafterglow]

@@LiberiArcano Bodie played the game as a smart pawn - he killed Wallace bc he's a soldier. Later, he realized the game itself is rigged. There's no winning top dog. The best a pawn can hope for is serving under a benevolent king. A pawn is still a pawn.

[@mauricio460]

​@@_meangreenjersey973Snitch? Was he a devoted member of Marlo's crew?

[@georgebrobbey6882]

I feel this is the most underrated scene in TV history. The level of foreshadowing displayed in this scene is absolutely amazing. I don’t care what anyone says The Wire is one of the greatest TV shows in the last 20 years. This show was past the idea of being just about drug dealing. It was much deeper. It’s about how the 5 key pillars of social construct in America and their massive flaws. It can be related to any city not named Baltimore. It’s also the themes of each season. The war on drugs (s1), the economy (s2), politics/policing (s3), education (s4) and the media (s5).

[@Cevensities]

PREACH!!!!

[@davidsamuels9557]

Facts. Producer David Simon said this scene was meant to foreshadow the fate of D'Angelo, Bodie and Wallace. Three pawns.

[@darrellglover493]

Arguably the most important scene of the entire SERIES. The game is the game. Also....the game is rigged.

[@crap8011]

And the only way to not lose, is to not play...

[@国内関係協会部員679]

I just realised that Bodie’s remark about making it to the end is foreshadowed later when him working his corner is the thing that gets him killed - he couldn’t even move to the other side always stuck in the same position - even if he did make it out of his environment death would follow him like it did Omar.

[@XBBallplayaxXx]

if you rewatch it, his support is in a position like other pawns would support other pawns. Once his other pawns run away, Bodie goes down. Great writing

[@seanyesaki5985]

When simple metaphors reveal complex themes. This is the brilliance of The Wire encapsulated in 3 minutes.

[@johnnycnandy]

Perfect ending to this scene. Bodie gets it, D knows, but Bodie's idealism about the game gets him killed. Bodie knows this game, but after Marlo, it all changes. An amazing character

[@franciscocarvajal7858]

“What about them little bald headed @$#&* down there.” 🤣🤣🤣

[@sourabhjamwal2190]

Greatest line ever delivered

[@twiceshy9773]

This season of The Wire was truly some of the best things ever seen on television

[@markeithhunt6321]

This season 1 episode 2. All American was truly some of the best things ever seen on television 📺. Too.

[@nataliemscrzysxycoolharris9623]

I can look at this series all day, everyday. It’s so true to life.

[@StreamOnMax]

So good!

[@edwardhudson9851]

It's a masterpiece Madam,it raised the bar probably so much it will never be touched again imo

[@viniciuseneas4036]

For me, this is one of the Top 5 iconic scenes from The Wire, a show that is full of iconic scenes.

[@01warmus]

They say skillful analogies are one of the hallmarks of intelligence, after many years this is still one of my favorites. The writers made great use of dialog to focus on the relevant parts of the game, hits hard because its true not just in Baltimore, its the same everywhere.

[@generalmortars7557]

The writing on this show, man. Epic stuff.

[@enterthebruce91]

Props to David Simon, Ed Burns, George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane and others for the impeccable writing throughout five brilliant seasons of The Wire. The Queen's Gambit, Godless, Tokyo Vice, Blue Eye Samurai, Beef and Succession have top tier writing as well! The Wire and Boardwalk Empire are my joint top TV shows of all time! Some of my favourite writers are George Pelecanos, David Koepp, Scott Frank, Terence Winter and Steve Zaillian.

[@dooval434]

He move one space any damn way he please cuz he’s the king! But he ain’t got no hustle!! Epic!!

[@toneriggz]

The Real Queen’s Gambit

[@spencergadoury]

One of the best scenes in media as a whole. Just brilliant

[@victordesouzasperduto]

the best chess and crime explanation i ve ever seen in any fiction of pop culture or in real life,queens' gambit is another great series,but it could learn how to teach with the wire.

[@QNPMEDIA]

The thing is though. He's not explaining crime, he's explaining America. This metaphor works in all 5 seasons which all explain systems of power and control; 1. Organized crime v Policing 2. Economics v The working Class 3. Politics v People 4. Education v the Future 5 The Media v The Consumer. We are all pawns in every system.

[@victordesouzasperduto]

Yes i know that,you are right, It refers to many things,society in general,and one of them is crime too,Not the only one,but still

[@MishaElRusito]

Michael B Jordan as Wallace, I was so saddened when he got killed by Boddie

[@trabo2]

Wish they didn’t add the “Like your uncle” and “reminds me of stringer” lines. I think the audience is smart enough to put it together.

[@reddsmoke904]

They was putting it together too lol

[@echegaraysofia]

Isn't this scene in like the first or second episode? Speaking for myself - no, we're not. Not at that point. The Wire just explodes on your with like 30 different characters, it is really confusing the first watch through.

[@kivanihabhouse3467]

This series is unmatched

[@kimberleymansfield1099]

This remains one of the greatest peices of writing and acting ever!! Brilliant in every way!

[@BaKimura03]

Bodie having his final meal with McNulty… in the garden with. Hess pieces. He was one of the final pieces (pawns) from the Barksdale crew… and he fell. This was def foreshadowing.

[@Lionheartx675]

Okay fine, I'll watch the Barksdale saga again.

[@zooropa04]

This scene is legendary. Symbolism abound.

[@grahamroy910]

This is one of the best and most important scenes in television history. Can you guess why it wasn’t appreciated by the Emmy’s in its time?

[@placeholdername3206]

I love how the last scene where you see Poot, hes working a retail job in a Foot Locker type sportswear store. Hes dressed in a referee style black and white striped shirt. Poot turned out to be the smartass pawn

[@InstantClassic8]

Such a classic scene

[@guyb6665]

Bodie and Wallace self aware pawns

[@lachlancampbell5679]

2:48 'you get to be queen' i swear a hip hop song sampled that line, can't remember which

[@KSoloLoso]

My favorite scene. RIP D'Angelo Wallace and Bodie. These 3 were supposed to leave the game and move out of state and move on.

[@Sco3000]

best show of all time

[@talickkaddu1159]

D’Angelo what a character!

[@TheBlackKakashi]

The only show where watching one clip can turn into ten clips

[@kasandrapurplekitten]

This is foreshadowing on how they approached Bodie when they killed him

[@franchisesapa7790]

Good call. They approached him from the sides like pawns fighting

[@stephendavis6267]

@@franchisesapa7790 No, Chris and Snoop approached him diagonally like bishops and O-Dog took one step out and two steps forward and took Bodie down like a knight. Notable, these are the two pieces that D'Angelo didn't teach Bodie about.

[@chroniclesofduragon]

i just noticed bodie has a durag on to make him look like the pawn that got hit off the board in dangelos example

[@yusef21595]

The king stay the king

[@franiokaplon]

It's kinda wholesome that in the free time those two gangstas are playing checkers

[@taferzz]

Congrats on 400k subs hbo ❤️❤️

[@BirdGang6]

Some of the most brilliant tv to ever exist

[@soundsidecolour]

And at the end of the day, all the pieces go back in the same box

[@kams5917]

Music at the beginning of the video ??

[@DrOCkABlEs]

Can anybody tell me the song at the beginning of the scene?

[@LynneConnolly]

I'm British, and I've seen some great TV drama. Watch Denis Potter's stuff for an example. And the greatest ever exponents of Shakespeare. But this? The Wire was new, and it was special. I saw Deadwood, which came out before The Wire, and it was obvious something new, different and exciting was happening. Then there was The Wire. The acting, the writing, the way it was staged blew me away. Deadwood took a more classical approach, but The Wire, following on from Homicide reflected real life as it was, but added an extra layer, which made it universal and everlasting. It's that important.

[@TtotheCizzel]

I think there might be a metaphor to this chess talk

[@ringkunmori]

With moments like this, I wonder if Deangelo survived up to season 4 he could have turned his life around and became a teacher.

[@strangebrew1231]

McNulty was going to visit him in prison and see if he changed his mind about snitching in Season 3 but he was already killed

[@myronedmond9500]

She got all the moves

[@dizzlegrizzle1919]

the most memorable scene for me

[@Robin-uj4bo]

HBO Max grant our wish and give Firebreather a show!!! We need it!!! #bringbackFirebreather

[@absbee98]

so much foreshadowing and for real stuff in this scene. You become the king and for how long?

[@esoterictrini]

Be honest...you didn't know how brilliantly important this scene was when we were just watching it at the time. Looking back at how each character's experience ended...mannn!!!! Nothing kn television ever written and acted like The Wire... Nothing!

[@genericusername546]

I'll be honest: the first time I saw this scene I thought it was extremely heavy-handed and obvious - and I still do. The symbolism feels forced and is laid on way too thick. The Wire is my favourite show, but it got much, much better and more subtle than this.

[@vibe2118]

The Sopranos exist lol

[@JoaoGuilherme-or5cf]

DeAngelo remarks makes more sense when we see the end of Bodie.

[@The_Zilli]

that's right my boys, be smartass pawns.

[@greitasopelis5542]

Amazing scene.

[@darrenfleming7901]

This scene is one of the most skilful ways to do exposition in any show or movie ever. It conveys so much information about the plot and characters in so little time while feeling completely natural and realistic for these characters to be doing. Just think about all the things that are developed or foreshadowed in this scene: -Setting up that Avon is the king, that everyone knows he's the king, and that he generally doesn't get close to the action which is extremely relevant to the entire police investigation against him. -Setting up that Stringer is more active in the operations than Avon and that this is a point of tension between the two, which is at the core of their relationship as the show goes on. -Developing Wallace's character by showing that he's impressionable and that he doesn't really participate in the game with conviction or understand everything going on but mostly follows authority figures or even role models like D'Angelo is to him. Extremely relevant to his arc with the stick up boy and his eventual snitching. -Developing Bodie as someone who understands the game and the role he's in but isn't willing to accept it and has the conviction to move up the ladder, thinking that he can stand out and prove himself to advance. Extremely relevant to Bodie's evolution and a tragic foreshadowing of Bodie's end, as he eventually realizes that conviction and competence don't get you any merit and that the game chews you up just the same. -Developing D'Angelo as someone who understands the game perfectly well and, more importantly, who is already critical and self-aware of his role in it. We see that he knows he's a pawn and that is the core aspect of his character, that he is too clever to just play the game and get chewed up and so he's way more worried and self-conscious about it than the other players. In just three minutes, this scene clarifies and fleshes out the main plot of the first season and lays out the themes and dynamics of basically the entire Barksdale organization and the people involved. This is truly expert writing and acting and it's why this show is so legendary.

[@xxxafterglow]

Fantastic writeup. And totally agree. This show is a masterclass in writing.

[@taxidriver2146]

it's either play or get played

[@ctez1023]

one of my favorites scene from the show

[@kylecruel]

Sad truth in all the wisdom here... each one of them got taken out. Knowing how the game works still can't save you from the game.

[@Arlo-s6f]

How to doing??

[@JayBassoon]

Later when D'Angelo lost the figurative chess match in controversial fashion, he was heard yelling, "Tainted beat!" (Or was that in another series?)

[@3lancerofficialmaybe871]

I watched this scene before and after I watched season 1 and wow

[@DmitryMarkelov152]

what is wrong with the sound in other version the sound is better that is some surround sound tech

[@apollobx709]

Amazing scene

[@akuzikemauluka1086]

The Game all along is chess, not checkers. Protect your king at all costs. Pawns are disposable

[@mikoajnowak5104]

Slim became the top dog and promoted to Queen

[@nastyboir822]

But what does the knight do?

[@VoltitanDev]

If only Brodie knew about the Bishops and knights

[@FalconsFanForever]

But pawns can become top dawg but u can become a queen a night or bishop

[@blockablocka7608]

so this is the beginning of killmonger's sick obsession of being king of wakanda

[@joshveall7092]

Guy said castle like 😂

[@strawbertco]

o-dog was a knight because when he killed bodie he left the alley and went one square forward and then turned 90 degrees to his left and went two squares and then captured body by shooting him the head multiple times

[@CeluiEtSeul]

Who's the Knight though?

[@matasa7463]

Bodie was taken out by a knight.

[@TnsToad]

Botez be like the Queen is worthless.

[@didimean]

The Wire, Gomorrah, Sopranos, Peaky Blinders, and Boardwalk Empire. Best crime dramas out there - can't think of anything else that comes close to these gems.

[@mappingshaman5280]

Breaking bad

[@didimean]

@@mappingshaman5280 Dang - knew there was something I missed.

[@Lingue101]

GM Deangelo barksdale

[@kanyackenobi7923]

He forgot the bishop.

[@MrLamont1975]

All three of them were just pawns.

[@Varnika835]

''"Parents are like shuttles on a loom. They join the threads of the past with threads of the future and leave their own bright patterns as they go."'',

[@RR_DM]

...my father taught me how to play laddy. Chess and life are very similar because after it all, all the players end up in a pine box🏀

[@RR_DM]

(he wasn't really good)

[@abdulali2252]

Remind me of string

[@dimitrifyodorovickaramazov]

02:55 I love how Bodie fantasizes about being the pawn who aspires to become a Queen. He is not in the right mindset to get the game.

[@jacobtupua6158]

All 3 of them died. So, you could say all 3 of them were pawns.

[@idicula1979]

I’m like a ghetto as king, who got no hustle.

[@mariacastillo4121]

#BRINGBACKINFINITYTRAIN #SAVEINFINITYTRAIN #BOOK4INFINITYTRAIN

[@afunnyusername5599]

I wouldn't be taking tactical advice from D'Angelo

[@hammbaby]

"the king stay the king" Not exactly, and it shows when you get people who have unmoving conviction to rise to the top AKA Marlo.

[@01warmus]

He is just a new player at the table, playing aggressive. The game is the game, think understanding it is the point of this scene and the show.

[@cuddybud5316]

The Wire > sopranos

[@1chienandalou]

Yeah man, I don’t even understand the comparison. Just imagine that people must’ve slept through the wire…

[@Mr.Frog21]

Both are amazing shows perfect in their own ways, I can't compare them to be honest.

[@curtiscarpenter9881]

Life is like chess simple to play to move all peices, bit to get it, it takes practice and practice makes perfect...🤯

[@GeorgiePats]

3:14

[@jwouter]

That money was way to clean to be drug money 💰 😂😂

[@brianellinger6622]

nah,... they aint supposed to be allowed to do that everywhere i go,....

[@linoquinn6384]

the jurassic dead (2018) movie hbo max✔