One of my all-time favourite McNulty scenes in The Wire comes in season three, episode seven, “Backburners”. Jimmy and co arrest a few low-level drug dealers, only for them to angrily insist they were on their way to Hamsterdam, leading to Bunny Colvin to come down and explain that he’s chosen to start looking the other way when drug deals are happening. This is almost a parallel to the Avon scene I highlighted once; while Sydnor and Greggs are immediately disgusted and outraged, Jimmy is standing there, almost completely silent for once in his life, listening with an open mind. I always love when one character is completely still and surrounded by chaos, and you can see him weighing up the pros and cons of what he’s hearing.
Then he takes Bunny aside – having served under him as a detective once and considering him a friend – and hears him out without interruption. As sympathetic as he is, he’s deeply concerned that Bunny’s gotten himself in deep with something he can’t get out of, and when he asks how much the bosses know, Bunny tells him the one thing he wants to hear: “Fuck the bosses.” He can’t help but smile widely, and now he’s 100% in on the plan.
One of the things about Jimmy is that everyone knows his two parallel motivations: to solve crime and to be the most correct man in the room. The funny thing about being the most correct is that you don’t actually need anyone to agree with you, and indeed dissent only proves how smart you really must be. Frankly, Jimmy was in his element in the first season, when he was the loudmouth heretic speaking truth to power; by this point, he’s been humbled a bit, setting him up for his life in season four.
What interests me here is that Jimmy’s obnoxious goals and flaws are so visible that, in a roundabout way, he’s actually quite predictable. It’s not that he’s easy to manipulate, but he is actually pretty easy to please. I absolutely love how delighted he looks to hear exactly what he wanted to hear, and he’s immediately on Bunny’s side. What I find funny is, sure, playing things close to the chest means you can protect yourself, but being as open about what you want as Jimmy can make you easier to negotiate with; he almost allows himself to be manipulated.
Admittedly, Bunny isn’t trying to manipulate him at all, but still – the way to get people to do what you want is to give them what they want, and there is no better way to get James ‘Jimmy’ McNulty on your side than to say ‘fuck the bosses’. If you look at the comments on Youtube, you can see dozens of commenters remarking on how delightful his response is. This is what comes with being a predictable person; it requires a certain vulnerability, but there’s nothing more helpful to a community than to be someone who responds predictably.
About the writer
Tristan J. Nankervis
Tristan J Nankervis (aka Drunk Napoleon) has been a writer, pop culture critic, dishwasher, standup comedian, waiter, potato cake factory worker, gamer, TV worker, and various other things. You can find him in Hobart, Tasmania.
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Department of
Conversation
What did we watch?
Frankenstein (2025)
A decent adaptation. All the changes – including the ending – basically shift it to be closer to The Shape Of Water, including del Toro’s sympathy for monsters over normal people (aside from giving Victor daddy issues). In some ways it’s the best del Toro we can get, lifting the responsibility for writing a deep or complex story form him and allowing him to focus on his incredible visuals – the boyfriend and I agreed the castle he created the Creature in was the best set in the story, and I was delighted by del Toro bringing a Ligotti-esque horror into things with the two experiments being incredibly fucking disturbing things to imagine having consciousness.
(The boyfriend did not care for the story making Victor more sympathetic or making the Creature hot)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This is alright. The emotional effect isn’t as great as it could be; every line of dialogue is of the ‘telling you the point of the scene’ school of thought, and the direction gives you the gist of an emotion rather than making you feel it intently – I should be extremely susceptible to dementia stories, but this inspired more of a shrug and a nod. It kind of reminded me of Law & Order, where the clear-eyed intentions and dramatic structure keep me compelled but it cuts through scenes way too quick to get me to feel anything. Still, as far as essays performed by actors go, it’s alright.
Yellowjackets
I’m into season three. I was told the show runs out of steam, and I can kind of see it – the show is working hard to NOT reveal information about its twists – but I do think it successfully maintains the drama, and indeed season three is doing a lot better about creating incident and drama in the wilderness era at this point. The characters have pretty much lost their minds at this point, particularly Shauna – I see her as someone with no central core, which makes her very intensely reactive in an almost Vendrellian way.
“All the changes – including the ending – basically shift it to be closer to The Shape Of Water” — No! No!!
I think there’s a case to be made for a hot Creature! Frankenstein is revolted and appalled by him after he makes him, but there is a bit in the book where he talks about how he specifically selected his features to be handsome. Most adaptations take the handsomeness as a delusion, but it’s an interesting and Del Toro-ish touch to potentially take the post-nut-clarity repugnance as a delusion instead, and one that’s just as self-serving in its way.
You can’t just be giving pure diamonds like “post-nut-clarity repugnance” away for free, this belongs in a museum.
Live music — hanging out with friends, playing some songs and karaokeing others. Learned the incredibly useful information that a buddy is hugely creeped out by “Mr. Sandman,” at least my rendition of it, so guess what he’s going to be hearing a lot more of.
Woooooo live creepy music!!
Frankie Freako – A very weird, intentionally retro/campy spin on Gremlins and Little Monsters, with a square guy having his life and house turned upside down when he calls a hotline run by some “freako” puppets. Not at all as good as it could be and the budget is obviously limited, apparently in keeping with Astro 6. Still, I got some laughs from the sheer absurdity of the dialogue (“We met in gun school”) and how textured and grotesque the freakos are. On Tubi.
Speaking of the below comment, Atun Shei Films’ video essay on Frankenstein is extremely good, I have 20 minutes left.
The Doctor and the Devils
For Movie Club. This is an interesting, rich flick: I’m not sure it completely fulfills its ambitions, but I like its reach. A Victorian-set film that actually feels like it captures the sprawling, dramatic polyphony of some of the best Victorian novels, with some Dickensian grubbiness and grotesquerie. I wanted it to lean a little more into exploring and dramatizing its questions of moral responsibility, but it at least brushes up against all that and provides plenty of atmosphere and some very well-constructed scenes of escalating, uncomfortable horror. It has a fluid approach, rarely going to the same well twice, and that serves it: its top two horror scenes both involve a woman in grave danger, but in one case she knows and in the other she doesn’t, and the film mines different kinds of terror from both setups.
Witchfinder General
Dave is right, “bleak” is the word for it. (A movie that looks cheap but uses its cheapness: this is an uncomfortable world without much pleasure and beauty, a world that is saving its money to make people burn.) Almost any recognizable sense of order here has given way, creating a world that looks ordinary until a walking cancer like Matthew Hopkins comes to town–invited, like a vampire–and reveals that your neighbors will stand by and listen to your screams and watch you burn alive because hey, it’s something to do. Because you got on the nerves.
And Hopkins, despite being played by Vincent Price, is not–and this is a terrific move on Price’s part–even magnificently, grandiosely awful; you can’t even savor any smack of ham. He’s an enemy you can’t respect, one who will turn tail and run if he meets an equal threat, but he’s an enemy you can fear, one who will often have the whole weight of the law and the town behind him. The closest villain comparison I can think of is PSH in MI:III: this is a man who barely enjoys anything, who only shows flickers of engagement when it comes to money or power. He initially, halfheartedly presents himself as a true believer, the chillier counterpart to his assistant’s relished sadism, but he gives it up as he goes along until he’s openly saying to same assistant that they can simply declare any enemies they have to be witches and so get license to torture and murder them. Price never plays this like is a development or Hopkins discovering something new about himself. He’s flatly pleased from beginning to (almost) end, interested in creating horrors but really feeling much more than that. A professional monster who will do what he’s allowed to do, who has mild contempt for his audience but still knows how to put on a show.
And there’s no escape from him, because there’s no one to appeal to. There’s no system here anymore, just brute strength against brute strength, luck against luck, and so the only recourse, really, is to have your army buddies back you up, but by then you’ll be maddened, hacking away or screaming, with emptiness in your eyes. It’s fine, though, because most of this was authorized, or semi-authorized, or it got a bit out of hand, but it’s over now, and most people weren’t affected by it anyway. Grueling.
Don’t Look Now
This gets a full write-up on Wednesday’s YOTM/Streaming Shuffle article, so I’ll save it for then.
Beyond the Hills
This technically fits the description I’d heard of it–a young woman is reunited with an old friend (and childhood sweetheart) who has become a nun in a desolate rural monastery, and the monastery attempts to exorcise evil spirits from her via a grueling ritual that ultimately kills her–but is not at all the film I imagined from that description. The clusterfuck is complex and human. Will probably write this up later.
Leprechaun in the Hood
One of these things is not like the other; one of these things just doesn’t belong …. Watched this with a friend because it will be covered on an upcoming We Hate Movies episode, and this is the bottom of the barrel. The kind of movie that makes you rethink all the life choices you’ve made that led to you watching it.
Boys State
Good, but I went in with such high expectations that this falling just short of greatness left me a little disappointed. Dispiriting and inspiring in equal measure–dispiriting because of how well it captures how the political machine works and inspiring because it shows some smart, principled, effective people at least temporarily succeeding despite that. Does “temporary” do anyone much good, though? I don’t know.
Ahahahaha, Witchfinder General getting ethered by Leprechaun: In The Hood in the “movies that will break you” category, what an upset. Hood has such a great premise though! Who wouldn’t steal a leprechaun’s flute for its sick beats?
But great write-up of Witchfinder, especially Price — you nail it, he is just this almost-boring sadist, no fun at all or even a love-to-hate vibe, it’s just hate and fear. Gorō Inagaki in the 13 Assassins remake is doing something similar and it’s interesting how there is a similar bleak historical vibe there too, guys being awful because they can as individuals and within the larger system, I think both movies are pretty down on those larger worlds but let that develop organically. 13 Assassins at least gives you a bit of relief in the ending though, Witchfinder doesn’t even have pleasure in bad things happening to bad people, it’s all emptiness and screams.
That closing Leprechaun rap was stuck in my head for quite a while, much to my horror, so there really is some magic to that flute. How can such a bad song be so catchy?
But yeah, that Witchfinder General ending goes hard: even when Hopkins is still alive and getting hacked at, there’s no satisfaction, because it’s like whatever he was is already gone, like Price almost physically checks out and becomes cordwood getting chopped up. Again, it’s a moment where any budgetary and effects constraints work in the film’s favor, because you’re not even getting any good violence. It’s nothing, and then Marshall realizes he’s lost any chance for it to ever come to anything.
Eat Drink Man Woman – continued adventures in food movies, pt. 1. An enjoyable blend of low-key family drama and absolutely incredible-looking Chinese food, hell yeah. Not all of the subplots here worked for me, mostly the father / daughter stuff just didn’t seem very well fleshed out. But there’s plenty of other stuff going on, the various romantic plots mostly landed for me and the father cooking lunch for his neighbour’s daughter was particularly sweet.
Dinner Rush – continued adventures in food movies, pt. 2. Hadn’t heard of this one before I started looking for food movies. It’s an extremely 2000-looking indie film about Danny Aiello’s combined restaurant / illegal bookkeeping operation attracting the ire of the mafia, who decide maybe they’ll take the restaurant as well as the gambling money. Much like Eat Drink… this has a ton of fun subplots but this one has “one crazy night” thriller energy rather than the ensemble romantic drama. The cinematography and score feel a little clunky and dated but it’s a fun one, definitely in “underrated gem” territory.
Documentary Now – after the above two I had to dust off the “Juan Likes Rice and Chicken” episode which remains hilarious. I still can’t quite believe this show exists / managed to make it to four full seasons, it’s so hilariously niche. Revisited the Stop Making Sense parody too, it’s so well observed but then a little odd that it suddenly ditches Talking Heads for Tom Waits at one point. I don’t think I can be bothered catching up on S3 and 4 in full but I’m gonna have to track down the Herzog and Varda episodes at some point.
Seinfeld – now up to date on the various double-part episodes at the start of season 4, all watched in the wrong order to really pick up on that 90s TV confusion. All good stuff but definitely suffered a little for not getting the information in the right order.
Live Music – a noisy indie-rock band called Tulpa that I saw a couple of years ago and was excited to see again. They’ve had a few lineup changes in that time but sounded great, just the right amount of Sonic Youth noisiness added to some Pavement-y melodies and a little bit of shoegaze-y soundscape stuff. Really excited for their album.
Woooooo live music! And lol at a band called Tulpa having “a few lineup changes.”
Ha, yeah. And their upcoming album is called “Monster of the Week”! They’re really pandering to the part of me that recently rewatched all of the X-Files.
Wooooo live indie music!!
What did we play?
Hollow Knight: Silksong – finally into act 3 and ugh it’s so bleak and oppressive again, I’m struggling to find the motivation to finish up the game.
DOOM on Nintendo Switch
Finished the second episode. Went up against a huge demon with a big cannon, then got sent to hell as a reward. The third episode changes up the level design considerably, with a lot more emphasis on crowds, and I can’t always count on shooting everyone, especially when I start the level with only the pistol. Also, everything’s looking even more grotesque and gnarly now. Lots of body horror imagery.
Fire Emblem – Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics on Nintendo Switch
Replayed a few levels from the start. Really basic stuff compared to the latter game, but it’s got a great story and I rather enjoy spending time with these characters.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga – Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics on Nintendo Switch
I played a lot of this back in the day but never finished, and I finally decided to restart it in earnest. I can really see why I enjoyed it so much: It’s really, really funny from the start. The very first quest leads to a very enjoyable sequence shooting Bowser out of a cannon to clear the way forward and, if I remember correctly, there’s a lot of that kind of thing in this game.
F-Zero 99 on Nintendo Switch
Just a few more rounds, nothing fancy. Solid driving as ever.
Live music! Lots of it, as befits a weekend at a filk convention. And the thing specifically about this convention is that it draws the upper end of the filk world, people who have recorded albums and perform at least semi-professionally in bars and small venues, so the concerts tend to be quite professional and there isn’t a lot of the “everyone should have a chance to sing even if not everyone actually CAN sing” ethos that defines much of filk. But conversely I found myself in an open sing with several people under 30, and one man saying he had never, ever performed publicly in his life till this weekend. And he was pretty good. The only path to being up on that stage in four piece band is to take that first step.
Woooooo live music! Woooo getting up on stage!