Bubbles season four

lukin

Just finished watching season four last night. This was the season that

Bubbles was being robbed and beaten by that other junkie.

I am just wondering why he didn't get McNulty to sort it out for him?
He likes Bubbles as he helped build the case against Avon and more to the point, McNulty was a patrolman in the Western district during this season and would have been on the streets anyway.
I presume the writers didn't do that as it would have been predictable and as we know The Wire doesn't do predictable. I'd be interested in what others think though.

Penn

He went to Greggs about it. He was always much closer to Greggs than McNulty. Greggs tried to help by getting Herc to help him, but... well... you know how that turned out.

After that, he just couldn't take any more and took matters into his own hands.

Although this is just my take on it. With The Wire, a lot of people may have seen things differently

lukin

I know he went to Greggs about it but she said she wasn't able to do much to help him as she had been moved to homicide.
She got Herc to help him, that didn't work out as we know but McNulty would have been the most obvious choice as he was on the beat in the streets where Bubbles was.
The only thing I can think of is that McNulty had a very limited role in season four (don't know why, seemed to me to be a shocking waste of acting talent) and the writers maybe didn't want him in the storyline.
Or maybe they had the whole ending to the Bubbles thing planned from the start (

Bubbles accidentally poisoning his friend

) and didn't

want the junkie to get caught

.
I agree that Greggs was more of a confidant to him than McNulty.

DeepBlue

Bubbles was Greggs' C.I. from way back. They had a long relationship where they trusted each other.
McNulty didn't have anything like that kind of relationship with Bubbles and didn't really look at him the same way.

Hitman Actual

DeepBlue wrote: »

Bubbles was Greggs' C.I. from way back. They had a long relationship where they trusted each other.
McNulty didn't have anything like that kind of relationship with Bubbles and didn't really look at him the same way.

Yeah, this is about right, And wasn't there an episode (season 3, maybe), where McNulty picked up Bubbles and Johnny after they were shop-lifting, and kind of used it against Bubbles to make him snitch for him?

themont85

I think it could be summised that Bubbles had lost faith in the police and the ones who he helped out before to look after him. Sure they gave him money ect for his habit but he was more valuable to them in creating cases. Now when he needed them most, they weren't there for him. Bubbles is dissilussioned with the whole thing-ie he gives Herc a ridiculous tip of about the Rev which although was comedy value(as it always is with Herc) it was important to show that Bubbles was making a clean break from the 'system' and was going his own way to help himself. That's the theme of the whole series but season 4 especially with each of the school kids, Carcetti ect.

The system is broke but covered up with duck tape and as always with the Wire has tragic consequences.

lukin

themont85 wrote: »

I think it could be summised that Bubbles had lost faith in the police and the ones who he helped out before to look after him. Sure they gave him money ect for his habit but he was more valuable to them in creating cases. Now when he needed them most, they weren't there for him. Bubbles is dissilussioned with the whole thing-ie he gives Herc a ridiculous tip of about the Rev which although was comedy value(as it always is with Herc) it was important to show that Bubbles was making a clean break from the 'system' and was going his own way to help himself. That's the theme of the whole series but season 4 especially with each of the school kids, Carcetti ect.

The system is broke but covered up with duck tape and as always with the Wire has tragic consequences.

"True that":D. The one thing I thought might have happened after Bubbles gave Herc that false information was that Herc might go after Bubbles and get revenge (he did ruin his career after all). I was surprised that didn't happen.

Loveless

DeepBlue wrote: »

Bubbles was Greggs' C.I. from way back. They had a long relationship where they trusted each other. McNulty didn't have anything like that kind of relationship with Bubbles and didn't really look at him the same way.

there is also a telling reference in Season 5, Episode 8 where

the FBI guys are doing the psychological profile of the "homeless serial killer" 'His resentment of the homeless may stem from a personal relationship with someone who is in that cohort, or his victimisation of vagrants might merely present an opportunity for him to assert his superiority and intellectual prowess.'

currythis

lukin wrote: »

The only thing I can think of is that McNulty had a very limited role in season four (don't know why, seemed to me to be a shocking waste of acting talent) and the writers maybe didn't want him in the storyline.
Or maybe they had the whole ending to the Bubbles thing planned from the start (

Bubbles accidentally poisoning his friend

) and didn't

want the junkie to get caught

.
I agree that Greggs was more of a confidant to him than McNulty.

I heard an interview with Dominic West recently and he said the reason he featured so little in season 4 was because he was homesick and missed his young daughter who was living in London.
He shot all his scenes in just 2 weeks whereas the rest of the cast were shooting for months.So it wasn't a case of the writers overlooking his character.

bamboozle

if anything, season 4 is used to develop the relationship/understanding between Bodie and McNulty, similarly whereas Omar was McNultys CI in earlier seasons it was the Bunk who went out on a limb for him in season 4.

anonymous_joe

lukin wrote: »

I know he went to Greggs about it but she said she wasn't able to do much to help him as she had been moved to homicide.
She got Herc to help him, that didn't work out as we know but McNulty would have been the most obvious choice as he was on the beat in the streets where Bubbles was.
The only thing I can think of is that McNulty had a very limited role in season four (don't know why, seemed to me to be a shocking waste of acting talent) and the writers maybe didn't want him in the storyline.
Or maybe they had the whole ending to the Bubbles thing planned from the start (

Bubbles accidentally poisoning his friend

) and didn't

want the junkie to get caught

.
I agree that Greggs was more of a confidant to him than McNulty.

Two reasons - Greggs is a friend, McNulty and Bubbles are just well-meaning acquaintinces.

Also, McNulty was off filming the 300 during a lot of Season 4.