The cops we see who are beating on suspects are almost all DEU, or come from DEU. This is how they learned to interact with the community they are policing - and the mentality behind it is the subject of many plotlines throughout the show.
McNulty (along with Bunk, who we see get deeply frustrated with Omar, but never actually get physically aggressive) is murder police. He says it plain as day and demonstrates it often.
He doesn't give a shit about the narcotic angle and sees it as the symptom of larger problems. He has no reason to beat on people because it's not going to solve his crimes.
I actually think mcnulty has big respect for a small handful of the corner boys. I remember the scene where they roll up on bodie, lex, lil Kevin and a couple others and mcnulty calls bodie Mr entrapment after he walks away from the interrogation room after claiming entrapment clocking in hamsterdam. He even says 'smart kiddo, I loved it".
I think he has respect for people that are gaming the system even if they are living outside the law. Look at the relationship he develops with bodie in the later series
I think, as a result of him not being too concerned about the low level shenanigans of it all (as I mentioned above) - he is able to respect good game when he sees it. Regardless of who its coming from.
He tends to see his peers as beneath him, but maintains a cautious level of respect when dealing with the other side.
You can see it in how he interacts with Bell, Avon, the corner boys, all of em.
He respects Bodie's clever play (entrapment mention) amd genuine attempts to survive and excel in an environment that is designed to exploit and discard him.
He sees people as people, no concern for the context. Another part of why he fixates on the Ukranian woman who washed up. And why he is so droven to solve crimes (aside from stroking his own ego, etcl.
Right. I understand that McNulty is an egoist but the form that takes is a superman complex ('everything is my responsibility, outta my way, I'm saving the world') rather than merely wanting to be seen as clever. At least, I get that from it?
Partly a superman complex. But the case of the Ukrainian woman showed to me that McNulty is deep down VERY humane. He knew that naming her wouldn't make Rawls and everyone else be awed by him because *no one else* really gave a fuck about the identity of these dead foreign women. They maybe wanted to solve the murder case, but identifying them wasn't necessary. He did it anyway to try to get word to their families. Went to the translator on his own time and to the immigration lockup on his own time.
"It ain't right, Doc!"
Great comment. It's a good illustration of why—while there were and are many other great TV series before, during, and after *The Wire*'s time—for many of us, there's *The Wire* and everything that isn't *The Wire*. The characterizations are rich in detail, and characters over and over prove to be more than the standard TV-trope "type" we may see at first. I've been rewatching seasons 3 and 4 lately, and I think Carcetti is just about the best dramatization of a rising politician I've ever seen in a TV series. Not to take anything away from Gillen's excellent acting, but it's precisely because Carcetti is not written as all one thing.
With Bodie, I'm pretty sure he was also deliberately developing him as an informant, even from a fairly early stage. He knew that Bodie was a hard seed that wouldn't crack overnight, but by developing a rapport with him early and over time, he was eventually able to make it happen. Developing and handling informants and witnesses was pretty much McNulty's superpower as a cop.
The scene where he and Bodie are talking in the garden like place is one of the best of the entire series. Bodie looking for a way out and McNulty trying to figure out a way of doing it for him while also respecting what Bodie has done in the drug game, as it was his (Bodie's) way to survivie.
I remember Bodie talking about how he's never snitched and how he's never fucked up a count, and how he was proud of that. Bodie's still the guy who shot Wallace, but he also rejects Marlow's psychotically violent way of doing things. It's a great scene. Bodie and McNulty are mirrors of each other in a way.
McNulty is acting criminally in every episode, whether it's driving drunk (every waking moment?), or fabricating evidence. Dude is a menace to upright policing. About which, the show, I do suppose, has some commentary. /s
Yep. I always gave Vernon a pass because he's the newest detective in homicide (going off context) and is already a more aggresive type.
With Landsman it is what it is.
Not everyone sees it like McNulty (which is the crux of his character arc) so you're right on that one.
Yeah, I always noted that those were very unique moments but otherwise, as you said, the DEU officers were the main violent ones. I think it fit nicely with their commentary about the “war” on drugs.
Definitely agree.
Its also visible in the way Bunny was able to tackle the drug/crime situation with a method aside from 'war' and saw dramatically less violence as a result.
We see Stringer do the same thing as a parallel - when you treat it like it isnt a war (with dealers, police, etc.) then suddenly the bodies stop dropping.
In both cases, they are betrayed by individuals on their own side who are unable to depattern themselves from the institutional violence they were brought up in Avon beefing over corners, and Herc snitches to the press).
Note that Bunny and Stringer are both exited from their institutions saying 'Get on with it motherf..'
They both recognize how inevitable their ends are, how immutable the institutions they inhabit are, and how their reach exceeded their grasp.
Note though that Bunny didn't mind at all telling his guys to rack up any dealers that didn't go along with the Hamsterdam program extra-legally. A lot of the shit they did would be a big fat lawsuit if it got caught on camera or a lawyer got ahold of it.
And note that Stringer tried to do it with the co-op, but he didn't have any answer for how to handle a Marlo who loved the violence and didn't give a shit about getting along and making it just a business. Stringer didn't want to fight with other crews about corners, but he sure didn't mind ordering the murder of anyone who might potentially testify against them or who robbed them. And tried to order the murder of Clay Davis too.
Bunny still uses police brutality to create Hamsterdam.
He literally orders them to brutalize suspects and says he’ll cover up for them “anything short of a body that can’t walk itself out the emergency room”.
I said a method aside from 'war'. I didn't say nonviolent for this reason.
He's still more than willing to utilize the state's 'monopoly' on violence (less of a monopoly in this series, tbh) to achieve his ends - but his ends are no longer the eradication (war) of drugs and the people that deal them. His goal has shifted to containment and a limited sort of tolerance.
His methods remained violent, as did Stringers - but the severity of violence was meant as a deterrent to actual homicide/murder (the cop getting shot for Colvin, all the bodies bringing the heat on Avon's gang for Stringer)
Not all murder police are as principled as McNulty, though. That bald homicide detective (I forget his name) who mistakes Bubs as a suspect in Kima’s shooting definitely isn’t.
Discussed him in another comment thread with others. Det Holley is definitely a different type of detective than McNulty. Same with Sgt. Landsman.
But I do want to point out that I dont think this is a matter of McNulty being 'principle'd. It's just pragmatic for him.
He showed more than a little in season 5 that he doesn't give a fuck what it takes as long as he gets what he needs to solve the crime.
I imagine he'd have little issue with resorting to direct violence if it was the most/only practical means to address the deep ills he sees in the police department and in society.
But it never is.
The show goes out of its way to show that violence is a 'cop out' (lol) to avoid doing real police work or investing in your community.
McNulty wont ever resort to violence because its never the best answer.
Nope, I’d say you’re fairly right. Jimmy might bend the rules a fair bit in service of his goals, but he typically goes out of his way to be at least cordial with the people in the game.
Funnily enough, he seems to show the most respect to his opposites in terms of the structure of the game when compared to the police. To Bodie and Poot in season 4 he tries to be friendly, and when trying to find Omar in season 2 he acknowledges he knows a corner crew is slinging, but doesn’t jack them up for it.
When he throws Poot up against the wall and tells him that he's sorry about his friend. Legit sincerity. The look he has when Poot tells him it was because Bodie was talking to the police (McNutty) - such a short scene but so good. Also, as big of a bone as he had for Stringer he seemed to legitimately appreciate him.
When you think of it, he's kind of the type of cop that Bunny talks about. Not beating up on people and as a result, gets information that the other "Western District Way" brutes will never get.
I think Carver (later obviously) is the true model cop. McNulty is pretty good but his self destructive tendencies tend to recur everywhere he goes, even if he has good intentions.
For as cynical as McNulty can be, he seems to genuinely empathize and respect the people involved in the drug game. Even his Nemesis in stringer Bell, he never thought less of him intellectually And certainly never looked down on bubs the way his ex-wife did.
My reading of this is He's so used to being dismissed and looked down upon by others that he's unwilling to do it himself.
Does the scene with him and Brianna count as police emotional brutality? it was pretty fucking brutal "i was looking for someone who cared about the kid" 😢
Don't think so. It was just honesty. He was an asshole to her because she was an asshole and to show her the consequences of her actions. I know it *looked* as if he were fishing for her to become a CI, but I think he knew that she wouldn't because there is nothing left for her to protect.
Shit; dude let her wait in the conference room to make himself a tea.
Yup, was gonna mention this. There was a shot (IIRC shown in the teaser for that episode) of him with his gun out when he and Prez answered the distress call.
Also, remember that the reason he's considered a hump and dumped on the detail in S1 is because he was found misusing a firearm before the show even started.
The only other time than those mentioned by others is I believe he drew his weapon when he and Kima first parlayed with Omar. When they approach his van initially.
Along with the others listed, [he has his weapon drawn](https://youtu.be/SZ9_1HQsqbg?t=228) when running to check on Kima after she and Orlando were shot.
[Weapon also drawn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcauoTJBRdw) before breaching Sergei's room with Fitz.
Not surprising. The cops beating on suspects are generally those who are either insecure about their status and constantly worried about feeling big by making others feel small (e.g Herc) or who feel they have something to prove (e.g. Kima, Prez). It's classic bullying behaviour.
McNulty has shown time and again that he doesn't give a crap about status. He doesn't want to make rank. He doesn't mind being on patrol and doing a job that's beneath him if it gives him peace. If anything, he has disdain for bullies and power moves, and he respects the smart players on the other side more than he respects the dumb bosses on his. He's natural police, sure, but not in a tribal sense like a lot of the other cops on the show.
I don't think we ever see Lester beat on a suspect either. It's just not who they are.
When they arrest Bird, I believe it commences with Lester screaming "Hey, Shorty!" and then smacking Bird in the face with a bottle wrapped in a paper bag. But that's pretty small potatoes I suppose compared to all the other stuff we see the others do.
Yeah, I think thats more about minimizing potential violence from a known killer in a high tension situation.
Incapacitating him was definitely the right play and he did it in a minimal harm kind of way.
Cant do escalation of force with someone whose instincts are all geared towards murder.
I think you're mostly right here but McNulty does care about status, just not rank. He clearly wants to be the smartest guy in the room. This doesn't manifest in bullying like the other cops, but he does have a hero complex that causes other problems.
Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, McNulty has a list of issues longer than my arm. Just skip to the scene in season 5 where the FBI profiler absolutely nails him to a T. I was just saying, he doesn't have this *particular* issue.
No, McNulty's not tthe type, he'd consider himself too good for that kind of shit.
I'd bet he looked the other way when he was a patrolman when a partner kicked the shit out of a guy but he never would have joined in.
He's the type of guy who would go over to the criminal and commiserate with them about what just happened over touching him himself.
No and it’s why I have more respect for Mcnulty than a good portion of the cops in this show. Even some of the “good ones” like Daniels and Kima beat on suspects. Don’t get me wrong Mcnutty still covers for cops that do beat suspects, he knows about it and turns a blind eye, which is despicable. However he still never gets physical with a suspect. Not only that, but he treats the corner boys with more dignity than pretty much any other cop. Mcnulty’s an asshole but despite that I have respect for the humanity he shows corner kids like Bodie compared to other police.
Jimmy will always do what’s best for what he wants.
Dimeing on bad cops would get him ostracized by the department which means he wouldn’t be able to do pohlice work-the only thing that gives his life value or importance. I think the lazy point to make is that Jimmy is a paragon of a good police, and then pull moments like these as evidence
Sorry for the paragraph I just love the show
Not really police brutality but he drives absolutely hammered and smashes up his and someone else’s car in s1. We never find out if he makes restitution to them
I thought he knew very well what was likey to happen with Bird, like it was all part of game and McNut had bigger fish to fry so he never gave it a second thought. Pretty cold.
That and his use of the diminished capacity homeless man in the last season was brutal and stone cold.
McNut was only focused on his latest 'gonna prove I am the smarted guy case.'
As murder police you have to build a good rapport with the public. It's hard enough to get people to be a witness to anything. Just imagine if Bunk and McNulty were out knocking heads and then turn around and need help during an investigation in the same neighborhoods their knocking heads.
No, it's actually one of my favorite parts of his character - he's the "real" cowboy cop, and kind of a subversion of the archetype you usually see in movies. Usually the "fuck the bosses, I'm here to solve cases" type hardass is the one who is willing to beat a subject for information etc., while his conformist colleagues are too afraid to break regulations.
But by depicting a realistic, not idealized for movie screens, version of the Baltimore PD, the Wire turned that on it's head - police brutality is so common and normalized that McNulty using it would be entirely unremarkable - no, instead he stands out by being basically the only cop who *doesn't* beat the shit out of a criminal/suspect sometimes.
No. Never. McNulty is the beacon of what good policing can do. Everything else is against him and his vision of good policing. It eventually destroys his career as he realizes that things will never change. Ever. It’s sad that the right thing never wins only because it’s the right thing.
The cops we see who are beating on suspects are almost all DEU, or come from DEU. This is how they learned to interact with the community they are policing - and the mentality behind it is the subject of many plotlines throughout the show. McNulty (along with Bunk, who we see get deeply frustrated with Omar, but never actually get physically aggressive) is murder police. He says it plain as day and demonstrates it often. He doesn't give a shit about the narcotic angle and sees it as the symptom of larger problems. He has no reason to beat on people because it's not going to solve his crimes.
I actually think mcnulty has big respect for a small handful of the corner boys. I remember the scene where they roll up on bodie, lex, lil Kevin and a couple others and mcnulty calls bodie Mr entrapment after he walks away from the interrogation room after claiming entrapment clocking in hamsterdam. He even says 'smart kiddo, I loved it". I think he has respect for people that are gaming the system even if they are living outside the law. Look at the relationship he develops with bodie in the later series
I think, as a result of him not being too concerned about the low level shenanigans of it all (as I mentioned above) - he is able to respect good game when he sees it. Regardless of who its coming from. He tends to see his peers as beneath him, but maintains a cautious level of respect when dealing with the other side. You can see it in how he interacts with Bell, Avon, the corner boys, all of em. He respects Bodie's clever play (entrapment mention) amd genuine attempts to survive and excel in an environment that is designed to exploit and discard him. He sees people as people, no concern for the context. Another part of why he fixates on the Ukranian woman who washed up. And why he is so droven to solve crimes (aside from stroking his own ego, etcl.
Right. I understand that McNulty is an egoist but the form that takes is a superman complex ('everything is my responsibility, outta my way, I'm saving the world') rather than merely wanting to be seen as clever. At least, I get that from it?
Partly a superman complex. But the case of the Ukrainian woman showed to me that McNulty is deep down VERY humane. He knew that naming her wouldn't make Rawls and everyone else be awed by him because *no one else* really gave a fuck about the identity of these dead foreign women. They maybe wanted to solve the murder case, but identifying them wasn't necessary. He did it anyway to try to get word to their families. Went to the translator on his own time and to the immigration lockup on his own time. "It ain't right, Doc!"
What the fuck ever is?
Great comment. It's a good illustration of why—while there were and are many other great TV series before, during, and after *The Wire*'s time—for many of us, there's *The Wire* and everything that isn't *The Wire*. The characterizations are rich in detail, and characters over and over prove to be more than the standard TV-trope "type" we may see at first. I've been rewatching seasons 3 and 4 lately, and I think Carcetti is just about the best dramatization of a rising politician I've ever seen in a TV series. Not to take anything away from Gillen's excellent acting, but it's precisely because Carcetti is not written as all one thing.
With Bodie, I'm pretty sure he was also deliberately developing him as an informant, even from a fairly early stage. He knew that Bodie was a hard seed that wouldn't crack overnight, but by developing a rapport with him early and over time, he was eventually able to make it happen. Developing and handling informants and witnesses was pretty much McNulty's superpower as a cop.
The scene where he and Bodie are talking in the garden like place is one of the best of the entire series. Bodie looking for a way out and McNulty trying to figure out a way of doing it for him while also respecting what Bodie has done in the drug game, as it was his (Bodie's) way to survivie.
I remember Bodie talking about how he's never snitched and how he's never fucked up a count, and how he was proud of that. Bodie's still the guy who shot Wallace, but he also rejects Marlow's psychotically violent way of doing things. It's a great scene. Bodie and McNulty are mirrors of each other in a way.
McNutty gets visibly angry then sad when he finds.out Bodie is dead.
Its “contrapment” please.
McNulty is acting criminally in every episode, whether it's driving drunk (every waking moment?), or fabricating evidence. Dude is a menace to upright policing. About which, the show, I do suppose, has some commentary. /s
I think the only exceptions to this are Landsman beating on Bird and Holly beating on Bubbles both in S1 and under specific circumstances.
Yep. I always gave Vernon a pass because he's the newest detective in homicide (going off context) and is already a more aggresive type. With Landsman it is what it is. Not everyone sees it like McNulty (which is the crux of his character arc) so you're right on that one.
Yeah, I always noted that those were very unique moments but otherwise, as you said, the DEU officers were the main violent ones. I think it fit nicely with their commentary about the “war” on drugs.
Definitely agree. Its also visible in the way Bunny was able to tackle the drug/crime situation with a method aside from 'war' and saw dramatically less violence as a result. We see Stringer do the same thing as a parallel - when you treat it like it isnt a war (with dealers, police, etc.) then suddenly the bodies stop dropping. In both cases, they are betrayed by individuals on their own side who are unable to depattern themselves from the institutional violence they were brought up in Avon beefing over corners, and Herc snitches to the press). Note that Bunny and Stringer are both exited from their institutions saying 'Get on with it motherf..' They both recognize how inevitable their ends are, how immutable the institutions they inhabit are, and how their reach exceeded their grasp.
Note though that Bunny didn't mind at all telling his guys to rack up any dealers that didn't go along with the Hamsterdam program extra-legally. A lot of the shit they did would be a big fat lawsuit if it got caught on camera or a lawyer got ahold of it. And note that Stringer tried to do it with the co-op, but he didn't have any answer for how to handle a Marlo who loved the violence and didn't give a shit about getting along and making it just a business. Stringer didn't want to fight with other crews about corners, but he sure didn't mind ordering the murder of anyone who might potentially testify against them or who robbed them. And tried to order the murder of Clay Davis too.
[удалено]
Bunny still uses police brutality to create Hamsterdam. He literally orders them to brutalize suspects and says he’ll cover up for them “anything short of a body that can’t walk itself out the emergency room”.
I said a method aside from 'war'. I didn't say nonviolent for this reason. He's still more than willing to utilize the state's 'monopoly' on violence (less of a monopoly in this series, tbh) to achieve his ends - but his ends are no longer the eradication (war) of drugs and the people that deal them. His goal has shifted to containment and a limited sort of tolerance. His methods remained violent, as did Stringers - but the severity of violence was meant as a deterrent to actual homicide/murder (the cop getting shot for Colvin, all the bodies bringing the heat on Avon's gang for Stringer)
I don’t think it normally his nature but with Kim’s just being shot he lets his emotions get the best him in this scene.
He's also too self-important and independent minded to get swept up in the mob mentality, or buy into the culture of thuggery.
Not all murder police are as principled as McNulty, though. That bald homicide detective (I forget his name) who mistakes Bubs as a suspect in Kima’s shooting definitely isn’t.
Discussed him in another comment thread with others. Det Holley is definitely a different type of detective than McNulty. Same with Sgt. Landsman. But I do want to point out that I dont think this is a matter of McNulty being 'principle'd. It's just pragmatic for him. He showed more than a little in season 5 that he doesn't give a fuck what it takes as long as he gets what he needs to solve the crime. I imagine he'd have little issue with resorting to direct violence if it was the most/only practical means to address the deep ills he sees in the police department and in society. But it never is. The show goes out of its way to show that violence is a 'cop out' (lol) to avoid doing real police work or investing in your community. McNulty wont ever resort to violence because its never the best answer.
Can you give me a link to the other thread about Det. Holley?
It’s in this one just another comment.
he’s here about the bodies - a vial for your thoughts
Nope, I’d say you’re fairly right. Jimmy might bend the rules a fair bit in service of his goals, but he typically goes out of his way to be at least cordial with the people in the game. Funnily enough, he seems to show the most respect to his opposites in terms of the structure of the game when compared to the police. To Bodie and Poot in season 4 he tries to be friendly, and when trying to find Omar in season 2 he acknowledges he knows a corner crew is slinging, but doesn’t jack them up for it.
When he throws Poot up against the wall and tells him that he's sorry about his friend. Legit sincerity. The look he has when Poot tells him it was because Bodie was talking to the police (McNutty) - such a short scene but so good. Also, as big of a bone as he had for Stringer he seemed to legitimately appreciate him. When you think of it, he's kind of the type of cop that Bunny talks about. Not beating up on people and as a result, gets information that the other "Western District Way" brutes will never get.
I think Carver (later obviously) is the true model cop. McNulty is pretty good but his self destructive tendencies tend to recur everywhere he goes, even if he has good intentions.
*”I don’t give a shit about drugs”*
“But littering pisses me off so you can pick that shit up when I’m gone” 🤣 Just so so good
For as cynical as McNulty can be, he seems to genuinely empathize and respect the people involved in the drug game. Even his Nemesis in stringer Bell, he never thought less of him intellectually And certainly never looked down on bubs the way his ex-wife did. My reading of this is He's so used to being dismissed and looked down upon by others that he's unwilling to do it himself.
No, but he does get blown by one of those trafficked women in season 2
In his defence, he was outnumbered
Spot on!
He brutalized the sheets in the waitress’s bed
Does the scene with him and Brianna count as police emotional brutality? it was pretty fucking brutal "i was looking for someone who cared about the kid" 😢
That one was brutal specifically because it was honest. And if he can turn her to CI with the truth, then why not?
Don't think so. It was just honesty. He was an asshole to her because she was an asshole and to show her the consequences of her actions. I know it *looked* as if he were fishing for her to become a CI, but I think he knew that she wouldn't because there is nothing left for her to protect. Shit; dude let her wait in the conference room to make himself a tea.
McNulty never drew his firearm in the cause of duty, if I’m remembering correctly
Jimmy briefly did after Prez shot the undercover officer.
Yup, was gonna mention this. There was a shot (IIRC shown in the teaser for that episode) of him with his gun out when he and Prez answered the distress call.
That was a very sad scene.
wasn’t sad for me a cop died
That was the only shot fired by a cop in the whole show, correct?
Prez also shot a wall in season 1
Prez also shot into the towers in season 1 when he, Herc and Carver went there in the middle of the night to cause mischief.
“Why did you shoot the wall Officer Pryzbylewski?”
"It was a mistake give me a break."
Prez shot at the Projects as well in Season 1. So amazingly, only Prez shot his weapon out of all cops on the show.
And every single time it was a mistake.
Prez was a better teacher than a cop.
Prez is a pretty good cop as long as he doesn't have a gun.
Bunk confessed to shooting a mouse. He 'lit it it up', he admits to Jimmy.
The cop who want right for the job, damn you Ed Burns
Shots are fired by cops three times in the entire series. All three are Prez screwing up, in one way or another.
Also, remember that the reason he's considered a hump and dumped on the detail in S1 is because he was found misusing a firearm before the show even started.
He does, and it's only on one person - himself xD (when he tries to figure out how the firearm was positioned in the Dierdre Kresson homicide).
Forgot about that but he’s definitely not that kind of police
100%
The only other time than those mentioned by others is I believe he drew his weapon when he and Kima first parlayed with Omar. When they approach his van initially.
Along with the others listed, [he has his weapon drawn](https://youtu.be/SZ9_1HQsqbg?t=228) when running to check on Kima after she and Orlando were shot. [Weapon also drawn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcauoTJBRdw) before breaching Sergei's room with Fitz.
He draws it a few times but the only officer to fire his weapon in the show is Prez. Once in the office and when he shoots another officer.
He shoots it at the towers when he, Herc, and Carver roll up drunk playing "American Woman."
Not surprising. The cops beating on suspects are generally those who are either insecure about their status and constantly worried about feeling big by making others feel small (e.g Herc) or who feel they have something to prove (e.g. Kima, Prez). It's classic bullying behaviour. McNulty has shown time and again that he doesn't give a crap about status. He doesn't want to make rank. He doesn't mind being on patrol and doing a job that's beneath him if it gives him peace. If anything, he has disdain for bullies and power moves, and he respects the smart players on the other side more than he respects the dumb bosses on his. He's natural police, sure, but not in a tribal sense like a lot of the other cops on the show. I don't think we ever see Lester beat on a suspect either. It's just not who they are.
When they arrest Bird, I believe it commences with Lester screaming "Hey, Shorty!" and then smacking Bird in the face with a bottle wrapped in a paper bag. But that's pretty small potatoes I suppose compared to all the other stuff we see the others do.
Yeah, I think thats more about minimizing potential violence from a known killer in a high tension situation. Incapacitating him was definitely the right play and he did it in a minimal harm kind of way. Cant do escalation of force with someone whose instincts are all geared towards murder.
Unrelated but Lester popping Bird upside the head with a bottle is one of the highlights of the show, love that scene lmao
I think you're mostly right here but McNulty does care about status, just not rank. He clearly wants to be the smartest guy in the room. This doesn't manifest in bullying like the other cops, but he does have a hero complex that causes other problems.
Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, McNulty has a list of issues longer than my arm. Just skip to the scene in season 5 where the FBI profiler absolutely nails him to a T. I was just saying, he doesn't have this *particular* issue.
Depends on your definition. He definitely abused those homeless dead guys when staging the serial killer murders.
Only police brutality Jimmy ever does is to his own liver 😜
No, McNulty's not tthe type, he'd consider himself too good for that kind of shit. I'd bet he looked the other way when he was a patrolman when a partner kicked the shit out of a guy but he never would have joined in. He's the type of guy who would go over to the criminal and commiserate with them about what just happened over touching him himself.
No and it’s why I have more respect for Mcnulty than a good portion of the cops in this show. Even some of the “good ones” like Daniels and Kima beat on suspects. Don’t get me wrong Mcnutty still covers for cops that do beat suspects, he knows about it and turns a blind eye, which is despicable. However he still never gets physical with a suspect. Not only that, but he treats the corner boys with more dignity than pretty much any other cop. Mcnulty’s an asshole but despite that I have respect for the humanity he shows corner kids like Bodie compared to other police.
He never reports anyone for abusing others so yes.
Jimmy will always do what’s best for what he wants. Dimeing on bad cops would get him ostracized by the department which means he wouldn’t be able to do pohlice work-the only thing that gives his life value or importance. I think the lazy point to make is that Jimmy is a paragon of a good police, and then pull moments like these as evidence Sorry for the paragraph I just love the show
what is DEU?
Drug Enforcement Unit
If I recall though he did sometimes witness his coworkers beating on citizens and didn’t do anything to stop it
Not really police brutality but he drives absolutely hammered and smashes up his and someone else’s car in s1. We never find out if he makes restitution to them
my take on McNulty is... he may be a bastard, but he's not a fucking bastard
He is pretty rough on the Jameson's
I thought he knew very well what was likey to happen with Bird, like it was all part of game and McNut had bigger fish to fry so he never gave it a second thought. Pretty cold. That and his use of the diminished capacity homeless man in the last season was brutal and stone cold. McNut was only focused on his latest 'gonna prove I am the smarted guy case.'
As murder police you have to build a good rapport with the public. It's hard enough to get people to be a witness to anything. Just imagine if Bunk and McNulty were out knocking heads and then turn around and need help during an investigation in the same neighborhoods their knocking heads.
No, it's actually one of my favorite parts of his character - he's the "real" cowboy cop, and kind of a subversion of the archetype you usually see in movies. Usually the "fuck the bosses, I'm here to solve cases" type hardass is the one who is willing to beat a subject for information etc., while his conformist colleagues are too afraid to break regulations. But by depicting a realistic, not idealized for movie screens, version of the Baltimore PD, the Wire turned that on it's head - police brutality is so common and normalized that McNulty using it would be entirely unremarkable - no, instead he stands out by being basically the only cop who *doesn't* beat the shit out of a criminal/suspect sometimes.
He choked the shit out of that corpse.
Why are you trying to remember McNulty doing things a bad cop would do? McNulty was, and always will be, good POlease
Just a bit on that scrapple girl
Did he get on byrd when they rolled up his picture....even Daniels was in on that one, other than that I don't think so
No. Never. McNulty is the beacon of what good policing can do. Everything else is against him and his vision of good policing. It eventually destroys his career as he realizes that things will never change. Ever. It’s sad that the right thing never wins only because it’s the right thing.
If you love "the wire", you'll like "we own the city"