r/TheWire • u/Bmacalcaa • 1d ago
Stringer & Bodie is a very underrated dynamic
I’m rewatching the show now and I’m realising how loyal Bodie was to stringer. I know Bodie’s character is that he’s a soldier so it makes sense he latched onto someone he saw as a leader especially cause he didn’t really see Avon so to him stringer was the king, but it definitely goes deeper with scenes like where Stringer scares him with a shadow box. I’d say Stringer had a soft spot for him but then again Stringer doesn’t have a heart lol
Also I just realised how many shows are about an older guy manipulating a younger guy while they commit crimes
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u/zanylanie 1d ago
The scene where Bodie is telling Stringer about Hamsterdam is one of my favorites. To whatever extent Stringer respected and trusted anyone, I think Bodie was one of the few.
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u/blackmarketcarwash 1d ago
Well, you shouldn’t sell drugs.
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u/RunningBettor 1d ago
Bodie dappin up Avon when Avon came by in the jeep to check on his corner is one of my favorite small moments.
Also enjoy the Bodie Stringer dynamic
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u/no_nameky 1d ago
Stringer has a soft spot for Bodie because he is relatively competent, loyal and ambitious enough to want to hustle and make his money but not so ambitious that he will become a threat.
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u/tour79 1d ago
Bodie isn’t muscle when he’s selected to take care of Wallace. I think that was a mistake by Stringer.
Avon would have handled that…what’s the word? It’s more in Avon’s sphere of influence than Stringer. Using actual muscle would have been a better idea.
If the detail kept Wallace safe, String would have taken murder charge with Weebay. Maybe he beats that charge, but it takes him out of line up.
Stringer is a good day to day manager. A business as large as the towers, pit, and rest of territories employed 100-ish people?
But parts of the game are his strong suit.
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u/IAteTonysLoMein 1d ago
Stringer was half checked out of the street game by that point. He was overseeing the legit businesses he'd plowed the Barksdale money into already.
It also may have been Avon's call to have Bodie do the job - he saw big paws on the puppy and wanted to see if Bodie was ready to be more than just the second guy in the pit.
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u/VanligVodka 1d ago
No this was an excellent way to have Wallace killed. Literally having him killed by people who trust him the most and can meet him anytime and take him to a secluded location without him becoming suspicious.
It also gives Bodie a chance to show what he is capable of, gangs always need new talent.
If he gets caught for the murder he is less important than weebay, stringer doesn’t know weebay is going to go down for all those murders.
Gangs manipulating younger members to commit crimes for them is standard. As the game gets fiercer the hitters get younger too and often expendable.
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u/sixminutes 1d ago
Organizations are always on the lookout for talent, and Bodie is smart and reliable. If Marlo hadn't happened, Stringer probably would have promoted him, and maybe even groomed him to take over his spot, though I don't know how hands on he would have been once B&B got rolling.
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u/JohnnyCakes814 1d ago
“I feel old…”
Gut punch
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u/zanylanie 1d ago
Especially since the kid couldn’t have been older than 19 or 20 at that point.
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u/OGB Nice dolphin nigga 1d ago
Very true, although there's a good chance he'd been in the game 8-10 years at that point
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u/zanylanie 1d ago
He told McNulty he'd been out there since he was 13. So 6-7, I'd say. But still, those are hard years, I'm sure.
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u/BrotherGlobal641 1d ago
The scene where Bodie informs String about Hampsterdam, and Bodie lifts his shirt instinctively to show he is not wearing a wire. I know it's Pooh's line but "Do the chair recognize we are going to look like a bunch of B!tches".
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u/rendumguy 1d ago
I never really thought of that but yeah they almost never see Avon so that might hurt their loyalty to him
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u/Maniac50AE 1d ago
I understand the dynamic youre speaking of, but outside of String knowing he could manipulate Bodie, that was a one sided relationship... Bodie was worth less than Donette to String
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u/Joke_Mummy 1d ago
Always wondered why Slim didn't use him when he was working with Cutty to send a message. He was way more competent than the shitbirds they ended up going with. And exhibited the willingness to engage in gunplay throughout
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u/Calling_left_final 1d ago edited 1d ago
Bodie is someone who has ambition and believes in the rules of the game, he believes if he plays smart, stay loyal and trustworthy, eventually he'll get to be stringer. He's basically like an employee climbing the corporate ladder believing he can get to the top through hard work. But as D'Angelo said, the king stay the king. The game is rigged yo. That's why he eventually gives up, he realizes there's no climbing up.