Avon vs Stringer | Who Was Right? | The Wire Explained
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- Опубліковано 31 лип 2023
- In The Wire, gangster Avon Barksdale is a kingpin who runs the Barksdale organisation alongside Stringer Bell. After Avon is sent to prison, the Barksdales are run by Stringer, who's vision differs from Avon.
The rift between the two becomes even bigger when Avon is released from prison and goes to war with Marlo Stanfield, at a time when Stringer, Proposition Joe, and the New-Day Co-Op are trying to keep violence to a minimum. Both men end up selling each other out.
Today, let's discuss who was right - Stringer Bell or AVon Barksdale? Who had the best way to take 'the game' forward? - Фільми й анімація
Avon was right about the way it is; Stringer was right about the way it should be.
But the way it should be is an ought claim, which is a fallacy of the present.
Ask the producer, he knows.
Avon was good at his way, Stringer was a lot smarter in his own mind than he was in reality.
The scene where they are talking on the balcony,when they know that they’ve betrayed each other ,is iconic.
'Us, motherfucker'
Neither knew about the other until Avon was in cuffs and seconds before String was murdered by Omar and Brother Mouzone
@@donnell485but they both could feel the coldness in the air for each other.
Avon knew that this was going to be the last time that he would talk to Stringer and the coldest thing was that he asked Stringer where he was going to be at tomorrow. He gave that info to Mouzone and Omar and that is how they found the location to kill him. So cold blooded! 😱😱😱😱😱
@@mauricecarroll243they were definitely reading tea leaves up there… the writing was certainly on the wall for Avon to see..
Wow, I didn't realize D was describing Stringer when he was talking about The Great Gatsby. All of these years later I'm still learning things about this show. It's brilliant.
Me either. I just picked that up watching this. There is so much there that as time goes on I have more and more respect for the writers who spun one the best tangled webs of all time. Complex and complimentary characters all vying for what they want and the obstacles in their way. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around how they tied it all up episode to episode and season to season. I tell people to watch this show and they shrug me off and I just have to shake my head. 😊
Avon understood Stringer's idea. But, he also knew who Stringer really was. He knew that Stringer was stepping into new territory. He knew that you can't just walk in and think you know everything. Just like in the game. You don't start on top. Avon also knew that Marlo didn't want to be a part of anything. He only wanted to be the KING!!!
He knew Stringer wasn’t as smart as he thought he was…
Stringer was right, issue is he applied it to uncivilized people who did not abide to those rules. In the jungle power matters more then money. You use power to get money. In the real world money comes first then you buy the power
@@zero1188 you’re contradicting yourself
@zero1188 therfore Stringer wasn't right. Stringer had a good idea and the way the drug game should be but the reality is not his idea.
Stringer’s biggest error was not running everything past Levy.
Yea that was one of his bigger problems but not his biggest error nor was what caused his death by trying too play Brother Mouzone and Omar against each other and both figuring it out even if it caused his death the reason it even happened was because of his real biggest error Stringers biggest error was convincing himself he could be a legit businessman/politician and gangster that could act like a gangster in the legit business/politician world to make things go his way when something happened or String acting like he could play the game like a legit company causing Stringer to forget he’s supposed to use those business skills he learned as a tool for the game not convince himself the game can be changed into being like a legit business
He read to much books. School made he thought he was better than everyone else.
Stringer was doomed, anyway.
Levy would definitely have given him away, at some point.
And The Game IS 'Business'.
The two are inseparable.
'Sooner or later, SOMEONE is going to have to fight them...'
-Morpheus
'government' is the shadow cast, by Business, and business is War.
You Will Need a Team (gang) who will enforce your claim, at some point.
That’s what I always thought. Levy was trying to teach him how to walk into that world. String was too focused on running cause he let Clay Davis get into his head.
I thought Levy was in on it.
I think the Scene with Avon and Brother Mouzoune in the barber shop answers this. Avon had a lot more integrity than Stringer. And this is why he survived.
@calwatch1496 integrity has to be measured with different types of people. Some will see that as weakness and start taking advantage.
bs that scene proved that he wasnt loyal to his day 1 and futher shows you cant trust nobody when that other persons life is on the line. In other words Avon wasnt a ride or die guy. But when stringer got cornered by bro muzone and omar he accepted death only askin if they wanted money nothing else.
I like the thought that Marlo has a combination of Avon's and Stringer's traits. Avon's commitment to the street and being a gangster, and Stringer's rurhless pragmatism
Stringer wasn't ruthless,he made stupid decisions and wasn't street smart or ready for the corporate gangsters.Only props i can give him is that he organized the Barksdale outfit to be more efficient and knew how to make it profitable despite changes to their operations.
@@incogneto2834 Stringer was ruthless in that he hired two kids to kill their friend in the same house he slept in and had the nephew of his best friend strangled to death behind his back.
Yet, Marlo is just the next guy up, even when he had the chance he couldn't leave the game. Will Michael make his way around to picking him off?
I don't agree that Marlo was a blend of Avon and Stringer. Marlo often would go overboard when dealing with some situations. Chris was more like the voice of reason that Marlo needed.
@@TTJJCC You're right that he wasn't the both of them combined, but he was in part half and half of them.
Avon was militant like Marlo, but family oriented unlike Marlo.
Stringer was ambitious like Marlo, but hands off unlike Marlo.
Prop Joe is what a mixture of what Avon and Stringer would be, militant and family oriented along with being hands off and ambitious. The only thing that Prop Joe didn't have is the same thing that Avon, Stringer and even Marlo didn't have: Time.
Stringer was right in theory but his fault was trying to apply diplomacy in a non diplomatic game. Stringers plan would have undoubtedly made life better for all involved, but it takes all involved to be on board for it to work, and like they say, it there’s always gonna be a Marlo
Perfect analysis mike
Genius mike
damn, that applies for everything when you think about it... theres always going to be a Marlo, its like in that "game theory"
You've heard of the 5 Families and the Mafia Commission?
To me, it's like this: just because you are a master at chess doesn't mean you can immediately transition over to being a Texas Hold Em player with the same level of success. Each game has a different set of rules, different players, different strategies, and different types of risk. Avon knew the game he was playing and was a scholar on all it's intricacies. He knew what worked and what didn't and he played the game to near perfection. Stringer knew the game as well, but he decided that he didn't want to play the same game anymore and worked to move on to something he thought would be a better fit for him. But he didn't learn the intricacies of this new game and that's what ultimately led to his demise. He wanted it to be one way, but it was the other way...
Clay Davis spanked him and bruised his ego. He was taken out the game before he could learn from that.
I like that
Exactly. Stringer wasnt wrong. But he tried to apply the wrong rules to the wrong game. In the jungle power gets you money. In the real world money buys you power. Stringer tried to buy power, thats dont work there
@@zero1188Stringer was wrong about a lot of things. I agree with the original poster’s thesis that he mixed up his rule manuals for the games he found himself in, but I don’t buy the overly-sentimental idea that he was somehow a tragically noble character. I think the argument could easily be made that Stringer was the least noble of all the characters in the show.
We need to stop ourselves from falling into Tony Soprano syndrome when we think about these things. Just because we happen to like or respect a character doesn’t mean we’re required to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Great analogy comparing chess to Texas Hold em
Stringer really digged his own grave when he told Avon about his involvement in the murder of D'Angelo
Avon and Stringer both were right and wrong in a lot of ways, it's what made them so successful. Stringer could fill any holes Avon had and the same with Avon for Stringer and as a duo the Barksdales were on top and unchecked when they were in sync.
I side more with Avon being right, because he seemed to have a better understanding of who he was and had some sense of being halfway decent in places, specifically letting Cutty out the game.
Stringer isn't a Barksdale
more over he knew exactly what Marlo was. hypothetically if stringer servived and remained in the coop he would have been purged along with prop joe in the end. but if they just let avon kill marlo and kept avon on as the strongest (and tempered by stringer) the entire game would have been won
Nah.. stringer was never right. Nothing he tried worked! Even the co-op did what eventually it was going to do! His ideology only works in “perfect” scenarios. It’s like trying to learn Spanish strictly from the books. The shit doesn’t work! You speak it to the people and they know immediately! Which is why real business people took advantage of him and the street guys “who weren’t in his crew” knew immediately he could be manipulated.
But at what point do you get out of a dead end game?
@@longlivedkingemmett8829That was Simon's whole point. The game is rigged. You can say Avon was right but part of that was Avon accepting that his life was only going to end either in jail or with getting murdered.
Stringer had the right idea to look for an exit strategy to get out of the game with the money he gained from the game. Stinger realized that drug dealers don't become old men enjoying retirement and talking about the good ole days. He knew the longer one stay in the game the chances of death or prison increases. Avon on the other hand is someone who love the game and he love being a king pin. Living the luxurious lifestyle the game has provided for him. Going legit is an alien concept to him but, having legitimate businesses to launder money through is something he understands.
Stringer didn't want to leave the game though. He wanted to stay in and fund the packages only. He wanted to let someone else run things while he and Avon take their cut. That's not leaving the game. He still would've been very much complicit. Either stay or go. You can't do both. Word to BMF.
@@gioluvs1893 I think it's clear that once Stringer had developed enough legit money streams he would have moved on from drugs. I think that was the difference between Stringer and Prop Joe. Joe had been in power for as long as Avon but he didn't really care about the money he liked the action and spent his days in a shop repairing toasters and clocks even though he likely had tens of millions of dollars stashed away.
Avon saw Marlo for what he was..a young lion that wanted total power.Prop Joe,Stringer ,the co op didnt see that.Only Avon and Slim Charles saw Avon for what he realy was.
"Pay me what you owe and talk that global economy mess somewhere else" when Marlo said that it was like a call back to his meeting with Stringer, and shows how Marlo really feels about legit business talk: apathy. That statement(or some version of it) was probably running through his mind while Stringer was talking. All Marlo cared about was the game and the crown.
He took His advice on some things tho.
Avon was right. He's alive.
stringer is too
@@dmdebruijnstringer is dead
@@ladalewatson-ch4im Yes but his legacy lived on. Avons is long dead. The Co-Op ultimately replaced it.
@@gwell2118That makes no sense at all!!😂 You are trying to compare living, breathing to a legacy of a dead person?!! Is that how you are trying to win the argument?!! That is ridiculous!!🤦🏾♂️😭😭
@@GenX7119 what you are all trying to argue that Avon just got lucky a couple more times than stringer as somehow his plans were more right if was somehow more tactful? Anything going slightly different and it could have easily been Avon dead and not stringer. In no capacity did Avon make better decisions or have better arguments. Oh I guess by all your peoples arguments I can say the sky is green but as long as my opponent gets hit by a bus faster that’s makes me right. Geez low iq around here 😂😂😂
What a great analysis, thank you! And the fact people make and watch these kinds of video 20 years after it first aired, says everything about the greatness of the Wire.
the imagery of Stringer being shot in his building before it was finished was no accident
both were right to a certain extent. Stringer had the business mindset required to expand their enterprise and bring in the money, but avon had a much better understanding of the psyche on the street. he knew that the people on the street were never going to go for stringers more organised product over territory theory because somebody or the other was going to get greedy and go to war with the other dealers. Ultimately, it was somebody like the greek who represented the most brutal and effective form of crime. a mindset that put money over violence like stringer did, but was also not hesitant to resort to violence to deal with competitors and rivals.
Nice analysis.
It's the 253 millionth time it's been shared on the internet, but still.
My better half thought Stringer wanted too much too fast when we first watched. She's the coldest pragmatist I've ever met, and she was right. She thought if Stringer had sold the plan to Avon in small chunks, one piece at a time, the two of them could have rivaled Don Corleone.
Great video, CineRanter, you nailed it all down solid! And from this point on I'm _always_ going to hear FTP in your voice with your cadence.
Your lady is really on to something. There's one problem though, in order to leave on top, you gotta do so fast. Season 1, Barksdale crew lost too many soldiers in no time flat, and now they have the attention of the police. That season forced Stringer to move quickly before dying, getting arrested or fading out. Unfortunately, like the movie Fresh said, it's different once you put the clock on them.
Stringer was right about wanting to get out of the game.
Getting out is worth it but some people are in too deep to get out sad but damn.
This intro is killer editing bro. Nice.
In terms of their chosen fields, Avon was far more streetwise than Stringer was business smart.
Facts
I disagree, D was content withbhis actions and consequences. We can argue that String didnt know that, but we as the audience do get to see the scenes with D accepting who he is and what he had done. If he wanted to get time shaved off, he would have worked with Avon to inform on that C.O. and any other scheme Avon cooked up
The problem is, what if he woke up one day after really workkng on himself and decided he wanted out? He was 1 or 2 years in to his sentence and only just begun discovering himself. Mcnulty said it himself, he originally went down there to see if he changed his mind yet. At any moment he could have brought everyone down.
@@_D_E_N_N_I_S_ I get that, but the point of him speaking on Gatsby was him accepting that even if he were to get out of jail, he'd still have to run from who he was, if he rats, he'll have to run from that. The only way forward for him is to accept his consequences and change honestly. At least, that's how I read it. Obviously in real life, most people snitch, but to me it seemed like they purposefully wanted the audience to know he was okay with the time. Again, Avon could have sprung him the same way he got out, Avon even expected it to an extent because in S1 he tells Levy that eventually he'll come around. D would have always had a lone to his mom and Avon for help. Just because Mcnutty went there to talk to him, doesny mean he would have talked.
D did not fully accept anything that’s why he ended up lying and not taking that murder of the girl Avon had him kill early on. He told the cops it was Stringer (snitching) showing he was still scared and unwilling to face the consequences of his actions
@@kierankennedy5847 he didnt kill that girl, he told Bodie and Wallace that to seem tough but he confessed to the detrctives that it was really Weebey
@@maniac50ae14 Yes this was the point where he accepted who he was and decided to leave his former life behind. The irony was that he was murdered shortly after coming to this revelation.
I understand why you agonized over this one for a while before making it but you came through. Really well done.
D was a real man to the end, in spite of what the streets thought of him.
He refused to buckle, even with his own mother and uncle exerting pressure on him.
I know a bunch of Stringer's who are legitimately successful businessman and never have to sell drugs again. All the Avon's I know are dead or in jail.
But I disagree, with stringers assessment to certain degree. I think stringer would have been successful his problem was his character was dirtied up by his environment. Stringer all he had to do was be quiet be humble and work within the confines of the game. When Avon comes out he can turn it over to him and move on to the business world. Stringer wasn’t fully committed to either side nor did he have the character to ask for help and understand he doesn’t know it all and it takes time. He dint want to start from scratch he loves the money he made for the game but didn’t like the other parts of it. His greed got the best of him. If he was entirely focused on success he would have com out on the other end.
The confines of the game were that you either end up dead or in jail. There was no way for Stringer to get where he wanted to get to without Avon bringing heat on him and putting him in jail and there was no way for Stringer to do what he wanted to do without seeming weak to the street.
Ghost and Stringer would've been a crazy combo!
Facts
Ghost is based after stringer too arrogant too soon to be ambitious
A very interesting detail in their last, Shakespearean scene together (one of the best in the show) is when they reminisce about their childhood, and Avon mentions how String stole a set of badminton even though they didn't have a yard.
In that particular case, Avon was being business minded, pointing out the pointlessness of String's theft just for the sake of it.
In a way, just like "the fight for the territory be bringing the bodies, and the bodies be bringing the police", String's act brought the heat.
On the other hand, String was showing that street mentality. He was playing the game at an age when kids really play games. He was being just a kid gangster, I suppose.
Marlo does the same when he steals those candies. But Marlo is on another level, and represents a new level of fierceness in the game. He's being a gangster, and he doesn't run from heat (although, if we're being honest, he doesn't risk much from that security guard).
Makes you wonder, at which point String developed a business oriented consciousness? What made him mature into a right arm who started to see the games beyond the games?
Somehow related : one of String's biggest, almost stupidest mistakes was his decision to keep Orlando's money in the botched deal where Kima got shot. Not only did the whole ordeal bring a lot more pressure on the Barksdales, the money was a huge liability, and Avon, even in a fit of rage, immediately pointed out the utter absurdity of String's reasoning. String wanted to play both games, be a gangster (organize the hit) and a businessman (maximize profit).
The result was a clusterf-ck that they had managed to avoid up until that point. Immediately after the event, as he tells D'Angelo to go with WeeBay, String is popping pills. We're free to speculate what kind of pills they might be (uppers for focus? downers to alleviate anxiety and stress? or just headache pills?), but we can assume String is doing some serious thinking, self questioning, even soul searching maybe.
Kima's shooting might be THE event that made String go "f-ck this gangsta bullsh-t, there MUST be a way to get that money without all the heat"
The sacred and the propane.
He didn’t keep the money in Kima hit. They burned it.
I've been re-watching this with my brother to see how many good video ideas could come from this, and there are so many in each sentence. I'm glad you took time to put those opposing philosophies in the opening to allow the text to speak. you're crushing it man, it's hard to say that the wire is anything but a near flawless work of serial television.
I think you are right where they were both right and wrong. They were at their best when working together. Providing the right checks and balances to each other's strengths/weaknesses. A good compliment to the other. In the end though, I always felt like Stringer tried to run before he learned to walk. He may have had vision and saw beyond what was in front of him, but that was his downfall. He couldn't see where he stood, and who stood around him. He wasn't as smart as he thought he was, as you pointed out, and when you are surrounded by sharks, no matter your vision or intelligence, you just become chum.
For everything String did he only had 2 errors. Not being straight up when Avon didnt want the Joe package, which lead to setting up Mouzone and not running stuff by Levy.
The co-op not coming together to squash Marlo was also foolhardy
One of the things that I respected most about Avon was when cutty came to him asking for money to start a boxing gym for the kids I forget how much he asked for but Avon gave him double what he was asking for and didn’t tell him to pay it back, didn’t charge interest, no strings attached nothing just straight up gave it to him and even when cutty said he wanted to put Avon’s name up in recognition for what he did Avon said no he didn’t want anything from it not even thanks. I think that’s because he knew who he was and even though he did have a good heart and genuinely seemed to wanna do some good and help the community there he didn’t want anyone including himself to get confused and maybe think he was a good guy and not to protect his reputation or anything I think it was more from a noble sense of not wanting anyone to look up to him cause he knows he don’t deserve it
Avon was a Top Tier Gangster
Just a gangster, I suppose ...
Avon is likely still making money selling in prison as Rayful Edmond did, especially after Slim secured the connect. He wasnt capable of having the yard stop their ball game off of rep alone, its because hes still moving drugs in the prison, which even in S5 Sergei respects him.
This was another excellent video. I love watching your ideas on this show and others. Keep 'em coming!
It's interesting that every institution in the wire ends up being a battle between power figures who want change and power figures who strive the maintain he system in place. Police. School. Drug game. Politics. Every agent of change is met with resistance from leaders of the system. All agents of change were either expelled from their profession or killed. The agents most loyal to the system ultimately benefited the most. Stringer was never incorrect in his assessment or how he wanted to run the business, but ultimately, his model (sharing territory, splitting profits) was against how the system worked and he paid the ultimate price for it. The Wire reinforced that change is impossible when people in power believe in the system that in place
Great analysis!
It's interesting the different way we look at the various people who try to change things. Bunny is beloved for trying to change things, but Stringer gets a lot of criticism for not "staying true to the game"
Did they not see the
movie paid in full!?
You got 14 bricks, right there? 😂😅😂
Love the intro! Great video, as always.
Sir more long content like this plz. Luv you breakdowns
Great video and analysis you have
I think the argument boils down to this: Is it better to always stay content in your (relatively) low level, or is it better to try for better things and fail?
Every upload is a banger. 🔥
Avon is right about the street.
Stringer is right about the business. The problem is they both wanted separate crowns.
Avon wants the Street Crown
Stinger the CEO.
The part that makes me lean toward stringer and frustrated me the most about Avon was that he didn't fully recognize the struggles the organization was going through while he was locked up. Stringer was doing what he could do to keep them afloat with basically no good product while Avon was too concerned with holding on to the towers that wound up getting tore down before he got out anyway. It wasn't stringers fault their connect cut them off once Avon got caught up. Stringer made his fair share of bad decisions as well but that is where everything started to fall apart.
Supberb opening edit, the D'Angelo speech was *cheef's kiss* brudda
The opening of this video is absolute fire, spot on!
One of your best and most balanced analysis.
Dumbest thought process is that Avon was right to stay in a violent industry with an almost guaranteed harsh ending. Stringer wanted out from the hands on drug dealing. Remember Detective Lester Freamon said there was no way a local officer was going to touch him with his future plans.
Great analysis.
Amazing intro!
Really sets the tone.
"A HUBLE MF WITH A BIG ASS HEAD "🤣
I don’t think you can say one was right and the other was wrong. They wanted very different things. Stringer wanted money, Avon wanted respect on the street.
During their rise to power, those goals aligned. But once they got to the top, their goals began to clash.
@:37 the layout and design of that condo still looks good for 2023. Stringer had class lol
Great video! My two favorite characters
Stringer always thought he was the smartest person in the room. He wasn't humble enough to realize that he had alot to learn.
There's nothing I hate more than people comparing Stringer with Bunny. Their motives and desired outcomes couldn't have been further apart from each other.
Great analysis
I usually align with Cineranter, but I have to disagree with him on his criticism of Avon's code of honor ("Why you're wrong about Avon Barksdale").
He brings up how Avon ordered Brandon to be brutalized and left on display, and how he killed all of those inmates with hot shots just for the POSSIBILITY of an early release. Despicable as those acts may have been, they were still all in the game. Everyone involved (Brandon- a stick up boy who robbed drug dealers, random inmates in prison who supported the illegal drug trade) were players in the game. And in the game, EVERYONE involved knows the stakes but makes the informed decision to take part regardless (looking at you Mr. Wendel O. Blockard). Avon did despicable things but he did despicable things to people who signed up for those risks.
Loved the “he couldn’t fuckin’ sell it” Junior Soprano reference
the wire is definitely the most rewatchable show i’ve ever seen
Best video I've seen from you so far.
I was not a fan of stinger because he was a scumbag, but he was right, the game should have been a stepping stone. its an interesting contrast how both characters had attributes that would have been useful in the world both of them were trying to avoid. Avon had better instincts that would have translated perfectly in the legitimate business world and Stringer had that by any means necessary attitude that works better in the streets than in business.
He shouldn’t have tried to bullshit Avon. If he had told him straight up and told him he needed a better product. He bullshit, and that bought in Brother. Then he had to cross Brother with Omar. And there it is.
The game is the game. Always. It’s the life, it isn’t a stepping stone. You either play or get played. They line all this up for us through the five seasons. String issue was having 1 foot in and 1 foot out, a man without a country like Avon said. The dream of going from drug dealer to legit business man has never worked for anyone.
@@heathhenderson8235100
@@calwatch1496 there are two games string was tryna play, that’s why Avon told about playing “away games”. He had a foot in both and when shit didn’t go his way he tried to use the rules from the other game to get his way. Negotiating in the drug game or using violence in his politics. Avon broke him down at the end of season 3.
Love this channel love all the pov good job keep them coming
Avon all the way. Idris Elba is a great actor, but Stringer was diabolical and killed over the 2 big instances where he lied on the face. Of course Avon is a cunning & violent guy but he's an honest personality: "Just a gangsta, that's all". Definitely rooted for him between Stringer & Marlo.
Stringer was right but how he went about handling it was what made him hated and viewed at as more a snake than Avon even though both betrayed eachother.
Where they both went wrong is by separating from eachother. When something works good for so long why change it?
Avon was a warrior, but there is no future in that, you either die young or you get old with nothing to offer.
Stringer was a conqueror, but the game was too complex to do alone.
I saw this video this morning before I left for work. Put it on the watch later. Glad I can enjoy it in its fullness, in its totality. Love this channel!
He couldn’t sell it……..he couldn’t fooking sell it. Love this channel.
“That shiiiid happens” 🤣🤣🤣
What’s interesting is that Marlo became what Stringer always wanted. Marlo had the opportunity to become the businessman Stringer strived to be. Stringer didn’t survive because he did a lot of dirt and was shady and got his Karma. String likely would have been the same way had he grew up in the surbs do to his shady character.
Levy was the biggest crook of all. That's the ultimate lesson in the Wire. 😅 He's the one that introduced Stringer Bell to the contractors and even Senator Clay Davis
Stringer wanted to go legit and move away from the streets. I was rooting for him to succeed in his goal. He just went about it the wrong way and was unfortunately around people who didn't share the same sentiments as him. IRL, there were gangsters who were able to successfully mask their illicit dealings through legit fronts. There was a gang in New York called SMM who was able to get a payroll company to transfer their illegal profits to paychecks. I was thinking The Barksdale Organization could've done the same thing.
Stringer was dead wrong. he simply wasn’t built to be the king of either the street or in politics. When Avon went away and he was in charge prop joe played him. When he tried to get into legitimate businessman without running it by levy clay Davis drained him. It’s like when Marlo said he wasn’t meant to play the son before he had joe killed, stringer was meant to play the son. I must say I commend stringer for trying to change the game as it is a evil and unforgiving game to play, but everyone knows it’ll never change.
HOLY SHIT......I never got the foreshadowing of D'Angelo's synopsis of The Great Gatsby and Stringer Bell
In s3e8 Avon tells Stringer
"You know the difference between me and you? I bleed red and you bleed green. I look at you these days, String, you know what I see? I see a man without a country. Not hard enough for this right here and maybe, just maybe, not smart enough for them out there."
I think Avon is only half-right. String was capable of playing the street game, certainly "hard" enough, but he didn't care about it any more - he wanted to play the "legitimate" business and politics game, and was using the street money and street power only to facilitate the new game.
Stringer *might* have been capable of going legit ("smart enough for them out there"), but he jumped into a deep pool with Levy and Krawczyk and Clay Davis and didn't have the time to master the new game before he got got.
Well done sir
A perfect pairing that failed once they stopped listening to and trying to understand each other.
More brilliance from this channel!
Not even a question. If we are going to say a gangster is right... Then it's certainly Avon. He understood the rules of the streets and was honest with himself. Stringer had no values and tried to make things what he wanted them to be rather than accept them for how they were are act accordingly.
Stringer was right. He attempted to organize crime (like the Italian Mob) but failed because people couldn't see his vision. Even Avon admitted it in the end.
He would have been working for Marlo. After Marlo killed Joe.
One of THE best analytical summaries of BNB around. And lowkey metaphorical for adult friendships. Barksdale ‘n Bell worked because of loyalty and how their strengths and weaknesses were complemented by the other’s. Which is often hard to do in friendships where guys surround themselves by the exact same kind of men. Which speaks to BNB’s downfall. They were Ill equipped to stand absent what the other brought to the table and got exposed in the other’s absence. One winds up dead, the other imprisoned longterm. But the question becomes: even had both been alive and free, would the friendship have lasted?!?!? I say no because like most friendships, when one has aspirations for major growth and change, the one who’s comfortable with life as is inevitably will get left behind. No matter how loyal or tied you think you are to the person. But time waits for no man.
The king stays King
Neither, Slim Charles was right. He’s alive and out of jail, has the street smarts of Avon and the business acumen to “be a CEO”. Update: After watching this analysis again, you are right…both are correct and their separation confounded their perfect balance. If they remained together, they could’ve beaten Marlo and eventually put Prop Joe in his place. When Avon admitted that Stringer’s idea of letting Omar get comfortable then draw him out with an illusion of a parlay shows that both could work.
The opening scene of the video is gold. Pure gold. Wow.
Stringer's betrayal is the only reason why Avon didn't beat Marlo.
Stringer was right till he told
He should have bought all the row houses instead that would have eased him into that game
Avon only knew the streets was content with jail or an early death
Even Avon said String was right. And nobody killed Tony Soprano. He's still boss of Jersey from prison because Carlo flipped on him
The drug game is a lot more brutal then the rackets Tony’s glorified crew had
@@jbatts834 More brutal that the mobb??? Ionno
Great analysis. Just finished rewatching season 3, and one thing I think I can add to this conversation is one of the times Bell actually lectures Avon.
Stringer: The thing about turf, it ain't like it was. I mean, you ain't gotta pay no price of buyin' no corners.
Avon: Since when do we buy corners? We take corners.
Stringer: Man, you gonna buy one way or another. Whether it's with the bodies we lost or are gonna lose, time in the joint that's behind us or ahead of us. I mean, you gonna get shit in this game, but it ain't shit for free.
Like many already has stated, Stringer is a good business man and a pragmatist. But he does think of everything in terms of cost. Not just money, but mainly that. And that is his, and many bussinesstypes, weakness.
What Avon understood is the value of the Brand, or The Name. On the streets, and on Wall Street too, actually, you can't be perceived as "weak". Your brandname is important. Weak products, bad management, all of these lead to a bad brand.
Another one of Stringers faults his, like already stated, that he is smart but not as smart as he thinks he is.
He got rainmade by Clay Davis, but I always wondered, would he still have been rainmade if he actually took is time to learn the new game and, like Davis said, first walked, crawled and then run? Maybe, but he wouldn't have been rainmade as bad as he was now.
When he arrogantly came in to Davis and said "I'm ready to run", Davis knew he was in over his head and that "here's a sucker and can get a lot of money out of."
Great video and one of the best arcs in television history. You nailed it- they're both right and they're both wrong. I know many people will side with Stringer who, in some ways, is the more complex character (and Idris is the more famous actor) whereas Avon is just a gangster, I suppose.
That said, I'll say it- I'm Team Avon because, yeah, he was right about everything haha (and Remember the Titans is my favorite movie, so I love Wood Harris). Stringer was a man without a country and a scheming usurper. Avon was the king who understood the game better than anyone.
It's a tragic, Shakespearean storyline. Again, their whole arc but particularly the third/final act in Season 3 is incredible. Thanks for the video.
Avon didn’t trust stringer after what he done to his nephew, that’s the only reason he gave him up to brother mouzone
Still have yet to watch this show. I watch a ton of these videos and it seems strongly out together
In theory, Stringer was right.
You become a gangster long enough to make enough money until you have enough to “go legit”.
You don’t stay a gangster your whole life. That hardly ever ends well. Either ends in death or prison.
So yeah, you can either be Joseph Kennedy Sr. or Jay Z (Stringer’s vision) or be Bugsy Siegel or Pablo Escobar (Avon’s vision).
I would love to see them do something together again.
Avon never betrays Stringer. Stringer got what he deserved. Money can buy protection but not respect in the end.
What Stringer was attempting is simply not possible in the world of illegal drug dealing. No matter how long you sustain it, one day it'll fall. It was a bandaid at best. Avon came home and immediately fucked up his plans. He tried to give him some leeway on the construction stuff, but he realized very quickly that String was getting taken advantage of.
Tony didn't think he would necessarily get killed or go to prison. His plan was to totally insulate himself behind Christopher, then changed his plan to Bobby.
Under Stringer they became "The Bank". Untouchable according to McNulty. If they just tolerated Marlo and didn't worry so much about the corners, the Barksdale crew would be living free and easy.
That is true … Marlo was content at the moment having his key corners .. Avon started the war and Marlo was ready for it
@@ThePrettyFreem Problem was that Marlo wasn't content to just have his corners he wanted all of the corners. Also don't forget that Marlo is minutes away from being dead when the police intervene and bust Avon so being ready for war wasn't what saved him.
Stringer wanted to become Michael Corleone legitimizing the organization
Can you make a video of episode 10 season 4 why did slim Charles tell boady about Kevin being killed by snoop and Chris did he want to start a war or something ?
What an intro! ❤
They were both right and wrong.The thing I think we need to remember also is that Avon’s entire family only knew the game.Stringer more so chose the game as a means to survive his environment only.Therefore the values would always be different.Like you said Avon deep down knew he couldn’t wear the crown forever but he always believed his family would thrive because until the time came that’s what it was.The best thing Avon could’ve did was exactly what Marlo did and agree to the co op until he could take Joe out and take the streets over completely which in turn would’ve gave him and stringer what they both wanted.
I liked avon and stinger i think what stringer wanted to do made since as far as wanting to reduce the violence and essentially civilize the game but it wasn't realistic avon was the realist he understood you can't change the game or as he said the street is the street