He even laughs. I think being punched by his own son in law and seeing how Frank wasn't really dirty he was just desperate and trying to save his union and died in the process, actually humbled Valchek.
Yeah he might have realised that for him, the police job is very stable since they will always need police but for Frank and the other dockers, it wasnt as garanteed . Frank Sobotka just wanted to save jobs for his people, good paying jobs
Even Valchek understands Frank didn't deserve what happened. This one moment added a whole layer to Valchek, one of the most unsympathetic characters in the show.
Valchek was an opportunistic man with an ego, who didn't like to be made to feel like second best. Hence the feud with Sobotka. He was human though, and can sympathise with a murder victim. It's what made the show great. He's like a real person, not some super villain.
@@johnball320yes!! Also viewed him as like a worthy opponent almost, respect on both ends but ONE had to go, and valchek didnt want frank to go down like that
LOL, I remember there was one scene in an episode where he was examining the photograph with a magnifying glass, hoping to find a fingerprint or clue that he could use to get them.
There was no love lost between Valchek and Sobotka, but at the end of the day, they came from the same community and went to the same schools, and seemed to have a certain respect for one another. You never really forget who you grew up with.
yes and no its how he knew it had something going on because no way that the port worker could pay such an expansive thing while struggling with their union
It was partly pride, I think, but most of it was power. Frank and Valchek both wanted the church window for the same reason, to raise their profile. Both wanted to show that they have power and influence so that people will believe they can win their respective political battles, which, in politics, IS most of the battle. Valchek's power comes from people being convinced of his power. Remember when he made Burrell give him a real detail just before he was confirmed as the police commissioner? He spoke to him right outside the ceremony hall, and because Burrell was convinced that Stan had the influence to make good on his threats, he caved. If Frank could have convinced the right people of his power, maybe he could have pulled it off.
Literally watching this now for the first time again in years. In college I had the box set for seasons 1 & 2 and they played on repeat religiously. I don’t get people who say they didn’t like season 2. It annoys me. Shit was fuckin real man as real as this shit gets. The system can never be broken.
People who say that don't deserve The Wire, they just want black gangsters shooting each other. Idiots. Season 2 was easily one of the best; the butterfly effect of three sets of petty actions, the shepherd trying to earn on his own and accidentally killing the women, McNulty getting revenge on Rawls with responsibility for their deaths and Valchek getting revenge on Sobotka over a fucking window; these 3 created ripple effects that caused everything else, like Gavrilo Princip killing Granz Ferdinand. Magnificent TV.
@@dzonbrodi514 While The Wire was on air white hipsters were also big into crack rap, e.g. The Clipse. They just have a hood fetish, and more broadly, a fetish for nonwhites in general. Patronizing af.
Season 2 was always my favourite from the first time I watched it. I get that people wanted the gangster stuff, and season 4 is a masterpiece with the kids, but season 2 is the best illustration of the decline of Industrial America I have ever seen.
god I loved this season so much, I know it's somewhat of an unpopular opinion amongst The Wire fans but I loved the change in scenery and tone, yet how everything ties together with the other seasons through certain characters like The Greek, Cheese, etc.
Honestly if you don’t love season 2 you just don’t get the show. I can understand people disliking season 5 - which has a kind of jarringly unrealistic major plot point -but season 2 is as real as it gets.
This was absolutely hilarious. Every time he got one of these letters he got increasingly desperate and furious. By the end all he could do was shake his head and wait for them to give it back if that would ever happen. LOL
People say Valchek got Frank killed. He wanted him convicted because he had beef with him and he knew Sobotka is involved in illegal activities. I know Stan wasn't doing it just because of his duty, but I don't see something very bad about this action. Guy got on his nerves so Valchek stopped turning blind eye on him and get him arrested for things he was doing. He was not manufacturing evidence or doing other unfair things like that. Yes he was behaving like a dickhead for Frank, but Frank was doing the same against him (where Valchek's actions were legal). That's typical for two Poles having a beef He just didn't know Frank Sobotka is so deep in Baltimore's criminal activities. He was basically main part in transporting drugs to Baltimore. You can say he was one of the tops of Baltimore crime if you will think how big part he played. Without him The Greeks couldn't sell heroine to people like Prop Joe or Marlo later. It's hard to see, but he really was the main piece in the whole drug thing, of course later he was replaced because he was going to turn everyone in. Until then he got respect and protection of the Greeks and shit lot of money. He wasn't spending them for himself tho (unlike typical gangsters of Baltimore) because he was contributing to the union and he got to stay low (just like the Greeks). He was more important for drug trade in Baltimore than Prop Joe, Avon, Stringer or people directly selling the drugs So I don't see how's Valchek responsible for death of Frank Sobotka. He started the case but Frank died because of his illegal activities and turning in all his business partners outside of the union
Yeees. I love Frank Sobotka, he's such a tragic character. But Valchek didn't get him killed. Frank was doing business with very dangerous people. He did it for a good reason, but it was a very risky road. And unfortunetaly he paid the highest price. But I disagree that The Greeks couldn't sell heroin without him. They did sell heroin long after killing Frank. The port was probably the easiest way to do it, but it wasn't that necessary.
First time Watcher on Season 2 last episode Frank was Good Guy who Got in bed with Bad People for the Right Reasons. 😢 I feel for Frank..I think I would have done the same for my union if they really weren’t eating like that.
I love how someone thought this might humanise him. It doesn't, as far as I'm concerned. It makes him a hypocrite more than anything else. He destroyed Frank's union and his life, all for a window in a church, and he has the temerity to wish him peace? It's not like he's saying it to anyone else, either, he's saying it to himself, as if trying to convince himself that he's still the better man by 'forgiving' his enemies.
@@sanoban No, he wanted to break Frank. That’s why he waited for the newspapers and photographers to show up before arresting him. He wanted to bring Frank down. All because of a fucking window.
@@JimmySteller He's awful and the worst, but he didn't know this was gonna be the outcome. And let's not forget Frank shares some responsibility when it comes to the white slave trafficking. In some way, he had it coming.
@@diezgp You’re right about Frank, but it doesn’t make Valchek look any better to me. He was an egotist, a corrupt asshole who abused his position to ruin someone’s life just because of a petty issue. At least Frank was working for the livelihoods of his neighbourhood and his union.
Overall Frank was out of order, he should've done what was right. Valchek showed what a gentleman he is by allowing Frank to rest in peace, this is why he is the right choice for commissioner at the end.
I think that's a pretty misguided take. The show goes to great lengths to show how morally bankrupt characters such as Valchek are. This scene is nice in the sense that it presents a human dimension to Valchek, resembling how the show portrays its characters as being complex, but Valchek is still a despicable human being. In what way did Valchek "allow Frank to rest in peace"? The statement is bewildering.
He even laughs. I think being punched by his own son in law and seeing how Frank wasn't really dirty he was just desperate and trying to save his union and died in the process, actually humbled Valchek.
Yeah he might have realised that for him, the police job is very stable since they will always need police but for Frank and the other dockers, it wasnt as garanteed . Frank Sobotka just wanted to save jobs for his people, good paying jobs
Even Valchek understands Frank didn't deserve what happened. This one moment added a whole layer to Valchek, one of the most unsympathetic characters in the show.
Valchek was an opportunistic man with an ego, who didn't like to be made to feel like second best. Hence the feud with Sobotka. He was human though, and can sympathise with a murder victim. It's what made the show great. He's like a real person, not some super villain.
@@johnball320yes!! Also viewed him as like a worthy opponent almost, respect on both ends but ONE had to go, and valchek didnt want frank to go down like that
2 Polish assholes pissing over a church window. Sure he wanted to put Frank in jail or at least threaten him but killed? Nah.
That surveillance van feud was hilarious lol
LOL, I remember there was one scene in an episode where he was examining the photograph with a magnifying glass, hoping to find a fingerprint or clue that he could use to get them.
his van ended up in a different state each episode hahahahha
Hell yea
I wish I could find just a video featuring only the van and Valchek getting the photos.
RIP Al Brown :( Spoczywaj w spokoju..
I never realized he did feel (grudgingly) sorry for Frank. Little props to him
too bad its always too late when they do
There was no love lost between Valchek and Sobotka, but at the end of the day, they came from the same community and went to the same schools, and seemed to have a certain respect for one another. You never really forget who you grew up with.
You guys Valchek started the whole thing that lead to his death
@@AmrRivers Valchek didn't cause him to get involved with the Greek.
@@michael5045 yeah you right. But Valchek did start an investigation for purely personal reasons
All of this over a window :( Pride is such a thing.
yes and no its how he knew it had something going on because no way that the port worker could pay such an expansive thing while struggling with their union
It was partly pride, I think, but most of it was power. Frank and Valchek both wanted the church window for the same reason, to raise their profile. Both wanted to show that they have power and influence so that people will believe they can win their respective political battles, which, in politics, IS most of the battle. Valchek's power comes from people being convinced of his power. Remember when he made Burrell give him a real detail just before he was confirmed as the police commissioner? He spoke to him right outside the ceremony hall, and because Burrell was convinced that Stan had the influence to make good on his threats, he caved. If Frank could have convinced the right people of his power, maybe he could have pulled it off.
Spoczywaj w spokoju.
Literally watching this now for the first time again in years. In college I had the box set for seasons 1 & 2 and they played on repeat religiously. I don’t get people who say they didn’t like season 2. It annoys me. Shit was fuckin real man as real as this shit gets. The system can never be broken.
Season 2 is my favorite!
People who say that don't deserve The Wire, they just want black gangsters shooting each other. Idiots. Season 2 was easily one of the best; the butterfly effect of three sets of petty actions, the shepherd trying to earn on his own and accidentally killing the women, McNulty getting revenge on Rawls with responsibility for their deaths and Valchek getting revenge on Sobotka over a fucking window; these 3 created ripple effects that caused everything else, like Gavrilo Princip killing Granz Ferdinand. Magnificent TV.
@@dzonbrodi514 While The Wire was on air white hipsters were also big into crack rap, e.g. The Clipse. They just have a hood fetish, and more broadly, a fetish for nonwhites in general. Patronizing af.
I loved season 2 - who cares what anyone else thinks.
Season 2 was always my favourite from the first time I watched it. I get that people wanted the gangster stuff, and season 4 is a masterpiece with the kids, but season 2 is the best illustration of the decline of Industrial America I have ever seen.
One of many great characters on the show.
Godspeed.
Spoczywaj w pokoju, Al!
god I loved this season so much, I know it's somewhat of an unpopular opinion amongst The Wire fans but I loved the change in scenery and tone, yet how everything ties together with the other seasons through certain characters like The Greek, Cheese, etc.
Honestly if you don’t love season 2 you just don’t get the show. I can understand people disliking season 5 - which has a kind of jarringly unrealistic major plot point -but season 2 is as real as it gets.
I watched this scene from Brisbane Australia where Valcheks surveillance car was sent too 😂
“Rest in Peace”. Was this Valchecks way of saying sorry and giving Frank a little respect ?
Yes. He didn't want Frank dead just humbled (arrested and/or humiliated) not dead
It's the Catholic thing man.
Even your enemies deserve respect if they die
@@jamesdakrn They deserve respect when living too. Easy to respect those who respect you back. Anyone can do that.
@@socallawrence facts.
I think so - he had a grudging respect for him at the end.
This was absolutely hilarious. Every time he got one of these letters he got increasingly desperate and furious. By the end all he could do was shake his head and wait for them to give it back if that would ever happen. LOL
Valchek wanted to screw Frank but he wouldn't have wanted to see him hurt.
Spociwaaaj wspokoju
RIP to you too
He said Rest in Peace in Polish
People say Valchek got Frank killed. He wanted him convicted because he had beef with him and he knew Sobotka is involved in illegal activities. I know Stan wasn't doing it just because of his duty, but I don't see something very bad about this action. Guy got on his nerves so Valchek stopped turning blind eye on him and get him arrested for things he was doing. He was not manufacturing evidence or doing other unfair things like that. Yes he was behaving like a dickhead for Frank, but Frank was doing the same against him (where Valchek's actions were legal). That's typical for two Poles having a beef
He just didn't know Frank Sobotka is so deep in Baltimore's criminal activities. He was basically main part in transporting drugs to Baltimore. You can say he was one of the tops of Baltimore crime if you will think how big part he played. Without him The Greeks couldn't sell heroine to people like Prop Joe or Marlo later. It's hard to see, but he really was the main piece in the whole drug thing, of course later he was replaced because he was going to turn everyone in. Until then he got respect and protection of the Greeks and shit lot of money. He wasn't spending them for himself tho (unlike typical gangsters of Baltimore) because he was contributing to the union and he got to stay low (just like the Greeks). He was more important for drug trade in Baltimore than Prop Joe, Avon, Stringer or people directly selling the drugs
So I don't see how's Valchek responsible for death of Frank Sobotka. He started the case but Frank died because of his illegal activities and turning in all his business partners outside of the union
Yeees. I love Frank Sobotka, he's such a tragic character. But Valchek didn't get him killed. Frank was doing business with very dangerous people. He did it for a good reason, but it was a very risky road. And unfortunetaly he paid the highest price. But I disagree that The Greeks couldn't sell heroin without him. They did sell heroin long after killing Frank. The port was probably the easiest way to do it, but it wasn't that necessary.
In a show full of unlikable criminals, Stan stood head and shoulders above them all as the scummiest
Rip
First time Watcher on Season 2 last episode Frank was Good Guy who Got in bed with Bad People for the Right Reasons. 😢 I feel for Frank..I think I would have done the same for my union if they really weren’t eating like that.
What did he say at the end ???
"Spoczywaj w spokoju" which stands for rest in peace
Rest in Peace
I love how someone thought this might humanise him. It doesn't, as far as I'm concerned. It makes him a hypocrite more than anything else. He destroyed Frank's union and his life, all for a window in a church, and he has the temerity to wish him peace? It's not like he's saying it to anyone else, either, he's saying it to himself, as if trying to convince himself that he's still the better man by 'forgiving' his enemies.
He didn't know it would sprawl that much. He just wanted to see where the money came from just out of pettiness
@@sanoban No, he wanted to break Frank. That’s why he waited for the newspapers and photographers to show up before arresting him. He wanted to bring Frank down. All because of a fucking window.
@@JimmySteller He's awful and the worst, but he didn't know this was gonna be the outcome.
And let's not forget Frank shares some responsibility when it comes to the white slave trafficking. In some way, he had it coming.
@@diezgp You’re right about Frank, but it doesn’t make Valchek look any better to me. He was an egotist, a corrupt asshole who abused his position to ruin someone’s life just because of a petty issue. At least Frank was working for the livelihoods of his neighbourhood and his union.
"You play in dirt you get dirty." - McNulty. Frank played in the most dangerous dirt of all of Baltimore.
Overall Frank was out of order, he should've done what was right. Valchek showed what a gentleman he is by allowing Frank to rest in peace, this is why he is the right choice for commissioner at the end.
And that's that.
Did we watch the same season what kind of take is this
I think that's a pretty misguided take. The show goes to great lengths to show how morally bankrupt characters such as Valchek are. This scene is nice in the sense that it presents a human dimension to Valchek, resembling how the show portrays its characters as being complex, but Valchek is still a despicable human being. In what way did Valchek "allow Frank to rest in peace"? The statement is bewildering.
@@shanemcnelis2667 He's quoting fucking Billy Batts from Goodfellas you maroon.
@@michael5045 No one has ever called me a dark red before. I'm flattered.
Really? He actually cared? After everything did to that man, I don't buy It!
Maybe he feels like his worthy foe is dead and no more games to play? He wanted frank in prison but not dead. A sign of respect even maybe bro