Port in a Storm

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“Port in a Storm”
The Wire episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 12
Guest stars see below
Written by David Simon
Directed by Robert F. Colesberry
Production no. 212
Original airdate August 24, 2003 (HBO)
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology

"Port in a Storm" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Robert F. Colesberry. It originally aired on August 24, 2003.

Contents

[edit] Guest Starring roles

[edit] Episode recap

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Dock Business

The stevedores gather for work as Officer Claude Diggins pulls a floating corpse from the water. Once it is ashore they all recognise the body as Frank Sobotka. When Frank does not return from his meeting with The Greek Nick Sobotka drives out to the meeting place. Nick returns to the docks after finding Frank's car empty.

When Nick learns of Frank's death he is restrained from going after The Greek by the other stevedores until his father, Louis, arrives. Nick's father takes him to South Eastern headquarters to turn himself in.

The Greek meets with Spiros Vondas and they discuss their plans. The Greek decides to leave Nick alone because the police are after him. The Greek decides Nick poses little threat as he does not know his name (even his nationality is false) and Spiros can easily use another name. Spiros asks what to do with their shipment on the docks and The Greek decides it is safest to walk away.

Later, the FBI visit the union hall and tell them that they need to change their leadership or the union will be decertified. Ott responds by withdrawing from the election and standing behind Sobotka. The unions loyalty to their leader will destroy their future.

[edit] The Street

Stringer Bell visits Brother Mouzone's bedside and tells him they will catch whoever was responsible for his shooting. Mouzone insists he wants no assistance from them and that he will find those responsible on his own. Bell incriminates himself when he jumps at Mouzone's use of a plural when describing his attackers.

Bubbles and Johnny spot a drug addict who has overdosed on the new more powerful package. While Johnny keeps watch Bubbles attempts to steal medical supplies from the responding ambulance. Officer Santangelo (Season 1) apprehends them and they end up in an interrogation room in the South Eastern district. Detectives Kima Greggs and Jimmy McNulty discuss Bubbles options with him, they insist that he give them some information to secure the charges against him being dropped. Bubbles claims to have little to tell them, Johnny reminds him of Brother Mouzone shooting Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff. Bubbles tells the detectives that the shooting was nothing as Mouzone used a "rat round". He tells them about the East side drug dealers moving in on Avon Barksdale's towers. Bubbles describes the situation as Bell and the East siders sharing. Bubbles finally lets them know about the change in the quality of product being slung by the Barksdale organization. Bubbles revelations prompt Kima and McNulty to start surveiling the towers where they see the two crews working alongside one another. Later, Kima and Cheryl shop for baby products and Kima is uncomfortable enough to prompt rebuke from Cheryl. Back at the detail officer, McNulty and Kima check with Lester Freamon about information on Proposition Joe's supply uptake from The Greeks. They learn that he recently doubled his order.

Omar Little discusses Brother Mouzone with Butchie. Butchie reassures Omar that Mouzone could not have been involved in Brandon's death. Butchie comments that Avon, Bell and Avon's father are all pure evil. Realizing that Bell set him up Omar promises Butchie that he will get his revenge.

Spiros and Proposition Joe meet in the park to discuss their future business. Spiros assures proposition Joe that he has new people coming in to restart their operation. When Joe asks where they are moving to, Spiros walks away in silence.

Bell meets with Avon in prison to discuss Brother Mouzone's failure to protect their territory. Avon worries that if they cannot maintain their reputation they will lose their business. Avon chastises Bell for asking Mouzone who attacked him. Avon finally accepts that they must work with Prop Joe. Finally they reaffirm their loyalty to one another. Bell meets with Proposition Joe to give him the good news, Joe tells Bell that their resupply will have a slight delay. The meeting is photographed by Greggs and McNulty.

[edit] Sobotka Detail

Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, Greggs and Freamon discuss the disappearance of their Greek suspects and the identity of the mysterious man that Spiros met with. Greggs reassures Daniels that Sobotka could still break the case for them.

Daniels meets with Major Valchek and makes a case for Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski's career after he punched Valchek in the detail office. Daniels successfully negotiates Valchek not making a charge against Prez by threatening him with the witness statements collected after that record Valchek insulting a subordinate officer. Valchek however agrees that Prez can return to the detail after two months of midnight shift narcotics work in the southeastern followed by a written letter of apology. At the same time, Valchek expresses the fact that he realizes Prez is burdonsome as he told his daughter not to marry Prez.

Freamon is collecting photographs of headless and handless corpses that Landsman sent over to him. The photographs are at the South Eastern desk and Freamon is present when Nick Sobotka turns himself in and recognises his name. Meanwhile, Daniels, Pearlman and the FBI team meet with Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell and Colonel William Rawls to discuss the case. With Sobotka dead just before he was going to act as their inofrmant Pearlman tells them that the case has stalled. Daniels reminds them of the arrests they have made so far and the FBI are happy to have enough evidence to force the union to change it's leadership. Rawls is still concerned over his fourteen Jane Doe homicides and Pearlman and Daniels have no answers for him. Freamon phones Daniels during the meeting to tell him that Nick Sobotka has come in and is ready to talk.

Pearlman and Daniels interview Nick in the detail office. He reveals Spiros' offer to help Ziggy Sobotka that lured Frank to their meeting. Nick tells them that he found Frank's car. He gives them information on everyone he can on their board including Spiros, Eton Ben-Eleazer and Sergei. He links Sergei to the killing of the crewman in Philadelphia by hearsay. Finally Nick identifies The Greek in the photograph but is unable to give them anything beyond that.

Freamon tells Agent Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh it is best to keep Nick's involvement quiet. Fitz pauses before faxing the paperwork and then decides to check on Agent Koutris. He is dismayed to learn that Koutris has been gone for a year.

Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Ellis Carver are left waiting outside Nick Sobotka's home. Herc convinces Carver that they have to leave the detail to get any respect. They become increasingly frustrated with their waiting game and eventually tell Nick's father he must give himself up. They are outraged when he tells them that he has been in custody for nearly 24 hours already. Angrily, they march to Daniels office where they then discuss how they feel they are not being properly used in the detail. Carver then points out a post in the Western district working as a D.E.U. seargent for Major Colvin that he is going to request a transfer into. Herc follows leaving the unit to do more exciting police work.

Freamon and Bunk Moreland try to identify the body of the Philadelphia crewman from their records of headless and handless corpses. Beadie Rusell and Bunk travel to the Philadelphia port to ask more questions about their crewman's disappearance and after little success the officer finally reveals that they keep security tapes on file. When they show the footage to Sergei he finally begins to talk and gives up Vondas for the murder of the crewman who he implicates in the death of the girls.

Nick, Ashley and Aimee are placed in protective custody by the FBI. Nick tells Aimee they finally have a place together. The following day Nick leaves their motel to head for work. La La tells him there is only one ship so their lack of seniority means another day without work.

At the docks the detail find The Greeks last shipment of drugs and decide to keep watch on it. Bunk reports his information on Sergei to Daniels who presses him for more information on The Greek. Sergei reveals a location that The Greek uses for meetings. Daniels moves on the Greeks hotel swiftly but is once again a step behind - Spiros and The Greek board a plane.

With their case work over the detail drink in a bar. Greggs and McNultys use their photos of Bell and Proposition Joe to convince Daniels that they could be a target for the major case unit. Fitz tells Daniels that the leak was from his office. Frank Sobotka continues to haunt Major Valchek from beyond the grave - the surveillance van is still making it's way around the globe one port at a time.

[edit] Chapter closes

As Nick mourns his Uncle's death by the docks a montage of scenes from around Baltimore unfolds with Steve Earle's "Feel Alright" playing in the background: US Marshalls close the union hall; Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto urinates on the Greeks last container, still under surveillance; Pearlman prosecutes Eton and Horseface; Rawls and Landsman celebrate the clearance of their Jane Does; Ziggy serves his time; Baltimore politicians break ground on the condominiums that will replace the grain pier; Beadie Russell returns to work at the port; Freamon dismantles the details investigative board, leaving up the photo of The Greek; the drug trade continues in the South Eastern with Frog's crew finally driving an old woman to sell her home; Poot Carr and Puddin watch the police cruise their territory; the stevedores get drunk on a street corner; Proposition Joe takes a shipment of drugs from the back of a truck; the truck also dispatches a group of disorientated women and finally a series of images of industrial decay flash on screen. Nick walks away and rain begins to pour. [1] [2][3]

[edit] Deceased

  • Frank Sobotka: murdered by the Greeks to prevent him testifying against them.

[edit] Title reference

The title refers to the turmoil taking place at the port, as foreshadowed by the previous episode title Storm Warnings. The "storm" includes the death of Frank Sobotka, the progression of the trials of several port characters as well as U.S. Marshalls taking over the checker's union hall.

[edit] Epigraph

“ Business. Always Business. - The Greek ”

The Greek referring to that everything they do is always for the business they are running, from the manipulation of the ports to their own names and lives they are twisting the world to meet their own ends but they are also part of the institutions.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Episode guide - episode 25 Port in a Storm. HBO (2004). Retrieved on 2006-06-22.
  2. ^ "Port in a Storm". David Simon, Ed Burns. The Wire. HBO. 2003-08-24. No. 12, season 2.
  3. ^ Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books. 
The Wire
v • d • e
Episodes | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4
Characters
Police: Jimmy McNulty Kima Greggs "Bunk" Moreland Lester Freamon Ellis Carver "Herc" Hauk
Command: Ervin Burrell William Rawls Cedric Daniels Stanislaus Valchek Raymond Foerster Jay Landsman
School: Roland Pryzbylewski Howard Colvin Namond Brice Michael Lee Randy Wagstaff Duquan Weems
Street: Omar Little Bubbles Wee-Bey Brice Dennis Wise Chris Partlow Snoop
Kingpins: Avon Barksdale Stringer Bell Marlo Stanfield Proposition Joe The Greek Slim Charles
Dealers: Bodie Broadus D'Angelo Barksdale Poot Carr Wallace Cheese Donut
Politics: Tommy Carcetti Clarence Royce Rhonda Pearlman Clay Davis Norman Wilson Coleman Parker
Docks: Frank Sobotka Nick Sobotka Ziggy Sobotka Spiros Vondas Sergei Malatov Beadie Russell
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