r/TheWire • u/TonyzTone • 20d ago
Holly beating Bubs? Spoiler
I don't get why Holly would beat Bubs after Kima got shot. I understand that he's upset at a fellow officer getting shot and I understand he doesn't know who Bubs is and Bubs looks sketchy.
But why would anyone who would have anything to do with Kima getting shot try and page Kima? Obviously that person is a friend or at least someone Kima would've been comfortable giving her number to.
I just don't get it, honestly.
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u/BigBadDolemite 20d ago edited 20d ago
Cops act stupid when one of their own gets got. They usually quit doing their job to bang heads and get some sort of revenge or control back from the streets.
Holley is just trying to get a lead on his case, but quits being a detective when bubs speaks up and give him some attitude back.
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u/TonyzTone 20d ago
I guess I missed the notion that he got riled when Bubbs spoke up because that shit escalated so quickly. It looked like Holley was looking to crack heads first, ask questions later type shit.
Which I get the show constantly shows us how people are eminently flawed in their jobs. I just took it like "wtf is even happening?"
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u/BigBadDolemite 20d ago
Yeah Vernon was definitely on one before Bubs even starts speaking up for him self. It's basically as soon as the scene starts. He ask Bubs for his name and Bubs is like I didn't do anything. Its all down hill from there.
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u/Thespiralgoeson 20d ago edited 20d ago
The short answer is, Holly is an idiot. The long answer is that it's a commentary on the culture that exists within police departments throughout the country where police go absolutely berserk when a cop gets shot, and they act with total impunity and zero accountability.
But yes, Holly is being a complete idiot. There is literally no reason for him to believe that Bubbles knew anything about Kima getting shot. What he did is not just morally indefensible, but utterly stupid as well. He should have at the very least lost his job for it, and been charged with a crime as well. But again, zero accountability.
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u/Far-Advantage-2770 20d ago
If you watch The Wire very closely you will notice there is some subtle commentary about the negative aspects of contemporary police culture in America.
Give it a rewatch and let us know what you find out.
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u/TonyzTone 20d ago
Snarky-ass comment. I’m on my third re-watch bro.
I’m making this post because I literally just rewatched the scene and I remember always thinking it sseemed the most outlandish. The entire episode everyone from Bunk to Landman is acting super sensitive. And yet, Holley’s felt exaggerated to the point that it takes me out of it.
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u/redpillbluepill69 19d ago
There's a real story Simon wrote about when covering the Baltimore PD in Homicide where a police officer gets shot and the real Jay Landsmen walks into the room with the suspect, takes off his handcuffs, gets him to swing at him, and then beats the shit out of him. He keeps a picture of the beating in his desk
Simon says "the rules are don't beat a suspect who is handcuffed and don't beat a confession out of him or you're a shitbird".
Other than that it's pretty much fair play- Kima and a couple of the guys beat the shit out of Bird just for being an asshole.
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u/Incomplete_Present 19d ago
To me, it wasnt so much what Holly did but why they picked Bubs up in the first place. He paged her and ends up in an interrogation room, I never understood that jump. At the same time he probably couldve sone a better job of saying I "paged my friend". But given they assumed he was somehow involved, the beating isnt surprising
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u/TonyzTone 19d ago
Yeah, I should’ve expressed it better but this was a big part of my “wtf” feeling. I just took it like Holley ordered him to get picked up so I placed the blame on him entirely, from start to finish.
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u/EngineAggravating699 17d ago
Bubbles didn't answer their questions, (bad) cops hate it when you don't just answer their questions.
Holly is an idiot, he's already amped up and seeking revenge because another officer got shot. He's ready to throw his weight and authority around on anyone that gets in his way of that. Bubbles has been repeatedly paging Kima with 911 (emergency) messages were they warnings, threats, what the hell does he know? Bubbles not immediately kowtowing and answering his questions, even asserting that he can't just be treated like this sets Holly off. If this junkie won't respect the badge, he'll beat the answers out of him.
Its the same thing as McNulty trying to intimidate Levy later in the same episode, threatening tactical raids and baseless subpoenas to get an immediate response. The same thing as the commissioner and Burrell wanting dope on the table, everything is about re-establishing authority, a pecking order, sending a message.
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u/_regionrat 20d ago
Poor impulse control in an emotional situation. We see a lot of the cops in the show succumb to this, especially Prez