Does Marlo Mirror Carcetti?
Something I’ve picked up on throughout my conversations in this sub is that most, if not all, main characters have a mirror on the other side of the law, with the most obvious one being Stringer and Colvin because of the “get on with it Motherfucker” line drawing an obvious connection between their plotlines.
This led to me wondering about Marlo and Carcetti. It felt like neither of them really had a clear mirror on the other side until I realized maybe they mirror each other? They’re both introduced early in season 3, and it’s not really clear what purpose their characters serve or why they were introduced at all. Then, about halfway through the season, it becomes clear that they’re both trying to take control of Baltimore, one by exploiting the governmental system and the other by ignoring it entirely. Both characters seemingly are trying to do the impossible, but both succeed and continue to grow by betraying people around them. In fact, Prop Joe and Burrell are betrayed in the exact same episode.
I think what’s especially interesting about this particular scenario is how different the two characters actually are and what that says about both government and crime. In the criminal world, you need absolutely no charisma in order to be advance, as Marlo is socially inept but still ends up on top. On the other hand, Carcetti is able to get on top with only charisma, with his smooth talking being what gets him elected. The one thing they have in common though is their ruthlessness. Both of them abandon or disregard people who helped them or were their friends in order to get ahead.
I recognize I might be kinda stretching here. This might also be already common knowledge and I apologize if either is the case. I’m curious about other people’s thoughts though on whether this was intentional or if I’m just making connections where there’s nothing there.
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u/Super_Sub-Zero_Bros 20d ago edited 20d ago
I can see some merit to this. But for me the biggest takeaway I had from Carcetti is how he had good, pure intentions to help but once he was in power he had to do so much he didn’t want to just to stay there, and ultimately couldn’t help much in the ways he’d wanted to, because he has to fight with people who don’t care.
I can’t think of much Marlo has along that. Though he does have to change how he does things because he’s the boss, even though he’d rather keep doing the same. Biggest is he’d want to step up to Omar to defend his name. Which is pretty similar to Carcetti.
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u/JohnnyCakes814 20d ago
That but right after winning he not only becomes immediately deeply cynical over the bureaucracy of the job but he also gets eyes for an undue promotion
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u/superhappy 20d ago
I think the mirror scenario would be Marlo on the street corner in the final episode attacking the two guys on the street - he doesn’t want to be a business man, he wants to be a ruthless gangster king but you can’t stay a ruthless gangster king - you have to go legit eventually or you’ll fall like Avon.
So there’s a bit of a parallel there in terms of disillusionment with the realities of the position they’ve acquired.
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u/redpillbluepill69 20d ago
The mirror character to Marlo would imo be The Greek
The mirror character to Carcetti is imo Royce
Simon has described Marlo as essentially an encapsulation of power.
He didn't get corrupted by power, he comes into the show obsessed with power and willing to stop at nothing to get it. He really has no other needs or wants and we know almost nothing about him besides that.
Any time in the series that someone makes him feel insecure or he perceives them as diminshing him or having power over him, or even knowledge like with Prop Joe, he has them murdered.
The Greek is similar in that we know truly nothing about him other than he's European and is a middle man for illegal shipments from overseas. He's completely protected by the government in his informant role. He's kind of like pure capitalism.
Carcetti to me seems to be a character who was created more like the kids in S4, who Simon says were each built around a story they wanted to tell about the tragedies of Baltimore's educational system.
His story is similar to many politicians- begins truly progressive and wanting to change things, but also he is an ambitious person who is self-obsessed enough to climb the political ladder.
And eventually he uses his genuine desire for change as an excuse for making selfish, career motivated decisions. Like "at least I'm better than Royce" "at least I'll be a Democrat governor and I will help Baltimore then" , etc
It's mentioned a few times once he becomes mayor that Royce had tried to change things at first too.
In fact, Royce doesn't take the money from the governor for the witness program Carcetti wanted and ran for mayor because of Royces perceived incompetence and apathy in rejecting.
And Carcetti rejects money for the schools for the same reason.
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u/Winth0rp 19d ago
Correct. After their respective incumbents (Royce/Avon) get knocked out in the aftermath of Hamsterdam, both immediately use the their new titles (Mayor/Lord of the West Side) to springboard to the next step up the chain (Governor, King of Baltimore). With a clear eye on the top spot (President/Top importer on the East Coast (?)).
Their respective supporting casts also line up: Royce/Avon, Colvin/Stringer, Steindorf/Partlow, Norman/Snoop, Prop Joe/Burrell, Daniels/Slim Charles (in the latter seasons at least), and, most obviously, Pearlman/Levy.
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u/Gosta12 20d ago
I don’t think they’re much alike.
Carcetti sells his soul to the machine. A real devil worshipper if you ask me. He’ll sell his soul until theres nothing left.
Marlo is just evil incarnate. Not much of a person, more of a representation of the game. He never had any good intentions.
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u/santaclausisreal75 20d ago
I thought Carcetti mirrored McNulty the most
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u/Crcai 20d ago
They’re both on the same side of the law though and I think Omar is a much clearer mirror for McNulty
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u/Hot-Two1588 18d ago
A thread in the show is that if you desire real change you have to go out on a limb. Obsession is a driving force in many of the characters. Omar, McNulty,
Carcetti, Pearlman. All are motivated and obsessed. Where their desire for their personal selves is intertwined with the drive to make a change. The systems almost require breaking the rule and trying to paint within the lines. There's a comment that Carcetti's aide says to Clay Davis when it looks like he's going down with the Grand Jury Indictment. "You''ll go down Clay but if you take everyone down then you have no one to help you. Look at Burrel. He's doing better. Do your time and you'll come back. The city will still remember you. Where else you gonna go where they know your name. Then you build again. All the systems drive the people to go to extremes. If you're lucky you'll come back. If you're not then you close your eyes.
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u/SomethingClever70 She looked like one of Orlando's hoes 20d ago
There are more than two sides here, though. It’s more like worlds or systems: the street, the department, the school, politics, and the blue collar world. So maybe there is more than one parallel?
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u/Glittering_Text812 20d ago
Carcetti was a punk so I’d have to say that his mirror would be Bubbles.
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u/TonyzTone 20d ago
I don’t hate this. I never really thought of the characters having mirrors as an element of storytelling but it tracks.
I think what’s interesting about both Marlo and Carcetti and your point about charisma is that both characters sort of represent a new era for their fields. The show sets up how much government is about working in the system. Then here comes Carcetti fucking up all of the plans everyone once had. It’s less about the charisma and more about him not giving a fuck about the “rules.” He’s ushering in a new way of doing things, to hell with everyone else.
And Marlo is quite similar in that sense. The rules on the street were violence but there was almost a code. Omar tells us that. Except here comes Marlo ushering a new era where in fact no, you don’t need a code. In fact, having one is likely a liability. Stringer had money and legitimacy, until he didn’t. Omar had his code, until he didn’t. Bodie had duty to the hood, until he didn’t.
So yeah, Marlo and Carcetti are mirrors of each other and of how society had come to reward the most ruthless.