Preston 'Bodie' Broadus

Bodie: *Spits* - The Corner - TWoP Forums:

 [Posted Jan 11, 2008 @ 4:54 AM]
-KeyFive:
Very few people catch this, but rewatch episode 1-12, when Bodie and Poot shoot Wallace. After Poot finishes the job, Bodie turns around and he's wiping away his tears. It's such a brief moment, and it's so dark that you can barely see it, but it's unmistakable.
I didn't catch that the first time. I was pissed at Bodie and Poot, and so sad about Wallace.
Then Bodie grew up before our eyes: he rose the ranks, learned from his mistakes, respected the chain of command, and even grew as a leader to his underlings. In many other professions he would have steadily risen to at least middle managment; in the drug trade, he is gunned down on his corner.
Then the way he was killed: refusing to give up his corner, refusing to let Chris and Snoop walk him to a vacant. There's a moment when Poot is urging Bodie to run away, but Bodie looks at Poot with this sad and knowing expression. With his eyes, Bodie lets Poot know that he will not leave, but that Poot should get out of there. And of course then Bodie is left alone to be shot from behind.
Then I re-watched Season 1, and caught Bodie stealing his tears after shooting Wallace, trying to convince himself that he had to do it, that it was somehow Wallace's fault for "not being a man" enough, trying to keep his hand from shaking, trying to come to grips with what he thought he had to do. ("We either step on or we step the fuck off... that's the game yo. That's the fucking game.")

When I think of Bodie, I think of those two moments: Bodie wiping his tears after killing Wallace (him entering 'the game' for good), and Bodie shooting that ambiguous look to Poot before going down on his corner (him exiting 'the game' for good)

And yeah, he killed Wallace. At the same time, what else did he know but the game? It's sad how much the game didn't care for him, even though he cared so much for the game. I miss Bodie in Season 5.