The scene opens with a side profile of Avon Barksdale sitting on a stool, he takes up the majority of the frame. Behind him, Stringer Bell, is standing on the other side of a bar table concentrating on pouring a glass of liquor for himself. The scene starts by showing them from the waist up. Avon is seated with the left side of his body visible, while Stringer is standing facing Avon. The two men are shot in a medium two shot with a direction of light source originating mainly from a professional-looking desk lamp to their left. There are no visible shadows thrown on the walls, suggesting that three-point lighting is being utilized to light the characters from several angles. The camera lens appears to be normal, but a low angle is taken giving the illusion as if we are sitting in a couch watching the two men interact.

           

This scene, as is typical of The Wire, is free of all non-diegetic sound. As the scene takes place in an office, this means that there is no music or background noise to distract or take away from Stringer and Avon's conversation. There is no sound other than the ice swishing around within the two men’s glasses, echoing throughout the room. The camera stays fixed in the same position and while Stringer can be hear sipping from his glass Barksdale  breaks the silence with a simple “So?” The two men continue with a short responses to one another, with Stringer doing most of the taking. The diegetic sound of his breathing overpowers all the sound within the shot. Once Stringer finishes making his point, the camera transitions into a reverse-angle shot with a close up of the opposite side of Barksdale.

           

There is medium strength side lighting of Barksdale’s face, assumed to be originating from the desk light, now out of the shot. Barksdale begins to respond without looking at Stringer, only to do so once he is done making his point; Barksdale has to look up at Stringer to make eye contact. The camera then takes a reverse angle shot now focused on Stringer looking down on Barksdale with similar lighting and close up shot. The camera takes a low angle, showing Stringer taking up the majority of the shot and the top of Barksdale’s head in the bottom left corner. Alternating close-ups of each man emphasize their thought processes and reaction to one another.

           

Another reverse angle shot is taken back to a close up, similarly seen, of Barksdale as he is shown thinking about what Stringer is saying. The camera is showing a close-up of Avon’s profile from behind Stringer, from the right side angling down while the room behind him is out of focus. The transition almost serves as a reaction shot as Barksdale can be seen rubbing his chin with his hand, as if he were pondering. Then the camera shows a close-up of Stringer, from behind Avon, angling up to his face. A straight cut back to the original medium two shot of the men while Stringer is still lecturing Barksdale about his beliefs. The camera subtly shifts to the right and Stringer rocks to the right, and then shifts back to the left as he rocks back to his original position. The camera movement is too slow and shaky to be a tracking shot, as it appears that it is done while being held by hand.

           

As Stringer begins to move forward around the bar table dividing him from Barksdale, the camera takes a direction match as Stringer exits stage right and enters stage left. The camera takes a close-up of Stringer’s liquor in hand as it pans right, following his movement. All that can be seen is the back of Barksdale’s neck and Stringer’s liquor glass in hand. The camera tilts up revealing Stringer’s back side and tilts down as he sits. The shot turns into more of a reverse angle shot peering over the left side of Barksdale’s head. The shot transitions from a low angle to more of a straight-on shot, it visually appears as if Stringer is level with Barksdale. A lighting seems to be lower now, with the direction of light source originating from behind Stringer. Stringer’s face is lit from his left by side-lighting while he leans against a table. The camera pans right just slightly throughout the entire shot. After stringer flashed a fan of money and poses the question of ‘How much money can a n**** make?’ the camera transitions into a reaction shot of Barksdale in a medium close up shot. The camera has now changed back to a low angle.

           

After Barksdale responds, he turns back towards Stringer, revealing the front of his body. The camera does a reverse angle shot focusing, revealing only the back left half of Barksdale’s head and Stringer sitting to the right of a lamp. There are stacks of cash semi-illuminated just to the left and behind Stringer. The camera then takes a reaction shot transition to the side profile of Barksdale as he states his disagreement with Stringer’s viewpoints. Barksdale is shot in close up and as he takes a sip from his glass the camera transitions to a close up reaction shot of Stringer as he takes in Barksdale’s response. The background is now darkened and out of focus compared to his face. As Stringer begins his second attempt to persuade Barksdale, the camera cuts to a reverse angle shot of Barksdale, now only revealing a side profile of him. The shot is almost a medium long shot revealing Barksdale’s knees and up as he sits in his bar stool, fist clenched at his side. The lighting once again appears to be coming from the desk lamp on the bar table to the left of Barksdale. The shot reveals the back right side of Stringer’s head on stage left, but unlike Barkdale’s earlier perspectives, Stringer’s lips can be seen as he talks. We see a shot-reverse shot, alternating between close-ups of Avon and Stringer. Stringer's line of sight is matched to Avon's but Avon often looks away and does not face Stringer. Again, we see that one man is pleading and the other man is rejecting the pleas.

 

The camera straight cuts to Stringer in a medium close up with stacks of bills with the light to his left, just as the previous shots. A movement match is made as we transition back into a reverse shot of Barksdale, Stringer’s hand can be seen moving simultaneously into both shots. The camera then straight cuts back to Stringer in a medium close up as before. A reaction shot of Barksdale reveals a glass pressed up to his lips, as if he was stopped mid-motion before he could drink. The shot is a medium close-up of Barksdale, and once again, only his profile can be seen. A point of view transition is taken as Barksdale looks into the camera to reveal a close up of Stringer taking passionately about his beliefs, turning the shot into more of a now reaction shot as well. The shot then takes a reverse angle shot back to Barksdale in a close up, glass now pressed to cheek. Barksdale does nothing by stare at Stringer. Barksdale looks away from Stringer, with a close-up reaction shot of Stringer as he sums up his argument. Stringer, looking at the ground all the while, looks up back at Barksdale as he finishes his last statement. The camera then takes a close up straight cut back to Barksdale with glass still pressed to cheek.

 

He is quiet for a second or two, and responds, “Businessmen, huh?” as he nods his head. Stringer begins to talk making a sound bridge from his voice into a medium close-up of Stringer as he stands up, pacing stage left. The camera tracks left following Stringer as he sits down in a chair next to the lamp, with stacks of cash now illuminated to his right. Stringer moves around the room, from standing, to leaning, and then sitting, circling around Avon, coaxing him to see the appeals of reform. Meanwhile, Avon stays in his seat the entire time, symbolizing his stubbornness and refusal to budge despite Stringer's motivational speech. While Stringer is talking, we see a close-up reaction shot of Barksdale, still not facing Stringer with his body. Barksdale’s glass is now heavily pressed into his cheek almost as if he is leaning his on the glass for support as he strains to turn his head to face Stringer. The camera takes a reverse shot back to Stringer in a close up.  Stringer speaks for a relatively longer time and looks deep into the camera. His eyes are illuminated, as if inspired.

 

The camera takes a close up reverse shot of Barksdale with glass pressed against his lips once again, but has now reverted back to displaying on his profile. He turns towards Stringer silently, the camera takes a close up reverse shot back to Stringer who is staring into the camera, or presumably at Barksdale. Silence, nothing but the diegetic sound of breathing can be seen. The camera goes back to a close up reverse shot of Barksdale, staring back at the camera, but not facing Stringer completely. Barksdale states “Like Businessmen” while he squints his eyes and bobs his head up and down. Barksdale continues the bobbing motion as if agree with himself as he turns his face away from Stringer. A close up reaction shot of Stringer is taken, but Stringer now is looking down and away from Barksdale. Avon continuously uses the word “businessmen” in a mockery of Stringer’s elaborate plan to transcend the life they have known, while Stringer refrains from using that word in Avon’s presence, even though he often refers to his actions as merely a formality of “business”.

 

Stringer progressively makes more eye contact with the camera. A slightly low angle, reverse angle, close up of Barksdale is seen; now glass is up to his eye level. After a bit of silence, Barksdale looks towards Stringer and tells him, “I’m just a gangster, I suppose.” After he finishes his sentence, the camera takes a reverse angle close up shot back to Stringer; now looking at Barksdale from the side of his eyes as he squints. The camera then makes a takes a reverse angle close up shot of Barksdale, now relatively illuminated in comparison to stringer. The camera then takes a reverse angle close up of Stringer, still with the exact same stare as seen previously. However, now we see Barksdale out of focus drinking from his glass, and Stringer looking down and away from Barksdale. Stringer looks away, and all that can be heard is the diegetic sound of the ice in their drinks and Barksdale drinking. stringer, continuing looking off stage right away from Barksdale. The camera pans slightly right to reveal the glass of liquor in hand. The scene ends with both men in silence, only accompanied by one another’s sound of drinking and ice clinking.

 

The only sound in the room, besides dialogue, is the clinking of ice in their glasses. When Stringer began his monologue, he set his cup down while Avon held onto his. Stringer figuratively tries to “break the ice” in the room and in their relationship, after Avon’s extended absence, while Avon obstinately holds on to the ice, maintaining their symbolic distance.  Finally, after Avon’s flat-out rejection of the legitimization scheme, Stringer’s glass is back in his hand, as their relationship returns to a cold impasse. Along with the strain on their friendship, the dynamics of power are also visually central to this scene, which can be seen in the way that the characters bodies interact throughout, in facing one another or turning away at certain pregnant moments. This dynamic allows Avon to sit and listen to what Bell has to say, while responding in a way that exerts his power and shows Bell his place without coming off as aggressive or dismissive. Barksdale utilizes his surroundings to his benefit in this way, using his drink to punctuate sentences and extend pauses, and likewise, Bell uses a wad of cash as a prop to support his argument.

 

However, we also see in this scene that Stringer delivers a complex manipulation in order to persuade Avon into agreeing to legitimize their organization. One of his first lines, “I’m there like I always been”, is immediately inconsistent with the actions he has taken this season toward distancing himself from his past. Next, he pretends to ask for Avon’s permission to negotiate with Marlo, when in fact, he has already had a meeting with the Stanfield leader about a potential drug collaboration. Also, he initially starts out by saying that his goal is to turn away from the “run and gun sh**”, and ends by stating that he desires to “run this city” with Avon, presumably by his side. By Avon’s position in the center of the room with Stringer circling around him gesticulating, one can assume that Avon is not buying Stringer’s line of argument. Instead, he remains in a literal seat of power, in turn manipulating Stringer by hearing out his disagreements with Avon’s system, using this as fuel for betraying him later on.