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All Due Respect (The Wire episode)
Encyclopedia
"All Due Respect" is the second episode of the third season of the HBO original series, The Wire
. The episode was written by Richard Price
from a story by David Simon
& Richard Price and was directed by Steve Shill
. It originally aired on September 26, 2004.
The speech is taken almost verbatim from the book The Corner
; on a commentary track, David Simon gives credit for the metaphor and speech to Ed Burns.
Rashad Orange makes a brief uncredited appearance as one of Dazz's hoppers in this episode; after one further appearance in this season, he becomes a significant recurring character (Sherrod) in season four.
visits Randall Frazier, the medical examiner, at the morgue. McNulty has learned that D'Angelo Barksdale
died behind bars, and he is skeptical of the official determination that the death was a suicide. He asks the medical examiner to investigate the medical records. Over drinks with Bunk Moreland
, McNulty complains that the state police spoiled the investigation. Bunk agrees with McNulty, simply because he believes it is unlikely that an African American
male would commit suicide by hanging. McNulty concurs, jokingly telling Bunk that he is a good example of an African American male who has all the reason he needs to commit suicide but does not. Bunk then assists McNulty in picking up a woman in the bar through the use of a short con. McNulty later returns to the morgue, where Frazier reports that D'Angelo's death could have been a homicide; there are two sets of ligature marks on his neck and a mysterious bruise on his mid-back. McNulty visits D'Angelo's ex-girlfriend Donette to ask her about his death. She is dismissive and doesn't tell him anything. McNulty departs, leaving his card.
East side drug lieutenant Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff attends an underground dogfight with a dealer named Tree from his crew and places a large bet on his dog, which he calls "Dawg". Dawg fights against another canine, owned by a dealer named Dazz and trained by one of his men, Jelly. Cheese's dog is quickly beaten and, rather than give it medical attention, an embarrassed Cheese executes it with a gunshot. Tree tells Cheese that he suspects foul play in his dog's loss. Soon afterwards, Jelly is on the corner with his hoppers and Tree approaches and shoots Jelly in the head. The hoppers flee and report the killing to Dazz.
The detail picks up some discussion of Tree's crime on the wire. Moments later, they hear that another dealer called Peanut has been killed. Cheese himself discusses shooting his dog over the phone; the detectives assume he is talking about a murder, and guess there is some kind of drug war going on. The detail is astonished that Cheese is speaking so openly about a murder on the phone, after months of rigid phone discipline. Lester Freamon
calls homicide to ask how many new murders there are on the East side, but Ed Norris has little time for him and hangs up without answering his questions. Freamon sends Kima Greggs
home while he goes to homicide to find out what he can. Greggs has an uncomfortable evening at home with Cheryl and their new baby.
The unit meets with ASA Rhonda Pearlman
for lunch to discuss the murders. Lieutenant Cedric Daniels
wants to use their evidence to make arrests. McNulty argues that they should wait and gather more evidence in the hope of ultimately bringing down Stringer Bell
, but the rest of the detail feels that the murders are enough to act upon. Officer Massey tracks Cheese's crew planning to attack Dazz. They will first rendezvous at Tree's girlfriend Neesey's house. Cheese's crew is fully armed and ready to make their attack when the detail bursts in and arrests them.
Bunk and McNulty interrogate Cheese. Bunk mockingly repeats the comments Cheese made over the wire about killing Dog and Cheese breaks down in tears. Colonel Foerster and Daniels watch from outside as Cheese begins to relate the story. Deputy Commissioner William Rawls
and Major Marvin Taylor are impressed with Daniels' work and depart. In the interrogation room, however, McNulty and Bunk realize that Dog is not a person. Daniels is upset to learn that the most they can charge Cheese with is illegal discharge of a firearm and improper disposal of an animal, or animal cruelty at the very worst. The unit drowns their sorrows at the bar, where McNulty fails to get Pearlman to leave with him. Pearlman instead makes a move on Daniels and he takes her back to his barely-furnished bachelor apartment. Greggs arrives home to find Cheryl sleeping with the baby and turns around and goes out drinking; at the bar, conflicted, she flirts with another woman. The following day, the unit's wiretaps have all gone dead.
cruise the Western district, antagonizing the corner kids. Herc calls over Justin, one of Marlo's dealers, to ask him where he might purchase a baseball cap with a sideways brim. Justin, unaware that he is being made fun of, tells him it's a regular cap worn sideways. Herc spots Poot Carr
working a new corner now that the terrace is gone; he and Carver pick Poot up and question him. They ask how he is able to walk into new territory without getting into trouble with other dealers. Poot defiantly refuses to answer their questions.
Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin learns from his community relations sergeant and Lieutenant Mello that his beat officers are working hard to reclassify reported crimes to reduce the felony rate. An officer named Burman has been particularly effective. Colvin seems nonplussed by Burman's accomplishments.
Herc, Carver and Dozerman go to the movies with their girlfriends, where they are mortified to bump into Bodie Broadus
, Poot and Puddin with their dates. Bodie tells his girlfriend that the officers harass them every day trying to obtain their stash, but almost always fail. The officers are flabbergasted, and the dealers depart, saying "See you tomorrow!" Herc and Carver ogle Dozerman's attractive African American
girlfriend. Later, Carver and Dozerman tease Herc for hypothetically choosing Gus Triandos
as the one man he would have sex with in order to obtain any woman he desires, particularly Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen: Dozerman says he looked up the stats and noted that Triandos was a "power hitter."
Dozerman acts as the undercover officer for a late night hand-to-hand, and is shot when the operation goes badly. Colvin is called at home and immediately goes out to meet his men. Carver blames himself for sending Dozerman alone. Colvin arrives and tells them that Dozerman will live, largely because they got him to the hospital quickly. Herc tells Colvin that their suspect took Dozerman's gun.
Colvin visits his friend the church deacon for a cup of coffee. Colvin reveals that he has reached the point where the absence of a negative (in this case, the fact that Dozerman was not injured fatally) makes a good night's work for him. He feels he has to change that before he retires.
The next day, Colvin gives a briefing to his men. He suspends all undercover narcotics work. He draws parallels between the drug prohibition and a law that prohibited public consumption of alcohol. He remembers the paper bag as a moment of civic compromise in the 1950s that freed up officers to do real police work. Colvin wishes there were a paper bag for drugs. Back out on the street, Herc cannot understand his commander's reasoning.
poses as a veteran returning from the hospital with Kimmy acting as his nurse to get inside the house. Once inside they draw their weapons and let in Dante and Tosha. They catch Shamrock and Country coming down the stairs with the money.
Stringer visits Avon Barksdale
at the prison and they talk about the demolition of their tower territory. He reveals his plan to supply other dealers. Avon asks Stringer to target specific high turnover areas. He reminds Stringer they need to maintain their reputation to hold onto trade. Stringer agrees but says that the violence was what brought Avon to prison and if they can make money without it they should.
Stringer's lieutenants Country, Shamrock and Bodie are sent to talk to mid-level dealers to try to displace their suppliers. Country's offer is met with skepticism, Shamrock has more success by making the financial advantages clear and Bodie cannot even find his target initially. He is supposed to approach Marlo Stanfield
but upon approaching Jamal, a low level Stanfield dealer, he learns that Marlo is nowhere to be found. Bodie marshals his crew to set up in the middle of the block through his second Puddin. Stanfield corner boss Fruit looks on and prevents Jamal from raising arms against Bodie. He contacts Marlo who drives up to talk to him and tells him to ignore Bodie and go back to work.
Stringer holds another meeting at the funeral home and Bodie and Country report their difficulties. Stringer sends Bodie out to look for Marlo immediately. Shamrock reports Omar's robbery and Slim Charles remarks that it is the second robbery that month.
Marlo visits his advisor Vinson at his rim shop for advice on handling the Barksdale organization. Vinson advises him to prepare for war if he is not willing to compromise. Marlo stands on the corner the following day and when Bodie approaches, he avoids eye contact and orders Bodie to pack up and move on while he is still being a gentleman.
visits Major Stanislaus Valchek
's office and they discuss his ploy of using the subcomittee to pressure Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell
. Valchek calls it a win win situation - if Burrell caves he has an inside man in the mayor's office, and if he doesn't he gains political capital by harassing Burrell over high crime rates. He asks Valchek to broker a meeting with Burrell. Valchek meets with Burrell and convinces him to take the meeting. Carcetti tells Burrell that he is tired of being ignored.
At the ComStat
meeting, Rawls berates Eastern district commander Major Taylor for his poor performance. Under Taylor's command, the Eastern district has made only sixteen felony arrests in a month and confiscated no handguns while four homicides occurred in a five hour time period. Upset at the lack of progress in investigating the four recent homicides (including James "Jelly" Taylor and Tree), Rawls informs Taylor that he has eight hours to get a grip on things or he is done in the unit.
Burrell has dinner with Carcetti and thanks him for helping him with repairing police vehicles. Having had a good experience Burrell reveals that he has 70 men retiring and Mayor Clarence Royce
has failed to give him promised money for training new officers and Carcetti offers to look into it.
, who was a real-life drug kingpin in his youth and was arrested by writer Ed Burns
in 1984 when he was a Baltimore city police officer. Creator David Simon was responsible for covering the arrest for The Baltimore Sun
at the time. Williams received a 34-year sentence for his crimes and much of the evidence against him came from a wiretap investigation like the one featured in the first season of the show. Vinson, a rim shop owner who serves as an adviser to Marlo, makes his first appearance in this episode advising Marlo on a possible war with the Barksdales.
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
. The episode was written by Richard Price
Richard Price (writer)
Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers and Clockers.-Early life:...
from a story by David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
& Richard Price and was directed by Steve Shill
Steve Shill
Steve Shill is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter, and television producer.-Career:He attended Keswick Grammar School in Keswick,Cumbria,England in the 70's....
. It originally aired on September 26, 2004.
Title reference
The title is spoken to Omar by a low level Barksdale dealer as Omar robs his stash, by Shamrock to Stringer at their meeting and by Burrell to Carcetti.Epigraph
Colvin makes this statement in his speech comparing the drug and alcohol prohibitions.The speech is taken almost verbatim from the book The Corner
The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood
The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood is a book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon and former Baltimore homicide detective Ed Burns. It was named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times.-Origins:...
; on a commentary track, David Simon gives credit for the metaphor and speech to Ed Burns.
Guest stars
- Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise
- Jamie HectorJamie HectorJamie Hector is an Haitian-American actor who is known for his portrayal of Marlo Stanfield on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.- Biography :...
as Marlo StanfieldMarlo StanfieldMarlo "Black" Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ruthless and ambitious player in the Baltimore drug trade who gains control of West Baltimore and is the head of his own drug crew.-Character background and plot... - Al Brown as Major Stanislaus ValchekStanislaus ValchekStanislaus "Stan" Valchek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Al Brown.-Biography:Valchek is the Polish-American commander of the Southeastern district, home to many of the remaining white ethnic neighborhoods in Baltimore...
- Clifford "Method Man" SmithMethod ManClifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
as Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff - Melanie Nichols-King as Cheryl
- Richard BurtonRichard BurtonRichard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
as Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty - Tray ChaneyTray ChaneyTray Chaney is an American actor. He appeared on the HBO program The Wire as Poot Carr.Chaney began his entertainment career as a dancer at the age of four winning competitions at the Apollo Theater. He appeared in the 2003 music video "My Baby" by rap artist Bow Wow. He later appeared in The Wire...
as Malik "Poot" CarrPoot CarrMalik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks, but ends up serving time in prison as his institution collapses around him... - Anwan GloverAnwan GloverRalph Anwan Glover is an American actor and musician. He is one of the founding members of the Backyard Band, a go-go band, as well as appearing as gang member Slim Charles in the HBO series The Wire. He has also appeared in music videos, such as Boyz n da Hood's "Dem Boyz" among others, and has a...
as Slim CharlesSlim CharlesSlim Charles is a fictional member of the drug trade in the HBO drama The Wire, played by Anwan Glover. An enforcer for the Barksdale Organization and later the top lieutenant of kingpin Proposition Joe Stewart, he shows integrity, loyalty and competence throughout his career.The saga of the... - Kelli R. Brown as Kimmy
- Edwina Findley as Tosha Mitchell
- Ernest WaddellErnest WaddellErnest Waddell is a New York City-based actor. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles on two television series : Fin Tutuola's son Ken Randall on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Omar Little's boyfriend Dante on The Wire...
as Dante - Brandon FobbsBrandon FobbsBrandon Fobbs is an American actor.He had a recurring role on HBO television series The Wire as Fruit. He also appeared in Pride and This Christmas and The Devil's Tomb.-External links:...
as Fruit - De'Rodd Hearns as Puddin
- Addison Switzer as Country
- Shamyl Brown as Donette
- Erik Todd Dellums as Randall Frazier
- Joilet F. Harris as Officer Caroline Massey
- Jay LandsmanJay LandsmanThe book was later developed into the television series Homicide: Life on the Street. He was the inspiration for the fictional character John Munch on that show and a character named Jay Landsman on the television series The Wire, created by Simon. Landsman portrayed himself in a brief appearance...
as Lieutenant Dennis Mello - Richard DeAngelis as Colonel Raymond Foerster
- Ed NorrisEd NorrisEdward T. Norris is an American radio host and former law enforcement officer in Maryland. His talk show, the Ed Norris Show, airs on WJZ-FM in Baltimore, Maryland. Norris, a 20-year veteran of the New York Police Department, served as police commissioner for Baltimore from 2000 to late 2002...
as Detective Ed Norris - Rick Otto as Officer Kenneth Dozerman
- Melvin WilliamsMelvin Williams (actor)Melvin D. Williams , known as Little Melvin, is a former drug trafficker and organized crime figure in his native Baltimore, Maryland. Williams is widely known for his involvement in heroin trafficking in Baltimore in the 1970s and 1980s...
as The Deacon
Uncredited appearances
- R. Emery Bright as Community Relations Sergeant
- Justin Burley as Justin
- Benjamin BuschBenjamin BuschBenjamin B. Busch is an American actor, writer, film maker, photographer, and former United States Marine Corps officer. He is best known for his portrayal of Anthony Colicchio on the HBO original series The Wire.-Biography:...
as Anthony Colicchio - Norris Davis as Vinson
- Nakia Dillard as Lambert
- Barnett Lloyd as Major Marvin Taylor
- Rashad Orange as Sherrod
- Melvin T Russell as Jamal
- Ryan Sands as Truck
- Brian Anthony WilsonBrian Anthony WilsonBrian Anthony Wilson is an American film and television actor. He first appeared in the 1997 film The Postman as Woody....
as Detective Vernon Holley - Jonathan D. Wray as Tank
- Unknown as Drack
- Unknown as Dazz
- Unknown as Tree
- Unknown as Jelly
- Unknown as Veterinary Surgeon
Rashad Orange makes a brief uncredited appearance as one of Dazz's hoppers in this episode; after one further appearance in this season, he becomes a significant recurring character (Sherrod) in season four.
Major case unit
Detective Jimmy McNultyJimmy McNulty
Detective James "Jimmy" McNulty is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by British actor Dominic West. McNulty is an Irish American detective in the Baltimore Police Department...
visits Randall Frazier, the medical examiner, at the morgue. McNulty has learned that D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo "D" Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls most of the trade in West Baltimore...
died behind bars, and he is skeptical of the official determination that the death was a suicide. He asks the medical examiner to investigate the medical records. Over drinks with Bunk Moreland
Bunk Moreland
William "Bunk" Moreland is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Wendell Pierce. Bunk's character is based on a retired Baltimore City Police Detective named Rick Requer and nicknamed "the Bunk", an officer who joined the force in 1964 as a Western District patrolman who...
, McNulty complains that the state police spoiled the investigation. Bunk agrees with McNulty, simply because he believes it is unlikely that an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
male would commit suicide by hanging. McNulty concurs, jokingly telling Bunk that he is a good example of an African American male who has all the reason he needs to commit suicide but does not. Bunk then assists McNulty in picking up a woman in the bar through the use of a short con. McNulty later returns to the morgue, where Frazier reports that D'Angelo's death could have been a homicide; there are two sets of ligature marks on his neck and a mysterious bruise on his mid-back. McNulty visits D'Angelo's ex-girlfriend Donette to ask her about his death. She is dismissive and doesn't tell him anything. McNulty departs, leaving his card.
East side drug lieutenant Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff attends an underground dogfight with a dealer named Tree from his crew and places a large bet on his dog, which he calls "Dawg". Dawg fights against another canine, owned by a dealer named Dazz and trained by one of his men, Jelly. Cheese's dog is quickly beaten and, rather than give it medical attention, an embarrassed Cheese executes it with a gunshot. Tree tells Cheese that he suspects foul play in his dog's loss. Soon afterwards, Jelly is on the corner with his hoppers and Tree approaches and shoots Jelly in the head. The hoppers flee and report the killing to Dazz.
The detail picks up some discussion of Tree's crime on the wire. Moments later, they hear that another dealer called Peanut has been killed. Cheese himself discusses shooting his dog over the phone; the detectives assume he is talking about a murder, and guess there is some kind of drug war going on. The detail is astonished that Cheese is speaking so openly about a murder on the phone, after months of rigid phone discipline. Lester Freamon
Lester Freamon
Lester Freamon is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Clarke Peters. Freamon is a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Major Crimes Unit...
calls homicide to ask how many new murders there are on the East side, but Ed Norris has little time for him and hangs up without answering his questions. Freamon sends Kima Greggs
Kima Greggs
Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Sonja Sohn. Greggs is a police detective in the Baltimore Police Department who is a dedicated officer and capable detective with some off-the-job issues. Openly lesbian, she has had problems...
home while he goes to homicide to find out what he can. Greggs has an uncomfortable evening at home with Cheryl and their new baby.
The unit meets with ASA Rhonda Pearlman
Rhonda Pearlman
Rhonda Pearlman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Deirdre Lovejoy. Pearlman has been the legal system liaison for all of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' investigations on the show...
for lunch to discuss the murders. Lieutenant Cedric Daniels
Cedric Daniels
Cedric Daniels is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Lance Reddick. He is a well regarded officer in the department whose focus is on good police work and quality arrests...
wants to use their evidence to make arrests. McNulty argues that they should wait and gather more evidence in the hope of ultimately bringing down Stringer Bell
Stringer Bell
Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Idris Elba. Bell served as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second in command, assuming direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment...
, but the rest of the detail feels that the murders are enough to act upon. Officer Massey tracks Cheese's crew planning to attack Dazz. They will first rendezvous at Tree's girlfriend Neesey's house. Cheese's crew is fully armed and ready to make their attack when the detail bursts in and arrests them.
Bunk and McNulty interrogate Cheese. Bunk mockingly repeats the comments Cheese made over the wire about killing Dog and Cheese breaks down in tears. Colonel Foerster and Daniels watch from outside as Cheese begins to relate the story. Deputy Commissioner William Rawls
William Rawls
William A. "Bill" Rawls is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor John Doman. Over the course of the series he ascends to the rank of Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.-Season 1:...
and Major Marvin Taylor are impressed with Daniels' work and depart. In the interrogation room, however, McNulty and Bunk realize that Dog is not a person. Daniels is upset to learn that the most they can charge Cheese with is illegal discharge of a firearm and improper disposal of an animal, or animal cruelty at the very worst. The unit drowns their sorrows at the bar, where McNulty fails to get Pearlman to leave with him. Pearlman instead makes a move on Daniels and he takes her back to his barely-furnished bachelor apartment. Greggs arrives home to find Cheryl sleeping with the baby and turns around and goes out drinking; at the bar, conflicted, she flirts with another woman. The following day, the unit's wiretaps have all gone dead.
Western District
Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Ellis CarverEllis Carver
Ellis Carver is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Seth Gilliam. Carver is an African American lieutenant and formerly in command of the Baltimore Police Department's Western District Drug Enforcement Unit...
cruise the Western district, antagonizing the corner kids. Herc calls over Justin, one of Marlo's dealers, to ask him where he might purchase a baseball cap with a sideways brim. Justin, unaware that he is being made fun of, tells him it's a regular cap worn sideways. Herc spots Poot Carr
Poot Carr
Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks, but ends up serving time in prison as his institution collapses around him...
working a new corner now that the terrace is gone; he and Carver pick Poot up and question him. They ask how he is able to walk into new territory without getting into trouble with other dealers. Poot defiantly refuses to answer their questions.
Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin learns from his community relations sergeant and Lieutenant Mello that his beat officers are working hard to reclassify reported crimes to reduce the felony rate. An officer named Burman has been particularly effective. Colvin seems nonplussed by Burman's accomplishments.
Herc, Carver and Dozerman go to the movies with their girlfriends, where they are mortified to bump into Bodie Broadus
Bodie Broadus
Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a Barksdale organization drug dealer in "The Pit" who slowly rises through the ranks...
, Poot and Puddin with their dates. Bodie tells his girlfriend that the officers harass them every day trying to obtain their stash, but almost always fail. The officers are flabbergasted, and the dealers depart, saying "See you tomorrow!" Herc and Carver ogle Dozerman's attractive African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
girlfriend. Later, Carver and Dozerman tease Herc for hypothetically choosing Gus Triandos
Gus Triandos
Gus Triandos is a Greek-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball mostly as a catcher but also played as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros...
as the one man he would have sex with in order to obtain any woman he desires, particularly Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen: Dozerman says he looked up the stats and noted that Triandos was a "power hitter."
Dozerman acts as the undercover officer for a late night hand-to-hand, and is shot when the operation goes badly. Colvin is called at home and immediately goes out to meet his men. Carver blames himself for sending Dozerman alone. Colvin arrives and tells them that Dozerman will live, largely because they got him to the hospital quickly. Herc tells Colvin that their suspect took Dozerman's gun.
Colvin visits his friend the church deacon for a cup of coffee. Colvin reveals that he has reached the point where the absence of a negative (in this case, the fact that Dozerman was not injured fatally) makes a good night's work for him. He feels he has to change that before he retires.
The next day, Colvin gives a briefing to his men. He suspends all undercover narcotics work. He draws parallels between the drug prohibition and a law that prohibited public consumption of alcohol. He remembers the paper bag as a moment of civic compromise in the 1950s that freed up officers to do real police work. Colvin wishes there were a paper bag for drugs. Back out on the street, Herc cannot understand his commander's reasoning.
Barksdale organization
Shamrock and Country arrive with a resupply of narcotics for some of their drug dealers. Omar LittleOmar Little
Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. Omar is a renowned stick-up man who lives by a strict moral code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in "the game"....
poses as a veteran returning from the hospital with Kimmy acting as his nurse to get inside the house. Once inside they draw their weapons and let in Dante and Tosha. They catch Shamrock and Country coming down the stairs with the money.
Stringer visits Avon Barksdale
Avon Barksdale
Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire portrayed by actor Wood Harris. Avon is the dominant drug dealer of Baltimore's West Side, running the Barksdale Organization...
at the prison and they talk about the demolition of their tower territory. He reveals his plan to supply other dealers. Avon asks Stringer to target specific high turnover areas. He reminds Stringer they need to maintain their reputation to hold onto trade. Stringer agrees but says that the violence was what brought Avon to prison and if they can make money without it they should.
Stringer's lieutenants Country, Shamrock and Bodie are sent to talk to mid-level dealers to try to displace their suppliers. Country's offer is met with skepticism, Shamrock has more success by making the financial advantages clear and Bodie cannot even find his target initially. He is supposed to approach Marlo Stanfield
Marlo Stanfield
Marlo "Black" Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ruthless and ambitious player in the Baltimore drug trade who gains control of West Baltimore and is the head of his own drug crew.-Character background and plot...
but upon approaching Jamal, a low level Stanfield dealer, he learns that Marlo is nowhere to be found. Bodie marshals his crew to set up in the middle of the block through his second Puddin. Stanfield corner boss Fruit looks on and prevents Jamal from raising arms against Bodie. He contacts Marlo who drives up to talk to him and tells him to ignore Bodie and go back to work.
Stringer holds another meeting at the funeral home and Bodie and Country report their difficulties. Stringer sends Bodie out to look for Marlo immediately. Shamrock reports Omar's robbery and Slim Charles remarks that it is the second robbery that month.
Marlo visits his advisor Vinson at his rim shop for advice on handling the Barksdale organization. Vinson advises him to prepare for war if he is not willing to compromise. Marlo stands on the corner the following day and when Bodie approaches, he avoids eye contact and orders Bodie to pack up and move on while he is still being a gentleman.
Cutty
Dennis "Cutty" Wise meets with his parole officer who tells him to find work but is not willing to offer advice on where to look. He finds casual work with a group of gardeners. He appears perplexed when a homeowner attempts to communicate with the gardening crew in broken Spanish, but says nothing. Cutty tries to reconnect with his past by getting in touch with his ex-girlfriend, but she is now married and has moved out of the projects and working as a teacher.Politics
Councilman Tommy CarcettiTommy Carcetti
Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Irish actor Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious Baltimore politician who rises from a seat on the city council to the office of the Mayor of Baltimore, and to the office of the Governor of Maryland by the...
visits Major Stanislaus Valchek
Stanislaus Valchek
Stanislaus "Stan" Valchek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Al Brown.-Biography:Valchek is the Polish-American commander of the Southeastern district, home to many of the remaining white ethnic neighborhoods in Baltimore...
's office and they discuss his ploy of using the subcomittee to pressure Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell
Ervin Burrell
Ervin Burrell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Frankie Faison. Burrell was an officer in the Baltimore Police Department who ascended from Deputy Commissioner of Operations to Commissioner over the course of the show...
. Valchek calls it a win win situation - if Burrell caves he has an inside man in the mayor's office, and if he doesn't he gains political capital by harassing Burrell over high crime rates. He asks Valchek to broker a meeting with Burrell. Valchek meets with Burrell and convinces him to take the meeting. Carcetti tells Burrell that he is tired of being ignored.
At the ComStat
CompStat
CompStat—or COMPSTAT— is the name given to the New York City Police Department's accountability process and has since been replicated in many other departments...
meeting, Rawls berates Eastern district commander Major Taylor for his poor performance. Under Taylor's command, the Eastern district has made only sixteen felony arrests in a month and confiscated no handguns while four homicides occurred in a five hour time period. Upset at the lack of progress in investigating the four recent homicides (including James "Jelly" Taylor and Tree), Rawls informs Taylor that he has eight hours to get a grip on things or he is done in the unit.
Burrell has dinner with Carcetti and thanks him for helping him with repairing police vehicles. Having had a good experience Burrell reveals that he has 70 men retiring and Mayor Clarence Royce
Clarence Royce
Clarence V. Royce is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Glynn Turman-Biography:Mayor of Baltimore Clarence V. Royce is a deft political figure and is fixated on remaining in power. Royce is the incumbent Mayor of Baltimore who was elected into office in 1998 and is in the...
has failed to give him promised money for training new officers and Carcetti offers to look into it.
First appearances
The episode marks the first appearance of The Deacon, a well known and influential West side church man. The Deacon is played by Melvin WilliamsMelvin Williams (actor)
Melvin D. Williams , known as Little Melvin, is a former drug trafficker and organized crime figure in his native Baltimore, Maryland. Williams is widely known for his involvement in heroin trafficking in Baltimore in the 1970s and 1980s...
, who was a real-life drug kingpin in his youth and was arrested by writer Ed Burns
Ed Burns
Ed Burns is a producer, screenwriter, and novelist. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. They have collaborated on The Corner and The Wire . Burns is a former Baltimore police detective for the Homicide and Narcotics divisions, and a public school teacher...
in 1984 when he was a Baltimore city police officer. Creator David Simon was responsible for covering the arrest for The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
at the time. Williams received a 34-year sentence for his crimes and much of the evidence against him came from a wiretap investigation like the one featured in the first season of the show. Vinson, a rim shop owner who serves as an adviser to Marlo, makes his first appearance in this episode advising Marlo on a possible war with the Barksdales.