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Back Burners (The Wire episode)
Encyclopedia
"Back Burners" is the seventh episode of the third season of the HBO original series, The Wire
. The episode was written by Joy Lusco
from a story by David Simon
& Joy Lusco and was directed by Tim Van Patten
. It originally aired on November 7, 2004.
"In memory of Geraldine Peroni
; editor, colleague, friend. 1953-2004"
visits Butchie to discuss Bunk Moreland
's recent lecture about the loss of morality in their neighborhood. He reveals that he has been feeling guilty and Butchie says that this a ploy that Bunk is using against him. Despite Butchie's advice Omar cannot put his conscience to rest. He uses Butchie's contacts to locate Officer Dozerman's weapon for Bunk.
Bunk cuts detective Crutchfield's tie as part of a running joke in the homicide unit - detectives sleeping in the offices have their ties cut in half and the bottom half is tacked to the bulletin board. He gets a call from Butchie and travels to his bar. Butchie gives Bunk the weapon, wrapped in Omar's tie from his court appearance in the Bird trial. Bunk returns the tie and asks Butchie to tell Omar he is hoping he might need the tie in court some day.
asks Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell
about Baltimore's witness protection program, or lack thereof. Carcetti verifies that Mayor Clarence Royce
has not acted on his request to look into the death of a witness, and assures Burrell he will keep his name out of it. Later he meets with Theresa D'Agostino, his new campaign manager, at his home. Terri convinces Carcetti that rather than taking the story of Royce's inaction to the papers it is better to meet with him again and if he still fails to act he can document his concern in a letter and save the story for a time closer to the primaries or when the next witness is killed. Carcetti therefore meets with Royce to discuss starting a witness protection program a second time. Royce claims there is no money available for any such initiative.
Royce and Burrell hold a press conference to return Dozerman's service weapon. Bunk, Sergeant Jay Landsman
, Colonel Raymond Foerster and Deputy Commissioner William Rawls
are also in attendance. As the ceremony goes on Carcetti types his letter of concern.
. Slim Charles tells Avon that Marlo Stanfield
has withdrawn his operation from all of his corners and Avon orders him to take the corners as soon as the police leave. As they drive, away Herc recognizes Avon (though he cannot remember his surname) and is surprised that he is already out of prison.
Colvin discusses his statistics with Mello and the community relations sergeant - crime is down overall but up near the tolerance zones. Mello thinks this is reason to let the bosses know that what they are doing is working, but Colvin insists that it should be kept a secret.
Bubbles
tries to sell his T-shirts in Hamsterdam, but finds the area overwhelmingly chaotic and hellish even by what he has experienced before. He learns that addicts have taken up residence in the vacant buildings and on the street and need basic supplies to get by, since many feel they cannot leave without jeopardizing their claim. Bubbles spots Johnny in one of the houses. Johnny is looking the worse for wear but refuses to leave. A fight breaks out and the uniformed officers break it up. Herc and Officer Anthony Colicchio refuse to help Sergeant Ellis Carver
. Carver tells the hoppers that they are breaking Hamsterdam's only rule, no violence, as Bubbles watches.
Carver and Herc take over from Colicchio and Truck on watch in Hamsterdam. When Carver remarks that there are too many children, Colicchio notes that many of them are now unemployed because lookouts and runners are not needed if trade is legal. Carver tells the dealers that they have to pay one hundred dollars a week to deal in Hamsterdam, with the money going towards supporting the young children. Carver uses the first of the cash to buy a basketball hoop for the children. Colvin visits Hamsterdam at night and Carver tells him he would be OK with it if there weren't so many children around. The basketball hoop has already been destroyed.
's rules when buying the phones getting only two from any single outlet. His girlfriend, Squeak, harasses him about the amount of time they spend traveling to buy the phones. Throughout their lengthy roadtrip she continues to try to convince him to buy the phones in bulk. When they deliver the phones she notices that Shamrock does not even check the documentation. The next time Bernard makes his rounds his girlfriend convinces him to buy in bulk by offering him oral sex
in exchange.
Donette discusses Brianna with Stringer over dinner at her apartment. Brianna has asked Donette to go with her to the police station to talk to Jimmy McNulty
about the death of D'Angelo Barksdale
. Stringer is angry that Donette spoke to Brianna. He asks her when Brianna plans to visit the police and learns that she is waiting to contact a lawyer. Stringer checks in with Maurice Levy
and learns that Brianna has contacted him. Levy recommends that they tell Avon and Stringer says he will handle it.
Slim Charles assigns Poot Carr
to one of Marlo's corner with some muscle for protection. Poot is worried about retaliation from Marlo. Later, Stanfield soldier Snoop kills one of the soldiers in a drive-by from a motorcycle and Poot narrowly escapes being shot.
reports that Stringer Bell and Marlo Stanfield are the unit's new targets. He tells them that their work on Kintell Williamson is being put on hold. Leander Sydnor
and Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski are dismayed that their efforts to date are going to be wasted. Sydnor vows that one day he will work for a real department. Daniels calls McNulty into his office. On his way McNulty asks Prez to look into the woman that he slept with (Theresa D'Agostino), pretending that it may be part of the case. Daniels accurately suspects McNulty of his involvement in their changing targets via Major Colvin. McNulty admits his insubordination. Unapologetic, McNulty defends his decision saying that it had to be done and he would have gone to the devil himself to get the unit's focus on Stringer Bell
renewed. Daniels tells McNulty to find a new home as he is out of the unit once Stringer is arrested.
Freamon and Prez analyze the phone that Bubbles procured for the unit. Prez states that the information is difficult to interpret without knowing more about Marlo's organization. Freamon comments that a phone from the Barksdale organization would allow them to map out the organization with everything that they already know but it would be difficult to get a wiretap up with the phones being disposed of so quickly.
McNulty, Sydnor and Greggs restart their surveillance work. They begin with Bodie Broadus
and wait for him to dump a phone. Greggs remembers him but McNulty does not. McNulty convinces them to drink with him, saying that he knows an easier way to find a phone. They narrowly miss seeing Avon meet with Bodie. Greggs comes home drunk and Cheryl tries to discuss what has happened to their relationship. Greggs tells her that she went along with Cheryl's desire for a child because she didn't want to disappoint her. Cheryl tells her she couldn't be more disappointed and asks Greggs to leave.
Prez sets up the board for the Barksdale and Stanfield investigation. So far he has pictures of Stringer, Bodie and Marlo among others. McNulty, Greggs and Sydnor arrive and begin to implement their plan to get a new cell phone.
Bodie and Puddin have moved into Marlo's now abandoned territory. Shamrock phones to recommend that they move more trade into Hamsterdam with so many police officers watching the corners. Bodie loads his crew into an SUV to relocate. On their way, the vehicle is stopped by McNulty and Greggs, and Bodie protests that they are immune to police searches because they are headed to Hamsterdam. McNulty covertly swaps out Bodie's phone for a similar model. The drug dealers become increasingly agitated as they perceive the unit's actions as a breach of Colvin's promise. McNulty calls for back-up and Herc, Carver, Colicchio and Truck respond. McNulty asks Carver what Hamsterdam is, having heard Bodie mention it several times. Greggs also starts to question Carver, and he is forced to tell them about Colvin's initiative. Colvin arrives and explains his plan to the unit and asks them to keep it quiet. He pleads with McNulty to keep it from the bosses and McNulty is impressed with Colvin's attitude.
They return to the detail office and give the phone to Freamon and Prez. Greggs asks Massey if she can stay at her place for a while. Prez reports the information he found on Theresa D'Agostino to McNulty. McNulty uses the number Prez obtained and cons his way into finding out her whereabouts. Wearing a suit, he travels to the fundraiser she is attending that evening in Washington, DC. He is uncomfortable with the crowd and prepares to leave, but D'Agostino notices him and arranges to meet him in her hotel room after the event.
The following day, McNulty arrives late at the unit office and finds ASA Pearlman
and Daniels receiving a briefing on Freamon and Prez's analysis of the burners. They have identified a communication network with 15 distinct phone users by analyzing the call pattern. None of the phones identified list any user information because they are all prepaid "burner" phones purchased anonymously with cash. They have identified a coordinator at the top of the pyramid, who acts as a nexus for communications. The detectives have also found that the phones are pre-programmed with the numbers before being put into use. Freamon asks Greggs to have the Western DEU squad collect phones for them.
Greggs and McNulty meet with Herc and Carver and ask them to collect any stray burners they find. Herc tells them that he saw Avon driving around the neighborhood. McNulty and Greggs both refuse to believe Herc's claim. On returning to the office they check Avon's status on the computer and, along with Daniels, are outraged when they find he has been paroled.
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 Joy Lusco
Joy Lusco
Joy Lusco, also known as Joy Kecken and Joy Lusco Kecken, is an American film and television director and writer. She often works with her husband, Scott Kecken. She has worked on the HBO drama series The Wire as a writer on the show's first three seasons....
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...
& Joy Lusco and was directed by Tim Van Patten
Tim Van Patten
Tim Van Patten is an American television director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. As a director, Van Patten has directed episodes of The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, Rome, The Pacific, Game of Thrones, Ed, and Sex and the City. Van Patten is perhaps best known for portraying...
. It originally aired on November 7, 2004.
Title reference
The title refers to the disposable cell phones used by the Barksdale organization. The idiom "put on the back burner" refers to making something less of a priority, or switch focus to something else. The drug dealer Williamson is put on the back burner as Bell and Stanfield are made the new targets and arresting Bodie's crew becomes less important than the Hamsterdam cops-dealers pact. The title can also refer to the "back door" move made on Lieutenant Daniels by Detective McNulty in getting the investigative targets changed.Epigraph
Butchie uses this phrase when talking to Omar about his problems with Bunk over the death of Tosha.Credits
A dedication ran at the beginning of the closing credits:"In memory of Geraldine Peroni
Geraldine Peroni
Geraldine Peroni was an American film editor who was best known for working with Robert Altman.-Life and career:...
; editor, colleague, friend. 1953-2004"
Guest stars
- Glynn TurmanGlynn TurmanGlynn Russell Turman is an American stage, television, and film actor as well as a writer, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as high school student Leroy "Preach" Jackson in the 1975 coming-of-age film Cooley High, math professor and retired Army colonel Bradford...
as Mayor Clarence RoyceClarence RoyceClarence 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... - 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... - Brandy BurreBrandy BurreBrandy Burre was born on September 27, 1974 in Sandusky, Ohio. She earned her Master's degree in acting at Ohio University, and has performed on the stage in addition to her work in film and television. She is best known for her portrayal of Theresa D'Agostino on the HBO series The Wire.-External...
as Theresa D'Agostino - Melanie Nicholls King as Cheryl
- Delaney WilliamsDelaney WilliamsDelaney Williams is an American actor from Washington, D.C. He appears on the HBO drama The Wire as a recurring guest star playing homicide sergeant Jay Landsman. He also had a small role on HBO's mini-series The Corner which brought him to the attention of the producers, who worked on The prior to...
as Sergeant Jay LandsmanJay Landsman (The Wire)Jay Landsman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Delaney Williams.-Policing method:Landsman's role in the police department is that of a supervisory detective sergeant who doesn't participate in much investigation work... - Leo FitzpatrickLeo FitzpatrickLeonardo Aurellio Randy "Leo" Fitzpatrick is an American actor.-Biography:Leo Fitzpatrick was born in West Orange, New Jersey. He was discovered at age 14 by director Larry Clark at Washington Square Park in New York City, skateboarding. Fitzpatrick was trying to perform certain skating tricks,...
as Johnny - S. Robert MorganS. Robert MorganS. Robert Morgan is an American television actor. He guest starred on Home Box Office drama series The Wire as Butchie from the second season until the show's fifth and final season. Morgan lost his sight in his twenties due to macular degeneration. Morgan is from Fort Washington, Maryland and...
as Butchie - Melvin WilliamsMelvin WilliamsVice Admiral Melvin G. Williams is Commander, U.S. Second Fleet, Director, Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Center of Excellence. He was selected for Flag rank in 2002.-Personal Biography:...
as The Deacon - Megan Anderson as Jen Carcetti
- Shamyl Brown as Donette
- 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 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 Charles - 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 Officer Anthony Colicchio - Mia Arnice Chambers as Squeak
- Melvin Jackson Jr. as Bernard
- Ryan Sands as Officer Lloyd "Truck" Garrick
- De'Rodd Hearns as Puddin
- Michael KostroffMichael KostroffMichael Kostroff is an American actor. He appeared on the HBO program The Wire as defense attorney Maurice Levy. Kostroff starred in the fifth season of the series and appeared in all four earlier seasons as a guest star.- Biography :...
as Maurice LevyMaurice Levy (The Wire)Maurice "Maury" Levy is a fictional lawyer on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Michael Kostroff. He is a skilled defense attorney and was kept on retainer by the drug-trafficking Barksdale Organization, representing the organization's members at trials and advising Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell... - Felicia PearsonFelicia PearsonFelicia Pearson is an American actress, author, and rapper. She is best known for playing a character of the same name, Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, on The Wire. She wrote a memoir titled Grace After Midnight.-Biography:Pearson was born to two incarcerated drug addicts and raised in an East Baltimore...
as Snoop - Rico Whelchel as Rico
- Gbenga AkinnagbeGbenga AkinnagbeGbenga Akinnagbe is an American actor, best known for his role as Chris Partlow on the HBO original series The Wire.-Early life:...
as Chris PartlowChris PartlowChris Partlow is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Gbenga Akinnagbe. Partlow is Marlo Stanfield's best friend, bodyguard, and second-in-command in his drug dealing operation. Despite his quiet demeanor, Partlow commits more on- and off-screen murders than any other... - R. Emery Bright as Community Relations Sergeant
- Eugene Little as landscaping crew chief
- Cleo Reginald Pizana as Coleman Parker
Uncredited appearances
- Rick Otto as Officer Kenneth Dozerman
- Joilet F. Harris as Officer Caroline Massey
- Richard DeAngelis as Colonel Raymond Foerster
- Gregory L. Williams as Detective Crutchfield
Homicide
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"....
visits Butchie to discuss 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...
's recent lecture about the loss of morality in their neighborhood. He reveals that he has been feeling guilty and Butchie says that this a ploy that Bunk is using against him. Despite Butchie's advice Omar cannot put his conscience to rest. He uses Butchie's contacts to locate Officer Dozerman's weapon for Bunk.
Bunk cuts detective Crutchfield's tie as part of a running joke in the homicide unit - detectives sleeping in the offices have their ties cut in half and the bottom half is tacked to the bulletin board. He gets a call from Butchie and travels to his bar. Butchie gives Bunk the weapon, wrapped in Omar's tie from his court appearance in the Bird trial. Bunk returns the tie and asks Butchie to tell Omar he is hoping he might need the tie in court some day.
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...
asks 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...
about Baltimore's witness protection program, or lack thereof. Carcetti verifies that 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 not acted on his request to look into the death of a witness, and assures Burrell he will keep his name out of it. Later he meets with Theresa D'Agostino, his new campaign manager, at his home. Terri convinces Carcetti that rather than taking the story of Royce's inaction to the papers it is better to meet with him again and if he still fails to act he can document his concern in a letter and save the story for a time closer to the primaries or when the next witness is killed. Carcetti therefore meets with Royce to discuss starting a witness protection program a second time. Royce claims there is no money available for any such initiative.
Royce and Burrell hold a press conference to return Dozerman's service weapon. Bunk, Sergeant Jay Landsman
Jay Landsman (The Wire)
Jay Landsman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Delaney Williams.-Policing method:Landsman's role in the police department is that of a supervisory detective sergeant who doesn't participate in much investigation work...
, Colonel Raymond Foerster and 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:...
are also in attendance. As the ceremony goes on Carcetti types his letter of concern.
Western district
Officers Lloyd "Truck" Garrick and Thomas "Herc" Hauk watch over corners in the Western district. Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin and Lieutenant Dennis Mello check up on the level of activity. They are observed by Slim Charles and Avon BarksdaleAvon 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...
. Slim Charles tells Avon that 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...
has withdrawn his operation from all of his corners and Avon orders him to take the corners as soon as the police leave. As they drive, away Herc recognizes Avon (though he cannot remember his surname) and is surprised that he is already out of prison.
Colvin discusses his statistics with Mello and the community relations sergeant - crime is down overall but up near the tolerance zones. Mello thinks this is reason to let the bosses know that what they are doing is working, but Colvin insists that it should be kept a secret.
Bubbles
Bubbles (The Wire)
Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Andre Royo. Bubbles is a recovering heroin addict. His real name is not revealed until a fourth-season episode when he is called "Mr. Cousins" and in the fifth-season premiere when he is called "Reginald"...
tries to sell his T-shirts in Hamsterdam, but finds the area overwhelmingly chaotic and hellish even by what he has experienced before. He learns that addicts have taken up residence in the vacant buildings and on the street and need basic supplies to get by, since many feel they cannot leave without jeopardizing their claim. Bubbles spots Johnny in one of the houses. Johnny is looking the worse for wear but refuses to leave. A fight breaks out and the uniformed officers break it up. Herc and Officer Anthony Colicchio refuse to help Sergeant Ellis Carver
Ellis 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...
. Carver tells the hoppers that they are breaking Hamsterdam's only rule, no violence, as Bubbles watches.
Carver and Herc take over from Colicchio and Truck on watch in Hamsterdam. When Carver remarks that there are too many children, Colicchio notes that many of them are now unemployed because lookouts and runners are not needed if trade is legal. Carver tells the dealers that they have to pay one hundred dollars a week to deal in Hamsterdam, with the money going towards supporting the young children. Carver uses the first of the cash to buy a basketball hoop for the children. Colvin visits Hamsterdam at night and Carver tells him he would be OK with it if there weren't so many children around. The basketball hoop has already been destroyed.
Stanfield crew
Marlo, Chris Partlow and Snoop check in with Nemo, a young dealer Marlo has put in charge of watching his pigeon coops. Marlo tells Chris they are going to step back and wholesale their package to other dealers and let Avon take their corners. Marlo hopes to bide his time to catch Avon unaware.Barksdale organization
Bernard delivers a new batch of disposable phones to Shamrock at the funeral home. Shamrock asks him to acquire 60 more phones by the end of the week. Bernard sticks to Stringer BellStringer 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...
's rules when buying the phones getting only two from any single outlet. His girlfriend, Squeak, harasses him about the amount of time they spend traveling to buy the phones. Throughout their lengthy roadtrip she continues to try to convince him to buy the phones in bulk. When they deliver the phones she notices that Shamrock does not even check the documentation. The next time Bernard makes his rounds his girlfriend convinces him to buy in bulk by offering him oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
in exchange.
Donette discusses Brianna with Stringer over dinner at her apartment. Brianna has asked Donette to go with her to the police station to talk to Jimmy McNulty
Jimmy 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...
about the death of 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...
. Stringer is angry that Donette spoke to Brianna. He asks her when Brianna plans to visit the police and learns that she is waiting to contact a lawyer. Stringer checks in with Maurice Levy
Maurice Levy (The Wire)
Maurice "Maury" Levy is a fictional lawyer on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Michael Kostroff. He is a skilled defense attorney and was kept on retainer by the drug-trafficking Barksdale Organization, representing the organization's members at trials and advising Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell...
and learns that Brianna has contacted him. Levy recommends that they tell Avon and Stringer says he will handle it.
Slim Charles assigns 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...
to one of Marlo's corner with some muscle for protection. Poot is worried about retaliation from Marlo. Later, Stanfield soldier Snoop kills one of the soldiers in a drive-by from a motorcycle and Poot narrowly escapes being shot.
Major case unit
Lieutenant Cedric DanielsCedric 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...
reports that Stringer Bell and Marlo Stanfield are the unit's new targets. He tells them that their work on Kintell Williamson is being put on hold. Leander Sydnor
Leander Sydnor
Leander Sydnor is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Corey Parker Robinson. Sydnor is a young, married Baltimore Police detective who was a member of the Barksdale detail and later worked in the Major Crimes Unit.-Season 1:...
and Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski are dismayed that their efforts to date are going to be wasted. Sydnor vows that one day he will work for a real department. Daniels calls McNulty into his office. On his way McNulty asks Prez to look into the woman that he slept with (Theresa D'Agostino), pretending that it may be part of the case. Daniels accurately suspects McNulty of his involvement in their changing targets via Major Colvin. McNulty admits his insubordination. Unapologetic, McNulty defends his decision saying that it had to be done and he would have gone to the devil himself to get the unit's focus on 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...
renewed. Daniels tells McNulty to find a new home as he is out of the unit once Stringer is arrested.
Freamon and Prez analyze the phone that Bubbles procured for the unit. Prez states that the information is difficult to interpret without knowing more about Marlo's organization. Freamon comments that a phone from the Barksdale organization would allow them to map out the organization with everything that they already know but it would be difficult to get a wiretap up with the phones being disposed of so quickly.
McNulty, Sydnor and Greggs restart their surveillance work. They begin with 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...
and wait for him to dump a phone. Greggs remembers him but McNulty does not. McNulty convinces them to drink with him, saying that he knows an easier way to find a phone. They narrowly miss seeing Avon meet with Bodie. Greggs comes home drunk and Cheryl tries to discuss what has happened to their relationship. Greggs tells her that she went along with Cheryl's desire for a child because she didn't want to disappoint her. Cheryl tells her she couldn't be more disappointed and asks Greggs to leave.
Prez sets up the board for the Barksdale and Stanfield investigation. So far he has pictures of Stringer, Bodie and Marlo among others. McNulty, Greggs and Sydnor arrive and begin to implement their plan to get a new cell phone.
Bodie and Puddin have moved into Marlo's now abandoned territory. Shamrock phones to recommend that they move more trade into Hamsterdam with so many police officers watching the corners. Bodie loads his crew into an SUV to relocate. On their way, the vehicle is stopped by McNulty and Greggs, and Bodie protests that they are immune to police searches because they are headed to Hamsterdam. McNulty covertly swaps out Bodie's phone for a similar model. The drug dealers become increasingly agitated as they perceive the unit's actions as a breach of Colvin's promise. McNulty calls for back-up and Herc, Carver, Colicchio and Truck respond. McNulty asks Carver what Hamsterdam is, having heard Bodie mention it several times. Greggs also starts to question Carver, and he is forced to tell them about Colvin's initiative. Colvin arrives and explains his plan to the unit and asks them to keep it quiet. He pleads with McNulty to keep it from the bosses and McNulty is impressed with Colvin's attitude.
They return to the detail office and give the phone to Freamon and Prez. Greggs asks Massey if she can stay at her place for a while. Prez reports the information he found on Theresa D'Agostino to McNulty. McNulty uses the number Prez obtained and cons his way into finding out her whereabouts. Wearing a suit, he travels to the fundraiser she is attending that evening in Washington, DC. He is uncomfortable with the crowd and prepares to leave, but D'Agostino notices him and arranges to meet him in her hotel room after the event.
The following day, McNulty arrives late at the unit office and finds ASA 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...
and Daniels receiving a briefing on Freamon and Prez's analysis of the burners. They have identified a communication network with 15 distinct phone users by analyzing the call pattern. None of the phones identified list any user information because they are all prepaid "burner" phones purchased anonymously with cash. They have identified a coordinator at the top of the pyramid, who acts as a nexus for communications. The detectives have also found that the phones are pre-programmed with the numbers before being put into use. Freamon asks Greggs to have the Western DEU squad collect phones for them.
Greggs and McNulty meet with Herc and Carver and ask them to collect any stray burners they find. Herc tells them that he saw Avon driving around the neighborhood. McNulty and Greggs both refuse to believe Herc's claim. On returning to the office they check Avon's status on the computer and, along with Daniels, are outraged when they find he has been paroled.
Cutty
Having left the game for good Dennis "Cutty" Wise reapplies himself to the casual landscaping job he was working before. The crew boss continues to relate to him and convinces him to return to The Deacon. Cutty arranges a second meeting with the deacon and discusses his state of mind. He tells the deacon he is tired of doing things he doesn't want to do and wants to change. He asks the deacon to call him Dennis.First appearances
- Bernard: Barksdale organization member responsible for purchasing the disposable cell phones they use.
- Squeak: Bernard's nagging girlfriend.
- Detective Michael Crutchfield: Homicide Detective in Sergeant Landsman's unit who gets his tie cut, having fallen asleep after working a double shift.