Jimmy McNulty
Encyclopedia
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
. While he has proven himself to be a talented and determined detective, he is disliked by many of his superiors because of his arrogance, disdain for authority, and disrespect for the chain of command. When off the job, he has frequent problems involving alimony
, alcoholism
, child support
, and relationships. McNulty is nevertheless central to many of the successful high-end drug investigations that take place within the series.
before being laid off in 1973. McNulty joined the police department after a year of college
in Baltimore when his girlfriend Elena (whom he later married) became pregnant. In his first few years in the BPD he proved himself to be an effective patrolman in the Western District under the command of Major Colvin. After assisting Detective Ray Cole in solving a homicide (Cole had arrested the wrong man), he was promoted to detective and assigned to the homicide unit, where he was partnered with Bunk Moreland
.
was expanding his organization's
territory, and had successfully beaten several murder prosecutions. McNulty was responsible for the formation of the Barksdale detail following the trial of D'Angelo Barksdale
, who is found not guilty after a witness changes her story in court. In the Judge's chambers, McNulty is frank about his observations and the lack of investigation so far, prompting Judge Phelan to call Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell
. McNulty's commander, Major Rawls
, is furious with him for going around the chain of command. McNulty tells Bunk that he hopes this investigation will lead to a case that means something to him. Sergeant Jay Landsman
asks McNulty what unit he would least like to be assigned to, and McNulty says that he finds the diesel fumes in the Marine Unit intolerable.
Because of McNulty's conversation with Judge Phelan, a case unit is formed, initially consisting of Narcotics Lieutenant Cedric Daniels
and his squad of Kima Greggs
, Ellis Carver
, and "Herc" Hauk. Deputy Burrell then asks his majors and shift lieutenants to send additional detectives for the investigative detail. As Burrell has made it clear that the case is no more than a cosmetic exercise, most of the officers sent are drunken or incompetent "humps". McNulty himself is also assigned to the unit. Daniels and McNulty argue about how to handle the case at their first meeting: McNulty, after seeing an FBI drug sting, suggests surveillance and wiretaps, but Burrell has ordered Daniels to put together a quick and simple case to appease Phelan. Soon after the investigation begins, McNulty learns from his friend in the FBI, Special Agent Fitzhugh that Daniels had been investigated for having a suspiciously large amount of liquid assets. McNulty's relationship with Daniels continues to be complicated by their mutual distrust.
The detail is assigned assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman
as a prosecutor, with whom McNulty is having a casual sexual relationship. McNulty is officially separated from his wife, who limits his contact with his two sons, Sean and Michael. While shopping with them one afternoon, McNulty spots Stringer Bell
, and sends his sons to tail him and get his license plate number. When Elena finds out, she seeks an emergency order to stop him from seeing his sons. She is also angry that he continues to see Pearlman casually.
Working on the Barksdale detail, McNulty becomes friends with Lester Freamon
, who had previously been exiled to the pawn-shop unit for thirteen years (and four months) for his insistence on charging a politically-connected fence. Freamon often tries to temper McNulty's aggressive attitude towards Lt. Daniels. Frustrated that Barksdale's dealers do not use cell phones, they decide to clone the dealers' pagers instead. They also work together to convince Daniels to allow them to do better police work.
With the help of Kima Greggs
, McNulty tracks down the elusive Omar Little
, gaining his respect and cooperation. Omar agrees to testify against "Bird" Hilton. His assistance also leads to McNulty inadvertently solving one of Santangelo's old cases; a grateful Santangelo in turn reveals that he is a mole for Rawls, who is looking for an excuse to fire McNulty. Kima introduces McNulty to her CI Bubbles
. When she is shot in a buy-bust sting operation gone wrong, McNulty is guilt-ridden, though even Rawls assures him that the shooting is not his fault. McNulty has a frank discussion with Daniels in which he admits that the Barksdale case is no more than an exercise in intellectual vanity and an opportunity to demonstrate the department's shortcomings. Daniels tells him that everyone has known this all along but that the case has taken on meaning for those involved.
The detail succeeds in arresting Wee-Bey Brice
for shooting Kima, "Bird" Hilton for murdering a state's witness, and both D'Angelo and Avon Barksdale. McNulty almost convinces D'Angelo to testify against Avon but, ultimately, D'Angelo takes a twenty-year sentence instead. When the Barksdale investigation closes, Rawls reassigns McNulty to the marine unit, having learned from Landsman that this is precisely where McNulty does not want to go.
finds thirteen dead bodies in a shipping container on the Baltimore docks, McNulty again intervenes and, with the help of the medical examiner
, proves that these deaths are also within Rawls' jurisdiction. The case is given to Bunk and Freamon, much to their chagrin.
To make amends, McNulty promises to discover the identity of the girl found dead in the water, but is ultimately unable to do so. Bunk Moreland is also pressuring McNulty to find Omar, who is needed to testify against Bird. McNulty coerces Bubbles into tracking down the elusive stick-up man, and Omar testifies successfully.
McNulty signs an agreement that he will pay alimony, believing it to be unnecessary because he can still salvage his marriage. He decides to give up alcohol and detective work, two of the main reasons for the breakup of his marriage. When Elena confirms the marriage is over, he grows despondent, and drinks more heavily than ever.
When Daniels' unit is recreated to investigate Frank Sobotka
, a vengeful Rawls refuses to allow Daniels to have McNulty. McNulty seems to accept this with good grace, but tries to help the detail unofficially. Daniels persuades Rawls to let McNulty return to the unit by taking on the murders of the fourteen girls. McNulty's first assignment is to go undercover as a client visiting a local brothel, much to the amusement of his colleagues. He also flirts with Beadie Russell, who has been assigned to Daniels' detail, though he seems to shy away from a relationship.
While on surveillance, McNulty watches Spiros Vondas
, an associate of the shady figure known as The Greek
, send a text message. He reasons that the time and location of the text could be used to retrieve it from the phone company's databases; it is from this message that the detail learn that the Greek had shut down his operations.
After McNulty learns from Bubbles that Stringer Bell and Proposition Joe are sharing territory, he begins investigating them on his own time, convinced that he can gather enough evidence to prompt Daniels to focus the MCU's attention on Bell.
. He begins looking into the Barksdales anyway, finding out about D'Angelo's supposed suicide and Avon's early release. Investigating D'Angelo's death, he quickly realizes that D'Angelo was murdered.
McNulty reconnects with his old commanding officer from the beginning of his career, Major Colvin, to set up the Barksdale organization as the Major Crimes Unit's primary target. McNulty circumvents the chain of command again to set up an investigation of Barksdale, as Daniels is not interested in the quality of the unit's assigned case targets, blaming his rank in the department for his lack of case target interests. Angered by McNulty's back burning attitude, Daniels tells McNulty, "When the cuffs go on Stringer, you need to find a new home, you're done in this unit!" Even Freamon thinks McNulty should be more loyal to Daniels.
McNulty begins a relationship with political consultant Theresa D'Agostino, but he realizes that she is only interested in him physically. He eventually grows dissatisfied and feels less fulfilled. Largely due to Freamon's work, the Unit implicates Stringer Bell, but he is murdered before McNulty can arrest him. After Avon is arrested, Daniels reevaluates his decision to get rid of McNulty, but McNulty realizes he has no life outside his work. He is transferred to patrol in the western district, which he remembers as the happiest time of his life, and begins a relationship with Beadie Russell.
. His beat includes the corner Bodie Broadus
is working on behalf of Marlo Stanfield
. Both Major Daniels
and Administrative Lieutenant Mello ask McNulty to do investigative work in the district but he declines. Mello is disappointed but Daniels realizes that McNulty has been able to get his life in order while working as a patrolman. Though other officers make arrests for statistical purposes, McNulty focuses on quality arrests. This is exemplified by the arrest of two burglars who were stealing from churches. In the process he mentors Officer Baker, a younger patrol officer in the Western, whom he and Bunk Moreland
end up referring to as "good police." He also significantly reduces his drinking, sometimes resolving to stay sober despite pressure from his friends. Bunk and Freamon are amazed and slightly dismayed at how much Jimmy has changed, and Elena expresses regret for having left him, saying "if I would have known you'd grow up to be a grown-up." McNulty soon begins to miss the Major Case Squad, and quietly begins getting closer to Bodie, hoping to turn him into an informant against Marlo. After "Monk" Metcalf sees Bodie with McNulty, Bodie is killed as a precaution. McNulty feels guilty, and rejoins the Major Case Unit, much to the delight of Freamon and Daniels.
McNulty faces further frustration in the Homicide Unit when he cannot obtain a working vehicle to get to an accidental death scene. Waiting at the morgue, he finds Baltimore County homicide detectives Nancy Porter and Kevin Infante arguing with a new medical examiner. Porter explains that they were assigned an accidental death and the paramedics grabbed the decedent's neck to move him from behind a toilet. The medical examiner noticed signs of strangulation and intends to rule the death a homicide. McNulty is amazed that post-mortem strangulation is indistinguishable from strangulation which causes death. McNulty is drinking heavily on the job when assigned another probable overdose case with Bunk. McNulty disrupts the crime scene to make it seem that a struggle occurred. Bunk is outraged but McNulty continues, choking the corpse, stating that there is a "serial killer" in Baltimore. Bunk leaves, wanting no part of McNulty's actions. McNulty repositions the body to encourage bruising that indicates strangulation.
McNulty then searches for old cases to link to his fake strangulation to create the impression of a serial killer. He finds an old strangulation of a homeless man investigated by late detective Ray Cole, and doctors the case file to create connections to his own murder. McNulty also finds a strangulation of a homeless man investigated by Frank Barlow and notices a red ribbon tied around the victim's wrists. McNulty inserts mention of a red ribbon into the Cole case file and visits the morgue to tie a ribbon on his decedent's wrist. McNulty's decedent is ruled a death by strangulation by the medical examiner. After Landsman ignores these "serial murders," McNulty approaches Alma Gutierrez
of The Baltimore Sun
to generate publicity for them. His plan fails, however, when the story is relegated to the middle of the paper instead of the front page. Bunk repeatedly warns McNulty that his path leads to self-destruction; Lester, however, approves of McNulty's project and suggests that it needs sensationalism to succeed. McNulty continues to drink heavily and cheats on his domestic partner Beadie Russell
.
McNulty and Freamon collaborate to enhance the media appeal of their serial killer story. McNulty finds that most dead homeless men are concentrated in the Southern District at night time. Freamon puts McNulty in touch with his old patrol partner Oscar Requer, who agrees to notify them of dead homeless men in the district. Freamon also devises a plan to show maturation in their serial killer's pattern and acquires dentures to create bite marks on the victim.
McNulty and Freamon canvass an area where the homeless gather at night. McNulty doubts that actual canvassing is needed on their false case. Freamon believes it will make their reports verifiable and protect them from the potential consequences of their plan. McNulty complains Landsman barely noticed his work on the case, but Freamon reminds him that if their plan works, the case will attract more interest and sloppiness could be their downfall.
McNulty returns home to a confrontation with Beadie Russell. She criticizes his behavior and drinking, which he claims is due to the case he is working. She reminds him of the strength of their relationship and says she used to disbelieve those who warned of his self destructive behavior. When McNulty tells Russell that he must respond to another call because he is chasing a serial killer, she says he is chasing more than that – referencing his philandering. She warns him not to return if he does not want to be there.
McNulty attends a further death with Freamon on Requer's tip. McNulty fakes another homicide and mutilates the decedent to show bite marks and defensive wounds. When investigating the "homeless killer", McNulty and detective Greggs travel to Quantico, Virginia for FBI assistance. McNulty realizes its a waste of time because he and Freamon have provided the police department with false information on the killer. Furthermore, McNulty has been voicing the killer all along giving the FBI the only means of tracking it. After doing the voice analysis, the FBI provide McNulty and Greggs with a psychological profile
of the homeless killer, inadvertently giving a near-perfect description of McNulty:
"The suspect is most likely a white male in his late twenties to late thirties, who is not a college graduate, but feels superior to those with advanced education, and is likely employed in a bureaucratic entity, possibly civil or public service. He has a problem with authority and a deep-seated resentment for those that have impeded his progress professionally. The sexual nature of the killings is thought to be a secondary motivation and the lack of DNA or saliva in the bite marks suggests possible postmortem staging. He may be struggling with lasting relationships and potentially a high functioning alcoholic with alcohol being used as a trigger in the crimes. The suspect’s apparent resentment of the homeless may indicate a previous personal relationship with a homeless person or the targeting may simply be an opportunity for the killer to assert his superiority and intellectual prowess."
McNulty appears sheepish as his character flaws are spelled out for him. McNulty confesses to Greggs, who informs Deputy Commissioner for Operations Cedric Daniels
. A furious Daniels (with Pearlman accompanying him) meets with Acting Commissioner Bill Rawls, State's Attorney Rupert Bond, and the Mayor's office. Daniels and Rawls confront McNulty, informing him that this will be his last CID case.
He starts by solving a new crime in the 'serial killer case'. A mentally ill homeless man McNulty had met on his previous canvas has started using the modus operandi
of McNulty's serial killer. McNulty brings the man, his final criminal, to justice. After attending a detective's wake (of sorts) in his and Lester's honor (they have been told they will never again be allowed to do real police work), McNulty leaves the bar and his friends, suggesting an attempt to reconcile with Russell. The show closes with a montage of McNulty looking at the city of Baltimore, revealing the fates of some characters.
has described the character as "irresistibly charming, a classic anti-hero; a modern-day Rockford
." Entertainment Weekly
said that the character was exemplary of the funky feel of the show citing his naturalistic dialogue, soulful voice and easy rapport with his African-American work partners. The character has been described as defying genre conventions – although his actions drive several plot points he is not quite the central character implied by the show's opening or promotional material. Flak Magazine
also picked McNulty as a central character and commented on the uncommon experience of having the main character fit to a standard police character archetype ("He has poor impulse control. He's personally fearless and outspoken, and he bangs babes like a hunchback rings bells…") but also exposing the archetype as self destructive and emotionally immature. Salon.com
described McNulty as "The heart, soul and oft-impaired nervous system of "The Wire"", again selecting him as a central character. Salon also chose McNulty's pride as his main character trait, saying that this aspect of his personality made him a successful investigator and a failure in most other aspects of his life. Entertainment Weekly picked McNulty as offering one of the show's most wicked ironies: he is one of the characters you would expect to be on the side of law and order as a police detective but they describe him as a "boozing cop who pisses on authority and order."
The character was originally named Jimmy McArdle but because no one liked the name, executive producer Robert F. Colesberry
suggested renaming him Jimmy McNulty (after his maternal grandmother). Dominic West's original audition tape for the part was recorded with him as the sole actor leaving spaces for the lines that would be spoken back to him. The producers were amused by the tape and agreed that they had to give him an audition.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the HBO drama The Wire
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
, played by British actor Dominic West
Dominic West
Dominic Gerard Fe West is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Jimmy McNulty in the HBO drama series The Wire.-Film and TV:...
. McNulty is an Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
detective in the Baltimore Police Department
Baltimore Police Department
The Baltimore Police Department provides police services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and was officially established by the Maryland Legislature on March 16, 1853...
. While he has proven himself to be a talented and determined detective, he is disliked by many of his superiors because of his arrogance, disdain for authority, and disrespect for the chain of command. When off the job, he has frequent problems involving alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, child support
Child support
In family law and public policy, child support is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child following the end of a marriage or other relationship...
, and relationships. McNulty is nevertheless central to many of the successful high-end drug investigations that take place within the series.
Character storyline
McNulty grew up in the Lauraville neighborhood of Baltimore. His father worked for Bethlehem SteelBethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
before being laid off in 1973. McNulty joined the police department after a year of college
Loyola College in Maryland
Loyola University Maryland is a Roman Catholic, Jesuit private university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges...
in Baltimore when his girlfriend Elena (whom he later married) became pregnant. In his first few years in the BPD he proved himself to be an effective patrolman in the Western District under the command of Major Colvin. After assisting Detective Ray Cole in solving a homicide (Cole had arrested the wrong man), he was promoted to detective and assigned to the homicide unit, where he was partnered 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...
.
Season 1
Before the start of the series, McNulty had noticed that drug kingpin 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...
was expanding his organization's
Barksdale Organization
In the television series The Wire, the fictional Barksdale Organization led by Avon Barksdale began as the most powerful and violent drug crew in Baltimore, Maryland and was the main focus of investigation in seasons one and three...
territory, and had successfully beaten several murder prosecutions. McNulty was responsible for the formation of the Barksdale detail following the trial 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...
, who is found not guilty after a witness changes her story in court. In the Judge's chambers, McNulty is frank about his observations and the lack of investigation so far, prompting Judge Phelan to call Deputy 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...
. McNulty's commander, Major 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:...
, is furious with him for going around the chain of command. McNulty tells Bunk that he hopes this investigation will lead to a case that means something to him. 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...
asks McNulty what unit he would least like to be assigned to, and McNulty says that he finds the diesel fumes in the Marine Unit intolerable.
Because of McNulty's conversation with Judge Phelan, a case unit is formed, initially consisting of Narcotics 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...
and his squad of 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...
, 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...
, and "Herc" Hauk. Deputy Burrell then asks his majors and shift lieutenants to send additional detectives for the investigative detail. As Burrell has made it clear that the case is no more than a cosmetic exercise, most of the officers sent are drunken or incompetent "humps". McNulty himself is also assigned to the unit. Daniels and McNulty argue about how to handle the case at their first meeting: McNulty, after seeing an FBI drug sting, suggests surveillance and wiretaps, but Burrell has ordered Daniels to put together a quick and simple case to appease Phelan. Soon after the investigation begins, McNulty learns from his friend in the FBI, Special Agent Fitzhugh that Daniels had been investigated for having a suspiciously large amount of liquid assets. McNulty's relationship with Daniels continues to be complicated by their mutual distrust.
The detail is assigned assistant state's attorney 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...
as a prosecutor, with whom McNulty is having a casual sexual relationship. McNulty is officially separated from his wife, who limits his contact with his two sons, Sean and Michael. While shopping with them one afternoon, McNulty spots 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...
, and sends his sons to tail him and get his license plate number. When Elena finds out, she seeks an emergency order to stop him from seeing his sons. She is also angry that he continues to see Pearlman casually.
Working on the Barksdale detail, McNulty becomes friends with 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...
, who had previously been exiled to the pawn-shop unit for thirteen years (and four months) for his insistence on charging a politically-connected fence. Freamon often tries to temper McNulty's aggressive attitude towards Lt. Daniels. Frustrated that Barksdale's dealers do not use cell phones, they decide to clone the dealers' pagers instead. They also work together to convince Daniels to allow them to do better police work.
With the help of 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...
, McNulty tracks down the elusive Omar Little
Omar 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"....
, gaining his respect and cooperation. Omar agrees to testify against "Bird" Hilton. His assistance also leads to McNulty inadvertently solving one of Santangelo's old cases; a grateful Santangelo in turn reveals that he is a mole for Rawls, who is looking for an excuse to fire McNulty. Kima introduces McNulty to her CI 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"...
. When she is shot in a buy-bust sting operation gone wrong, McNulty is guilt-ridden, though even Rawls assures him that the shooting is not his fault. McNulty has a frank discussion with Daniels in which he admits that the Barksdale case is no more than an exercise in intellectual vanity and an opportunity to demonstrate the department's shortcomings. Daniels tells him that everyone has known this all along but that the case has taken on meaning for those involved.
The detail succeeds in arresting Wee-Bey Brice
Wee-Bey Brice
Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Hassan Johnson. Wee-Bey was the Barksdale Organization's most trusted soldier before being sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple homicides....
for shooting Kima, "Bird" Hilton for murdering a state's witness, and both D'Angelo and Avon Barksdale. McNulty almost convinces D'Angelo to testify against Avon but, ultimately, D'Angelo takes a twenty-year sentence instead. When the Barksdale investigation closes, Rawls reassigns McNulty to the marine unit, having learned from Landsman that this is precisely where McNulty does not want to go.
Season 2
McNulty is bored at his new job in the Marine Unit, where he is partnered with Claude Diggins. While on harbor patrol, he spots the body of a dead girl in the water. When Rawls argues the case is not in his jurisdiction, McNulty, seeking revenge, spends three hours poring over wind and tide charts to prove the death occurred within City jurisdiction. When Beadie RussellBeadie Russell
Beatrice "Beadie" Russell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Amy Ryan. She was featured prominently in the second season, after she discovered thirteen corpses in a container on the Baltimore docks....
finds thirteen dead bodies in a shipping container on the Baltimore docks, McNulty again intervenes and, with the help of the medical examiner
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
, proves that these deaths are also within Rawls' jurisdiction. The case is given to Bunk and Freamon, much to their chagrin.
To make amends, McNulty promises to discover the identity of the girl found dead in the water, but is ultimately unable to do so. Bunk Moreland is also pressuring McNulty to find Omar, who is needed to testify against Bird. McNulty coerces Bubbles into tracking down the elusive stick-up man, and Omar testifies successfully.
McNulty signs an agreement that he will pay alimony, believing it to be unnecessary because he can still salvage his marriage. He decides to give up alcohol and detective work, two of the main reasons for the breakup of his marriage. When Elena confirms the marriage is over, he grows despondent, and drinks more heavily than ever.
When Daniels' unit is recreated to investigate Frank Sobotka
Frank Sobotka
Francis "Frank" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Chris Bauer.-Biography:Frank is a respected Polish-American secretary treasurer for the International Brotherhood of Stevedores at the Baltimore docks...
, a vengeful Rawls refuses to allow Daniels to have McNulty. McNulty seems to accept this with good grace, but tries to help the detail unofficially. Daniels persuades Rawls to let McNulty return to the unit by taking on the murders of the fourteen girls. McNulty's first assignment is to go undercover as a client visiting a local brothel, much to the amusement of his colleagues. He also flirts with Beadie Russell, who has been assigned to Daniels' detail, though he seems to shy away from a relationship.
While on surveillance, McNulty watches Spiros Vondas
Spiros Vondas
Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Paul Ben-Victor.-Biography:...
, an associate of the shady figure known as The Greek
The Greek (The Wire)
The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Bill Raymond. The Greek is the head of an international criminal organization involved in narcotics and human trafficking....
, send a text message. He reasons that the time and location of the text could be used to retrieve it from the phone company's databases; it is from this message that the detail learn that the Greek had shut down his operations.
After McNulty learns from Bubbles that Stringer Bell and Proposition Joe are sharing territory, he begins investigating them on his own time, convinced that he can gather enough evidence to prompt Daniels to focus the MCU's attention on Bell.
Season 3
McNulty returns to a detective position when the Major Case Unit is formed in season three, but is disappointed that their target is not 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...
. He begins looking into the Barksdales anyway, finding out about D'Angelo's supposed suicide and Avon's early release. Investigating D'Angelo's death, he quickly realizes that D'Angelo was murdered.
McNulty reconnects with his old commanding officer from the beginning of his career, Major Colvin, to set up the Barksdale organization as the Major Crimes Unit's primary target. McNulty circumvents the chain of command again to set up an investigation of Barksdale, as Daniels is not interested in the quality of the unit's assigned case targets, blaming his rank in the department for his lack of case target interests. Angered by McNulty's back burning attitude, Daniels tells McNulty, "When the cuffs go on Stringer, you need to find a new home, you're done in this unit!" Even Freamon thinks McNulty should be more loyal to Daniels.
McNulty begins a relationship with political consultant Theresa D'Agostino, but he realizes that she is only interested in him physically. He eventually grows dissatisfied and feels less fulfilled. Largely due to Freamon's work, the Unit implicates Stringer Bell, but he is murdered before McNulty can arrest him. After Avon is arrested, Daniels reevaluates his decision to get rid of McNulty, but McNulty realizes he has no life outside his work. He is transferred to patrol in the western district, which he remembers as the happiest time of his life, and begins a relationship with Beadie Russell.
Season 4
McNulty's role was drastically scaled down in the fourth season. The character moved in with Russell and her two children, and is enjoying his life as a patrolman in the Western district alongside Sergeant 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...
. His beat includes the corner 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...
is working on behalf of 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...
. Both Major 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...
and Administrative Lieutenant Mello ask McNulty to do investigative work in the district but he declines. Mello is disappointed but Daniels realizes that McNulty has been able to get his life in order while working as a patrolman. Though other officers make arrests for statistical purposes, McNulty focuses on quality arrests. This is exemplified by the arrest of two burglars who were stealing from churches. In the process he mentors Officer Baker, a younger patrol officer in the Western, whom he and 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...
end up referring to as "good police." He also significantly reduces his drinking, sometimes resolving to stay sober despite pressure from his friends. Bunk and Freamon are amazed and slightly dismayed at how much Jimmy has changed, and Elena expresses regret for having left him, saying "if I would have known you'd grow up to be a grown-up." McNulty soon begins to miss the Major Case Squad, and quietly begins getting closer to Bodie, hoping to turn him into an informant against Marlo. After "Monk" Metcalf sees Bodie with McNulty, Bodie is killed as a precaution. McNulty feels guilty, and rejoins the Major Case Unit, much to the delight of Freamon and Daniels.
Season 5
Season Five opens with McNulty returning to old habits after a frustrating year-long investigation of the vacant murders yielded no results. When the Major Crimes Unit is closed down, McNulty is despondent, telling himself that he was talked into rejoining the unit by Command's promises of departmental reform. McNulty is transferred back to Homicide and his frustration manifests in heavy drinking and womanizing despite his relationship with Russell.McNulty faces further frustration in the Homicide Unit when he cannot obtain a working vehicle to get to an accidental death scene. Waiting at the morgue, he finds Baltimore County homicide detectives Nancy Porter and Kevin Infante arguing with a new medical examiner. Porter explains that they were assigned an accidental death and the paramedics grabbed the decedent's neck to move him from behind a toilet. The medical examiner noticed signs of strangulation and intends to rule the death a homicide. McNulty is amazed that post-mortem strangulation is indistinguishable from strangulation which causes death. McNulty is drinking heavily on the job when assigned another probable overdose case with Bunk. McNulty disrupts the crime scene to make it seem that a struggle occurred. Bunk is outraged but McNulty continues, choking the corpse, stating that there is a "serial killer" in Baltimore. Bunk leaves, wanting no part of McNulty's actions. McNulty repositions the body to encourage bruising that indicates strangulation.
McNulty then searches for old cases to link to his fake strangulation to create the impression of a serial killer. He finds an old strangulation of a homeless man investigated by late detective Ray Cole, and doctors the case file to create connections to his own murder. McNulty also finds a strangulation of a homeless man investigated by Frank Barlow and notices a red ribbon tied around the victim's wrists. McNulty inserts mention of a red ribbon into the Cole case file and visits the morgue to tie a ribbon on his decedent's wrist. McNulty's decedent is ruled a death by strangulation by the medical examiner. After Landsman ignores these "serial murders," McNulty approaches Alma Gutierrez
Alma Gutierrez
Alma M. Gutierrez is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Michelle Paress. Gutierrez is a dedicated and idealistic young reporter on the city desk of The Baltimore Sun.-Biography:...
of 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....
to generate publicity for them. His plan fails, however, when the story is relegated to the middle of the paper instead of the front page. Bunk repeatedly warns McNulty that his path leads to self-destruction; Lester, however, approves of McNulty's project and suggests that it needs sensationalism to succeed. McNulty continues to drink heavily and cheats on his domestic partner Beadie Russell
Beadie Russell
Beatrice "Beadie" Russell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Amy Ryan. She was featured prominently in the second season, after she discovered thirteen corpses in a container on the Baltimore docks....
.
McNulty and Freamon collaborate to enhance the media appeal of their serial killer story. McNulty finds that most dead homeless men are concentrated in the Southern District at night time. Freamon puts McNulty in touch with his old patrol partner Oscar Requer, who agrees to notify them of dead homeless men in the district. Freamon also devises a plan to show maturation in their serial killer's pattern and acquires dentures to create bite marks on the victim.
McNulty and Freamon canvass an area where the homeless gather at night. McNulty doubts that actual canvassing is needed on their false case. Freamon believes it will make their reports verifiable and protect them from the potential consequences of their plan. McNulty complains Landsman barely noticed his work on the case, but Freamon reminds him that if their plan works, the case will attract more interest and sloppiness could be their downfall.
McNulty returns home to a confrontation with Beadie Russell. She criticizes his behavior and drinking, which he claims is due to the case he is working. She reminds him of the strength of their relationship and says she used to disbelieve those who warned of his self destructive behavior. When McNulty tells Russell that he must respond to another call because he is chasing a serial killer, she says he is chasing more than that – referencing his philandering. She warns him not to return if he does not want to be there.
McNulty attends a further death with Freamon on Requer's tip. McNulty fakes another homicide and mutilates the decedent to show bite marks and defensive wounds. When investigating the "homeless killer", McNulty and detective Greggs travel to Quantico, Virginia for FBI assistance. McNulty realizes its a waste of time because he and Freamon have provided the police department with false information on the killer. Furthermore, McNulty has been voicing the killer all along giving the FBI the only means of tracking it. After doing the voice analysis, the FBI provide McNulty and Greggs with a psychological profile
FBI Method of Profiling
The FBI method of profiling is not a system created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is used to detect and classify the major personality and behavioral characteristics of an individual based upon analysis of the crime or crimes the person committed....
of the homeless killer, inadvertently giving a near-perfect description of McNulty:
"The suspect is most likely a white male in his late twenties to late thirties, who is not a college graduate, but feels superior to those with advanced education, and is likely employed in a bureaucratic entity, possibly civil or public service. He has a problem with authority and a deep-seated resentment for those that have impeded his progress professionally. The sexual nature of the killings is thought to be a secondary motivation and the lack of DNA or saliva in the bite marks suggests possible postmortem staging. He may be struggling with lasting relationships and potentially a high functioning alcoholic with alcohol being used as a trigger in the crimes. The suspect’s apparent resentment of the homeless may indicate a previous personal relationship with a homeless person or the targeting may simply be an opportunity for the killer to assert his superiority and intellectual prowess."
McNulty appears sheepish as his character flaws are spelled out for him. McNulty confesses to Greggs, who informs Deputy Commissioner for Operations 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...
. A furious Daniels (with Pearlman accompanying him) meets with Acting Commissioner Bill Rawls, State's Attorney Rupert Bond, and the Mayor's office. Daniels and Rawls confront McNulty, informing him that this will be his last CID case.
He starts by solving a new crime in the 'serial killer case'. A mentally ill homeless man McNulty had met on his previous canvas has started using the modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
of McNulty's serial killer. McNulty brings the man, his final criminal, to justice. After attending a detective's wake (of sorts) in his and Lester's honor (they have been told they will never again be allowed to do real police work), McNulty leaves the bar and his friends, suggesting an attempt to reconcile with Russell. The show closes with a montage of McNulty looking at the city of Baltimore, revealing the fates of some characters.
Critical response and analysis
Jim Shelley of The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
has described the character as "irresistibly charming, a classic anti-hero; a modern-day Rockford
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said that the character was exemplary of the funky feel of the show citing his naturalistic dialogue, soulful voice and easy rapport with his African-American work partners. The character has been described as defying genre conventions – although his actions drive several plot points he is not quite the central character implied by the show's opening or promotional material. Flak Magazine
Flak Magazine
Flak Magazine was a pioneering American online magazine, founded in 1998. The chief editor is James Norton, the managing editor is Joey Rubin. , it reported over 250,000 unique visitors monthly. In 2008, Flak suspended publication....
also picked McNulty as a central character and commented on the uncommon experience of having the main character fit to a standard police character archetype ("He has poor impulse control. He's personally fearless and outspoken, and he bangs babes like a hunchback rings bells…") but also exposing the archetype as self destructive and emotionally immature. Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
described McNulty as "The heart, soul and oft-impaired nervous system of "The Wire"", again selecting him as a central character. Salon also chose McNulty's pride as his main character trait, saying that this aspect of his personality made him a successful investigator and a failure in most other aspects of his life. Entertainment Weekly picked McNulty as offering one of the show's most wicked ironies: he is one of the characters you would expect to be on the side of law and order as a police detective but they describe him as a "boozing cop who pisses on authority and order."
Origins
David Simon, the character's creator, has described his goal of presenting McNulty as ambiguous in his motivations. Based on his experiences with real detectives, he feels that most crime dramas present their police characters with the inherent falsehood that they care deeply about the victims in the cases they are investigating. Simon states that in his experience a good detective is usually motivated by the game of solving the crime—he sees the crime as an "insult to his intellectual vanity" and this gives him motivation to solve it.The character was originally named Jimmy McArdle but because no one liked the name, executive producer Robert F. Colesberry
Robert F. Colesberry
Robert F. "Bob" Colesberry, Jr. was an American film and television producer and first assistant director notable for his work as a producer on the Emmy Award winning miniseries The Corner, the Peabody Award winning television series The Wire for HBO, and the Oscar-nominated movie Mississippi...
suggested renaming him Jimmy McNulty (after his maternal grandmother). Dominic West's original audition tape for the part was recorded with him as the sole actor leaving spaces for the lines that would be spoken back to him. The producers were amused by the tape and agreed that they had to give him an audition.