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Middle Ground (The Wire episode)
Encyclopedia
"Middle Ground" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the HBO original series, The Wire
. The episode was written by George Pelecanos
from a story by David Simon
& George Pelecanos and was directed by Joe Chappelle
. It originally aired on December 12, 2004. The episode was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
.
, Jim True-Frost
, Seth Gilliam
, and Domenick Lombardozzi
do not appear in this episode.
on his way home. The two have a tense standoff and discuss how Mouzone found Omar, also comparing their capabilities and their weapons. Mouzone assures Omar that Dante is still alive and did not give him up easily. Eventually, Mouzone puts down his weapon and tells Omar that he has something to ask him.
suggests that they could sidestep major political fallout from Hamsterdam if they close it down now. Major Reed checks with the SWAT team commander to verify that they are ready and asks what city hall is waiting for, prompting Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell
to phone the Mayor's office.
Mayor Clarence Royce
and his Chief of Staff Coleman Parker are in a meeting with their health commissioner (played by former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke
), a public health academic and State Delegate Odell Watkins. Burrell is left on hold and when the mayor does speak to him, he tells him that the police are not to do anything as the mayor's office regroups and rethinks the situation. Rawls then asks Ervin to explain the mayor's meaning and Burrell claims Royce's stalling is an attempt to put the police department in the "guillotine
". Burrell believes that Royce is planning how to distance himself to have the Hamsterdam blame fall entirely on the police department, so he decides to spin it against the mayor's office. Rawls asks if he is going to the Baltimore Sun newspapers with the information, but Burrell states that he will leave that task to a contact. Burrell then calls councilman Tommy Carcetti
. Royce also disgusts Watkins by pursuing the idea against his recommendations.
Parker is adamant that the Hamsterdam scheme must be shut down immediately. Parker knows that Burrell called for authorization to do so. Royce demands that they at least talk about sustaining the project and using a different name. Royce is given support from the health officials who claim that from a public health perspective, Hamsterdam users are improving the city by participating in needle exchanges
, on-site HIV testing, with many users even considering drug treatment. They state that authorization from the mayor's office could increase their ongoing works. State's Attorney Steven Demper talks about sustaining the project as a law enforcement strategy to better investigate high-level drug dealers. Delegate Watkins, however, is with Parker in being most opposed to keeping Hamsterdam afloat. Watkins warns Royce that as soon as the media exposes Hamsterdam, Royce will lose support of the ministers and several city hall officials, and then will be subject to action from both the state government and the U.S. Department of Justice
. Royce continues listening to ideas, feeling that with a 14% decrease in felonies district-wide, he can spin the Hamsterdam situation to his advantage.
Burrell meets with Carcetti in a diner and tells him all about Hamsterdam. He spins the story so that the blame rests with the mayor's office for the intense pressure they have been putting on the department to reduce crime. Carcetti wonders why Royce has not moved to close down Hamsterdam yet. Burrell explains his fear that Royce will use him as a scapegoat. Burrell asks Carcetti to give the story to Gray as he hopes to endear himself to the new challenger for mayor now that he is burning his bridges with Royce.
Carcetti discusses the story with Theresa D'Agostino. She suggests that the police commander responsible, Major Colvin, may want to give his side of the story if Burrell is painting him a villain. Carcetti manages to get Colvin's cell phone number by calling his office.
Carcetti has little luck contacting Colvin, so eventually visits him at home. Carcetti asks for Colvin's side of the story to counter Burrell's explanation. Colvin gives Carcetti a tour of the Western district, showing him the impact his efforts have made. They visit empty drug corners, the district headquarters and view real police work being done by Bobby Brown in catching a felony church burglar. Colvin then takes Carcetti to a neighborhood council meeting where they hear that local community policing is once more possible in the Western district. Carcetti sees from this that most of the residents are happier and safer from Colvin's experiment. As they leave, Colvin asks why Carcetti is so interested in his district as he is unsure of his motive in coming to the place, and Carcetti refers vaguely to his municipal duties. Colvin then points to a former funeral parlor that was once segregated
for whites only before the neighborhood underwent a demographic shift. He then tells Carcetti a story about the owner, Mr. Stryker, who refused to service blacks. Colvin recalls that in his day, kids asked Stryker if he would ever serve blacks at the funeral parlor and Stryker claimed that he would under the condition he could "bury them all at once." Carcetti is sickened by the response, unsure of why Colvin is amused, until Colvin explains that he respected Stryker's honesty, as unlike most people—and by implication Carcetti—Colvin always knew where Mr. Stryker stood.
Finally, Colvin shows Carcetti Hamsterdam itself: after showing him the "good" that had occurred from his experiment, it was time for Carcetti to see the "ugly." Carcetti questions Colvin's motives in embarking on his scheme and Colvin says he wanted to try something different for dealing with the drug problem. Carcetti sees open drug dealing and is told by Colvin that it's best if Carcetti explores the area on his own, assuring him that the area is safe and offering to wait in the car for him to return.
meets with his attorney Maurice Levy
to discuss the lack of return he is seeing from his political contributions to Senator Clayton "Clay" Davis
. Levy tells Stringer he has been "rainmade" - Davis is taking the money for himself instead of for the bribes he has told Stringer he is using it for. Levy furthermore explains that there are no bribes in the development business; every contractor who is awarded money is done so by virtue of meeting project specifications and that Clay Davis is a "gonif," the Yiddish word for "thief," with a reputation for pocketing bribes that should not have been given from the beginning.
Stringer angrily seeks Avon Barksdale
. He is enraged when Slim Charles's new soldiers keep him from his partner. With Avon yet to arrive, Stringer tells Slim Charles he has a task for him: kill Clay Davis. Slim claims that while he is willing to murder known enemies, the murder of Davis would be a political assassination. Avon arrives at the beginning of the conversation but remains in the background listening as Stringer attempts to coerce Slim to undertake the hit. Avon then enters the room and mocks the fact that Stringer wants to hit a state senator. Avon says that killing a "downtown" man like Davis would incur the wrath of the state police and federal government and would require a "Day of the Jackal"-type assassination in order to successfully pull it off. Avon says that if Stringer has lost money then he should handle it like a businessman rather than like a gangster, and that the financial losses are Stringer's responsibility, not the organization's.
Stringer calls and arranges a meeting with Colvin. He offers Colvin more information about Avon. Stringer claims that Avon is like his brother but he cannot let him continue his war with Marlo Stanfield
. Stringer tells Colvin that he came to him because of his reputation as the man who created Hamsterdam. He tells Colvin about Avon's wartime safehouse and gives him the address. Colvin asks about his motives and Stringer insists that his actions are purely business-driven. To little avail, he implores Colvin to guarantee that any police strike against Avon result in charges light enough to ensure that Avon does fewer than 5 years in prison. Meanwhile, Avon is in a barbershop getting a haircut. Brother Mouzone visits him and tells him that he has learned that Stringer set him up. Avon offers to pay for Stringer's actions with money. Brother Mouzone tells Avon that money will not settle the debt and that Avon must maintain his word and reputation to continue dealing with New York. Avon is forced to give up Stringer to appease Mouzone and maintain his business.
Avon and Stringer meet for a late night drink. Stringer apologizes for not dealing with Marlo Stanfield sooner. Avon is nostalgic about the shoplifting days of their youth, retelling a story of Stringer's failed heist of a badminton set. The story is illuminating to their current situation, as Stringer is driven to play what Avon calls "away games" and leave his gangster past behind. Avon asks Stringer to dream with him and Stringer tells him they don't need to dream because they own so much now including real estate. Stringer tells Avon that he can't drink too much since he is visiting the development site the following day. Avon asks what time Stringer plans to meet with the property developer (so that he can tell Mouzone where to find him). Stringer is confused and suspicious why Avon would ask him about the time he is meeting and stutters during his answer. Avon tells Stringer to relax more and Stringer says that he will as soon as things settle down, but he claims he does not take his work too seriously. Avon sarcastically confirms that it is just business, doubly foreshadowing Avon's intentions. Stringer worriedly eyes Avon. They embrace and String departs, leaving a brooding Avon looking out over the city skyline.
continues to make his living supplying young dealers with T-shirts from a shopping cart. A young homeless boy questions Bubbles about his income and then suggests that he try selling hoodies now that the season is changing. Meanwhile, Bubbles's protege Johnny is "schooled" by another fellow user in Hamsterdam not to use so much heroin that he "falls out," meaning to take a fatal dose, and he notices out the window that Bubbles is now working with the homeless boy.
Dennis "Cutty" Wise has built a small following for his community boxing gym, including sometime drug dealers Justin and Spider. The children using the facility mock the equipment because it is in a state of disrepair. Seeking funds for the gym, Cutty visits Bodie Broadus
and asks him to arrange a meeting with Avon. Cutty explains that he didn't feel right approaching Avon directly because of the way he left things with him.
Avon meets with Cutty at his base of operations. Cutty gives him a sales pitch and talks about Avon's boxing past before Avon eventually tires of his efforts. He asks how much money he needs, to which Cutty hesitantly states $10,000. Avon and Slim Charles erupt in laughter and then gives him five thousand extra, much to the surprise of Cutty, before telling him to take care of his young charges. With the new equipment in place, Cutty's boxers are eager to spar, and he offers to organize a match with another gym. At the sparring match Cutty's boxers are bested by much smaller boxers, but Cutty gives them respect for lasting through each round. In particular he congratulates Justin for his attitude and heart.
updates the investigative board with a photo of Barksdale lieutenant Shamrock. Jimmy McNulty
, Lester Freamon
and Caroline Massey man their wiretapped burners. They record a call between Shamrock and Bodie Broadus
- Bodie asks for a face to face meeting with "the man", who they assume is Stringer Bell. However, there is no phone call from Shamrock's phone to Stringer to arrange the meeting. Freamon and McNulty later explain to ASA Rhonda Pearlman
that Stringer has isolated himself from the rest of the phone network by only talking to Shamrock and providing Shamrock with a separate phone for their communications. Freamon suggests that they can have everyone in the Barksdale organization from Shamrock down on a conspiracy charge with a week of monitoring these wiretaps, but to collect evidence against Bell and Barksdale they need to pluck cellphone numbers out of the air. This comment prompts McNulty to leave.
McNulty arranges a meeting with Fitz to discuss the possibility of doing exactly what Freamon suggested. McNulty asks Fitz about equipment that picks up numbers dialed on cellular phones nearby. Fitz tells McNulty that the equipment he needs is already available to city police because of a Homeland Security
grant. McNulty retrieves the machine from the police department basement. McNulty and Freamon set up the machine in a vacant apartment opposite Stringer's photocopying business. They record all cell phone numbers using the nearby tower for signal. They narrow the field back at the detail office by tying specific times that Stringer would be on the phone to their data by monitoring calls to Shamrock.
While the unit is monitoring him, Stringer gets a call requesting a meeting. He changes the SIM
card in his cell phone so that he can call back on another number. Shamrock then calls Bodie to tell him a meeting has been arranged. This gives the unit their baseline set of call data. Next Stringer uses his business number to call Colvin on his cell phone and Lester notes the call. He checks with McNulty, who recommends they wait and see what the connection gives them.
Officer Massey gives McNulty a message from D'Agostino. Shortly afterwards Freamon pins down Stringer's cell phone number. Both McNulty and Freamon are worried that the cell phone may not last long and they simultaneously contact Daniels and Pearlman. Daniels calls in a favor from Fitz to get the wiretap organized by the end of the day, cutting through potential delays from the wireless companies. Phelan signs the wiretap affidavit and recognizes Bell's name from the previous investigation. Phelan still faces animosity from McNulty and tells him to let it go for his own sake. Fitz delivers on his promise by falsely telling the bureau that Bell's given name is "Ahmed", a name the bureau associates with its counter-terrorism priorities.
McNulty meets D'Agostino for dinner. She claims she is there to renew their relationship and then quickly begins to probe him for information about Hamsterdam and Colvin. He sees through her feigned interest in him and walks out of the dinner.
The next day the unit records Stringer talking to Shamrock. Shamrock mentions contract killers on the phone, so although Stringer notices his mistake, the unit has the evidence it has worked hard for. The line spoken by Shamrock, "Oh, and that other thing, them two hitters you asked after, they good with it" harks back to Slim Charles' earlier refusal to assassinate Clay Davis, and reveals that Stringer still intended to kill the senator.
and George Pelecanos
in the category Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
. Following the show's nomination Variety printed an article with an anonymous member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences explaining why they thought the show was not recognized in more categories. They postulated that the show's complex narrative made it impenetrable to first time viewers, that the location meant that the cast and crew were "out of sight, out of mind" to voters and that there is little connection to the drug markets of Baltimore for the majority California based voters. Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle has cited the lack of Emmy recognition for the show as "an egregious oversight." Salon has written that the show is typical of the crime dramas that the Emmy awards have recognized in the past and called the lack of recognition "a sad case." David Simon suggested the lack of recognition was due to the show's small audience; however, Salon refuted this and postulated that one of the major factors in winning an Emmy is having a recognizable producer who draws blocks of votes from his contacts in the industry - something The Wire lacks.
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 George Pelecanos
George Pelecanos
George P. Pelecanos is a Greek-American author. Many of his works are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writer...
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...
& George Pelecanos and was directed by Joe Chappelle
Joe Chappelle
Joe Chappelle is an American film and television director and producer. Chappelle was a Co-executive producer and regular Director for the HBO crime drama The Wire...
. It originally aired on December 12, 2004. The episode was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is awarded to one television episode each year at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Often regarded as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual episode of television, the nominees and winners often reflect outstanding achievement in...
.
Title reference
Mayor Royce says that they need to find a "middle ground" as a way to keep Hamsterdam alive while avoiding political suicide. The title also refers to the compromise made between Omar and Brother Mouzone to pursue their common goal, and alludes to the meeting between Stringer Bell and Colvin.Epigraph
The phrase is told to Avon Barksdale in regards to how much they have accomplished in their endeavors, suggesting that the pair do not have to dream about success anymore. However, the phrase can also be interpreted as 'we haven't got a dream anymore' - significant, as this episode marks the beginning of the collapse of the Barksdale empire.Starring cast
Although credited, Wendell PierceWendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce is an American actor, best known for his work in HBO dramas, including his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme.-Life and career:...
, Jim True-Frost
Jim True-Frost
Jim True-Frost, born Jim True, is an American stage, television and screen actor. He is most known for his portrayal of Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski on all five seasons of the HBO program The Wire.-Biography:...
, Seth Gilliam
Seth Gilliam
Seth Gilliam is an American actor. He is known for his HBO television roles, first as corrections officer-turned-prisoner Clayton Hughes on Oz, and later as Baltimore police detective promoted to sergeant Ellis Carver on The Wire. On both of these series, he co-starred with Lance Reddick and J.D....
, and Domenick Lombardozzi
Domenick Lombardozzi
Domenico "Domenick" Lombardozzi is an American actor best known for his role as Thomas "Herc" Hauk on The Wire. Lombardozzi was inspired to act by the film State of Grace.-Filmography:...
do not appear in this episode.
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... - Peter GeretyPeter GeretyPeter Gerety is an American actor.Gerety began acting while a student at Boston University, participating in productions at the Charles Playhouse. In 1965, he joined the Trinity Square Repertory Company, a resident theater company in Providence, Rhode Island where he appeared in over 125...
as Judge Daniel Phelan - Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise
- 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 - 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 - 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 Weeks - Michael Potts as Brother Mouzone
- Justin Burley as Justin
- Robert F. ChewRobert F. ChewRobert F. Chew is an American actor from Baltimore, Maryland. He starred in the HBO television drama series The Wire as manipulative drug kingpin Proposition Joe on all five seasons of the show...
as Proposition JoeProposition JoeJoseph "Proposition Joe" Stewart is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Robert F. Chew. Joe is an Eastside drug kingpin who preferred a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible... - 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... - Cleo Reginald Pizana as Chief of Staff Coleman Parker
- Kurt L. Schmoke as Health Commissioner
- Frederick Strother as State Delegate Odell Watkins
- William Zielinski as Gene - public health academic
- R. Emery Bright as Community Relations Sergeant
- Tony A. Head as Major Reed
- Kay Lawal as Community Centre Meeting Woman
- Doug Olear as Special Agent Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh
- Michael WillisMichael WillisMichael Willis, born October 4, 1949, is an American television and movie character actor. Willis' credits include movie roles in Pushing Tin and Men in Black, and several episodes of Law & Order....
as Andy Krawczyk - Derren M. Fuentes as Lieutenant Torret
- Edward Green as Spider
- Joilet F. Harris as Officer Caroline Massey
- Dennis LehaneDennis LehaneDennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy...
as Officer Sullivan - Dameion Leslie as Unknown
Uncredited appearances
- Richard BurtonRichard Burton (Baltimore)Richard Burton is a Baltimore, Maryland, city council employee and runs the "Believe" campaign. He was a rapper before becoming involved in Martin O'Malley's first Mayoral campaign after meeting him in 1998....
as Shamrock - Bobby J. Brown as Officer Bobby Brown
- Alana Campbelle as Mayor's Assistant
- Marty Lodge as Banisky - Baltimore Sun reporter
- Gil Deeble as Hucklebuck
- Raw LeibaRaw LeibaRaw Leiba Leiba got his first taste of acting in 1999 in an uncredited role as a pro football Wide Receiver in Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday"...
as Stringer's Bodyguard - Michael Noel as FBI Computer Technician
Omar
Brother Mouzone catches up with 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"....
on his way home. The two have a tense standoff and discuss how Mouzone found Omar, also comparing their capabilities and their weapons. Mouzone assures Omar that Dante is still alive and did not give him up easily. Eventually, Mouzone puts down his weapon and tells Omar that he has something to ask him.
Politics
At the police department Deputy Commissioner William RawlsWilliam 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:...
suggests that they could sidestep major political fallout from Hamsterdam if they close it down now. Major Reed checks with the SWAT team commander to verify that they are ready and asks what city hall is waiting for, prompting 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...
to phone the Mayor's office.
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...
and his Chief of Staff Coleman Parker are in a meeting with their health commissioner (played by former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke
Kurt Schmoke
Kurt Lidell Schmoke is the Dean of the Howard University School of Law and a former mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. The son of Murray and Irene B. Reid , he attended the public schools of Baltimore...
), a public health academic and State Delegate Odell Watkins. Burrell is left on hold and when the mayor does speak to him, he tells him that the police are not to do anything as the mayor's office regroups and rethinks the situation. Rawls then asks Ervin to explain the mayor's meaning and Burrell claims Royce's stalling is an attempt to put the police department in the "guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
". Burrell believes that Royce is planning how to distance himself to have the Hamsterdam blame fall entirely on the police department, so he decides to spin it against the mayor's office. Rawls asks if he is going to the Baltimore Sun newspapers with the information, but Burrell states that he will leave that task to a contact. Burrell then calls councilman Tommy Carcetti
Tommy 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...
. Royce also disgusts Watkins by pursuing the idea against his recommendations.
Parker is adamant that the Hamsterdam scheme must be shut down immediately. Parker knows that Burrell called for authorization to do so. Royce demands that they at least talk about sustaining the project and using a different name. Royce is given support from the health officials who claim that from a public health perspective, Hamsterdam users are improving the city by participating in needle exchanges
Needle-exchange programme
A Needle & syringe programme or syringe-exchange programme is a social policy based on the philosophy of harm reduction where injecting drug users can obtain hypodermic needles and associated injection equipment at little or no cost. Many programmes are called "exchanges" because some require...
, on-site HIV testing, with many users even considering drug treatment. They state that authorization from the mayor's office could increase their ongoing works. State's Attorney Steven Demper talks about sustaining the project as a law enforcement strategy to better investigate high-level drug dealers. Delegate Watkins, however, is with Parker in being most opposed to keeping Hamsterdam afloat. Watkins warns Royce that as soon as the media exposes Hamsterdam, Royce will lose support of the ministers and several city hall officials, and then will be subject to action from both the state government and the U.S. Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
. Royce continues listening to ideas, feeling that with a 14% decrease in felonies district-wide, he can spin the Hamsterdam situation to his advantage.
Burrell meets with Carcetti in a diner and tells him all about Hamsterdam. He spins the story so that the blame rests with the mayor's office for the intense pressure they have been putting on the department to reduce crime. Carcetti wonders why Royce has not moved to close down Hamsterdam yet. Burrell explains his fear that Royce will use him as a scapegoat. Burrell asks Carcetti to give the story to Gray as he hopes to endear himself to the new challenger for mayor now that he is burning his bridges with Royce.
Carcetti discusses the story with Theresa D'Agostino. She suggests that the police commander responsible, Major Colvin, may want to give his side of the story if Burrell is painting him a villain. Carcetti manages to get Colvin's cell phone number by calling his office.
Carcetti has little luck contacting Colvin, so eventually visits him at home. Carcetti asks for Colvin's side of the story to counter Burrell's explanation. Colvin gives Carcetti a tour of the Western district, showing him the impact his efforts have made. They visit empty drug corners, the district headquarters and view real police work being done by Bobby Brown in catching a felony church burglar. Colvin then takes Carcetti to a neighborhood council meeting where they hear that local community policing is once more possible in the Western district. Carcetti sees from this that most of the residents are happier and safer from Colvin's experiment. As they leave, Colvin asks why Carcetti is so interested in his district as he is unsure of his motive in coming to the place, and Carcetti refers vaguely to his municipal duties. Colvin then points to a former funeral parlor that was once segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
for whites only before the neighborhood underwent a demographic shift. He then tells Carcetti a story about the owner, Mr. Stryker, who refused to service blacks. Colvin recalls that in his day, kids asked Stryker if he would ever serve blacks at the funeral parlor and Stryker claimed that he would under the condition he could "bury them all at once." Carcetti is sickened by the response, unsure of why Colvin is amused, until Colvin explains that he respected Stryker's honesty, as unlike most people—and by implication Carcetti—Colvin always knew where Mr. Stryker stood.
Finally, Colvin shows Carcetti Hamsterdam itself: after showing him the "good" that had occurred from his experiment, it was time for Carcetti to see the "ugly." Carcetti questions Colvin's motives in embarking on his scheme and Colvin says he wanted to try something different for dealing with the drug problem. Carcetti sees open drug dealing and is told by Colvin that it's best if Carcetti explores the area on his own, assuring him that the area is safe and offering to wait in the car for him to return.
Barksdale Organization
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...
meets with his attorney 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...
to discuss the lack of return he is seeing from his political contributions to Senator Clayton "Clay" Davis
Clay Davis
State Senator R. Clayton "Clay" Davis is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Davis is a corrupt Maryland State Senator with a reputation for pocketing bribes...
. Levy tells Stringer he has been "rainmade" - Davis is taking the money for himself instead of for the bribes he has told Stringer he is using it for. Levy furthermore explains that there are no bribes in the development business; every contractor who is awarded money is done so by virtue of meeting project specifications and that Clay Davis is a "gonif," the Yiddish word for "thief," with a reputation for pocketing bribes that should not have been given from the beginning.
Stringer angrily seeks 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...
. He is enraged when Slim Charles's new soldiers keep him from his partner. With Avon yet to arrive, Stringer tells Slim Charles he has a task for him: kill Clay Davis. Slim claims that while he is willing to murder known enemies, the murder of Davis would be a political assassination. Avon arrives at the beginning of the conversation but remains in the background listening as Stringer attempts to coerce Slim to undertake the hit. Avon then enters the room and mocks the fact that Stringer wants to hit a state senator. Avon says that killing a "downtown" man like Davis would incur the wrath of the state police and federal government and would require a "Day of the Jackal"-type assassination in order to successfully pull it off. Avon says that if Stringer has lost money then he should handle it like a businessman rather than like a gangster, and that the financial losses are Stringer's responsibility, not the organization's.
Stringer calls and arranges a meeting with Colvin. He offers Colvin more information about Avon. Stringer claims that Avon is like his brother but he cannot let him continue his war with 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...
. Stringer tells Colvin that he came to him because of his reputation as the man who created Hamsterdam. He tells Colvin about Avon's wartime safehouse and gives him the address. Colvin asks about his motives and Stringer insists that his actions are purely business-driven. To little avail, he implores Colvin to guarantee that any police strike against Avon result in charges light enough to ensure that Avon does fewer than 5 years in prison. Meanwhile, Avon is in a barbershop getting a haircut. Brother Mouzone visits him and tells him that he has learned that Stringer set him up. Avon offers to pay for Stringer's actions with money. Brother Mouzone tells Avon that money will not settle the debt and that Avon must maintain his word and reputation to continue dealing with New York. Avon is forced to give up Stringer to appease Mouzone and maintain his business.
Avon and Stringer meet for a late night drink. Stringer apologizes for not dealing with Marlo Stanfield sooner. Avon is nostalgic about the shoplifting days of their youth, retelling a story of Stringer's failed heist of a badminton set. The story is illuminating to their current situation, as Stringer is driven to play what Avon calls "away games" and leave his gangster past behind. Avon asks Stringer to dream with him and Stringer tells him they don't need to dream because they own so much now including real estate. Stringer tells Avon that he can't drink too much since he is visiting the development site the following day. Avon asks what time Stringer plans to meet with the property developer (so that he can tell Mouzone where to find him). Stringer is confused and suspicious why Avon would ask him about the time he is meeting and stutters during his answer. Avon tells Stringer to relax more and Stringer says that he will as soon as things settle down, but he claims he does not take his work too seriously. Avon sarcastically confirms that it is just business, doubly foreshadowing Avon's intentions. Stringer worriedly eyes Avon. They embrace and String departs, leaving a brooding Avon looking out over the city skyline.
Western district
In Hamsterdam, BubblesBubbles (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"...
continues to make his living supplying young dealers with T-shirts from a shopping cart. A young homeless boy questions Bubbles about his income and then suggests that he try selling hoodies now that the season is changing. Meanwhile, Bubbles's protege Johnny is "schooled" by another fellow user in Hamsterdam not to use so much heroin that he "falls out," meaning to take a fatal dose, and he notices out the window that Bubbles is now working with the homeless boy.
Dennis "Cutty" Wise has built a small following for his community boxing gym, including sometime drug dealers Justin and Spider. The children using the facility mock the equipment because it is in a state of disrepair. Seeking funds for the gym, Cutty visits 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 asks him to arrange a meeting with Avon. Cutty explains that he didn't feel right approaching Avon directly because of the way he left things with him.
Avon meets with Cutty at his base of operations. Cutty gives him a sales pitch and talks about Avon's boxing past before Avon eventually tires of his efforts. He asks how much money he needs, to which Cutty hesitantly states $10,000. Avon and Slim Charles erupt in laughter and then gives him five thousand extra, much to the surprise of Cutty, before telling him to take care of his young charges. With the new equipment in place, Cutty's boxers are eager to spar, and he offers to organize a match with another gym. At the sparring match Cutty's boxers are bested by much smaller boxers, but Cutty gives them respect for lasting through each round. In particular he congratulates Justin for his attitude and heart.
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...
updates the investigative board with a photo of Barksdale lieutenant Shamrock. 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...
, 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...
and Caroline Massey man their wiretapped burners. They record a call between Shamrock and 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...
- Bodie asks for a face to face meeting with "the man", who they assume is Stringer Bell. However, there is no phone call from Shamrock's phone to Stringer to arrange the meeting. Freamon and McNulty later explain to 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...
that Stringer has isolated himself from the rest of the phone network by only talking to Shamrock and providing Shamrock with a separate phone for their communications. Freamon suggests that they can have everyone in the Barksdale organization from Shamrock down on a conspiracy charge with a week of monitoring these wiretaps, but to collect evidence against Bell and Barksdale they need to pluck cellphone numbers out of the air. This comment prompts McNulty to leave.
McNulty arranges a meeting with Fitz to discuss the possibility of doing exactly what Freamon suggested. McNulty asks Fitz about equipment that picks up numbers dialed on cellular phones nearby. Fitz tells McNulty that the equipment he needs is already available to city police because of a Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
grant. McNulty retrieves the machine from the police department basement. McNulty and Freamon set up the machine in a vacant apartment opposite Stringer's photocopying business. They record all cell phone numbers using the nearby tower for signal. They narrow the field back at the detail office by tying specific times that Stringer would be on the phone to their data by monitoring calls to Shamrock.
While the unit is monitoring him, Stringer gets a call requesting a meeting. He changes the SIM
Subscriber Identity Module
A subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module is an integrated circuit that securely stores the International Mobile Subscriber Identity and the related key used to identify and authenticate subscriber on mobile telephony devices .A SIM is held on a removable SIM card, which...
card in his cell phone so that he can call back on another number. Shamrock then calls Bodie to tell him a meeting has been arranged. This gives the unit their baseline set of call data. Next Stringer uses his business number to call Colvin on his cell phone and Lester notes the call. He checks with McNulty, who recommends they wait and see what the connection gives them.
Officer Massey gives McNulty a message from D'Agostino. Shortly afterwards Freamon pins down Stringer's cell phone number. Both McNulty and Freamon are worried that the cell phone may not last long and they simultaneously contact Daniels and Pearlman. Daniels calls in a favor from Fitz to get the wiretap organized by the end of the day, cutting through potential delays from the wireless companies. Phelan signs the wiretap affidavit and recognizes Bell's name from the previous investigation. Phelan still faces animosity from McNulty and tells him to let it go for his own sake. Fitz delivers on his promise by falsely telling the bureau that Bell's given name is "Ahmed", a name the bureau associates with its counter-terrorism priorities.
McNulty meets D'Agostino for dinner. She claims she is there to renew their relationship and then quickly begins to probe him for information about Hamsterdam and Colvin. He sees through her feigned interest in him and walks out of the dinner.
The next day the unit records Stringer talking to Shamrock. Shamrock mentions contract killers on the phone, so although Stringer notices his mistake, the unit has the evidence it has worked hard for. The line spoken by Shamrock, "Oh, and that other thing, them two hitters you asked after, they good with it" harks back to Slim Charles' earlier refusal to assassinate Clay Davis, and reveals that Stringer still intended to kill the senator.
Stringer
When Stringer arrives at the development site, Omar and Brother Mouzone are waiting for him. Omar bursts into his meeting with Andy Krawczyk and kills Stringer's bodyguard. Stringer tries to run, fleeing up the staircase where he finds Mouzone waiting. Krawczyk cowers away from Omar, who leaves him and calmly pursues Bell up the stairs. Bell is trapped between Omar and Mouzone with no escape route. He tells them that he is now clean and tries to convince them that he is worth more to them alive than dead. Omar informs Stringer that Avon gave him up because of his duplicity. Stringer admits there is nothing he can say to stop them from killing him, at which point Omar displays a slight look of hesitation, savoring the moment. Stringer then orders them to get on with it, at which point first Mouzone and then Omar both open fire, shooting him repeatedly in the chest. After a moment of silence, the two calmly withdraw from the room without a word, as Stringer's dead body lies splayed on the floor. Outside the window is a sign for Stringer's B&B Enterprises.First appearances
This episode marks the first appearance of Kurt L. Schmoke as Baltimore Health Commissioner. Schmoke is a real-life former mayor of Baltimore and has strong views against the drug war and in favor of drug decriminalization. He acts as an advisor to the fictional mayor after a Major Colvin has legalized drugs in a portion of the city and his character's feelings mirror his own politics.Deceased
- Stringer BellStringer BellRussell "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...
(Murdered by Brother Mouzone and Omar LittleOmar LittleOmar 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"....
) - Stringer Bell's bodyguard (Murdered by Omar Little)
Critical response
The Futon Critic named it the ninth best episode of 2004, commenting that show is not shy about killing off characters, but was still surprised about Stringer Bell's death.Awards and nominations
"Middle Ground" received the show's first Emmy nomination, for writers David SimonDavid 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...
and George Pelecanos
George Pelecanos
George P. Pelecanos is a Greek-American author. Many of his works are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writer...
in the category Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is awarded to one television episode each year at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Often regarded as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual episode of television, the nominees and winners often reflect outstanding achievement in...
. Following the show's nomination Variety printed an article with an anonymous member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences explaining why they thought the show was not recognized in more categories. They postulated that the show's complex narrative made it impenetrable to first time viewers, that the location meant that the cast and crew were "out of sight, out of mind" to voters and that there is little connection to the drug markets of Baltimore for the majority California based voters. Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle has cited the lack of Emmy recognition for the show as "an egregious oversight." Salon has written that the show is typical of the crime dramas that the Emmy awards have recognized in the past and called the lack of recognition "a sad case." David Simon suggested the lack of recognition was due to the show's small audience; however, Salon refuted this and postulated that one of the major factors in winning an Emmy is having a recognizable producer who draws blocks of votes from his contacts in the industry - something The Wire lacks.