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Moral Midgetry (The Wire episode)
Encyclopedia
"Moral Midgetry" is the eighth episode of the third season of the HBO original series, The Wire
. The episode was written by Richard Price
from a story by David Simon
& Richard Price and was directed by Agnieszka Holland
. It originally aired on November 14, 2004.
, Wendell Pierce
, Andre Royo
, J. D. Williams
, and Corey Parker Robinson
do not appear in this episode.
The female needle exchange worker is played by Fran Boyd, who was one of the main subjects of David Simon and Ed Burns' previous HBO miniseries The Corner
.
hosts his public safety sub-committee meeting with Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell
and Deputy Commissioner William Rawls
. He is concerned that the impressive reduction in crime from the Western district may be a misrepresentation and Burrell tries to reassure him that it is a statistical aberration. Carcetti moves on to the witness protection problems the city has been having and Burrell tells him there is no funding. Carcetti lays into Burrell despite urging from Councilman Anthony Gray to hold back. Theresa D'Agostino leaves the meeting because Carcetti has ignored her advice to save the witness protection program as ammunition for his campaign. At a dinner with Carcetti and his wife, D'Agostino chastises Carcetti for his short sightedness in using facts to win arguments instead of inspiring people and urges him to be more likeable. D'Agostino arranges for Carcetti to get coaching in improving his demeanor.
checks in with Officer Aaron Castor and learns that Hamsterdam has been quiet apart from a few overdoses. A drug dealer named Tucky sells to an addict named Dee-Dee in her car. Tucky is approached by someone selling jewelry who tells him to go into one of the vacant buildings and tell them Rafiq sent him to get a good deal. Once inside the dealer is assaulted, bound, gagged, robbed and shoved in a room with several other victims. Once the stick-up crew has left, the dealers manage to escape and alert the police. The dealers plead to Carver, Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Officer Anthony Colicchio that if they are not allowed to carry weapons, then the police should guard them against stick-up crews.
Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin takes his friend The Deacon on a tour of his cleaned up areas and then brings him into Hamsterdam. Colvin discusses the dealers' complaint with Carver and suggests that he pay the now-unemployed lookouts to watch for trouble, acting like auxiliary police officers and thereby neutralizing the problem of having so many unoccupied children around. The deacon is disgusted by Hamsterdam and asks Colvin what "in God's name" he has done. The deacon cannot be convinced that Colvin's scheme is a good idea. He asks Colvin to provide things such as clean water, needles, condoms and treatment centers now that he has concentrated the addicts into one place. Colvin says that such schemes are outside of his mandate as a police officer. Later Dennis "Cutty" Wise meets with the Deacon and helps him to load boxes into a car. Cutty tells the deacon he needs to occupy himself to stay straight.
Herc brings the dealers, including Spider into the precinct to use the identikit computer to make a composite of their attacker. Herc is impressed with the dealers' computer skills and he and the dealers play with the system to create images of imaginary people. Colicchio is disgusted by Herc's goofing around with the dealers. When Carver returns to the precinct he is also unimpressed with Herc's lack of focus on his police duties. Later, Officer Lloyd "Truck" Garrick, Colicchio, Herc and Carver discuss Colvin's project over beers. Colicchio describes it as "moral midgetry" and says it is heartbreaking to keep coming in day after day to police Hamsterdam. Carver argues that Colvin has always backed up his men and he has therefore earned the right to try whatever he likes after 30 years in the Baltimore
police. Herc reminds them that Colvin had described Hamsterdam as temporary, but Colicchio is skeptical that it will ever be shut down.
A community leader named Roman tries to calm unrest among the young unemployed boys in Hamsterdam. He meets with Cutty and the deacon and suggests a basketball tournament to keep the boys occupied. Cutty tells the deacon he is more of a boxer than a ball player and Roman suggests an abandoned gym that kids use. Roman worries that it is too far away from Hamsterdam and Cutty asks why there are so many people there. Roman explains Colvin's initiative and tells Cutty the deacon hopes to intervene to improve things in the area. Roman takes them to a working boxing gym and Cutty seems to have returned home. Roman then guides him to the disused gym and Cutty tells Roman he will fix it up himself, pleased to have something to work on.
The deacon meets Colvin in a pool hall and tells him they need to discuss the situation. Colvin leaves to attend the ComStat
meeting but promises to return. At ComStat, Rawls all but accuses Colvin of altering his figures to attain the significant drop in serious crimes in his district. Daniels refuses to take any credit for the drop in crime. Rawls asks Colvin to give him his records so he can check the figures.
Colvin, Roman and the deacon meet with someone from a non-profit public health organization to bring him into Hamsterdam to provide facilities for the people there. He is concerned that it is not sanctioned by Colvin's superiors and the deacon urges him to act quickly. The next day, initiatives are in full swing to exchange needles and provide free condoms. Colicchio takes this as a sign of the permanence of Hamsterdam.
' disposable cell phone using its serial number and has managed to follow it from the manufacturer through several wholesalers to the Mondo Mart where it was sold to the end user. Lester Freamon
and Cedric Daniels
are impressed with his thorough and meticulous work. He reports that six of the other numbers are phones from the same company. He also identifies the stores in which the phones were sold, with no more than two phones purchased from any single store. Freamon maps out the locations and finds that they are all spread along I-95 between Baltimore and Richmond
. Freamon and Daniels admire the discipline of the drug dealers in driving 200 miles every couple of weeks to avoid investigation.
Freamon assigns Jimmy McNulty
and Kima Greggs
the task of tracking the buyer of the phones. They visit Mondo Mart and find that security tapes are reused after a week, so there is no chance of getting footage of the buyer. Greggs decides they should drive further out of town to the independent stores to see if they have better memories or security footage. Sergeant Jay Landsman
calls McNulty with a message that Brianna Barksdale has tried to reach him and gives him a contact number.
When they reach Virginia
they find the shop where Bernard bought eight phones and owners that are helpful and keep meticulous written transaction records. However, their security tapes are reused every 24 hours. McNulty spots a local patrol car in Dumfries, Virginia
and realizes the local police could help them. He assumes they will be racist being in a more Southern
area and asks Greggs to stay in the car while he talks to them. Inside, McNulty talks with the white local sheriff, claiming that Baltimore has gone to hell under an African-American majority rule under the premise that the sheriff will be more inclined to help him. However, McNulty finds his foot in his mouth, as the sheriff's deputy, who is also his wife, is African American. The sheriff cooperates despite McNulty's feigned racism and shows them that he has asked a businessman across the street to refocus his security camera on the mini-mart because the market has frequent problems with shoplifting. He offers to get them a copy of the tape in the morning. When McNulty is out of earshot, the sheriff tells Greggs that McNulty is a "bit of an asshole", and Greggs feigns her incredulity. McNulty and Greggs find a motel and they discuss infidelity. In the discussion, McNulty claims that he spent half of his marriage in motel rooms and managed to successfully cheat on his wife by having his partner cover for him by saying he caught an extradition case. McNulty learns that Greggs has returned to living with Cheryl but makes a move on her anyway. Greggs laughs off McNulty's advances.
Greggs and McNulty return to the unit office with the tape and find Special Agent Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh installing new equipment with Freamon and Prez. McNulty calls Brianna back and Daniels is surprised that she is involved. Fitz's equipment allows Prez to enlarge the image from the video camera footage and get Bernard's plate number. Greggs and Prez track the plate number to a rental agency and find that Bernard rents a car from them every couple of weeks to make his collections.
McNulty meets with Brianna and insists that D'Angelo Barksdale
could not have killed himself. Brianna tells McNulty that no one would have dared harm D'Angelo with Avon's protection, and McNulty concurs. He concludes that D'Angelo's murder must have been planned, as a spontaneous killing would have been more likely to have been carried out via a swift shank. McNulty makes Brianna feel guilty by telling her that no one cares enough to look into it further, and he also brings up her role in convincing D'Angelo not to turn on Avon. Brianna asks him why he did not come to her first. McNulty responds by stating that he thought Brianna cared more about protecting the drug operation than her own son. Brianna hurriedly departs in tears.
and Slim Charles attend Rico's funeral and Avon plans to get revenge on Marlo Stanfield
. Meanwhile, Stringer Bell
meets with Senator Clay Davis
to question him about lack of progress in his development business. Davis tries to divert him by giving him a contract to supply light bulbs. Davis tells Stringer that they will be operating at a federal level in three years. Stringer tells Davis he is ready to run immediately, but Davis insists that he needs to work his way up gradually from local to state to federal contracts.
Back in the office, Avon gives Slim Charles a contact in social services to find some of Omar Little
's relatives. Slim Charles suggests that splitting their efforts between Omar and Marlo may be a mistake, but Avon reassures him that since he is back they can handle everything. He tells Slim Charles they cannot get to Marlo directly so they will have to get "Devonne" on him. Shamrock visits social services with a bribe and learns that Omar's grandmother still lives at the same house. Charles takes Sapper and Gerard to stake out the house and tells them to wait for Omar to show up. Sapper once more fails to understand the plan.
Stringer checks in with Andy Krawczyk and learns about a rival property developer who has garnered much success from an association with Clay Davis. Stringer goes back to Davis and insists that he move faster in making him money. Davis takes Stringer to meet a contact who arranges federal funding but who refuses to talk to Stringer. Davis reassures Stringer that they will do business with the contact. Stringer returns to Davis with a briefcase full of cash and looks for assurances that Davis will deliver. Davis calls this a sign that Stringer is still not ready, but takes the money and tells Stringer that everything is a go.
Brianna visits the funeral home looking for Avon and finds only Stringer. Stringer tries to dissuade her from talking to Avon and promises to put them in touch.
Marlo phones Devonne to arrange a meeting, but feels suspicious. He assigns Chris Partlow to deal with Devonne to avoid possible problems in the future. Snoop sits in the restaurant where Marlo had arranged to meet Devonne, and recognizes a Barksdale soldier buying a large quantity of food and taking it to a nearby SUV. Snoop reports in to Partlow. Partlow observes Devonne receiving a signal from the car. He and his crew drive by and Partlow fires his shotgun into SUV, wounding Avon in the shoulder and killing one of Avon's soldiers, Tater.
Shamrock reports the shooting to Stringer and tells him that Brianna has been calling looking for Avon. Stringer orders Shamrock to keep Brianna away from him and Avon. Slim Charles takes Avon to a veterinarian to address his injuries. Avon meets with Shamrock, Slim Charles and Perry and tells them they are going to wait out Marlo, forcing him to return to the corners to make money. Stringer interrupts the meeting. He warns Avon about the consequences of war. Avon criticizes Stringer as being too concerned with money and having lost his hard edge for the street and warns he may not be smart enough for the business world. Stringer says that thinking before killing does not make him soft, but Avon challenges Stringer's manhood by asking him who he has killed. Stringer reports Brianna's meeting with McNulty and reveals to Avon that he was behind D'Angelo's death, and that his was a life that had to be taken. Avon attacks Stringer but Stringer overpowers his wounded friend and tells him that he did it for him, to protect him from D'Angelo turning against him. Stringer lets Avon up from the ground and Avon walks away and sits down, speechless as the screen fades to black.
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
. The episode was written by Richard Price
Richard Price (writer)
Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers and Clockers.-Early life:...
from a story by David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
& Richard Price and was directed by Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland is a Polish film and TV director and screenwriter. Best recognized for her highly political contributions to Polish cinema, Holland is one of Poland's most prominent filmmakers.-Personal life:...
. It originally aired on November 14, 2004.
Title reference
Colicchio describes Colvin's plan to create drug tolerant zones using the episode title.Epigraph
Davis uses this phrase in his speech to Stringer about the need to prepare himself for moving into the world of federal corruption.Starring cast
Although credited, Deirdre LovejoyDeirdre Lovejoy
Deirdre Lovejoy is an American actress. She is most notable for her role on the HBO television series The Wire as Rhonda Pearlman. She graduated from the University of Evansville with an undergraduate degree in theatre....
, Wendell Pierce
Wendell 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:...
, Andre Royo
Andre Royo
Andre Royo is an American actor. He is best known for his role as "Bubbles" in The Wire , and has had guest starring appearances in Fringe, Party Down, and How To Make It In America.-Career:...
, J. D. Williams
J. D. Williams
Darnell "J.D." Williams is an American actor with starring roles in the HBO television programs Oz and The Wire, in which he appeared as Preston "Bodie" Broadus...
, and Corey Parker Robinson
Corey Parker Robinson
Corey Parker Robinson is an American actor. He may be best known for appearing on the HBO program The Wire as Detective Leander Sydnor. He also appeared in Wire creator David Simon's earlier The Corner as R.C., a young drug dealer and in ER in episode 19 of Season 5 as student Antoine Bell...
do not appear in this episode.
Guest stars
- Isiah Whitlock, Jr.Isiah Whitlock, Jr.Isiah Whitlock Jr. is an American actor.He is most famous for his role on the HBO television series, The Wire as corrupt state senator Clay Davis. He also is notable for appearing in Spike Lee films She Hate Me and 25th Hour as Agent Amos Flood...
as Clay DavisClay DavisState 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... - Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise
- Jamie HectorJamie HectorJamie Hector is an Haitian-American actor who is known for his portrayal of Marlo Stanfield on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.- Biography :...
as Marlo StanfieldMarlo StanfieldMarlo "Black" Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ruthless and ambitious player in the Baltimore drug trade who gains control of West Baltimore and is the head of his own drug crew.-Character background and plot... - Brandy BurreBrandy BurreBrandy Burre was born on September 27, 1974 in Sandusky, Ohio. She earned her Master's degree in acting at Ohio University, and has performed on the stage in addition to her work in film and television. She is best known for her portrayal of Theresa D'Agostino on the HBO series The Wire.-External...
as Theresa D'Agostino - Michael HyattMichael HyattMichael Hyatt is a British-born film and television actress. Before Hyatt's work in film and television, she enjoyed memorable performances on stages throughout the country, particularly in Ragtime on Broadway.-Early life:...
as Brianna Barksdale - Melvin Williams as The Deacon
- Megan Anderson as Jen Carcetti
- Clarence ClemonsClarence ClemonsClarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...
as Roman - Doug Olear as Special Agent Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh
- Gbenga Akkinagbe as Chris Partlow
- Benjamin BuschBenjamin BuschBenjamin B. Busch is an American actor, writer, film maker, photographer, and former United States Marine Corps officer. He is best known for his portrayal of Anthony Colicchio on the HBO original series The Wire.-Biography:...
as Officer Anthony Colicchio - Ryan Sands as Officer Lloyd "Truck" Garrick
- 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 - 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 Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty - 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 - Jonathan Orcutt as Unknown
- William Zielinski as Gene - public health academic
- Mayo Best as Gerard
- Kelli R. Brown as Kimmy
- Christopher Mann as Tony Gray
- Brandan T. Tate as Sapper
- Ernest WaddellErnest WaddellErnest Waddell is a New York City-based actor. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles on two television series : Fin Tutuola's son Ken Randall on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Omar Little's boyfriend Dante on The Wire...
as Dante - Perry Blackmon as Perry
- Fran Boyd as Needle Exchange Worker
- Tiana Harris as Devonne
- Genevieve Hudson-Price as Dee-Dee
- Felicia PearsonFelicia PearsonFelicia Pearson is an American actress, author, and rapper. She is best known for playing a character of the same name, Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, on The Wire. She wrote a memoir titled Grace After Midnight.-Biography:Pearson was born to two incarcerated drug addicts and raised in an East Baltimore...
as Snoop
The female needle exchange worker is played by Fran Boyd, who was one of the main subjects of David Simon and Ed Burns' previous HBO miniseries The Corner
The Corner
The Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,...
.
Uncredited appearances
- Lee E. Cox as Officer Aaron Castor
- Rico Whelchel as Rico
- Delaney WilliamsDelaney WilliamsDelaney Williams is an American actor from Washington, D.C. He appears on the HBO drama The Wire as a recurring guest star playing homicide sergeant Jay Landsman. He also had a small role on HBO's mini-series The Corner which brought him to the attention of the producers, who worked on The prior to...
as Sergeant Jay LandsmanJay Landsman (The Wire)Jay Landsman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Delaney Williams.-Policing method:Landsman's role in the police department is that of a supervisory detective sergeant who doesn't participate in much investigation work...
(voice only) - Nehal Joshi as Baba Jani manager
- Edward Green as Spider
- Anthony Fedd as Tucky
- Unknown as Tater
- Unknown as Veterinary Surgeon
- Jonathan Orcutt as Sherrif
- Unknown as Deputy
- Unknown as Mondo Mart Manager
Politics
Councilman Tommy CarcettiTommy Carcetti
Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Irish actor Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious Baltimore politician who rises from a seat on the city council to the office of the Mayor of Baltimore, and to the office of the Governor of Maryland by the...
hosts his public safety sub-committee meeting with 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...
and Deputy Commissioner William Rawls
William Rawls
William A. "Bill" Rawls is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor John Doman. Over the course of the series he ascends to the rank of Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.-Season 1:...
. He is concerned that the impressive reduction in crime from the Western district may be a misrepresentation and Burrell tries to reassure him that it is a statistical aberration. Carcetti moves on to the witness protection problems the city has been having and Burrell tells him there is no funding. Carcetti lays into Burrell despite urging from Councilman Anthony Gray to hold back. Theresa D'Agostino leaves the meeting because Carcetti has ignored her advice to save the witness protection program as ammunition for his campaign. At a dinner with Carcetti and his wife, D'Agostino chastises Carcetti for his short sightedness in using facts to win arguments instead of inspiring people and urges him to be more likeable. D'Agostino arranges for Carcetti to get coaching in improving his demeanor.
Western district
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...
checks in with Officer Aaron Castor and learns that Hamsterdam has been quiet apart from a few overdoses. A drug dealer named Tucky sells to an addict named Dee-Dee in her car. Tucky is approached by someone selling jewelry who tells him to go into one of the vacant buildings and tell them Rafiq sent him to get a good deal. Once inside the dealer is assaulted, bound, gagged, robbed and shoved in a room with several other victims. Once the stick-up crew has left, the dealers manage to escape and alert the police. The dealers plead to Carver, Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Officer Anthony Colicchio that if they are not allowed to carry weapons, then the police should guard them against stick-up crews.
Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin takes his friend The Deacon on a tour of his cleaned up areas and then brings him into Hamsterdam. Colvin discusses the dealers' complaint with Carver and suggests that he pay the now-unemployed lookouts to watch for trouble, acting like auxiliary police officers and thereby neutralizing the problem of having so many unoccupied children around. The deacon is disgusted by Hamsterdam and asks Colvin what "in God's name" he has done. The deacon cannot be convinced that Colvin's scheme is a good idea. He asks Colvin to provide things such as clean water, needles, condoms and treatment centers now that he has concentrated the addicts into one place. Colvin says that such schemes are outside of his mandate as a police officer. Later Dennis "Cutty" Wise meets with the Deacon and helps him to load boxes into a car. Cutty tells the deacon he needs to occupy himself to stay straight.
Herc brings the dealers, including Spider into the precinct to use the identikit computer to make a composite of their attacker. Herc is impressed with the dealers' computer skills and he and the dealers play with the system to create images of imaginary people. Colicchio is disgusted by Herc's goofing around with the dealers. When Carver returns to the precinct he is also unimpressed with Herc's lack of focus on his police duties. Later, Officer Lloyd "Truck" Garrick, Colicchio, Herc and Carver discuss Colvin's project over beers. Colicchio describes it as "moral midgetry" and says it is heartbreaking to keep coming in day after day to police Hamsterdam. Carver argues that Colvin has always backed up his men and he has therefore earned the right to try whatever he likes after 30 years in the Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
police. Herc reminds them that Colvin had described Hamsterdam as temporary, but Colicchio is skeptical that it will ever be shut down.
A community leader named Roman tries to calm unrest among the young unemployed boys in Hamsterdam. He meets with Cutty and the deacon and suggests a basketball tournament to keep the boys occupied. Cutty tells the deacon he is more of a boxer than a ball player and Roman suggests an abandoned gym that kids use. Roman worries that it is too far away from Hamsterdam and Cutty asks why there are so many people there. Roman explains Colvin's initiative and tells Cutty the deacon hopes to intervene to improve things in the area. Roman takes them to a working boxing gym and Cutty seems to have returned home. Roman then guides him to the disused gym and Cutty tells Roman he will fix it up himself, pleased to have something to work on.
The deacon meets Colvin in a pool hall and tells him they need to discuss the situation. Colvin leaves to attend the ComStat
CompStat
CompStat—or COMPSTAT— is the name given to the New York City Police Department's accountability process and has since been replicated in many other departments...
meeting but promises to return. At ComStat, Rawls all but accuses Colvin of altering his figures to attain the significant drop in serious crimes in his district. Daniels refuses to take any credit for the drop in crime. Rawls asks Colvin to give him his records so he can check the figures.
Colvin, Roman and the deacon meet with someone from a non-profit public health organization to bring him into Hamsterdam to provide facilities for the people there. He is concerned that it is not sanctioned by Colvin's superiors and the deacon urges him to act quickly. The next day, initiatives are in full swing to exchange needles and provide free condoms. Colicchio takes this as a sign of the permanence of Hamsterdam.
Major case unit
Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski reports that he has tracked Bodie BroadusBodie 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...
' disposable cell phone using its serial number and has managed to follow it from the manufacturer through several wholesalers to the Mondo Mart where it was sold to the end user. 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 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...
are impressed with his thorough and meticulous work. He reports that six of the other numbers are phones from the same company. He also identifies the stores in which the phones were sold, with no more than two phones purchased from any single store. Freamon maps out the locations and finds that they are all spread along I-95 between Baltimore and Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Freamon and Daniels admire the discipline of the drug dealers in driving 200 miles every couple of weeks to avoid investigation.
Freamon assigns 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...
and 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...
the task of tracking the buyer of the phones. They visit Mondo Mart and find that security tapes are reused after a week, so there is no chance of getting footage of the buyer. Greggs decides they should drive further out of town to the independent stores to see if they have better memories or security footage. 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...
calls McNulty with a message that Brianna Barksdale has tried to reach him and gives him a contact number.
When they reach Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
they find the shop where Bernard bought eight phones and owners that are helpful and keep meticulous written transaction records. However, their security tapes are reused every 24 hours. McNulty spots a local patrol car in Dumfries, Virginia
Dumfries, Virginia
Dumfries is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,937 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dumfries is located at ....
and realizes the local police could help them. He assumes they will be racist being in a more Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
area and asks Greggs to stay in the car while he talks to them. Inside, McNulty talks with the white local sheriff, claiming that Baltimore has gone to hell under an African-American majority rule under the premise that the sheriff will be more inclined to help him. However, McNulty finds his foot in his mouth, as the sheriff's deputy, who is also his wife, is African American. The sheriff cooperates despite McNulty's feigned racism and shows them that he has asked a businessman across the street to refocus his security camera on the mini-mart because the market has frequent problems with shoplifting. He offers to get them a copy of the tape in the morning. When McNulty is out of earshot, the sheriff tells Greggs that McNulty is a "bit of an asshole", and Greggs feigns her incredulity. McNulty and Greggs find a motel and they discuss infidelity. In the discussion, McNulty claims that he spent half of his marriage in motel rooms and managed to successfully cheat on his wife by having his partner cover for him by saying he caught an extradition case. McNulty learns that Greggs has returned to living with Cheryl but makes a move on her anyway. Greggs laughs off McNulty's advances.
Greggs and McNulty return to the unit office with the tape and find Special Agent Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh installing new equipment with Freamon and Prez. McNulty calls Brianna back and Daniels is surprised that she is involved. Fitz's equipment allows Prez to enlarge the image from the video camera footage and get Bernard's plate number. Greggs and Prez track the plate number to a rental agency and find that Bernard rents a car from them every couple of weeks to make his collections.
McNulty meets with Brianna and insists that D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo "D" Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls most of the trade in West Baltimore...
could not have killed himself. Brianna tells McNulty that no one would have dared harm D'Angelo with Avon's protection, and McNulty concurs. He concludes that D'Angelo's murder must have been planned, as a spontaneous killing would have been more likely to have been carried out via a swift shank. McNulty makes Brianna feel guilty by telling her that no one cares enough to look into it further, and he also brings up her role in convincing D'Angelo not to turn on Avon. Brianna asks him why he did not come to her first. McNulty responds by stating that he thought Brianna cared more about protecting the drug operation than her own son. Brianna hurriedly departs in tears.
Barksdale organization
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...
and Slim Charles attend Rico's funeral and Avon plans to get revenge on 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...
. Meanwhile, 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...
meets with Senator 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...
to question him about lack of progress in his development business. Davis tries to divert him by giving him a contract to supply light bulbs. Davis tells Stringer that they will be operating at a federal level in three years. Stringer tells Davis he is ready to run immediately, but Davis insists that he needs to work his way up gradually from local to state to federal contracts.
Back in the office, Avon gives Slim Charles a contact in social services to find some of 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"....
's relatives. Slim Charles suggests that splitting their efforts between Omar and Marlo may be a mistake, but Avon reassures him that since he is back they can handle everything. He tells Slim Charles they cannot get to Marlo directly so they will have to get "Devonne" on him. Shamrock visits social services with a bribe and learns that Omar's grandmother still lives at the same house. Charles takes Sapper and Gerard to stake out the house and tells them to wait for Omar to show up. Sapper once more fails to understand the plan.
Stringer checks in with Andy Krawczyk and learns about a rival property developer who has garnered much success from an association with Clay Davis. Stringer goes back to Davis and insists that he move faster in making him money. Davis takes Stringer to meet a contact who arranges federal funding but who refuses to talk to Stringer. Davis reassures Stringer that they will do business with the contact. Stringer returns to Davis with a briefcase full of cash and looks for assurances that Davis will deliver. Davis calls this a sign that Stringer is still not ready, but takes the money and tells Stringer that everything is a go.
Brianna visits the funeral home looking for Avon and finds only Stringer. Stringer tries to dissuade her from talking to Avon and promises to put them in touch.
Omar
Omar has moved his crew over to the East side and is having much more success robbing the dealers there. On their return to the West side they are surprised at Hamsterdam. Omar believes it is too good to be true and refuses to consider it as a target.Stanfield Organization
Marlo catches a girl watching him in a club and approaches her. Marlo checks that she is there with friends and declines both drinking and dancing. Instead they leave the club together. After they have sex in his car she persuades him to meet her again the following day. She tells him her name is Devonne.Marlo phones Devonne to arrange a meeting, but feels suspicious. He assigns Chris Partlow to deal with Devonne to avoid possible problems in the future. Snoop sits in the restaurant where Marlo had arranged to meet Devonne, and recognizes a Barksdale soldier buying a large quantity of food and taking it to a nearby SUV. Snoop reports in to Partlow. Partlow observes Devonne receiving a signal from the car. He and his crew drive by and Partlow fires his shotgun into SUV, wounding Avon in the shoulder and killing one of Avon's soldiers, Tater.
Shamrock reports the shooting to Stringer and tells him that Brianna has been calling looking for Avon. Stringer orders Shamrock to keep Brianna away from him and Avon. Slim Charles takes Avon to a veterinarian to address his injuries. Avon meets with Shamrock, Slim Charles and Perry and tells them they are going to wait out Marlo, forcing him to return to the corners to make money. Stringer interrupts the meeting. He warns Avon about the consequences of war. Avon criticizes Stringer as being too concerned with money and having lost his hard edge for the street and warns he may not be smart enough for the business world. Stringer says that thinking before killing does not make him soft, but Avon challenges Stringer's manhood by asking him who he has killed. Stringer reports Brianna's meeting with McNulty and reveals to Avon that he was behind D'Angelo's death, and that his was a life that had to be taken. Avon attacks Stringer but Stringer overpowers his wounded friend and tells him that he did it for him, to protect him from D'Angelo turning against him. Stringer lets Avon up from the ground and Avon walks away and sits down, speechless as the screen fades to black.