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Took (The Wire episode)
Encyclopedia
"Took" is the seventh episode of the fifth 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 cast member Dominic West
. It aired on February 17, 2008.
, Domenick Lombardozzi
, Gbenga Akinnagbe
, Jamie Hector
, and Michael Kostroff
do not appear in this episode.
Stanley Boyd's name is misspelled in the credits as Stanely Boyd.
, Lester Freamon
, and Leander Sydnor
devise a plan to get Baltimore Sun reporter Scott Templeton
to take a phone call from the faux homeless serial killer. McNulty, as the killer, acts upset about the articles painting him in a sexual light and declares that no more bodies will be found in the city; instead, he will simply send pictures of his victims (via cell phone). In both the newspaper and police offices the bosses tell their troops that they have been assured that they will have the resources to follow the case/story to its end and that it is a top priority.
Freamon, given technology to intercept the cell phone images via his illegal Marlo tap, runs up against a tougher code than he expected – nothing but a clock face showing a different time in each picture – and he needs more manpower for surveillance to see what Marlo's people are doing and where they're going after they receive these messages from The Greek
.
McNulty, knowing the case is one big facade, sends the surveillance teams to Freamon while allocating the extra manpower assigned to (and forced on) him to allow other detectives to get "real police work" done: giving the detectives the overtime they have sorely needed. Unfortunately, the added attention begins to be too much for McNulty as the bosses offer him more and more men and, eventually, the fact that he's giving away time gets out and people come looking for it.
refuses to attend a mandatory meeting about the homeless murders, knowing their true nature, opting instead to work on his 22 open murders going back to the previous year. Sergeant Ellis Carver
takes Michael Lee
off of his corner, bringing him to Bunk so he can ask about Michael's dead stepfather. Michael provides Bunk with nothing new, which only adds to Bunk's unhappiness with everything going on with McNulty – including his inability to get lab results back due to the homeless murders taking precedence.
traps former Barksdale and current Stanfield soldier Savino Bratton, who states that he wasn't there when Chris Partlow
and Snoop tortured and killed Butchie. Omar suggests that he wouldn't have tried to help the situation anyway. Bratton remains silent, so after a moment of consideration, Omar kills him.
Later, in broad daylight, Omar limps on a crutch to confront Michael's corner, visibly scaring them. He tells Michael to tell Marlo that he killed Savino, and that he'll take out all his muscle until Marlo comes at him himself. After he walks off Kenard is the only one not left in awe Omar.
consults Major Dennis Mello, an old friend, in a cop bar about someone — hypothetically — going through the court system with a false name. Mello points out that arrest sheets carry fingerprints and photos making such a thing nearly impossible, casting doubt on Scott Templeton's story that his original "crab lady" story was correct. Rebecca Corbett and Gus both show disgust later at Templeton's story about his night living with the homeless.
Gus sends Mike Fletcher off to research the homeless as well, not specifically for a story, and he winds up at the same kitchen Templeton was at and Bubbles
is working at. Bubbles informs him it's not really a place for homeless persons, which surprises Fletcher, but offers to take him around later. They meet under the same expressway overpass Templeton previously visited, and Fletcher spends some time talking to the homeless in the area. When he offers to pay Bubbles, Bubbles turns him down, telling him to "write it how it feels."
hires high-powered attorney Billy Murphy (played by the real life Baltimore attorney of the same name) to represent him in his case, attempting to sway him to his side by "offering" to be indicted federally to make it a bigger case. Davis arrives at the courthouse with a copy of Prometheus Bound
, comparing himself to the titular character (and mispronouncing both the name of the main character and author). During the trial the state presents its evidence and testimony from former Davis driver Damien Lavelle "Day Day" Price, who states that he returned his charity salaries to Davis in cash. Taking the stand himself, Davis charms the jury, saying he withdrew cash simply so that it would be on hand for him to dispense to needy constituents. To the shock of Bond and Pearlman, Davis is found not guilty.
, assigned to the homeless killings full time, spends an entire day getting background information on the confirmed victims which "ruins her whole week." After work she has plans to keep her ex-partner's son Elijah for the night and asks McNulty where to get children's furniture. He tells her Ikea
, but fails to inform her that their furniture must be assembled. Having apparently failed to assemble the bed, she sleeps on a chair in the living room; it's suggested that Elijah has been put to sleep in her own bed. However, when Elijah wakes her saying that he can't sleep, Greggs sits with him in the apartment window (an homage to a scene in the film Clockers, which was based on the Richard Price
novel of the same name) saying good night to the denizens of the inner city a la Goodnight Moon
.
makes a cameo appearance as former Baltimore police detective John Munch
, the character he portrayed on the Baltimore-based police drama Homicide: Life on the Street
(1993–1999), and subsequently on the New York-based Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
(1999–present). Clark Johnson's character, Augustus Haynes
, walks into a bar to speak with Major Dennis Mello, played by Jay Landsman
(The John Munch character was based upon Landsman from David Simon's non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
). On Homicide, Johnson's character Meldrick Lewis
owned a Baltimore bar with Munch. As Haynes walks past him, Munch can be heard telling the bartender that he once owned a bar.
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 cast member 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:...
. It aired on February 17, 2008.
Epigraph
Pearlman says this referring to the pseudo-populist tactics Sen. Clay Davis used to escape conviction.Starring cast
Although credited, John DomanJohn Doman
John Doman is an American actor best known for playing Deputy Police Commissioner William Rawls on HBO series The Wire from 2002 to 2008 and Colonel Edward Galson on Oz in 2001....
, 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:...
, Gbenga Akinnagbe
Gbenga Akinnagbe
Gbenga Akinnagbe is an American actor, best known for his role as Chris Partlow on the HBO original series The Wire.-Early life:...
, Jamie Hector
Jamie Hector
Jamie Hector is an Haitian-American actor who is known for his portrayal of Marlo Stanfield on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.- Biography :...
, and Michael Kostroff
Michael Kostroff
Michael 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 :...
do not appear in this episode.
Guest stars
- 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 - David CostabileDavid CostabileDavid Costabile is an American actor. Born in Washington, D.C. He is best known for his recurring television roles on The Wire , Flight of the Conchords , Damages , and Breaking Bad...
as Thomas Klebanow - Sam FreedSam FreedSam Freed is an American actor who has performed on Broadway, television and in movies. His first major regular role on television was as Bob Barsky in the last three seasons of Kate & Allie. In the short-lived series Ferris Bueller, he played Bill Bueller, the father of the title character. He...
as James Whiting - 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 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... - Ed NorrisEd NorrisEdward T. Norris is an American radio host and former law enforcement officer in Maryland. His talk show, the Ed Norris Show, airs on WJZ-FM in Baltimore, Maryland. Norris, a 20-year veteran of the New York Police Department, served as police commissioner for Baltimore from 2000 to late 2002...
as Ed Norris - Gregory L. Williams as Michael Crutchfield
- Brian Anthony WilsonBrian Anthony WilsonBrian Anthony Wilson is an American film and television actor. He first appeared in the 1997 film The Postman as Woody....
as Vernon Holley - Kara Quick as Rebecca Corbett
- Brandon Young as Mike Fletcher
- William F. ZorziWilliam F. ZorziWilliam F. Zorzi is an American journalist and screenwriter. He worked at The Baltimore Sun for almost twenty years and covered politics for the majority of his career. He has also written for the HBO television series The Wire.-Journalism:...
as Bill Zorzi - Dion Graham as Rupert Bond
- Bill Murphy as Defense Attorney Billy Murphy
- Donnell RawlingsDonnell RawlingsDonnell Rawlings is an American comedian and actor.-Career:Notable roles include appearing in Chappelle's Show, as well as making a guest appearance in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 and a cameo appearance in the music video for Jim Jones' "We Fly High"...
as Damien "Day-Day" Price - Richard BelzerRichard BelzerRichard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
as John MunchJohn MunchSergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise... - Thomas J. McCarthy as Tim Phelps
- Crissandra Spencer as Reporter
- Stanley Boyd as Cherry
- Christopher J. Clanton as Savino Bratton
- Edward Green as Spider
- Kwame Patterson as Monk Metcalf
- Thuliso DingwallThuliso DingwallThuliso Dingwall is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Kenard on the television series The Wire. Dingwall is from Clinton, Maryland.-External links:...
as Kenard - James Jorsling as Vincent
- Jay LandsmanJay LandsmanThe book was later developed into the television series Homicide: Life on the Street. He was the inspiration for the fictional character John Munch on that show and a character named Jay Landsman on the television series The Wire, created by Simon. Landsman portrayed himself in a brief appearance...
as Dennis Mello - Michael Salconi as Michael Santangelo
- Curt Boushell as Andy
- David Goodman as Budget Advisor
- Dennis Hill as Detective Christeson
- Elijah Grant Johnson as Elijah
- Kim Tuvin as Judge Emily Johnson
- Stu Evered as Detective
- Seymour Horowitz as Father
- Rosemary Knower as Mother
- Ken Ullman as Reporter
- Vickie Warehime as Patrol Sergeant
Stanley Boyd's name is misspelled in the credits as Stanely Boyd.
Uncredited appearances
- Michael Stone Forrest as Frank Barlow
- Derek HortonDerek HortonDerek Horton, born 24 June 1956, is an artist, writer, publisher and teacher. He worked in the jewelry trade, then as a wood machinist, and as a lorry driver, before becoming involved in community arts and urban adventure playgrounds in the 1970s...
as Brian Baker - Todd Scofield as Jeff Price
McNulty's Serial Killer
Jimmy McNultyJimmy McNulty
Detective James "Jimmy" McNulty is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by British actor Dominic West. McNulty is an Irish American detective in the Baltimore Police Department...
, 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 Leander Sydnor
Leander Sydnor
Leander Sydnor is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Corey Parker Robinson. Sydnor is a young, married Baltimore Police detective who was a member of the Barksdale detail and later worked in the Major Crimes Unit.-Season 1:...
devise a plan to get Baltimore Sun reporter Scott Templeton
Scott Templeton
M. Scott Templeton is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Thomas McCarthy. The actor joined the starring cast as the series' fifth season began.-Biography:...
to take a phone call from the faux homeless serial killer. McNulty, as the killer, acts upset about the articles painting him in a sexual light and declares that no more bodies will be found in the city; instead, he will simply send pictures of his victims (via cell phone). In both the newspaper and police offices the bosses tell their troops that they have been assured that they will have the resources to follow the case/story to its end and that it is a top priority.
Freamon, given technology to intercept the cell phone images via his illegal Marlo tap, runs up against a tougher code than he expected – nothing but a clock face showing a different time in each picture – and he needs more manpower for surveillance to see what Marlo's people are doing and where they're going after they receive these messages from 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....
.
McNulty, knowing the case is one big facade, sends the surveillance teams to Freamon while allocating the extra manpower assigned to (and forced on) him to allow other detectives to get "real police work" done: giving the detectives the overtime they have sorely needed. Unfortunately, the added attention begins to be too much for McNulty as the bosses offer him more and more men and, eventually, the fact that he's giving away time gets out and people come looking for it.
Bunk
Detective "Bunk" MorelandBunk 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...
refuses to attend a mandatory meeting about the homeless murders, knowing their true nature, opting instead to work on his 22 open murders going back to the previous year. Sergeant Ellis Carver
Ellis Carver
Ellis Carver is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Seth Gilliam. Carver is an African American lieutenant and formerly in command of the Baltimore Police Department's Western District Drug Enforcement Unit...
takes Michael Lee
Michael Lee (The Wire)
Michael Lee is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Tristan Wilds. He is a middle school pupil and is friends with Namond Brice, Randy Wagstaff and Duquan "Dukie" Weems. He is more soft-spoken than his friends, and appears to have a leadership role among his peers...
off of his corner, bringing him to Bunk so he can ask about Michael's dead stepfather. Michael provides Bunk with nothing new, which only adds to Bunk's unhappiness with everything going on with McNulty – including his inability to get lab results back due to the homeless murders taking precedence.
Omar
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"....
traps former Barksdale and current Stanfield soldier Savino Bratton, who states that he wasn't there when Chris Partlow
Chris Partlow
Chris Partlow is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Gbenga Akinnagbe. Partlow is Marlo Stanfield's best friend, bodyguard, and second-in-command in his drug dealing operation. Despite his quiet demeanor, Partlow commits more on- and off-screen murders than any other...
and Snoop tortured and killed Butchie. Omar suggests that he wouldn't have tried to help the situation anyway. Bratton remains silent, so after a moment of consideration, Omar kills him.
Later, in broad daylight, Omar limps on a crutch to confront Michael's corner, visibly scaring them. He tells Michael to tell Marlo that he killed Savino, and that he'll take out all his muscle until Marlo comes at him himself. After he walks off Kenard is the only one not left in awe Omar.
Newspaper
Gus HaynesAugustus Haynes
Augustus "Gus" Haynes is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Clark Johnson, who is also a director for the series. Haynes is the dedicated and principled editor for the Baltimore Sun city desk.-Character depiction:...
consults Major Dennis Mello, an old friend, in a cop bar about someone — hypothetically — going through the court system with a false name. Mello points out that arrest sheets carry fingerprints and photos making such a thing nearly impossible, casting doubt on Scott Templeton's story that his original "crab lady" story was correct. Rebecca Corbett and Gus both show disgust later at Templeton's story about his night living with the homeless.
Gus sends Mike Fletcher off to research the homeless as well, not specifically for a story, and he winds up at the same kitchen Templeton was at and 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"...
is working at. Bubbles informs him it's not really a place for homeless persons, which surprises Fletcher, but offers to take him around later. They meet under the same expressway overpass Templeton previously visited, and Fletcher spends some time talking to the homeless in the area. When he offers to pay Bubbles, Bubbles turns him down, telling him to "write it how it feels."
Clay Davis's Trial
State Senator Clay DavisClay 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...
hires high-powered attorney Billy Murphy (played by the real life Baltimore attorney of the same name) to represent him in his case, attempting to sway him to his side by "offering" to be indicted federally to make it a bigger case. Davis arrives at the courthouse with a copy of Prometheus Bound
Prometheus Bound
Prometheus Bound is an Ancient Greek tragedy. In Antiquity, this drama was attributed to Aeschylus, but is now considered by some scholars to be the work of another hand, perhaps one as late as ca. 415 BC. Despite these doubts of authorship, the play's designation as Aeschylean has remained...
, comparing himself to the titular character (and mispronouncing both the name of the main character and author). During the trial the state presents its evidence and testimony from former Davis driver Damien Lavelle "Day Day" Price, who states that he returned his charity salaries to Davis in cash. Taking the stand himself, Davis charms the jury, saying he withdrew cash simply so that it would be on hand for him to dispense to needy constituents. To the shock of Bond and Pearlman, Davis is found not guilty.
Greggs
Detective Kima GreggsKima 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...
, assigned to the homeless killings full time, spends an entire day getting background information on the confirmed victims which "ruins her whole week." After work she has plans to keep her ex-partner's son Elijah for the night and asks McNulty where to get children's furniture. He tells her Ikea
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
, but fails to inform her that their furniture must be assembled. Having apparently failed to assemble the bed, she sleeps on a chair in the living room; it's suggested that Elijah has been put to sleep in her own bed. However, when Elijah wakes her saying that he can't sleep, Greggs sits with him in the apartment window (an homage to a scene in the film Clockers, which was based on the Richard Price
Richard Price (writer)
Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers and Clockers.-Early life:...
novel of the same name) saying good night to the denizens of the inner city a la Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947, and is a highly acclaimed example of a bedtime story. It is about a child saying goodnight to everything around: "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight...
.
Special appearance
Richard BelzerRichard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
makes a cameo appearance as former Baltimore police detective John Munch
John Munch
Sergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise...
, the character he portrayed on the Baltimore-based police drama Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
(1993–1999), and subsequently on the New York-based Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
(1999–present). Clark Johnson's character, Augustus Haynes
Augustus Haynes
Augustus "Gus" Haynes is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Clark Johnson, who is also a director for the series. Haynes is the dedicated and principled editor for the Baltimore Sun city desk.-Character depiction:...
, walks into a bar to speak with Major Dennis Mello, played by Jay Landsman
Jay Landsman
The book was later developed into the television series Homicide: Life on the Street. He was the inspiration for the fictional character John Munch on that show and a character named Jay Landsman on the television series The Wire, created by Simon. Landsman portrayed himself in a brief appearance...
(The John Munch character was based upon Landsman from David Simon's non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets is a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon describing a year spent with detectives from the Baltimore Police Department homicide squad...
). On Homicide, Johnson's character Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis is a fictional character on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street played by Clark Johnson. The character was in the series for its full run and had the very first and last lines of the series...
owned a Baltimore bar with Munch. As Haynes walks past him, Munch can be heard telling the bartender that he once owned a bar.