Episodes
See also: List of The Wire episodes"Series #" refers to the episode's number in the overall series, whereas "Season #" refers to the episode's number in this particular season.
| Series # |
Season # |
Title | Story by | Teleplay by | Directed by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "Time After Time" | David Simon & Ed Burns | David Simon | Ed Bianchi | September 19, 2004 (2004-09-19) |
| "Don't matter how many times you get burnt, you just keep doin' the same." - Bodie The season starts midway into the Major Case Unit’s unsuccessful investigation into the Barksdale criminal enterprise. With their recent efforts fruitless, ASA Pearlman and Lieutenant Daniels consider dropping the wiretaps, to the dismay of the squad. Meanwhile, Ellis Carver finds himself in command of an incompetent group of policemen in the Western district. Bodie Broadus, Poot Carr, and Puddin reminisce about their days living and working in the 221 tower before it is demolished in an effort to stifle the drug trade. At a Barksdale Organization meeting, new head enforcer Slim Charles suggests that more territory is required and should be taken by force if needed; Stringer Bell maintains that product is the cornerstone of their operation. Dennis "Cutty" Wise, a legendary enforcer, is released from incarceration with an offer of work from Avon Barksdale. |
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| 27 | 2 | "All Due Respect" | David Simon & Richard Price | Richard Price | Steve Shill | September 26, 2004 (2004-09-26) |
| "There's never been a paper bag." - Colvin Detective McNulty has doubts about the reported suicide of D'Angelo Barksdale and starts an unofficial investigation. East side drug lieutenant Cheese participates in an underground dogfight, and euthanizes his pitbull after losing. He speaks of this killing on the wire, and the Major Case Unit confuse it with a real murder. The unit decides to arrest Cheese and prematurely reveals their wire-tap in the process. Omar Little returns to Baltimore and resumes robbing stash houses. Councilman Tommy Carcetti pressures Acting Commissioner Burrell over high crime rates, and Burrell sends the pressure downhill to the foot officers. Cutty finds honest work with a landscaping crew. Western District Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin is ambivalent about the tactic of reclassifying crimes to manipulate statistics and is driven to consider an unorthodox solution when one of Carver's squad is shot in an undercover operation. |
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| 28 | 3 | "Dead Soldiers" | David Simon & Dennis Lehane | Dennis Lehane | Rob Bailey | October 3, 2004 (2004-10-03) |
| "The gods will not save you." - Burrell Major Colvin attends the weekly comstat meeting, where another Major is fired as a result of Carcetti's pressure to reduce crime. Carcetti then uses the press to defer heat from the police department onto the mayor, to test his tenacity. Colvin looks for areas where he can turn a blind eye to drug dealing, unbeknownst to his superiors. Omar and his crew scope out a Barksdale stash house, and decide to attack it despite its heavy fortifications. A shootout ensues, with deaths on both sides. When the Major Case Unit is instructed to pursue a new, unrelated target McNulty refuses to divert his attention from the Barksdale Organization. Cutty visits an old flame. Bodie's crew are beaten for encroaching on Marlo Stanfield's territory. |
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| 29 | 4 | "Hamsterdam" | David Simon & George Pelecanos | George Pelecanos | Ernest Dickerson | October 10, 2004 (2004-10-10) |
| "Why you got to go and fuck with the program?" - Fruit West Baltimore residents get some surprising straight talk from Major Colvin at a community meeting. Colvin has little success convincing area drug dealers to relocate to his tolerant zones. Carcetti reveals his mayoral political ambitions and pursues a campaign manager. Cutty gives up his attempts at straight work and joins the Barksdale Organization. Avon Barksdale is paroled despite the Major Case Unit's previous work against him. Stringer continues to invest in property development. |
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| 30 | 5 | "Straight and True" | David Simon & Ed Burns | Ed Burns | Dan Attias | October 17, 2004 (2004-10-17) |
| "I had such fuckin' hopes for us." - McNulty Frustrated in his grass-roots reform efforts, Colvin arms himself with intelligence from the Major Case Unit and approaches the mid-level drug dealers instead. McNulty sees Stringer is now unreachable as a drug target because of his ties to legitimate business. Stringer throws a welcome home party for Avon and launches a citywide Co-Op for drug dealers but fails to recruit immediate West side rival Marlo Stanfield. Detective Greggs follows Stanfield to his meeting with Stringer. Dissent spreads in Omar's crew over his bloody minded pursuit of the Barksdale Organization. |
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| 31 | 6 | "Homecoming" | David Simon & Rafael Alvarez | Rafael Alvarez | Leslie Libman | October 31, 2004 (2004-10-31) |
| "Just a gangster, I suppose." - Avon Barksdale Stringer gets an education in construction management and explores the opportunities of Colvin's new drug tolerant zones. Meanwhile Avon initiates a war over territory with Marlo but is dismayed at the ineptitude of his people when several are killed while attempting a drive-by shooting. Cutty finds that he has lost the ability to kill and leaves the Barksdale Organization with Avon's blessing. A frustrated Colvin unleashes the troops on the corner boys ignoring his new edict. Carcetti manipulates another councilman into joining the mayoral race in order to divide the city's black votes while concealing his own intention to run. McNulty and Greggs are ready to give up on targeting Stringer when the new violence gives them another reason. However, they must go behind Daniels' back to have the unit reassigned as he is angry about their disloyalty to date. |
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| 32 | 7 | "Back Burners" | David Simon & Joy Lusco | Joy Lusco | Tim Van Patten | November 7, 2004 (2004-11-07) |
| "Conscience do cost." - Butchie Daniels sees the reason his unit was reassigned from Pimlico and tells McNulty he will have to leave as he cannot trust him. The unit find that the drug dealers are using disposable phones and begin to formulate an investigative strategy. Marlo dispatches a drive-by on a Barksdale corner from the calm of his pigeon coop. Carcetti pressures the mayor over witness protection. The Western District officers begin to become dissatisfied with policing Colvin's tolerant zones. |
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| 33 | 8 | "Moral Midgetry" | David Simon & Richard Price | Richard Price | Agnieszka Holland | November 14, 2004 (2004-11-14) |
| "Crawl, walk, and then run." - Clay Davis Carcetti flouts his advisors' counsel and pressures Burrell over witness protection. The Major Case Unit track the buyer of phones for the Barksdale Organization. Brianna and McNulty sit down for a heart-to-heart. Avon dispatches the troops to track Omar and tries to ensnare Marlo in a trap. Avon is wounded when Marlo senses the trap and then wrestles with a revelation by Stringer. A local deacon helps Cutty to plan a new life and is dismayed at the standard of life for drug users in Colvin's tolerant zones. Stringer reveals to Avon that he arranged for the murder of D'Angelo. |
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| 34 | 9 | "Slapstick" | David Simon & George Pelecanos | David Simon | Alex Zakrzewski | November 21, 2004 (2004-11-21) |
| "...while you're waiting for moments that never come." - Freamon A Barksdale crew member violates the long-standing but unspoken Sunday morning truce when he tries to kill Omar. There is increasing discontent among the co-op over the Barksdale/Stanfield turf war. The deacon convinces Colvin to introduce public health programs in the tolerant zones and the Western District officers are dismayed at the apparent permanence of the endeavor. A murder takes place in the "Hamsterdam" tolerant zone and Carver moves the body out of loyalty to Colvin. Carver's partner Thomas "Herc" Hauk reaches a breaking point and calls the press about the tolerant zones. The Major Case Unit begin to build probable cause for their wiretaps but are worried that the dealers change phones too frequently. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski shoots another officer in a case of night time mistaken identity. Carcetti finds a potential ally in State Delegate Odell Watkins and organizes state funding for witness protection. |
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| 35 | 10 | "Reformation" | David Simon & Ed Burns | Ed Burns | Christine Moore | November 28, 2004 (2004-11-28) |
| "Call it a crisis of leadership." - Proposition Joe The Barksdale/Stanfield war continues to intensify with deaths on both sides. Avon refuses to accept Stringer's advice to follow the co-op's proposal for a truce. Brother Mouzone returns to Baltimore on a mission of revenge and casts a wide net in his search for Omar. Omar has his own plan for vengeance against Stringer. Carver gets some frank advice about his failings as an officer from Colvin. Colvin persuades the reporter that Herc has spoken with to hold his story on the tolerant zones. Colvin finally reveals his actions to his superiors. Burrell is incensed and takes the information straight to Mayor Royce. Royce is reluctant to shut the project down because of its success in reducing crime. When their first wiretaps go dead after just a few days the Major Case Unit are dismayed. Lester Freamon overcomes the problem by organizing to supply the Barksdale Organization with pre-wiretapped phones. Cutty opens a boxing gym for local children but finds his poor equipment and their behavior difficult to deal with. |
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| 36 | 11 | "Middle Ground" | David Simon & George Pelecanos | George Pelecanos | Joe Chappelle | December 12, 2004 (2004-12-12) |
| "We ain't gotta dream no more, man." - Stringer Bell Cutty convinces Avon to give him money to fund his gym. Brother Mouzone forms an alliance with Omar when he discovers that Stringer betrayed him. Royce continues to delay closing down the tolerant zones alienating Burrell and Watkins. Burrell leaks the story to Carcetti. Stringer learns that he has been conned into making political contributions for no return and tries to convince Avon to order the murder of Senator Clay Davis. The wiretaps begin to yield information about the Barksdale organization and the unit get a recording of Stringer discussing contract killers. Stringer meets with Colvin and gives him the location of Avon's safehouse believing that returning Avon to prison is the best way to end the war. Meanwhile, Brother Mouzone meets with Avon and convinces him to give Stringer's whereabouts away so that he can exact his revenge. Omar and Mouzone ambush and kill Stringer. |
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| 37 | 12 | "Mission Accomplished" | David Simon & Ed Burns | David Simon | Ernest Dickerson | December 19, 2004 (2004-12-19) |
| "...we fight on that lie." - Slim Charles A reticent Avon readies his troops for war against Marlo. The press descend on Hamsterdam and Royce finally realizes his delay was a mistake. Carcetti is there to capitalize on the bad publicity for the Mayor. A vengeful Burrell ensures Colvin's retirement is not comfortable. McNulty is devastated that Stringer was killed before he could arrest him but his spirits lift when he gets a chance to bring down Avon instead. With the information from Stringer the Major Case Unit arrest Avon and most of his people. Cutty struggles to keep his young boxers off the corners as the Stanfield organization enjoys its victory. McNulty leaves the Major Case Unit to patrol the Western District. |
Read more about this topic: The Wire (season 3)
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