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. All episodes were made available by HBO six days earlier than their broadcast date, via On Demand.
| Series # |
Season # |
Title | Story by | Teleplay by | Directed by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | "Boys of Summer" | David Simon & Ed Burns | David Simon | Joe Chappelle | September 10, 2006 (2006-09-10) |
| "Lambs to the slaughter here." - Marcia Donnelly Four West Baltimore boys wrestle with what to do with the rest of their summer vacation. When unkempt outcast Duquan "Dukie" Weems is beaten up by a neighbouring group of children, Michael Lee is the quiet leader of the group's retaliation. Randy Wagstaff has the imagination to plan the endeavour. Namond Brice is the most outspoken and the richest of the four. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski prepares for his new career as a school teacher. The Major Crimes Unit has a wiretap investigation into the new power in West Baltimore - the Stanfield Organization. They remain unaware that when Marlo Stanfield orders a death the target is taken to a vacant building and killed by enforcers Chris Partlow and "Snoop." Randy is unwittingly involved in one such disappearance. The mayoral election campaign between councilman Tommy Carcetti and incumbent mayor Clarence Royce begins to take shape. |
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| 39 | 2 | "Soft Eyes" | Ed Burns & David Mills | David Mills | Christine Moore | September 17, 2006 (2006-09-17) |
| "I still wake up white in a city that ain't." - Carcetti Thomas "Herc" Hauk is now working for the Mayor's security detail. He catches Royce in a compromising position and learns how to spin it into a promotion opportunity. Namond visits his father, Wee-Bey Brice, in prison. Wee-Bey urges Namond to work harder at his job with drug dealer Bodie Broadus but Namond swaps it with Michael as he is in greater financial need. Bunk Moreland investigates a murder but finds his prime suspect missing. Rhonda Pearlman and Lester Freamon argue over delivering subpoenas to political figures. Another murder involving a state's witness gives Carcetti damaging ammunition in a debate with Royce. Marlo gives money away to the neighborhood children and Michael catches his attention when he refuses the handout. Dennis "Cutty" Wise continues to run the community boxing gym and also notices Michael because of his aptitude for the sport. Bubbles mentors young and homeless Sherrod in his junk selling business. |
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| 40 | 3 | "Home Rooms" | Ed Burns & Richard Price | Richard Price | Seith Mann | September 24, 2006 (2006-09-24) |
| "I love the first day, man. Everybody all friendly an' shit." - Namond Brice Royce strikes back against Carcetti with his mayoral powers, however, he alienates State Delegate Watkins over his refusal to fund witness protection. Carcetti impresses Watkins by his reserved behaviour at the funeral of the murdered witness. Bunk visits Jimmy McNulty and Beadie Russell for dinner and finds McNulty sober and enjoying domestic life. Marlo Stanfield visits Bodie's corner and muscles him into selling the Stanfield package. Marlo is impressed with Michael a second time when he sees him working for Bodie. Proposition Joe and his New Day Co-Op face problems on two fronts; New York drug dealers on the East side and the Stanfield Organization in the West; they agree to attempt to negotiate with Marlo. Omar Little robs a Stanfield stash house. Rawls sends a caustic new lieutenant to gut the major case unit from the inside. Freamon and Kima Greggs leave for the homicide unit. Howard "Bunny" Colvin embarks on a new career as a researcher into violent behaviour. Prez is shocked by a violent incident in his classroom. |
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| 41 | 4 | "Refugees" | Ed Burns & Dennis Lehane | Dennis Lehane | Jim McKay | October 1, 2006 (2006-10-01) |
| "No one wins. One side just loses more slowly." - Prez As the homicide unit's newest detective Greggs is assigned to the high-profile witness case in an attempt to stall the investigation until after the election. Freamon joins Bunk on finding his missing suspect and realizes the connection to the lack of violence from the Stanfield Organization. Freamon suggests the suspect has been killed and his body hidden. Marlo loses big in a poker game and decides to take over Bodie's corner. Chris and Snoop assess Michael as a potential recruit. Proposition Joe manipulates Omar into robbing Marlo's next card game. Watkins becomes more angry with Royce when he sees he has reneged on a promise to back his protege Marla Daniels for a council seat. Randy is caught truanting and becomes a reluctant informant for the teachers. |
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| 42 | 5 | "Alliances" | David Simon & Ed Burns | Ed Burns | David Platt | October 8, 2006 (2006-10-08) |
| "If you with us, you with us." - Chris Partlow Carcetti learns that Greggs has been assigned the witness case and uses the information against Royce. Watkins forms an alliance with Carcetti. Now a sergeant in the major case unit, Herc takes part in a series of ill-advised raids that fail to render any significant arrests. Herc takes a video camera without permission to surveil Stanfield. Marlo tries to enlist Michael but he rejects the offer. Marlo arranges to have Omar framed for murder. Dukie debunks Randy's theory that the Chris and Snoop's victims are undead and shows him the bodies. Prez struggles to control his students' behaviour. Bubbles is beaten by another drug addict and throws Sherrod out for truanting. |
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| 43 | 6 | "Margin of Error" | Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer | Eric Overmyer | Dan Attias | October 15, 2006 (2006-10-15) |
| "Don't try this shit at home." - Norman Wilson Namond is pushed into drug dealing by his mother when they are cut off by the remnants of the Barksdale Organization (who had been supporting them). Randy reveals his involvement in the murder to his teachers and is placed under Sergeant Ellis Carver's care. Marlo proves elusive despite Herc's camera. Colvin's new special class separates the worst behaved students (known as "Corner Kids") from their peers. Carcetti wins the election despite a last minute smear campaign. Omar is arrested for the murder Marlo organized. |
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| 44 | 7 | "Unto Others" | Ed Burns & William F. Zorzi | William F. Zorzi | Anthony Hemingway | October 29, 2006 (2006-10-29) |
| "Aw yeah. That golden rule." - The Bunk Royce and Carcetti make their peace. Prez has a good day with his class minus the "corner kids". Omar convinces Bunk to help him prove his innocence. Greggs uses "soft eyes" at a crime scene and finds the witness killing was accidental. Marlo steals Herc's surveillance camera provoking him into a more direct approach. Carver hands Randy over to Herc who fails to understand the importance of his story. Sherrod begins working in the drug trade and fights with Namond over territory. After receiving a beating Namond disrupts Colvin's class. Proposition Joe continues to court Marlo's involvement with the Co-Op. |
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| 45 | 8 | "Corner Boys" | Ed Burns & Richard Price | Richard Price | Agnieszka Holland | November 5, 2006 (2006-11-05) |
| "We got our thing, but it's just part of the big thing." - Zenobia Colvin uses corner logic in class and is greeted with enthusiasm, particularly from Namond. Michael is devastated when his stepfather returns to live with him. Bunk exposes the frame on Omar but antagonizes his colleagues by meddling in the case. Herc stops Chris and Snoop and fails to realize the significance of the tools he finds in their car - they use them to conceal the corpses of their victims. Carcetti makes the rounds and discusses his plans as Mayor and his intentions for the future. He considers employing a new police commissioner and Cedric Daniels sees his stock rising. |
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| 46 | 9 | "Know Your Place" | Ed Burns & Kia Corthron | Kia Corthron | Alex Zakrzewski | November 12, 2006 (2006-11-12) |
| "Might as well dump 'em, get another." - Proposition Joe Bubbles identifies a witness for Herc but Herc fails to return the favor by protecting him from his tormentor. Colvin offers an incentive to his class. Old Face Andre turns to Proposition Joe for protection after his ineptitude in the framing of Omar. Joe ingratiates himself with Marlo by handing Andre over to Chris and Snoop. Marlo finally joins the Co-Op and his enforcers begin to take on the New York drug dealers. Carver warns Namond about his drug dealing. Carcetti restricts commissioner Ervin Burrell's authority and insists on a promotion for Daniels. Michael takes his problem with his step father to Marlo. Omar plans revenge on Marlo and Proposition Joe. |
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| 47 | 10 | "Misgivings" | Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer | Ed Burns | Ernest Dickerson | November 19, 2006 (2006-11-19) |
| "World goin' one way, people another." - Poot Burrell's new mandate for quality of life arrests is met with civil disobedience and political maneuvering. Chris takes care of Michael's problem. Marlo has a member of Bodie's crew killed after he is interviewed by Herc and orders word spread about Randy for the same reason. Carver arrests Namond and he reaches out to Colvin for help. After another beating, Bubbles gets revenge for Herc's continual betrayals by setting him up to arrest a minister. The teachers are pressured to teach test material despite their recent successes. |
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| 48 | 11 | "A New Day" | David Simon & Ed Burns | Ed Burns | Brad Anderson | November 26, 2006 (2006-11-26) |
| "You play in dirt, you get dirty." - McNulty Carcetti faces a dilemma over a complaint from the minister against Herc. Carcetti galvanizes other departments into action with non-specific complaints. Randy faces bullying from his school mates after he is exposed as an informant. Omar tricks Proposition Joe into giving away the timing of his next shipment. Freamon is tempted back to Major Crimes by Daniels and has a revelation regarding the hiding place of the missing bodies. |
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| 49 | 12 | "That's Got His Own" | Ed Burns & George Pelecanos | George Pelecanos | Joe Chappelle | December 3, 2006 (2006-12-03) |
| "That all there is to it?" - Bubbles Prez is rankled by Dukie's social promotion to high school after having become close to him. Omar orchestrates the theft of the Co-Op's shipment. Michael trains as an enforcer in the Stanfield Organization and violently alienates Cutty and Namond. Randy is kept home for his own protection but an arson attack on his home leaves his foster mother horribly burned. Herc is suspended for his loss of the camera. Freamon's discovery of bodies in vacant houses damages the homicide unit's annual clearance rate. Daniels realizes the statistics can be blamed on Royce so Carcetti approves a city wide search. Carcetti faces a massive school budget deficit and is forced to go to the governor for assistance. Bubbles prepares a lethal vial of narcotics for his tormentor but Sherrod takes it unwittingly and dies. |
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| 50 | 13 | "Final Grades" | David Simon & Ed Burns | David Simon | Ernest Dickerson | December 10, 2006 (2006-12-10) |
| "If animal trapped call 410-844-6286." - Baltimore, traditional Bubbles attempts suicide after confessing his part in Sherrod's death and is taken to rehab. Freamon begins to build his investigation and has Chris and Snoop brought in for DNA samples. Bodie reaches breaking point over Marlo's murder of his people and turns to McNulty. Bodie is later killed on his corner because he was seen leaving central booking with McNulty. McNulty decides to rejoin the Major Crimes Unit. Proposition Joe is forced to reveal his supplier to Marlo to reassure the Co-Op after Omar's robbery. Marlo meets with Spiros Vondas who vouches for Joe. Omar brazenly sells the stolen drugs back to the Co-Op. Carcetti rejects the Governor's offer of assistance with the schools as it would cost his career too much in the future. Despite Carver's efforts to prevent it, Randy is reluctantly returned to a group home. Colvin's special class is shut down by the education board. However, he persuades Namond's parents to let Namond live with him in order to keep him away from drug dealing. Michael commits his first murder and is given Bodie's corner to run; Dukie is unable to settle in high school and joins his crew. |
Read more about this topic: The Wire (season 4)
Famous quotes containing the word episodes:
“Twenty or thirty years ago, in the army, we had a lot of obscure adventures, and years later we tell them at parties, and suddenly we realize that those two very difficult years of our lives have become lumped together into a few episodes that have lodged in our memory in a standardized form, and are always told in a standardized way, in the same words. But in fact that lump of memories has nothing whatsoever to do with our experience of those two years in the army and what it has made of us.”
—Václav Havel (b. 1936)
“What is a novel if not a conviction of our fellow-men’s existence strong enough to take upon itself a form of imagined life clearer than reality and whose accumulated verisimilitude of selected episodes puts to shame the pride of documentary history?”
—Joseph Conrad (1857–1924)