The Wire (2002–2008): Season 3, Episode 4 - Hamsterdam - full transcript

And not only do we hear
and appreciate your input,

but we are fully committed to giving 110%

in our efforts to fight this war against drugs

and take back your streets.

But we can't do it alone.

So when you see illegal activity,
we need you to pick up the phone

- and call it in so that we can get...
- Bullshit!

Please hold your questions.

I near wore out my phone
dialing 685 DRUG, and for what?

Those boys is back on the corner
the next damn day!

The fact remains,
the police department can't do it alone.

We need your cooperation.

My cousin Willy Gant cooperated.
He went downtown and testified.

He deader than 2Pac today.

Look, I know the problem
seems insurmountable,

but we are making progress.

- Take a look at this chart...
- Nah, nah, uh-uh-uh.

- I have the microphone, ma'am.
- Let the woman speak.

My kids, they can't play outside no more.

Some nights, when we hear these pops,

- we got to sleep under our beds.
- Right on.

I come home from work,

I can't even get up my front steps

- cos they occupied by the drug dealers.
- You tell him!

Is that in that picture you got up there?

I don't see that no way.

I'm Major Colvin.

I apologize for giving you
the wrong impression tonight.

We mean no disrespect.

I know what's going on
in your neighborhoods. I see it every day.

Ma'am, it pains me that you cannot
enter your own front door

in safety and with dignity.

The truth is...
I can't promise you it's gonna get any better.

We can't lock up the thousands
on the corners.

There'd be no place to put them if we could.

We show you charts and statistics
like they mean something.

But you're going back to your homes tonight,

we're gonna be in our patrol cars

and them boys still gonna be
out there on them corners,

deep in the game.

This here is the world we got, people.

And it's about time
all of us had the good sense

to at least admit that much.

So, what's the answer?

Well, I'm not sure.

But whatever it is,

it can't be a lie.

First time I heard a cop say that.

It's all yours, Sergeant.

Come on.

As I was pointing out...

Who gave him a can of gasoline
and told him to put out the fire?

- We are making progress...
- Tommy Carcetti.

- Marla Daniels. I'm running for...
- Gonna take a run at Eunetta Perkins.

I know who you are.

I've seen you with Delegate Watkins
a couple of times already.

Well, this is not your home district.
What brings you to the West Side?

I got the Public Safety Subcommittee so...

here I am.

Anyway, good luck with Eunetta.

And welcome to the noble calling
of public service.

Further west
in your neighborhoods,

the numbers of crimes against merchants
are way, way down.

We're making significant...

- What the hell was that?
- I'm tired of the bullshit.

Tired make you lose your mind?

When you walk through the garden

You gotta watch your back

Well, I beg your pardon

Walk the straight and narrow track

Walk the straight
and narrow track

If you walk with Jesus

He's gonna save your soul

You gotta keep the devil

Way down in the hole

He got fire and the fury

Fire and fury

At his command

Well, you don't have to worry

Hold on to Jesus' hands

Oh, we'll be safe from Satan

When the thunder rolls

Oh

You gotta keep the devil

Way down in the hole

You gotta keep the devil

Way down in the hole

Way down

Way down in the hole

So, what do you need from Bubs?
I mean, exactly?

The lay of the land, who has what corners
now that the Towers are down.

We wanna know what happened
to the Barksdale people, especially.

And this pay how much?

Let's treat it like a real job. Say five an hour.

- 30 on a day, max.
- That's less than minimum wage.

But there's no withholding, Bubs. It's tax free.

All right. It feels good to be out here.
I mean, gainfully employed.

- Thought your boy was coming too.
- Johnny?

He don't think much of this here with y'all.

Besides, he happens to be

one of the laziest white boys
to ever shit between two shoes.

- I've been working since I was a kid.
- Yeah? What's your résumé like, Bubs?

- Just curious.
- Well, I ain't claiming no payroll jobs, Kima.

It's been a while since I punched a clock.

When was that?

Long time ago.

Before I had a sheet.

Shit, I was...I was still clean.

I got one of those stock boy jobs,

one of those "cheapest guys in town" stores.

Unloading appliances...

taking air-conditioners and shit
out to the customers' cars.

Like that. "How many you want?"

What happened?

I put a clock radio in the trash can one day,
trying to be cute, got caught.

I didn't even need a clock radio.

See, that's me, though. Born fuck-up.

All right, you know what?

$5 an hour, $30 on the day.

That'll work. Right?

Y'all do that bad stuff

She like it rammed up

Ropes and handcuffs
What?

Touch me

I'm 'bout to throw some game

They both one and the same

Cupid's the one to blame
Say it

Make love to me

I'm 'bout to shed some light

Cos each and every night

You gotta do it right
What?

Touch me...

And this here is
your "get out of jail free" card.

On this card
is my full name and phone number.

A police officer was shot in this
neighborhood a couple of weeks ago.

You all know the incident
I'm speaking of, right?

I'm looking for the officer's gun.

A Glock 9...

which happened to misplace itself
during this incident.

Now, I don't care...

I don't care who has it now.

I just need it to find its way home.

Y'all don't happen to know a fellow
by the name of Peanut, right?

I didn't think so. Anyway, gentlemen,
you know, one hand washes the other.

You give me a good word on that gun
and I can make almost any charge disappear.

- Any questions?
- Huh?

Get them out.

Shit, I had to try something.

One each.

Keep it moving. Little boys.
Yellow tops all day long. Right here.

All right. Come and see him
and get that knockout shit, all right?

Much obliged. Good luck.

- Yo, he down across Fremont?
- Yeah.

- Now we're on this side.
- And Barksdale is down the way.

Got the red tops, y'all, red tops!

Spider bags here!

My nigger.

Yo, spider bags!

Come get the red tops, red tops!

- Major crimes unit.
- Look.

- It's slowly building up. Not enough.
- He's not in right now.

To what do we owe the honor?

Just checking in.

Why? You got something going on?

Nothing too sexy. Just pushing a case uphill

inch by inch on Kintel Williamson,
our stated target.

We're working too, Lester.

Yeah, on your own thing.

You even listening to me, McNulty?

I got a real case to bring in. Stringer Bell.

- You might have heard of him.
- You got a mouth on you, boy.

He's still out there, Lester.
He's got his corners, his money.

Fuck it. For all you know,
he's got all that downtown real estate.

- Motherfucker probably owns half Baltimore.
- That ain't the point.

Do you even know what happened
to all that real estate?

All that downtown property Bell has title on?

Fuck, no.

He's probably laughing his balls off
right now. At all of us.

You even pretending to speak
for anyone other than yourself?

- I'm speaking for the job.
- You wanna talk about police work?

I was doing the job when you was just
dreaming it. Daniels was out there too.

Now, you gonna fuck him
when he pulled you off a goddamn boat?

He's a boss. Fuck the bosses.

Maybe Daniels plays a few games to get by

but he's cost himself plenty
for the sake of the job!

- He's earned some loyalty.
- Fuck loyalty and fuck you.

I never thought I'd hear
that chain-of-command horseshit from you.

Motherfucker, I've spent a lot of time
in a lot of weak units.

More than you.

Now, this here may not be perfect,
but it's a chance to be police.

Well, then be one.

You're not even worth
the skin off my knuckles, junior.

Jimmy, don't.

You put fire to everything you touch,

then you walk away while it burns.

I got nothing more to say to you. Nothing.

And you...

I'm surprised at you, girl.

Daniels raised you from a pup.

Gotta get with Bubs.

Check on those fucking properties.

Well, Major Colvin, what do you think?

Well, it all sounds good.

But before I give you a final answer,
I need to speak with my wife.

I'm not talking about the position.

Your cheesecake.

The cheesecake's fine.

They bring it in from Michael's,
out on York Road.

It's got a little cinnamon in the crust.
None better.

Of course, I'd like to think
our offer's pretty damn good too.

Excuse me while I go
to the little boys' room, gentlemen.

I need to tinkle.

Tinkle?

I never understood
why a grown-ass man gotta talk like that.

He need to take a piss,
whether he know it or not.

You'll get used to these academic types,
Bunny.

Especially when you get that first paycheck.

I mean, 80K is nothing to sneeze at
for a number-two security job.

Full bennies on top of your pension.

Yeah, it's generous.

And dull. In a good way.

I mean...

the worst you'll ever see is a rape.

A date rape, maybe.

Ready to take it down a notch, aren't you?

- Hell, yes.
- Yeah, that's how I felt.

My only regret was that I didn't tell
the Deputy Ops to stick it in his ass

on my way out the fucking door.

Hey, Johns Hopkins wants you, Bunny.

And they wanna pay Johns Hopkins money.

But what? You gotta ask your wife?

No, I ain't gotta ask her nothing.

I'm just letting Mr. Jenkins stew a little, is all.

Wonder what's keeping him.

All he had to do was tinkle.

I guess he felt the need
to make a dookey too.

They got corners up on Argyle

and along Fremont up top.

Avenue corners belong to everybody.

Some who were with Barksdale
and some independent-like.

McHenry Street got
some of Barksdale's people too.

But Gangster Webster's crew
is right beside them.

What about the Lower Avenue corners
and the Poe Homes?

They belong to this young boy named Marlo.

- Go by the name of Black.
- Marlo?

Young boy. Got all that good real estate
near downtown.

Got himself the lunch-time trade.

If Bell and Barksdale
were gonna hold anything

they'd hold on
to the Homes and Avenue corners.

Marlo one of Barksdale's people?

Marlo what?

Come on, you got anything else on this guy?

You got another tip, maybe?

So much for the hourly wage.

107M703. Yeah.

That's the tag on the truck he ride.

107M703.

Did you prime it?

That little rubber ball right there,
next to the spark plug.

You gotta push it in three times
before you try to start it.

Gets the gas going to the carb.

You want the truth?
I ain't never used one of these.

Never had no call to.

Well, I didn't pick you up
for your landscaping skills.

All these Spanish? They own paper too.

I only use people like y'all.

Sometimes it comes back on me,
sometimes it works out fine.

- For how long you been uptown?
- Ten years.

Hotter than a motherfucker out here.

Yeah, it's hot. Every day.

You gonna be riding in the back of that
hard truck, bouncing around, every day.

And your back's gonna be yelling at you
every day.

I used to drive an SL.
Pretty gold convertible. Nice rims.

I don't even think on that car no more.

- You put it behind you, huh?
- Some can.

I'm just saying,
you wanna stay on the straight,

ain't gonna be no big reward to it.

This is it, right here.

Prime that bitch three times.
She'll start right up.

- Miss Pearlman?
- Cedric.

How goes Kintel Williamson?

- Anything there for me yet?
- No, not yet.

We'll get there.

Is that all you came by to tell me?

Just keeping the lines of dialogue open.

So, what's on your plate?

Oh, there's plenty of surprises around here.

Parole hearing. This soon?

He fingered a dirty guard
up at Jessup, apparently.

Got a big gold star next to his name.

That's some bullshit.

Yeah, well, not to worry.

They send me the hearing notifications
for a reason.

"Mr. Barksdale ran a continuous
violent criminal enterprise

"and was a major drug trafficker.

"During the years 1999 to 2002..."

"he was strongly suspected
to have ordered or caused

"the deaths of over a dozen individuals."

Parole Commission's not gonna walk him
on his first trip to the plate.

Not after a letter like that.

- Good work.
- I have my moments.

Nice suit, by the way.

Thanks.

I see you dress left.

Every day.

The number is no longer in service.

If you feel you've reached this in error,
please check the number and dial...

Nothing?

That's an address up off of Reisterstown,
same one he was showing two years ago

when I ran the car he was using.

- Stringer's a settled guy.
- Not there, he ain't.

Woman living there, last time I checked.
Just a front name.

His girl, maybe.

Not unless he likes them over 50
and asshole-ugly.

I'm sure she's real nice.

Good school spirit.
Always says hi in the halls.

You think he met her in college?

What? What did I say?

- Huh.
- What you got?

Tag comes back
to an address over on Dukeland.

Female, 53 years.

See? That's how they do.

Yeah, but I got a hit on a Marlo,
street name of Black.

Marlo Stanfield. 22 years.

- BPI number and a pretty good sheet.
- You thought he'd be cherry?

I knew he'd have his cherry busted,
but not like this.

Check it out.

Think I'm gonna take a ride to Homicide.
Wanna come?

Nope, got someplace to be.

This thing with Lester...

I feel like shit about it.

Well, you'll get used to it.

We get out of the car,
crowd parts like the Red Sea,

victim's on the ground, bleeding,
screaming, "I'm gonna kill that fucking bitch."

But it's like nothing's really wrong with him...

Homicide.

Ah, shit.

You tried to sneak by me, didn't you?

I was just coming in quiet and respectful.

For a big man, you do have a dancer's grace.

But I, sir, I have the eyes of an eagle.

And the fact that you tried
to slither into work undetected

does not bode well for the recovery prospect
of our missing firearm, does it?

- I'll get it.
- Mm-hm.

What up, Mr. Bunk?

- Hey, girlfriend.
- Vernon Holley working tonight?

Er, yeah, he's four to 12.
You should try the coffee room.

All right.

Man, I would murder that...

- if she wasn't...
- Particular?

Hey, Crossfield,
that line that's blinking's for you.

- Find that gun.
- Yeah, OK.

Motherfuck you too.

Marlo Stanfield, aka Black.

- Boy's the spawn of the devil, Kima.
- I see.

And y'all damn near had him on this murder.

- What happened?
- We had a wit.

Boy they called Pooh Bear,
chubby fellow with braids.

We stashed Pooh over in East Baltimore,

even had him wear
one of those electronic bracelets

so we could find him quick.

- You lost him?
- Not exactly.

Boy went back to the West Side
to cop some hydro.

He could've bought the same weed
where he was, right?

We found him with two in his chest
and one in his mouth.

The bracelet led us right to where he fell.
Those things work.

Yeah. Marlo's serious.

That motherfucker's real.

I don't know, I think
a volcano's way better than a computer.

You see computers every day.
How often do you see a volcano?

- Yeah, but that guy built the computer.
- You built the volcano.

Big whoop.

Can I keep it?

Yeah, if you want to.

- Good night, Mikey.
- Good night.

- Sleep tight.
- OK.

It's good that you came.

- He was very proud.
- Glad to.

Jimmy, um,
there's a problem with the alimony.

What's the problem?

You're behind by, like, four months.

What can I tell you?
I'm paying 2,000 a month in support.

- After that, there's nothing left.
- Right.

But you signed a separation agreement
that gives me another 1,000 in alimony.

I only signed that fucking thing
cos I thought we'd be together.

Look at how much I make.
I'm not even close to being able to pay that.

My lawyer says that we have to serve you.

That suit of a boyfriend
won't cough up any cash?

Blood from a stone, darling.

Beginning today,

you can sell drugs in West Baltimore,

but only where we say you can.

Push them...hard.

Get to it, people, and don't get captured.

Hey. Stay right there.

Get him up against the wall.

Hey. Listen to what I'm telling you.

You know, kids,

this is a simple fucking thing we're saying.

If you stay on this corner,
you're going in a wagon.

If you move yourself down to the free zone,

down to the vacants along Vincent Street,

then you can do whatever the fuck you want.

How much fairer can we be?

I saw that, you little fuck. What's your name?

Huh?

- You got a name?
- Peanut Butter and Jelly.

- Address?
- Huh?

- What's your address?
- I stay over on Dolphin Street.

- Your address, numb nuts.
- Huh?

Are there any numbers
on the front of your fucking house?

Listen up.

This corner is indicted.

We're coming back tomorrow, and
when we do, everybody wears bracelets

unless you move your shit
down to Vincent Street,

down where the houses are all vacant.

You do that, we don't give a shit!

Vincent Street is like
Switzerland or Amsterdam.

What the fuck is that?

It's one of those countries
where drugs are legal.

Vincent Street is your Amsterdam
in Baltimore.

You go down there, we don't give a fuck.
You stay here, you go to jail.

I ain't going to no Hamsterdam.

- He killed a witness, huh?
- The way that Vernon Holley told it, yeah.

So Marlo's a hitter.
Maybe he works with Stringer.

Makes sense.

If you need me, I'm gonna be West Side.
What about you?

I gotta get the scent of my boy, Stringer.

- We've been off him too long.
- What's your first move?

Something Prez said.

P and P?

B and B. Like the liquor.

You mean, liqueur, Plauzinski...

- Pryzbylewski.
- Bénédictine and brandy.

That was invented by a bartender
over at Club 21.

All that good shit comes out of New York.

I need every deed transfer
involving that company, Harry.

Today.

I'm asking them corner boys
if they know where the Barksdale package is.

And they looking at me
like I ain't even talking.

On this strip, Marlo's the name ringing out.

There he is. You see him?

He didn't stay too long.

Shit, yeah, Marlo's ghosting.

We're sensitive about giving out
personal data on matriculating students.

Well, I could come back with a court order.

- Then I'd have to give it to you.
- Look.

My man has serious issues with women.

Domestic violence, really ugly stuff.

I can't show you any paper.

But let me get my screen up.

What did we tell you?
What'd we fucking tell you, man?

We told you to get yourselves
down to the free zone, didn't we?

We're trying to give you guys a break.

We're offering you a... What's that?

- Amnesty.
- You take your crew down to Vincent Street.

You do your dirt, nobody's gonna bother you.

What do you say?

You guys fucking brain-dead?
What do you say?

- Huh? Huh?
- Hah? Hah?

How you gonna come up here
and try to game us?

- Say what?
- I'm saying you acting like we retarded.

- Better we put a foot in your ass?
- At least we'd understand.

- This ain't a trick, shitbird!
- We grind and y'all try to stop it.

That's how we do.

Why you got to go
and fuck with the program?

All due respect.

Nothing but tumbleweeds.

Get me some buses.

Tomorrow we clean the corners.

Put them all in one place
and give them the news.

And I'm not asking anymore.

From here to Fremont,

you got Barksdale's people,
East Siders and freelancers too.

- On the same corners?
- Yup.

That shit don't make sense.

Can we call it a day, Kima?

- Bullshit, man.
- You too?

What the fuck is up with these phones?

I've been seeing kids throw them away all day.

They got cash like that to waste?

Them shits be laying all over, man.
Sometimes you find minutes on them,

sell them for walking-around money.

- They burners, Kima.
- Burners?

Gunshots in this alley...

Another murder.
In Waverly, no less. You believe it?

I would be fucking shocked if it was
an African-American perpetrated the crime.

It ain't even funny, Ash.

This is why everyone is leaving this city,
black and white.

At a community meeting in West Baltimore,
people were mad,

and I don't blame them.

They could move to a better neighborhood.
If they were willing to work for it.

I've heard that "my immigrant father made it

"so why can't the blacks?"
bullshit my whole life.

There's not good people
on the West Side who want the same?

OK, Mrs. Roosevelt.

All's I'm saying is, it's not about color.

So what's your next move, Tommy?

The Sun says an Anderson
State Senate seat is up for grabs.

Fuck that, you could go after
Ruppersberger in the second.

He's only got one term.

I'm gonna run for mayor.

That's good. Mayor Tommy.

Is she in the right joint?

She lets me sit next to her,
I buy her a drink...

- We each give you ten.
- 20 if you fuck her.

Please, Ash. Show just a little more class.

Besides, I already had my day in the sun.

Bullshit, Tommy. Once a gash-hound...

The bet is the bet. You said I lost a step.
I'm gonna prove I never did.

- You in, Pete?
- I'll pass.

Can I have two Glenlivets?

How you doing?

- The son of a bitch did it.
- He did you.

That's Theresa D'Agostino. Mario D's kid?

Yeah, she grew up all right.
She's down in DC now with the national party.

- A campaign fixer.
- No shit.

Tommy's known her ever since law school.

Just hear me out, OK? One drink.

Go ahead. You're paying for it.

- Actually, they are.
- Oh, you made a bet.

Don't tell me we have to kiss or something.
Not gonna happen.

This isn't about ankle straps
in a two-and-a-half star hotel, is it?

The alumni dinner ended an hour ago

- and I could be back in DC...
- That's the old me, Terri.

Everything I got now, my wife, my kids...

I would not risk losing them. No way.

Seeing you with your old gang
made me think bad thoughts.

Your friends cheapen you, Tommy.

You're just pissed off that they
didn't recognize you when you walked in.

And why would they?

I mean, you're a Washingtonian now.

That's Pete Sinopoli over there, isn't it?

- Hear he's back to practicing law.
- Yeah.

He just didn't have it, did he?

I have it, Terri.

I'm going to make a run for mayor.

And you're gonna run my campaign.

Give me one good reason why not to.

I could give you ten, but here's the good one.

You're the wrong color.
You're not electable here.

- And I never play the long shot.
- You like to win.

I don't like to lose. It's not the same thing.

Where's the fun if you know you'll win?

You handled that Democrat in East LA,
what was his name...

- Garcia...
- Valdez.

Valdez. How hard was that?

I need someone like you on my side.

I need you.

How big a win bonus?

Get a white mayor elected in Baltimore,
honey, you name your price.

One drink was the deal.

Go home, sleep it off.

You'll wake up and realize
you're making a mistake.

I can do this.

Question is, are you gonna come with me?

B and B.

Hello?

Yo, how we not gonna throw
a few hot ones at the motherfuckers?

One ass-whupping
and we back off like some bitches.

Then we on this off-brand-ass strip.

Ain't even enough trade for Poot
and his crew. Bullshit, man!

Look, man,
Stringer gonna fix it, man, you'll see.

Which one of y'all is Slim Charles?

- Who asking?
- That'd be Cutty.

Your boy gave me a number,
said to ring you up

when I was ready to put in some work,
but no answer.

Took your time calling back, right?

The numbers don't play after a few days, man.

- We change them up.
- Ain't you know nothing?

Respect, dawg, respect.
Y'all don't know who y'all talking to, man.

- You still ain't say your business.
- I'm trying to get put on.

- What you got in mind?
- Whatever you got that pays.

Yo, Poot. Come here, man.

Man, look, man, call Shamrock, man,

and tell him
soldier's finally came into the camp.

- You a soldier, huh?
- Chill, Bodie, man, chill, man.

- Bodie Broadus?
- Yeah, that's right.

Shit, I remember your little ass
when you was still in diapers.

I used to spar with your older brother, James.

That boy had a killer left.

Yeah, when he ain't drop it.

Yo, he still out here?

James been dead.

Fuck's up with that cheese box?

What, you ain't never
ridden no school bus before?

I'm saying, what they doing
with them niggers?

Look, dawg, first thing we gonna need
to do is get you some chrome.

Look, come on, man.

What's wrong with my fucking phone? Shit.

Yo, TJ, you got one with some minutes left?

Which is not to say you couldn't multi-use
the Howard Street properties.

- Residential-commercial could work.
- On Howard Street?

The whole point of the block grant is to bring
the West Side back to make it high-end.

The Hippodrome project was just the start.

But residential?

With the stadium and the theater back on line,

that area is like Inner Harbor East
ten years ago.

And the thing is, you're on the ground floor
with what you're holding.

- Yes, you are, String.
- So we're still talking more return

than just flipping the properties
for the condemnation money.

Way more.

Excuse me.

Yo.

No. Not right now.

A half-hour.

No, so go ahead and fill it up.
You got the order number, right?

- Man, move your ass.
- Man, this some bullshit.

My mom's gonna be worried.
Y'all kidnapping niggers.

I'm Major Colvin.

My name is Major Colvin.

- Major what?
- Major these, motherfucker.

We had to bring you down here
this afternoon...

because you've not been complying
with our directives.

Say what?

You haven't been doing what we asked.

- When I'm done.
- I gotta pee now.

He ain't playing.
Smell like he already pissed in his drawers.

All right, go ahead.

Yo, I gotta go too.

- You're gonna have to wait.
- How you gonna discriminate?

Yo, faggy, why you touch my butt?

That's enough!

The fun is over.

Tyrell, why weren't you in school today?

I couldn't make it out the bathroom.

Stand up when I talk to you, young man.

I know your mother, Tyrell.

She didn't raise any clowns, now, did she?

No, ma'am.

It's yours, Major.

Now, ladies and gentlemen,
we brought you down here because

you're here to learn about the new way...

The new way that we're going
to do things on the corners.

- That's downtown.
- Yeah.

- Well, that makes no sense.
- All four.

Go ahead, rip me a new asshole.
Ask me where I've been for two days.

Tell us, hotshot.

College registrar gives up
Stringer's course schedule.

I tail him to where he's laying his head.
Downtown high-rise.

Name's on the lease too. No attempt to hide it.

I get up early, follow him from his door

to a lunch meeting with the state senator.

Same one with the bagman
we bounced the last time around.

Couple of white guys too, nobody I read.

And all the while Stringer's
using his cellphone,

making calls like it ain't no thing.

Shit, I even rang it up myself.

Got his number from an admissions form.

The number wouldn't be 8447393?

I had Prez pull
the B and B property assessments

and land transfers from Circuit Court.

Some of the paperwork
asked for a contact number.

So I'm not surprised
our boy's using his cellphone so freely.

Those, right there, are the incoming
and outgoing numbers on his phone.

And damn near all of them
are downtown exchanges.

Architectural firms, city licensing,

attorneys, zoning offices.

Even campus exchanges over at BCCC.

- You saying he's right?
- I'm saying the phone is right.

Account information confirms
he's had that number listed for quite a while.

Nice work.

Maybe the cellphone is clean
because he's keeping it.

If it was dirty, it'd probably be a burner.

Hmm.

Disposables.

The latest in yo-tech.

They make a couple of calls with a burner,
throw it away.

Go on to the next phone, do the same.

There's more of those things
laying around West Baltimore

than empty vials.

How the fuck you supposed
to get a wire up on that?

Yeah, well, first it was payphone and pagers.

Then it was cellphones
and face-to-face meets. Now this.

The motherfuckers do learn.

Every time we come at them,
they learn and adjust.

So...

Stringer's out of reach.

You know, a couple of years ago, when
they were buying that downtown real estate,

I thought they were buying it to flip it

and get the cash
when the federal payout money lands

and the properties are condemned.

Bell and Barksdale haven't sold any of it.

They're buying more
and applying for building permits.

Seems Stringer Bell
is worse than a drug dealer.

He's a developer.

Jesus, fuck, he's really legit?

Well, you real police.

Now he's out in the open,
why don't you pull him up and ask him?

You need a few days, I'll stall Daniels.

But after that,
you come home with a case we can use

or you swallow your goddamn pride
and rejoin this unit.

How you doing, Donette?

"I'm fine, String. I missed you, baby."

Look, I'm sorry for not returning them calls.

"Sorry" don't keep my bed warm at night.

Shorty, I been running.

Ain't like I'm trying to shut you out.
I just got business to attend to, you know?

Do you know how it feels
to be alone out here?

Police coming to my door,
and I got no one to stand beside me.

You say the detective left you a card?

Man say D'Angelo wasn't no suicide.

Something about the way
the marks was on his neck.

He said Dee could have been murdered
and shit.

Sit down.

Now listen to me.

Everyone in them walls know who Avon is.

Ain't nobody gonna do his nephew.

All right?

Now, as far as you and me go...

I did you wrong by keeping
you at arm's length

but it ain't gonna be like that no more.

Oh, yeah.

God made that.

Couldn't be no accident.

So why am I on your tab tonight?
Tell the truth.

I dare that to walk by me again.
She better not.

Why you buying, Bunk?

I got two dead

in what feels like a drug rip up in Pimlico.

And the young 'uns out on the scene,
they seem to know this Omar fella by sight.

I need Omar, Jimmy.

Again? Jesus, Bunk.

Yeah.

Fuck it, then.

Number three?

No, that worked for you last time.
The blonde at the juke.

Oh, I really liked her.

Everybody likes everybody
when they're kissing.

But no, my friend down there...

she's a number two, I think.

And when it comes up, my mother passed.
A week ago.

And I'm having a little trouble getting over it.

That's why I'm feeling so blue tonight.

- OK, your mom's dead and you're sad.
- Yeah.

You my boy.

The same way.

My mom died about a week ago, and...

Yo, what's up, boss?

You got the phone receipts
from the Virginia run?

All right.

From now on, I want you to deal with these.

All right.

If my man Bernard doing it like we said
and making them runs,

then I don't wanna
have to deal with this no more.

For sure.

- And if Donette call me...
- I know.

- Tell that bitch you busy.
- No.

I'm gonna take the call.

Rhondie?

Rhondie, Rhondie!

Rhonda!

"He was suspected
to have ordered or caused the deaths

"of over a dozen individuals." Suspected.

It's rumor and innuendo.

There isn't one allegation in this letter
that wasn't raised

by the Assistant State's Attorney at the trial.

And given my client's superlative record
during his incarceration

and given his notable role in identifying
the source of the overdose deaths

at this facility last year,

I ask that you honor our existing agreement

- and approve Mr. Barksdale's early release.
- Bullshit!

- Hold your comments, Trooper.
- We made a commitment, Counselor.

Given what this institution
was dealing with a year ago,

this is the lesser evil.

Rockefellers! Rockefellers on the spot!

Man, that's him right there.
In that G35, man.

- Boy in the retro?
- That shit is tight.

$430, it better be.

Hell, yeah. I'm gonna get me
one of those motherfuckers.

You must be going to get
that Muggsy Bogues.

You're gonna be swimming in that Unseld.

As usual, man,
y'all fools are missing my point.

That boy came up short on that money
last week

and y'all see how he out here grinding,
so where that money at?

You need to look beyond
what he driving or wearing on his back.

That boy got a girlfriend?

He run with this little freak at the high school.

She wearing ice?

She wearing a onion,
that's all I can remember.

Hell, yeah.

Check out the girl.

High-school girl with platinum around
her neck, only one place it came from.

Give my man his thing.

SIG Sauer. That ain't no Lorcin, dawg.

I'm used to revolvers, man. .38 don't jam.

Don't hold 15, neither.

Game done changed.

Game the same. Just got more fierce.

- I'm not big on vacations.
- Yeah, who has time?

What about taking the boys down
to Ocean City for a weekend or something?

You ever been down the ocean?

Listen.

It wasn't like
I was waiting for an opening with Rhonda.

It just happened.

I should have told you sooner.

I need to know this isn't going
to be a thing between us.

No, I wish you both all the best.

Was I very loud last night?

Thanks for making this easy on me.

You coming?

No, I think I'll stay here a while, nurse this.

Then I'll shove off.

One more, and put a beer next to it.

Nigger, what's up? You good?

Yo.

Look at you.

Oh! You ain't gotta leave, huh?

Shit is on.

This what I'm talking about. Whoo!

Drink that shit.

I'm surprised Avon
be letting y'all get your heads up.

Sometimes you got to.

Kiss the sky, nigger.

- Ready to go?
- Yeah. Are you all right to drive?

I thought you
were the designated driver tonight.

No, I'm good, really. I'm good to go.

Thanks!

Bitch with one leg named Aaliyah.

What kind of shit is that?

Oh, shit.

- You do still like females, don't you?
- Shit.

He home now.