The Wire (2002–2008): Season 5, Episode 1 - More with Less - full transcript

Season Five premiere. As McNulty and the detail continue staking out Marlo's crew, recently promoted Sergeant Carver is welcomed by a cauldron of discontent from officers coping with unpaid overtime.

You see now?

I'm here to tell you,

this remaining silent shit
ain't nothing like

they make it out to be.

You up in here
all tight with it,

waiting for your paid lawyer,

thinking you all wise,
ain't you?

No. See,

that worked when you some kind of
criminal mastermind...

When you ain't been seen
runnin' from the deed.

When your own fuckin'
running partner

ain't in the next room,

putting you in.

He's telling it
like a little bitch.

We even went to mickey d's for him
because he was so motherfucking helpful.

2 quarter pounders, big fries,

McDonaldland cookies,

Dr. Pepper.

That's how your boy roll, right?

All right.
Step out.

- Where are we going?
- Break room.

So you can enjoy that, huh?

All right.
But I still ain't sayin' shit to you.

Marnell, what the fuck?

How many years you figure
we've been doing the same shit?

20 at least.

True.

True.

False.

Load him up.

- Some shit actually works, huh?
- Hell yeah.

Americans are a stupid people,
by and large.

We pretty much believe
whatever we're told.

So it can feel my heart beat?

Pulse? Yeah.

If Marnell say
I had the gun, he lying.

The machine tells the tale, son.

We ready, professor?

We'll start with an easy one.

Is your name in fact
DeShawn Fredericks?

Yeah.

True.

And do you reside in fact

the 1200 block of woodyer street

in west Baltimore?

Yeah.

- True.
- And did you and Marnell

shoot your boy Pookie
down on Cary Street

just like Marnell said you did?

No. No.

Lie.

You lying motherfucker.

Machine is never wrong, son.

Fuck, man!

Nigger can't never keep
his damn mouth shut.

I should've busted a cap
in Pookie ass my own self.

Left Marnell home and shit.

He just a bitch, is all.

The bigger the lie,

the more they believe.

First the BlackBerry.

Oh, he brought his tunes.

All the running shit
pay, don't it?

We got one coming in.
Unidentified number-one male.

- You got him, Jimmy?
- Yeah. More face-to-face.

Oh, man.

You know, this would be more fun
if we were actually getting paid.

Hey, you know,
I heard a story about you,

- when I was back in the west.
- It's not true.

- Haven't even told it yet.
- Whatever it is, it's not true.

You run a Vice undercover one time,

and instead of pulling up,
you went ahead and closed the deal.

I read this report where
you got blowed by this whore,

and you actually wrote it
that you got blowed.

You believe everything you read?

Look, man.

All I'm saying,

if I'm gonna take your package,
split me and be fair.

I got to pay all my people the same,
and here you're upping the price on me.

- Pay your people less.
- They my people, though.

Then short yourself.

Split is 60/40.

You want better?
You need to tool up.

And wait for Chris, Snoop,

and the rest of my people
come pay a call on your people.

We will be brief
with all you motherfuckers.

I think you know.

All right.

Northbound on Fulton.

Lester. Coming your way.

I see him.

Roger that.

Every day, same shit.

- Look at this pretty bitch.
- Ten-hut!

Just sit the fuck down.

I'm not gonna stand up here
and pretend to be insulted

because you all are pretending
to respect the rank.

Today, he's an S.I.C.

Tomorrow, he might be
a newly minted Lieutenant.

You never know with these
career-minded motherfuckers, do you?

If I was minding my career,
would I be in the western in command

of you useless fucking humps?

Okay, let's go to the readouts
and the warrants first.

- Fuck the readouts.
- Fuck the warrants.

What the fuck
is going on with our hours?

Easy, easy. If I had an answer,
you'd have an answer.

I'm in the same boat as you are.

2-odd weeks since I've seen
overtime or court pay,

and I gotta pay
the credit union,

the archdiocese for my kid's tuition,

and my ex-wife
so she can pay...

Shut the fuck up
and sit the fuck down!

In your fucking seats.

We're still authorizing overtime

and the state's attorneys
are still signing court slips.

But you ain't fucking paying us.

The union says
we're going down to the NLRB

- and deal with this shit.
- Word coming down

is that when the city's budget
situation is improved,

we'll all see that
as back pay or comp time.

- Every last hour.
- Back pay my ass.

This shit here is just paper.

65 hours of worthless paper
right here!

Officer brown, sit your ass.

Sit!

We're all professionals.

We're about to police
the roughest district

in one of the roughest cities
in the world.

Show some pride.

If promises were made,
promises will be kept.

The situation in the city
right now is bad,

but it won't stay bad forever.

We wait this out
like professionals.

Now, then.

Back to the readouts.

First item is from motor pool.

No marked or unmarked units
can be shopped on dickman street

- until further notice.
- What?

Cutbacks and fleet budgeting
require that all districts

make do with vehicles
in their current state of affairs.

So that means--

Shitbox cars
are falling apart.

Fucking know that?

Where you at?

On his ass.

You guys got the eyeball.

All good, Lester.

It's all good.

Officer castor,
you have a call on line 79...

- Natives are restless, huh?
- I don't know

how long we go before
the wheels fall off the car.

A year ago, they were promised
pay raises, pension bumps,

better equipment, better cars.

Now we can't even pay the o.t.

Gave them
the professionalism bit, right?

In the real world,
they pay professionals.

- That's why we call them pros.
- Major.

There's a problem on the back lot.

If it bothers you, clean them up.

- Fuck you, son.
- Fuck you right back.

That thing was all fucked up
when I got it for midnight.

- You ask anyone.
- Then, you clean it,

or you get the midnight shift
to clean it.

Clean this.

Fuck you, Gene. You don't leave it
like that for the next man.

You're the one
whining like a little bitch, Bobby.

As S.I.C., should I stop this?

That's my car.

What, you think this is
good for morale or something?

These guys haven't had
an honest paycheck in weeks.

We have no fucking morale, Sergeant.

Kid ran us around for half an hour.

Amazing, ain't it?

Here we go.

He got a meeting.

Want me to come?

You go check on your corner.
I'll send word if it's on.

- He's moving.
- All right.

Lester, are you there?

Up on Reisterstown with Chris.

Marlo's on the move.

Should we follow him?

Why?
We know where he's going.

No, sir.
We've cut it to the bone already.

Cars are gonna go in service
for the next month.

And for as long as
we can get away with it,

we're deferring all overtime
and court pay.

How's crime?
How are your stats?

It's a double-digit decline you wanted.
Not possible with these cuts.

For God sake, you got to
show us some kind of reduction.

I campaigned on that.

All this deferred overtime.

We'll pay it as we can.
And the pay raises I promised?

They're still coming,
just a year late.

Right now I got to throw
every dollar at the schools,

but you tell your people
I know I made promises.

Where else can you guys trim?

Well, we...

We've been running
a prolonged investigation...

into all the--

the bodies we pulled out
of those houses last year.

Months of surveillance.

Thousands of man-hours.

At this point,
we're not close to an arrest.

You're saying you want us
to come down on a case

in which 22 people were murdered

and left to rot in city houses?

We caught national news coverage
on those murders.

Last year.

I don't want anyone saying
we're giving up on those murders.

I don't want to see that headline.

But given our fiscal situation,
we could...

temporarily suspend the investigation

pending new developments.

- Anything else?
- We need to take away

the 10-hour cap
on secondary employment.

You do that and your police
aren't doing police work,

they're guarding liquor stores,
bouncing nightclubs, putting up drywall.

Respectfully,
morale is at rock bottom.

You need to throw
our people a bone.

Or you could lose them for good.

Hold the line now...

And we'll get to a better place.
I promise.

Say it, Norman.

You're thinking it.

Truth to power, Norman.

Isn't that
what I keep you around for?

When the governor threw
that 50-some million on the table,

- you should've picked that shit up.
- He takes the state bailout

- and he never becomes governor.
- He shorts

the police department,
the crime rate stays up,

he ain't no governor, neither,

just a weak-ass Mayor
of a broke-ass city.

Feel better?

A little bit.
You?

Boy folded it up.

He taking our shit 60/40.

- Nigger showed no heart at all.
- So more people

- could stand down there, right?
- Definitely.

Won't be needing no drama
behind his nonsense.

And po-po's still up on you, huh?

You are hot all the time, man.

Today they got the white boy
with black hair up on the roof

on Booker T. Washington.

Watching with his spyglass.

The young 'uns
saw him climbing up. Yeah.

So we do like this, then.

That's it.

All of that so he could
swap a few words.

How do you wiretap that?

Lester?

Are we done for the day, man?

You don't want to stay on Chris,
see where he goes next?

We've been on this guy for months.

- He doesn't slip.
- And no one's kicking our O.T.

Yeah.

We're done.

Copy that.

Greenhouse Gas right here.

Hey, Marcus,
you got a count for me?

- Spider, you got a count for me?
- For you? No.

How we do?

I can't say for sure.

They short, huh?

Man, I just know they ain't tell me.

Greenhouse Gas.

Go home, man.

Bug'll be out of school pretty soon.

I ain't you, Michael.

Go get Bug.

I'll see you tonight.

Greenhouse Gas right here.

Yo, we short?

No, we good.
Got 60 left from about 1,400.

We own it, Mike.

So why don't you tell Duke?

Why you fucking with Duke, nigger?

I ain't fucking with nobody, man.

He just acting like a bitch,
that's all.

Greenhouse Gas is hot.

They're getting a little sloppy.

Did that meet in the same lot

they've used twice
in the last week.

The one on McCulloh.

That's pretty thin considering
how long we've been on these guys.

They're gonna get lazy.

Fall into a pattern.

They all do, over time.

Someone say overtime?

Seriously, we did 14 hours
and we're only gonna get paid for 8.

Case has gotta go green

before they go black.
That's how I was taught.

180 hours and counting.

Couple more weeks
and you get a month's work.

Couple more weeks, I'll be in jail
for late payment of child support.

Who needs a taste?

Shit.
Who's buying, motherfucker?

I'll cover a round or two.

Then I guess I'm drinking
a round or two.

Oh, yeah, and a boat dock, huh?

Yeah. And the gazebo here?
For my wife.

You get any word from downtown

on when they're gonna start
paying out the O.T. again?

Because we going double shift
on these surveillances.

They haven't told me anything.

Guess I ain't in the loop.

They have to shut it down, Colonel.

Explain to me how we come up
on 22 bodies.

- Explain that to me.
- This comes straight from the hall.

You're talking about a year's worth
of work by my best people.

To just give up on all of that?

Colonel, we haven't made
an honest payroll in over a month.

Where the fuck is Carcetti?

The man promised us a new day.

He's tangled up
with the schools,

and we're on hold.

The Mayor's made a few
commitments to me personally.

If you want to call in a martyr
on behalf of this department,

- feel free.
- And while you're at it,

see if you can get
your take-home car back.

Budget officer called an hour ago

telling us to relieve colonels and below
of take-home vehicles.

Hold on. Hold on.
See, if you move it here,

then I got you.

Little man bringing it.

Yo, dude...

I've been thinking.

You ain't need to put in time
on the corner if you don't want to.

I mean, you're doing enough here
with Bug to get paid.

How you mean?

I'm saying
looking out for him,

and I've been thinking, like,

if you were to get locked up
for some shit,

how'd it be for Bug, you know?

So, who's gonna watch
your corner in the morning?

Thought I might
promote Spider,

see how he doing
for a week or so.

So, I'd be like a nanny and shit?

What am I gonna do before Bug
get home from school,

clean the stove
and bake some cookies?

Do what you want here, yo.

Before he get home,
time is your own.

You beat me.

Oh, snap, you beat me.

They're fucking liars,
motherfucking liars.

Easy, boy.

I was happy on patrol.
I was fine.

You were bored.

Fuck no. I was happy.

Motherfuckers come to me and say,

"it's a new day, Jimmy,"

talking shit about
how it was gonna change.

Shit never fucking changes.

If they had left me up and running
when Marlo was on them cell phones,

I'd have had him a year ago.

See?

But they can't do the right thing.
It ain't in them.

Now we're back on Marlo's ass.
We need to be on him 24/7.

The motherfuckers cut our overtime,

and they shopped
our best surveillance van.

Don't even think about trying to...

requisition a new fucking

- digital camera.
- They want to do it on the cheap.

Bunko on the prowl.

Hey, bunky Bunk,
come here!

- Jimmy.
- Come here, you virile beast.

Hey, you...

Buy me a drink, you whore.

With what?

I'd have thought the bosses

would've at least figured out
how to keep paying Homicide.

Pete, come on.

Take these slips off me.

I'll pay you 50 cents
on the dollar against my tab.

- Cash only.
- When we get paid,

- you double your money.
- City's never gonna

be healthy enough
to go all that back pay.

How the fuck
are we gonna pay the bar tab?

We could always
knock off a liquor store--

G & L on Edmondson, thin plexi.

I'll take out the counter man.

- I'll cover you.
- I got the door, no problem.

Who's gonna be our wheel man?

Every plan, a weak link.

I heard they're closing
the foreign bureaus--

Joburg, Beijing, everything.

I heard layoffs
as bad as in Philly.

Bullshit.
They're not gonna lay off.

They'll offer buyouts first.

If they don't get enough of those,
they'll go right to layoffs. Watch.

What the fuck you care?
You got all the seniority in the world.

Be a shame
if they have to get rid of all them

- twentysomethings in the newsroom.
- Degenerate motherfucker.

Kleppner sure do like to hire
them sweet, young things, don't he?

23, 24 years old; model-thin;

long, straight hair;
and big, traffic-light eyes.

And half of them can
write a lick, can they?

Yeah. Our esteemed
managing editor

certainly does favor
a certain type, don't he?

Gentlemen...

Question mark.

Someday...

I want to find out what it feels like
to work for a real newspaper.

What? I've got calls out.
You start writing now,

and I'm not here 10:00 tonight
reworking your lead.

- Reworking my lead?
- Come on, Fletch.

Try to make the e-dot deadline
for once in your life.

- Any matter for the council meeting?
- Yeah.

I'll top it with whatever smells fresh,
make the double-dot.

They're gonna vote
on a homeless ordinance, right?

Maybe not.
Naresse is making noises

like she might
throw it back to committee.

Yeah? Well, find me
some news somewhere.

North Avenue?

Something is burning.

You...

You wonder what it might be?

I'm not the police reporter.

But you called Twig, though, right?

At least he's a columnist.
He's paid to sit on his ass.

What's your excuse?
Just left him in

the smoking lounge.
Hit him on his cell.

What kind of people
stand around watching a fire?

Some shameful shit right here.

Where else would you rather be,
huh, kids?

I got it, sir.

Hey, Jay.

A.P. Has got something on more
cutbacks in city bus lines.

- You don't say.
- Daily Record

had it this morning,
MTA trial balloon.

State desk is covering.

Daily Record.

All right, people.
It's 2:00.

I need budget lines in case
anybody is threatening

to commit and act of daily journalism.

City desk. Haynes.

You didn't, huh?

What the fuck are we supposed
to do for centerpiece art?

Great. Wonderful.

Photo didn't get out
for the racetrack piece.

What about art for the Hopkins
press conference? Did we get that?

Scratched it for racetrack.

Hey, Swag, it's me again.

Something is on fire
over in east Baltimore.

Surprise me with a nice,
pretty picture, huh?

Look.
What we have is drug violence

and plenty of it.
What you have

is federal gun statutes that come
with a 5-year minimum, no parole, and,

we need to lower our murder rate.

Especially since you shorted
your police department budget.

It's no secret
we have budget problems,

all the more reason
for the U.S. Attorney to pitch in.

Officially, my priorities
are counterterrorism

and political corruption.

So you told me
when I asked you for help

on those bodies
in the vacant houses.

But I'm inclined to provide you
with a dozen FBI agents

and all the wherewithal
they need to work that case,

but we want Clay Davis
to go federal.

Our state's attorney
has developed that case.

He decides what to do with it.

He seems inclined to keep
Mr. Davis local at this point,

but if you could convince
Mr. Bond to reconsider,

we might find the resources

not only for the probe
of the row house bodies,

but the time to run
some of those gun cases for you.

But unless you get Clay Davis, you're
willing to let the killing continue.

Look. The FBI
and the U.S. Attorney's office

are not here to do the job
that your police department can't.

Don't blame us
for your ineffectiveness.

Baltimore is knee deep in blood.
Unless this guy can hang

a democratic legislator,

- he couldn't give a damn.
- And to protect that legislator,

who happens to be
one of the most corrupt

extortion artists in the state,

you'll burn every last bridge.

Do you think I give a shit about
Clay Davis? I am not protecting him.

- Then give him up.
- It's Bond's call.

- Talk to him.
- I have.

And he told your Republican
ass to go fuck itself, huh?

Well, let me double down on that.

Good luck with your crime problem.

That go well?

You know why he wants
the Clay Davis investigation so bad?

So he can stomp all over
the Democratic party

and help give his asshole
Republican golf buddy another 4 years

- in the Governor's mansion.
- So, Bond

is keeping the case local
to help the party, huh?

No.

Bond is keeping the case so that
Clay Davis can be a trophy for bond.

My guess is, our newly elected
state's attorney

wants to, one day, run for Mayor.

Cuts both ways
for you, Naresse.

If the feds get Clay Davis, then
the case doesn't give bond any profile,

but if they get him
and flip him,

Clay might take
half the Royce administration with him.

You included maybe.

Don't you worry about me.

You, on the other hand,
just slammed the door on the feds,

and we need all the help we can get.

That's on them.

Pussy call.

I'm just glad to know
Marlo has a hobby.

Here.
Take her to her room,

you know,
let her hit the mini bar, watch tv.

When she's settled,
go take care of the other thing.

I use Monk for my ride.

All right. Then moving on
to new business,

with John Hopkins
buying up everything

north of Monument Street
and tearing the shit down,

I think we all see the writing
on the wall in East Baltimore.

Yeah. They moving the 'hood out.

Niggers are going across
the line to Baltimore County.

Pretty soon, East Baltimore
won't be in Essex.

There's a market already along route 40
and down at Turner Station.

- And new territory go to who claim it.
- No. Ordinarily so,

but here, we got some of our
east side people being displaced, right?

I think we need to take care
of those most affected.

Meaning you.

Well, I am east side,

for the most part,

but I'm talking about Hungry Man
and Parker and Ghost,

you know,
others beside myself.

Hopkins ain't gonna affect
your market share, Marlo,

- so for those of us who suffer--
- All right. I see that.

Won't you let one
of your juniors get a shot

to open the county up?

Let a fresh face get a shot at it.

No disrespect, son,

but how I delegate to my lieutenants
is not a co-op concern.

Yeah, but how Slim feel
about that, though?

How you feel, tall man?

Ready to pioneer out there for us?

Naw. I'm good where I am.

Marlo, man,

you're a little out of order here.

Yeah. Well,

- it's just a thought.
- Look, man.

- What's the percentage breakdown...
- Don't sleep on Marlo.

He up to some shit here.

That puts me out 8 corners at least.

Hungry Man,
that was some prime real estate.

It took me 6 years
to build up them corners.

Reginald.

Reginald.

I'm going to work. You know
I got night shift all this week.

You know if you stay down here
quiet like, you ain't need to sweat.

You don't stay here
when I'm not around. That's our rule.

I'm your brother, right?
I got nowhere to go when I leave here.

Last time I left you
alone in my home,

you dragged half my kitchen
to a pawn shop.

Remember that?

But you can keep
the door locked, right?

I'm down here.

My rules.

You said.

The courthouse?
What the fuck?

I'll go in.

Rupert.

What now?

Major Crimes is being disbanded.

The detectives return
to regular rotation.

I got the word yesterday
from command.

The Mayor signed off.

They're quietly deep-sixing
the investigation into the bodies

and to Marlo Stanfield.

- A money thing?
- They're pulling back on everything--

Man hours, equipment,
lab work, motor pool.

Every last dollar we can find

is being shipped over
to plug the school budget.

Cedric thought he would try
to reason with Carcetti,

maybe see if we can keep
the Stanfield detail, at least.

Wait. What about Clay Davis?
That's going to grand jury soon.

If they ship Freamon back to homicide,
I don't have him on that, either,

- and Lester pretty much is that case.
- Excuse me.

- You know where the clerk's office at?
- Criminal or civil?

Criminal, definitely.

End of the hall, last door.

- When are you meeting with the Mayor?
- About an hour.

They gave me a few minutes
on the end of his day.

I'll go with you.

Come by my office and get me.

So, where you off to now?

Motions hearing in part 18.

It's the last thing on my sched.

And for state desk?

Additional cutbacks are said
to be coming in the city MTA routes,

trail balloon from the governor.

- Affects a lot of people, no?
- If it happens.

- They floated this once before.
- Still,

we can go outside
and give them the potential impact.

The truth is we're following
the Daily Record on this one.

Why don't we have that?
If it's a trial balloon--

We've been without a transport reporter
since the last round of buyouts,

- so--
- We should pick that up.

- Probably so, but--
- Just because

Chicago does a little belt-tightening,
there's no reason for us to fall down.

Their cutbacks there

shouldn't affect our ability
to put out an excellent product.

Simply have to do more with less.

Certainly, we have more resources
than the Daily Record.

Though not a transport reporter.

Your Eminence,

slumming at the Metro meeting today?

- What do you know?
- City desk.

State's attorney
complains about the decline

in quality police case work 20 inches

from warm castle.
Got the city council tonight.

Probably won't get a vote
on the homeless initiative,

but we'll scratch some news
out of it somehow.

Two-car fatal on the Beltway,
two overnight murders in the city,

and a fire ongoing
in a Baltimore city row house

for which we may
or may not have art.

Regional affairs.

We have the Hopkins piece on biomed,
though

I'm told we didn't get
art on today's press conference,

and we have 15 inches

from the college park stringer
on U.M.

- not making it's deseg goals again.
- I'm told that,

numbers aside, the campus has become
much more hospitable to minorities.

I'm told that things
have changed for the better.

- Really?
- As you may know,

Gene Robbins is dean
of journalism there.

I had lunch with him
the other day...

- Nevertheless, they haven't--
- And he was saying

how the last few years
have really transformed

the school's reputation
with black faculty and students.

He's a white guy, right?

- Who?
- Journalism fellow--

Dean Wormer,
Dean Martin, whatever his name is.

I worked with

Gene Robbins
in Philadelphia.

He is an excellent journalist
and a reliable source.

I think race is beside the point,

so why don't we hold on the deseg story

until we can assign someone
to do some more reporting,

get a real sense of how U.M.
Is perceived by minorities?

All right, then.
Let's firm things up,

take a look at where we stand
an hour from now.

Why poke him with a stick?

You know who Gene Robbins is.

Who's poking?

If I think something about a story,
I'm gonna speak on it.

You know what
a healthy newsroom is?

It's a magical place where people
argue about everything all the time.

- I'm not poking anyone here.
- "Dean Martin"?

Yeah, a little poke.

Thank you.

I know that wasn't no court date--

He already got the gun charge
postponed twice--

So what the fuck was that about?

Remember that Russian
we locked up for murder,

part of the port case a year back?

I didn't work that case with you, man,
so, no, I don't remember.

Well, Chris Partlow does.

Miss Gutierrez.

Get your ass over here.

You say that 120 people
were evacuated.

- Yeah. They were.
- You can't evacuate people.

I mean, you can, if you want, but
that's not what you want to say here.

A building can be evacuated.

To evacuate a person
is to give that person an enema.

The details, Miss Gutierrez.

At the Baltimore Sun, God
still resides in the details.

- You teach them, Spry.
- What are we gonna do

with these children today?

Fuckety-fuck.

Another burnt doll.

Carlyle again.

- Photo.
- Hey, Swag,

I'm looking at fire from east baltimore
and I got a burnt barbie in foreground.

And I might actually believe you
if it wasn't Carlyle who took the shot.

No fuckin' way I believe in
this picture. Print me something else.

All right.

Every fire photo he brings in
has got to be some burnt doll

somewhere in the debris.

I can see that cheating
motherfucker now

with his fucking harem of dolls
pouring lighter fluid on each one.

You check his fucking truck,
you'll find a whole collection of them.

What's your lead?

Council delays vote on the homeless
initiative at Carcetti's behest.

He doesn't want it looks like the city's
running the homeless out of downtown,

so he asked Naresse
to redraft the measure.

He's right.

You don't evacuate people.

- What?
- Never mind.

- Working on anything good?
- Just what day cops missed.

A fatal in Charles County
and a gas leak downtown.

Briefs, huh?

A quiet day so far.

It's a shit news town.

You think?

How many stories
go national out of here? Not many.

Those bodies in the houses last year.
That got a lot of play.

And they didn't even solve it, right?

The story had no legs at all.

Since then, what else?

Jeff.

Jeffy-Jeff.

What?

Come here.
Jesus Christ.

What now?

Did you stay for the zoning bills?

No.
I came back here to write.

Check the fucking library.

Shit, check the clips, too.
It goes back a ways.

No. Check that. You go back to the hall,
you get the vote on this thing.

Find out who sponsored this.
Find out whether Carcetti or

- Naresse or whoever's behind it.
- You buttonhole them, find out

- what the hell's going on.
- Why?

Who's Ricardo Hendrix?

A drug dealer.

Fatface Rick.
Alma, Scott.

This property
on Baltimore Street is a titty bar

the city wants
for the Howard Street enterprise zone,

but this other property
they want to trade with him,

I want to find out
what that's all about.

This is a drug dealer
they're trading properties with?

Yeah. He's got a record as long as
your arm. A couple convictions, too.

Go, go.
Get some good quotes.

I want you to go to this address.

It's a strip club called Desperado.

You ask around for the owner.

His name's Ricardo Hendrix.

You tell them
until we get a comment,

we're gonna put ricky's picture
on the front page every day.

Who is he?

He's a drug dealer.
But from the look of this,

he's run some sort of game
at city hall.

We want a comment as to why he's
trading property with the city,

what he stands
to make off the deal.

What do you want from me?

Pull clips,
check the morgue files,

write the "A" matter
on Ricardo's history.

Wait. She goes to strip clubs
and I'm pulling clips in the morgue?

You guys late
for the council meeting?

- Looking for you, sir.
- Me? I'm racing them out.

I'm late for some charity thing
at the Walters.

I was told I could
get a few minutes tonight.

- You're on my schedule?
- Everything ran late today.

They were supposed
to ring you, I think.

Do it quick
or do we reschedule?

Burrell's disbanded the unit
that's working the bodies in the houses.

When we're fat with
money, you can come back on it.

Investigations are not like that.

You can't just drop one and then
pick it up down the road without--

We got no money.
We've got no fucking money at all.

There's nothing we can do
until the new fiscal.

But, Tommy,

that kills Clay Davis for me.

We're about to go to grand jury on it.

- Same unit is doing Clay?
- I need some profile for my shop.

How much of that unit do you
need to bring the case in?

A couple of detectives.

I'll tell Rawls you can
keep 2 men for Clay.

The rest of it is shut down
until we're able to dig out, OK?

I got to run.

So one thieving politician
trumps 22 dead bodies.

Good to know.

To save money,

they're not even putting
ops cars in the street.

No more 2-man patrols.

- Jesus, where did the money go?
- Schools.

Carcetti didn't want to lay off
teachers, so he fucks us instead.

Seems like you got out
at the right time, huh?

Look at you.

Here's our boy Thomas
sporting the latest

in downtown businesswear,

an understated ensemble
that puts the "be" in subtle.

There's a "b" in subtle?

Seriously,

you look well, Herc.

I'm doing good, man.
I got more work than I can get to.

It's like once word got around,

these fucking lawyers came out
of the fucking woodwork.

Which reminds me,

I need one of you guys
to run a name for me.

Tags, registration, and phone.

While you're at it,
run a sheeting photo.

Cause, hey, I'm buying
the next round, right?

About fucking time!

Not used to having money.
Kind of forget.

Let's get a round.

How's the brief?

It's clean and it bites.

- Deserves a front, off-lead, maybe.
- And we're saying what?

That it's a sweetheart deal

for a titty bar owner
with a big criminal history.

He sells his existing location
to the city for 1.2 million

and they sell him
a better piece of real estate

to relocate his club
5 blocks west for 200,000.

He clears a million
for laying in the cut.

- What's the quid pro quo?
- We're going through donors

in Naresse's campaign committee
as we speak.

So far, we got 40,000
from Ricardo Hendrix

and a bunch of people all using
the same address as the bar.

- Why wasn't this on your budget?
- Well, we found it--

Actually, Jeff Price found it
hidden in the zoning bills,

bottom of the council agenda.

He caught it late,
but he caught it.

All right, front page,
below the fold.

Metro desk, Phelps.

Gus, Rrice

for you, line 2,
and he's got Naresse with him.

Aw, shit, here it comes.

Gus? It's Jeff.

The council president would like
a word with you.

On the record?

No. She's given me her quote.

- She wants to talk off the record.
- Put her on.

This is all perfectly above board.

No doubt, madam president.

We need this property
for redevelopment

and it's in the city's interest
to allow Mr. Hendrix to relocate.

And is it in the city's
interest to give him a property

with twice as much floor space

and give him a million dollars
for his trouble?

Do you think he might have
made it clear to the council

that Mr. Hendrix donated

$60,000 to your campaign committee?

I don't know, Ma'am.

Where I live, 60,000
buys a lot of good will.

Hey, Jeff, is that you?

I'm putting you on hold for Spry.

Yeah, give me
your on the record for Naresse.

- Ready?
- Yeah.

Shame we couldn't use
what she just gave us.

What do you got?

Keep running through
that campaign finance shit.

There's at least $20,000
in contributions we haven't found yet.

Naresse all but confirmed it.

Yeah, it's me.

We're going late tonight.

I'm fine.

No, I'm not.

I'm just tired is all.

I slur when I'm tired.

That's all.

Yeah.

Night.

Bubs.

Hauk?

That was a great pull at deadline.

Hey, any night
a Baltimore politician

calls you a son of a bitch
is a good night. Am I right?

That was a good pull by Alma,

getting that quote from Fatface Rick
for the home final.

"I'm a businessman.
City wants to help me out,

"I ain't gonna argue."
Sweet.

- Thank you.
- How'd you get him to talk to you?

I just walked in, sat down,

watched the dancers for a few minutes,
and he came over to me.

Thought I was looking for a job.

You deserve more than
a contributing line for that.

I don't know.
A contrib line is cool.

You can't go far on contrib lines.

Where do you want to go?

Times or Post.
Where else?

I don't know.
This is still a pretty good paper.

I brought it
to the Mayor personally,

but they're throwing their last dollars
into patrol and crime suppression.

You think being on Marlo
and his people every damn day

for a year isn't crime suppression?

We lowered the body count
just by sitting on these people.

- They knew they're hot, huh?
- After a year?

Look. Promises
were made to me, as well.

I was told a new day was coming.

Clearly, this isn't it.

Well, where
are we going, then?

You and McNulty are back
to the Homicide rotation.

Dozerman is temporarily
assigned to Tactical.

Lieutenant. You're going
to fill a vacancy in the northern,

4:00-12:00 shift.

Freamon, Sydnor,

you two are assigned
to the State's attorney's office

to help grand-jury
the Clay Davis thing.

When the money starts to flow,

I'll get you all
back on this somehow.

Sorry.

Wonder what it feels like to work
in a real fucking police department.

50 cent.

50 cent.

Obliged.

When did this break last night?

Gus saw it on the council
agenda around 9:30.

It's a good fucking story.

Who's doing the react piece?

Jeff will. Why?

I'm just--

I need a story. I'm up.

Yeah. Stay hungry like that.

Good things come when they come.

It's 2:00, people.

I need budget lines.

There are a million stories
in the naked city,

but today you poor mooks
only need to throw me 3 or 4.

Good afternoon...

The Orioles will not
pay for pitching.

-I should have never left the Bronx.
- You see this?

- What?
- One of our clients

on the front page.

Represent Tiger Woods?

All it cost me was a round of beers.

They fucking love me
in the department.

I'm a fucking martyr
is what I am.

Pull over some black minister,
piss him off,

and I lose my fucking job.

One round?

You, a prominent defense investigator,

let these other guys
buy a round of drinks ever?

OK.

It's time you learned a little something
about the expense account.

That's my desk.

What the fuck you say?

The prodigal son.

Subtitles: thewire-france

Synchronization: Sixe
Corrections: KB