Unlike most television crime dramas, which neatly introduce and then solve a case all in the space of one hour, HBO's THE WIRE follows one single drug and homicide investigation throughout the length of an entire season. Centered on the drug culture of inner-city Baltimore, the series' storyline unfolds from the points of view of both the criminals lording the streets and the police officers determined to bring them down.
"...the life of kings." - H.L. Mencken
Carcetti maps out a damage-control scenario with the police brass in the wake of a startling revelation from Pearlman and Daniels, their choices are either to clean up the mess, or hide the dirt; McNulty, with his leads predictably drying up, asks Landsman to pull police off the homeless case, until a fresh homicide ramps up the investigation; a frustrated Haynes finds his concerns about Templeton falling on increasingly deaf ears; Levy, convinced he has the upper hand, but caught in a legal quandary, plays a cat-and-mouse game with Pearlman; Bubbles debates whether to greenlight a newspaper story about his life; Dukie seeks out an old mentor for a loan; Marlo oversees a new Co-Op order as he maps out his next move; as the officers stage an Irish wake for another dearly departed officer, the seeds of the future are sown throughout Baltimore.
"Deserve got nuthin' to do with it." - Snoop
With Carcetti's Chief of Staff Michael Steintorf ordering Rawls to initiate "creative" remedies for the rising crime rate, Freamon's vigilance pays off with a promising lead, sending Sydnor and the department into overdrive; although Daniels is originally delighted, a further probe with Pearlman reveals some troubling source information; McNulty, feeling betrayed, doesn't feel like sharing in Freamon's celebration; Michael is suspicious about his latest assignment; Haynes gets fresh eyes to help with fact-checking; Namond's debating skills make Colvin proud; Davis points a finger at Levy and the courts; and Bubbles recounts a recent temptation overcome.
"A lie ain't a side of a story. It's just a lie." - Terry Hanning
A shift in the police department sends Carver to a new location. Meanwhile, Carcetti is forced to put his political future in jeopardy, Haynes digs deeper into Templeton's work, and an important case has a breakthrough by Sydnor, while Fletcher continues working with Bubbles.
"They don't teach it in law school." - Pearlman
After cooking up another scheme for the homeless case, McNulty and Lester become popular figures. Davis is set for his day in court by collecting the best legal assistance money can buy. Plus, Michael has brushes with the wrong side of the law, while Gus seeks help for an old story by going outside the Sun.
"If you have a problem with this. I understand completely." - Freamon
Mystified by Omar's disappearance, Marlo and Chris ramp up their efforts to locate their nemesis; After attending a sparsely attended waterfront ceremony, Carcetti fires away at a larger press event, and recasts himself as a champion for the homeless; Bunk revisits some old leads in the rowhouse cases, but is frustrated in his attempts to get bloodwork from the crime lab; Templeton looks for a perfect follow-up to his latest, nationally covered story, which has replaced the city's educational crisis on the paper's priority list; After the detail gets more manpower, Freamon presses McNulty to get new surveillance equipment, but the resources aren't as deep as both hoped; Pearlman discovers new clues pointing to corruption in City Hall; Marlo makes new appointments at the latest Co-Op meeting; McNulty takes a peculiar interest in a homeless man.
