Season 1, Episode 10
The Cost
"And then he dropped the bracelets..."
— Greggs
After narrowly escaping from Omar, Avon is finally receptive to Stringer's advice they should call a truce with Omar; through Proposition Joe, Stringer and Omar have a meeting, and Stringer says they'll call off the bounty if Omar stops robbing them (while being careful not to mention Avon's name). Omar asks for money as insurance, and Stringer agrees; to Omar, this is his cue to leave town, and McNulty gets him a ticket to New York City.
The detail scores a few successes; they get a lead on the main stash house, McNulty finds Wallace (after hearing on the wire how he's still affected by Brandon's death), who agrees to testify (though Daniels is forced to drive him to his grandmother's on the Eastern Shore because they can't afford to put him up), and Orlando gets busted by state police while trying to sell drugs. However, neither Omar nor Shardene are able to get any dirt on Avon. Also, while Kima and McNulty don't believe Orlando when he claims he could buy from Avon or Stringer, Burrell forces the detail to use Orlando on a buy/bust. The result is, Orlando gets killed, and Kima, who's posing as Orlando's girl, gets shot.
This episode contains examples of:
- Actually Pretty Funny: McNulty can't help chuckling when Omar hits him up for cash before he goes out of town.
- An Aesop: Waylon says to Bubbles, "You wanna kick this shit? You got to forgive your own self."
- Back Story: When one of Kima and Cheryl's friends asks Kima how she knew she wanted to be a cop, Kima tells the story of how, when she was still a cadet in training, she chased and caught a purse snatcher, and Charlie Smoot, a well-known cop, tossed her his handcuffs and said, "Here you go, rook."Kima: (to Cheryl) I mean, I know you don't like it. But shit, I was proud.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Levy after he makes Orlando sign over the strip club.You wanted to be in the game, right? Now you're in the game.
- Call-Back: Elena drags McNulty into court for having their sons follow Stringer and then losing them temporarily.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: When Kima says she's sticking to beer and not drinking shots with Cheryl and their friends, Cheryl accuses her of this.
- Continuity Nod: Shardene is still angry at D'Angelo. Also, Bubbles is still clean.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: As Proposition Joe and Stringer wait for Omar to show up:Proposition Joe: Of course, he [Omar] said you would be paying my fee rather than his own self.
Stringer: Your fee?
Proposition Joe: I'm doing like one of them marriage counselors. Charge by the hour to tell some fool he need to bring some flowers home. Then charge another hour telling the bitch she ought to suck some cock every little once in a while. - Epigraph: "And then he dropped the bracelets", said by Kima, as part of the story she tells Cheryl and their friends (see Back Story above).
- Flipping the Bird: When Carver makes a crack at how much Kima looks the part of one of Orlando's "ho's", she does this to him.
- Freak Out / Heroic BSoD: When they find Kima shot, while McNulty tries to help her, and Daniels calls for an ambulance, Sydnor just stands there, looking shocked, while Carver stomps around screaming in anger and then collapses into a crouch, looking like he's about to cry.
- Implied Death Threat: Played with; Levy isn't implying he will harm or kill Orlando if he doesn't sign over the strip club, but Avon and/or Stringer.Levy: Is that what you want me to tell him? That I asked you to sign and you wouldn't?
- Jerkass Has a Point: As uncompromising and hostile as she is about it, McNulty's ex-wife Elena does have a point about his parental irresponsibility. Using his kids to tail Stringer and then losing them is a prime example, even if they were never in any danger.
- Omnidisciplinary Scientist: The legal variant of this tropes is averted at Elena’s petition. Rhonda admits that as a criminal prosecutor, she doesn’t have the first clue about divorce-related law.
- Out-of-Character Moment: McNulty can't believe it when Phelan, of all people, bitches about extending the wiretap. Rhonda says it's because he's up for re-election and doesn't have party support.
- Properly Paranoid: Stringer shows some saviness and makes sure to never refer to Avon by name despite being nudged to do so like Omar. "I don't know nobody named Barksdale."
- Conversely, Omar senses something is amiss when Stringer offers money as insurance which clues him into this being a plan to have him killed when he drops his guard down.
- Put on the Bus: Literally, Omar, as he heads to New York City. Not for long, though.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Kima and Wig when he comes to tell the detail about Orlando:Kima: Name of Troy Wiggins, but pay no attention to the man, cause he about 90-95% pure bullshit.
Wig: Kima, she just talk like that cause I had her when she was good.
Kima: Shit, you the motherfucker turned me the other way. - Tempting Fate: Though Carver figures Avon will already assume Orlando is snitching for the police, Orlando says since the assumption is he's trying to raise money for a lawyer, no one will suspect otherwise.
- True Companions: Though Wallace is willing to give up Stringer, he keeps D'Angelo out of it as much as he can.
- Waxing Lyrical: When Omar leaves at the bus station and says goodbye to McNulty, he is asked about New York City. He replies 'There must be something happening, it's too big a town', a line lifted from the Steve Earle song 'New York City'
- We Do Not Know Each Other:Proposition Joe: (to Omar) Don't believe we've met. I'm Proposition Joe.
- Wham Episode: Thanks to Kima getting shot.
- Where Everybody Knows Your Flame: Subverted; the lesbian bar Cheryl, Kima and their friends go to looks like any other bar.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: We do, however, get to see Cheryl and Kima make out, as well as the couple they're with.
- Why Are You Looking at Me Like That?: After McNulty finds out Elena is dragging him to court, he tells Jay, "I need a fucking lawyer." They look around and see Rhonda.Rhonda: What?
