Marlo rejects Stringer's offer to join the New Day, and instead makes plans to go to war. Believing that Marlo is the new Barksdale enforcer, McNulty and Greggs try to pressure Daniels into switching the MCU target back to Stringer. McNulty's attempts to open an official investigation into D'Angelo's death hit a brick wall. As the drug tolerant zones begin to take off, Colvin unleashes his troops on the dealers still occupying corners, giving his men free rein to use whatever force is necessary to get them to relocate. Bunk decides he is no longer wasting his time looking for the missing gun, and switches his attention to the shooting involving Omar's crew. Avon is underwhelmed with Stringer's movement into real estate, and is more concerned with what is happening on the street. When he learns Marlo's crew ran Bodie's off a corner, he is furious Stringer didn't retaliate, and orders Slim Charles and Cutty to hit back at Marlo. As Stinger is forced to pay more money to Clay Davis to speed up the necessary permits for his condos, Carcetti manipulates Gray into thinking about entering the next mayoral race so as to divide the city's black votes.
This episode contains examples of:
- Ambition Is Evil: Marlo’s war-room talk with his people makes it clear that he wants to wear the crown, risks to his own life be damned. Stringer also aspires to run the whole city.
- Berserk Button: Daniels doesn't generally pull rank, but he's had enough of Kima and McNulty telling him who he should or shouldn't investigate.Daniels: Let me be clear: This is no longer about Stringer Bell. Or Kintel fucking Williamson. Or any of them. What is my rank, Detective Greggs? My rank!Kima: Lieutenant, sir.Daniels: What is my rank, Detective McNulty? (McNulty doesn't answer) If you can't remember that much then you can go the hell back to narcotics. And you can go to whatever the hell unit will still have you. Now get the fuck out of my office.
- Call-Back: In addition to what's listed above, Carcetti also tells Terri about when he went to Royce about the state's witness being killed, and Royce blew him off, and Bodie tells the other members of his crew if they're arrested at Hamsterdam, he hopes they have toothbrushes because Boys' Village doesn't have any.
- Catchphrase: This is the first episode we hear Clay say "Sheeit."
- Continuity Nod: Dante and Kimmy are still resentful towards each other over what happened to Tosha.
- Could Say It, But...: Kima, knowing full well about McNulty's Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, suggests Daniels might change his mind about Stringer if ordered to, especially since Colvin's dealing with murders in his district, then adds, "Not that you'd ever go behind anybody's back or anything like that, right?"
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Once again, references to The War on Terror, with Bubbles saying the western district is getting to be like Baghdad.
- Epigraph: "Just a Gangster, I suppose" is what Avon says about himself.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Avon and Stringer are dismayed to say the least by the delays and BSing involved in the building contracting.
- Foreshadowing:
- Cutty's (or Dennis') decision to go straight, how Omar is affected by what Bunk told him, the Escalating War between Avon and Marlo (as well as the growing rift between Avon and Stringer), Stringer's increased dissatisfaction with Clay, and Gray's political ambitions all become important later. Also, within the episode, Slim tells Avon at how one of the "soldiers" they had did a Heel–Face Turn, which foreshadows Cutty's. Cutty and Slim's planning session for the raid also mentions that the car needs to drive out from the correct direction, or the driver will be the first person in the line of fire, and the shooter won't be able to get a clear shot at the target, which is precisely what happens when the idiots break from the plan and jump out early.
- Along with all that is Colvin's disappointment in Carver yet again being unable to offer information on what's going on (e.g. what gangs are warring) in the district he patrols.
- When the driver in the plan to ambush Marlo's crew is talking about ambushing before Cutty's call, the passenger says "we should wait for the call; man, what if that crew got lookouts?" Not even 30 seconds later in real time, a dude riding by on a bicycle goes up to the crew and warns them (he was the lookout).
- Genius Bruiser: Cutty shows off his skill as The Strategist during his last day on Avon’s payroll.
- Heel–Face Turn: Cutty (who hereafter will be known by his first name, Dennis).
- Here We Go Again!: Burrell and Rawls are a little too happy to point out that Daniels has “come to the rescue” again as they dump him with more bodies.
- Honor Before Reason: Omar’s version of it at least prevents him from cooperating with Bunk which would get his much desired justice for Tosha’s murder and avoid implicating himself and his crew in the shoot-out.
- Hypocritical Humor: Clay calling the people running the city "thievin' bitches", considering how much of a thief he's already been shown to be.
- Just a Gangster: This episode is the Trope Namer. When Stringer pleads with Avon to see that they don't need to be concerned about corners anymore because they will soon be making so much straight money that it won't matter, Avon shows his disdain for the idea of going straight.Stringer: I mean, we past the run and gun shit, man. ... We could run more than corners, B. We could do like Little Willie, man back in the day, with all that number money. And run this goddamn city.
Avon: Like businessmen? Yeah, I ain't no suit-wearing businessman like you. I'm just a gangster, I suppose. And I want my corners. - Leeroy Jenkins:
- The bumbling duo of Barskdale soldiers do this in spectacular fashion as they bungle EVERY instruction that Cutty and Slim gave them. Also doubles as Too Dumb to Live.
- Avon counts too on a larger-scale.
- Miranda Rights: When the western squad is doing whatever they can to make sure dealers go to Hamsterdam, one of them complains he has rights, to which Carver responds, "Go with the one about staying silent."
- Pet the Dog:
- Avon allowing Cutty to walk away from the game, when he could have easily had Cutty killed, either for failure or for knowing too much.
- Just before that, Slim tried to take the blame for Fruit getting away to hide the fact that Cutty couldn't pull the trigger.
- The Precious, Precious Car / Serious Business: Herc's way of getting one dealer to agree to go to Hamsterdam is to have his SUV towed. Naturally, the dealer says he and his people will be happy to go to Hamsterdam if the towing crew will only give "Babycakes" back to him.Colicchio: (laughing) "Babycakes"?
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While Avon makes plenty of stupid decision this episode, he actually is pretty respectful of Cutty’s decision not to be a soldier anymore and suggests he would still be valuable in a non-combat role due to his intelligence. When Cutty clarifies he’s done with all of it, the two part ways amicably.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Bunk gives one of these to Omar, largely because of
Do Not Do This Cool Thing. Omar may be perhaps the most badass character in Baltimore, but his actions have consequences.Omar: Shoot, the way y'all looking at things, ain't no victim to even speak on.Bunk: Bullshit, boy. No victim? I just came from Tosha's people, remember? All this death, you don't think it ripples out? You don't even know what the fuck I'm talking about. I was a few years ahead of you at Edmondson, but I know you remember the neighborhood, how it was. We had some bad boys, for real. Wasn't about guns so much as knowing what to do with your hands. Those boys could really rack. My father had me on the straight, but like any young man, I wanted to be hard too, so I'd turn up at all the house parties where the tough boys hung. Shit, they knew I wasn't one of them. Them hard cases would come up to me and say, "Go home, schoolboy, you don't belong here." Didn't realize at the time what they were doing for me. As rough as that neighborhood could be, we had us a community. Nobody, no victim, who didn't matter. And now all we got is bodies, and predatory motherfuckers like you. And out where that girl fell, I saw kids acting like Omar, calling you by name, glorifying your ass. Makes me sick, motherfucker, how far we done fell. - Red Oni, Blue Oni: Avon and Stringer’s relationship as this is on display more than ever with the newly-released Avon being disappointed with how their operation has changed while String is vexed by no longer being able to be a successful, self-sufficient Dragon-in-Chief.
- Surrounded by Idiots: When Avon asks Slim about the quality of soldiers they have, Slim praises Cutty, but adds, "the rest of them dudes, I dunno." And he's proved right after the first attempt to ambush Marlo's corner crew goes wrong because a couple of Avon's crew drive out early, and in such a way that they do what Slim had specifically warned them to avoid during the planning session.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Daniels is somewhere between this and Oh, Crap! when he finds Burrell, Rawls and Colvin all waiting to give him some new job.
- Too Dumb to Live: The driver in Cutty and Slim's well laid-out plain to ambush Marlo's crew decides to launch the ambush before Cutty's call, thanks to wanting some credit and seeing a dealer he has a personal beef with. Thanks to a lookout for the crew making ambusher's car earlier, he catches a bullet to the head quick when he actually drives up.
- Troll: Carver and the rest of the cops are having way too much fun coming up with ways to harass the dealers who refuse to go to Hamsterdam.
