The MCU are stunned to learn Avon is free. Freamon and Prez get working on hacking Bodie's burner, and discover a traceable network. However, they are unsure how to get a wire onto it, as the phones are only used for two weeks before being discarded. As such, they attempt to track who has been buying the burners. Carver approaches Colvin with some concerns about the problems of Hamsterdam, including the ease with which stick-up crews are ripping off dealers, and the ex-hoppers who are no longer needed, but who are hanging around anyway, and Colvin suggests they use the hoppers as a defacto police force. Later, he shows Deacon around, but is surprised by his reaction. Carcetti continues to press for witness protection money, before getting an education in how to be a likeable politician. As Cutty turns to Deacon for advice about his future, Brianna and McNulty have an emotional discussion about D'Angelo. Meanwhile, Stringer continues to make in-roads in legitimate circles, whilst Avon hatches a plan to snare Omar, and vows revenge against Marlo for the drive-by at Poot's corner.
This episode contains examples of:
- Armor-Piercing Response: When McNulty quickly concludes that D'Angelo's death was no suicide, he goes to D'Angelo's girlfriend to tell her about his suspicions, and never visits Brianna. When Brianna finally hears about this and comes to McNulty for answers, including why he never approached her with his suspicions, McNulty's response leaves her devastated.Brianna: Why go to her first? Why not come to me?McNulty: Honestly? I was looking for someone who cared about the kid. I mean, like I said: you were the one who made him take the years, right?
- As the Good Book Says...: When McNulty finds out the Food-Mart owner has a transaction record for Bernard's phones, he says, "Seek and ye shall find." The co-owner of the Food-Mart, a Sikh Indian, thinks he said "Sikh", and gets upset.
- The Cameo: Genevieve Hudson-Price, the daughter of Richard Price (who wrote the episode), plays the junkie who buys an 8-ball in Hamsterdam at the beginning.
- Combat Pragmatist: Stringer pretty quickly overpowers Avon by targeting his just hours-old gunshot wound.
- Didn't Think This Through: The deacon, while acknowledging Colvin's efforts, points out the many flaws in the Hamsterdam idea; the abandoned buildings have no lights, water or sanitation, there's no easy access to hospital for the overdoses, nowhere for the prostitutes to get protection etc. Rather than blow the whistle on Colvin, however, the deacon uses his contacts to try to help as much as possible.
- Dramatic Irony: When explaining his sharp decrease in crime rates in the COMSTAT meeting, Colvin rattles a list of BS reasons that ends with “significant community outreach” and exchanges a knowing smirk with Mello.
- Enhance Button: Prez gets positively giddy about the way he's able to get a close-up on the car Bernard drives by using one of these.Daniels: Sometimes, you still scare me, you know that?
- Epigraph: "Crawl, walk and then run", said by Clay when telling Stringer he's not ready for the federal money.
- A Father to His Men: Carver immediately cites this as why Colvin deserves loyalty when some of the more disgruntled cops suggest leaking to the top brass or the press.
- Foreshadowing:
- Avon and Stringer's fates are pretty much sealed after this episode.
- Also, Avon's attempts to get at Omar, the detail finding out about Bernard, and public health officials getting involved at Hamsterdam become important.
- Honey Trap: Avon deploys Devonne as bait for Marlo. Marlo however smells the trap and has Chris stake out the meeting point.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Stringer tries to justify DeAngelo’s murder this way to Avon.
- I Know You Know I Know: By the end of Brianna confrontation with String about DeAngelo’s death, they exchange some knowing glances.
- Insistent Terminology: When Colvin sees the Deacon playing pool:Colvin: You hustling?Deacon: Educating.Colvin: Charging for it, or tuition-free?Deacon: Tuition will come back to him ten-fold in acquired wisdom. Besides, nothing in the world's more expensive than "free".
- Insufferable Genius: Carcetti revels in his intellect and sharp tongue but is advised by his PR team to tone it down to appear more likeable.
- Internal Reveal: Most notably, Stringer admits to killing Dee to Avon.
- Lame Pun Reaction: When the owner of Food-Mart tells Kima and McNulty about Bernard buying 8 phones at once, he says, "That's a lot of ring ding, no?" Kima and McNulty look at him quizzically, and he says, "A joke."
- Manchild: Upon seeing that the dealers know how to use the photofit software (brushing off their incredulity that he doesn't) Herc promptly starts using it to create his ideal woman. Even Carver seems surprised by this level of childishness from him. Amusingly, Herc's created ideal woman bears some resemblance to Carver.
- Mistaken for Racist: In a pretty funny moment, when in Middle-of-nowhere, Maryland, McNulty tries to appeal to a local cop by putting on some thinly-veiled racism. Upon spotting the cop’s black wife/coworker, McNulty immediately and awkwardly backtracks. The cop is less than impressed.
- Properly Paranoid: Lester says this of Bernard: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone's not out to get you."
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: McNulty lays out a really brutal but fair one to Brianna, all but saying that it’s her fault her son is dead.
- Relative Button: Avon immediately attacks Stringer when he discovers he killed DeAngelo. For as much trouble as he caused for them and as distant as they grew in prison, he clearly cared for his nephew.
- Sarcasm-Blind: Colvin, at least as far as Hamsterdam is concerned.Colvin: If you want to neutralize a threat? Give it a job.Carver: As?Colvin: Auxiliary cops. Keep an eye out for the predators. You got the dealers payin' 'em to do nothing now anyway? Kill two birds and all that.Colvin: You know, we could do that.Carver: I was...you're being serious?
- Shout-Out: Carver says "Gandhi world" will end if there's another stick-up crew in Hamsterdam.
- When the dealers are playing around with the Identikit, one of them says to give the face eyes like Beyoncé.
- Clay compares the man he and Stringer meet about getting federal money to the goose that laid the golden eggs.
- Before finding out the truth about Sheriff Spore, McNulty calls him "Buford Pusser".
- When trying to convince Carcetti to dial things down, Terri tells him to think about how people liked Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton, and how they gave people confidence.
- Omar thinks Hamsterdam is a police trap for some master criminal like Al Capone.
- When Stringer sees Avon preparing to war against Marlo, he says, "Straight to the mattresses, huh?"
- This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Dennis says this when Roman offers to help him make the tire plant a boxing gym.
- Title Drop: Colicchio calls Hamsterdam an example of "moral midgetry".
- Wham Episode: Thanks to the end.
- Worthy Opponent: Both Daniels and Lester admire the discipline of what Avon's crew does in buying the cell phones.
- Avon is taken completely by surprise and impressed with Marlo's ruthlessness.
- Wretched Hive: What Hamsterdam is with all the criminals there, which the deacon does his best to fix.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Rawls is quite convinced that Colvin's reduced crime stats are the result of fiddling the figures because it's exactly what he'd do (despite assuring the committee he would never tolerate it), when Colvin's secret is actually far more shocking.
- Omar takes one look at Hamsterdam and immediately declares it's a trap to get all the dealers in one place for the cops to swoop in. While this is indeed how Colvin justifies it, the cops who are there are getting increasingly suspicious that Colvin is actually trying to make it last.
- Davis repeatedly tries to convince Stringer that he is this for the world of higher business, and make him understand that he still has a street-corner mentality that will work against him in this case. Stringer is suspicious but ultimately believes him, allowing Davis and Krawczyk to continue scamming him.
