Distraught at Sherrod's death, Bubbles attempts to commit suicide. Carcetti agonizes about whether to take the governor's financial offer, fearing it could be used against him if he makes a run for governor himself in two years. As Cutty recovers from being shot by Michael's crew, Colvin makes an interesting suggestion regarding Namond. Freamon re-enlists Greggs into the MCU, and begins to build his investigation into the bodies in the vacants. With the case sprawling, Burrell gives Daniels a free hand to oversee it as he sees fit, leading to Freamon bringing Chris and Snoop in for DNA sampling. Bodie reaches breaking point over Marlo's murder of his people, and turns to McNulty for help. As the New Day debate how to handle Omar's robbery of their shipment, Prop Joe introduces Marlo to Vondas. Meanwhile, Omar tries to sell Joe back his own drugs. Test day arrives in Tilghman Middle School, as Dukie makes a decision about his future. With Randy's foster-mother badly burned after the arson attack, Carver desperately attempts to prevent his return to a group home, as the pilot program has one last chance to save itself, and Michael is given his first assignment for Marlo.
This episode contains examples of:
- Black Comedy: Apparently, there's a Side Bet among the officers on how many dead bodies will ultimately be found, at least according to Bunk (who claims he's bet on there being 23).
- Boom, Headshot!: O-Dog shoots Bodie in the back of the head. Bodie falls, and O-Dog fires another shot at the back of Bodie's head, finishing him.
- Call-Back:
- Daniels brings up the fact Lester was up on Marlo's phones until Burrell and Rawls intervened.
- Herc, who, as always, is worried about keeping his stripes, recalls Daniels getting him off the hook and Marrinow getting bounced out of Major Crimes.
- Bodie compares himself to "them little bitches on a chessboard." "Pawns," McNulty responds.
- Doubles as an Ironic Echo, all the way back from the first episode. When McNulty tells Daniels he wants in on the investigation, Daniels warns him they won't get Marlo on street rips and the case will need a CI or a Title III, Jimmy jokingly asks if Daniels wouldn't rather do it "fast and clean and simple" respecting the chain of command, to which Daniels retorts, in the same spirit, "Then you don't do it at all
".
- Canon Welding: "Red ball" was also the term used in Homicide Lifeonthe Street to describe a high-profile case (multiple murders, tourist getting killed, child getting kidnapped and/or killed, etc.).
- Christmas Episode: A complete subversion of most of the tropes associated with this type of episode (with the possible exception of Jay's Pet the Dog moment involving Bubbles).
- Continuity Nod: When Jay goes into the bathroom to clean himself off after Bubbles throws up on him, he sees some graffiti that reads, "Rawls sucks cock".
- Divorce Assets Conflict: Implied; Norris cracks that a vending machine steals like his ex-wife's lawyer.
- Downer Ending: And how! Randy is back in a foster home, Dukie is now on a corner, Michael has completely gone over to the dark side, Bodie's been killed, finding all of those bodies on Marlo will require a long and thorough investigation, which, thanks to the school budget crisis, isn't going to have the money it needs, and once again, a program Colvin gets involved in that might have actually done some good gets terminated. Not even the fact Namond manages to escape the game, and Omar manages to get his revenge on Marlo, makes up for any of it.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: Bodie realizes that the two figures stalking him in the night are Chris Partlow and "Snoop" Pearson. Everyone who has been confronted by Chris and/or Snoop up to that point has either run for their lives or begged (futilely) for mercy. Bodie decides to go out fighting. He grabs a hidden gun and makes the two of them run and duck behind parked cars for cover, all while shouting at them to Bring It. Too bad they're just a diversion, occupying Bodie's attention while O-Dog sneaks up on him...Bodie: Yo, this is my corner. I ain't runnin' nowhere! Come on with it, motherfuckers!
- Epigraph: "If animal trapped call 410-844-6286", which is attributed to "Baltimore traditional", and is seen on the boards on all the vacant row houses (as well as on squats, like the ones where Bubbles and Omar live).
- Foreshadowing: The budget crisis, the investigation of Marlo - as well as Marlo's investigation of Proposition Joe's suppliers - and the question of whether or not McNulty will fall back on his old habits all become important next season.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: Bodie.
- Hidden Depths: Wee-Bey allowing Colvin to give Namond a way out of the game.
- Honking Arriving Car: Omar's Mexican allies drive off in a car that plays the La Cucaracha tune when honking.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: When Rawls brings news about the vacant bodies to Carcetti and advises adding them to Royce's last year, the newly-minted mayor initially gives a spiel about no more stats games from the police department... then immediately concedes that all the bodies should be recovered before January.
- Last Stand: Chris and Snoop come to kill Bodie for snitching. Unfortunately he's killed by O-Dog who comes up behind.Bodie: Yo this is my corner, I ain't runnin nowhere.
- Let Me Get This Straight...: Norris' skeptical reaction to Bubbles' confession: "You're telling me we do a full tox screen on this kid, he comes back positive for cyanide."
- Let Off by the Detective: Jay, of all people, gets Norris to do this for Bubbles.
- Missed Him by That Much: Poot leaves the shoot-out just as O-Dog emerges from a doorway and kills Bodie.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Played for Laughs:Snoop: Think you all that for hassling niggas and shit.Bunk: I know I'm all that. I'm thinking about some pussy.Snoop: Yeah, me too.
- One Last Job: Both Omar and Kimy plan to retire on the score from the co-op heist. For Omar this turns into a 10MinuteRetirement.
- The Punishment Is the Crime: The reason why Jay decides to let Bubbles go to the hospital instead of jail.Jay: This sad-ass motherfucker's carrying more weight than we'll ever put on him.
Norris: What about the clearance?
Jay: Fuck the clearance. - Refuge in Audacity: Omar not only stealing Proposition Joe's drug supply, but selling it back to him.
- Shout-Out:
- The show the patient next to Dennis is watching is Deadwood. Later, Dennis is watching Benson.
- As Bodie's being led away, someone in the crowd yells out, "Attica! Attica!"
- Signature Item Clue: the nails being used to board up the crime scenes have been identified, and all patrol officers are given a flier showing what to look for.
- They Died Because of You: Poot is unmoved by McNulty's condolences, as Bodie was shot because he was seen talking with Jimmy.
- Villainous BSoD: Bodie losing his temper after seeing Little Kevin's body brought out of the vacant row houses. This inspires his Heel–Face Turn.
- White Man's Burden: As it has been all season, deconstructed and subverted. While Prez becomes a better teacher and is able to help Dukie and Randy for a little bit, he doesn't "save" either of them or anyone else.
