After having Proposition Joe killed, Marlo confirms with Spiros he'll be getting the stash from now on, and Spiros gives him a cellphone so they can contact each other. Marlo also goes to ground, along with Chris and Snoop, and puts everyone else on guard, including Monk. Omar finds this out the hard way when he and Donnie try to make their move on Monk, only for Chris, Michael, O-Dog, and Snoop to ambush them inside Monk's apartment. Donnie is killed, but Omar (who shoots O-Dog in the leg) manages to escape by jumping through a window. Meanwhile, when Marlo gives the cellphone number to Levy, Herc gives the number to Carver, who gives it to Lester. Unfortunately, when Lester tries to listen in on a conversation, there is none.
Meanwhile, McNulty continues to try and press for more funding for his fake serial killer investigation, and court the press to get publicity for it. Scott volunteers to help Alma on the story, and he presses McNulty for dealers; not only that, but when the story does make the front page, and Scott gets sent as a follow-up to interview the homeless, he makes up a story about a family he encountered, and also pretends the serial killer called him. This comes at an opportune time for McNulty, as he's been trying (and failing) to get the department to throw resources his (and Lester's) way so they can track Marlo (Daniels tries, but Carcetti, again, pleads poverty, so only Kima gets detailed). But with the fake call, McNulty gets a wiretap, which of course Lester takes advantage of.
Elsewhere, Clay starts defending himself in the media as his case heads to trial, Dukie tries (and fails) to learn to fend for himself, and Bubbles gets tested for AIDS.
This episode contains examples of:
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Dukie asks Dennis, after his training in the gym goes badly, "How do you get from here to the rest of the world?", the only response Dennis has is, "I wish I knew."
- Badass Boast: When Lester wonders how Carver got Marlo's cellphone number, Carver merely answers, "Police work, detective."
- Boom, Headshot!: Donnie gets shot in the head during the gunfight in Monk's apartment.
- Brief Accent Imitation: When calling Marlo's cellphone (to make sure it is his phone), Lester pretends to be a junkie trying to call for takeout.
- The Bus Came Back: Royce appears at a press conference to drum up support for Clay, while quietly warning Clay not to drag everyone down with him.
- By "No", I Mean "Yes": When Herc goes to give Marlo's cellphone number to Carver:Herc: Every day, you look more like a boss.Carver: Fuck you.Herc: I didn't mean it like a bad thing.Carver: Yeah, you did.Herc: Yeah, I did.
- Call-Back:
- The murders of Proposition Joe and Hungry Man make the paper. Also, Zorzi tells Rhonda they should call him next time they do a "perp walk", in trying to keep Clay from bringing everyone down with him if he gets prosecuted, Naresse points out Burrell did okay for himself by keeping his mouth shut, and one of the homeless people Scott tries to interview is Business Card Homeless Man.
- Levy brings up the gun charge against Chris and Snoop, which their previous lawyers got postponed.
- Bubbles doesn't believe at first he's tested negative for HIV, because he knows Johnny had it, and he remembers sharing needles with Johnny.
- When Scott wants to continue on the serial killer story, Gus reminds him he's got the series on the schools that he's supposed to be doing.
- Catchphrase: We get to hear Clay say "sheeeit!" once again.
- Continuity Nod: Though Michael does send Dukie to train with Dennis, he and Dennis understandably keep their distance. Speaking of Dukie, the test he and Bug talk about as they walk home is the same one Prez had been forced to teach to last season.
- When Herc gives Marlo's cell phone number to Carver, he tells Carver to bring up the camera again if he ever gets to arrest Marlo.
- Description Cut: Jay scoffs at McNulty getting his serial killer story on the front page, and says chances are, Daniels will be over at City Hall talking them back down to earth. Cut to Daniels and Carcetti, among others, taking the story very seriously.
- Epigraph: "Just because they're in the street doesn't mean that they lack opinions," which Gus says to Scott when Scott is skeptical of interviewing the homeless.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Before going into hiding, Chris says goodbye to his kids, and we see him playing with his young daughter. Also, Marlo keeps a distance from them, but he clearly likes them (as he tells Chris, "You know I like your peoples").
- Evil Lawyer Joke: When Levy wonders why Chris and Snoop's previous lawyer bothered getting their gun charge postponed, Snoop responds, "Maybe cause we was payin' by the hour."
- Flipping the Bird: Jay's response to McNulty when the latter whines about not getting surveillance teams to catch the "serial killer".
- Guilt Complex: Walon suspects this is why Bubbles isn't happy when his HIV test turns out negative.
- If It Bleeds, It Leads: Scott wants McNulty to give as much gory details as possible on the serial killer, because it's the only way to give the story "juice". Also, Gus says this when one of the editors cracks that the serial killer story puts Clay off of the front page.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Bunk yells at McNulty when his "serial killer" case pulls Kima from the real murder she's trying to solve; McNulty feels guilty enough about this that he tells Kima to work her murder, and he'll cover for her.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Spider gives one to Dukie after Dukie gets into a fight with Kenard for mouthing off on him (Kenard called him Michael's "little bitch", which we already knew Dukie was sensitive about).
- Only Known by Their Nickname: This is the first time we learn Hungry Man's real name, Nathaniel Manns.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Lester is so incensed, and incredulous, that he can't get a phone tap on Marlo, even though he now has Marlo's cellphone number, that he actually yells at Daniels.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Donnie Andrews, the real-life inspiration for Omar, actually did the Super Window Jump Omar does, except he did it from the sixth floor, whereas Omar does it from the fourth floor.
- Shout-Out: When Spiros says he'll miss Proposition Joe, Marlo responds, "Tomorrow ain't promised to no one.," which in turn was inspired by a quote from Walter Payton.
- One of the stories pitched at the budget meeting is a feature on John Waters.
- Jay calls McNulty "Clarice".
- Terrible Interviewees Montage: Scott's attempts to interview the homeless. Though, given the fact Scott makes up a story later, it's as much a Terrible Interviewer Montage.
- This Is Reality: Both Dennis and Michael tell Dukie that fighting and shooting a gun, respectively, aren't like they portray it in the movies (for the former, Dennis says beating up one bully doesn't stop everyone else, it just brings around more bullies, while Michael says about the latter Dukie has to hold the gun with both hands).
- This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Dukie says this to Michael when Michael offers to beat up Kenard and Spider for him, to explain why he wants to learn to protect himself. Unfortunately, he doesn't do a very good job of it.
- Title Drop: When Gus tells Scott to interview homeless people, Scott's response is, "React quotes from the homeless?"
- True Companions: Herc calls himself Carver's "one true partner".
- Villain with Good Publicity: Clay goes on a talk show to defend himself, and the host is clearly in his corner, as are those who come to the rally in support of him.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Elena calls out McNulty for the way he's been behaving.Elena: This is life, Jimmy. This is the stuff that actually matters.McNulty: I know.Elena: I talked to Beadie. She knows she's losing you, like I knew. I'm not judging, I'm not saying this to hurt you. But she knows, and she's ready for it, the way that I was ready for it. You're drinking, you're out all night, she doesn't know where you are. And she's no fool, Jimmy. I'm sad that it wasn't with me, but I'm glad for you. I know, you can imagine that? I was glad that you found her. I was glad for her, even. For a while there, you were happier than I'd ever seen you. She's great.McNulty: She is.Elena: Don't do this.
