Carcetti sees off the gubernatorial challenge, but is forced to make promises to both Davis and Campbell, and give up half his school board funding to Prince George's County. Having been turned down by the FBI, Freamon reveals to Davis the evidence he is sitting on, and bluffs that he is prepared to take the case federal, leading to Davis offering him some advice on where to follow the money. With Omar dead, Marlo breathes a sigh of relief. However, with the extra manpower from Carver's people on the case, Sydnor is able to break Marlo's code, and the police intercept a major re-supply. As Marlo, Chris and Cheese discuss who could have informed on them, suspicions fall on Michael. When Marlo learns Chris kept it from him that Omar was belittling his reputation and calling for a street confrontation, he is livid. Despite his ruse getting him exactly what he wanted, McNulty is far from happy. Meanwhile, Haynes launches a more thorough investigation into Templeton's fabrications, Whiting and Klebanow consider the paper's coverage of the serial killer story as a possible submission for a Pulitzer Prize, Fletcher begins to interview Bubbles, and when Carcetti attends a school debate, he encounters a former friend.
This episode contains examples of:
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Snoop's philosophy about murder. When your time comes up, your time comes up.
- Call-Back: Daniels reminds Steintorf that Carcetti personally gave his word the police wouldn't have to play stat games.
- Monk also brings up how Michael was freaked out at the family massacre Chris and Snoop did.
- During his chat with Lester, Davis fondly reminisces about how he was able to string along "some guy named Bell" thanks to Bell neglecting to have Levy look over their dealings. Lester even recognizes that he's talking about Stringer but decides not to press the issue.
- Also, this conversation between Christeson and McNulty recalls the similar conversation between Alma, Gus and Spry:Christeson: This fucking guy stinks.
McNulty: Looks like he evacuated.
Christeson: What? He left and he came back?
McNulty: No, he shit himself. - Polk is the cop who's in charge of evidence control, and Daniels says he's glad to see Polk cleaned himself up.
- Cigar Chomper: Bunk lights one up when Chris has been arrested.
- Continuity Nod: Lester and Shardene are still together.
- Downer Ending: Even by the standards of this show (particularly the penultimate episodes of each season that are co-written by George Pelecanos), this episode takes the cake.
- Epigraph: "Deserve got nuthin' to do with it," said by Snoop to Michael when he asks why Little Big Walter deserves to be killed. Also serves as a Shout-Out to Unforgiven.
- Face Death with Dignity: Snoop is even impressed that Michael got the drop on her, and just adjusts her hair before taking the bullet.
- Flipping the Bird: When Wiley shows Gus all the things he can do with his new prosthetic hands, Gus asks if he can do this yet; Wiley laughs and says not yet, but he's getting there.
- Gay Bravado: Carver and Herc.Herc: I watched the news, all that dope on the table. I swear, Carv, I was fully erect.
Carver: Your dick got hard? How could you tell?
Herc: Cause the head was poppin' out of the back of your neck. - Half-Truth: What Lester tells Daniels about Marlo, because there's No Time to Explain. Comes back to bite him in the ass later.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: Owing to his fearsome reputation, Omar is already getting this not ten minutes after his death. Despite the actual circumstance surrounding his demise being rather anti-climatic, Gossip Evolution quickly turns it into him going out in an epic blaze of glory, fighting to the end against numerous enemies with automatic weapons.
- Hypocritical Humor: Clay actually tells Lester, "You ain't nothin' but a shakedown artist."
- Ironic Echo: Marlo's "my name is my name!" is in contrast of Vondas' "my name is not my name"
- It Has Been an Honor: Snoop's last conversation with Michael.
- My God, What Have I Done?: McNulty feels this way now that they have Marlo, yet there's still police resources being used to chase the "serial killer".
- Not So Stoic: For the first and only time in the series, Marlo blows his lid in fury when he learns Chris has been keeping Omar's calling out of him secret.Marlo: He use my name? In the street!? Talk, motherfucker!
Monk: He just, ya know...Say that you need to step to and that...I dunno, he just runnin' his mouth some.
Marlo: He call me a punk!?
Chris: It was bullshit, man. You ain't need that on your mind.
Marlo: What the fuck you know about what I need on my mind, motherfucker!? My name was on the street!? When we bounce from this shit here, y'all gonna go down to them corners, let them people know. Word did not get back to me! Let 'em know Marlo step to any motherfucker! Omar, Barksdale... Whoever. MY NAME IS MY NAME! - Refuge in Audacity: Clay telling Lester he could stand to buy "a round or two".
- Shout-Out: The show Dukie tries to tell Michael about is Dexter.
- Shown Their Work: Luxenberg mentions Walter Reed has been press-shy ever since a series of stories in the Washington Post that criticized them. This had actually occurred right before the season aired.
- Shrouded in Myth: Omar is this even after he's been killed.
- Take That!: When O-Dog complains about taking the gun charge, Snoop tells him to apply to Walmart, and see how they treat him by comparison.
