History Recap / TheWireS03E10Reformation

After a reporter visits Hamsterdam ([[Recap/TheWireS03E09Slapstick thanks to Herc]]), and Colvin is barely able to put him off, Colvin decides it's time to break the news to Comstat about Hamsterdam. Predictably, Burrell and Rawls are both angry and stunned. Colvin tries to mitigate the news by giving Burrell the letters of praise he's received from people and community leaders in his district, and adds while he's perfectly willing to fall on his sword if necessary, he'll go public with how [[Recap/TheWireS03E03DeadSoldiers he and the other commanders were ordered to bring the numbers down]]; he also brings up the reporter. Burrell brings the news of Hamsterdam to an equally incredulous and angry Royce, though Royce starts to re-think his initial impulse when he sees not only the letters, but the evidence of a 12% drop in crime in Colvin's district.

-->'''Colvin:''' You're a good man, Sergeant. You got good instincts, and as far as I can tell, you're a decent supervisor. But from where I sit you ain't shit when it come to policin'. Don't take it personal, ain't just you. It's all our young police. A whole generation of y'all. Now, you think about it: You been here over a year now, Carver. You got nobody looking out for you, nobody willing to talk to you. That about sum it up? And that's a problem. And I didn't think there was anyway I was ever gonna get my head around it. [[Recap/TheWireS03E02AllDueRespect But then Dozerman gets shot for some bullshit]] and that's when I 'bout reach my limit. And that's when the idea of the free zone of Hamsterdam come to me. Because this drug thing, this ain't police work. No, it ain't. I mean, I can send any fool with a badge and a gun up on those corners and jack a crew and grab vials. But policing? [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything You call something a war, and pretty soon everybody gonna running around acting like warriors. They gonna be runnin' around on a damn crusade stormin' corners, slappin' on cuffs, rackin' up body counts. And when you at war, you need a fuckin' enemy.]] And pretty soon damn near everybody on every corner is your fuckin' enemy and soon the neighborhood that you're supposed to be policin' that's just occupied territory. You follow this?
-->'''Carver:''' I think so.
-->'''Colvin:''' Look, the point I'm makin', Carver, is this soldierin' and policin', they ain't the same thing. And before we went and took the wrong turn and started with these war games the cop walked a beat, and he learned that post. And if there were things that happened up on that post whether there be a rape, a robbery, a shooting he had people out there helping him, feeding him information. [[Recap/TheWireS03E05StraightAndTrue But every time I come to you, my D.E.U. sergeant, for information to find out what's going on out there on them streets]], [[Recap/TheWireS03E06Homecoming all that came back was some bullshit. You had your stats, you had your arrests, you had your seizures.]] But don't none of that amount to shit when you talking about protecting a neighborhood now, do it?

-->'''Rawls:''' Bunny, you cocksucker, I got give it to you, a brilliant idea. Insane and illegal, but stone fuckin' brilliant nonetheless. After all my puttin' my foot up people's asses to decrease the numbers, he comes in and in one stroke, gets a fuckin' 14% decrease. Fuckin' shame it's gonna end our careers, but still.

* MonochromeCasting: InUniverse; one of [[Recap/TheWireS03E04Hamsterdam Carcetti's advisers]] says Carcetti needs more black people on his campaign.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Colvin to Carver, albeit in the nicest way possible.

* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: When Lester tells [=McNulty=] Stringer's surrendering, and jokes, "Maybe he's surrendering," [=McNulty=] says, "After all the work we've done, I'd never forgive the son-of-a-bitch."

The Major Case squad gets on Bodie's phone after Phelan gives them a boilerplate affidavit, but they lose the phones when Bodie and the others toss them, so they feel discouraged. That's when Lester and [=McNulty=] both get the idea to sell the phones directly to Bernard. Using Bubbles (who doesn't know Bernard, but used to know Squeak), and with Lester pretending to be a black market cellphone salesman, they sell the phones to Bernard.

* CallBack: Before giving Carver a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, Colvin does thank Carver for [[Recap/TheWireS03E09Slapstick the loyalty he showed]]. Also, [[Recap/TheWireS03E04Hamsterdam Holley had told Kima how Marlo had shot a witness against him one time in each breast and once in the mouth]]; Marlo does the same thing to [[Recap/TheWireS03E08MoralMidgetry Devonne]]. Also, without revealing his source, Colvin tells {=McNulty=] (whom he calls [[Recap/TheWireS03E05StraightAndTrue "Bushy Top" again]]) about [[Recap/TheWireS03E08MoralMidgetry Avon getting shot]]. Also, [=McNulty=] thinks he sees Beadie, but it turns out to be someone who just looks like her.

* CallBack: Before giving Carver a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, Colvin does thank Carver for [[Recap/TheWireS03E09Slapstick the loyalty he showed]]. Also, [[Recap/TheWireS03E04Hamsterdam Holley had told Kima how Marlo had shot a witness against him one time in each breast and once in the mouth]]; Marlo does the same thing to [[Recap/TheWireS03E08MoralMidgetry Devonne]].

-->'''JudgePhelan:''' Let me understand: You want to sell drug traffickers a series of cell phones that are pre-approved for telephonic intercepts. And you want me to sign off on court-ordered taps on a bunch of phones that at the time I am signing the order have not been used for any illegal activity whatsoever.

* TheBait: Lamar, [[{{Understatment}} and he's not happy about it.]]

* CallBack: Before giving Carver a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, Colvin does thank Carver for [[Recap/TheWireS03E09Slapstick the loyalty he showed]].
* ContinuityNod: [=McNulty=] still hasn't forgiven [[Recap/TheWireS01E11TheHunt Judge Phelan]]. Also, Daniels updates Caroline and Lester about [[Recap/TheWireS03E09Slapstick Prez.]]

* ContinuityNod: [=McNulty=] still hasn't forgiven [[Recap/TheWireS03E11TheHunt Judge Phelan]]. Also, Daniels updates Caroline and Lester about [[Recap/TheWireS03E09Slapstick Prez.]]

* HelloAttorney: [[Recap/TheWireS01E07OneArrest Once again]], Rhonda uses Judge Phelan's feelings for her to her advantage. {{LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Daniels earlier:

-->'''{=McNulty=]:''' He's (Phelan) a piece of shit.

-->'''Colvin:''' Look, the point I'm makin', Carver, is this soldierin' and policin', they ain't the same thing. And before we went and took the wrong turn and started with these war games the cop walked a beat, and he learned that post.
And if there were things that happened up on that post whether there be a rape, a robbery, a shooting he had people out there helping him, feeding him information. [[Recap/TheWireS03E05StraightAndTrue But every time I come to you, my D.E.U. sergeant, for information to find out what's going on out there on them streets]], [[Recap/TheWireS03E06Homecoming all that came back was some bullshit. You had your stats, you had your arrests, you had your seizures.]] But don't none of that amount to shit when you talking about protecting a neighborhood now, do it?

Elsewhere, Dennis goes to Hamsterdam to recruit kids for his gym, and Carver recommends kids who were too rambunctious to join in the basketball games there. The other kids are skeptical of Dennis - though he impresses them when he shows the one who gets in a brief tussle with Justin what he's doing wrong - and he loses his temper with them at first, but after a pep talk from another gym owner, he goes back, and they come back to the gym as well.

After a reporter visits Hamsterdam ([[RecapS03E09Slapstick thanks to Herc]]), and Colvin is barely able to put him off, Colvin decides it's time to break the news to Comstat about Hamsterdam. Predictably, Burrell and Rawls are both angry and stunned. Colvin tries to mitigate the news by giving Burrell the letters of praise he's received from people and community leaders in his district, and adds while he's perfectly willing to fall on his sword if necessary, he'll go public with how [[Recap/TheWireS03E03DeadSoldiers he and the other commanders were ordered to bring the numbers down]]; he also brings up the reporter. Burrell brings the news of Hamsterdam to an equally incredulous and angry Royce, though Royce starts to re-think his initial impulse when he sees not only the letters, but the evidence of a 12% drop in crime in Colvin's district.