History Recap / TheWireS03E12MissionAccomplished

As Holley interviews [[Recap/TheWireS03E11MiddleGround Krawczyk]], who's sitting on the back of an ambulance and getting oxygen, Bunk tells Foerster and Rawls about what happened (including the fact Stringer owned the real estate they're standing in front of) and who's working the case (Crutchfield and Norris are also involved). Foerster and Rawls, in turn, tell Bunk who Krawczyk is, and add Royce's office has already called twice to ask how Krawczyk is doing. Bunk wanders over to Holley, who's asking Krawczyk if he was aware Stringer was really a drug dealer; Krawczyk snaps that he didn't. He also confirms there were two shooters, but he only saw one and didn't get a good look at the one he did see.

Bunk goes inside, and sees Stringer's bodyguard laid out on the floor. He picks up a shotgun shell with a pencil, puts it back down, and tells the lab technician on the scene to rush ballistics. Bunk then goes upstairs, where a crime scene photographer is taking pictures of Stringer, while [=McNulty=], looking thoroughly dejected, sits on a windowsill and watches, and Kima, equally dejected, leans up against the wall. Bunk sits down next to [=McNulty=] as [=McNulty=] says bitterly, "[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou I caught him, Bunk. On the wire. I caught him. He doesn't fuckin' know it.]]" Bunk pats [=McNulty=]'s leg and gets up.

[[Recap/TheWireS03E03DeadSoldiers Dennis again tries to keep up with Grace as she heads to her car]]. He tells her about the gym, and she laughs that she always hated watching it. He asks her how she's doing, and she says she's doing fine. Dennis starts to ask her out, but Grace interrupts by kissing his cheek and telling him, "Be well". She leaves.

Avon is sitting in the funeral home office, staring into space. Shamrock comes in and tries to tell him something, but Avon curtly tells him to "shut that fucking door". Shamrock takes the hint and leaves. In one of the rooms, the Barksdale crew is getting ready for action, and when Bodie sees Slim, he angrily tells him to "say the motherfucking word." Slim nods at him and goes into Avon's office. Slim says they're all ready to hit Marlo, but Avon angrily says Stringer died because of "other shit" that he couldn't fix, and [[HeelRealization he now realizes Stringer was right about the war between him and Marlo]]. Slim counters, "Don't matter who did what to who at this point. Fact is, we went to war and now there ain't no going back. I mean, shit it's what war is, you know. Once you in it, you in it." Avon considers this.

Back at the crime scene, Bunk shows [=McNulty=] a yellow chip he found in Stringer's pocket, which [=McNulty=] identifies as [[Recap/TheWireS03E10Reformation a cell phone chip]]. Bunk also says they have Stringer's address - which Jay is typing up a warrant for - and [=McNulty=] gets up to join him.

Carcetti and Terri are in Carcetti's kitchen, arguing about what they should do about [[Recap/TheWireS03E11MiddleGround what Carcetti saw at Hamsterdam]]. Carcetti points out crime is down in Colvin's district and the people living there seem to be okay with it, but Terri points out Colvin's experiment is finished, and adds, "They dealt you a winning hand and you're acting like you forgot how to play."

In Royce's office, Demper has joined Gene and Parker in debating Hamsterdam. Demper points out his office can't live with calling it legalization, which Royce has no problem with, but "[[InsistentTerminology harm reduction"]] might work, and he tells everybody to think about keeping high-level dealers out of Hamsterdam, while Parker rolls his eyes.

Kima and Lester are in the detail office, listening to the wire, where they hear how Marlo is getting blamed for Stringer's death, and that means the war between them will escalate. Lester asks where [=McNulty=] is; Kima says he's going to Stringer's apartment with Bunk...

...[[DescriptionCut and [=McNulty=], following Bunk, is in the hallway approaching the apartment]] when he gets a call on his cellphone from Colvin, who tells him to meet at Mount Vernon Square in an hour. [=McNulty=] says he'll be there, and hangs up. Bunk and [=McNulty=], along with a few uniformed cops, enter, and to their astonishment, discover Stringer's apartment is a tastefully decorated [[Recap/TheWireS03E05StraightAndTrue loft apartment]]. [=McNulty=] looks through Stringer's bookcase, picks out a copy of [[UsefulNotes/{{Capitalism}} Adam Smith's "The Wealth Of Nations"]], and asks Bunk, "[[PersonalEffectsReveal Who the fuck was I chasing?]]"

In a hotel room, Lamar is watching Dante, whose face is still scarred and bruised, while flipping through ''The Atlantic'', when Brother Mouzone and Omar come in. Omar glares at Brother Mouzone when he sees what Dante looks like, but Brother Mouzone says simply, "What's done is done." He motions to Lamar and they step outside, giving Omar and Dante a private moment. Omar tries to touch Dante's face; as Dante flinches, he admits to Omar [[Recap/TheWireS03E11MiddleGround he held out as long as he could]]. Omar says they should go, and they get up to leave. As they walk outside, Brother Mouzone hands Omar his gun and says, "It being your town, I trust you to do it proper." Dante glares at Brother Mouzone, but Omar, after shaking his head, takes the gun. As he walks away, he turns around and winks at Brother Mouzone before going on his way.

Colvin is waiting in Mount Vernon Square when [=Mcnulty=] shows up, asking if he's on vacation. Colvin says he's been on vacation ever since [[Recap/TheWireS03E10Reformation telling the bosses about Hamsterdam]]. He hands [=McNulty=] [[Recap/TheWireS03E11MiddleGround Stringer gave him about Avon's weapons stash]], and calls it "the last bit of police work in a long and storied career."

Dennis is showing his fighters an old match between UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli and Floyd Patterson. The kids, including Justin, think Patterson is soft, but Dennis points out any man who's still standing at the end of a round can't be called "soft".

In the detail office, [=McNulty=] shows everyone the cell phone chips Stringer had (along with papers involving B&B and from college). Lester remarks once again how cautious Stringer was, but [=McNulty=] motions him into another room. Once there, he shows Lester the information he got from Colvin, and confirms it was from Colvin. Lester says Daniels is at an event for Marla, and [=McNulty=] says Lester should raise him. He also bitterly admits it doesn't make up for Stringer getting shot, but Lester is okay with it.

At an outdoor gathering, Marla is announcing her candidacy for representative in the 11th district, as Watkins looks on fondly. We switch to the detail office, where everyone is watching, but while Sydnor enthuses about Marla running, Rhonda looks apprehensive, especially when she sees Daniels kiss Marla on the cheek.

At the rim shop, Vinson, Marlo and Chris are talking about Stringer's murder, and wondering who did the deed. Vinson warns Marlo Avon will be coming back at him, but Marlo and Chris aren't worried.

That night, in Hamsterdam, Carver listens as two uniformed cops talk about how much trouble Colvin is in. Carver says he's leaving, but will be on his radio. As he heads towards his car, Johnny tries to hit him up for money for a bus ticket. Carver points out Johnny is going to get a fix, but Johnny claims he's already got one. Carver shakes his head and leaves.

[[GirlOnGirlIsHot Kima is having sex with another woman]] when her cellphone goes off. She stops, sees the call is from Cheryl, laughs, ignores it, and goes back to making out with the other woman.

Bunk and [=McNulty=] are at their usual spot near the train tracks. Bunk chides [=McNulty=] for not drinking as much as him, and grumbles how he knows Omar was involved with the shooting. [=McNulty=] points out the talk on the wire is Marlo was responsible, which Bunk is surprised to hear. Bunk says [[WretchedHive the city is going to hell]], and the number of murders will be over 300 by the end of the year. [=McNulty=] gets a call from Cheryl, and he lies that Kima is probably picking up a prisoner and her cellphone is off because she's not allowed to bring it inside. He promises to pass along the message and hangs up. Bunk says he "needs more", but [=McNulty=] says, "I'm tired, Bunk."

Lester and Prez are sitting on a bench near the harbor. Prez says he heard a civilian review board is looking at [[Recap/TheWireS03E09Slapstick the shooting]]; Lester points out there were people speaking up for Prez, and says he can fight the charge if he wants, but Prez says he's not sure he was supposed to be a policeman in the first place.

At the detail office, [=McNulty=] tells everyone about Avon's weapons stash. As Lester walks in, Daniels and Rhonda ask where [=McNulty=]'s corroboration is. [=McNulty=] finally admits Stringer was Colvin's CI, which everyone (except Lester) is stunned to hear. Daniels decides they should wait on the wire and get a warrant for Avon's headquarters, even though Lester cautions Avon probably won't get on the phone either. As the meeting breaks up, Kima thanks [=McNulty=] for covering for her.

It's business as usual at Hamsterdam when a TV news van pulls up, and a reporter gets out. The reporter looks at Hamsterdam and says, "Holy Christ." Other news vans pull up, and their reporters have the same reaction. They start to report on Hamsterdam. Burrell and Rawls are in Burrell's office when they get the word the media's found the story. Rawls is upset at how long it's taken, but Burrell is unconcerned. We then see live updates from the reporters at Hamsterdam, along with interviews, on the TV screen, with Carcetti and Gray from Hamsterdam. Carcetti is careful to say questions about Hamsterdam should go to Royce and Burrell, but Gray is unequivocal in his disgust, and adds while he was waiting till the next month to announce his candidacy, he figures now's as good a time as any. At Hamsterdam, [[Recap/TheWireS03E10Reformation the reporter Herc talked to]] gets angry for not pushing to print the story earlier. Royce is in his office, watching in shock. The secretary announces Burrell is there, and Parker curtly says Royce will be with him shortly.

Kima and Sydnor are staking out Avon's headquarters, and report how little activity there is so far.

Burrell brings up how much political hay Carcetti and Gray are going to make out of Hamsterdam. Royce intends to blame Burrell for everything, but Burrell threatens Royce by saying he'll go to the media and talk about how [[Recap/TheWireS03E01TimeAfterTime Royce pressured him to keep the numbers down]], as well as claim Royce had known about Hamsterdam for weeks. Royce and Parker are both disgusted, especially when Burrell offers them a way out; he'll publicly take the hit for Hamsterdam (as well as put as much blame on Colvin as he can) if Royce guarantees Burrell is commissioner for the full five years. Royce doesn't like it, but agrees.

Outside of City Hall, Burrell radios to Rawls that he's good to go. Rawls, in a police car and in uniform, radios other cars to take Hamsterdam. As cop cars, with their sirens on, drive by, Rawls puts on ''Music/RideOfTheValkyries''. Herc, watching as the cars drive by, looks pleased, but Carver isn't. Dealers are doing business in Hamsterdam when the cops pull up, and both uniformed cops and plainclothes detectives rush out after the dealers and customers and subdue them all.

Snoop is outside the rim shop, telling other members of Marlo's crew how Chris supposedly killed Stringer. Slim is in an SUV, watching the rim shop, and tells the other man in the car to call Avon to tell him Marlo's at the rim shop, which Lester and [=McNulty=] hear on the wire. Shamrock comes into the office at the funeral home to tell Avon the news, and Avon says he'll be right behind Shamrock.

That night, in Hamsterdam, Parker and Rawls look on in appreciation as the operation to shut down Hamsterdam continues. Rawls tells the city officials there to bulldoze all of Hamsterdam so there'll be nothing left for the media to cover. A captain joins them and tells Rawls they found a body. Inside of one of the abandoned row houses, they find Johnny, and the captain tells Rawls with all the rat bites, it's hard to tell how he died. Rawls tells the captain to put Johnny in a jail wagon so the media doesn't get wind of it.

Daniels, Lester and [=McNulty=] have joined Kima and Sydnor outside Avon's headquarters, and they see Avon go inside. Daniels calls it in, and requests backup from the Quick Response Team.

Colvin is sitting in his house and grimacing as [[Recap/TheWireS03E04Hamsterdam his former colleague tells him]] the Johns Hopkins job is no longer his, as they've heard about Hamsterdam. On top of that, Colvin gets a call, and is informed he has to meet with Comstat the next day.

Herc, Truck, and some other officers join the Major Case squad. Daniels is upset QRT isn't there, but Herc tells him they're too busy shutting down Hamsterdam. When he hears Avon's the target, he gripes [[Recap/TheWireS03E07BackBurners he had told Kima and [=McNulty=] Avon was out]], and they didn't believe him.

Carcetti types up questions for Burrell and Rawls, as Terri watches.

All of the officers gather around Avon's stash house. Inside, Avon and his crew are getting ready to roll - especially when they hear Marlo is unprotected - when they hear the police knock on the door. Everyone freezes, then acts as if they're going to fight, but Avon sighs, sits down, and tells someone to open the door for the police. Once that happens, everyone rushes in and handcuffs all of Avon's crew. [=McNulty=] handcuffs Avon, and points out he'll have to do his full sentence now. Avon is nonchalant about that, until [=McNulty=] shows him Stringer's name on the warrant, and his face falls.

Marlo and Chris pull out; Slim is upset, but tells the driver to leave as well.

In Burrell's office, Colvin angrily complains that [[Recap/TheWireS03E10Reformation he warned them what would happen if his men were blamed for Hamsterdam, and said he'd be willing to fall on his sword]], but Burrell and Rawls both tell him icily he doesn't have a choice; while they can't touch his pension, Colvin's retiring right after he's relieved at the Comstat meeting, and he's busted down to lieutenant. Colvin bitterly says it's against the contract, but Rawls says, "What part of 'bend over' don't you understand?"

Marlo and Chris talk about Avon's arrest, and Marlo tells Chris to get his people back on the corners.

The federal deputy drug czar is in Royce's office, warning him what would happen if he even hints at thinking about legalizing drugs. Royce assures him Hamsterdam was the work of one misguided official, and the federal government has nothing to worry about.

Dennis is getting the gym ready when he sees only the younger kids have showed up; when he asks where the older ones are, one of them points out Marlo has his package back on the corners.

In Royce's office, Watkins once again [[Recap/TheWireS03E03DeadSoldiers tells Royce to fire Burrell]], but Royce points out he needs Burrell to take the hit publicly for Hamsterdam, and will drop him [[TemptingFate once the primary is over]]. He does make a concession to Watkins; he'll back Marla for Eunetta Perkins' seat.

At the Comstat meeting, Colvin stands at the podium, stone-faced, as Burrell reads the charges against him and Rawls gloats. Burrell then relieves Colvin of duty, and puts Mello in his place. Mello heads to the podium, and he and Colvin look at each other. Colvin leaves, but not before saluting Mello.

At Homicide, Lester greets Bunk, who's standing in front of the wall of cut ties. Lester says Bunk should say hello to [=McNulty=] and Rhonda, who are in one of the interrogation rooms, and Bunk walks towards there, passing by the lobby area, where a bunch of Barksdale crew members are sitting, in handcuffs, including Bernard and Squeak.

->'''Squeak:''' You got to be the stupidest motherfucker that I've ever gone out with.
->'''Bernard:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Man, I can't wait to go to jail.]]
->'''Squeak:''' What? What you say?

Bunk looks in on Kima, who showing Shamrock a photo array, and then looks in on [=McNulty=] and Rhonda, who are in with Bodie. [[Recap/TheWireS03E07BackBurners Bodie reminds [=McNulty=] they stopped him on the way to Hamsterdam.]]

Burrell is once again playing OfficeGolf as Daniels updates him on how many of Avon's crew they've arrested. Burrell asks if they can tie the arrests to Hamsterdam, but Daniels doesn't think so. Burrell congratulates him anyway, and calls him "Major Daniels". Daniels is skeptical, but Burrell tells him about Marla being backed by Royce, and assures him, "Not everything is about politics."

Outside the western district police station, [=McNulty=] joins Colvin with two beers he got from a uniformed cop. [=McNulty=] tells Colvin his tip led to arresting Avon, and admits he put Stringer's name on the warrant even though Stringer was already dead. Colvin sighs at how much [=McNulty=] likes to cut corners, and [=McNulty=] grins and points out he wasn't the only one, but tells Colvin he's good police. They each finish their beer, and throw their empties onto the roof; [[BrickJoke we see the roof is completely covered with empty beer cans.]]

Daniels takes Rhonda out to dinner. She can't believe [[Recap/TheWireS03E06Homecoming Daniels is willing to be seen in public with her]], but Daniels tells her the good news; Marla is assured of winning on Royce's ticket, and he's been promoted to major. He comments ruefully that Marla wanted that to happen more than he did, and she's not there. Daniels and Rhonda take each other's hands.

[=McNulty=] is talking to Beadie, who's sitting on her front porch while listening to her kids. She wonders why he showed up after all this time, and he confesses that being at his old district, and solving the case, made him realize certain things, like how angry he's been, and how empty his life has been. Beadie invites him in for a drink; [=McNulty=] declines, but says he'd love to meet her kids if it's not too late, which makes her smile even more.

We see a {{Montage}} of Daniels and Rhonda having sex while Cutty works out on his gym bag.

Burrell and Rawls are in front of Carcetti's subcommittee, with a packed house in attendance, including Terri and Watkins. Burrell says Colvin misled his officers about Hamsterdam being a tactical deployment, and as soon as Burrell heard about it, he notified Mayor Royce; Burrell also says he accepts all responsibility for allowing it to happen. Gray wants to know why there was a delay between when Royce was told and Hamsterdam was shut down, thinking Royce was seriously considering Hamsterdam as a viable option; Rawls answers and denies it, saying the reason for the delay was so the Major Case squad could wrap up their wiretap case. Burrell concurs.

->'''Burrell:''' What we have here, I'm afraid, is nothing more complicated than a solitary police commander who, under great pressure proved to be amoral, incompetent, and unfit for command.
->'''Carcetti:''' No. It's about more than that. This is more important than who knew what when or who falls on his sword or whether someone can use this disaster to make a political point or two.
->'''Burrell:''' Mr. Chairman-
->'''Carcetti:''' [[RousingSpeech We can forgive Major Colvin who, out of his frustration and despair, found himself condoning something which can't possibly be condoned. We can do that much. But, gentlemen, what we can't forgive, what I can't forgive ever is how we you, me, this administration, all of us how we turned away from those streets in West Baltimore. The poor, the sick the swollen underclass of our city trapped in the wreckage of neighborhoods which were once so prized. Communities which we've failed to defend, which we have surrendered to the horrors of the drug trade. And if this disaster demands anything of us as a city it demands that we say enough. Enough to the despair which makes policemen even think about surrender. Enough to the fact that these neighborhoods are not saved or are beyond the saving. Enough to this administration's indecisiveness and lethargy to the garbage which goes uncollected the lots and row houses which stay vacant the addicts who go untreated the working men and women who every day are denied a chance at economic freedom. Enough to the crime, which every day chokes more and more of the life from our city. And the thing of it is, if we don't take responsibility and step up, not just for the mistakes and the miscues, but for whether or not we're gonna win this battle for our streets, if that doesn't happen we're gonna lose these neighborhoods, and ultimately this city, forever. If we don't have the courage and the conviction to fight this war they way it should be fought, the way it needs to be fought, using every weapon that we can possibly muster, if that doesn't happen well, then we're staring at defeat. And that defeat should not and cannot and will not be forgiven.]]

Everyone in the room applauds and cheers (even Terri and Watkins), except for Burrell and Rawls. Gray also looks at Carcetti as if he's seeing him for the first time.

At the detail office, at his desk, Daniels tells [=McNulty=] while the case turned out to be a good one, [[Recap/TheWireS03E07BackBurners Daniels doesn't know if he can trust [=McNulty=] again]]. [=McNulty=] interrupts by saying it's better for him if he goes somewhere else ("It's not you, it's me"), and says he's going back to the western district, which once felt like home.

In the assembly room, Carcetti is accepting congratulations from everybody, especially Watkins. Gray, however, says bitterly, "Sounds like you're running for something," and Carcetti looks away.

Dennis goes to the corner where Justin, Spider and the others are at. Justin is eating chips, but puts them down when Dennis says he thought he was training. Fruit comes out of the store, and [[Recap/TheWireS03E06Homecoming he and Dennis share a long look when they recognize each other]]. Justin breaks the silence by telling Dennis they'll be back at the gym, and he leaves; when he does, Fruit orders them to get back to work.

During the MontageOut (set to Solomon Burke's version of Music/VanMorrison's "Fast Train"), we see (a) Herc and Colicchio partnered up and busting heads on drug corners, (b) Gray announcing his candidacy for Mayor, (c) [=McNulty=] and Santangelo sitting in the western district briefing room, (d) The remains of part of Hamsterdam after it's been plowed under, (e) Carver visiting Dennis's gym, and he and Dennis nodding at each other, (f) [[Recap/TheWireS03E07BackBurners Crutchfield getting his revenge on Bunk by cutting his tie while Bunk sleeps at his desk]], (g) Donette grieving for Stringer while her son plays in front of her, (h) Omar disposing of the guns near the harbor, (i) The drug trade continuing, with Herc driving by and Bodie on a corner, (j) Daniels and Sydnor in the detail office packing up the case, (k) Carcetti announcing his own candidacy for mayor, (l) [=McNulty=] walking a beat in the western, and enjoying it, and (m) members of Avon's crew, including Avon, Poot, and Shamrock, in court as Rhonda reads the evidence against all of them and Levy looks on. Avon looks back and sees Brianna in the back row, but when he smiles at her, she doesn't return the smile. He looks back the other way, and sees Marlo and Chris sitting in a few rows behind him. Marlo nods at him. Avon turns again the other way towards Brianna, but she's gone.

Bubbles and Sherrod are walking with Bubbles' cart in one of the junked areas where Hamsterdam used to be, and Bubbles is attempting to school Sherrod in the kind of things they should look for to sell. They come across Colvin, who's standing in front of part of the ruins. Colvin looks at Bubbles as Bubbles greets him.

->'''Bubbles:''' That's somethin', huh? It's like they took a big eraser and rubbed across it.
->'''Colvin:''' (''quietly'') Yeah.
->'''Bubbles:''' Yeah, but before a dope fiend come down here cop a little somethin', ain't nary a soul hassle him. Hoppers and police, they just let him be. Heh.
->'''Colvin:''' It was a good thing, huh?
->'''Bubbles:''' (''snaps out of his reverie'') I don't know. I'm just sayin'. (''starts to walk away'') You probably don't know, but it's rough out there, baby. Cops be back bangin' on you. Hoppers be messin' with you.
->'''Colvin:''' Yeah, thank you.

As Bubbles and Sherrod continue on their way, looking for scrap, Colvin turns around and walks away.

This episode contains examples of:

-->'''Stringer:''' How'd he take it?

* RayOfHopeEnding: Carver realises that Dennis' gym is what he should have been protecting instead of Hamsterdam.

-->'''Kima:''' Well, you can' flush guns, now, can you?

* WasItAllWorthIt: Bubbles the drug addict is the only one grateful for Hamsterdam. No ordinary person ever thanks Colvin.

* SeriesFauxnale: No one knew if the show would be picked up again, so there's closure on a lot of storylines (though [[{{Foreshadowing}} there's indications the mayoral race and Bubbles and Sherrod's relationship will become important later]]).

->'''Carcetti:''' We can forgive Major Colvin who, out of his frustration and despair, found himself condoning something which can't possibly be condoned. We can do that much. But, gentlemen, what we can't forgive, what I can't forgive ever is how we you, me, this administration, all of us how we turned away from those streets in West Baltimore. The poor, the sick the swollen underclass of our city trapped in the wreckage of neighborhoods which were once so prized. Communities which we've failed to defend, which we have surrendered to the horrors of the drug trade. And if this disaster demands anything of us as a city it demands that we say enough. Enough to the despair which makes policemen even think about surrender. Enough to the fact that these neighborhoods are not saved or are beyond the saving. Enough to this administration's indecisiveness and lethargy to the garbage which goes uncollected the lots and row houses which stay vacant the addicts who go untreated the working men and women who every day are denied a chance at economic freedom. Enough to the crime, which every day chokes more and more of the life from our city. And the thing of it is, if we don't take responsibility and step up, not just for the mistakes and the miscues, but for whether or not we're gonna win this battle for our streets, if that doesn't happen we're gonna lose these neighborhoods, and ultimately this city, forever. If we don't have the courage and the conviction to fight this war they way it should be fought, the way it needs to be fought, using every weapon that we can possibly muster, if that doesn't happen well, then we're staring at defeat. And that defeat should not and cannot and will not be forgiven.

...[[DescriptionCut and [=McNulty=], following Bunk, is in the hallway approaching the apartment]] when he gets a call on his cellphone from Colvin, who tells him to meet at Mount Vernon Square in an hour. [=McNulty=] says he'll be there, and hangs up. Bunk and [=McNulty=], along with a few uniformed cops, enter, and to their astonishment, discover Stringer's apartment is a tastefully decorated [[Recap/TheWireS03E05StraightAndTrue loft apartment]]. [=McNulty=] looks through Stringer's bookcase, picks out a copy of [[UsefulNotes/{{Capitalism}} Adam Smith's "The Wealth Of Nations"]], and asks Bunk, "Who the fuck was I chasing?"

* {{Epigraph}}: "Then we fight on that lie", which Slim says to Avon as part of his speech to convince him to fight against Marlo.

* HistoryRepeats: Sherrod is a younger version of Johnny. [[spoiler:And tragically, comes to share a similar fate.]]

* BittersweetEnding: Avon's crew has been decimated, Daniels gets his promotion (and gets back with Rhonda), Dennis' gym seems to be flourishing, and [=McNulty=] seems ready to put aside his CowboyCop antics for good - [[spoiler:or so it seems]]. However, Carcetti, despite his best intentions, [[AmbitionIsEvil lets his ambitions get the best of him]], Colvin is kicked out of the police force, Hamsterdam, an imperfect but provocative way of dealing with drugs has been scuttled forever, so it's back to business as usual, and Marlo is poised to take over as an even more dangerous foe than Avon was.

* ScaryBlackMan: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded by Bunk and Holley]]; when Krawczyk can only identify the shooter as a tall black man with a gun, they call it another case of BNBG - [[FunWithAcronyms Big Negro Big Gun]].

* BittersweetEnding: Avon's crew has been decimated, Daniels gets his promotion (and gets back with Rhonda), Dennis' gym seems to be flourishing, and [=McNulty=] seems ready to put aside his CowboyCop antics for good - [[spoiler:or so it seems]]. However, Carcetti, despite his best intentions, [[AmbitionAsEvil lets his ambitions get the best of him]], Colvin is kicked out of the police force, Hamsterdam, an imperfect but provocative way of dealing with drugs has been scuttled forever, so it's back to business as usual, and Marlo is poised to take over as an even more dangerous foe than Avon was.

As Bubbles and Sherrod continue on their way, looking for scrap, Colvin turns around and walks away.

Everyone in the room applauds and cheers, except for Burrell and Rawls. Gray also looks at Carcetti as if he's seeing him for the first time.

->'''Carcetti:''' We can forgive Major Colvin who, out of his frustration and despair, found himself condoning something which can't possibly be condoned. We can do that much. But, gentlemen, what we can't forgive, what I can't forgive ever is how we you, me, this administration, all of us how we turned away from those streets in West Baltimore. The poor, the sick the swollen underclass of our city trapped in the wreckage of neighborhoods which were once so prized. Communities which we've failed to defend, which we have surrendered to the horrors of the drug trade. And if this disaster demands anything of us as a city it demands that we say enough. Enough to the despair which makes policemen even think about surrender. Enough to the fact that these neighborhoods are not saved or are beyond the saving. Enough to this administration's indecisiveness and lethargy to the garbage which goes uncollected the lots and row houses which stay vacant the addicts who go untreated the working men and women who every day are denied a chance at economic freedom.
Enough to the crime, which every day chokes more and more of the life from our city. And the thing of it is, if we don't take responsibility and step up, not just for the mistakes and the miscues, but for whether or not we're gonna win this battle for our streets, if that doesn't happen we're gonna lose these neighborhoods, and ultimately this city, forever. If we don't have the courage and the conviction to fight this war they way it should be fought, the way it needs to be fought, using every weapon that we can possibly muster, if that doesn't happen well, then we're staring at defeat. And that defeat should not and cannot and will not be forgiven.

Outside the western district police station, [=McNulty=] joins Colvin with two beers he got from a uniformed cop. [=McNulty=] tells Colvin his tip led to arresting Avon, and admits he put Stringer's name on the warrant even though Stringer was already dead. Colvin sighs at how much [=McNulty=] likes to cut corners, and [=McNulty=] grins and points out he wasn't the only one, but tells Colvin he's good police. They each finish their beer, and throw their empty onto the roof; we see the roof is completely covered with empty beer cans.

Bunk looks in on Kima, who showing Shamrock a photo array, and then looks in on [=McNulty=] and Rhonda, who are in with Bodie. Bodie reminds [=McNulty] [[Recap/TheWireS03E07BackBurners they stopped him on the way to Hamsterdam]].

In Royce's office, Demper has joined Gene and Parker in debating Hamsterdam. Demper points out his office can't live with calling it legalization, which Royce has no problem with, but "[[InsistentTerminology harm reduction" might work, and he tells everybody to think about keeping high-level dealers out of Hamsterdam, while Parker rolls his eyes.

All of the officers gather around Avon's stash house. Inside, Avon and his crew are getting ready to roll - especially when they hear Marlo is unprotected - when they hear the police knock on the door. Everyone freezes, then acts as if they're going to fight, but Avon sighs, sits down, and tells someone to open the door for the police. Once that happens, everyone rushes in and handcuffs all of Avon's crew. [=McNulty=] handcuffs Avon, and points out he'll have to do his full sentence now. Avon is nonchalant about that, until [=McNulty=] shows him Stringer's name on the warrant, and his face falls.

Outside of City Hall, Burrell radios to Rawls that he's good to go. Rawls, in a police car and in uniform, radios other cars to take Hamsterdam. As cop cars, with their sirens on, drive by, Rawls puts on ''Music/RideOfTheValkyries''. Herc, watching as the cars drive by, looks pleased, but Carver isn't.

Bunk and [=McNulty=] are at their usual spot near the train tracks. Bunk chides [=McNulty=] for not drinking as much as him, and grumbles how he knows Omar was involved with the shooting. [=McNulty=] points out the talk on the wire is Marlo was responsible, which Bunk is surprised to hear. Bunk says [[WretchedHive the city is going to hell]], and the number of murders will be over 300 by the end of the year. [=McNulty=] gets a call from Cheryl, and he lies that Kima is probably picking up a prisoner and her cellphone is off because she's not allowed to bring it inside. He promises to pass along the message and hangs up. Bunk says he "needs more", but [=McNulty=] says, "I'm tired, Bunk."

...[[DescriptionCut and [=McNulty=], following Bunk, is in the hallway approaching the apartment]] when he gets a call on his cellphone from Colvin, who tells him to meet at Mount Vernon Square in an hour. [=McNulty=] says he'll be there, and hangs up. Bunk and [=McNulty=], along with a few uniformed cops, enter, and to their astonishment, discover Stringer's apartment is a tastefully decorated [[Recap/TheWireS03E05StraightAndTrue loft apartment]]. [=McNulty=] looks through Stringer's bookcase, picks out a copy of [[UsefulNotes/Capitalism Adam Smith's "The Wealth Of Nation"]], and asks Bunk, "Who the fuck was I chasing?"

In a hotel room, Lamar is watching Dante, whose face is still scarred and bruised, while flipping through ''The Atlantic'', when Brother Mouzone and Omar come in. Omar glares at Brother Mouzone when he sees what Dante looks like, but Brother Mouzone says simply, "What's done is done." He motions to Lamar and they step outside, giving Omar and Dante a private moment. Omar tries to touch Dante's face; as Dante flinches, he admits to Omar [[Recap/TheWireS03E11MiddleGround he held out as long as he could]]. Omar says they should go, and they get up to leave. As they walk outside, Brother Mouzone hands Omar his gun and says, "It being your town, I trust you to do it proper." Dante glares at Brother Mouzone, but Omar takes the gun. As he walks away, he turns around and winks at Brother Mouzone before going on his way.

Bunk goes inside, and sees Stringer's bodyguard laid out on the floor. He picks up a shotgun shell with a pencil, puts it back down, and tells the lab technician on the scene to rush ballistics. Bunk then goes upstairs, where a crime scene photographer is taking pictures of Stringer, while [=McNulty=], looking thoroughly dejected, sits on a windowsill and watches, and Kima, equally dejected, leans up against the wall. Bunk sits down next to [=McNulty=] as [=McNulty=] says bitterly, "[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou I caught him, Bunk. On the wire. I caught him.He doesn't fuckin' know it." Bunk pats [=McNulty=]'s leg and gets up.

In Royce's office, Demper has joined Gene and Parker in debating Hamsterdam.