Colvin's attempt to push all drug trafficking to the "free zones" he had set up doesn't go well at first; no matter how many times his squad tries to push it, none of the "hoppers" want to go there. Even when Colvin has them all rounded up and taken to a school auditorium, where he tries to sell the dealers on it, it doesn't work because none of them listen to him.
Though the Major Case squad is now officially supposed to be on Kintel Williamson, McNulty is still obsessed with Stringer, even arguing with Lester about it. He and Kima, through Bubbles, find out Marlo (whom they've never heard of before) has taken over some Barksdale corners. McNulty also follows Stringer around, but only sees them at college and having business lunches concerning the condos he's trying to build, and Lester and Prez discover pretty much the same thing.
Cutty decides living the straight life is no longer for him. He seeks out and finds Slim Charles, and gets put in charge of trying to find out if a Barksdale crew member is stealing money from them. Slim Charles and Bodie also take Cutty to a party.
Elsewhere, Bunk is trying to work Tosha's murder, but Jay pushes him to find Dozerman's gun instead, Carcetti tells his disbelieving friends, along with Theresa "Terri" D'Agostino (Brandy Burre), an old friend who's now a political consultant in D.C., that he wants to run for mayor, and though Rhonda writes a strongly-worded letter as to why Avon shouldn't get early parole, Levy reminds everyone of the deal Avon had made, and the parole board seems ready to honor the agreement.
This episode contains examples of:
- All Men Are Perverts: Jay.Jay: (as he watches Kima walking towards the coffee room) Man, I would murder that. If she wasn't, you know...Bunk: Particular?
- Back Story: Bubbles says the last time he had a regular job was when he was a stock boy, but he got fired when he got caught putting a clock radio in the trash one day.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Jenkins, the man hiring Colvin to work at Johns Hopkins, asks Colvin what he thinks. Colvin thinks he means the job, and says he likes it but needs to talk it over with his wife first, but Jenkins actually wants to know what Colvin thinks of the cheesecake they're eating.
- Blatant Lies: McNulty gets Stringer's college course schedule by telling the admissions clerk (a young woman) that Stringer's in trouble for domestic abuse.
- Brief Accent Imitation: When Stringer greets Donette, asking her, "How are you?", and only gets a Death Glare in response, he puts on a falsetto, pretending to be her, and says, "I'm fine, String. I missed you, baby."
- Bring My Brown Pants: When Colvin is trying to speak to the kid dealers at the school auditorium, one of them tries to get out by saying he has to go to the bathroom. Colvin refuses at first, until another kid says the first kid smells like he "pissed in his drawers."
- Brutal Honesty: After a community meeting goes wrong when the residents aren't believing anything said by the police, Colvin takes over:Colvin: The truth is, I can't promise you it's gonna get any better. We can't lock up the thousands out there on the corners. There'd be no place to put them even if we could. We show you charts and statistics like they mean something. But you going back to your homes tonight we gonna be in our patrol cars and them boys still gonna be out there on the corners deep in the game. This is the world we've got, people and it's about time all of us had the good sense to at least admit that much.
- Colvin's not trying to be brutal, he's just trying not to lie to the residents there (he tells Mello as they walk out, "Tired of the bullshit"), but that doesn't stop Carcetti, who's sitting in back with Marla, from saying, "Who gave him a can of gasoline and told him to put out the fire?"
- Call-Back: When the community relations sergeant (R. Emery Bright) tries to tell people at a community meeting they need to report drug activity, one of the residents angrily reminds him of William Gant.
- Also, Elena tells McNulty he owes her four months of alimony, and reminds him the separation agreement he signed entitles her to that, and he reminds her he only signed it because he thought they would get back together.
- Also, Lester remembers how when Avon and Stringer were buying up property, he thought they were flipping it.
- Also, Bunk says, "I need Omar, Jimmy", and McNulty responds, "Again?"
- The Cameo: Vera Holley, who plays the Vice-Principal who eventually is able to quiet the kids down for Colvin, is a real-life educator. Also, the late Clarence Clemons (of E Street Band fame) plays Roman, one of the people at the community meeting.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: The Major Case squad is stunned to see Stringer may actually be entirely out of the drug game, or so they think:Lester: From the looks of things, Stringer Bell's worse than a drug dealer.Prez: He's a developer.
- Darker and Edgier: The drug trade.Cutty: Game done changed.Slim Charles: Game's the same, just got more fierce.
- Epigraph: "Why you gotta go and fuck with the program?", said by Fruit, since he doesn't believe what the cops are saying about free zones.
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Prez asks if Stringer met the woman whose name is on his car in college, McNulty dismissively says she's much older, but it does give him the idea of tracking Stringer through his college schedule and admissions form.
- False Reassurance: When Kima tells McNulty she feels awful about going against Lester's wishes, and over the fact he and McNulty are feuding, McNulty responds, "You get used to it."
- Foreshadowing: The burners the dealers are throwing away and the phone runs (by "Bernard") Stringer alludes to in his conversation with Shamrock all become very important over the rest of the season. Also important are the dealer Slim Charles thinks is stealing from the Barksdale crew, Avon's early parole, the fact Cutty used to be a boxer, and Carcetti's mayoral ambitions
- Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Jenkins asks to be excused so he can go to the "little boys room. (He) need(s) to tinkle." Colvin and his former colleague have a good laugh about that.Colvin: I guess he felt the need to make a dookie too.
- Ironic Echo: Whenever Carver and Herc try to ask the young drug dealers a question, their answer is, "Huh?" Carver and Herc do the same thing the second time this happens.
- The Missus and the Ex: A Gender Flipped version; though Daniels and Rhonda are now a couple, McNulty doesn't know that, and shows up at Rhonda's door one night only to see Daniels' car parked outside. Daniels and McNulty go out for a drink the next night, and Daniels tries to apologize, but McNulty says he wishes them all the best.
- Really Gets Around: Carcetti (which we already know), to the point neither his friends nor Terri believe it when he says he's not going to come on to her.
- Shout-Out: The alias Spider (Edward Green) gives to Herc is "Peanut Butter and Jelly", the name of a drug dealer Ed Burns dealt with when he was a cop.
- Side Bet: Carcetti bets two of his friends he can sit down next to Terri and buy her a drink. When Carcetti walks over to the bar, his other friend points out who Terri really is, and that she and Carcetti have known each other since law school.
- Tempting Fate: After she reads the strongly-worded letter she's sending the parole commission about Avon, Rhonda assures Daniels there's no way they're going to let Avon out.
- Third-Person Person: Bubbles asks Kima and McNulty, "So what you need from Bubs?"
- Title Drop: Colicchio tells the dealers to think of the free zones as "Amsterdam". One of them says, "I ain't going to no 'Hamsterdam'."
- Verbal Backspace: When McNulty mentions how Stringer's car is in a woman's name, Prez speculates it might be a girlfriend, but McNulty figures it's not likely unless he likes women that are ugly and old. When Kima gives him a Death Glare, he quickly adds, "I'm sure she's real nice, though; good school spirit, always says 'hi' to you in the halls."
- What the Hell, Hero?/ Headbutting Heroes: Lester and McNulty do this to each other.Lester: You even listening to me, McNulty?McNulty: I got a real case to bring in, Lester. Fella by the name of Stringer Bell. You mighta heard of him.Lester: You got a mouth on you, boy.McNulty: He's still out there, Lester. He's got his corners, his money fuck it, by now, for all you know he's got all that downtown real estate. Motherfucker probably owns half of Baltimore without us even knowing it.Lester: That ain't the point.McNulty: Do you even know what happened to all that real estate, Lester? All that downtown property Bell had title on? Fuck no. He's probably laughing his balls off right now at you, me, Daniels, all of us.Lester: You even pretending to speak for anyone other than yourself, McNulty?McNulty: I'm speaking for the job.Lester: You wanna talk about police work? I was doing the job when you were just dreamin' on it. Daniels was out there, too. Now, you gonna fuck him when he pulled you off a goddamn boat?McNulty: He's a boss; fuck the bosses.Lester: Maybe Daniels plays a few games to get by but he's cost himself plenty for the sake of the job! He's earned some loyalty.McNulty: Fuck loyalty, and fuck you, Lester. I never thought I'd hear that chain-of-command horseshit come outta your mouth.Lester: Motherfucker, I've spent a lot of time in a lot of weak units, more than you. Now, this here? May not be perfect - but it's a chance to be police.McNulty: Well, then, be one.Lester: (looks like he's going to take a swing at McNulty, but changes his mind) You're not even worth the skin off my knuckles, junior.Kima: (as McNulty gets up, ready to challenge Lester) Jimmy, don't.Lester: You put fire to everything you touch, McNulty then you walk away while it burns.
- Lester also gives this to Kima for going along with McNulty; "I'm surprised at you, girl. Daniels raised you from a pup."
