Thanks to Daniels' efforts with Rawls on her behalf, Kima is now in Homicide. She goes through the usual hazing rituals (handling a call about a "methane probe", coming across a crime victim with a typed confession in his hand), but gets a nasty surprise as well; to make sure the dead witness case doesn't get wrapped up before the election, Burrell orders Foerster (who then orders Jay) to take Norris off the case and put Kima on it.
At Tilghman Middle, Prez tries to get the kids in his class to deal with Chiquan getting stabbed, but they don't want to deal with it, and Donnelly tells him they're still processing it. Bubbles continues to try and get Sherrod to go to class, but Sherrod skips out at the first opportunity. The Deacon convinces Dennis to work for the school district rounding up truant kids, but Dennis is less than enthused when he sees what the job entails (kids only having to go for a day or two a month). Colvin and Parenti get approval to do a study of at-risk kids at Tilghman.
Elsewhere, Bunk continues to try and find Lex, Herc gets transferred to the Major Case squad, Bodie reluctantly agrees to take Marlo's drug package, and Marlo joins in on a poker game, only to be robbed by Omar at the game.
This episode contains examples of:
- Back Story: Michael's mother is a junkie.
- Book Ends: Marlo starts the episode losing a poker game and making himself feel better by exerting power over a security guard, and ends the episode winning a second poker game but immediately having his own power taken away when Omar robs the game and Marlo personally.
- Call-Back: The kids in Prez's class ask about him being a cop, and ask if he ever shot anyone.
- Burrell recalls Kima as the cop who was shot.
- Proposition Joe tells Omar about the poker game because he doesn't want Omar to think he had anything to do with Stringer's lies about Brother Mouzone.
- At a debate between Eunetta and Marla, Eunetta defends her reputation as The Ghost, at least as far as city council meetings go.
- Catchphrase: When Herc hears Major Crimes is back to making rips and runs, he's happy that they're doing it "the western district way".
- Continuity Nod: Rev. Reid is still the head of the ministers.
- The "necktie mausoleum", as Jay puts it, is still up.
- Kima and Lester are still bitching about Marimow.
Jay: Marimow does not cast off talent lightly. He heaves it away with great force. - Deadpan Snarker: When Chris and Snoop ask Bodie if he's taking Marlo's package, Bodie cracks, "I told Little Kevin right there to shoot y'all both in the head twice, but seeing as he done walked away..."
- Also, Norman agrees with Carcetti going to see the ministers, even if nothing comes of it, because "at least they get to see a begging-ass white man on his knees. Always a feel-good moment for the folks," which Carcetti chuckles at.
- Distracted by the Sexy: While Lester and Bunk are out drinking, and Lester is puzzling out where Marlo is hiding all the bodies of the people he's had killed, Bunk is too busy looking at women in the bar.
- Don't Tell Mama: The one thing that will get Randy to talk about anything is to threaten to call his foster mother and tell her he's in trouble, as Donnelly finds out. This becomes important later.
- Epigraph: "No one wins. One side just loses more slowly", said by Prez as he's watching a football game (though he's not talking about the game). Also serves as a Shout-Out to Night Moves.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Watkins is not happy when he finds out, contrary to what Royce had promised him, that Eunetta is once again listed on Royce's ticket instead of Marla. This also becomes important later.
- Evil Is Petty: Marlo shoplifts a lollipop that is probably the least expensive thing in the entire convenience store. The security guard calls him out on this.
- Foreshadowing: In addition to what's listed above. Omar robbing Marlo will become important later, as will Bunk's continued efforts to find Lex. Also, we find out later why Michael doesn't trust male authority figures, and why Spider hasn't been coming to boxing practice.
- Kick the Dog: Marlo deliberately provokes an innocent security guard into confronting him by shoplifting in plain sight and then has him murdered just for asking to be treated like a human being. And it's implied that he did this just to make himself feel better after losing a poker game.
- Let Me Get This Straight...: When Jay finds out from Foerster Kima is now the primary on the dead witness case:Jay: I have this correct? We're pulling a veteran off a pending case and giving it to a rook so as not to make timely progress on said case?
- Meaningful Echo / Phrase Catcher: Bunk tells Kima at a crime scene, she needs "soft eyes," so she can see the whole thing.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: Royce's campaign donors are less than enthused about the poker game Royce has called, not least of which because they have to lose intentionally.
- Refuge in Audacity: Marlo shoplifting lollipops right in front of the store security guard.
- Running Gag: Lester and McNulty bringing up Lester's 13 years - and four months - in the pawnshop unit.
- Seen It All: Bubbles warns Sherrod not to bother making up an excuse as to why he hasn't been in school, as Bubbles has "done heard, made up, and tested every excuse invented".
- Shout-Out: In addition to Prez's line (see Epigraph above):
- Marlo claims to the others he plays poker with that one of these days, he'll be walking out with a Rolls Royce, and one of them jokes he'll also get Morgan Freeman to drive it for him.
- Bunk calls Kima "grasshopper" at a crime scene.
- Bunk tells Lester the shrine Lex's mother had built for him would have shamed both Elvis and Tupac.
- Sophisticated as Hell:Dennis: Tell me something. How is it you got so much wisdom about who should be where?
Deacon: A good church man is always up in everybody's shit. That's how we do. - Tempting Fate: Marlo assuring Proposition Joe, "No one fucks with me now." He obviously hasn't met Omar yet.
- Also Omar, when he boasts to Marlo he can find Marlo's people easier than they can find Omar.
- Too Dumb to Live: The store security guard stopping Marlo for shoplifting, even though he knows it's going to get him into trouble later.
