After a grandstanding court performance, Clay Davis is sensationally acquitted of all corruption charges, destroying Bond's chances at becoming mayor. When Carcetti gives the police carte blanche in the serial killer investigation, McNulty asks Carver to provide a surveillance team for Freamon. Unable to stand by and allow Greggs to waste her time working a fake case at the expense of her real ones, McNulty tells her of his and Freamon's ruse. Much to Michael's surprise, Chris and Snoop decide not to tell Marlo that Omar is damaging his reputation and word is spreading that Marlo is ducking a confrontation. At The Sun, when the Iraq veteran whom Templeton wrote a seemingly solid story about comes forward to complain that certain details are inaccurate, Haynes' suspicions regarding Templeton intensify. When the DNA from the murder of Michael's stepfather comes back from the lab, Bunk is finally able to get a murder warrant for Chris, but McNulty persuades him to sit on it for a few days until Freamon can acquire more evidence against Marlo. Meanwhile, Freamon tries to entice the FBI to go after Davis, Dukie attempts to find honest work, Carcetti faces a challenge for the democratic gubernatorial nomination from Prince George's County, and Omar has an unexpected encounter with the most unlikely of adversaries.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bested by the Inexperienced: Omar Little, someone who has survived numerous shootouts and ambushes, is killed by twelve-year old Kenard.
- Call-Back: McNulty admits to Kima Bunk said he was no good for people.
- When Bunk first sees Omar's dead body, Crutchfield reminds him, "You should have let me give him the years."
- Catchphrase: Clay gets another "Sheeeit" when reacting to Carcetti's news about Upshaw.
- Chekhov's Gunman: One of the biggest of the series; Kenard was the kid pretending to be Omar.
- Continuity Nod: Given her views in the past, it makes sense Kima would have a problem morally with Lester and McNulty's investigation.
- Death Is Dramatic: Completely averted with Omar.
- The Dreaded: Even when he's limping, Omar — at least until he's murdered.
- Epigraph: "A lie ain't a side of the story, it's just a lie," said by Hanning to Gus and Scott.
- Everyone Has Standards: During McNulty's Comstat briefing, Rawls cracks, "I mean, I'm all for a little kinky shit now and then, but chewing on a homeless fella?"
- Also, Hanning, who admits to having told "stories", but insists he would never lie about what really happened to him in Iraq.
- Good News, Bad News:Rawls: The bad news, gentlemen, is we're actually going to have to catch this motherfucker. The good news is that our mayor finally needs a police department more than he needs a school system.
- Hypocritical Humor: When he hears what Upshaw wants to do to Carcetti, Clay cheekily remarks, "Playing that race card. Shameful," which, considering how he managed to get the jury to acquit him...
- Just a Kid: Omar dismisses Kenard as a threat as he is just a young child. It turns out to be a fatal mistake.
- Killed Mid-Sentence / Dropped a Bridge on Him: Omar. He was asking for a pack of cigarettes when Kenard blew his brains out from behind.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Kenard is dumbfounded after he actually succeeds in killing Omar.
- Out-of-Character Moment: The normally unflappable Marlo is so happy at the news of Omar's death, he's almost giddy.
- Serious Business: to the Marine, lying about a war story, even a little.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: At the time of his death, Omar was walking around the neighborhood freely with a limp from a broken leg. This, despite a bounty on his head from the biggest drug kingpin in town and knowing said kingpin is after him. He was, to some extent, relying on his reputation to protect him. This, and his disregard of kids as a threat, ultimately do him in. The aftermath of his death counts too - Omar was feared on the streets, but to anyone higher up, he was nothing. The detectives who knew him barely let out a gasp when they find out he's dead. The newspaper doesn't report his death that day because they don't have room. Even at the morgue, Omar had the wrong body tag at first before a worker switched it.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Beadie's tirade to McNulty near the end of the episode:All the guys at the bar, Jimmy? All the girls? They don't show up at your wake. Not because they don't like you but because they never knew your last name. A month later, someone tells 'em, "oh, Jimmy died." "Jimmy who?" "Jimmy the cop." "Ohh," they say. "Him." And all the people on the job, all the people you spent all those hours in the radio car with, the guys with their feet up on their desk telling stories, who shorted you on the food runs, who signed your overtime slips. In the end, they're not gonna be there either.
- Take That!: When Gus, Price and Zorzi are talking about Scott's call from the serial killer, and how weird it would be to talk to a psychopath, Price cracks, "I interviewed Dick Cheney once."
- Also, when they hear Tolan was an adviser on CSI, Kima and McNulty aren't impressed.
- Undignified Death: The legendary Omar is shot by Kenard (a kid barely into his teens and looking for street cred) who was casually dismissed as a threat. Aside from that, we get the cold reality that his death is barely a blip in the news cycle or something of note to detectives who knew him. The most concern or emotion his death gets is from Bunk, who was disappointed he got back in the game at all after clearing his name on a Frame-Up (in season 4).
- Wham Episode: Thanks to Omar getting shot.
- Worst News Judgement Ever: The death of Omar, a watershed moment for the series gets barely a mention in the paper. None of the current reporters have the street experience to realize a major player in the Baltimore underworld is gone which will shake things up majorly.
