As Fletch dashes off to provide a true-and-faithful account of Bubbles's life and therefore establish himself as the polar opposite of Templeton, Alma comes over to give Gus the last-minute rundown from the cop beat: two dead from a house fire, and a shooting death in the city. Trouble is, the metro digest only has room for one more brief. "What's the homicide?" Gus asks. Alma rattles off the details: thirty-four-year-old black male shot dead in a West Baltimore grocery story, with a juvenile sought as the suspect. "Write up the fire," says Gus. And the grim reality of Omar's time on this earth comes a little more sharply into focus: He may have been able to have entire neighborhoods cringe in terror at his name at one point, but in death, he doesn't even rate a four-paragraph story. I can't decide whether that's sad or fitting.

Let's get us to some serial-killer profilin', FBI-style. FBI Guy #1 identifies our fake killer as "likely a white male in his late twenties to late thirties. He likely is not a college graduate, but feels nonetheless superior to those with advanced education." If the picture FBI Guy #1 is painting here sounds a little familiar, note that the camera has cut over to McNulty, who listens to the rest of the report with growing discomfort. "And he is likely employed in a bureaucratic entity," FBI Guy #1 continues, "possibly civil service or quasi-public service, from which he feels alienated. He has a problem with authority and a deep-seated resentment of those who he feels have impeded his progress professionally." By now, I'm expecting McNulty to leap to his feet, screaming, "I confess! I confess!" But wait -- there's more: "The minimized sexual activity suggests this is not a primary motive for the killings. In fact, the bite marks found on the last known victim lacking the DNA and saliva indicate to us possible post-mortem staging." Check. "The suspect has trouble with lasting relationships and is possibly a high-functioning alcoholic..." Double-check. "...with alcohol being used as a trigger in the commission of these crimes." Check and mate. May just want to turn yourself in at the door, McNulty, and save the Feds some time. "His resentment of the homeless may stem from a personal relationship with someone who is in that cohort--" mmmmm...no... "-- or his victimization with vagrants may merely present an opportunity for him to assert his superiority and intellectual prowess." Bingo. Well, Freamon did say way back when that McNulty might learn something about himself from an FBI profile of the fake serial killer; I think he probably learned more there than he bargained. On their way out the door, Kima asks McNulty what he thinks of the FBI report. "They're in the ballpark," McNulty replies." Friend -- they've got box seats behind home plate so as not to miss a pitch.