The Wire

Ep.	Title	Air/Pub'l	Grade	Author
5-10 Recap	"…the life of kings." -30- - After five seasons and enough plaudits to fill a thesaurus, The Wire exits the stage after its final act, with its crown firmly in place.	2008.03.09 2008.03.14	A	Mr. Sobell
5-9 Recap	"Deserve Got Nuthin' To Do With It" Late Editions - Because if it did, Michael, Bug, and Dukie would be able to live happily ever after. But that's not going to happen -- ever. Meanwhile, McNulty looks like he's about to get what he deserves for this serial killer business.	2008.03.02 2008.03.07	A	Mr. Sobell
5-8 Recap	"A Lie Ain't A Side Of A Story. It's Just A Lie." Clarifications - It's a race to see what happens first -- McNulty and Freamon getting the goods on Marlo, or McNulty's web of lies unraveling. The clock seems to be moving closer to midnight for Templeton as well. And for Omar? Time's up.	2008.02.24 2008.03.01	A	Mr. Sobell
5-7 Recap	"They Don't Teach It In Law School" Took - Clay Davis takes Bond and Pearlman to school, while McNulty learns a lesson about unintended consequences. Too bad he's not a very quick study.	2008.02.17 2008.02.23	B	Mr. Sobell
5-6 Recap	"If you have a problem with this, I understand completely." The Dickensian Aspect - Kidnapping a homeless guy and driving him 150 miles away, so that you can use him to perpetuate your serial-killer hoax -- who could possibly have a problem with that? I mean, other than every moderately ethical human being. Which pretty much explains why McNulty does exactly that, I guess.	2008.02.10 2008.02.16	A-	Mr. Sobell
5-7 Extra	"Read Between The Lines: I Will Take Your Head Off Your Shoulders" The Chris Ashworth Interview - ...with kindness! Chris Ashworth may play a Russian heavy on The Wire, but in real life, he's the picture of manners. Here, he talks about hanging out with Method Man, fending off attackers, and his second favorite TV show.	2008.02.14 2008.02.14	N/A	Kate Dailey
5-5 Recap	"Just 'Cause They're In The Street Doesn't Mean That They Lack Opinions." React Quotes - But what if their opinions aren't very interesting? Well, if you're Templeton, you make up opinions for them. And then you invent a phone conversation between you and the serial killer. And, if you're McNulty, you play along.	2008.02.03 2008.02.09	B+	Mr. Sobell
5-4 Recap	"Buyer's Market Out There" Transitions - Scott Templeton learns that the Washington Post isn't in the market for writers whose ambition exceeds their accomplishments. Burrell learns that Baltimore isn't in the market for police commissioners who fudge stats. But Proposition Joe learns the ultimate lesson -- never trust Marlo. At all.	2008.01.27 2008.02.01	A-	Mr. Sobell
5-3 Recap	"They're Dead Where It Doesn't Count" Not For Attribution - Lester's in on McNulty's serial killer; there's a shake-up at The Sun as well as in the command structure of the police department; Clay Davis's Grand Jury investigation continues; Michael and Dukie have a day at Six Flags; and Chris and Snoop kill Butchie while Marlo cleans his cash. Omar is notified. That's right: Omar.	2008.01.20 2008.01.24	A	Mr. Stupidhead
5-2 Recap	"This Ain't Aruba, Bitch." Unconfirmed Reports - Walon urges Bubs to open up, Michael learns a harsh lesson about the streets, Marlo meets the Russian, and McNulty fakes a crime scene.	2008.01.13 2008.01.19	A-	Mr. Stupidhead
5-1 Recap	"The Bigger The Lie, The More They Believe." More With Less - And the biggest lie of all, apparently, was that it was the dawn of a new day in Baltimore. Because Season Five begins with everything pretty much worse than ever.	2008.01.06 2008.01.12	B+	Mr. Sobell
4-13 Recap	"If Animal Trapped Call 410-844-6286" Final Grades - People, on the other hand, were on their own until Lester started looking for nails where screws should be. But as bodies continue coming out of the vacants, other citizens of Baltimore also find themselves variously trapped.	2006.12.10 2008.01.10	A+	Wing Chun
4-12 Recap	"That's All There Is To It?" That's Got His Own - Bubbs learns how easy it is to kill someone.	2006.12.03 2008.01.08	A+	Wing Chun
4-11 Recap	"You Play In Dirt, You Get Dirty" A New Day - You'll also probably get pretty dirty dealing with all the errands on Carcetti's Pain-In-The-Ass Tour '06, but at least you can be comforted with the knowledge that he ends up having an even worse day than you.	2006.11.26 2008.01.07	A+	Wing Chun
4-10 Recap	"World Goin' One Way, People Another" Misgivings - In the schools and in the police department: bureaucracy going one way, real people's best interests another.	2006.11.19 2008.01.03	A	Wing Chun
4-9 Recap	"Might As Well Dump 'Em, Get Another" Know Your Place - A good politician always knows the right time to change course.	2006.11.12 2007.12.30	A	Wing Chun
4-8 Recap	"We Got Our Thing, But It's Just Part Of The Big Thing" Corner Boys - Carcetti gets a look at one big thing in Baltimore, and decides it needs Daniels in charge of it.	2006.11.05 2007.12.26	A-	Wing Chun
4-7 Recap	"Aw Yeah. That Golden Rule." Unto Others - Crutchfield does unto Bunk as he thinks Bunk did unto him. The upshot is that Lex's murder is no closer to getting solved.	2006.10.29 2007.12.20	B+	Wing Chun
4-6 Recap	"Don't Try This Shit At Home" Margin Of Error - Norman just makes it look easy.	2006.10.15 2007.12.18	B+	Wing Chun
4-5 Recap	"If You With Us, You With Us" Alliances - Strategic partnerships break out all over Baltimore.	2006.10.08 2007.12.14	A-	Wing Chun
4-4 Recap	"No One Wins. One Side Just Loses More Slowly." Refugees - Except when the one side loses fast.	2006.09.31 2007.12.12	A	Wing Chun
4-3 Recap	"I Love The First Day, Man. Everybody All Friendly An' Shit." Home Rooms - Day 2? All bets are off.	2006.09.24 2007.12.11	A+	Wing Chun
4-2 Recap	"I Still Wake Up White In A City That Ain't" Soft Eyes - Should Carcetti then move to Howard County instead? Depends who you ask.	2006.09.17 2007.12.07	B	Wing Chun
4-1 Recap	"Lambs To The Slaughter Here" Boys Of Summer - And Prez is about to spend a season slathered in mint jelly.	2006.09.10 2007.12.06	A	Wing Chun
3-2 Recap	"There's Never Been A Paper Bag" All Due Respect - But there will be, now that Bunny Colvin's been motivated to solve the drug problem in Baltimore.	2004.09.26 2007.11.28	B+	Mr. Sobell
3-1 Recap	"Don't Matter How Many Times You Get Burnt, You Just Keep Doin' The Same" Time After Time - That applies to the Barksdale gang, who are back slinging; the Major Case unit, which is back trying to stop them; and pretty much everyone on the City of Baltimore's payroll.	2004.09.19 2007.11.27	A-	Mr. Sobell
2-12 Recap	"Business. Always Business." Port In A Storm - Certainly, this episode offers very little pleasure for anyone.	2003.08.24 2007.11.26	A	Wing Chun
2-11 Recap	"I Need To Get Clean" Bad Dreams - Will Frank get what he needs? Outlook not so good.	2003.08.17 2007.11.20	A	Wing Chun
2-10 Recap	"It Pays To Go With The Union Card Every Time" Storm Warnings - Too bad the FBI is similarly mindful of the role unions play.	2003.08.10 2007.11.14	A	Wing Chun
2-9 Recap	"The World Is A Smaller Place Now" Stray Rounds - This globe-spanning episode bears that out nicely.	2003.08.03 2007.11.08	A	Wing Chun
2-8 Recap	"How Come They Don't Fly Away?" Duck And Cover - Ziggy may seem interested in birds, but he doesn't pay much heed to the question of what they should be given to drink.	2003.07.27 2007.10.18	A-	Wing Chun
2-7 Recap	"Don't Worry, Kid. You're Still On The Clock." Backwash - But people do all kinds of awful things in the service of their jobs.	2003.07.13 2007.10.10	A-	Wing Chun
2-6 Recap	"It Don't Matter That Some Fool Say He Different..." All Prologue - D'Angelo tries to remake himself in a new image, but learns that it's just as hard for him as it was for Jay Gatsby.	2003.07.06 2007.10.02	A	Wing Chun
2-5 Recap	"They Used To Make Steel There, No?" Undertow - They used to do a lot of things in Baltimore. Remember? The wooden shovels at the grain pier? Folksy!	2003.06.29 2007.09.26	B	Wing Chun
2-4 Recap	"If I Hear The Music, I'm Gonna Dance" Hard Cases - Daniels plays Kima's song, and her days as a housecat come to an end.	2003.06.22 2007.09.21	B	Wing Chun
2-3 Recap	"What They Need Is A Union" Hot Shots - Even if prostitutes did form a benevolent sisterhood, though, it's hard to get a rep to come visit you in the shipping container taking you across the ocean, possibly against your will. Bunk, Lester, and Beadie learn more about the Jane Does -- none of it good, obviously.	2003.06.15 2007.09.18	A	Wing Chun
2-2 Recap	"They Can Chew You Up, But They Gotta Spit You Out" Collateral Damage - Making the good cops of the BPD so much Juicy Fruit to the likes of Bill Rawls.	2003.06.08 2007.09.14	A	Wing Chun
2-1 Recap	"Ain't Never Gonna Be What It Was" Ebb Tide - What is it going to be? An examination of Polish-American dockworkers, and some of their unfortunate cargo.	2003.1.001 2007.09.04	A-	Wing Chun
1-13 Recap	"All In The Game..." Sentencing - Many a tear has to fall.	2002.09.08 2007.07.11	A	Wing Chun
1-12 Recap	"This Is Me, Yo, Right Here" Cleaning Up - Wallace returns to the Pit, and Poot immediately regrets having sent him the $18 to do so.	2002.1.001 2007.07.05	B+	Wing Chun
1-11 Recap	"Dope On The Damn Table" The Hunt - Dope's on the table, Kima's in the hospital, Orlando's on the slab, and Stringer's on the shit list. Tough day all around.	2002.08.18 2007.06.30	A	Wing Chun
1-10 Recap	"And Then He Dropped The Bracelets..." The Cost - There was a time Kima knew that being a cop was the right career for her. By the end of the episode, she might not be so sure.	2002.08.11 2007.06.25	A	Wing Chun
1-9 Recap	"Maybe We Won" Game Day - Sure -- when your full-time job is trying to fight the inner-city drug trade, it's natural to be optimistic.	2002.08.04 2007.06.19	A	Wing Chun
1-8 Recap	"Come At The King, You Best Not Miss" Lessons - Especially if you already took out his queen, as it were, and now the king is really pissed.	2002.07.28 2007.05.28	A+	Wing Chun
1-8 Recap	Come At The King, You Best Not Miss Lessons - Especially if you already took out his queen, as it were, and now the king is really pissed.	2002.07.28 2007.05.28	A	Wing Chun
1-6 Recap	"...And All The Pieces Matter" The Wire - Even seemingly insignificant ones, like Wallace.	2002.07.07 2007.05.17	A	Wing Chun
1-7 Recap	"A Man Must Have A Code" One Arrest - Not the kind Prez can crack; the other kind.	2002.07.21 2007.05.17	A-	Wing Chun
1-5 Recap	"...A Little Slow, A Little Late" The Pager - But nevertheless, Prez shows that he might be good for something other than half-blinding Terrace kids.	2002.06.30 2007.05.14	A	Wing Chun
1-4 Recap	"It's A Thin Line 'Tween Heaven And Here" Old Cases - And Bodie crosses that line, escaping juvie. Wait -- between juvie and the Pit, we're not sure which is less heavenly. At least the Pit has a couch.	2002.06.23 2007.05.09	A	Wing Chun
1-3 Recap	"The King Stays The King" The Buys - And the cheese stands alone.	2002.06.16 2007.04.25	A	Wing Chun
1-2 Recap	"You Cannot Lose If You Do Not Play" The Detail - Sometimes not playing isn't an option, Marla. Geez.	2002.06.09 2007.04.09	A	Wing Chun
1-1 Recap	"...When It's Not Your Turn" The Target - Meet McNulty! He likes to start shit.	2002.06.02 2007.04.05	A+	Wing Chun

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