Omar's back and Prop. Joe's dead. Cold-blooded Marlo is making big, bloody waves, and with the backing of the Greeks and an unflinching crew, it looks he might rule the streets by the time The Wire shuts down for business. Still, it's hard to shake the feeling that Omar might get the chance to aim that sawed-off shotgun at his skinny rival's head.
With the department still suffering thanks to Mayor Carcetti's "more with less" attitude, itchy Western cops like Colicchio are ready to pop. Watching Colicchio attack a schoolteacher during a bust that went bust remineded me of episode one of this season. Sgt. Carver predicted the low pay and morale would lead to this kid of unrest, and he was right. Now Carver is getting the short end of it by having to charge his own men for what he thinks is the greater good.
McNulty also thinks he's working for that greater good, but it looks like he's just looking for something to hold on to. His relationship with Beadie is pretty much over, and the guy only seems to spark when he's compromising crime scenes with Lester. Will these two get away with their serial killer plan? Bunk, doing the right thing, wants these two to quit their shit. Still, from their perspective, the illegal plan is just part of a chain reaction that had its start at city hall.
Carcetti is finding that shaping the hall to his liking is prickly business. He replaced Commissioner Burrell with a happy Daniels, but the mayor's still sitting on a city full of crime and a disobedient police force. All the side discussion about Burrell was hilarious. It seemed like no one had a kind word for the ol' commish who blamed his ouster on weak-willed politicians.
Back at the Baltimore Sun, the staff struggles to get quotes for the Burrell and Clive Davis stories while Templeton slips out for a job interview. I was glad to see this self-centered hack be told his feature copy was "too raw" by someone he might call a "real editor." He learns its a 'buyer's market" in the newpspaper biz, and maybe it aint so bad over at The Sun.
Gus, of course, probably wouldn't agree with Templeton at this point. He's making managing editor Klebanow laugh by tossing a few F-bombs in the office one minute. The next, Klebanow reprimands him for his "profanity" only to quash the newsroom's furor over the recent round of buyouts. I'm hoping Gus will get the chance to out Templeton soon. Maybe he'll even score it big as an indie news blogger and give his editors the finger. I just hope he's not around when the paper finally crumbles.
