The Wire “The Cost”

Is the highlight of this episode McNulty going to court against his ex-wife in an unexpected custody hearing?  Well, no.  But let’s get that out of the way right now.

Last episode ended with a failed attempt to kill Avon on the part of Omar.  Now figuratively licking his wounds, Omar agrees to wear a wire and try and get some incriminating evidence against at least Stringer when the two meet to discuss a truce under the neutral auspices of Proposition Joe.  Both men are too smart for it.  Stringer never says anything particularly incriminating to link himself to Avon, and Omar sees the offer he gets is a trap to get him killed, so Omar decides to go lie low in New York for a while.

That Avon agreed to Stringer’s truce plan shows a recalibration of how Avon is doing business.  He has cause to be wary, after all.  Orlando, the “owner” of his strip club, gets busted for trying to buy drugs from undercover cops.  Shardene is trying to spy on his for the cops, but she can’t exactly get good tips as a stripper in her glasses.  Lester and Prez have found a source to one of Avon’s supply houses and manage to get a bag or two of garbage from the place to find it full of drug paraphernalia.  Wallace, wracked by a guilty conscience, is found and brought in.  Daniels ends up having to take the city boy out to his grandparents in the countryside, but at least this time Daniels found a boy who wants to be better.

And, with Orlando in custody, then the detail can set up a sting with Kima riding shotgun as Orlando’s “girlfriend”.

But the cops have their own problems.  McNulty’s judge friend is no longer inclined to give them unlimited time due to an upcoming election that he isn’t on the ticket for, and the deputy chief is demanding arrests NOW.  Hence the sting.

But the sting gets stung.  Orlando isn’t that trusted anymore, and the car he and Kima are in is ambushed.  Orlando is killed and Kima seriously wounded.

And poor Bubbles, three days clean, really needed Kima’s help.  She was going to call him the following morning, but…