The Wire “Late Editions”

So, yeah, Gus is checking Templeton’s veteran story.  Lots of lies there.

That’s all I’m going to say about the newspaper plot line for this, the penultimate episode of the entire series.

Lester finally got what he needed:  evidence of a Stanfield pick-up that can lead to major busts of most if not all of the Stanfield Organization’s leadership.  He’s got the evidence, and he just needs a little help from Daniels.  Daniels doesn’t get told everything, just that Lester was able to squeeze off a little bit of investigation into Stanfield with the Clay Davis thing done.  Daniels sure is happy.  Lester gets what he wants, and all kinds of busts made as Marlo’s people are caught shortly after picking up from the Greek’s people.  Lots of heroin in refrigerators from the looks of things.

But something ain’t right.  Sure, Bunk can happily bust Chris for the murder of Michael’s stepdad.  There was evidence there.  And wow, Carcetti can hold a victorious press conference and even Lester will get drunk to celebrate.

Who’s not celebrating?  McNulty.  He’s, well, still feeling the guilt of making the whole serial killer thing up.  And while Bunk may have finally laid off, now Kima’s pissed about it.  She’s pissed enough to ask Carver how he felt about busting a subordinate for attacking a civilian.  And so…she goes to Daniels, who in turn goes to Pearlman.  Nice move there, not showing her actually telling him.  We only get the reaction much later.  Daniels may have been happy before, but now he’s not.  And Pearlman ain’t much better since, you know, the form McNulty used for the wiretap went to Marlo’s phone, not the person he claimed it was.

So, you know, the wiretap that brought down Stanfield was illegal.

That doesn’t stop other repercussions.  Carcetti’s run for governor takes him to a school where Namond is on the debate team and Colvin sure looks proud…until he sees the mayor come over to talk to him.  I got the impression Bunny woulda popped him one if the press wasn’t nearby.  And while Carcetti has more of a conscience than others characters played by the same actor, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t deserve it any more than Littlefinger would.  Then again, Littlefinger probably deserves far worse.

But then there’s Marlo.  Marlo never goes near the drugs.  Hardly anyone has his phone number.  How the heck was it tapped?  (It was Herc getting it from Maurice Levy, though Herc also informs Levy there probably was a wiretap because that’s how Lester rolls, so the illegal thing may come to pass much sooner otherwise.)

Heck, Marlo’s unhappy to learn his name was being passed around the street at all, even if it was from Omar, and Omar’s dead now.

As it is, Marlo suspects Michael did it.  Snoop is still on the outside.  She goes to kill him, but Michael, he may be emotionally detached, but he’s not stupid.  He manages to get the drop on her instead, kills her, and gets away.  Also nice the show doesn’t show Snoop getting shot.  We just see the light of the gun barrel from outside the SUV both characters are riding in.

So, Michael has to drop his younger brother Bug off at a suburban aunt’s house.  He can’t stay there.  Dukie goes to live with the junk man he’s been working with.  Oh, joy, that guy does heroin.  And Michael has no happy childhood memories from the sounds of things.

Does anything look hopeful?  Sure.  Bubbles, real name Reginald, is still clean, getting a profile in the newspaper from an honest reporter, and can even open up about Sherrod’s death.  He’s made some real progress on a personal level, the only kind that works for the city of Baltimore.