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The Wire

The Wire
★ 8.6/10•2002•TV-MA•Crime•Drama
Similars

Listen carefully.

Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.

StatusEnded
LanguageEN
First Air DateJun 2, 2002

Episodes

Episode 1 - The TargetE163m

The Target

"... when it's not your turn." - McNulty. Baltimore homicide detective Jimmy McNulty gets into hot water and winds up assigned to a detail of narcotics outcasts charged with investigating drug lord Avon Barksdale and his powerful operation in Franklin Terrace. Meanwhile, Avon's nephew D'Angelo is fresh off beating a murder rap, but he finds himself demoted upon his return to the gang.

Jun 2, 2002

Episode 2 - The DetailE258m

The Detail

"You cannot lose if you do not play." - Marla Daniels. McNulty feels the heat when a witness who testified against D'Angelo is found murdered. Meanwhile, Greggs is given the lay of the land regarding Avon Barksdale's key players, and Herc, Carver and Prez find big-time trouble at the towers.

Jun 9, 2002

Episode 3 - The BuysE356m

The Buys

"The king stay the king." - D'Angelo. The early-morning 'field interviews' by Herc, Carver and Prez result in a minor riot, a boy losing an eye and some bad publicity for the department. On the other side of the law, D'Angelo teaches Wallace and Bodie how to play the game (chess) and later impresses Bell with his 'take' from the low-rises.

Jun 16, 2002

Episode 4 - Old CasesE460m

Old Cases

"It's a thin line 'tween heaven and here." - Bubbles. Greggs and McNulty try to get Hardcase to turn informant as arraignment begins for those caught in the raid. Barksdale places a bounty on the head of rival gang leader Omar. Meanwhile, McNulty takes Bubbles on a cultural field trip, and Herc and Carver try to track down Bodie.

Jun 23, 2002

Episode 5 - The PagerE560m

The Pager

"..a little slow, a little late." - Avon Barksdale. McNulty's detail finally gets 'clone' pagers to track Barksdale and his gang, but nobody can crack the codes used by the callers. Meanwhile, Bell instructs D'Angelo on how to school his lookouts while simultaneously flushing out a possible snitch. Later, Carver and Herc find Bodie, but their interrogation doesn't turn up results.

Jun 30, 2002

Episode 6 - The WireE660m

The Wire

"..and all the pieces matter." - Freamon. When Rawls looks to make a premature arrest for three murders that are linked to D'Angelo and Avon Barksdale, McNulty and Greggs must argue for a delay in order to preserve the valuable wiretap gains they have made. Meanwhile, Wallace and D'Angelo struggle with their consciences after Avon pays them blood money.

Jul 7, 2002

Episode 7 - One ArrestE760m

One Arrest

"A man must have a code." - Bunk. Tipped off by the wire, Greggs, Herc, Carver and Freamon make a bust, but the incident makes Avon and Stringer suspicious, leading them to close shop in the Pit. Meanwhile, Bunk and McNulty look for another witness in the Gant slaying and hunt a suspect known as 'Mr. Bird.'

Jul 21, 2002

Episode 8 - LessonsE857m

Lessons

"Come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar. An unlikely source gives McNulty the tag of a car driven by Stringer Bell. Meanwhile, Greggs and Carver bust a congressional aide carrying dirty cash, but are forced to let him go. Omar earns his 'loose cannon' moniker.

Jul 28, 2002

Episode 9 - Game DayE957m

Game Day

"Maybe we won." - Herc. Barksdale plays an expensive game of one-upmanship with an east-side rival. Meanwhile, Herc and Carver take some cash off of Wee-Bey's hands, and Omar resurfaces with a bang.

Aug 4, 2002

Episode 10 - The CostE1056m

The Cost

"And then he dropped the bracelets..." - Greggs. With Wallace in custody, McNulty and Daniels try to figure out what to do with him in the months before he testifies. Sydnor and Carver track down one of Barksdale's stash houses, and Prez shows off his 'gift for the paper trail.' McNulty's estranged wife Elena takes desperate measures after learning that he had their kids follow Stringer Bell.

Aug 11, 2002

Episode 11 - The HuntE1157m

The Hunt

"Dope on the damn table." - Daniels. The police turn up the heat on tracking down Savino, Wee-Bey and Little Man. Burrell orders Daniels to hit drug dealers for results that will impress the press. Barksdale sees his ranks thinning after the hit on Orlando. Bubbles tries to stay sober while scoping out the projects for McNulty; and Freamon determines there's a rat in the detail.

Aug 18, 2002

Episode 12 - Cleaning UpE1257m

Cleaning Up

"This is me, yo, right here." - Wallace. The low-rise pay phones are out of service, so McNulty and Daniels try to keep pace by tapping Barksdale's office. Bodie gets new responsibilities from Stringer; Freamon gives Shardene a 'new look'; and D'Angelo goes to NYC on an errand for his uncle. With the detail's future hanging in the balance, Daniels faces off against Burrell and his political allies.

Sep 1, 2002

Episode 13 - SentencingE1366m

Sentencing

"all in the game..." - Traditional West Baltimore. Every crew has weak links--including Avon Barksdale's. With the heat turned up in the high-rises, Daniels and McNulty turn to a higher authority in an effort to crack the case wide open. Season finale.

Sep 8, 2002

Actors

Dominic West

Dominic West

Jimmy McNulty

Lance Reddick

Lance Reddick

Cedric Daniels

Sonja Sohn

Sonja Sohn

Kima Greggs

Wendell Pierce

Wendell Pierce

Bunk Moreland

Michael Kenneth Williams

Michael Kenneth Williams

Omar Little

Deirdre Lovejoy

Deirdre Lovejoy

Rhonda Pearlman

Andre Royo

Andre Royo

Bubbles

John Doman

John Doman

William Rawls

Clarke Peters

Clarke Peters

Lester Freamon

Jamie Hector

Jamie Hector

Marlo Stanfield

Aidan Gillen

Aidan Gillen

Tommy Carcetti

Seth Gilliam

Seth Gilliam

Ellis Carver

Domenick Lombardozzi

Domenick Lombardozzi

Herc Hauk

Corey Parker Robinson

Corey Parker Robinson

Leander Sydnor

Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Clay Davis

Michael Kostroff

Michael Kostroff

Maury Levy

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