Homecoming (The Wire episode)
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| The Wire episode | |
| "Homecoming" "Just a gangster, I suppose." - Avon Barksdale |
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| Episode no. | 31 |
| Teleplay by | Rafael Alvarez |
| Story by | David Simon and Rafael Alvarez |
| Directed by | Leslie Libman |
| Guest stars | see below |
| Prod. code | 306 |
| Original airdate | October 31, 2004 |
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| Episode chronology | |
"Homecoming" is the sixth episode of the third season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by Rafael Alvarez from a story by David Simon & Rafael Alvarez and was directed by Leslie Libman. It originally aired on October 31, 2004.
Contents |
[edit] Production
[edit] Title reference
The title refers to the return of Avon Barksdale and also the major case unit returning its focus to investigating the Barksdale organization. Additionally, the title may refer to Cutty's desire to leave the game, but his lack of experience or skills to do so.
[edit] Epigraph
| “ | Just a gangster, I suppose. - Avon Barksdale | ” |
Avon makes this statement to Stringer discussing his inability to adjust to the new legitimate aspects of their business.
[edit] References to other media
Omar is shown watching a scene from the Oz episode "Sonata de Oz".
Carcetti's wife, Jen, and his two children are listening to "Hoodoo Voodoo" from Billy Bragg & Wilco's album Mermaid Avenue when Carcetti returns home one evening. This scene starts at 33:31.
[edit] Credits
[edit] Starring cast
Although credited Clarke Peters, Jim True-Frost and Corey Parker Robinson do not appear in this episode.
[edit] Guest stars
- Glynn Turman as Mayor Clarence Royce
- Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as Senator Clayton "Clay" Davis
- Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise
- Jamie Hector as Marlo Stanfield
- Maria Broom as Marla Daniels
- Michael Hyatt as Brianna Barksdale
- Delaney Williams as Sergeant Jay Landsman
- Brandy Burre as Theresa D'Agostino
- Benjamin Busch as Officer Anthony Colicchio
- Jay Landsman as Lieutenant Dennis Mello
- Megan Anderson as Jen Carcetti
- Shamyl Brown as Donette
- Verna Lee Day as "Hamsterdam" resident
- Anwan Glover as Slim Charles
- Kelli R. Brown as Kimmy
- Nina Hodoruk as State's Attorney Kendall Remnick
- Richard DeAngelis as Colonel Raymond Foerster
- Michael Salconi as Officer Michael Santangelo
- Ernest Waddell as Dante
- Mayo Best as Gerard
- Richard Burton as Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty
- Norris Davis as Vinson
- Brandon Fobbs as Fruit
- Addison Switzer as Country
- Gbenga Akinnagbe as Chris Partlow
- Christopher Mann as Councilman Tony Gray
- Cleo Reginald Pizana as Chief of Staff Coleman Parker
- Frederick Strother as State Delegate Odell Watkins
- Michael Willis as Andy Krawczyk
[edit] Uncredited appearances
- R. Emery Bright as Community Relations Sergeant
- Edward Green as Spider
- Felicia Pearson as Snoop
- Unknown as Chipper
- Unknown as Bruiser
- Unknown as Boo
[edit] Plot
[edit] Summary
[edit] Politics
Marla and Cedric Daniels attend a political event. Councilman Tony Gray, Senator Clay Davis and State Delegate Odell Watkins discuss the absence of Marla's opponent Eunetta Perkins. Watkins congratulates Gray for criticising the mayor through the police subcomittee. After the event Cedric and Marla share a dinner and she raises the possibility of a reconciliation. Cedric tells Marla that he cannot promise any more than his continued support of her political career. Later, Daniels raises Marla's political aspirations in conversation with his new girlfriend Rhonda Pearlman telling her that he feels he owes Marla the supportive husband routine because she supported his career for so long.
Tommy Carcetti plays another squash game with Gray and Gray raises the possibility of someone running against Royce. They skirt around the issue of who and Carcetti suggests that only an African-American person could win a mayoral race in Baltimore. Carcetti returns home to his wife and children for dinner.
Carcetti meets formally with Theresa D'Agostino to ask her to run his campaign a second time. She again questions the possibility of a white mayor of Baltimore. Carcetti reasons that with Gray thinking about running the vote will be split and he has Burrell telling him things about the Police department.
Mayor Clarence Royce and Chief of Staff Coleman Parker meet with Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell about the rising murder rate and suggest that he may not stay as commissioner unless he can control it.
[edit] Homicide
Bunk Moreland gives a report detailing his efforts to retrieve Officer Dozerman's weapon to Sergeant Jay Landsman as a way to deflect the attention of their superiors. Bunk insists that he will work on the double homicide of Tosha and Tank rather than wasting time on the service weapon and Landsman finally agrees with him.
Bunk interviews Tosha's family and is direct about her involvement in the shoot-out and with Omar Little. He asks them to put Omar in touch with him so that he can tell his story. The word gets back to Omar through Kimmy and she gives him Bunk's card. Omar tells Kimmy to let him handle the police. Later, Omar catches up with Bruiser, the witness who identified him to Bunk, at a card game and convinces him to change his story. Omar contacts Bunk to invite him to a meeting. When Omar tells Bunk there is no victim in the case of the shooting Bunk flies into a rage. He talks about their shared past at Edmondson High School. Bunk says that the sense of community in their neighborhoods and the concern for the dead is all but gone.
[edit] Western district
Trade in Hamsterdam is thriving, but Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin insists that his men crack down hard on any remaining drug crews operating outside the tolerance zones. He gives Sergeant Ellis Carver free rein to use any force necessary to make the drug dealers relocate. The drug enforcement unit tows cars, delivers brutal beatings and pepper sprayings, throws away shoes and drives dealers out into the countryside to make their point. Major Colvin finds his district safer with honest people back out on the corners again, but the reality of the tolerant zones is shocking. He notices one resident remaining in the Hamsterdam zone. He offers her a chance to relocate as part of a program to move people out of areas affected by the drug trade. She refuses to move and asks why he can't deal with the drug problem instead of moving her. Colvin approaches Colonel Raymond Foerster with the paperwork for the move, telling him the woman is a witness in a drug case, and Foerster reluctantly signs it.
Rawls phones Colvin about the shootout at Mount and Fayette, angry that Colvin has little to tell him. Carver is again unable to give Colvin any information about which gangs might have been involved. Colvin finds information later pertaining to the involvement of Stringer Bell and Marlo Stanfield through Detective Jimmy McNulty and then requests the Major Case Unit's assistance in targeting the two drug organizations.
[edit] Barksdale organization
Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell visit their development site and are dismayed to find costs spiraling. Avon puts the blame with their contractor, telling him that he is supposed to have the expertise to avoid these problems; Andy Krawczyk deflects the accusation by saying that cost over-runs are the nature of their business.
Avon, Stringer and Slim Charles survey territory. Avon questions why they don't have a crew nearby to Marlo's, and Stringer tells him there was a set-back. Slim Charles reveals that the crew were run off by Marlo. Avon is dismayed that they are letting the best territory go. Later Stringer tries to dissuade Avon of the need to fight for territory. Avon tells Stringer he is just a gangster, not a businessman and he wants his corners.
Stringer visits Hamsterdam with Bodie Broadus and discusses moving a small part of their business there to test the waters. He tells Bodie to report directly to him. Bodie later assigns two young hoppers to the territory. Stringer phones Shamrock at the funeral home to apologize for being late to meet Avon as he has other business. Avon questions Slim Charles about the state of their muscle. Most of the old enforcers Avon knows are unable or unwilling to work with him. Avon orders Slim Charles to attack Marlo using Dennis "Cutty" Wise and the best of the rest of his muscle. Meanwhile Stringer is called back to the development site and told that construction is being held up by city hall; Krawczyk tells him to ask Senator Davis to hurry things along as that is why they have him on the pay roll. When Stringer meets with Davis he asks for $25,000 to move things ahead, promising the permits by Monday.
Cutty and Slim Charles plan their attack and explain it to Gerard, Country and Chipper, the driver. Charles and Cutty will move on foot through the alleys to distract Marlo's people while Gerard and Country will drive by in a car. They also plan to dispose of the evidence afterwards, dropping the guns and casings immediately but retaining the gloves to prevent DNA evidence reaching the police. Cutty asks the other soldiers to wait until they phone them to make their move. Once the soldiers are set up Chipper spots a Stanfield lieutenant named Nay-Nay and ignores Country's insistence that they wait for the call. Chipper makes their move early to avoid missing out on the credit for the attack. They accidentally alert the lookouts and the crew are ready for them. Chipper is killed as they approach and the car crashes. Country is shot trying to get out of the car, all before Slim Charles and Cutty are in position. Gerard manages to escape from the car and leaves the scene on foot.
Later, Slim Charles and Cutty report in to Avon and tell him that without Gerard's side of the story they will not know what happened. Stringer suggests that the killings will draw police attention and they need to slow down and build up their muscle. Avon tells Stringer that he wants to act himself but Stringer reminds him that he is on parole. Slim Charles offers to handle it with just him and Cutty so there are no mistakes and Avon gives them the go ahead. Stringer changes the subject to the new developments in Hamsterdam but Avon is distracted.
After the shootout Marlo Stanfield visits his adviser Vinson at his rim shop. Vinson warns Marlo that Avon will have to come back again after the embarrassment of the failed assault. Marlo tells him he is not worried and that the failed attack speaks to the quality of Avon's soldiers. Vinson warns Marlo that taking control of the drug trade will inevitably end with him either dead or in prison; Marlo is more concerned with taking control than the aftermath and he readies his soldiers Snoop and Chris Partlow for the coming war.
Brianna cuts Donette's hair and Donette discusses D'Angelo. Brianna gives her blessing for Donette to pursue her relationship with Stringer. Donette relates her visit from Detective McNulty to Brianna.
Cutty and Slim Charles cruise the neighborhood and find Fruit's crew unprepared. Slim Charles shoots and kills Boo and Cutty has a shot lined up on Fruit but allows him to escape. Slim Charles believes he must have begun shooting too early and spoiled Cutty's shot. They report back to Avon once more at the funeral home and he is still disappointed. Avon tells Cutty he is disappointed that he did not kill anyone and Slim Charles claims responsibility. Cutty speaks up and admits that he couldn't shoot Fruit. He tells Avon that the game is no longer part of him. Avon asks Cutty what he will do now, Cutty has no plans but is sure the game is not for him. Avon lets Cutty go on good terms and tells Slim Charles he still has respect for him.
[edit] Major case unit
Detectives Greggs and McNulty mistakenly report to Daniels that Marlo is running the best territory in the Western district on Stringer's behalf. They believe that because the Barksdale organization made the transition out from the high rise towers so easily then they must be working with Marlo. They tell Daniels that Stringer's meeting with Marlo was proof that he is still involved in the day to day business of selling drugs and that they must act now before he is completely legitimate. Daniels rules that as long as Stringer is quiet on the violence front they have no call to investigate him.
McNulty and Greggs meet with Annapolis State's Attourney Kendall Remnick to discuss reopening the D'Angelo Barksdale case based on medical examiner Frazier's findings that it may not have been a suicide. She tells them she will not put another murder on her county's books without a suspect. Later McNulty and Greggs go drinking and discuss their failure to get a case started against Stringer. They discuss their relationship difficulties and McNulty mentions D'Agostino.
Greggs finds Bubbles implementing his plan to sell oversized white T-shirts to the young drug dealers. Bubbles tells Kima about the gunfight and the two dead Barksdale soldiers on the corner of Mount and Fayette. Bubbles sets Greggs straight about the relationship between the Stanfield and Barksdale crews. She and McNulty report the new killings to Daniels. Daniels tells them that it is no longer about the case but about their insubordination and sends them away. Later they discuss Daniels' stubbornness and Greggs suggests that a request from Colvin might change Daniels mind. McNulty meets with Colvin outside the Western precinct to present the case to him. Colvin sees that he is going behind Daniels back and McNulty asks him to keep his name out of it. The next day Colvin, Deputy Commissioner William Rawls and Commissioner Burrell meet with Daniels, who has now been dubbed as the department's hero to the rescue, to give him his new assignment.[1][2]
[edit] First Appearances
Snoop: Young female enforcer in the Stanfield organization.
[edit] Deceased
- Chipper and Country: Barksdale enforcers killed in a poorly executed drive by on a Stanfield corner.
- Boo: Young asthmatic Stanfield drug dealer shot by Slim Charles.
