Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
After two Stanfield men are killed, Marlo and Chris arrange an ambush for Devonne, whom Marlo shoots at close range. The police crackdown reaches Proposition Joe’s co-op, while Avon refuses Stringer’s proposal for a truce and keeps the war going. With money and product running low, Stringer reluctantly calls the Western District police as the pressure on his partnership grows. He also learns that the development grants promised by Davis went to another company, deepening the gap between his business plans and the violence Avon still wants.
Colvin urges Carver to learn the people and streets on his beat rather than treating the district as enemy territory. When a Sun reporter discovers Hamsterdam, Colvin presents it as an enforcement plan and buys a week before the story runs. At ComStat he lays out the calmer blocks and takes responsibility, but Burrell and Royce see political danger in the experiment. The wiretap team secures a new phone warrant by matching Bodie’s voice to an older call, then uses Bubbles and Squeak to set up a fake phone shop for Bernard. Colvin also gives McNulty the address of Avon’s waterfront hideout, refusing to identify the informant who supplied it. The wire catches Bodie ordering a resupply.