Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Carcetti cannot remove Burrell easily, so Davis advises the commissioner to launch a police initiative that may protect his position. Burrell doubles arrests for quality-of-life violations. McNulty refuses to spend his shift writing tickets and follows a pattern in church burglaries. Bodie learns Little Kevin was questioned by Marlo and tells him to explain himself. Kevin follows the advice, but Bodie later hears Marlo killed him and begins to question the rules of the game. Kevin had used Randy to pass a message about a murder target, then denied telling him what it meant. Marlo brands Randy a snitch.
Bubbles asks Herc to protect him from a man who robs him, but Herc misses their meeting again. Bubbles retaliates by identifying a reverend as a suspected drug courier. Herc searches the minister’s car aggressively, throwing his possessions onto the pavement. Carver arrests Namond for dealing while his mother is away. Rather than send him to juvenile booking, Carver lets him sleep at the station and calls Colvin. Colvin takes Namond home, where De’Londa berates him for being afraid. Michael points out Bug’s father to Chris and Snoop and asks them to kill him, refusing to explain why. Chris questions the man about children, then beats him to death.