Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
At a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Bubbles listens as Dee-Dee talks about recovery. He can joke with the group but cannot speak about Sherrod’s death, so Walon encourages him to volunteer at a soup kitchen. The Sun assigns Templeton to cover opening day for the Orioles. Unable to find the scene he wants, he returns with a story about an orphaned wheelchair user who skipped school to attend. Gus cannot verify it, but Whiting approves the piece and it runs. Rebecca Corbett also questions the story’s authenticity.
Marlo orders Chris and Snoop to kill June Bug’s household after hearing that he has spread a rumor about him. Michael objects to the scale of the response, but Snoop warns him not to question Marlo. The crew disables security cameras and stages a home invasion; Michael lets a child escape and is sickened by the killing. Marlo visits prison seeking Sergei but finds Avon waiting instead. Avon demands payment to Brianna before allowing contact; Marlo agrees and obtains a connection to Vondas. City Hall and the police remain short of money, and a federal request for help with Marlo fails. Assigned with Bunk to an overdose, McNulty alters the scene to look like murder and tells Bunk he intends to invent a serial killer.