Old Cases
The Wire | Season 1 | Episode 4

Old Cases

TV-MA | 59 MIN

Directed by Clement Virgo
Story by David Simon & Ed Burns
Teleplay by David Simon

"It's a thin line 'tween heaven and here." - Bubbles

Detective Mahon dramatizes his injuries sustained during the unproductive low-rise bust and, resisting Daniels' plea that he continue, says he wants out on a medical disability.

Meanwhile Bodie, who's incarcerated at the Juvenile Services Boys Village, escapes by simply walking out the unattended door to the facility. At about the same time, Carver and Herc, with dreams of glory, head for Boys Village hoping to sweat Bodie until he begins to squeal. "Then we break the case wide open," Herc says.

At police headquarters, Burrell is disappointed to learn that despite all the "hand-to-hand" drug buys the squad has made, none of the project denizens will flip and name names. "In that part of town," McNulty says, "Barksdale carries more weight." Sgt. Landsman brings in an old murder case of a young woman, Diedre Kresson, shot after being visited by someone named "D." That, and a now disconnected phone number for a friend of the victim, are the only evidence that might lead to the Barksdales.

Back home, Omar and his two boys count their money and enjoy the success of their robbery. Omar is mildly perturbed that Brandon called him by name during the robbery, but only because "I don't want them coming down on y'all, baby boy," he says, giving Brandon a kiss. Stringer and Avon are furious that they've been robbed and tell 'DAngelo to put the word out that there's a bounty on the heads of Omar and his gang.

Upon Bodie's swaggering return to the low rise, 'DAngelo brags that he's tougher. He once killed his uncle's girlfriend after she threatened to drop the dime on him.

Searching for Bodie, Herc and Carver bust in on an elderly woman who is Bodie's grandmother. After searching the place, Herc apologizes to the woman for his profanity and she asks him to sit down, whereupon she describes Bodie's tough upbringing, which included a mother who was a drug addict. Herc leaves his card with her.

Sgt. Landsman meets with Major Rawls and asks him to consider cutting McNulty some slack. "He can't help it," Landsman explains. "He's a good policeman. Last year he gave us eight collars." Rawls responds that if McNulty can wrap up the Barksdale case in two weeks, he can come back with a clean slate.

Lt. Daniels reports to Burrell that the case against Barksdale is progressing slowly, and that McNulty says what the case needs is a wire. Greggs meanwhile tells McNulty that her C.I. Bubbles has named Omar as the one who made off with Barksdale's stash. "And if he knows where the Barksdale stash is, he probably knows a whole lot more."

McNulty makes the case to Daniels that they need to clone the Barksdale pagers — set up duplicate pagers that they can read — if they're going to progress on the case. Detective Freamon impresses McNulty further when he shows him a pager number scrawled on a wall that he discovered during the low-rise bust, a number he says belongs to 'DAngelo.

Bunk and McNulty visit the vacant apartment of Diedre Kresson, the young woman killed in the old murder case they've been asked to work, to see if there's a connection to Barksdale. The partners conduct the entire investigation, needing barely a word between them to communicate. They find two bullet casings overlooked in the initial investigation, and are pleased when they learn later that they match the casing in two other murders that may be connected to the Barksdales.

McNulty and Freamon go drinking together. Freamon tells McNulty that he was busted down to the pawnshop unit 13 years ago after he refused to follow the Deputy's orders, and he's been moldering there ever since. Fremon's advice to McNulty: "Do yourself a favor. Keep your mouth shut."

HBO Max