The Wire, Slapstick

Season Three kicks off with a bang. After the notorious Franklin Terrace public housing towers are razed, the Barksdale drug crew searches for a new home on the streets of West Baltimore.

Omar continues his bold strikes on the Barksdale stash houses. McNulty launches his investigation into D'Angelo's Barksdale prison suicide. On the streets, the bloodbath continues, prompting Burrell and Rawls to jack up the heat.

The brutality at police headquarters continues over the perceived failure of department commanders to rein in the city's crime stats. Another hit by Omar on the Barksdale stash houses goes wrong.

Greggs and McNulty recruit Bubbles to gather street intelligence on the Barksdale gang. Cutty seeks out the Barksdale gang after losing his taste for the straight life, and Bunk feels pressured to find Dozerman's gun.

Johnny pressures Bubbles to stop snitching for the detail. Cutty lies to his grandmother about going straight. McNulty realizes pursuing Barksdale and Bell is a losing cause, so he turns his attention to nailing Kintel Williamson.

Major Colvin instructs his men to use force to get the message out to street dealers. Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell discover that real estate development has its pitfalls, and McNulty and Greggs seek to renew an investigation.

Daniels goes ballistic when the detail gets reassigned to the Western District. Stringer Bell learns from Donette that Brianna is thinking about talking to McNulty, and Bunk receives a gift-wrapped surprise.

Prez impresses the detail with what he's found from Bodie's cell phone, information that sends McNulty and Greggs on a road trip. Colvin sees the benefits of his plan working. Carcetti confronts a hurdle he must clear to run for office.

Responding to an officer's call, McNulty and Prez turn up the wrong alley with surprising results. Cutty is surprised to find help within Baltimore's power structure for his boxing gym. Bubbles are wired up and sent to Hamsterdam.

Brother Mouzone returns to Baltimore on a mission of revenge and casts a wide net in his search for Omar. Colvin manages to put off a Sun reporter inquiring about Amsterdam. Pearlman and Daniels plead their case for a new wiretap.

The wire begins to yield information about the Barksdale organization. McNulty finds the way to a critical puzzle piece in an unlikely place, and Bubbles is considering a new partner.

Avon readies his troops for a seemingly endless war against Marlo. The detail works towards the top rungs of the Barksdale organization with the information from the wire. Bubbles provide his view of the world, and McNulty changes tack.