The Wire

In the Season Four premiere, boys from West Baltimore play out their summer vacation in the streets. Marlo solves the problem that baffled Stringer Bell: how to maintain discipline and read murders without getting police attention.

Herc's soft-duty job with the mayor takes an unexpectedly hard turn. Despite the potential damage to her career, Pearlman provides Freamon and Sydnor with subpoena ammunition for their 'grizzly bear' hunt in City Hall.

Royce resorts to extreme measures to stall Carcetti's momentum with his lead dwindling. With Bodie and Marlo noticing, Michael proves adept as a runner at Bodie's corner. A re-up bodega is put under surveillance by Omar and Greggs.

With Freamon and Greggs moved to Homicide, Herc and Dozerman join Marimow in the stripped-down Major Crimes Unit. Cutty gets a 'custodial' job at Tilghman School, but can't make headway in his efforts to mentor Michael.

The negative attention turns Royce against Burrell, who takes the heat while Rawls comes to the rescue. Prez's reward/punishment program meets with mixed results at school, and Colvin looks to restore order.

With Election Day approaching, the mayoral candidates make last-minute appeals. Carcetti wrangles for votes as he responds to a smear. Norris and Greggs get a lead on the Braddock case but are detoured.

With a bounty on him, Omar calls in a favour to Bunk. The election is over, and Royce and Carcetti make peace. At school, Prez tricks his students into learning math. Finally, Greggs uses 'soft eyes' at a crime scene.

To monitor the pulse on the street, Carcetti makes the rounds with members of the force. While Proposition Joe shows off his vocal range, Chris shows Snoop how to expose and dispose of New York infiltrators.

Poot returns to the corner after a stint in prison and is welcomed back. Carcetti engages in a testy budget battle with City Council President Campbell, promotes Daniels, and hits a snag in his efforts to relieve Burrell of his duties.

Acting on Clay Davis' advice, Burrell seeks to burnish his reputation by ordering the department to double their street arrests. The mandate does not sit well with McNulty, who sets his sights on cracking a string of church robberies.

After flexing his muscles around, Carcetti faces his first dilemma when a group of ministers protests Herc's mistreatment of one of their own. Randy gets the cold shoulder at school. Omar and Reynaldo pay a visit to Proposition Joe.

On the trail of missing bodies, Freamon turns to a higher authority after being rebuked by Landsman. Carcetti finds his promises of prosperity undermined by the school debt, forcing him to contemplate grovelling before the Governor.

The bodies pile up in the Season Four finale while Burrell supports Daniels and admonishes Rawls for crossing him. A distraught Bubbles finds himself at his wit's end after his revenge plan backfires.