Interactive Story Maps

At a homicide, Detective Jimmy McNulty asks an eyewitness why they let Omar "Snot Boogie" Betts play a craps game every Friday if he always steals the money, which tonight led to his death. The eyewitness says they had to let him play because "this is America."

The next morning, McNulty and his Homicide partner Bunk Moreland enter the circuit courthouse and joke about the "America" conversation. McNulty peels off and observes the courtroom murder trial of a young drug dealer, D'Angelo Barksdale. Gant, the witness on the stand, points at the defendant as the shooter.

In chambers, Judge Phelan asks McNulty what happened in his courtroom, so McNulty vents his frustration about the Baltimore Police Department's failure to investigate D'Angelo's uncle Avon and his right-hand man Stringer Bell, who are major players in West Baltimore's drug trade. Phelan asks why he cares, and McNulty responds: "Who says I did?"

McNulty meets Bunk at a crime scene and says that Nolan's squad is up, not them. But Bunk picked up the phone, caring when he didn't need to care.

McNulty goes to the homicide office, where Sergeant Jay Landsman also complains that Bunk picked up the phone when Nolan's squad was up. After McNulty reports he went to the crime scene of the "decomp"—which is probably a murder—Landsman tells McNulty that the Major wants to see him.

Major Rawls tells McNulty to put his ass in the chair before informing him that the Deputy Commissioner called and asked why he is getting beat out of cases in the courtroom. Rawls had no idea what he was talking about, and he's incensed that McNulty went around the chain of command by talking to Judge Phelan. As McNulty apologizes, he lists the 10 murders related to Avon Barksdale, so Rawls orders McNulty to write a report for Burrell about the Barksdale murders.

McNulty stays up late typing a report when Bunk shows up and confirms the "decomp" was a murder—both are in trouble in their situations because they "gave a fuck" when they didn't need to give a fuck. Sergeant Landsman shows up and warns McNulty that his behavior could end with reassignment. He asks where McNulty would not want a reassignment, and McNulty admits he dreads the harbor patrol unit (setting up Season Two).

McNulty and Bunk drink at a bar, where McNulty complains about his ex-wife, who makes it difficult for him to see his two sons. Bunk asks: "Why you always have the whole world pissed at you?" When McNulty complains that Daniels is going to screw up the Barksdale case with a buy-and-bust strategy, Bunk warns him that Daniels is a company man on the shortlist for Major, so watch out.

McNulty goes to the FBI field office to visit his buddy, Special Agent Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh says McNulty's recommended Confidential Informant (CI) was helpful—the best they've ever had. He shows McNulty a live feed of the CI using the FBI's far superior surveillance equipment. Even so, Fitzhugh admits the FBI is getting out of drug busts because everything is switching over to counterterrorism.

Both drunk, McNulty and Bunk continue throwing back beers at the train tracks. After Bunk talks about getting a mouse out of his wife's closet, Jimmy steps on the track to piss, even as a train approaches, and says he will do the case the right way. Bunk's worried about his partner as they get in the car to drive home drunk.

Bunk is hungover on early relief when Sergeant Landsman hands him a shit case since his partner got 'detailed,' and Bunk finds the body of the Barksdale eyewitness, William Gant.

Kima Greggs and her narcotics team, Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Ellis Carver, bust "Ghost" in a drug deal.

As Kima and her team file the arrests in the narcotics division, Lieutenant Cedric Daniels warns that he got summoned upstairs to meet with the Deputy (Commissioner Ervin Burrell) and Major (William Rawls)—something's up. After he goes, Kima's team talks about how it's not a war on drugs because "wars end."

Daniels talks to Kima about his meeting with the Major, who heard from Judge Phelan about a guy named "Avon Barksdale" who's supposedly running the west side and getting away with murders. He asks her to write up a report but warns homicide won't be willing to share any info.

Kima stays up late typing her report on Barksdale from the narcotics side.

Major Rawls and Captain Foerster exit the Deputy Commissioner's office. Foerster tells Rawls to remind McNulty about the chain of command. Rawls says, "Tell him yourself. He's dead to me."

Lieutenant Daniels meets in Captain Foerster's office about the "phone book" report from homicide, whereas the narcotics report is only four pages. Daniels will have to get into this shitstorm and team up with homicide. Daniels exits the office to learn he got a direct call from the Deputy Commissioner.

Daniels meets with Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell about organizing a detail to investigate the Barksdales. Burrell wants to keep the investigation quick and simple, appeasing Phelan without becoming drawn into a protracted case, so Daniels offers to use Kima Greggs as the lead detective on the narcotics side. Burrell warns that McNulty—the guy who talked to Judge Phelan— will represent homicide, so watch out.

Daniels and his narcotics detectives, Kima, Herc, and Carver, meet with McNulty and Michael Santangelo, one of Homicide's more inept detectives. Daniels assigns McNulty and Santangelo to dig into old murders tied to the Barksdales while the narcotics team does some 'buy busts' at the Terrace, but McNulty says they won't get Avon Barksdale or Stringer Bell that way and suggests using a wiretap to get a conviction. When Daniels insists on a fast-paced investigation, the ensuing argument pisses off the state's attorney's rep, so Daniels puts his foot down and reminds McNulty of the chain of command.

Kima arrives home, where she tells Cheryl that she's pulling another all-nighter. When Cheryl asks how much more remains, Kima says ten pages and all footnotes, implying she's in school. Cheryl comes over and kisses her hard-working girlfriend.

Bubbles is at the hospital with Johnny, who's in a coma. Kima shows up and says she thought Bubbles was still in prison, implying that perhaps he worked for her in the past as a Confidential Informant.

During the court proceedings, Stringer Bell writes "Fuck you detective" and shows it to McNulty, then he connects eyes with the next witness, a security guard named Nakeesha Lyles. She changes her story on the stand and refuses to identify D'Angelo, surprising the prosecution and annoying Judge Daniel Phelan. McNulty goes down the hall to warn Det. Fred Barlow that his case just hit the wall.

Back in the courtroom, the jury declares D'Angelo Barksdale not guilty. As Stringer gets up to leave, Barlow warns him, "I'll be chalking you up one night."

In a car, D'Angelo talks to Wee-Bey about how they flipped a witness to get him out, so Wee-Bey turns up the music and pulls over. They step out and Wee-Bey asks D'Angelo, "What's the rule?" The rule is they don't talk about illegal activity in the car or on the phone in case there's a wire.

At Orlando's strip club, a front, Stringer mentions to Avon Barksdale that McNulty was in the courtroom and might be a problem. D'Angelo arrives and Avon reprimands his nephew for committing a murder in front of witnesses, which cost them time, effort, and money. Avon lets D'Angelo off with a warning because he's family.

D'Angelo arrives at the high-rise Franklin Terrace projects to resume working. Stringer intercepts to report D'Angelo's demotion to the low-rise projects, dubbed "the Pit."

D'Angelo shows up at the low-rise to meet his new crew, Bodie Broadus, Poot Carr, and young Wallace.

D'Angelo watches as Wallace bungles a drug deal with Bubbles. When he corrects Wallace, he discovers the buyer just gave them counterfeit money.

At Orlando's strip club, D'Angelo gets reprimanded by Stringer for not showing strength in front of his crew. A stripper named Shardene Innes asks D'Angelo to buy her a drink, and he says another time.

D'Angelo and his crew catch up with Johnny. D'Angelo interrogates him but then walks away, trying to keep himself in check. His crew disapproves and stays to beat up Johnny.

As Bunk arrives at the homicide, we find D'Angelo among the looky-loos. He's shocked to find the murdered body in the street is William Gant, the witness who pointed the finger at him in the courtroom. D'Angelo walks away from the crime scene.

Bubbles and his protégé, Johnny Weeks, prep counterfeit money to buy heroin, stacking it under real cash.

Sharing the heroin, Bubbles tells Johnny that he's going to "fall out" if he does too much too soon. He's green. To prove he's not green, Johnny wants to do the scam the following day.

Johnny Weeks tries to buy drugs with counterfeit bills, but he's green and the bills aren't. He runs.

After confirming Kima still works for narcotics, Bubbles says he got something for her...