The Wire

Boys of Summer

Season 4, Episode 1, Aired 9/10/06

Episode Summary

"Lambs to the slaughter here." - Marcia Donnelly

Four West Baltimore boys wrestle with what to do with the rest of their summer vacation as the new fall school year approaches. Bodie deals with his corner running slower than usual so he decides to take on a runner. Marlo believes he has finally solved the problem that Stringer could never figure out. Freamon, Greggs, and Sydnor go to Pearlman to see if she will issue City Hall subpoenas. Meanwhile, the mayoral race heats up as Mayor Royce and his primary challenger, Tommy Carcetti each hit campaign trail. Prez begins preparing for his new career in higher education, while McNulty ends up turning down a promotion.moreless

9.1

EPISODE RATING: Superb

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Cast & Crew

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Domenick Lombardozzi

Herc Hauk
Clarke Peters

Lester Freamon
Aidan Gillen

Thomas Carcetti

Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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The Wire is back- and Season 4 looks like it's going to be a classic!

9.4

"Superb"

By rockin01, Dec 26, 2010 Report Abuse

This one is reminiscent of the Season 2 opener- only with a lot more promise (I make no bones that S2 is my least favorite). The Wire excels at introducing intriguing new characters and making you care about them almost instantaneously- while still maintaining the numerous story arcs they have set up in previous seasons and episodes. This season gets off to a crackling start, shifting its focus to a troubled inner city middle school, where Prez is making a new start as a teacher. Meanwhile, there is yet another detail, this one with the assignment of bringing down Marlo. The mayoral election is 4 weeks away, and underdog Carcetti is in overdrive, trying to win over the predominantly black votership. McNulty has settled down into uniformed work and family life. Bunk is- well, Bunk. Herc is the incumbent mayor's bodyguard, and Carver is still beating the streets. Bodie is still holding down his corner. And 4 kids are trying to navigate the mean streets...
All this in one hour of drama- these guys are incredible!moreless

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"Lambs to the slaughter here." - Marcia Donnelly

9.5

"Superb"

By efc91, Jul 22, 2009 Report Abuse

The Wire returns for its fourth and penultimate season. Its been a whild since I watched The Wire, I saw most of season one but have missed seasons 2 and 3 when they have aired over here but now season 4 has started and I have started to watch it again, it was really easy to get back into after the break, all the characters are still here and there is a new case for the team to get to the bottom of. I really enjoyed the parts with the urine bombs, the candidate for mayor is great I enjoyed his scnes.moreless

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Finally...I have long awaited the return of The Wire, and it was everything I was hoping for. The season premiere pretty much caught us up on what everyone has been doing.moreless

9.4

"Superb"

By cpoore1, Sep 20, 2006 Report Abuse

McNulty is now a patrolmen in the Western District, where Daniels is now the major of the district; and badly needs/wants McNulty to come out the patrol car and be a detective for them. I think McNulty eventually will give in, but it sounds like he is finally putting his life together again with his ex-wife and kids, so getting him "out of the patrol car" will take an extreme situation. Lester and Kemah, with a new major, are still doing the detail work that made/make the show what it is...i mean 'The Wire' refers to the wire taps the detail gets up on. Herc is now a personal body guard to the mayor, and Carter is still "busting heads" as a D.E.U. agent. Carter does have a new partner, who is being taught the ins and outs of the game by Carter. Prez is out of the blue uniform and into the classroom. He is a teacher at a middle school that is less than perfect.

Barksdale is in prison, thus leaving the streets open for Marlow, who quickly takes charge and puts his package on streets of "Body-More". We see the remains of Barksdale operation: Bodie still on the block is disgusted by having to lay down to the Marlow crew who took all of the prime real estate. Slim is seen riding around, with a driver, therefore letting us know that if not on top, of the stagnent Barksdale operation, he is close to it. Marlow's two "hitmen" Snoop and Chris are ruthless. This duo is going to be great to watch. The unemotional and diligent work they are portrayed doing is priceless. They are easily the best doers of "dirty deeds" this show has seen, with a close second being the "bow tie wearin' m**ha f**ker".

Carcetti is in the run for mayor, but is quickly finding out that he hasn't a chance to win since he is white in a black city. He is doomed for failure even with an African-American running mate.moreless

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The Wire is in the realm of television as close to real as it gets. This show has been compared to a great novel and I must agee it is the most rewarding television show that\\\'s out there.moreless

10

"Perfect"

By Zillajay23, Sep 15, 2006 Report Abuse

The first episode of season 4 was brilliant that\\\'s what first comes to mind. The openning scene with Snoop will go down as an instant classic what a way to start the season. The 4 boys are definitely set up for a winding and probable up and down ride that one can only hope doesn\\\'t end to badly for all. Marlo is the man of the West side now that Avons gone and he still remains a mystery. I love how we get to see someone from the ground floor build up his power Marlo and Chris are similar to Avon and Stringer in that they have come up together and taken the throne. Carcetti seems set up to lose and his fight was in part honest, but it seems the deck is stacked against him. To sum it up this season looks to be headed in an interesting direction and I look forward to what lies ahead with all these characters and storylines.moreless

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Tony's running for Mayor. Marlow's consolidating power and hiding the bodies, one of his men gets killed. McNulty is working the streets, the case unit is going after the money trail developed in season 1. Prez is attempting to become a teacher.moreless

9.2

"Superb"

By kpdevine03, Sep 11, 2006 Report Abuse

A good setup for the fourth season - it's going to be tough replacing Avon and Stringer but I think there's some promise here. They appear to be setting up Bodie to be a new power in the long term - he's moved up in rank in what's left of Barksdale's organization. Marlow as a power isn't as interesting yet without a true sidekick. I think the money trail and election story could get interesting. Basically there's no central storyline here yet but the writing is good, there seems to be as many characters as ever and there's room to come up with a new story. Unlike the Sopranos, this series seems to have a chance to stay relatively fresh since it is not as character driven. There are no throwaway episodes (or seasons, if the Sopranos writers from last year are listening).moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Thomas Hessenauer, who is the personal assistant to Executive Producer Nina Kostroff Noble, has a cameo appearance in this episode as a dissenting school teacher during the teacher briefing scene. Edit
Notes
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- Glynn Turman, Reg E. Cathey, Chad L. Coleman and Jamie Hector are now billed in the opening credits. Edit
- Although credited, Chad L. Coleman, John Doman, Frankie Faison, Andre Royo, Michael K. Williams and Robert Wisdom do not appear in this episode. Edit
- Music: "Survival of The Fittest" by Mobb Deep; "At Her Open Door" by Dead Meadow; "Handle The Vibe" by Bone Thugz-n-Harmony; "Something Wrong" by Kid Kurrupt; "Krazy" by Elephant Man; "(For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People" by The Chi-Lites; "The Patriot Act" by Blake Leyh; "Back Home" by Black Toast Music; "Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk)" by Parliament Edit
Quotes
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- Michael: Yo ya'll terrace niggas know that boy named deez? Terrace Boys: Deez what? Michael: Deez nuts. Edit
- Carcetti: Hey Norman, you know what I had for dinner last night? Tuna sub. I ate in the car. Norman: When I'm finished writing my memoirs, that shit'll be in there, no doubt. Edit
- Snoop: Man said if we wanna shoot nails, this here's the Cadillac. He mean Lexus, but he ain't know it. Chris: Hold a charge better? Snoop: Man, fuck a charge. This here is a gunpowder activated, .27 caliber, full auto, no kick-back, nail throwing mayhem, man. Shit right here is tight. Edit
Allusions
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- During the poilce meeting, Carver remarks that the terrorists got jacked by Apex's crew. Apex is actually the real-life version of Omar Little, and was a stick-up kid during the 1990s in Baltimore whom Ed Burns met. He was one of several inspirations for the Omar Little character. Edit