The Wire

Ebb Tide

Season 2, Episode 1, Aired 6/1/03

Episode Summary

"Ain't never gonna be what it was." - Little Big Roy

McNulty makes sure to pay back Rawls for reassigning him to the marine unit by sticking City Homicide with the stone cold whodunit floater he fishes out of the harbor. It's the stevedores versus the police when Sobotka beats out Valchek for the honor of providing a donor-themed stained glass window for the local church. Bodie and Bell take separate business trips, whilst Ziggy makes a fool of himself as Nick negotiates a deal with the Greeks to steal a container from the docks. The Greeks renege on the deal, leaving Russell to discover that the abandoned and broken-sealed container contains the bodies of thirteen women.moreless

8.7

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Cast & Crew

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Wendell Pierce

Det. William "Bunk" Moreland
Paul Ben-Victor

Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos
Wood Harris

Avon Barksdale

Fan Episode Reviews (1)

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At first, I thought this ep should have been subtitled "Dude, Where's My Wire?" It seemed that much out of character. But what I forgot was that this series prides itself on the slow, deliberate set-up, and pays off patient viewing - in spades...moreless

9.0

"Superb"

By rockin01, Oct 05, 2011 Report Abuse

The second season begins a far cry from the setting we are used to: McNulty has been exiled to Harbor Patrol, and the rest of the Detail have been scattered to the four winds. We don't even see another familiar face (other than Bunk, who pays Jimmy a visit)until much later in the episode, as a storyline featuring dock workers is set up. I was upset- for a minute- then, I was once again reminded of how different this show is from anything else out there. It took guts to depart this far from last year's proven plotline, and considerable creative prowess to hook me into the radically different new storyline- which I was in no time flat. It seems like dead bodies follow McNulty wherever he goes, and, sure enough, a Jane Doe floats onto his beat (followed shortly by 13, count 'em, 13 others). The political machinations downtown continue, and life goes on at the Pit for Bodie and crew. Avon is still pulling the strings from behind bars. Kima is healed up and working a desk job (while she and her partner try to conceive a baby), and Herc and Carver are doing their thing in separate arenas. And Daniels gets the plum assignment of overseeing the Evidence Room. But the genius of this show is that it's already starting to tie these disparate elements into a compelling narrative whole. I'm excited already- on with the show!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Kima's partner is reading the Lesbian Parenting Book. Edit
Notes
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- Chris Bauer, Paul Ben-Victor, Clarke Peters and Amy Ryan are now billed during the opening credits. Edit
- Frankie Faison and Andre Royo have a reduced role in the second season and are billed with the main cast during the opening credits only on the episodes in which they appear. Neither actor appears in this episode so they are absent from the credits. Edit
- Although credited, Deirdre Lovejoy, Clarke Peters, Seth Gilliam and Larry Gilliard Jr. do not appear in this episode. Edit
Quotes
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- Jay: It's all about self-preservation Jimmy. Somethin' you never learned. Edit
- Rawls: Sergeant! Your floaters come back. County boards are puttin' her on our side of the bridge. Jay: No fuckin' way. Rawls: Yeah, some useless fuck in our marine unit faxed 'em a report on the early morning tides and wind currents. Show's the body went into the water west of the bridge and drifted out. Jay: McNulty. Rawls (laughs) Fuckin' Jimmy. Fuckin' with us for the fun of it. I gotta give the son of a bitch some credit for wit on this one. (laughs) Cocksucker. Jay: Motherfucker. Edit
- Herc: How about you come on the raids tomorrow? Take a few doors for ol' time sake. Kima: You takin' doors? Herc: Yeah. 2 houses an' a bar on Cane Street. C'mon Kima, man up wit' us. I know you miss it. Kima: I'm done rollin' around the gutter. I am inside now. Herc: Oh, you're a house cat now, huh? Kima: I made a promise. Herc: I gotta say Kima, if you were a guy, and actually in some ways you're better than most of the guys I know. But if you were a guy, friends would buy you a beer and let you know. Kima: Let me know what? Herc: You're fuckin' whipped. Kima: Whipped? Herc: Pussy whipped within an inch of your life. I kid you not. Edit
Allusions
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- The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show Ziggy calls Sergei "Serge" Malatov, the Greek driver, Boris, and then goes on to explain that it was a character from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Boris and Natasha were two Russian criminals featured on the 60's children cartoon series. Edit