Storm Warnings (The Wire episode)
Encyclopedia
"Storm Warnings" is the tenth episode of the second season of the HBO original series, The Wire
. The episode was written by Ed Burns
from a story by David Simon
& Ed Burns and was directed by Rob Bailey
. It originally aired on August 10, 2003.
, Frankie Faison
and Wood Harris
do not appear in this episode.
plans to run again despite an earlier agreement that Ott would be next to hold the position. In the office, Ott catches Sobotka with re-election posters and calls him out on it. When Sobotka says he wants to finish what he started, Ott storms out. Sobotka hints to Horseface that Ott would uncover the source of the funds.
Ziggy Sobotka
and Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto steal several cars from the docks and fake an exit through the fence to draw attention away from it being an inside job. Ziggy plans to fence the cars to The Greek
's man George "Double G" Glekas. Ziggy later reports in to Glekas to tell him the cars have been put into containers. Glekas cuts Ziggy's share from 20% to 10% and Ziggy flies into a rage and insults Glekas. Glekas beats Ziggy and throws him out of the warehouse. Ziggy makes his way to his car and returns to the warehouse with a gun. He shoots Glekas several times, killing him, and hits one of his employees in the abdomen. He leaves his cut with the wounded employee who is calling the police on his cellphone. Ziggy breaks down in his car in front of the warehouse as sirens herald the momentary arrival of responding police.
Ziggy is next seen in the interrogation room with homicide sergeant Jay Landsman
. Landsman gives Ziggy a confession to sign and Ziggy does so after making a single change - Double G "begged" him not to shoot, rather than "said" it.
Nick Sobotka
is questioned by his girlfriend Aimee about the sums of cash she found hidden in his room. He tells her that he is being paid off the books by the Greek for working in a warehouse and is bringing home more than he expected. He tries to give her the money, but she refuses to accept it.
When news of Ziggy's actions reaches Nick he reports it straight back to Frank. Frank is angry that Nick didn't know what Ziggy was doing with the Greeks. Nick drowns his sorrows in a local park and is found there by Prissy, an ex of Ziggy's. They discuss Ziggy's history of foolish actions. Nick grieves for his cousin's freedom and damns his name.
Meanwhile Major Valchek
has become disillusioned with their shift of focus away from Sobotka and has called in the FBI to take over the case. He hands them all the detail's information so far and also engages them to try to recover his surveillance van.
Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Ellis Carver
deliver some heavy computer equipment to the detail office. They again feel that they are second class citizens in the detail as they are assigned mostly surveillance tasks. As they leave the office Valchek's FBI agents arrive. Lieutenant Cedric Daniels
and ASA Rhonda Pearlman
later meet with the FBI and agree to share the case with them. The bureau's condition is that the focus is on the union. When the agents arrive at the detail office, led by Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh, they are greeted with a Western style standoff from Bunk Moreland
and Lester Freamon
that soon evaporates into friendly greetings. Herc and Carver are relieved from their surveillance by a pair of FBI agents.
Bunk later accompanies Jimmy McNulty
and Claude Diggins on a fishing trip to disguise their surveillance. Kima Greggs
and Cheryl argue a little about the division of shopping responsibilities within their household. Cheryl asks Kima to feel her pregnant abdomen because her baby is moving. Back at the detail, Kima questions Beadie Russell
about balancing her role as a police officer with being a mother. In particular, Kima feels she would miss being involved in off-hour duties such as raids with her fellow officers.
Daniels and Freamon meet with Fitz and discuss their aims - the FBI agents offer to help to trace the origin of the contraband containers. Valchek arrives at the detail and lays into Daniels for his failure to deliver a case on Sobotka. He insists that Prez leave the detail as he will not let Daniels use his own people against him. Prez refuses to go and when Valchek insults him he lashes out and punches him. Valchek is outraged and leaves immediately. Prez hands Daniels his gun and walks into his office as ordered.
As soon as Fitz logs the investigation into the FBI computers, the Greek's inside man in the bureau, Agent Koutris, notices and phones it in. Koutris meets with The Greek and tells him how the investigation is monitoring him. Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos
immediately asks Stephanos, the short order cook at the diner, to contact Eton Ben-Eleazer and organize a meeting insisting they avoid using phones.
Eton reports Ziggy's actions to Vondas and tells him that both men died. Vondas orders Eton to clean out the store and warehouse. The meeting is observed by Bunk and McNulty from Diggins' boat. Vondas orders Eton to dispose of all his phones and then throws his own phone into the water. Meanwhile, Herc and Carver observe Nick arriving at the Greek's cafe. Nick asks to speak with Spiros and is met with blanket denial of his existence.
Back at the office, Freamon, Bunk and McNulty discuss Prez's action. McNulty also asks about text messaging and the possibility of tracing a message for a phone number. McNulty is disappointed when Fitz tells him it would be near impossible without knowing the wireless provider along with the time and location of the call. Despite their protestations, Fitz and Bunk do trace the call using FBI technology and subpoena the billing information from the service provider. At the phone company offices, an employee tells them that with a search warrant they could have two months of text messaging history. Fitz talks the clerk into allowing them a peek at the records before they produce the warrant and is dismayed when the messages are all written in Greek. At the detail, Daniels, McNulty and Greggs look on as an agent translates Vondas' final message - it reads "shut down immediately", to the agents' and detectives' consternation.
Greggs calls Beadie to let her know they are raiding that night to catch what they can. McNulty types warrants as Sergei "Serge" Malatov and Eton clean house, including washing large amounts of powdered drugs down the drain.
is pleased with the new package which is finally selling well. He orders a resupply from Mo Man via his subordinate Puddin. Stringer Bell
arrives and is followed by Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff from Proposition Joe
's organization. Stringer tells Bodie that Cheese will be taking over three of the six towers, Bodie doesn't understand why they are giving up their territory and Stringer tells him to consider where their new package came from. Bodie quickly adapts to the new circumstances by stealing a sale from Cheese's hoppers by undercutting their prices. The buyer is Bubbles
. Cheese is not that put out by Bodie's actions and the two banter back and forth.
However, Cheese is put out when a man who dresses like a member of the Nation of Islam
approaches him and tells him to move on if he doesn't work for Avon Barksdale
. Cheese first responds insulting Brother Mouzone for being overly dressed and suggests he leave and sell bean pie
s. Mouzone then tells him to leave in a more threatening manner and when Cheese goes to punch him, Mouzone shoots Cheese in the arm with a round of rat shot
warning him that the next round will be a real bullet. Cheese is sufficiently intimidated to move on.
Cheese discusses the problem with his uncle Proposition Joe. Cheese wants to retaliate but Joe knows of the man who shot Cheese - Brother Mouzone - and his reputation. He decides it would be too dangerous to retaliate or even put a contract out on Mouzone as Mouzone would come after him directly in response. Joe realizes that Avon must have contracted Mouzone to protect his territory and that Stringer cannot act as he would be going against Avon a second time. He suggests to Cheese that there is only one person who could take on Brother Mouzone in Baltimore but he does not take contract money.
Omar Little
visits Butchie and drops off his latest take - Butchie acts as a bank and advisor for Omar. Later, Proposition Joe meets with Butchie and convinces him to broker a meeting between Stringer and Omar to discuss Brother Mouzone. Butchie is suspicious but agrees as long as his nephew Heywood can provide security.
At the towers Brother Mouzone keeps watch and chastises his subordinate Lamar for forgetting two of his news magazines. Bodie and another dealer observe Mouzone's vigil and Shamrock is impressed that his reputation alone is holding away the East side drug dealers. Bodie wonders what will happen when they run out of good product. Shamrock insists that if Avon wanted to cooperate with the East side dealers Mouzone would not be there.
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
. The episode was written by Ed Burns
Ed Burns
Ed Burns is a producer, screenwriter, and novelist. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. They have collaborated on The Corner and The Wire . Burns is a former Baltimore police detective for the Homicide and Narcotics divisions, and a public school teacher...
from a story by David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
& Ed Burns and was directed by Rob Bailey
Rob Bailey (director)
Rob Bailey is an English television director. He has directed episodes of The Wire, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Without a Trace. He is a producer and regular director for CSI: NY. For The Wire he directed the tenth episode of the second season, "Storm Warnings", in 2003...
. It originally aired on August 10, 2003.
Title reference
The title refers to the warnings sent out before a major weather event occurs, usually a thunderstorm. Metaphorically the title represents the episode's foreshadowing of approaching danger.Epigraph
Ziggy makes this comment as a joke to his (union) accomplice as they steal cars from the docks.Starring cast
Although credited, John DomanJohn Doman
John Doman is an American actor best known for playing Deputy Police Commissioner William Rawls on HBO series The Wire from 2002 to 2008 and Colonel Edward Galson on Oz in 2001....
, Frankie Faison
Frankie Faison
Frankie Russel Faison , often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an American actor.-Personal life:Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Carmena and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined Theta Chi Fraternity...
and Wood Harris
Wood Harris
Sherwin David "Wood" Harris is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale on the HBO television drama The Wire, and as high-school football player Julius Campbell in the 2000 motion picture Remember the Titans.-Life and career:Harris was born in...
do not appear in this episode.
Guest stars
- Seth GilliamSeth GilliamSeth Gilliam is an American actor. He is known for his HBO television roles, first as corrections officer-turned-prisoner Clayton Hughes on Oz, and later as Baltimore police detective promoted to sergeant Ellis Carver on The Wire. On both of these series, he co-starred with Lance Reddick and J.D....
as Detective Ellis CarverEllis CarverEllis Carver is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Seth Gilliam. Carver is an African American lieutenant and formerly in command of the Baltimore Police Department's Western District Drug Enforcement Unit... - Domenick LombardozziDomenick LombardozziDomenico "Domenick" Lombardozzi is an American actor best known for his role as Thomas "Herc" Hauk on The Wire. Lombardozzi was inspired to act by the film State of Grace.-Filmography:...
as Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk - Jim True-FrostJim True-FrostJim True-Frost, born Jim True, is an American stage, television and screen actor. He is most known for his portrayal of Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski on all five seasons of the HBO program The Wire.-Biography:...
as Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski - James RansoneJames RansoneJames Ransone is an American actor and former musician from Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of HBO's The Wire, and Corporal Josh Ray Person in the Iraq War-based mini-series Generation Kill...
as Ziggy SobotkaZiggy SobotkaChester Karol "Ziggy" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor James Ransone. Though his father Frank Sobotka was a well-respected stevedore union leader, Ziggy's often reckless and juvenile behavior gained him little respect among other members of the union and... - Pablo SchreiberPablo SchreiberPablo Tell Schreiber is an American actor known for his dramatic stage work and for his portrayal of the Polish-American character Nick Sobotka on HBO's Baltimore drug-related crime drama The Wire. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Awake and Sing! on Broadway...
as Nick SobotkaNick SobotkaNickolas Andrew "Nick" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Pablo Schreiber. the character of Nick is cousin to, Ziggy Sobotka, the wayward and rebellious son to his uncle Frank Sobotka... - Method ManMethod ManClifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
as Melvin "Cheese" WagstaffCheese WagstaffCalvin "Cheese" Wagstaff is a fictional character on the HBO television series The Wire. He is portrayed by hip hop recording artist Method Man. He is a crew chief for his uncle Proposition Joe's drug organization and later works for the Stanfield Organization after betraying his uncle and... - Melanie Nicholls-King as Cheryl
- Michael Potts as Brother Mouzone
- Bill RaymondBill RaymondBill Raymond is an actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre since the 1960s.-Life and career:He featured in the second and fifth seasons of the HBO drama The Wire as "The Greek", the mysterious head of an international criminal organization. Other TV appearances include Miami Vice,...
as The GreekThe Greek (The Wire)The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Bill Raymond. The Greek is the head of an international criminal organization involved in narcotics and human trafficking.... - Al Brown as Major Stanislaus ValchekStanislaus ValchekStanislaus "Stan" Valchek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Al Brown.-Biography:Valchek is the Polish-American commander of the Southeastern district, home to many of the remaining white ethnic neighborhoods in Baltimore...
- Robert F. ChewRobert F. ChewRobert F. Chew is an American actor from Baltimore, Maryland. He starred in the HBO television drama series The Wire as manipulative drug kingpin Proposition Joe on all five seasons of the show...
as Proposition JoeProposition JoeJoseph "Proposition Joe" Stewart is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Robert F. Chew. Joe is an Eastside drug kingpin who preferred a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible... - Kristin ProctorKristin ProctorKristin Proctor is a Norwegian-American actress. She is the daughter of actor Phil Proctor and Television producer Barbro Semmingsen....
as Aimee - Merritt WeverMerritt Wever-Early life:She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, and then Sarah Lawrence College. She trained in acting in New York and has appeared in Brooke Berman's play, Smashing and in Cavedweller with Deidre O'Connell, both Off Broadway.-Career:...
as Prissy - Benay Berger as FBI Supervisor Amanda Reese
- Toni LewisToni LewisToni Lewis is an actress best known for playing Terri Stivers on Homicide: Life on the Street. The role led to her receiving a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series...
as Assistant United States Attorney Nadiva Bryant - Tom MardirosianTom MardirosianTom Mardirosian is an American actor. He is known for playing Agamemnon Busmalis in the HBO show Oz and Agent Kristos Koutris in the HBO show "The Wire"....
as Agent Koutris - Delaney WilliamsDelaney WilliamsDelaney Williams is an American actor from Washington, D.C. He appears on the HBO drama The Wire as a recurring guest star playing homicide sergeant Jay Landsman. He also had a small role on HBO's mini-series The Corner which brought him to the attention of the producers, who worked on The prior to...
as Sergeant Jay LandsmanJay Landsman (The Wire)Jay Landsman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Delaney Williams.-Policing method:Landsman's role in the police department is that of a supervisory detective sergeant who doesn't participate in much investigation work... - Ted Feldman as George "Double G" Glekas
- Jeffrey Fugitt as Officer Claude Diggins
- Lev GorensLev GornLev Gorn is an American stage, film and television actor. Sometimes he is credited as Lev Gorens.-Off-Broadway:**...
as Eton Ben-Eleazer - Charley ScaliesCharley ScaliesCharlie Scalies is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa, one of the stevedores and union members on the second season of HBO's The Wire. He has also appeared in TV shows Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, and The Sopranos.- External links :...
as Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa - J.D. Williams as Preston "Boadie" BroadusBodie BroadusPreston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a Barksdale organization drug dealer in "The Pit" who slowly rises through the ranks...
- Chris AshworthChris AshworthChristopher Michael Ashworth , better known as simply Chris Ashworth, is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sergei Malatov on The Wire...
as Sergei "Serge" Malatov - Kevin McKelvy as FBI Agent
- S. Robert MorganS. Robert MorganS. Robert Morgan is an American television actor. He guest starred on Home Box Office drama series The Wire as Butchie from the second season until the show's fifth and final season. Morgan lost his sight in his twenties due to macular degeneration. Morgan is from Fort Washington, Maryland and...
as Butchie - Doug Olear as FBI Special Agent Terrance "Fitz" Fitzhugh
- William L. Thomas as FBI Agent
Uncredited appearances
- Michael K. WilliamsMichael K. WilliamsMichael Kenneth Williams is an American actor known for his portrayal of Omar Little on the HBO drama series The Wire, and of Albert "Chalky" White on HBO's Boardwalk Empire.-Early life and career:...
as Omar LittleOmar LittleOmar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. Omar is a renowned stick-up man who lives by a strict moral code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in "the game".... - De'Rodd Hearns as Puddin
- Jeffrey Pratt Gordon as Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto
- Richard BurtonRichard Burton (Baltimore)Richard Burton is a Baltimore, Maryland, city council employee and runs the "Believe" campaign. He was a rapper before becoming involved in Martin O'Malley's first Mayoral campaign after meeting him in 1998....
as Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty - DeAndre McCullough as Lamar
- Bus Howard as Ott
- Tommy Hahn as FBI Special Agent Salmond
- Wes JohnsonWes JohnsonWes Johnson is an American actor, cartoonist, comedian and voice artist, who has appeared in such films as A Dirty Shame, Head of State, The Invasion, For Richer or Poorer and Hearts in Atlantis...
as Security Supervisor
Dock business
Ethnic tension over the next union secretary continues to build - Frank SobotkaFrank Sobotka
Francis "Frank" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Chris Bauer.-Biography:Frank is a respected Polish-American secretary treasurer for the International Brotherhood of Stevedores at the Baltimore docks...
plans to run again despite an earlier agreement that Ott would be next to hold the position. In the office, Ott catches Sobotka with re-election posters and calls him out on it. When Sobotka says he wants to finish what he started, Ott storms out. Sobotka hints to Horseface that Ott would uncover the source of the funds.
Ziggy Sobotka
Ziggy Sobotka
Chester Karol "Ziggy" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor James Ransone. Though his father Frank Sobotka was a well-respected stevedore union leader, Ziggy's often reckless and juvenile behavior gained him little respect among other members of the union and...
and Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto steal several cars from the docks and fake an exit through the fence to draw attention away from it being an inside job. Ziggy plans to fence the cars to The Greek
The Greek (The Wire)
The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Bill Raymond. The Greek is the head of an international criminal organization involved in narcotics and human trafficking....
's man George "Double G" Glekas. Ziggy later reports in to Glekas to tell him the cars have been put into containers. Glekas cuts Ziggy's share from 20% to 10% and Ziggy flies into a rage and insults Glekas. Glekas beats Ziggy and throws him out of the warehouse. Ziggy makes his way to his car and returns to the warehouse with a gun. He shoots Glekas several times, killing him, and hits one of his employees in the abdomen. He leaves his cut with the wounded employee who is calling the police on his cellphone. Ziggy breaks down in his car in front of the warehouse as sirens herald the momentary arrival of responding police.
Ziggy is next seen in the interrogation room with homicide sergeant Jay Landsman
Jay Landsman (The Wire)
Jay Landsman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Delaney Williams.-Policing method:Landsman's role in the police department is that of a supervisory detective sergeant who doesn't participate in much investigation work...
. Landsman gives Ziggy a confession to sign and Ziggy does so after making a single change - Double G "begged" him not to shoot, rather than "said" it.
Nick Sobotka
Nick Sobotka
Nickolas Andrew "Nick" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Pablo Schreiber. the character of Nick is cousin to, Ziggy Sobotka, the wayward and rebellious son to his uncle Frank Sobotka...
is questioned by his girlfriend Aimee about the sums of cash she found hidden in his room. He tells her that he is being paid off the books by the Greek for working in a warehouse and is bringing home more than he expected. He tries to give her the money, but she refuses to accept it.
When news of Ziggy's actions reaches Nick he reports it straight back to Frank. Frank is angry that Nick didn't know what Ziggy was doing with the Greeks. Nick drowns his sorrows in a local park and is found there by Prissy, an ex of Ziggy's. They discuss Ziggy's history of foolish actions. Nick grieves for his cousin's freedom and damns his name.
Sobotka detail
Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski surveys the detail's work to date and is pleased with the information they have collected. The detail meet to discuss the direction their case is taking - they are supplementing the wire tap with GPS satellite surveillance of their suspects' vehicles.Meanwhile Major Valchek
Stanislaus Valchek
Stanislaus "Stan" Valchek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Al Brown.-Biography:Valchek is the Polish-American commander of the Southeastern district, home to many of the remaining white ethnic neighborhoods in Baltimore...
has become disillusioned with their shift of focus away from Sobotka and has called in the FBI to take over the case. He hands them all the detail's information so far and also engages them to try to recover his surveillance van.
Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Ellis Carver
Ellis Carver
Ellis Carver is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Seth Gilliam. Carver is an African American lieutenant and formerly in command of the Baltimore Police Department's Western District Drug Enforcement Unit...
deliver some heavy computer equipment to the detail office. They again feel that they are second class citizens in the detail as they are assigned mostly surveillance tasks. As they leave the office Valchek's FBI agents arrive. Lieutenant Cedric Daniels
Cedric Daniels
Cedric Daniels is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Lance Reddick. He is a well regarded officer in the department whose focus is on good police work and quality arrests...
and ASA Rhonda Pearlman
Rhonda Pearlman
Rhonda Pearlman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Deirdre Lovejoy. Pearlman has been the legal system liaison for all of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' investigations on the show...
later meet with the FBI and agree to share the case with them. The bureau's condition is that the focus is on the union. When the agents arrive at the detail office, led by Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh, they are greeted with a Western style standoff from Bunk Moreland
Bunk Moreland
William "Bunk" Moreland is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Wendell Pierce. Bunk's character is based on a retired Baltimore City Police Detective named Rick Requer and nicknamed "the Bunk", an officer who joined the force in 1964 as a Western District patrolman who...
and Lester Freamon
Lester Freamon
Lester Freamon is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Clarke Peters. Freamon is a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Major Crimes Unit...
that soon evaporates into friendly greetings. Herc and Carver are relieved from their surveillance by a pair of FBI agents.
Bunk later accompanies Jimmy McNulty
Jimmy McNulty
Detective James "Jimmy" McNulty is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by British actor Dominic West. McNulty is an Irish American detective in the Baltimore Police Department...
and Claude Diggins on a fishing trip to disguise their surveillance. Kima Greggs
Kima Greggs
Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Sonja Sohn. Greggs is a police detective in the Baltimore Police Department who is a dedicated officer and capable detective with some off-the-job issues. Openly lesbian, she has had problems...
and Cheryl argue a little about the division of shopping responsibilities within their household. Cheryl asks Kima to feel her pregnant abdomen because her baby is moving. Back at the detail, Kima questions Beadie Russell
Beadie Russell
Beatrice "Beadie" Russell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Amy Ryan. She was featured prominently in the second season, after she discovered thirteen corpses in a container on the Baltimore docks....
about balancing her role as a police officer with being a mother. In particular, Kima feels she would miss being involved in off-hour duties such as raids with her fellow officers.
Daniels and Freamon meet with Fitz and discuss their aims - the FBI agents offer to help to trace the origin of the contraband containers. Valchek arrives at the detail and lays into Daniels for his failure to deliver a case on Sobotka. He insists that Prez leave the detail as he will not let Daniels use his own people against him. Prez refuses to go and when Valchek insults him he lashes out and punches him. Valchek is outraged and leaves immediately. Prez hands Daniels his gun and walks into his office as ordered.
As soon as Fitz logs the investigation into the FBI computers, the Greek's inside man in the bureau, Agent Koutris, notices and phones it in. Koutris meets with The Greek and tells him how the investigation is monitoring him. Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos
Spiros Vondas
Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Paul Ben-Victor.-Biography:...
immediately asks Stephanos, the short order cook at the diner, to contact Eton Ben-Eleazer and organize a meeting insisting they avoid using phones.
Eton reports Ziggy's actions to Vondas and tells him that both men died. Vondas orders Eton to clean out the store and warehouse. The meeting is observed by Bunk and McNulty from Diggins' boat. Vondas orders Eton to dispose of all his phones and then throws his own phone into the water. Meanwhile, Herc and Carver observe Nick arriving at the Greek's cafe. Nick asks to speak with Spiros and is met with blanket denial of his existence.
Back at the office, Freamon, Bunk and McNulty discuss Prez's action. McNulty also asks about text messaging and the possibility of tracing a message for a phone number. McNulty is disappointed when Fitz tells him it would be near impossible without knowing the wireless provider along with the time and location of the call. Despite their protestations, Fitz and Bunk do trace the call using FBI technology and subpoena the billing information from the service provider. At the phone company offices, an employee tells them that with a search warrant they could have two months of text messaging history. Fitz talks the clerk into allowing them a peek at the records before they produce the warrant and is dismayed when the messages are all written in Greek. At the detail, Daniels, McNulty and Greggs look on as an agent translates Vondas' final message - it reads "shut down immediately", to the agents' and detectives' consternation.
Greggs calls Beadie to let her know they are raiding that night to catch what they can. McNulty types warrants as Sergei "Serge" Malatov and Eton clean house, including washing large amounts of powdered drugs down the drain.
The street
Bodie BroadusBodie Broadus
Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a Barksdale organization drug dealer in "The Pit" who slowly rises through the ranks...
is pleased with the new package which is finally selling well. He orders a resupply from Mo Man via his subordinate Puddin. Stringer Bell
Stringer Bell
Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Idris Elba. Bell served as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second in command, assuming direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment...
arrives and is followed by Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff from Proposition Joe
Proposition Joe
Joseph "Proposition Joe" Stewart is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Robert F. Chew. Joe is an Eastside drug kingpin who preferred a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible...
's organization. Stringer tells Bodie that Cheese will be taking over three of the six towers, Bodie doesn't understand why they are giving up their territory and Stringer tells him to consider where their new package came from. Bodie quickly adapts to the new circumstances by stealing a sale from Cheese's hoppers by undercutting their prices. The buyer is Bubbles
Bubbles (The Wire)
Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Andre Royo. Bubbles is a recovering heroin addict. His real name is not revealed until a fourth-season episode when he is called "Mr. Cousins" and in the fifth-season premiere when he is called "Reginald"...
. Cheese is not that put out by Bodie's actions and the two banter back and forth.
However, Cheese is put out when a man who dresses like a member of the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
approaches him and tells him to move on if he doesn't work for Avon Barksdale
Avon Barksdale
Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire portrayed by actor Wood Harris. Avon is the dominant drug dealer of Baltimore's West Side, running the Barksdale Organization...
. Cheese first responds insulting Brother Mouzone for being overly dressed and suggests he leave and sell bean pie
Bean pie
A bean pie is a sweet custard pie whose filling consists of mashed beans—usually navy beans—sugar, butter, milk, and spices. Common spices and flavorings include vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Variations can include cloves, ginger and more....
s. Mouzone then tells him to leave in a more threatening manner and when Cheese goes to punch him, Mouzone shoots Cheese in the arm with a round of rat shot
Rat-shot
Rat-shot is very small lead shot which is loaded into a cartridge not generally considered a shotgun shell. Such a cartridge with a shot load is often called a "shot shell". The most common cartridges loaded with rat-shot are the .22 Long Rifle or pistol or revolver cartridges...
warning him that the next round will be a real bullet. Cheese is sufficiently intimidated to move on.
Cheese discusses the problem with his uncle Proposition Joe. Cheese wants to retaliate but Joe knows of the man who shot Cheese - Brother Mouzone - and his reputation. He decides it would be too dangerous to retaliate or even put a contract out on Mouzone as Mouzone would come after him directly in response. Joe realizes that Avon must have contracted Mouzone to protect his territory and that Stringer cannot act as he would be going against Avon a second time. He suggests to Cheese that there is only one person who could take on Brother Mouzone in Baltimore but he does not take contract money.
Omar Little
Omar Little
Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. Omar is a renowned stick-up man who lives by a strict moral code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in "the game"....
visits Butchie and drops off his latest take - Butchie acts as a bank and advisor for Omar. Later, Proposition Joe meets with Butchie and convinces him to broker a meeting between Stringer and Omar to discuss Brother Mouzone. Butchie is suspicious but agrees as long as his nephew Heywood can provide security.
At the towers Brother Mouzone keeps watch and chastises his subordinate Lamar for forgetting two of his news magazines. Bodie and another dealer observe Mouzone's vigil and Shamrock is impressed that his reputation alone is holding away the East side drug dealers. Bodie wonders what will happen when they run out of good product. Shamrock insists that if Avon wanted to cooperate with the East side dealers Mouzone would not be there.
First appearances
- Lamar: Mouzone's dim witted assistant. Lamar is played by DeAndre McCulloch, one of the people David Simon wrote about in The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City NeighborhoodThe Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City NeighborhoodThe Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood is a book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon and former Baltimore homicide detective Ed Burns. It was named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times.-Origins:...
.