Old Cases

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Old Cases"
The Wire episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 4
Directed byClement Virgo
Story byDavid Simon
Ed Burns
Teleplay byDavid Simon
Original air dateJune 23, 2002 (2002-06-23)
Running time60 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Buys" 		Next →
"The Pager"
List of episodes

"Old Cases" is the fourth episode of the first season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon and Ed Burns and was directed by Clement Virgo. It originally aired on June 23, 2002.

Plot summary

The Police

Prince George's County, only to find that Bodie
has escaped from the low-security facility. They raid Bodie's home but find only his grandmother. Embarrassed by the rude intrusion, Herc apologizes and leaves his card.

shell casing and bullet that previous detectives missed. Landsman visits Rawls
and, while noting McNulty's character flaws, asserts that those very qualities make him a good detective. Relenting, Rawls offers a deal: if McNulty wraps up the detail in two weeks, he can return to normal duty.

Greggs and

cell phone bill and realizes that the Barksdale dealers use pagers to avoid any documentation of incoming and outgoing calls. Phelan is disappointed when Burrell
tells him they have nothing on the Barksdales and phones McNulty. Daniels meets with Burrell and tells him that he can take the Barksdale case wherever the deputy commissioner wants, raising the possibility of McNulty's suggested wire to make the case.

Greggs suggests

pawn shop
unit after pursuing a politically connected suspect against his major's orders. Freamon warns that McNulty is likely on a similar path. That night, McNulty shows up at Greggs' apartment drunk. She confirms that their visual surveillance was unable to follow targets into the towers as planned. Back with Cheryl, Greggs explains that McNulty is lonely, and they begin to make love.

The Street

Omar, Brandon and Bailey enjoy the proceeds from the Barksdale robbery. Brandon apologizes for using Omar's name during the raid, but Omar points out that he was already well known anyway. He is worried that the Barksdales could attack Brandon, now revealed to be Omar's lover. An addict approaches Omar with her infant son and respectfully asks for a free fix, which he gives her.

Meanwhile,

Poot and Wallace are surprised that he has returned so soon after his arrest. D'Angelo bristles when Bodie says he would still be there had it been him, telling them that he murdered Kresson, Avon's scorned girlfriend, after she had threatened revenge by testifying to the police. Bodie, who has never killed anybody, is humbled. The dealers destroy some new security cameras around the towers.[1][2][3]

Production

Title reference

The title refers to both the old homicide cases being investigated by Bunk and McNulty and to the old bullet cases found at the Deirdre Kresson crime scene.

Epigraph

Thin line 'tween heaven and here.

— Bubbles

The line is said as Bubbles is being returned to the ghetto by McNulty after the two have spent an afternoon in

suburbia, which Bubbles refers to as "Leave It to Beaver
land." Bubbles is referring to the fact that despite the short drive, there is a night and day difference between Baltimore county (heaven) and Baltimore City (here).

Music

When Freamon and McNulty start talking in the bar, Miles Davis' "All Blues", from the album Kind of Blue plays diegetically in the background. When the head has finished and Davis begins his trumpet solo, Freamon opens up and tells McNulty what happened to his career.

Credits

Starring cast

Although credited, Deirdre Lovejoy does not appear in this episode.

Guest stars

First appearances

This episode marks the first appearance of Jimmy McNulty's estranged family. Callie Thorne plays Elena McNulty, Jimmy's estranged wife and the mother of his two sons. Callie Thorne also appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street alongside several other Wire cast members. Antonio Cordova plays Michael McNulty, Jimmy's soccer-playing younger son. His older son, Sean, remains unseen in this episode.

Reception

This episode was noted for the "Fuck scene" in which Bunk and McNulty evaluate a crime scene while repeatedly saying only variations of the word "fuck". TimeOut listed it as one of the Top 5 scenes from the series.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Episode guide – episode 04 Old Cases". HBO. 2004. Retrieved July 26, 2006.
  2. The Wire
    . Season 1. Episode 4. HBO.
  3. ^ Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books.
  4. ^ "Top five: Scenes from HBO's classic series The Wire". Time Out New York.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Cases&oldid=1217399026"