Carcetti gains ground as Royce starts to falter, whilst Marlo makes a move on Omar.
This is very strong episode that lays some important ground for character development and some of the more dramatic moments later in this season.
The corner boys are in heavy focus once more with a quite poignant 'Stand By Me' like moment for Randy and some early signs of where Michael's arc might be going. As always in season 4, these characters are the most engaging and the young actors do a fantastic job.
In the classroom scenes I am on board with Prez's new career journey. Having volunteered as a teacher in some difficult environments, I can identify with the moments that show him finding his feet as a disciplinarian and his compassion for certain students. This season truly shows the impact of home life and how it comes across to an outsider.
The political fight between Royce, Grey and Carcetti gets very intriguing as certain information is made public. What I love about this are the moves made by certain individuals who can smell blood in the primary, plus the handling of a potential scandal. As always The Wire portrays the self serving nature of people in command structures perfectly. Aiden Gillen, Reg E. Cathey, and Glyn Turman are on great form.
Marlo's approach to the Omar problem is a clever move by the writers that displays more of the character's disregard for the innocent bystander. This increases the sense of threat towards a fan favourite character and (similar to the security guard scene in 'Refugees') the audiences contempt for Marlo.
Everything involving the police, from the search for bodies to the new approach of the Major Crimes Unit is frustrating and somewhat amusing to behold.
Visually it is excellent as always, particularly the night scenes on the backstreets, local hangouts, and inside the boarded up tenement, which all have great atmosphere.
For me it's a 9.5/10 but I round upwards.
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