The Wire: season 5, episode 3

Whoa! Butchie killed! And by ruthless motherfuckers (I talk this way after watching me some Wire) Chris and Snoop. I guess Omar's back.

I loved the fact that Lester was into the caper Jimmy's trying to pull. I'm sure he'll come up with better stuff than the ribbon, which is, after all, pretty lame when you think about it. I liked Jay's reaction, too -- a lot of versimilitude, I wager. Ahh, good old Lester, with his jazz and love of the hunt.

The newsroom plot looks a little less predictable now; the layoffs added another dimension to the story.

So now Carcetti's firing Burrell? I thought he tried to do that in a prior season, and Burrell was able to threaten him with retribution from "the ministers," as well as prove his usefulness for dealing with things like the Herc situation.

I love the frustration Prop Joe expresses about trying to civilize Marlo. Marlo's aggressive visit to the bank showed just how hard it is to civilize him.

I felt kind of sad seeing Dukie, Michael, and Michael's little brother going to Six Flags. It underscored how they really are still kids. I know that it's a cliche to talk about youth being stolen from them, but this episode showed that better than any way we could have been told that.

And ohh, Clay Davis. I like that actor, man. Carcetti handled him probably the only way he could be handled. I wonder if he'll try to team up with Burrell to sink him.