‘The Wire’ Season 3, Episode 9: “Slapstick”

Writers: David Simon, George Pelecanos

Original Air Date: November 21, 2004

Watch It On: Amazon Instant Video and HBO Go

What It’s About: The majority of the episode focuses around the infamous Details investigative unit; consisting of Jimmy McNulty, Kima Greggs, Lester Freamon, Roland “Prez” Pryzbylewski, and Leander Sydnor under the watch of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, as they continuously crack down on Avon Barksdale’s crew. The drug trade in Baltimore’s western district has reared its ugly head once again and a main player, D’Angelo Barksdale, was offed while serving a drug sentence. The hit was quietly orchestrated by none other than Stringer Bell, sending up red flags among gangs and police alike. “Slapstick” gets its name for the ironic way easily avoidable situations turn violent in the blink of an eye.

Why It’s So Good: Every subplot, from Lieutenant Colvin’s out-in-the-open “Hamsterdam” drug trade experiment to Omar rejoining the game after his grandmother’s life was threatened, were caused by paranoid acts of violence—literally jumping the gun before evaluating the situation at hand. The most impactful and memorable moment from this episode however, is when Prez opens fire in an alley, accidentally killing a black police officer and unleashing the ugliest possible race case the western district has seen. Prez, who is white, knows his career is over when he mistakes a black police officer for an armed criminal. When Cedric approaches Prez in the holding room after everything went down, Prez delivers some of the most vulnerable dialogue that speaks to the tragedy of innate racism between law enforcement and citizens within poor, drug-ridden urban areas:

“I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t angry. I didn’t give a shit if he was black or whatever. Or maybe I did. How the fuck do you know if that’s in your head or if it’s not?”

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Don’t Forget the B-Plot: When Omar accompanies his grandmother to Sunday mass, he never expected to be targeted given the universally respected “Sunday Morning Truce” between all players in the drug trade in west Baltimore. Sunday is for family, and business resumes on Monday morning. On the word of Stringer Bell (without Avon’s permission), two young players in Barksdale’s crew shot at Omar as him and his grandma were getting into a cab. Desperate for revenge, Omar decides to step back in the game and finish Stringer once and for all.

The Best Moment: The best moment in “Slapstick” is simultaneously the saddest. When Prez shares with Cedric what was going through his mind in the alley, his comments are so fully realized, it becomes clear that The Wire has entered a new realm of cultural importance, something far more referential than just a “cop show.”

All seasons of The Wire are available on HBO Go.