Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Carcetti’s plan to rebuild the Baltimore Police Department stalls when the city diverts money to its schools. A federal offer of police help depends on transferring the Clay Davis case, but Carcetti fears the political damage and Campbell sees an advantage in keeping it local. The budget squeeze closes Major Crimes and leaves the vacant murders unattended. Daniels objects. McNulty, already back to drinking and infidelity, returns to Homicide as the effort to reach Marlo stalls. Carver tries to keep morale up as officers face cuts. At the Sun, editors tell reporters to do more with less, and Gus Haynes works to keep the paper’s reporting careful as Scott Templeton looks for a story that will draw attention.
Marlo pushes the New Day Co-Op to accept his product and seeks a new link to the Greeks through Sergei. Chris and Snoop’s violence has made Michael an enforcer, while Dukie is left with little standing in the crew and is offered paid work looking after Bug. Bubbles has stayed sober and lives in his sister’s basement, but she still does not trust him alone in the house. He sells newspapers to commuters and hands one to Campbell, who is angered by the Sun’s account of Fat-Face Rick’s club relocation and its ties to her associates. Alma’s reporting supplies the story; Templeton, dissatisfied with his own work, watches her success.