Episode 5-

I really like this season for the focus on the kids. The major says there are two types of students: astute kids and corner kids. The issue is that they are lumped together and cannot be taught that way. I feel bad about Bubbles getting hurt. He takes the hit for the kid because he is trying to get him off the streets and into school. Marlow’s way of running things is really different from the other dealer leaders we have seen thus far. I like seeing Lester and Bunk working together because I think they are both awesome. The line “and so ends the last great drug crusade…with a whimper,” was pretty great and seems to signify what is happening with the rest of the show. I think it’s interesting that even Wee-Bay says the game has changed, and he is in jail.

Episode 6-

The episode starts right before the primary and I find it interesting that the Councilman and his family are at the Baptist church. Carcetti is getting smeared politically right before the polls open. According to D’s mom, the family business is officially over. “Nothing lasts forever,” she says. We again see a moment of kindness from a character with Pryz helping the kid who has no clothes. Finally some sort of program is being implemented for students that I hope will help them somehow, but I have a bad feeling. Other problems are still happening in the school and very exigent of today’s issues, a girl was raped in school. The way the polls are shown was pretty cool with the running man going through the polls. Wee-Bay’s son is being forced to be an adult b his mother. It’s really weird to see Kima in full uniform. Toward the end we get a glimpse of Omar and he asks the cops if he knows the rules of the game, but Omar doesn’t know about the charges. Finally, we see McNulty in this episode and Omar wants his help even though he didn’t actually commit the crime he is picked up for. It was actually pretty sad to see all of the people in jail who hate Omar and I really don’t think he would last long if he is put in jail under this crime. For once we get a glimpse of his fear. Congrats Carcetti, please actually do something to help Baltimore with your office.

Episode 7-

It’s interesting to see the protection Omar has to go through and the sense of fear he has to worry about now. Clearly he has no problem protecting himself, nor sending messages. I really don’t understand how these people get phones, favors and all sorts of other things while in jail. Poor Bubbles is losing track of helping the kid he is trying to help recover. Omar is trying to get Bunk and the cops to help him out. Omar is the only one in the game who really has some sort rules for the game. He tells Bunk he doesn’t kill anyone involved in the game, but Bunk doesn’t want to help. Omar knows his time is not long while he is in jail, but plays to Bunk’s morality that some one else killed the person and he is letting them off. I like his discussion of having a “code” in this game. Bubbles is still getting beat up by people on the street; he seems to always have some sort of problem. The cop Bubbles gets to help him is clearly a prick and is even wearing Omar’s ring as he steals Bubbles’ stuff. Bay’s kid is getting in trouble and his coach is just trying to help him, along with every other kid on the streets. Pryz is also trying to help the kids with new books and a new way of teaching. Kima figured out her case, while Bubbles is still struggling with the kid. 

Episode 8-

The cops seem really irritated with Carcetti being there and give him a lot of shit for it, but then they go back to their regular workday to show how ridiculous the whole system is. Bunk is really trying to find the actual murderer for their sake of the job, not so much for Omar. Another cop dead, another Irish funeral and a super wasted Bunk puking again. McNulty has become clean and left his buddy behind in the drunken cop world. The classroom with the bad kids has a really interesting dynamic. Bunk is working like he and McNulty used to, putting the whole crime together again. “The job isn’t about picking the stories we like best,” says Bunk. Once again, he shows that he is good at his job, regardless of his personal choices. I like the glimpses into the home lives of the kids in the show, it really shows how they become who they are. The view of the bad kids in class is interesting because they point out how without corner boys, then the cops would have no job. The Leave No Child Behind Act is depicted as completely ripping apart the school system in this season, and it is so true. So many of the systems designed to help people do not at all. Instead, these children are being force-fed answers to a test, without actually learning. This is what happens today as well, which is so frustrating because nothing has changed. Michael’s home life is especially sad to see and he has to take control of his whole family and take care of them. I hate when the cops get pissed at other cops for actually doing their job and trying to figure out the truth.

Episode 9-

The boss has changed again, as well as the game. Bunk and Omar have a really interesting relationship, set up when they initially talked about Bunk’s past on the streets. It’s still strange to see them together. Kima’s old life has clearly moved on from her, much like McNulty’s old life. The way the bad kids are trying to be taught is interesting and they finally seem to be getting somewhere. It’s sad to see how much the children have to act like adults in this show. The teachers are still being screwed over by the government with the way they have to teach the children. Carver has a different way of working the streets in that he actually wants to help the kids stay away from jail and handcuffs. I love that Colver makes the kids listen to Billie Holiday when they go to get food. The kids seem so out of place and the dynamics of Baltimore society really show through. The teachers, particularly Pryz, are so angry about not being able to really teach.

Episode 10-

That one cop is so awful and even hurt that kid as a reprimand for what he did. The school system is still so messed up, to the point where they have to keep the rooms so hot in order to just get the kids to sit there. The conversation Bodie has with the fat boy is interesting because when they talk about murder, Bodie asks, “which one?” Omar is watching Marlow and it seems like he is planning to get back at him. Herc working with Bubbles is a different relationship to see. Carver is showing Namon the realities of the drug business, both showing him what can happen while still protecting him. Colvin is trying to fight to end the constant cycle of kids going back onto the corners, and focusing the system on the kids themselves, rather than tests and numbers. Clearly, Colvin is making some sort of change on these kids as he is the one Namon calls to help him. Pryz is also changing the classroom and his students are actually paying attention and learning. The school is screwing everything up though by bringing in other people to check out the new programs and threatening them. Woah! We get to see Bunk’s kids! It’s cure to see the little Bunk/McNulty dad and kid date. McNulty is clearly turning things around now and his ex-wife is surprised by it.