"React Quotes" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2, ...

''. The episode was written by David Mills from a story by

David Simon David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on ''The Wire'' (2002–08). He worked for ''The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' Hom ...

& David Mills and was directed by

Agnieszka Holland Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda, ...

. It first aired on February 3, 2008.

Plot

Marlo assumes

Proposition Joe Joseph Stewart, better known as "Proposition Joe" or "Prop Joe", is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Robert F. Chew. Joe is an Eastside drug lord who prefers a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible. H ...

's position as The Greeks' narcotics distributor in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Vondas gives him a phone and shows him how to communicate with the Greeks without speaking. Marlo continues to use Levy to

launder money Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

and gives Levy his new cell phone number; Herc copies the number after hours. Partlow tells his family he is going away and prepares to ambush

Omar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

's apartment. Dukie gets beaten up by

Spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species d ...

when he stands up to a bully on his corner. Michael takes Dukie to Cutty's gym to learn how to defend himself. Cutty tries to explain to Dukie that his intelligence gives him some prospects and that even if he learns how to fight, it won't necessarily stop him from being attacked. Michael also tries to teach Dukie how to shoot, but his ineptitude at target practice leads him to recommend that Dukie avoid using guns. Bond holds a press conference to announce the corruption charges against

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

Davis Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community * Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Green ...

. Campbell convinces Davis to take the weight of the charges himself, and Davis begins a publicity campaign claiming that the investigation against him is racially motivated. Bubbles is amazed when he is given a negative

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

test and Walon tells him to let go of his shame over

Sherrod Sherrod is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Sherrod Brown (born 1952), United States Senator * Sherrod Martin (born 1984), American football player * Sherrod Small, American comedian * Sherrod E. ...

's death. Herc gives Marlo's cell phone number to Carver, who in turn gives it to Freamon. However, Freamon is unsuccessful in convincing Daniels to approach Mayor

Carcetti Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti ( ) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire (TV series), The Wire'', played by Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious and venal Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore politician who begins the series with a seat on ...

about opening a new investigation into Marlo. McNulty invents more details about his fake

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

and leaks the story to

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...

at the ''

Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

''.

Templeton Templeton may refer to: Places * Templeton station, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada * Templeton, New Zealand United Kingdom * Templeton, Angus, Scotland * Templeton, Devon, England * Templeton, Pembrokeshire, Wales ** RAF Templeton * Templet ...

is assigned by Gus to canvass the homeless, but he has little success and invents a quote from the "father of a homeless family". The resulting story draws attention to the case and Daniels appeals to Carcetti for resources. The mayor only allows

Greggs Greggs plc is a British bakery chain. It specialises in savoury products such as bakes, sausage rolls, sandwiches and sweet items including doughnuts and vanilla slices. It is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is listed on ...

to assist McNulty, who, under pressure from Bunk, tells her to keep working her own cases. Freamon and McNulty decide to stage a phone call from the killer to give them probable cause for a

wiretap Telephone tapping (also wire tapping or wiretapping in American English) is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitorin ...

on Marlo's cell phone number. When Templeton fakes a call to himself from the serial killer, McNulty seizes the opportunity. The story takes the front page. Freamon sets up a disconnected wiretap in Homicide that the police believe is monitoring the fake killer's cell phone, while Freamon uses the court paperwork to set up his own wiretap on Marlo's phone. Elsewhere, Elena confronts McNulty about his failing relationship with Beadie, while Beadie seeks advice from Bunk. Omar and

Donnie Donnie or Donny is a familiar form (hypocorism) of the masculine given name Donald, Donal, Don, or Donovan. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Donny Baldwin, American drummer best known as a member of Jefferson Starship and Stars ...

break into Monk's apartment where they are ambushed by Partlow, Snoop, Michael and O-Dog. Donnie is killed and Omar jumps from the fourth-floor balcony and disappears.

Production

Guest stars

Paul Ben-Victor Paul Ben-Victor (born July 24, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Greek mobster Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', Alan Gray in '' Entourage'' (2005–2008), and Ray in ''Body Parts'' (1991). ...

as Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos *

Amy Ryan Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski, known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress of stage and screen. A graduate of New York's High School of Performing Arts, she is an Academy Award nominee and two-time Tony Award nominee. Ryan began her pro ...

as Beatrice "Beadie" Russell *

Callie Thorne Calliope "Callie" Thorne is an American actress known for her role as Dr. Dani Santino on the USA Network series '' Necessary Roughness''. She is also known for past work such as her roles on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' as Detective Laura ...

as Elena McNulty * Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise *

Glynn Turman Glynn Russell Turman (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. Turman is known for his roles as Lew Miles on the prime-time soap opera ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place'' (1968–1969), high school stude ...

Clarence Royce Clarence V. Royce is a fictional character in the HBO series ''The Wire'' played by Glynn Turman. Season 3 Clarence V. Royce is the Mayor of Baltimore whose first appearance is at the demolition of the Franklin Terrace housing projects as a m ...

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...

as Walon *

Felicia Pearson Felicia Pearson (born May 18, 1980) is an American actress, rapper and author. She played Felicia "Snoop" Pearson on '' The Wire'' and wrote a 2007 memoir, '' Grace After Midnight,'' detailing her troubled childhood and time in prison for seco ...

as Felicia "Snoop" Pearson * Marlyne Afflack as Nerese Campbell * Dion Graham as Rupert Bond *

Delaney Williams Delaney Williams (born December 12, 1962) is an American character actor from Washington, D.C. He appeared on the HBO drama ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) as a recurring guest star playing homicide sergeant Jay Landsman. He also had a small role on H ...

as Jay Landsman *

David Costabile David Costabile (; born January 9, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work, having appeared in supporting roles in several television series such as '' Billions'', ''Breaking Bad'', ''Damages'', ''Flight of the Conch ...

as Thomas Klebanow *

Sam Freed Sam Freed (born August 29, 1948) is an American actor who has performed on Broadway and television and in movies. His first major regular role on television was as Bob Barsky in the last three seasons of '' Kate & Allie''. In the short-lived ser ...

as James Whiting *Robert Poletick as Steven Luxenberg * William F. Zorzi as Bill Zorzi *Larry Andrews as

* Darrell Britt-Gibson as O-Dog *Norris Davis as Vinson *Kwame Patterson as Monk Metcalf *Thomas J. McCarthy as Tim Phelps * Scott Shane as Scott Shane *

Brian Anthony Wilson Brian Anthony Wilson (born February 22, 1960) is an American film and television actor. He first appeared in the 1997 film ''The Postman'' as Woody. Wilson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the la ...

as Vernon Holley *Brandon Young as

Mike Fletcher Mike Fletcher (born 14 April 1967) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a , or . He spent almost his entire club career at Hull Kingston Rovers, and is the club's record point scorer. He also played for Hunslet ...

*Denise Boyd as AIDS clinic nurse *Keenon Brice as Aaron "Bug" Manigault * Thuliso Dingwall as Kenard * Brendan Walsh as Brendan Walsh * Larry Young as Larry Young *Tony Cordova as

Michael McNulty Michael Robert McNulty (born September 16, 1947) is a retired American politician from the U.S. state of New York. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 2009 representing New York's Capital District and was cha ...

*Arthur Laupus as Appointment Homeless Guy *Eric Ryan as Sean McNulty * Ptolemy Slocum as Business Card Homeless Man *Tony Small as Singer *John E. Fairley as Unknown *Joe Hansard as Nathan Levi Boston *Theodore M. Snead as Sports Desk Editor *Tony Tsendeas as Homeless Man #2 * Alexandra Tydings as Arts Desk Editor

Uncredited appearances

*Edward Green as

Trivia

The number Marlo gives to his lawyer in this episode—(410) 915-0909—returns a pre-recorded quote from Marlo. First reported in August 2012, the number is still active as of November 2022. At the time of broadcast the number was not in service.

References

External links

"React Quotes"
at HBO.com * {{The Wire episodes The Wire (season 5) episodes 2008 American television episodes