Undertow (The Wire Episode)
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"Undertow" is the fifth episode of the second season of the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
original series ''
The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...
''. The episode was written by
Ed Burns Edward P. Burns (born January 29, 1946) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. For HBO, they have collaborated on '' The Corner,'' ''The Wire,'' ''Generation Kill'', ''The ...
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'' (2002–2008). He worked for ''The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–1995), wrote '' ...
& Ed Burns and was directed by
Steve Shill Stephen A Shill (born 1957) is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter and television producer. Early life Shill was born in 1957 in Buckinghamshire, England. He attended Keswick Grammar School in Keswick, Cumbria, England ...
. It originally aired on June 29, 2003.


Plot

Rawls puts Freamon on the Sobotka detail and recommends that Bunk bring in a fresh detective as a partner on the case. Bunk, Beadie, and
Cole Cole may refer to: People and fictional characters * Cole (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Cole (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname * Cole tribe ...
serve
grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...
summons A summons (also known in England and Wales as a claim form or plaint note, and in the Australian state of New South Wales as a court attendance notice (CAN)) is a legal document issued by a court (a ''judicial summons'') or by an administrative ag ...
on checkers in Frank's
stevedore A dockworker (also called a longshoreman, stevedore, docker, wharfman, lumper or wharfie) is a waterfront manual laborer who loads and unloads ships. As a result of the intermodal shipping container revolution, the required number of dockwork ...
s union, including Johnny Fifty and Horseface, as part of the investigation into the Jane Does. Frank is enraged that the detectives believe he knew anything about the dead girls. Bunk learns that the hearings brought little information and that Beadie has no informants at the port. Later, Beadie visits
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
, who turns out to be an old flame, and sounds him out about becoming an informant. He refuses to give her information on his fellow union men but offers a tip: the union computers may be useful in tracking containers.
Bubbles Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fundame ...
visits the marine unit and informs
McNulty McNulty is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Gaelic ''Mac an Ultaigh'' meaning "son of the Ulsterman". Usually considered a branch of the Ulaid ruling dynasty of ''Mac Duinnshléibhe'' ( MacDonlevy), a branch of Dál Fiatach, who fled Ul ...
that he has tracked down
Omar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muh ...
. McNulty brings Omar in to be interviewed by Ilene Nathan in preparation for
Bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
's trial. Nathan is surprised at Omar's candor and history, but calls him a
sociopath Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with bold, disinhibited, and egocentric traits. These traits are often masked by superficial charm and immunity to st ...
and worries about putting him on the stand in front of
Levy Levy, Lévy or Levies may refer to: People * Levy (surname), people with the surname Levy or Lévy * Levy Adcock (born 1988), American football player * Levy Barent Cohen (1747–1808), Dutch-born British financier and community worker * Levy ...
. She gives McNulty a voucher to buy Omar some more appropriate clothes for his court appearance. Later, McNulty asks
Special Agent In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...
Cleary, his contact in the
INS INS or Ins may refer to: Places * Ins, Switzerland, a municipality * Creech Air Force Base (IATA airport code INS) * Indonesia, ITF and UNDP code INS * INS Park, an entertainment complex in China Biology *'' Ins'', a New World genus of bee flie ...
, if he can interview any vice suspects about his floater. Cleary finds some girls being held in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, but finds it hard to understand McNulty's desire to identify the girl. After traveling to New Jersey, McNulty questions them but gets no response since he can't promise to keep them from being
deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its Sovereignty, sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or ...
. Daniels offers Carver a position in the Sobotka detail, reasoning that Carver is unlikely to betray the team again after previously being caught. However, Daniels tells Carver that he will not be recognized as a sergeant and will report to
Greggs Greggs plc is a British bakery chain. It specialises in savoury products such as baked goods, sausage rolls, sandwiches and sweet items including doughnuts and vanilla slices. It is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is lis ...
. Herc is overjoyed to be working with Carver again. Daniels orders DNRs and finance investigations to be done quickly to placate Valchek, and has Greggs, Herc and Carver look into the drug trade around the port. Freamon arrives and surprises the detail by recognizing Frank from a photo, noting his link to the Jane Does. As they set up their operation, the detectives find that the dealers in the port area are much less organized than the Barksdales. Meanwhile, Valchek receives another photo of his missing surveillance van, this time from
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, and is able to pull a fingerprint. Donette visits
D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...
, telling him that
Stringer Stringer may refer to: Structural elements * Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened * Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal * Stringer (stairs), ...
has been supporting her and will do the same for D'Angelo when he is released. D'Angelo is cynical about Stringer's motivations. In the pit,
Poot Carr Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character in the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks. He eventually leaves the drug trade after it causes ...
tries to restrain his dealers when an addict disparages the product sold to him. Bodie says that someone needs to tell Stringer about the product's low quality. Stringer attends his
economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
class at the
Baltimore City Community College Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is a public community college in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the only community college in the city and the only state-sponsored community college in the state. It is accredited by the Middle States Commi ...
and asks his teacher, Mr. Lucas, about selling an "inferior product" in a competitive marketplace. Lucas advises decreasing his prices to increase market share but warns that the product will lose credibility if the price is continually low. He also gives Stringer an example of a company CEO facing that exact problem, the solution being a change of name. After visiting Avon in prison, Stringer hosts a meeting with Barksdale dealers to solicit ideas for solving the organization's problems.
Ziggy Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include: Nickname or hypocorism * Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
arrives to collect money from a drug dealer named Frog, who comes short and claims his stash was stolen. Ziggy threatens him, but Frog remains indifferent. As Ziggy drives away, he is blocked by
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 nephew, Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff, and is confronted over a debt. Cheese and his men then shake down Ziggy and become frustrated when they find very little money on him. Ziggy offers his leather jacket as partial payment, but Cheese rejects the offer and threatens to kill him if the debt is not paid by Friday. Cheese and his men then proceed to take Ziggy's car. Meanwhile,
Nick Nick may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nick (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Désirée Nick, German actress and writer Places * Nick, Hungary, a village * Nick, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, a ...
views a house with Aimee; the realtor turns out to be McNulty's ex-wife Elena. Nick initially refuses to help Ziggy deal with Cheese until he realizes his cousin is in danger, but is still unable to help Ziggy since he has already given his share of their take to Aimee for a rented apartment. Nick asks Vondas and
Serge Serge may refer to: *Serge (fabric), a type of twill fabric *Serge (llama) (born 2005), a llama in the Cirque Franco-Italien and internet meme *Serge (name), a masculine given name (includes a list of people with this name) *Serge (post), a hitchi ...
to put their
smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
on hold while Frank deals with the Jane Doe investigation. Vondas asks Nick about smuggling chemicals but is evasive when Nick asks what they will be used for. Nick and La La negotiate with Cheese, asking for the return of Ziggy's car so it can be sold to raise money. Cheese offers another week, but shows Nick that his crew has already torched Ziggy's car.
The Greek The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police repo ...
tells Vondas that he won't meet with Frank, but will double his payment. Frank is dismissive of the offer but is forced to ponder the fate of his union if he cuts ties with The Greek. At the library, Nick and Ziggy learn that the chemicals that Vondas asked for are used for processing
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
. Nick tells Vondas and Serge that he is happy to deal as long as the chemicals are only used for narcotics. They tell Nick that they will triple their payment if Frank agrees to continue working with them, but Frank is defiant when confronted with the offer.


Production


Title reference

The title refers to the tide effect that traps unsuspecting swimmers; a metaphor for
Frank Sobotka Francis "Frank" Sobotka is a fictional character in of the HBO drama ''The Wire (TV series), The Wire'', played by the actor Chris Bauer. Plot Frank is a respected Polish-American treasurer for the International Brotherhood of Stevedores at t ...
's inability to extricate himself from the smuggling operation despite his desire to.


Epigraph

Vondas makes this comment as a veiled criticism of Frank's caution in pursuing further deals with The Greeks' organization when faced with a police investigation. The season's theme of industrial decay is also thereby continued.


Credits


Starring cast

Although credited,
Deirdre Lovejoy Deirdre Lovejoy (born June 30, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman on HBO’s ''The Wire''. She is also known for her roles as serial killer Heather Taffet (aka "The Grav ...
does not appear in this episode.


Guest stars

#
Seth Gilliam Seth Gilliam (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Ellis Carver on ''The Wire'', Clayton Hughes on '' Oz'', Dr. Alan Deaton on '' Teen Wolf'', and Father Gabriel Stokes on '' The Walking Dead''. E ...
as Detective Ellis Carver #
Domenick Lombardozzi Domenico Lombardozzi (; born March 25, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying the police officer Herc in ''The Wire'', and is also known for his roles in ''Tulsa King'', ''Entourage'', ''A Bronx Tale'' (1993), and ''The I ...
as Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk #
Jim True-Frost Jim True-Frost (''né'' True; July 31, 1966) is an American stage, television and screen actor. He is most known for his portrayal of Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski on all five seasons of the HBO program ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), as James Woodrow ...
as Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski #
James Ransone James Finley Ransone III (born June 2, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of the drama series ''The Wire'', US Marine Corps Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the war drama miniseries '' Generation K ...
as
Ziggy Sobotka Chester Karol "Ziggy" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor James Ransone. Though his father Frank Sobotka was a well-respected stevedore union leader, Ziggy's thoughtless and immature behavior gained hi ...
#
Pablo Schreiber Pablo Tell Schreiber (born April 26, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his stage work and for portraying Nick Sobotka on ''The Wire'' (2003, 2008), William Lewis on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2013–2014), Mad Swe ...
as
Nick Sobotka Nickolas Andrew Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Pablo Schreiber. Nick is the cousin of Ziggy Sobotka, the wayward and rebellious son of Nick's uncle Frank Sobotka. Plot details Season 2 Nick is a do ...
#
Callie Thorne 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 Ballard, a ...
as Elena McNulty #
J.D. Williams Darnell "J. D." Williams (born May 22, 1978) is an American actor known for his starring roles in the HBO television programs '' Oz'' as Kenny Wangler, ''The Wire'' as Bodie Broadus and '' Pootie Tang'' as Froggy, '' Surviving Family'' (2012) ...
as Preston "Boadie" Broadus #
Michael K. Williams Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame for his acclaimed portrayals of Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and List of Boardwalk Empire characters, Alb ...
as
Omar Little Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO Crime fiction, crime drama TV series, series ''The Wire'', portrayed by Michael K. Williams. He is a notorious Baltimore Stickup, stick-up man who frequently robs street-level Drug trafficking ...
#Al Brown as Major Stan Valchek #
Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...
as Sean "Shamrock" McGinty # Kristin Proctor as Aimee #
Bill Raymond William Joseph Raymond (born September 9, 1938) is an American actor who has appeared in film, television, theater and radio drama since the 1960s. Career He is featured in the second and fifth seasons of the HBO drama ''The Wire'' as "The Gre ...
as
The Greek The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police repo ...
#Shamyl Brown as Donette #
Tray Chaney Tray Chaney is an American actor and musician. He appeared on the HBO program ''The Wire'' as Malik "Poot" Carr, which became his most successful acting role. He also appears in the Bounce TV soap opera Saints & Sinners as Kendrick. Career Ch ...
as Malik "Poot" Carr #Luray Cooper as Nat Coxson #Lance Irwin as
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
#Susan Rome as ASA Ilene Nathan #
Chris Ashworth Christopher Michael Ashworth (born March 13, 1975) is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sergei Malatov on ''The Wire''. He commonly plays characters from Eastern Europe due to his ability to mimic accents and dialects. ...
as
Sergei Malatov Sergei "Serge" Malatov ( Ukrainian: Сергій Малатов) is a fictional character on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', played by Chris Ashworth. He acts as a driver and enforcer for The Greek. He is Ukrainian, although Americans often ...
#Jeffrey Fugitt as Officer Claude Diggins #
Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...
as Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff #
Charley Scalies Charles Joseph Scalies Jr. (July 19, 1940 – May 1, 2025) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa, one of the stevedores and union members on the second season of HBO's ''The Wire''. He also appeared in ...
as Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa #Gary "D. Reign" Senkus as
Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...


Uncredited appearances

*
Gary D'Addario Gary D'Addario is an American retired police commander, television technical advisor and actor from Baltimore, Maryland. D'Addario joined the Baltimore police department in 1967. An Italian-American, D'Addario advanced in the department easily ...
as Grand Jury Prosecutor Gary DiPasquale *Jeffrey Pratt Gordon as Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto *Kelvin Davis as La La *De'Rodd Hearns as Puddin *
Robert F. Colesberry Robert F. Colesberry Jr. (March 7, 1946 – February 9, 2004) was an American film and television producer, best known as a co-creator of the television series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) for HBO, executive producer of the miniseries ''The Corner'' ...
as
Ray Cole The Baltimore Police Department plays an integral part in ''The Wire''. Command The department is led by a Police Commissioner assisted by Deputy Commissioners of Operations (often shortened to Deputy Ops) and Administration. The Police Commissio ...
*Kevin Murray as Special Agent Cleary *Unknown as Detective Massy * Daniel Ross as Drug Dealer *
Lev Gorn Lev Gorn (; born 1971) is a Russian-born American stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for his role as KGB officer Arkady Ivanovich Zotov in ''The Americans''. Later, he had a recurring role as Mikhail Vassily Tal in '' The Enemy W ...
as Eton Ben-Eleazer *Mark Kochanowicz as Yuppie Husband


First appearances

*
Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...
: An East side drug dealer who sometimes works for Ziggy Sobotka *
Cheese Wagstaff Street-level characters comprise a large part of the cast on the fictional HBO drama series ''The Wire''. Characters in this section range from homeless drug addicts up to drug king-pins in charge of entire criminal empires. Barksdale organizati ...
: Nephew of Eastside drug kingpin Proposition Joe and a feared lieutenant in his operation.


References and notes

*Cheese's given name was originally listed on the HBO website as "Calvin" before being changed to "Melvin".''


External links


"Undertow"
at HBO.com * {{The Wire episodes The Wire season 2 episodes 2003 American television episodes Television episodes directed by Steve Shill