McNulty, reassigned to the marine unit, sticks City Homicide with the body he fishes out of the harbour. Nick negotiates a deal to steal a container from the docks but The Greeks end up reneging on the deal, leaving Russell to discover the bodies of 13 women in the aban

Rawls tries to pawn off the shipyard investigation to another jurisdiction after McNulty sends it his way. Valcheck goes after Sobotka and his union with a little help from above. Bunk, Freamon and Russell end up having to track a container ship to Philadelphia.

Bunk and Freamon chase their crime scene, a container ship, to Philly, where none of the crew finds it useful to speak English. Elsewhere, Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, disgusted with his exile to the evidence control unit, lets it be known he's going to leave.

Sobotka reprimands his nephew Nick for stealing the cameras and orders him to bring the cargo back before it's too late. Meanwhile, McNulty is on a self-assigned moral mission to identify his floater, but his old partner, Bunk, says they have a more pressing matter.

Ziggy loses his prized Camaro to drug dealers who aren't buying his alibis about not paying up. Meanwhile, unable to dump the homicide investigation on other police agencies, Colonel Rawls decides to lay the blame on Bunk if the cases go unsolved.

Trying to let go of work and return to his marriage, McNulty gives up on identifying his Jane Doe. Elsewhere, in their investigation of Sobotka, the detectives discover a pattern and explain the connection to Daniels, but he's still not convinced.

Sobotka gives his lobbyist abuse over the status of port legislation. Russell then tells Sobotka the investigation is over but a port computer is cloned and when a container goes missing, the detectives follow.

McNulty is back to his old self, on a drunken binge. Meanwhile, urged by fellow stevedores to fight Maui, Ziggy is again humiliated, but has a moment of redemption later at the bar. Elsewhere, Bunk is worried about McNulty so he asks Daniels and Rawls for their help.

Bodie's effort to improve sales ends disastrously, forcing Bell to rethink his strategy. Meanwhile, Ziggy pulls Johnny Fifty into a new caper that should have the Greeks paying off big, and McNulty, undercover and outnumbered, awaits 'rescue'.

Bodie is unhappy that Proposition Joe's people are slinging on his turf, but business flows until a new face from New York arrives... so Stringer Bell looks for an unlikely solution to the problem. Meanwhile, The Detail uses satellite technology to its advantage.

With the clock ticking, The Detail makes a desperate move and Daniels furiously rebukes Landsman for dropping the ball. Meanwhile, Nick's deceit is out in the open, and Sobotka is overwhelmed by bad news.

The Detail has a setback and needs a new co-operator, whilst Russell and Bunk visit Philly, looking for evidence. Elsewhere, Brother Mouzone talks with Stringer Bell regarding their agreement, leaving Bell to deal with Avon Barksdale.

A wave of urban reform brings down the notorious Franklin Terrace public housing towers, forcing the Barksdale drug crew to find a new home on the streets of West Baltimore.

Omar continues his strikes on Barksdale stash houses, while Bodie faces a critical test against Marlo. Elsewhere, as the wire on Proposition Joe continues to yield little, a restless McNulty launches his own reinvestigation into the suicide of D'Angelo Barksdale.

Colvin feels the sting of Burrell and Rawls during a Comstat assessment of his district's felony numbers. Meanwhile, a blown wiretap forces Daniels' detail to turn to a new target, and Proposition Joe warns Stringer Bell that the police have been tapping phones.

West Baltimore residents get some straight talk at a community meeting from Major Colvin. Elsewhere, Bubbles finds gainful employment, Stringer lunches uptown, and Bunk dangles the promise of immunity to a group of corner boys... in exchange for some help.

Frustrated in his reform efforts, Colvin arms himself with intelligence and delivers a message to the next level of corner management. Meanwhile, McNulty sees Stringer Bell's legitimate business dealings as a sign that he is now unreachable as a drug target.

Stringer Bell gets a lesson in construction management while Bunk uses shoe-leather to catch up with Omar and deliver a message. Elsewhere, Colvin unleashes the troops on the corner boys, and Avon sends Cutty and Slim Charles up against Marlo.

Stringer Bell learns from Donette that she's told Brianna about McNulty's visit and that Brianna is likely to talk to him. Meanwhile, Daniels blows up over the real reason The Detail was reassigned to the Western District, and Herc discovers a blast from the past.

With Amsterdam running full-tilt, Carver and Truck discover there really is no honour among thieves. Elsewhere, Prez impresses the detail with what he's found out from Bodie's cell phone - information that sends McNulty and Greggs on a road trip.

Responding to an officer's call for help, McNulty and Prez turn down the wrong alley, with unanticipated results. Meanwhile, under orders, a Barksdale crew violates the unspoken Sunday truce with gunplay, increasing discontent among the New Day Co-op members.

Brother Mouzone returns to Baltimore on a mission of revenge and casts a wide net in his search for Omar, who has his own plan for vengeance. Elsewhere, Colvin puts off a reporter inquiring about Amsterdam, whilst Burrell delivers news to City Hall.

The wire begins to yield information about the Barksdale organisation, though finding links to the top proves elusive. Meanwhile, Stringer and Avon reminisce about how far they've come, with each harbouring plans for the future.

A reticent Avon readies his troops for a seemingly endless war against Marlo. Meanwhile, as the detail works towards the top rungs of the Barksdale organisation, McNulty reassesses his pursuit of Stringer Bell.

Four boys from West Baltimore, Michael, Namond, Randy and Dukie, play out their summer vacation in the streets. The boys are then stirred into action when Dukie is beaten up, leaving Randy to concoct a retaliation plan against the rival gang.

Herc's soft-duty job with the mayor takes an unexpectedly hard turn. Meanwhile, despite the potential damage to her career, Pearlman provides Freamon and Sydnor with subpoena ammunition for their 'grizzly bear' hunt in City Hall.

With his poll lead shrinking, Royce resorts to extreme measures to stall Carcetti's momentum. Meanwhile, Michael proves adept as a runner, alerting both Bodie and Marlo, and Rawls replaces Asher with 'company man' Charles Marimow, who pushes a new agenda on the detail.

With Freamon and Greggs moved to Homicide, Herc and Dozerman join Marimow in the stripped-down Major Crimes Unit. Meanwhile, Cutty gets a 'custodial' job at Tilghman School mopping up truants, but can't make any headway in his efforts to mentor Michael.

Valchek leaks details of the Braddock case to Carcetti, who contemplates how to best leak it to the press... with the ensuing negative attention turning Royce against Burrell. Meanwhile, at school, Prez's reward and punishment programme meets with mixed results.

With Election Day near, the three mayoral candidates make last-minute appeals, with Carcetti seeking votes as he responds to a potentially devastating smear. Elsewhere, whilst following through on a promising video lead, Herc finds out just how elusive Marlo can be.

With the election finally over, Royce and Carcetti make their peace and contemplate their respective futures. Meanwhile, Marlo looks to identify his pursuers, infuriating Herc, who begs Carver to help; and Omar, who has a bounty on his head, calls in a favour to Bunk.

To monitor the pulse on the street, Carcetti makes the rounds with members of the force. Elsewhere, Herc, who has Marimow on his case, decides to resort to strong-arm tactics to retrieve his stolen camera, but Marlo isn't impressed.

After being in prison, Poot returns to the corner and is welcomed back by Herc and Dozerman. Meanwhile, Carcetti engages in a battle with City Council President Campbell; rewards Daniels with a promotion; and hits a snag in his efforts to relieve Burrell of his duties.

Acting on Clay Davis' advice, Burrell seeks to burnish his reputation by ordering the department to double the number of street arrests. The mandate does not sit well with McNulty though, who instead sets his sights on cracking a string of church robberies.

After flexing his muscles around the city, Carcetti faces his first dilemma when a group of ministers protest Herc's mistreatment of one of their own. Meanwhile, Michael and the boys enact an elaborate revenge plot on a mean cop, and Namond takes a leap of faith.

On the trail of missing bodies, Freamon turns to a higher authority after being rebuked by Landsman. Elsewhere, Colvin approaches Deacon and Watkins to help keep his experimental class funded, and Bubbles considers taking extreme measures to rid himself of his nemesis.

The bodies from the vacants continue to pile up while Burrell offers his support to Daniels and forgives Rawls for crossing him. Elsewhere, Bubbles' revenge plan backfires, and Proposition Joe looks to the Co-op to pay shipment losses... but finds them uncooperative.