"-30-" is the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...

of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, 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 ba ...

original series ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, 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 ...

''. With a running time of 93 minutes, this tenth and final episode of the fifth season is the longest episode of the series. The episode was written by series creator/executive producer

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 ...

( teleplay/story) and co-executive producer

Ed Burns Edward P. Burns (born January 29, 1946) is an American screenwriter, novelist, and producer. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. For HBO, they have collaborated on ''The Corner,'' ''The Wire,'' ''Generation Kill'', ''The Pl ...

(story). It was directed by

Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989� ...

, who also directed the pilot episode and stars on the show. It aired on March 9, 2008. The episode's writers were nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.

Plot

Tommy Carcetti Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti ( ) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious and venal Baltimore politician who begins the series with a seat on the city council. Biography Season 3 Tom ...

and his staff learn that the "serial killer" was a hoax.

McNulty McNulty (also spelled MacNulty or McAnulty) is a surname of Irish origin. 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'' ( MacDon ...

and Freamon, unaware that their scheme has been exposed, discover that Gary DiPasquale has leaked courthouse documents to

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 Fi ...

. When Freamon gives Pearlman the identity of the mole, she reveals her knowledge of the detectives' duplicity. Templeton calls

911 911 or 9/11 may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** 9/11, the September 11 attacks of 2001 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that outed the democratically elected Salvador Allende * November 9 Numbers * 91 ...

, and claims there was an attempted kidnapping of an inebriated homeless man which he witnessed. When the police arrive, the man is too drunk to confirm or deny the claims, though an undercover officer at the scene confirms that Templeton made up the story. Marlo and his crew learn of Snoop's death and agree that

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

must be eliminated.

Cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

posts

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries ...

and Marlo instructs him to hunt down Michael. Freamon informs McNulty that Daniels and Pearlman know about the hoax and the illegal wiretap. Levy goes through the Stanfield arrest warrants and realizes that the police used an illegal wiretap to decipher the code beforehand. McNulty, Bunk, and

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 t ...

arrive at the scene of another homeless murder, and are distraught that McNulty's fictitious serial killer has inspired a

copycat Copycat refers to a person who copies some aspect of some thing or somebody else. Copycat may also refer to: Intellectual property rights * Copyright infringement, use of another’s ideas or words without permission * Patent infringement, a v ...

. Pearlman and

Bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...

are told by Steintorf to quietly settle the Stanfield case out of court to keep the illegal wiretaps from being brought to light. Pearlman meets with Levy and uses a taped conversation given to her by Freamon to force him to settle. McNulty is confronted by Daniels and Rawls, who order him to quickly catch the copycat so that the press will assume he's the original killer. McNulty identifies a mentally ill homeless man as the killer and the

Baltimore Police Department The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) is the municipal police department of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Dating back to 1784, the BPD, consisting of 2,935 employees in 2020, is organized into nine districts covering of land and of waterway ...

charge him with two of the six "murders". Carcetti holds a press conference taking credit for both the "serial killer's" capture and the Stanfield arrests, then promotes Daniels to Police Commissioner. However, after Steintorf once again requests that Daniels "juke the stats" to boost Carcetti's position on crime reduction, he refuses, and is forced to resign after Campbell threatens to expose his past wrongdoings. Cheese is killed by

Slim Charles Slim Charles is a fictional character in the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Anwan Glover. An enforcer for the Barksdale Organization and later the top lieutenant of kingpin Proposition Joe, he is portrayed as principled, loyal, and competent ...

for his role in

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 murder. McNulty locates

Larry Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence (given name), Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American arti ...

and drives him back to

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 ...

, stopping to look over the city on the way. In a closing montage, Carcetti is elected governor while Campbell becomes mayor; Valchek replaces Daniels as Commissioner; Pearlman, now a judge,

recuse Judicial disqualification, also referred to as recusal, is the act of abstaining from participation in an official action such as a legal proceeding due to a conflict of interest of the presiding court official or administrative officer. Applica ...

s herself from a case Daniels is arguing; Bubbles eats a meal with his sister in her kitchen; Marlo becomes a "legitimate businessman" and realizes he has lost his street cred; Spider runs his own crew on

Bodie Broadus Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a rough, low-level drug dealer, but matures throughout the series and slowly rises through the ranks. Bodie ...

's former corner; Michael and a partner stick up Vinson, deliberately emulating

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 ...

; the remaining Co-Op members meet with Vondas and The Greek; Dukie uses the money he borrowed from Prez to feed his new drug addiction; Templeton wins a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

while Gus and Alma are demoted;

Kenard Kenard is a fictional young drug dealer on the HBO drama series ''The Wire (TV series), The Wire'', portrayed by Thuliso Dingwall. Series Season 4 Kenard is frequently seen hanging out with Namond's circle of friends, often making fun of Duqu ...

is arrested.

Production

Title reference

-30- -30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed when writing on deadline and sending bits of the story at a time, v ...

is a

journalistic Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

term that has been used to signify the end of a story.

Epigraph

This is seen in the lobby of the ''Baltimore Sun'', as an excerpt from a longer Mencken quote displayed on the wall when Alma talks with Gus after she has been demoted to the Carroll County bureau. The full quote reads "...as I look back over a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings."

Music

The Blind Boys of Alabama's version of Tom Waits' "

Way Down in the Hole "Way Down in the Hole" is a song written by the singer-songwriter Tom Waits. It was included on his 1987 album ''Franks Wild Years'', which was later made into a stage production. The song was used as the theme for HBO's ''The Wire''. A differen ...

" plays over the episode's closing montage. This version of the song had previously been used as the theme music for the show's first season. During the scene where McNulty plays

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

with Beadie Russell's children, the song that can be heard playing in the background is "

Rich Woman "Rich Woman" is a song written by Dorothy LaBostrie and McKinley "Li'l" Millet, who recorded it in 1955, and was most notably recorded by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on their 2007 album ''Raising Sand.'' Background The song was first recorde ...

" by

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

and

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following the ...

from their 2007 album ''

Raising Sand ''Raising Sand'' is a collaborative studio album by rock singer Robert Plant and bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss. It was released in October 2007 by Rounder Records. ''Raising Sand'' won Album of the Year at the 2008 Americana Music Hon ...

''. "

Body of an American Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of animal ...

" by

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

is heard during McNulty's staged "detective's wake", making it the third time the song was used in the course of the show's run. Also, "

The Broad Majestic Shannon ''If I Should Fall from Grace with God'' is the third studio album by Irish folk-punk band the Pogues, released on 18 January 1988. Released in the wake of their biggest hit single, "Fairytale of New York", ''If I Should Fall from Grace with God ...

" can be heard echoing out of the bar in the scene after the "wake".

Credits

Starring cast

Although credited,

Michael K. Williams Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire''. He has been described as a "singular pr ...

and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. do not appear in this episode.

Guest stars

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'', as James Woodrow in '' Treme ...

Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Jim True-Frost. Pryzbylewski is a detective of Polish heritage in the Baltimore Police Department. Initially seen as incompetent and rash, he pr ...

Peter Gerety Peter Gerety (born May 17, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known as Judge Daniel Phelan in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). Career Gerety is a veteran of stage, screen and television. In early 1992, he performed to critical acclaim on Broadway ...

as Judge Daniel Phelan *

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 pr ...

as Beatrice "Beadie" Russell *

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 *

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 Gree ...

The Greek The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Bill Raymond. The Greek is the head of an international criminal organization involved in narcotics and human trafficking. The Greek is a mysterious figure involved ...

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 o ...

Jay Landsman Jay C. Landsman is an American retired homicide detective and actor. He was featured in David Simon (writer), David Simon's 1991 book about the Baltimore homicide unit ''Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets''. According to the book, Landsma ...

Marlyne Afflack Marlyne Nayokah Barrett (née Afflack: born September 13, 1978) is an American actress. She had a recurring role from 2006 to 2008 as Nerese Campbell in the HBO crime drama ''The Wire'' and in 2007, she had a recurring role as Felicia Marquand in ...

Nerese Campbell The following are politicians, family members, and assistants administrating the politics of Baltimore on ''The Wire''. Maryland State politicians Clay Davis * Played by: Isiah Whitlock, Jr. * Appears in: :Season one: "One Arrest"; " The Cost" ...

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 *

Ptolemy Slocum Ptolemy Slocum (born 20 November 1975) is an American actor, known for his role as Sylvester in ''Westworld''. Slocum was born in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. He was named after the Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy and has been active as an actor ...

as Business Card Homeless Man *Maria Broom as Marla Daniels *

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 serie ...

as James Whiting *

Anwan Glover Ralph Anwan Glover (born May 5, 1971 in Washington, D.C.) is an American rapper, actor, model, DJ, and founding member of the D.C.-based go-go band "BackYard Band" (also abbreviated as "BYB"). Glover is also known for his portrayal of Slim Charle ...

Hassan Johnson Hassan "Iniko" Johnson is an American actor from Brooklyn, New York. He portrayed Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice on HBO's ''The Wire'' and also appears as Drew in '' Flatbush Misdemeanors'' on Showtime. Career Johnson's first acting role was in th ...

as Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice *

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...

as Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff *Dion Graham as Rupert Bond * Thomas J. McCarthy as Tim Phelps *Robert Poletick as Steven Luxenberg *

Michael Willis Michael Willis, (born October 4, 1949), is an American television and movie character actor. Willis' credits include movie roles in ''Pushing Tin'' and ''Men in Black'', and several episodes of '' Law & Order''. Willis was born in Lancaster, P ...

as Andy Krawczyk *Donald Neal as Jay Spry *Kara Quick as Rebecca Corbett *Brandon Young as Mike Fletcher *

William F. Zorzi William F. Zorzi Jr. (born 1954) is an American journalist and screenwriter. He worked at ''The Baltimore Sun'' for almost twenty years and covered politics for the majority of his career. He has also written for the Home Box Office, HBO televisi ...

as Bill Zorzi *Al Brown as

Stan Valchek Stanislaus "Stan" Valchek is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire (TV series), The Wire'', played by actor Al Brown. Biography Valchek is the Polish-American commander of the Baltimore Police Department in the Southeastern district ...

Ed Norris Edward T. Norris (born April 10, 1960) is an American radio host and former law enforcement officer in Maryland. He is the cohost of a talk show on WJZ-FM (105.7 The Fan) in Baltimore, Maryland. Norris, a 20-year veteran of the New York Police ...

*Michael Salconi as Michael Santangelo *

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 *Megan Anderson as Jen Carcetti *Benay Berger as Amanda Reese *

Eisa Davis Eisa Davis (born May 5, 1971) is an American playwright, actress and singer-songwriter. She is most commonly known for her work as a playwright, writing shows such as ''Bulrusher'' and ''Angela's Mixtape'' as well as through her acting work, where ...

as Rae *

Tootsie Duvall Tootsie Duvall (sometimes credited as Susan Duvall or Susan "Tootsie" Duvall) is an American film, theatre and television actress. Early life She was born Susan Steinweidle. Career In recent years, she is known for her role as Assistant Pri ...

as Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly *

Wendy Grantham Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...

as Shardene Innes *Bobby Brown as

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

*Dennis Hill as Detective Christeson *Doug Olear as Terrance "Fitz" Fitzhugh *Rick Otto as Kenneth Dozerman *Gregory L. Williams as

Michael Crutchfield Michael Paul Crutchfield (born 12 December 1961) is an Australian politician. He was formerly the member for South Barwon in the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Early life Crutchfield was born in Melbourne, but attended high school in the co ...

*Thuliso Dingwall as

*Dave Ettlin as Dave Ettlin *Edward Green as

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 ...

*Kwame Patterson as

Monk Metcalf Monk Metcalf is a fictional character on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', portrayed by Kwame Patterson. Monk is a lieutenant in the Stanfield organization, and probably the third most recognized leader of the Stanfield Organization. Monk is s ...

Stephen Schnetzer Stephen Paul Schnetzer (born June 11, 1948) is an American actor. Life and career Schnetzer, who is of German descent, was born in Canton, Massachusetts, the son of Thomas A. Schnetzer. His mother was a war bride from Algeria. He attended Cath ...

as Robert Ruby *Carl Schoettler as Carl Schoettler *William Joseph Brookes as Lawrence Butler *Sho "Swordsman" Brown as Phil Boy *Norris Davis as

Vinson VINSON is a family of voice encryption devices used by U.S. and allied military and law enforcement, based on the NSA's classified Suite A SAVILLE encryption algorithm and 16 kbit/s CVSD audio compression. It replaces the Vietnam War-era N ...

*Reggie A. Green as Arabber *Joey Odoms as Corner boy *Troj. Marquis Strickland as Ricardo "Fat Face Rick" Hendrix *Connor Aikin as Jack Russell *Sophia Ayoud as Cary Russell *

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 Gary DiPasquale *Clinton "Shorty" Buise as Clinton "Shorty" Buise *Alan V. Poulson as Developer *Dionne Audain as Social Worker *Chris Kies as Petey the drunk *Stephen Kinigopoulos as Officer *

Jeff Wincott Jeffrey Wincott (born 8 May 1956) is a Canadian actor and martial artist best known for his lead role in the television series ''Night Heat.'' Wincott was also the star of several martial arts films in the 1990s. In 1996 he was named one of the ...

as Johnny Weaver *Henry Carter as unknown *Edward C. Lewis as unknown *George Smith as unknown

Uncredited appearances

as ''Baltimore Sun'' staff member *Rebecca Corbett as ''Baltimore Sun'' staff member

Reception

Writers

and

were nominated for the

in the category Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for their work on the finale.

References

External links

"-30-"
at HBO.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:30 The Wire (season 5) episodes American television series finales 2008 American television episodes Television episodes written by David Simon