"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 '' H ...

& 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 Marlo is a name which may refer to: People Given name or nickname Notable people with the given name or nickname include: *Marlo Dahl (born 1972), Canadian curler *Marlo Hoogstraten (also known as MaRLo), Dutch DJ * Martin "Marlo" Hyland (1969–2 ...

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 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 ...

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 Thomas "Herc" Hauk is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Domenick Lombardozzi. The series introduces Herc as a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Narcotics Unit, begrudgingly detailed to the initial Bark ...

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 ...

when he stands up to a bully on his corner.

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 ...

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 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 ...

holds a press conference to announce the corruption charges against Senator

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 Gre ...

Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...

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 immune ...

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 about opening a new investigation into Marlo.

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 ...

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''. Templeton is assigned by

Gus Gus is a masculine name, often a diminutive for Angus, August, Augustine, or Augustus, and other names (e.g. Aengus, Argus, Fergus, Ghassan, Gustav, Gustave, Gustafson, Gustavo, Gussie). It can also be used as the adaptation into English of ...

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 Elena may refer to: People * Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician * Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet Geography * Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...

confronts McNulty about his failing relationship with Beadie, while Beadie seeks advice from Bunk. Omar and Donnie 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 pr ...

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 Chad L. Coleman (born September 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the HBO series ''The Wire'' (2004–08), Tyreese on the AMC (TV channel), AMC series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Wa ...

Dennis "Cutty" Wise Dennis "Cutty" Wise is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Chad Coleman. Wise is a reformed criminal who sets up a boxing gym for neighborhood children. The name "Dennis Wise" was taken from an actual Baltimore c ...

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'' (1968–1969), high school student Leroy "Preach" Jackson ...

Clarence Royce Clarence V. Royce is a fictional character in the HBO series ''The Wire (TV 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 hou ...

* Steve Earle 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 second ...

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson Felicia "Snoop" Pearson is a semi-fictional character on the HBO series ''The Wire'', played by the actress of the same name. She is a young female soldier in Marlo Stanfield's drug dealing organization and Chris Partlow's earliest protégé. ...

* Marlyne Afflack as

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" ...

Dion Graham Dion Graham is an American actor and narrator. As an actor, he has worked both on and off-Broadway, as well as in TV series and film. As of August 2022, he has narrated 249 audiobooks. He has earned a place on ''AudioFile'' magazine's list of Gol ...

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 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 ...

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 Conc ...

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 seri ...

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

Darrell Britt-Gibson Darrell Hadari Britt-Gibson (born August 4, 1986) is an American actor, known for his role as Darius "O-Dog" Hill on the HBO series ''The Wire''. He has also appeared on the Showtime series ''Californication'', the Starz series ''Power'', the ...

as O-Dog *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 ...

*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 ...

*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 *Denise Boyd as AIDS clinic nurse *Keenon Brice as Aaron "Bug" Manigault *

Thuliso Dingwall ''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, ...

as Kenard *

Brendan Walsh Brendan Walsh (born 1959) is an American chef known for southwestern cuisine. He was the original chef of Arizona 206 in New York City (from 1985 to 1988) and won the "Who's Who of Cooking in America" James Beard Foundation Award. As of 2020 he ...

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 chair ...

*Arthur Laupus as Appointment Homeless Guy *Eric Ryan as Sean McNulty *

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 *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 Alexandra Huntingdon Tydings is an American actress, director, writer, producer, and activist, best known for her role as Greek goddess Aphrodite on the television series ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and its spin-off, '' Xena: Warrior ...

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