The Pager

Things get moving as the first season of The Wire gets to the practical part of the drug-fighting business, not to mention some violent reactions on the dope kingpins' part. It's slow-burning as usual, but it's never dull.

The main issue at the center of the episode is Avon's growing paranoia, which leads to Stringer telling D'Angelo to cut payments for the week in order to spot possible snitches. Also, the search for Omar and his boy continues without mercy. Meanwhile, Judge Phelan gives Daniels' detail the green light for the cloned beeper operation, and McNulty and Greggs have a meeting with Omar to discuss their common problem: Barksdale. Caught in the middle is the detail's regular informant, Bubbles, who has to deal with the hospitalization of his partner Johnny.

In keeping with the tradition of previous episodes, it's the little moments that matter. In this case, standout bits include every scene with Omar, the operation being put in action, Prez's brief moment in the spotlight and the tragic epilogue, which sets the tone for some characters' development over the course of the next eight episodes. Most revealing, though, is a scene where McNulty talks about his ex-wife with Greggs and says "a lesser man would just call her a c*nt". It's a rough, uncompromising line, just like the series. No sanitized drama here: this show looks, sounds and feels real.