The Major Crimes Unit has its wings clipped and the new school year begins.
This is another very strong episode from a brilliant season of The Wire.
For me the most interesting scenes involve Namond, Michael, Randy, and Dukie. These all involve great character writing and superb work from the young actors once again.
We see the build up to school and the first day from student and teachers perspectives. The first few chaotic sequences of students crowding into the building and classrooms are exceptionally good. I love the realism in the depiction of newly trained Prez and the experienced Grace Sampson. Plus it does a good job of introducing some more of the student characters who become more prominent as the season goes on.
The reintroduction of Bunny Colvin has some contrivances for certain things to happen, but you can't help get excited at the prospect of this character's arc turning in the direction of the middle school. Robert Wisdom is on great form as ever.
Lieutenant Marimow makes a big impact and he is wonderfully portrayed by Boris McGiver. This plot feels plausible and typical of how the self serving leadership of this type of organisation would handle this type of situation.
It's good to see Omar back on the screen and his opening jaunt to the local shop is a hilarious sequence that sets the tone for his involvement in the episode. Michael K Williams is great as always but the visual storytelling and humour is outstanding.
A domesticated McNulty is an amusing prospect and as entertaining as the banter between Bunk and his adopted family is, you do feel a definite sense of foreboding about the future.
Plenty of other characters contribute well such as Royce, Carcetti, Rawls, Herc, Carver, Marlo, and De'Londa. However, the narrative has so many intriguing plot lines developing that is is difficult to cover them all without an essay.
Another 9.5/10 for me, but I round upwards.