Brandy Burre

In the Season Four premiere, four boys from West Baltimore--Michael, Namond, Randy and Dukie--play out their summer vacation in the streets. Having failed to capture a potentially valuable homing pigeon, the boys are stirred to action when Dukie is beaten up, and Randy concocts a retaliation plan against the rival gang. The action is slower at Bodie's corner, giving young Namond an excuse to take off early. Meanwhile, Marlo has solved the problem that baffled Stringer Bell: how to maintain discipline--read: murders--without getting police attention. At the detail's office, Freamon and Sydnor press Pearlman to issue City Hall subpoenas. With the mayoral race heading into its final weeks, Mayor Royce and his primary challenger, Tommy Carcetti, hit different campaign trails. Carcetti's deputy campaign manager, Norman Wilson, and his campaign guru, Theresa D'Agostino, try to keep their candidate focused. Prez preps for a new career in higher education and McNulty turns down a promotion.

Stringer Bell gets an education in construction management; Bunk uses shoe-leather to catch up with Omar and deliver a searing message; a frustrated Colvin unleashes the troops on the corner boys, ignoring his new edict; Avon sends Cutty and Slim Charles against Marlo; Bubbles refocuses the picture for Greggs; Donette receives Brianna's blessing of her hookup with Stringer and lets slip that McNulty visited about Dee. Daniels keeps up the front of marriage to Marla as she pursues a new career at City Hall; McNulty backdoors Daniels with a visit to Colvin; and Burrell hears from the mayor that he should take Baltimore's rising body count very personally.

Herc discovers a blast from the past, which he belatedly reveals to his ex-colleagues. Daniels blows a gasket over the real reason the detail was reassigned. Stringer Bell learns from Donette that she's told Brianna about McNulty's visit. Bubbles makes a sales call and finds Johnny during the long, strange trip. Omar grapples with guilt as Butchie points out its pitfalls. Greggs stumbles into Cheryl, forcing them to confront the realities of their relationship. Carver announces a new tax initiative to help the unemployed. After a traffic stop turns bad, Colvin is forced to explain Amsterdam to members of the detail. Bunk receives a gift-wrapped surprise. Councilman Carcetti confronts Mayor Royce after learning that nothing's been done about the witness protection issue. McNulty tracks Terri to Washington, where he discovers the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship. Marlo dispatches a drive-by on a Barksdale corner from the calm of his pigeon coop.

Frustrated in his grass-roots reform efforts, Colvin arms himself with intelligence from Daniels's detail and personally delivers a message to the next level of corner management. McNulty sees Stringer Bell's legitimate business dealings as a sign that he is now unreachable as a drug target. Bubbles shakes the tree for Johnny one more time; Carcetti quietly seeks to fix the program for protecting state's witnesses after another one is killed; Omar struggles with dissention in the ranks; Stringer hard-sells his new business model to an underwhelmed Marlo. Greggs's surveillance gives McNulty reason to smile, and then he takes an interest in politics. Cutty flexes his muscle and continues to slide back into the life; and Avon returns from prison.

Responding to an officer's call for help, McNulty and Prez turn down the wrong alley, with unanticipated results. Under orders, a Barksdale crew violates the unspoken Sunday truce with gunplay, increasing discontent. Stymied by the bureaucracy in his effort to open a gym, Cutty is surprised to find help from within Baltimore's power structure. Omar decides to go it alone against Avon and Stringer Bell, who are pressed by Brianna for some answers. Bubbles is wired up and sent into Amsterdam to help make the case against the Barksdale organization, while Pearlman and Daniels confront a cell-phone company over its foot-dragging on wiretap orders. Proposition Joe goes to Vinson in an effort to broker peace between Marlo and Avon, while a murder in Amsterdam presents new challenges and further divides the Western District troops and their allegiance to Colvin. Councilman Gray tells Carcetti he's running for mayor and offers him the council president's slot on his ticket.