Carcetti, Royce and Grey take part in a televised debate, whilst Freamon gets Rhonda to subpoena senior figures connected to the Barksdale investigation.
This is another excellent episode with great character moments.
A lot of characters are given screen time in this story and we see a lot going on for multiple individuals. The most intriguing aspects for me involve the political battle for the office of mayor which ties in well to crime level and a recent homicide. How this all connects through various well known characters is cleverly done.
The fruits of Freamon's efforts in the previous investigations are not just a devious strategy by the character, but also a great example of a well thought out series narrative by the writers who have the knack of timing certain plot lines perfectly. All scenes relating to this are superb, especially Daniels' comical reaction.
Much like the previous it is a very funny episode is certain aspects. Herc has easily the most humorous scenes after his opening encounter. Plus even though it feels wrong to laugh at car theft, the subject is used to great effect here by the writers and the character Donut.
The corner boys have great moments of character development once again, with strong emphasis placed on Mike and Namond. These are all brilliant characters who provoke intrigue, sympathy and entertainment.
Others with memorable screen time include Herc, Carver, Dennis, Bubbs and Prez.
As always the social themes covered by the writers are fascinating. The contrasting sides to the city are very well done shown. In one scene you see affluent characters dealing with their children's private education whilst the next depicts children relying on handouts from drug dealers to buy school clothes.
Plus the way certain character arcs parallel each other from top of the food chain like Clay Davis taking drug money to the likes of Namond and De'Londa doing the same.
The production values are top drawer as ever. I particularly like the shot of Herc walking through the hall containing the portraits of past mayors.
For me it's a 9.5/10 but I round upwards.