The first three episodes were just an appetizer of sorts: this is where the first season of The Wire gets real and serious, with the investigation actually heading somewhere and the characters interacting in a way that's never been seen on television before.
As usual, it starts with a teaser that has nothing to do with the main narrative: in this case, Herc, Carver and the others trying to move a desk through a door, without knowing each one has different ideas as to where the freaking thing is supposed to go. After the credits, the real deal begins: Bodie, one of D'Angelo's henchmen, escapes from protective custody and returns on the streets, while Herc and Carver continue with their brutal arrest method until Herc has a change of heart after meeting Bodie's grandmother. Back at Homicide, McNulty and Bunk take a look at an old case to see if it can be tied to the Barksdale gang, while Avon informs Stringer and the others that there's a substantial reward for anyone capable of killing Omar. Finally, Lester has reason to celebrate after achieving a partial success with the pager operation.
Whereas Episodes 1-3 were meant to establish the premise and set the story in motion, Old Cases is all about character interactions, with a few minor exceptions (Lester getting D'Angelo's pager number being the most obvious). In fact, the conversations between these people fit in seamlessly with the overall plot, and give us some valuable insight as far as psychology is concerned. The biggest example is of course the first appearance of McNulty's ex-wife Elena (Callie Thorne), a brief scene that speaks volumes about the show's troubled protagonist without giving away too much. The tone shifts from oddly touching (Omar talking to his boyfriend) to laugh-out-loud funny (Rawls and Landsman discussing McNulty's "addiction to himself" with as many derogatory terms as one can think of) without making the changes seem contrived or out of place.
In addition, the episode contains the most hilarious scene of police work ever filmed (and the humor is entirely unintentional): McNulty and Bunk observing a crime scene and recreating the murder with an audio description that consists largely of repeated uses of the F-word (the wonders of HBO). They're never going to show that on Law & Order, that's for sure.
As usual, it starts with a teaser that has nothing to do with the main narrative: in this case, Herc, Carver and the others trying to move a desk through a door, without knowing each one has different ideas as to where the freaking thing is supposed to go. After the credits, the real deal begins: Bodie, one of D'Angelo's henchmen, escapes from protective custody and returns on the streets, while Herc and Carver continue with their brutal arrest method until Herc has a change of heart after meeting Bodie's grandmother. Back at Homicide, McNulty and Bunk take a look at an old case to see if it can be tied to the Barksdale gang, while Avon informs Stringer and the others that there's a substantial reward for anyone capable of killing Omar. Finally, Lester has reason to celebrate after achieving a partial success with the pager operation.
Whereas Episodes 1-3 were meant to establish the premise and set the story in motion, Old Cases is all about character interactions, with a few minor exceptions (Lester getting D'Angelo's pager number being the most obvious). In fact, the conversations between these people fit in seamlessly with the overall plot, and give us some valuable insight as far as psychology is concerned. The biggest example is of course the first appearance of McNulty's ex-wife Elena (Callie Thorne), a brief scene that speaks volumes about the show's troubled protagonist without giving away too much. The tone shifts from oddly touching (Omar talking to his boyfriend) to laugh-out-loud funny (Rawls and Landsman discussing McNulty's "addiction to himself" with as many derogatory terms as one can think of) without making the changes seem contrived or out of place.
In addition, the episode contains the most hilarious scene of police work ever filmed (and the humor is entirely unintentional): McNulty and Bunk observing a crime scene and recreating the murder with an audio description that consists largely of repeated uses of the F-word (the wonders of HBO). They're never going to show that on Law & Order, that's for sure.