DrugWar

(S04E05) "If you with us, you with us." -- Chris Partlow.

In the opener (and does any other show have such consistently clever opening scenes?) the kids are shown being kids. The four boys, who have been forced by circumstances to grow up fast, are still capable of more than half-believing in zombies like the ones they see in horror movies. Late one night they tell each other scary stories. But they're imaginings aren't that far off the mark, when they credit Marlo's enforcer Chris with making zombies. Another kind of zombie -- an addict created by the likes of Chris and Marlo -- stumbles down the alley and the boys flee in terror. The devil's hard to keep down in the hole ...

(S04E04) "No one wins. One side just loses more slowly." -- Prez

Another strong episode, one that balances out the intensity of last week's ending. City hall and police bureaucracy wins, busting up the major case unit, shutting down the wiretaps on Marlo's crew. Now Kima and Lester both land in Homicide, in the same office the McNulty was in when he started all this four years ago. All that work down the drain, but that's the game.

Man, does Bunk (Wendell Pierce) miss McNulty. Seems Bunk's the only one who's not obsessed with his job, and he longs for the old days of drinking and whoring all night with his old partner. McNutly (Dominic West) looks so damn happy still. Maybe that's the only way for him to be happy -- stay away from the politics, and the desire to do good -- or even to make good.

(S04E03) "I love the first day, man. Everybody all friendly and shit." -- Namond Brice

The cast has grown so big that three episodes in an we're still catching our first glimpse this year of some major characters, (these HBO org charts really help keep everyone straight). Finally this week, one of the series' most compelling characters makes his fappearance: Omar Little (Michael K. Williams). I'll never forget his revenge on the Barksdale crew (both in and out of court) and I have to wonder what there is for him to do this year, where the focus is on Marlo's gang, with which Omar does not have any particular beef with (not yet) and political corruption on the level that doesn't interact with street characters like Omar. They'll find something, I'm sure.