Top 50 Quotes From Detective James 'Jimmy' McNulty

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: If Snotboogie always stole the money, why'd you let him play?
Snot: Got to. This America, man.

[repeated line]
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: What the fuck did I do?

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So what's the name of your fish?
Troy: Wendell O. - as in "Oh shit, I tried to buy from a State Police" - Blocker.

Jimmy: [McNulty sits on a windowsill, looking at Stringer's body. Bunk sits next to him and lights a cigar] I caught him, Bunk. On the wire, I caught him... And he doesn't fuckin' know it.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You know why I respect you so much, Bunk?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Mm-mmm.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: It's not 'cause you're good police, 'cause, y'know, fuck that, right?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Mm. Fuck that, yeah.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: It's not 'cause when I came to homicide, you taught me all kinds of cool shit about . . . well, whatever.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Mm. Whatever.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: It's 'cause when it came time for you to fuck me . . . you were very gentle.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: You damn right.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: See, 'cause you could have hauled me out of the garage and just bent me over the hood of a radio car, and . . . no, you were, you were very gentle.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: I knew it was your first time. I wanted to make that shit special.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: It was, man. It fucking was.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: We have to kill again...

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: And you know why I can tell you all this? Because, you lyin' motherfucker, you're as full of shit as I am. And you gotta live with it and play it out for as long as it goes, right? Trapped in the same lie. Only difference is I know why I did it. But fuck if I can figure out what it gets you, in the end. But, hey, I ain't part of your tribe.
Scott: You're not serious. You...
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [interrupting] No. No, I'm a fucking joke. And so are you. Now get the fuck out of here.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: The things that make me right for this job, maybe they're the same things that make me wrong for everything else.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: If only half you motherfuckers at the district attorney's office didn't want to be judges, didn't want to be partners in some downtown law firm... If half of you had the fucking balls to follow through, you know what would happen? A guy like that would be indicted, tried and convicted. And the rest of 'em would back up enough, so we could push a clean case or two through your courthouse. But no, everybody stays friends. Everybody gets paid. And everybody's got a fucking future.

Det. Lester Freamon: Caught this case in the Brooklyn Homes, summer of '87. 80-year-old woman. Stabbed up, nightgown in bed, forced window, rear entry. Worked it for a couple of weeks, got the names of two squirrels over in Curtis Bay. Squirrel number one gives it up and tries to put all the weight on squirrel number two.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Back up the statements?
Det. Lester Freamon: Print hit on the rear window for number two, and another one for number one on the medicine chest.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So it's down, yeah?
Det. Lester Freamon: Mmm. Even better is when squirrel number one drives us by the house where they fenced the old lady's shit. Clock/radio, TV, toaster oven.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So what's the problem?
Det. Lester Freamon: The problem was the fence. Turned out he was the son of one of the big editors over at the News America. This man is runnin' the afternoon newspaper, and his son is gettin' all fucked up and doin' the dirt and gettin' high down on Locust Point. The deputy, who I guess is in a favor-doin' mood, sends word down to the major, I'm supposed to make the case without the fence. Just the print hits and the statement. Play it like that.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So he's doin this for what, have some newspaper guy in his pocket?
Det. Lester Freamon: I guess so.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [chuckles] Is this Burrell?
Det. Lester Freamon: No, no, Mueller. Deputy Ops before Burrell.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So what did you do?
Det. Lester Freamon: What do you think I did? I charged him with receivin', then had his ass testify.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Well, you coulda made the case without him. Just on the prints and the statement.
Det. Lester Freamon: Probably. Yep.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Why didn't you?
Det. Lester Freamon: Why?
[he gives McNulty a knowing look]
Det. Lester Freamon: Why are you fuckin' up yourself chasin' Avon Barksdale?
[McNulty smiles and takes a drink]
Det. Lester Freamon: A week after the trial ends, the major comes to me and asks me where I wanna go. I told him, I don't care, I like to be outside, you know? Gimme a goddamn foot post, I'll still make my money, you know? Send my ass up to Edmondson Avenue, I don't give a shit.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You went to a foot post?
Det. Lester Freamon: No, major come back and asked me where I *don't* wanna go. And he asked like he wanna make sure I land okay. So I tell him, I don't want no fuckin' paper-shufflin'. No office shit. Send my black ass outside and let me police somewhere.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [laughs] Pawn shop unit.
Det. Lester Freamon: Mm-hmm. They got me good, huh?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So why'd they let you out of the box? Why now?
Det. Lester Freamon: I guess they just forgot about me.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [laughs] Shit, Lester. You're back from the dead. You rolled away the stone. Bunk Moreland says you're natural police. One of the few.
Det. Lester Freamon: [sighs] Yeah, I've had my moments. Detective... *when* they ask you where *you* wanna go - and they are gonna ask you where you wanna go - do yourself a favor. Keep your mouth shut.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [to Omar, who just shot Stinkum] We're all grateful for the case you gave us on Bird. And we all have a certain admiration for your Do-It-Yourself nature...

Det. Roland 'Prez' Pryzbylewski: [reading from a fortune cookie] "A new friend makes himself known."
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: "Himself"? If it was "herself," then you'd have a fortune.
Det. Roland 'Prez' Pryzbylewski: Shit, I'm married. With lawn furniture, man.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You see Griggs out there, bagging evidence alone, then going back out there to recanvas on a triple? A triple fucking murder! A home invasion, and she's working it alone. They pulled Crutchfield this morning, put him back on the rotation.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: That's on them! You can't come...
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Fucking right, it's on them. A triple murder, and 12 hours later they leave one detective alone on it? I guess she's lucky she has a car!
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: This shit won't work.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Well, then we're no worse than before. Extra red name or two on the board.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Yeah, unless you got caught.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Who in this fucking unit's going to catch me? Most of the guys up here couldn't catch the clap in a Mexican whorehouse.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So what do you think?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: I think this is a tragic motherfucking miscarriage of justice. I think it deserves a special grand jury, and if not, the President should appoint an independent prosecutor. Oh, no no, no no, actually, I think Kofi Bryant and the United fucking Nations should get involved.

[last line of the series]
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Let's go home.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [epigraph] ... when it's not your turn.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: The quicker we bring this in and shut it down, the safer we'll all be. I mean, Landsman wants me over to fucking Quantico, have the FBI do a profile.
Det. Lester Freamon: [laughs] You might learn something about yourself.

Det. Lester Freamon: We could still go to jail. And if not, I'd expect to be back in the pawn shop unit and you, my brother, are gonna ride the boat.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So what? It was worth it.
[pause]
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Wasn't it?
Det. Lester Freamon: Depends.

Judge: McNulty, I hold you in contempt!
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Who doesn't?

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: All those mopes in bracelets and not one of them named Osama.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I listen to the shit she talks about, first time in my life I feel like a fucking doormat. Like anyone with any smarts would do something else with his life, you know, earn money or get elected. Like I'm just a breathing machine for my fucking dick.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [during interrogation] No name, huh? Well, for now, we'll just call you Boris.
Sergei: [sighs] Boris. Why always Boris?

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Well, you know what they say: "stupid criminals make stupid cops". I'm proud to be chasing this guy.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: How long you been in the pawn shop unit?
Det. Lester Freamon: Thirteen years and four months.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Thirteen years?
Det. Lester Freamon: And four months.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I gotta ask you, what exactly does a police officer assigned to the pawn shop unit do?
Det. Lester Freamon: You intake reports from registered pawn shops on all items valued over $50. Then you make an index card for that item. Then you file that index card. If someone wants to find out if something stolen has been pawned, we look to see if we have an index card. If we do, we do. If we don't, we don't.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You did that for thirteen years?
Det. Lester Freamon: And four months.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Why'd you ask out of homicide?
Det. Lester Freamon: Wasn't no "ask" about it.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You got the boot?
Det. Lester Freamon: Uh-huh.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: What'd you do to piss 'em off?
Det. Lester Freamon: Police work.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I think I need to buy you a drink.
Det. Lester Freamon: Just one?

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I'm not going.
Lt. Cedric Daniels: You're insubordinate?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I'm not jumping out on something I believe's going to harm the case. You want to write me up on that, you can.
Lt. Cedric Daniels: You think I want this? I got the Deputy Ops on my ass for this shit! Now I got you showing me up in front of the whole damn detail!
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I don't mean to show anyone up.
Lt. Cedric Daniels: Get your vest on.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: No. I've got police work to do.
Lt. Cedric Daniels: Motherfucker, if you felt this way, why didn't you call in sick?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I'm not sick.
Lt. Cedric Daniels: [whispering] Yeah you are.

[last lines]
Lt. Cedric Daniels: The murder warrant's on hold. The deputy gave us another month. Also, whoever that was you brought in here today gave himself up as an eyewitness in the Gant murder.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Who, Omar?
Lt. Cedric Daniels: And Greggs said to tell you she'd write it up in the morning.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Lieutenant - thanks.
[McNulty leaves]
Det. Lester Freamon: It cost you?
[Daniels says nothing]

Jimmy: The things that make me right for this job, maybe they're the same things that make me wrong for everything else.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: The bosses don't know, huh?
Maj. Howard 'Bunny' Colvin: Fuck the bosses.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Can I get a Jameson?
Bartender: Bushmills OK?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: That's Protestant whiskey.

[first lines]
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So your boy's name was what?
Snot: Snot.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You called the guy "Snot"?
Snot: Snot Boogie, yeah.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Snot Boogie? He like the name?
Snot: What?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Snot Boogie?
[the kid does not answer]
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: This kid, whose mama went to the trouble of christening him Omar Isaiah Betts... You know, he forgets his jacket, so his nose starts running, and some asshole, instead of giving him a Kleenex, calls him "Snot". So he's Snot forever. Doesn't seem fair.
Snot: Life just be that way, I guess.

Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: [both investigating a crime scene] Ah, fuck.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Motherfucker.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: What the fuck?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Ah fuck.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Fuck! No.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Ah,fuck.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Fuck it. how the fuck?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Motherfuck. Aw, fuck. Aw fuck.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Fuckity, fuck fuck, fuck fuck, fucker. Ah fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Ah, fuck, fuck, fuck. Motherfucker.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Fuckin' A. Fuck.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: What's that?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Motherfucker.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Fuck me.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [about the wiring detail] Lester, are we still cops?
Freamon: Technically, I suppose so.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: OK, I was just checking.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: What, we don't have enough love in our hearts for two wars?

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So that's the cop shooter?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Yeah, not much to it. But he did that job on the Dozerman kid last week. Gave it up on a full statement.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Before or after you knocked the shit out of him?

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: He's a boss. Fuck the bosses.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You disappoint me, Stringer. I had such fucking hopes for us.

Det. William Moreland: Boy, them Greeks and those twisted-ass names.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Man, lay off the Greeks. They invented civilization.
Det. William Moreland: Yeah? Ass-fucking, too.

Judge: Under the power vested in me by the circuit court for Baltimore city,
[makes sign of the cross]
Judge: I absolve you of all you sins, Detective McNulty.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You are my sin, you know that?

Detective: Guy leaves two dozen bodies scattered all over the city, no one gives a fuck.
Detective: It's because who he dropped.
Detective: True that. You can go a long way in this country killin' black folk. Young males especially. Misdemeanor homicides.
Detective: If Marlo was killin' white women...
Detective: White children.
Detective: Tourists.
Detective: One white ex-cheerleader tourist missin' in Aruba.
Detective: Trouble is, this ain't Aruba, bitch.
Detective: You think that if 300 white people were killed in this city every year, they wouldn't send the 82nd Airborne? Negro, please.
Detective: There's gotta be some way to make 'em turn on the faucet.
Detective: Well, come on, Jimmy, you're the smartest boy in the room. You come up with somethin' in this broke-ass city.
[McNulty looks down the bar at a pair of women, then walks over to them and starts talking]
Detective: [leans over to Bunk] Isn't he married or some shit now?

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [on their way to see Major Rawls] What the fuck can I tell him?
Sgt. Jay Landsman: Whatever the man wants to hear, Jimmy. Whatever he wants to hear.

Det. Shakima 'Kima' Greggs: Damn boy, you smell like sex. Take a fucking shower.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Late for work.

Det. Augustus Polk: Where are the fucking run sheets?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Behind the board. You all go for a taste?
Det. Patrick Mahon: Hey. We got your picture, don't you fuckin' worry, McNulty.
[he slaps an old Polaroid down on the desk. McNulty looks at it and holds it up; the photo is of an older white man]
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [incredulously] This is Barksdale?
Det. Augustus Polk: [self-satisfied] Avon Barksdale.
Det. Shakima 'Kima' Greggs: [scoffing] I don't think so.
Det. Patrick Mahon: Read my lips: Avon fuckin' Barksdale. His name's on the form in the file.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Well, excuse me for giving a shit, but I can't help but notice this is a middle-aged white man.
Det. Patrick Mahon: Hey, you want somethin' different, you give me another name. That's the only Avon Barksdale in the Housing Department files.
[he turns to Polk]
Det. Patrick Mahon: You got your smokes?
[to McNulty and Greggs]
Det. Patrick Mahon: Have a nice fuckin' day.
[they leave; Kima examines the photo and shrugs]
Det. Shakima 'Kima' Greggs: Maybe he's white.
[Kima and McNulty both burst out laughing]

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Nicely done

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I gotta tell you, Lester, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I can see why Daniels cringed every time you opened your fucking mouth. You're a supervisor's nightmare.

Det. Lester Freamon: Check this.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: That's Western District. What, Stringer's calling the Western?
Det. Lester Freamon: Maybe he's surrendering.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: After all the work we've done, I'd never forgive the son of a bitch.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [after his ex-wife hangs up on him] You know something? My ex-wife, the way she acts sometimes, the way she deals with shit... You would think a less enlightened man than myself, a cruder man than myself, a man less sensitized to the qualities and charms and value of women- a man like that, not me, but a man like that, he just might call her a 'cunt.'
Det. Shakima 'Kima' Greggs: You just called the mother of your children a cunt.

[investigating a corpse in a vacant house]
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: How happy am I to see my pager go off with your call number?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Smoke 'em if you got 'em, because this muthafucka is as ripe as they get.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: We aren't up. Nolan's squad is up.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: I know, I know.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: But you had to answer the fuckin' phone, didn't you?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: I gotta pay down my credit cards, man.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Not off him, you ain't. Motherfucker, I leave you alone for a minute or two, what do you do?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: All right, I heard ya!
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Well, say the words, Bunk.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: [offers McNulty a cigar] Oh, come on, man.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Speak to me.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: [puts the cigar away] So you gonna cut and run on the Bunk? That shit ain't right, Jimmy. All right then, this is my case, my file. This shit comes back a murder, you ain't gotta do shit but stand there and laugh at me. You happy now, ya bitch?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: This'll teach you to give a fuck when it ain't your turn to give a fuck.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: It ain't even gonna be a murder. This muthafucka probably came in here to take a shit or somethin' and just fell out. I betcha there ain't nothin' to it.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [turns to leave] You hope.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Where you goin'?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Back to the office, where I belong.
[he leaves; Bunk looks down at the corpse]
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: You... molderin' muthafucka, don't even think about comin' back a murder. Don't even think of that shit.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: The things that make me right for this job maybe they're the same things that make me wrong for everything else.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Jesus, what the fuck did I do?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: You happy now, bitch?

Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: You turning the world upside down with your bullshit. How are you not in jail?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I don't know. The lie's so big, people can live with it, I guess.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Jesus fucking Christ, Jimmy. I told you. I fuckin' told you it was gonna come to this. You played with fire, didn't you? And now we're all getting burned.