The Best The Wire, Season 5, Episode 1 Quotes

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: I wonder what it feels like to work in a real fucking police department.

- Ready?
- Yeah.
- Shame we couldn't use what she just gave us.
- What do you got?
- Keep running through that campaign finance shit.
- There's at least $20,000 in contributions we haven't found yet.
- Nerese all but confirmed it.

- You deserve more than a contributing line for that.
- I don't know, a contrib line is cool.
- You can't go far on contrib lines.
- Where do you want to go?
- Times or post. Where else?
- I don't know. This is still a pretty good paper.

- Yeah. Kleppner sure do like to hire them sweet, young things.
- 23, 24 years old, model-thin. Long, straight hair and big traffic-light eyes.
- And half of them can't write a lick, can they?
- Yeah, our esteemed managing editor. Certainly does favor a certain type, don't he?
- Gentlemen...
- Question Mark.
- Someday, I want to find out what it feels like to work for a real newspaper.

- in the bottom of the hole in the hole in the hole way down in the hole in the hole in the hole in the hole in the hole way down in the hole

- Yeah, well, it's just a thought.
- Look, man, what's the percentage breakdown...
- Don't sleep on marlo.
- He up to some shit here.
Man: That was some prime real estate.
- It took me six years to build up them corners.

Thomas: [spreading his lapels to show the lining of his suit] Here's our boy Thomas sporting the latest in downtown business wear: an understated ensemble that puts the "b" in subtle
[the line sounds much better than it looks when it's typed out]

- in the state, you'll burn every last bridge.
- Do you think I give a shit about
- Clay Davis? I am not protecting him.
- Then give him up.
- It's bond's call.
- Talk to him.
- I have.
- And he told your republican ass to go fuck itself, huh?
- Well, let me double down on that.

- Word is that when the city's budget situation is improved, we'll all see that as back pay or comp time. Every last hour.
- Back pay my ass. This shit here is just paper.
- 65 hours of worthless paper right here.
- Officer brown, sit your ass.
- Sit!

- You do that and your police aren't doing police work.
- They're guarding liquor stores, bouncing nightclubs, putting up drywall.
- Respectfully, morale is at rock bottom.
- You need to throw our people a bone...
- Or you could lose them for good.
- Hold the line now and we'll get to a better place, I promise.

Norman Wilson: [about Carcetti who is struggling with budgets] He shorts the police department, the crime rate stays up, he ain't no governor, neither. Just a weak-ass mayor of a broke-ass city.
Councilman Thomas 'Tommy' Carcetti: Feel better?
Norman Wilson: A little bit. You?

- but if they get him and flip him,
- Clay might take half the Royce administration with him.
- You included, maybe.
- Don't you worry about me. You, on the other hand, just slammed the door on the feds when we need all the help we can get.
- That's on them.

[Lester] Where you at?
[Sydnor] On his ass.
- You guys got the eyeball.
[Sydnor] All good, Lester. It's all good.

Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: [quote after opening credits] The bigger the lie, the more they believe.

- Now, then, back to the readouts.
- First item is from motor pool.
- No marked or unmarked units can be shopped on dickman street until further notice.
Man: What?!
- Cutbacks and fleet budgeting require that all districts make do with vehicles in their current state of repairs. That means...
- Shitbox cars are falling apart, don't they fucking know that?

- And po-po's still up on you, huh?
- Yeah, hot all the time, man.
- Today they got the white boy with the black hair up on the roof with booker t Washington.
- Watching with his spyglass. [Laughs]
- The young 'UN saw him climbing up. Yeah.
- All right, so we'll do like this, then.
Marlo: Mm-hm.

- Yo, we short?
- No, we good. Got 60 left from 1,400.
- We on it, Mike.
- So why you ain't tell Duke?
- Huh?
- Why you fucking with Duke, nigger?
- I ain't fucking with nobody, man.
- He just acting like a bitch, that's all.
Man: Greenhouse gas is hot.

- Kid ran us around for half an hour.
- Amazing, ain't it?
- Here we go.

- 50 cent.
- 50 cent.
- Obliged.
- When did this break last night?
- Gus saw it on the council agenda around 9:30.
- It's a good fucking story.

- All it cost me was a round of beers.
- They fucking love me in the department.
- I'm a fucking martyr is what I am.
- Pull over some black minister, piss him off and I lose my fucking job.
- One round?
- You, a prominent defense investigator, let these other guys buy a round of drinks ever?
- Kid, it's time you learned a little something about the expense account.

- I'm your brother.
- I got nowhere to go when I leave.
- Last time I left you alone in my home, you dragged half my kitchen to a pawn shop.
- You remember that?
- But you can keep the door locked, right?
- I'm down here.
- My rules.
- You said.

- Hey.
- Hey.
- Who's doing the react piece?
- Jeff will, why?
- I'm just, uh...
- I need a story. I'm up.
- Yeah. Stay hungry like that.
- Good things come when they come.

- Who's poking? If I think something about a story, I'm gonna speak on it.
- You know what a healthy newsroom is?
- It's a magical place where people argue about everything all the time.
- I'm not poking anyone here.
- "Dean Martin"?
- Yeah, a little poke.
- Thank you.

- It's two o'clock, people.
- I need budget lines.
- There are a million stories in the naked city, but today you poor mooks only need to throw me three or four.

[All] Oh!
- As sic, should I stop this?
Man: That's my car.
- What, you think this is good for morale or something?
- These guys haven't had an honest paycheck in weeks.
- We have no fucking morale, sergeant.

- Got a meet.
- Want me to come?
- No, no. You go check on your corner.
- I'll send word if it's on.

- Lieutenant, you're going to fill a vacancy in the northern, 4 to 12 shift.
- Freamon, sydnor, you two are assigned to the state's attorney's office to help grand-jury the Clay Davis thing.
- When the money starts to flow,
- I'll get you all back on this somehow.
- Sorry.
- Wonder what it feels like to work in a real fucking police department.

- No, I'm not.
- I'm just tired, is all.
- I slur when I'm tired.
- That's all.
- Yeah.
- Night.

- I know that wasn't no court date. You already got the gun charge postponed twice.
- So what the fuck was that about?
- Remember that Russian we locked up for murder, part of the port case years back?
- I didn't work that case with you, man.
- So, no, I don't remember.
- Well, Chris partlow does.

- He's tangled up with the schools and we're on hold.
- The mayor's made a few commitments to me personally.
- If you want to call in a marker on behalf of this department, feel free.
- And while you're at it, see if you can get your take-home car back.
- Budget officer called an hour ago telling us to relieve colonels and below of take-home vehicles.

- At least he's a columnist, he's paid to sit on his ass. What's your excuse?
- Just left him in the smoking lounge.
- Hit him on his cell.
- What kind of people stand around watching a fire?
- Some shameful shit right here.
- Where else would you rather be, huh, kids?
Man: Hey, Gus.

- you should've picked that shit up.
- He takes the state bail-out and he never becomes governor.
- He shorts the police department, the crime rate stays up, he ain't no governor, neither.
- Just a weak-ass mayor of a broke-ass city.
- Feel better?
- A little bit. You?

- gotta watch your back well, I beg your pardon walk the straight and narrow track if you walk with Jesus he's gonna save your soul you gotta keep the devil way down in a hole

[Man calls] Blue tops, on the rocks.
- Blue tops.
- Blue tops.
- Blue tops, get 'em while they hot.
- Come and get your blue tops.
- Bubs, yo.

- Pay your people less.
- They my people, though.
- Short yourself.
- Split it 60/40. You want better?
- You need to tool up.
- I'll wait for Chris, snoop and the rest of my people call on your people.
- We will be brief with all you motherfuckers. I think you know.
- All right.