S2E2 · Collateral Damage

"They can chew you up, but they gotta spit you out." – McNulty Officer Russell is assigned the murders of the thirteen women discovered in the cargo container. McNulty offers to help and again ensures that the case goes back to Rawls' homicide department. Valchek strikes a deal with Acting Commissioner Burrell—in return for supporting Burrell in his aspirations for promotion, Valchek demands Burrell set up a detail to investigate Sobotka and his union. Sobotka, angry at not being informed of the container's contents, considers cutting his ties with The Greek and demands a meeting. "Horseface"complains of sudden police pressure to Sobotka and the two come up with a plan to further embarrass Valchek. In prison, Avon Barksdale's relationship with his nephew D'Angelo begins to sour. Bodie Broadus finds that the new shipment of drugs for the Barksdale Organization is missing.

Plot summary and ending

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Complete story — includes the ending

Epigraph: "They can chew you up, but they gotta spit you out." - McNulty McNulty and Russell deduce through an extra bedroll that the harbor woman was in the container and notice a crushed air pipe, getting the case deemed a homicide and given to the partnered Bunk and Freamon. Daniels, stuck in an evidence room, plans to resign and become an attorney. Avon points Brianna Barksdale to a drug contact in Atlanta. Wee-Bey Brice is harassed by guard Dwight Tilghman for claiming to have killed his cousin. Sobotka's delinquent son Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka is denied a supply when he tries to sell drugs. Valchek is given a detail to investigate Sobotka by Burrell, now acting commissioner, in exchange for backing his promotion, while stevedore Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa steals his surveillance van. The Greek's lieutenant Serge Malatov follows the container's ship to Philadelphia and abducts Sam Choksey, the seaman who killed the women, who explains to the Greek that he prostituted them, killing one when she resisted before suffocating the rest. Underboss Spiros Vondas kills him.

Sources and content license

Source and revision history · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The Wire season 2. HTML formatting and reference markers removed. · Content license