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Template:Infobox The Wire episode "More with Less" is the first episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Joe Chappelle.[1] It aired on 6 January, 2008.[2]

Guest Starring roles

Lee Everett Cox and David Costabile’s names are misspelled in the credits as Lee Evertt Cox and David Costible respectively. Tom McCarthy is credited twice - both as a star and a guest star.

Plot

Summary

Detective Bunk Moreland extracts a confession from a suspect using manipulation and a mock polygraph test. His reasoning gives the episode its epigraph “the bigger the lie, the more they believe.”

Mayor Tommy Carcetti’s plan to rejuvenate the police department has been halted by funding cuts necessitated by the massive education deficit. Norman Wilson remains disappointed in Carcetti for refusing the Governors assistance for the schools and putting his ambition to unseat the Governor before his responsibilities as Mayor. Police commanders Ervin Burrell and William Rawls are forced to accept further funding cuts from Carcetti but convince him to lift the ban on secondary employment for police officers.

The Major Crimes Unit’s year long investigation into the Stanfield Organization and vacant murder has still not produced enough evidence to make arrests, but their continued observation has curtailed some of the criminal’s activity. Stanfield continues to scheme despite noticing the continued surveillance. He is intimidating independent drug dealers into buying his narcotics, causing unrest in the New Day Co-Op about splitting up new territory and has Chris Partlow working on finding Sergei Malatov as a connection to the Co-Ops suppliers.

The Unit is closed down as part of the cutbacks, effectively ending investigation of the vacant murders. Detective Jimmy McNulty is outraged and despondent upon his return to the homicide unit. McNulty has begun drinking heavily again and fails to return home to his domestic partner Beadie Russell.

Morale is similarly low in the Western District because of pay cuts. Sergeant Carver struggles to keep his men in line and drinks after work with his old partner Thomas “Herc” Hauk. Herc has been discharged from the department and is now using his contacts in the department as a defence investigator for Maurice Levy.

Carcetti meets with the Republican Maryland District Attorney. Carcetti refuses to allow the Clay Davis corruption case to go federal because he fears it will be used to damage the image of Carcetti’s own Democratic Party. Colonel Cedric Daniels convinces Carcetti to retain detectives Lester Freamon and Leander Sydnor to staff the Davis investigation.

Michael Lee is acting as an enforcer under Partlow while his friend and co-habitant Duquan “Dukie” Weems runs their drug dealing crew. Dukie has not gained the respect of the crew and Michael suggests paying him for looking after his younger brother Bug instead.

In the Baltimore Sun newsroom similar funding cutbacks are affecting the reporter’s morale and work. Editor Gus Haynes remains principled and efficient. His institutional memory allows his team to identify and break a story about city council president Naresse Campbell relocating known drug dealer Ricardo "Fatface Rick" Hendrix’s stripclub out of town at a considerable loss of public money and link it to campaign contributions from Hendrix. Ambitious young reporter Scott Templeton remains dissatisfied while his colleague Alma Guttierrez is happy with her work. Bubbles is no longer using drugs and works as a rush hour distributor of the Baltimore Sun to commuters – he sells a copy to Campbell, who is outraged by the story.

First apperances

Production

Epigraph

The bigger the lie, the more they believe. - Bunk[3]

Credits

Starring cast

The fifth season starring cast consists of: Dominic West as Jimmy McNulty; Reg E. Cathey as Norman Wilson; John Doman as William Rawls; Aiden Gillen as Tommy Carcetti; Clark Johnson as Augustus Haynes; Deirdre Lovejoy as Rhonda Pearlman; Tom McCarthy as Scott Templeton; Clarke Peters as Lester Freamon; Wendell Pierce as Bunk Moreland; Sonja Sohn as Kima Greggs; Lance Reddick as Cedric Daniels; Andre Royo as Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins; Seth Gilliam as Ellis Carver; Domenick Lombardozzi as Thomas "Herc" Hauk; Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little; Gbenga Akkinagbe as Chris Partlow; Jamie Hector as Marlo Stanfield; Neal Huff as Michael Steintorf; Jermaine Crawford as Duquan "Dukie" Weems; Corey Parker Robinson as Leander Sydnor; Tristan Wilds as Michael Lee; Michael Kostroff as Maurice Levy; Michelle Paress as Alma Gutierrez; Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as Clay Davis.

Returning starring cast members include Dominic West, Reg E. Cathey, John Doman, Aiden Gillen, Deirdre Lovejoy, Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce, Sonja Sohn, Lance Reddick, Andre Royo, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Michael Kenneth Williams, Jamie Hector and Corey Parker Robinson. West portrays troubled detective Jimmy McNulty. Cathey returns as political consultant Norman Wilson. Doman reprises the role of careerist Deputy Commissioner William Rawls. Gillen plays struggling Mayor Tommy Carcetti. Lovejoy appears as ascendant Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman. Peters portrays veteran investigator Lester Freamon. Pierce portrays longtime homicide detective Bunk Moreland. Sohn reprises the character of natural investigator Kima Greggs. Reddick plays Colonel Cedric Daniels, the rising star of the police department. Royo plays tragic recovering drug addict Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins. Gilliam portrays Western District Sergeant in charge Ellis Carver. Lombardozzi depicts Thomas "Herc" Hauk pursuing a new career path. Williams will return as legendary underworld figure Omar Little. Hector reprises his role as chilling drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield. Robinson returns as Leander Sydnor, a respected young detective.

New additions to the starring cast include Clark Johnson, Neal Huff, Michelle Paress, Tom McCarthy, Gbenga Akkinagbe, Tristan Wilds, Jermaine Crawford, Isiah Whitlock, Jr. and Michael Kostroff. Johnson plays Augustus "Gus" Haynes the principled editor of the city desk of the Baltimore Sun. He is joined in the newsroom by two other new stars; Michelle Paress and Tom McCarthy play young reporters Alma Guttierez and Scott Templeton. Huff reprises his role as Mayor Carcetti's chief of staff Michael Steintorf having previously appeared as a guest star at the end of the fourth season. Crawford and Wilds join the starring cast as young corner boys Duquan Weems and Michael Lee respectively, both having had a large role throughout season four. Akkinagbe continues to portray Stanfield Organization enforcer Chris Partlow who recurred throughout the third and fourth season. Two other actors also join the starring cast having previously portrayed their corrupt characters as guest stars - Michael Kostroff as defence attorney Maurice Levy and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as senator Clay Davis.

Reg E. Cathey’s credit has moved up to the start with the credits in alphabetical order (after West) instead of the section where two or more names appear at a time. Although credited Michael K. Williams and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. do not appear in this episode.

Fourth season stars no longer appearing in the starring credits include Frankie Faison (Commissioner Ervin Burrell), Jim True-Frost (teacher Roland Pryzbylewski), Robert Wisdom (retired police officer Howard Colvin), Chad L. Coleman (community boxing trainer Dennis Wise), Glynn Turman (ex-Mayor Clarence Royce} and JD Williams (murdered drug dealer Bodie Broadus).

References

  1. ^ "Season 5 crew". HBO. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  2. ^ "HBO Schedule: THE WIRE 51: MORE WITH LESS". HBO. 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  3. ^ David Zurawik (2007). "Fact and fiction, down to The Wire". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
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