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(S05E08) "A lie ain't a side of a story. It's just a lie." - Terry Hanning

Rest in peace Omar Little. Wow. Honestly, that's all I really want to talk about. So let's get everything else out of the way first. I'll come back to Omar. Where to start then? How about my weekly rant on Scott Templeton? When I first saw that quote at the head of the episode, I was wondering who the hell Terry Hanning was. I figured he must hold some weight if his quote was the one selected to grace the episode though. Then we saw him. The military vet that Scott "interviewed" under the bridge the day he went slumming with the homeless. I've been waiting all season for a moment like this.

Gallery: The Wire: Season 5 Premiere Party and Episode Photos

Essentially, Scott did write up Terry's story about his time serving the USA over in Iraq. But then Scott did what he does best. He added more details, fudged some stuff, and painted a completely fake picture for his readers. He probably felt pretty confident at the time because, hey, some homeless guy ain't ever gonna read the paper. Wrong. So here's Terry, in the conference room with Scott and Gus, and it's pretty much a "his word against my word" situation. Scott even has some valid points that Gus agrees with. Terry's a drinker and maybe he doesn't remember what was said that day. Fair enough.

I think in his heart, Gus really wants to believe Scott. But as with everything Gus looks at, it comes down to the details. Sure, Terry could be in there making a stir just for the hell of it. One thing stood out though. Scott said they drank coffee and later, all Terry could mumble was that they had chocolate milk. Why would Terry have any motive to lie about something little like that? Gus already knows Scott is willing to lie about something unimportant since he caught him on the fish lady correction. The seed was already planted. Terry's accusation simply added water and sunlight.

So by the time Scott had written up his article on Carcetti's homeless rally with another unnamed source, Gus spiked it. Makes sense though! There were hundreds of homeless people there who willingly showed up, fully knowing they'd probably be on the evening news and Scott happens to quote the one woman who wishes to remain anonymous? Yeah right! It's hilarious watching him try to defend his lies. He knows he's been caught but has no choice but to lie. That or he whines to Klebanow. I just can't wait to watch him crumble completely in the final two episodes.

The Scott Templeton story alone has raised this season in my opinion. He's just so sleazy. By comparison, you have someone like Fletcher who's actually doing his job and writing up quality (true) pieces (I can't wait for his write up on Bubbles), and it makes Scott look even worse.

Alright, moving on to Jimmy, Lester, and the Marlo detail. Tommy gave Jimmy carte blanche. Unlimited OT. Unlimited men. And even a company account at Enterprise Rent-a-Car. This might be the first, last, and only time you seen Baltimore cops rolling around in shiny Lexus' loaded with GPS and Sirius radio. Some points:

• First off, I think Jimmy made a huge mistake by telling Kima the truth. You knew she'd be against it and she was. Bringing Carver into the mix might be bad for business too. Granted, Jimmy didn't tell Ellis the whole truth, but he can figure it out. What if he realizes he's being used for the non-existent detail? Let's not forgot that early on this season, Carver developed a new found respect for his job and was willing to write-up Colicchio. The guy has gone straight and if he realizes he's an accomplice to an illegal wire-tap (one that he inadvertently started by handing over that number), there's no way he stays quiet.
• What's Lester's angle by blackmailing Clay? He went to the US Attorney to see if they'd try Clay for the loan falsification and got rejected. Fine. Can't Clay figure that out though? Lester wants answers (not money) and I'm guessing if he can't take down Clay, he'll use Clay to take down someone else? But who? Royce? Maury Levy? Tommy? Who else is worth going after in Lester's mind?
• I'm glad Sydnor was able to crack the clock code and match it to the grids of an atlas. Two things bugged me though. One, it seemed awfully convenient that Sydnor just happened to have the same atlas that Marlo's crew was using and two, I really wish Prez had been involved with the code cracking.
• How hilarious was the scene when Jimmy and Kima went to the FBI for a profile of the "killer?" The description was McNulty dead on, t's crossed and i's dotted. Absolutely friggin' hilarious. (Kima: "What do you think" Jimmy: "Uh... they're in the ballpark.")
• Why did Jimmy come clean with Beadie? She was pissed after taking the kids away for a few days but came back and seemed willing to give McNulty one more shot. I realize he has a guilty conscience, but at this point, he has no reason to believe that this mess won't come out clean. Granted, some of the other detectives have figured out ways to manipulate what Jimmy is doing (weekends at Hilton Head), but still. Why tell Beadie and kill his last chance of making a life with her?

Now let's talk about Carcetti. It's amusing that he went from having no real platform to run for governor to being the favorite to win the seat for a democrat. Thank Jimmy McNulty's grotesque imagination. As a result though, we've seen Carcetti slip. He's aware he has a shot now and has shifted into "do whatever it takes mode." He's backing a homeless agenda that, let's be honest, will not be on his list of priorities should he get elected, he's doling out Baltimore's sorely needed school money to other counties, and he's making deals left and right with people like Nerese and Clay. Everything he ever stood for is being thrown out the window and the worst part is that people who were once on that same level as him (Norman and Steintorf) are right there nudging him along. The only person who seems to realize that he might not win and then become public enemy number one in the eyes of Baltimore families with school age children is his wife, Jennifer. Power may change you, but the chance of getting even more of it can really twist someone.

More thoughts...

• I was really surprised that Bunk used Jimmy's position to juke some paperwork for a DNA check. While it did provide Bunk a link between Bug's daddy's murder and Chris Partlow, it was still very unlike Bunk. This whole time he's been railing on Jimmy for how wrong he is and now he buys into it? He did repay the favor by giving that slip of paper to Jimmy from Omar's hand (I'm getting to him! Really!). If not for that, Lester would have never had a reason to suspect Cheese had any involvement. Let's not forget that the co-op was never found out by the police.
• Anyone else cringe when Rawls made that comment about "kinky shit" when talking about the homeless killings? All I could think of was two things. One, the time we briefly saw Rawls in a gay bar and two, the time Landsman saw that graffiti in the men's room ("Rawls Sucks Cock") and laughed it off as if to say, "everyone knows that." I wonder if there was ever any real significance in suggesting that Rawls was a homosexual?
• Poot! Working at a shoe store! What did he say? Something like "shit got old?" I guess Bodie's murder really got to him. It's interesting though, as we see Michael making the same mistakes that Bodie did. Running his mouth about how Marlo conducts himself and all. Michael isn't stupid though. He's too smart to put himself in a position where someone can sneak up behind him and pull a trigger.
• Dukie got a job hauling scrap metal with the junk man. It's kind of sad actually. He could really do so much better, even though he's only 15. Why doesn't he go and see if Prez can help him find better work? Or get him into a better school maybe?

OK... here we go. Omar. At first, I was really pissed off. I mean, how could they just go and kill off one of the top three characters in this show? This feels worse than when Stringer was killed. But then I thought about it. One thing to keep in mind is that on The Wire, plot serves story and not character. If a death makes sense, then it happens. The more you think about it, Omar's death made sense. First off, he got cocky. Hobbling around like that, anyone could have popped him before he had a chance to react. Omar kept going out and hitting Marlo's stash houses not because of his skills, but because of his reputation. When you've got a bum leg, rep only gets you so far and all it takes is for one person to realize, I could take him. It's a simple conclusion, one that even a little boy could make.

Enter Kenard. We've always known him to be a little punk with a giant chip on his shoulder to prove himself worthy. Remember when he tried to steal Namond's package until Michael beat the crap out of him? The kid is street hardened. Hell, we first saw him in this episode pouring lighter fluid on an alley cat! But he's got that goofy, adorable face. Who would ever suspect him to have a gun lodged in the back of his baggy jeans? Not Omar.

There's really no rule that says if Omar had to die, then it needed to be in a giant shoot-out with Marlo. Sure it would have been fun, but let's be honest - that's what happens in the movies. Granted The Wire is still a TV show, but it's about as real as it gets. Look at it this way. Remember Omar's motto? If there was ever a moment in this show that absolutely screams, "all in the game," then this was it.