Boys of Summer

"Boys of Summer" is the first episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series The Wire. Written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns, and directed by Joe Chappelle, it originally aired on September 10, 2006. Plot Snoop, Marlo Stanfield's young enforcer, replaces her cordless nail gun. Snoop and her mentor, Chris Partlow, prepare a vacant row house while a victim pleads with them. After the victim is shot with a suppressed pistol, they cover the body with quicklime and plastic sheets and nail the vacant building closed before leaving. Councilman Tommy Carcetti and his deputy campaign manager, Norman Wilson, are busy with appointments and public appearances as Carcetti runs for mayor. The process of campaigning has left him bitter and disillusioned, and he ignores certain duties such as fundraising calls. Thomas "Herc" Hauk joins Mayor Clarence Royce's security detail. Royce's chief of staff, Coleman Parker, reports that Carcetti and Anthony Gray's campaigns are asking for two separate debates. In contrast to Carcetti, Royce has a speaking engagement with a healthy attendance at a harbor redevelopment site. Carcetti's engagement with the community initially makes him energized, but he sours upon hearing about his low poll numbers and assumes he has already lost. Later, an officer recognizes a drunk Carcetti sitting on a park bench at Federal Hill Park. Bodie Broadus is shown running his own drug dealing crew, for which Namond Brice is the runner. One of Bodie's colleagues, Lex, complains that his baby's mother, Patrice, is dating Fruit, a crew chief from Marlo's organization. Lex threatens to kill Fruit, despite Bodie's warning that doing so will invoke Marlo's wrath. Bodie is met by Slim Charles, who now works for Proposition Joe. Meanwhile, Namond's friends Michael Lee and Randy Wagstaff ask to take them catching pigeons. Duquan "Dukie" Weems scares off the birds, which leads to Michael having to break up a fight between Dukie and Namond. That night, Lex shoots Fruit dead as he leaves a club. When Dukie is beaten up by children in the terraces, the boys plan to pelt them with water balloons filled with urine. The plan goes sour when Namond bursts a balloon on himself and his friends flee. Michael is caught and beaten. Later, Namond buys ice cream for his friends. Randy returns home and is scolded by his foster mother for breaking curfew.