Carver questions why McNulty picked him over a sergeant from the district where the murders occurred, and guesses that Freamon is running a wiretap.
While Carver assembles surveillance teams, McNulty helps Bunk take a request for DNA matching to the crime lab.
When McNulty and Greggs travel to Quantico, Virginia, to get FBI assistance, he is disturbed when the Bureau's psychological profile of the supposed serial killer reflects his own personality.
Back in Baltimore, Bunk finds himself investigating Omar's murder and realizes from a hit list that he was hunting Marlo's crew, with Savino's name the only one crossed out.
Bunk delivers the list to McNulty, and reluctantly agrees to hold back on a murder warrant for Partlow so that Freamon can make a break in the Stanfield investigation.
Freamon meets with the U.S. Attorney with the evidence from the Davis investigation, hoping to take the case federal now that local prosecution has failed.
While tracking Marlo, Sydnor pulls out a street atlas and realizes that the page numbers correspond to the clock messages.
To deflect from his weakness on crime in the upcoming campaign, Mayor Carcetti and Steintorf decide to use the serial killings to attack the governor for cutting funds to homeless programs.
Carcetti and Wilson drive to Prince George's County to persuade Congressman Upshaw, who is considering supporting Dobey, to remain in his camp.
Upon returning home, he complains to his wife Jen about the compromises he has been forced to make, revealing that Upshaw demanded that half of Baltimore's federal funding be allocated to his county.
Templeton is unable to respond when Hanning asks what would happen if one of the Marines he served with had read the story and noticed the fabrication.