At the Baltimore Police, Rawls recommends sidestepping major political fallout from Hamsterdam by shutting it down immediately.
Burrell, believing that Royce is planning to scapegoat the police for the fiasco, decides to spin the story in the department's favor and contacts Carcetti.
Burrell meets with Carcetti and tells him all about Hamsterdam, blaming Royce for the intense pressure they have been putting on the department to reduce crime.
He asks Carcetti to give the story to Gray, as he hopes to endear himself to the next mayor now that he is burning his bridges with Royce.
Colvin takes Carcetti to a neighborhood council meeting where residents credit Hamsterdam with making the district safer.
Bell meets with Levy to discuss the lack of progress he sees in his development work despite paying Senator Davis.
Avon says that killing a "downtown" man like Davis would incur the wrath of the state police and federal government and would require a "Day of the Jackal"-type assassination in order to pull it off.
Avon is nostalgic about the shoplifting days of their youth, retelling a story of Stringer's failed heist of a badminton set.
The story is illuminating to their current situation, as Stringer is driven to play what Avon calls "away games" and leave his gangster past behind.
A young homeless boy questions Bubbles about his income and then suggests that he try selling hoodies now that the season is changing.
Dennis "Cutty" Wise has built a small following for his community boxing gym, including some drug dealers, Justin and Spider.
Avon and Slim Charles erupt in laughter and then give him five thousand extra, much to the surprise of Cutty, before telling him to take care of his young charges.
They narrow the field back at the detail office by tying specific times that Stringer would be on the phone to their data by monitoring calls to Shamrock.
Daniels calls in a favor from Fitz to get the wiretap organized by the end of the day, cutting through potential delays from the wireless companies.
Shamrock mentions contract killers on the phone, so although Stringer notices his mistake, the unit has the evidence it has worked hard for.
The line spoken by Shamrock, "Oh, and that other thing, them two hitters you asked after, they good with it" harks back to Slim Charles' earlier refusal to assassinate Clay Davis, and reveals that Stringer still intended to kill the senator.
[1][2] Mayor Royce says that they need to find a "middle ground" as a way to keep Hamsterdam alive while avoiding political suicide.
The title also refers to the compromise made between Omar and Brother Mouzone to pursue their common goal, and alludes to the meeting between Stringer Bell and Colvin.
Although credited, Wendell Pierce, Jim True-Frost, Seth Gilliam, and Domenick Lombardozzi do not appear in this episode.
He acts as an advisor to the fictional mayor after Major Colvin has legalized drugs in a portion of the city, and his character's feelings mirror his own politics.
The Futon Critic named it the ninth best episode of 2004, commenting that the show is not shy about killing off characters, but was still surprised about Stringer Bell's death.
[4] George Pelecanos, who co-wrote the episode with David Simon, described "Middle Ground" as "the best thing I'll ever have my name on.
"[5] "Middle Ground" received the show's first Emmy nomination, for writers David Simon and George Pelecanos in the category Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
[7] Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle has cited the lack of Emmy recognition for the show as "an egregious oversight.
"[8] Salon has written that the show is typical of the crime dramas that the Emmy awards have recognized in the past and called the lack of recognition "a sad case.