Hamsterdam

Infobox The Wire episode


caption =
episode_name = Hamsterdam
episode_no = 29
epigraph = "Why you got to go and fuck with the program?"
- Fruit
teleplay = George Pelecanos
story = David Simon and George Pelecanos
writer =
director = Ernest R. Dickerson
guest_star = "see below"
prod_code = 304
airdate = October 10, 2004
season = three|"Hamsterdam" (called "Amsterdam" in the first DVD release) is the fourth episode of the third season of the HBO original series "The Wire". The episode was written by George Pelecanos from a story by David Simon & George Pelecanos and was directed by Ernest R. Dickerson. It originally aired on October 10, 2004.

Production

Title Reference

The title refers to the Dutch city with liberal drug laws, Officers Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Anthony Colicchio use the city's name as an example to the drug dealers. The name "Hamsterdam" comes from the drug dealers mis-hearing Herc refer to "Amsterdam". One of Colvin's tolerant zones takes that name.

Epigraph

Fruit makes this statement in response to Colvin trying to move his crew into one of his new drug tolerant zones.

Credits

tarring cast

Although credited John Doman, Frankie Faison, Michael K. Williams, and Corey Parker Robinson do not appear in this episode.

Guest stars

#Callie Thorne as Elena McNulty
#Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as Senator Clayton "Clay" Davis
#Tray Chaney as Malik "Poot" Carr
#Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise
#Benjamin Busch as Officer Anthony Colicchio
#Jay Landsman as Lieutenant Dennis Mello
#Delaney Williams as Sergeant Jay Landsman
#Richard Burton as Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty
#Brandon Fobbs as Fruit
#Anwan Glover as Slim Charles
#Mayo Best as Gerard
#R. Emery Bright as Community Relations Sergeant
#Clarence Clemons as Roman
#Brandan T. Tate as Sapper
#Maria Broom as Marla Daniels
#Shamyl Brown as Donette
#Brandy Burre as Theresa D'Agostino
#Vera Holley as School principal
#Muna Otaru as college records clerk
#Tony Cordova as Sean McNulty
#Michael Kostroff as Maurice Levy
#Eugene Little as Landscaping boss
#Michael Willis as Andy Krawczyk
#Brian Anthony Wilson as Detective Vernon HolleyClarence Clemons name is mis-spelled as Clarence Clemens in the credits.

Uncredited appearances

*Joilet F. Harris as Officer Caroline Massey
*Ryan Sands as Officer Lloyd "Truck" Garrick
*De'Rodd Hearns as Puddin
*Justin Burley as Justin
*Melvin T. Russell as Jamal
*Edward Green as Spider
*Rico Sterling as Tyrell
*Marc Krinsky as Angelo Martin
*Kay Lawal as concerned resident
*Unknown as William Gant's cousin
*Unknown as Pete Sinopoli
*Unknown as Peanut Butter and Jelly

Plot

ummary

Politics

Councilman Tommy Carcetti has dinner with some friends and announces his intention to run for mayor. He notices Theresa D'Agostino, a political consultant he knows from law school, walk in. He makes a bet with his friends that he can successfully approach her. When he does talk with her he courts her interest in becoming his campaign manager but she tells him he has little chance of success.

Homicide

Detective Bunk Moreland interviews drug dealers in the Western district that have been rounded up by the Drug Enforcement Unit. He tells them they can have a free pass in exchange for information on the gun. Bunk returns with no leads and Sergeant Jay Landsman catches up with him. Bunk meets with Jimmy McNulty at a bar to discuss locating Omar Little to help with the murders of Tank and Tosha. Bunk pretends his mother has died to attract a woman. Later, McNulty visits ASA Pearlman's house and notices Lieutenant Daniels' car parked outside.

Western district

Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin attends a town hall meeting in his district. When the residents vent their frustrations on the community relation sergeant Colvin steps in and tells them he doesn't have answers to their questions. Colvin furthermore admits anything they have done has failed and any of the old strategies will still leave the residents at the mercy of the drug war. The residents of the district are surprised and somewhat happy that a police commander was actually honest with them. Carcetti and Marla Daniels are in attendance. Carcetti introduces himself to Daniels and remarks that Colvin's speech was like pouring gasoline on a fire. As Colvin leaves Lieutenant Mello asks what he was thinking with his speech.

Colvin later meets with the head of security and a director of Johns Hopkins university to discuss moving into a deputy security job there following his retirement. Colvin is initially feeling out of place at Hopkins as he is not used to being around the well to do academic types. The security director there a former Baltimore Police Department officer reassures him that Hopkins is a perfect place to work security after retiring from the department. The two of them joke about the quiet and crime free affluent atmosphere among Hopkins students and faculty members.

Along with the rest of the Western district Sergeant Ellis Carver's squad crack down on the drug dealing crews trying to move them over to the new free zones. They arrest a dealer named peanut-butter and jelly for dropping vials. The dealers are deaf to their orders and continue to trade on their corners. Colvin decides to order buses to round up the drug dealers on discussing the problem with Mello. Once Colvin has the young drug dealers in the school gym he tries to inform them of the free zones. The dealers are uncontrollable until the principal takes over the microphone. Once she leaves Colvin finds them once more unwilling to listen.

Barksdale organization

Dennis "Cutty" Wise continues to work landscaping, on his way to a job he sees a car being driven by young drug dealers. He learns from his employer that all of the other workers are on parole and that the supervisor is an ex-convict himself. The supervisor tells him that every day is hard work for little reward.

He tries the number that Shamrock gave him for work but it is disconnected. He tracks Slim Charles down to Bodie Broadus and Poot Carr's shared corner and approaches him. Bodie is hostile towards Cutty until he reveals that he knew Bodie's brother, James Brodus, from boxing before he was imprisoned. Bodie tells Cutty that James is dead. Slim Charles asks what kind of work Cutty is looking for and he offers himself for anything that pays. The soldiers leave to find a weapon for Cutty as Colvin's buses begin rounding up corner dealers.

Stringer Bell meets with Andy Krawczyk, his property consultant, and senator Clay Davis. They discuss Stringer's property in up and coming areas and developing them as residences. McNulty continues to follow him. Stringer finally meets with Donette when he learns that McNulty had been to see her. Stringer reassures Donette that Avon's name would have been enough to protect D'Angelo and tells her that he doesn't want to keep her at arm's length any more. Shamrock picks Stringer up and he has two instructions for him - he is to handle the receipts from their man Bernard buying disposable cell phones for them and if Donette calls he will take the call.

Maurice Levy sails his client Avon Barksdale through his parole hearing because of the deal he made during his sentence, despite Pearlman's letter to the parole board.

Gerard, Sapper, Slim Charles and Cutty survey one of their dealers who has been short on his count. Cutty suggests that if the dealer has a girlfriend she is likely where his money is being spent. Later, Bodie hosts a party to celebrate Cutty's return. Shamrock and Slim Charles accompany them and the party is packed with women and drugs. Cutty comments that he is surprised that Avon lets them get high and Bodie remarks that sometimes they have to. Bodie has organized some women especially for Cutty.

Major case unit

McNulty and Detective Greggs want their informant Bubbles to check the lay of the land in the Western District particularly where the Barksdale crew are now working. They offer him $5 an hour or $30 for a days work. Over the course of his day Bubbles observes Marlo Stanfield talking to Fruit and memorizes his plate number.

When McNulty and Greggs checks in to the detail office Lester Freamon quizzes them about where they have been. Freamon tells McNulty he owes Lieutenant Daniels some loyalty after all he has done for him. McNulty tells Freamon that he is not real police and McNulty seems ready to start a fight. Freamon tells McNulty that his self-destructive streak is all consuming. Greggs breaks the two up and Freamon turns on her saying that Daniels brought her up in the job.

Bubbles reports that the Barksdale organization is sharing territory for the most part but that Marlo has the lower avenue corners and the po homes nearer to the city all to himself. He gives Marlo's plate number over for a little more cash. When they run the plate number at the detail office they find that it is registered to an older woman across town. Greggs checks the name and finds that Marlo Stanfield is 22 and has a record.

Greggs visits the homicide unit to question Detective Holley about Marlo's previous investigation. Marlo was up for a murder charge but escaped conviction by killing a witness named Pooh-Bear despite Holley's efforts to protect him. Holley describes Stanfield as pure evil.

Daniels visits ASA Pearlman at her office with little to say. She gives him some bad news - Avon is up for parole. McNulty goes to his son's science fair and Elena asks him about his alimony payments.

The next day Greggs reports to McNulty that Marlo is a killer and theorises that he may be working for Stringer. Greggs spends the day with Bubbles mapping out the territories of the drug dealers. She learns that the dealers are using "burners" (disposable phones).

McNulty goes to the college where Stringer is attending economics class to get details for him. He matches the cell phone number from the records to Stringer by following him after class. Stringer answers the phone using the name of his front organization B&B. Riled by his confrontation with McNulty, Freamon has Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski checking property purchasing records for the same business.

McNulty reports his results to the rest of the unit. Freamon once again impresses McNulty by having the number he obtained for Stringer from Prez's record search and as well as telling them he has been using a legitimate cell phone as well as having property in his own name. Greggs brings up the disposable pay phones, McNulty worries about how they can wiretap these phones. Freamon and Prez have learned that Stringer is working as a property developer. Freamon tells McNulty he will stop covering for him soon and he needs to swallow his pride and return to the unit.

Daniels has an awkward drink with McNulty and they discuss Daniels new relationship with Pearlman. McNulty tells him that he wishes them all the best and Daniels thanks him for making it easy.cite web
year = 2004
title = Episode guide - episode 29 Amsterdam
publisher = HBO
accessdate = 2006-08-07
url =http://www.hbo.com/thewire/episode/season3/episode29.shtmll] cite episode
title = Amsterdam
episodelink = Hamsterdam
series = The Wire
serieslink = The Wire (TV series)
credits = David Simon, Ed Burns
writers =
network = HBO
station =
city =
airdate = 2004-10-10
season = 3
number = 04]

First appearances

*Spider: a young corner boy who is brought into Colvin's pep talk.

Reception

The Hamsterdam Mixtape, a collection of work from Baltimore rap artists, takes its name from this episode.

The term "Hamsterdam" (or sometimes "Hampsterdam") has since been used to characterize urban districts which are ignored by police. For example the historic Springfield district in Jacksonville Florida is referred to as "Hamsterdam" in bulletin board posts [ [http://www.sparcouncil.org/forums/search.php?keywords=hampsterdam Springfield Community Bulletin Board - Information ] ] . A blog about a part of Brooklyn is also referring to Hampsterdam [ [http://hampsterdambklyn.blogspot.com/ hampsterdam, bklyn ] ] .

References