Someone explain to me who Slim Charles is and how he fits into everything and why he was hanging around with Avon so much before.

He took Wee-Bay's place as a Barksdale lieutenant. With Avon and Stringer out of the picture, he's trying to keep the remnant of the Barksdale empire alive as much as possible, but he's basically a free agent where you are in the series.

Aha, okay. Thanks.

I think it's almost standard at this point: every season has about four episodes of setup, and around episodes five and six, I find myself much more interested and drawn in.

I'm getting really attached to these damn schoolchildren. I fear for what David Simon has in store for them.

Randy is so cute! Man, I want to hug him and squeeze him and take him home. He's just so...desperate and pathetic, like he generally has an idea of what's right and what's wrong and he's sort of terrified of becoming a bad person.

Namond's mom sucks almost as much as Brianna, man. Gangster wives and girlfriends pretty much suck all around on this show, I think.

Mr. Prez! Aww. He's becoming such a teacher! Taking care of Dukie! Inverting fractions!

Can I punch Marimow in the face? Please? He's so incompetent it hurts.

I've been meaning to say this for a while too, but if you had told me in the first season that I would grow to like Rawls and Landsman, I would not have believed you.

Tommy's wife is so cute.

Tommy won! That...was not a surprise, but it was a fun race to watch, even knowing that he had to win. It would have been stupid to follow him for so long and not get to see the system corrupt his idealistic values when he becomes Mayor.

Dude, I feel bad for that poor delivery woman. What the fuck? Even the Barksdale crew didn't go so far as to kill random citizens, right?

That ring is getting its own story like Katara's necklace. I hope it has magical powers.

I love this show. I'm not sure I've actually said that yet. But I do.

I'm so glad I liked you back in season three, Tommy Carcetti! I knew you were being sincere about wanting to change Baltimore! *pinches your cheeks*

RANDY. Still so cute. I was surprised he didn't tell Herc about finding the bodies, though.

Speaking of the bodies...it has taken me this long to notice that they've actually been using the nail gun for its intended purpose. EVEN THOUGH THEY JUST THREW IT AWAY. I mourn you, Nail Gun from the First Scene of the Season.

You know what I love about these two episodes? DETECTIVING!!!111 Go Kima, tracing the bullet ricochet! Go Bunk, seeing through Andre's lies!

And while we're congratulating folks: go Mr. Prezbo, teaching kids math with games! Or at least attempting to with various levels of success. And, seriously, they had COMPUTERS just sitting around in the basement? And new copies of the math book? And they...didn't bother telling anyone? Are they daft or just lazy?

Poor Bubbles! I hope someone kills that motherfucker who's terrorizing him.

Aaah, Michael! What a crappy home situation. I knew his mom was a strung-out crackfiend, but damn.

This season really is McNulty-light, eh? It's odd, but I don't really miss him.

Prop Joe is the SHIT. His different voices cracked me up.

Colvin's class of misfits kind of freaks me out. I can't imagine teachers having to deal with kids like that. You just want to smack them the fuck around.

I have determined that the central thesis of the entire show is this: America is broken.

Man, I'm enjoying reading your take on the show!

I mourn you, Nail Gun from the First Scene of the Season.

Well, that salesman earned that bump like a motherfucker.

I have determined that the central thesis of the entire show is this: America is broken.

Give the man a cigar!

I had another Wire dream. This time, I was at some Indian function with Omar, and I was defending him to my mom, who thought he was a terrible person, and in this world there were only good people and bad people, and if I asked Joss Whedon, he would agree. And I told her she was fucking stupid.

I just realized that I really love this season, yet there's no wiretapping at all! Hell, there's barely an investigation! Major Crimes is a shell of its former self.

Poor Bubbles! Ack.

I'm still getting used to Kima's new hair. It looks nice, but it's so different from her hairstyle the last three seasons.

I didn't realize Ruth's Chris Steak House was that superfancy. I mean, it's a chain. That whole scene was just so...sad. I mean, those kids were completely out of their element. It was just beyond their imagination, this restaurant. They have such a narrow view of the world; they don't know anything else.

I just realized that Prop Joe is basically running Baltimore at this point.

Oh, Randy. Funding your candy trade through gambling! Hee.

NO MICHAEL NO. I was whimpering when he turned to Marlo, of all people, to solve his problem. And Marlo's been after him all season to come to him. Oh my God, this is not going to end well.

I didn't realize Ruth's Chris Steak House was that superfancy.

It isn't really.

No, but if you're used to buying lake trout and orange soda out a window, it is.