Dead Soldiers
| "Dead Soldiers" | |
|---|---|
| The Wire episode | |
 |
|
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Rob Bailey |
| Teleplay by | Dennis Lehane |
| Story by |
David Simon Dennis Lehane |
| Original air date | October 3, 2004 |
| Running time | 58 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
"Dead Soldiers" is the third episode of the third season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by Dennis Lehane from a story by David Simon & Dennis Lehane and was directed by Rob Bailey. It originally aired on October 3, 2004.
The title describes the used vials of drugs that litter the streets of Baltimore and also the deaths of Tosha Mitchell, Tank, and Ray Cole.
Burrell makes this statement to his district commanders at a ComStat meeting as a means of telling the commanders that their performance is to meet specific demands regardless of the realities of their district.
According to David Simon's commentary on the DVD of this episode, the blinds in the room where the ComStat meeting is held are open when someone is trying to bring some truth into the room—in this episode, Colvin is honest about his district's increasing crime stats and the blinds are partially open.
The police wake for Ray Cole is a tribute to producer Robert F. Colesberry, who played Cole and died after the second season. Landsman makes reference to Cole being involved in "the Mississippi extradition, the arson murders", a case at "the after-hours", and dealing with "hot corners" on Fayette Street (Colesberry produced the films Mississippi Burning and After Hours, and The Corner, a miniseries centered on the corner of Fayette Street and Monroe). The Irish song the police sing along to is "The Body of an American" by The Pogues.
Although credited, Wood Harris does not appear in this episode.
Major Colvin and Lieutenant Mello attend the weekly COMSTAT meeting. Colvin cannot bring himself to go in. He is not the only one who is nervous: Major Taylor is vomiting in the bathroom. Colvin tries to reassure him but he remains afraid. In the meeting Deputy Commissioner Rawls continues to disparage Taylor. Acting Commissioner Burrell intercedes to demote Taylor and replace him with his Deputy Major Creswich.
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