Ebb Tide (The Wire)
| "Ebb Tide" | |
|---|---|
| The Wire episode | |
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Ed Bianchi |
| Story by | David Simon Ed Burns |
| Teleplay by | David Simon |
| Original air date | June 1, 2003 |
| Running time | 58 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
"Ebb Tide" is the first episode of the second season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon, from a story by Simon and Ed Burns, and was directed by Ed Bianchi. It originally aired on June 1, 2003.
The title alludes to the fact that the fortunes of many of the main characters are at low point at the beginning of this season, with McNulty, Greggs and Daniels all very much where they do not want to be. It also refers to the dead body that drifted from the tide and was picked up by McNulty's police boat.
The episode's epigraph is
Here Little Big Roy refers to the ports and their place in the chain. It also refers to the fortune of heavy industries as a whole, where manpower is replaced by automated machinery, a point alluded to throughout the season. The line could also be applied to the Barksdale crew, as after Avon's arrest his organization never fully regains the power it enjoyed during season one.
Paul Ben Victor, Clarke Peters, Amy Ryan and Chris Bauer are all new additions to the opening credits this season. Despite his credit Clarke Peters does not appear in this episode. Credited stars Frankie Faison, Larry Gilliard, Jr., Deirdre Lovejoy and Andre Royo do not appear in this episode.
Although credited, Seth Gilliam does not appear in this episode.
Officer Jimmy McNulty, who has been demoted and reassigned to the Baltimore police department marine unit, complains to his new partner Claude Diggins about the cold. They are called to a ship with engine trouble that is hosting a party. The party organizer bribes McNulty to tow them out of the shipping lanes but not to shore so that they can continue their festivities.
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