Yglesias has a problem with me inveighing on subjects beyond my area of expertise, but just a quick word on The Wire. Tonight Randy violated rule number one: Stop Snitching. At the same time, Namond, son of the fallen Barksdale empire, has to prove himself as a soldier. Isn't it clear how this is going to turn out? Randy is going to die, and Namond is going to have a hand in his death.

It's no accident, as the Marxists used to say, that the writers had Michael decline to help Namond move his package: Namond is going to feel increasingly alienated from his crew, as he already does as a Barksdale scion. (Line of the show, from when Namond was pulled out of class in what seemed like an arrest: "Can I have your X Box? You ain't gonna need it where you goin'.") Similarly, Namond told us everything we need to know about him in last week's episode. When Chris the Zombie-Master strolled through the alley to talk to Michael and ordered the boys to disperse, Namond ostentatiously obeyed, making sure to spew Chris's name from his lips in a moment of revealing obsequiousness. Killing his friend is a very short step, and Namond wants to prove he has very long legs.