To add to Yglesias' Wire-blogging, let's not forget one other amazing scene from episode 45: Proposition Joe's brilliant sub-rosa inquiry into Herc. It's often said that acting is one dangerously small step removed from funny voices, but let's give Robert F. Chew his due -- that was a marvelous performance, from shyster (Jewish?) lawyer to half-interested doctor in 30 seconds.

But it wasn't just the hysterical voices that made the scene so perfect. It was our first real insight into how Prop Joe works. Thus far, he's been one of my least favorite regulars, because he's been a deux ex machina, a plot device in the corpulent guise of a character. Need a liaison between the shipyard and the corners? Prop Joe's package from the Greek. Need to split Stringer from Avon? Prop Joe's entrance into the Towers. Need to establish an elder statesmen among the crews? Prop Joe's got the gravitas. But we never see what makes him such an enduring figure. Shouldn't someone be able to undercut his connections or move into the East by violence? Why does Prop Joe survive? Admittedly, we don't get the answers to these questions, but we came a giant step closer to seeing the Game behind the Game.