Dead Soldiers

"Dead Soldiers" is the 28th episode of the American crime drama The Wire, the third episode of the third season. 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, on HBO in the U.S. In the episode, the Baltimore police department clashes with the mayor's office over the city murder rate, while Omar Little's crew engages in a gunfight with the Barksdale Organization.

On its premiere, the episode had nearly 1.5 million viewers, ranking second in Nielsen Media Research's weekly U.S. premium cable ratings. Critics for The Guardian and TV Guide noted the episode's exploration of drug crime.