The Top 50 Characters Of The Wire

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 4:57 pm Post subject: The Top 50 Characters Of The Wire

Originally this was going to be a "Top 25 Moments of The Wire" thread, which quickly increased to 35, then 50, and so on. The only way I was going to get it down to a managable number was to combine the moments somehow...episodes? No, didn't fit well into the novelistic structure. Characters? Bingo.

I figure 50 was a reasonable number. There likely will be a few good characters left off, but I'm hoping all the great ones will make it in. This list should start in the next two days.

Edit: I forgot to mention that Fentablar did a similar list a while ago so hope you mind me using your format, Fent. Smile

Rico · Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:01 pm Post subject:

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Isabelle M · Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:26 pm Post subject:

Yay The Wire! Thumbs Up

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The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 5:19 pm Post subject:

Okay, so there's going to be MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EVERY SEASON OF THE SHOW obviously. So anyone who has not seen the entire series turn back now.

Okay?

Good.

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 5:21 pm Post subject:

#50
Donut

How He Fit: One of the many kids introduced in season 4, Donut had a love for jacking some of the hottest vehicles around and showing them off to his friends. Like most of the other project kids however, his future does not seem particularly bright.

What I Liked: Donut was really a minor character, but the kid had a charm to him. It would not surprise me if he was one of the many actors that the crew simply plucked from the streets of Baltimore. Like all of the kids from season 4, I felt an instant connection to Donut because the show had built up 3 seasons worth of how hard conditions are going to be for them. In the early going, I found him a little bit of a pest and cared more about the core four; most of the other kids were generally not into illegal activities. Later on I realized that while he may have been a bit of a brat, he was essentially just a kid who loved to collect and play with some toys, his conditions bringing him to a point where carjacking seemed the simplest and most efficient way to do so. In addition, instead of a simple arrest and maybe even something that might prevent any more auto-theft, we have Officer Walker projecting his reign of anger unto poor Donut and showing one of the many reasons police officer are not talked to by those living in the streets of Baltimore.

Best Moment: Opening up Prez’s car. Although he was a thief and proved he would steal teachers’ cars without a second of thought, he also was just a genuinely nice kid.

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 5:24 pm Post subject:

#49
Malik “Poot” Carr

How He Fit: One of the many characters introduced from the Pit in the first season, Poot’s defining characteristic was mostly his desire for women and all the goodies that entails. His biggest claim in the series is being the only original Barksdale soldier who actually makes it out of the game. His most notable scene is likely the slaying of Wallace, which I will discuss in the next paragraph.

What I Liked: Never a massive favourite to be honest, but 50 is a big number, even for a show as deep in quality as The Wire. Still, he is part of one of the series’ most heartbreaking moments and unlike the first watch through the series where I hated him for shooting Wallace, the second time it seemed he was doing it out of sympathy for an old friend, both of whom are trapped in the game with no other options. The acting of all three in that scene is phenomenal, and in one of the few times Poot has to show emotion, his face tells you everything he is going through in that moment. I also had to put him on here simply because he was able to actually make it out alive and not in jail. Who would have thought that would happen at the beginning of the series? Then again, that’s life in West Baltimore, and that’s The Wire.

Best Moment: “Does the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches?”

amberlita · Joined: Jun 17, 2005 Posts: 16931 Threads: 284

Awesome thread idea. As much as I love this show, not sure I could come up with that many characters without just naming all the characters I remembered from the show whether I liked them or not.

Definately picked Poot's best moment. Love that he damn near got Stringer to punch him when he said it. Moron.

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slqrick · Joined: Oct 03, 2006 Posts: 8387 Threads: 88

robin · Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 6:25 pm Post subject:

You'll have me psyched to rewatch The Wire over the Christmas break. Penguin 2

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slqrick · Joined: Oct 03, 2006 Posts: 8387 Threads: 88

HankyStanky · Joined: Jul 10, 2005 Posts: 9125 Threads: 106

"Poot" is a hilarious name. "Poot." Ha.

I'm going to watch season three over winter break. I started the show two summers ago. It's taking me a ridiculously long time to get through it.

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:33 pm Post subject:

#48
Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff

How He Fit: From fairly small beginnings in season 2 as a dealer in Prop Joe’s east side crew this character developed as the seasons went allow, popping up every now and again and usually with a bigger role every season (including a darkly hilarious run-in with a “dawg” in season 3). Of course I remember him most for his betrayal of season 5 of his uncle to Marlo, arguably one of the most despicable acts committed during the series, which says a lot on a show like this.

What I Liked: I’ve read complaints of Method Man’s acting in the show, but I think they are totally unfounded. He is able to play an admittedly fairly simple character very convincingly and like most other characters on the show gains much of his strength from his realism. I can picture running into this guy on a corner of East Baltimore. I even felt some sympathy for the guy with the whole dog incident, when the guy showed some heartbreaking emotion for his old canine friend, but for the most part Cheese represented a different shade of the “Marlo generation” of gangsters who will betray and backstab anyone for a buck (although a possible interesting discussion is how true this really is; do guys like Marlo and Cheese really represent the current/future drug kingpin?). His death at the hand of Slim Charles is one of the most satisfying ends in a show notorious for being very unpredictable in who will succeed in "the game” and who will not. He also had one of the best street names on the show.
Best Moment:

Link
Bunk’s impression never fails to make me laugh.

tonguetiedlightning · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:50 pm Post subject:

Can't wait to see how this plays out, as it's about time for me to revisit the series from the beginning as well.

amberlita · Joined: Jun 17, 2005 Posts: 16931 Threads: 284

I loved the hell out of Cheese. I never saw a hiccup in his acting and was rolling on the floor when he started crying during his interrogation about his "Dawg". I mean, he wasn't blowing me away or anything but did quite well.

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The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 11:07 am Post subject:

#47
Butchie

How He Fit: Butchie mostly acts as the bank for a few drug dealers and mentor to Omar while operating a bar at the same time. He almost seems to be the equivalent of a Mafia made man so when Marlo decides to take him out we see how horribly the game has been corrupted.

What I Liked: Seriously, how could you not like this guy? A blind old man who deals a few drugs on the side, has lots of wise council, and has many cool conversations with Omar. I find no complaints. For the most part he is on this list for the final reason; he and Omar have some great scenes together, such as Omar’s guilt trip following Tasha’s death, and his opinions on the Barksdale conflict. It was always little scenes like this that really made the show something special. Butchie was one character I was certain would be fine by the end of the series. After all, he did nothing really to piss off anyone (except maybe those hot shots) and seemed content with his minimal involvement in the drug trade. Fuck you, Marlo and Cheese.

Best Moment: I was going to say his death, because it is one of the hardest scenes to watch on the entire show, but he deserves better than that. So I’ll go with this one, Butchie explaining how the difference between East and West goes back to one man:

Link

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 3:30 pm Post subject:

#46
Mayor Clarence Royce

How He Fit: The king of the city for a while, Royce showed how badly things can get in the corrupt world of politics, surrounding himself with cronies like Clay Davis and Burrell. Despite all of the mistake that he did and the fact that a lot of his policies helped keep the city the way it is, I kind of felt for the guy in that it seemed like there wasn’t much else he could do. This was not my initial reaction true, but after a second rewatch and seeing Carcetti head down the same path where everyone stays at the status quo.

What I Liked: As mentioned I could relate to the guy on a human level who got trapped in a corrupt world, even if it was a different way that those like D’Angelo and Frank Sobotka got caught up in. Namely that Royce does not have to deal with the same consequences, being in the political sphere. He’s free to support Clay Davis and continue to feed into the problem that is killing Baltimore. Royce comes across a little arrogant at times, but no more than the average political characters on the show. Royce is also one of the few who seems open to keeping the Hamsterdam project open, in the face of overwhelming opposition and something which led to his loss in the mayoral election. In the end, Royce is like many others in the series, caught in a position where he becomes trapped by the system. On the other hand, him getting a blowjob led to Herc getting his stripes, so that definitely brings him down a few notches in my like category. Speaking of which…

Best Moment: The whole way that incident is handled is one of the best for both humour and for showing politcally absurbity that the show created.

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 3:31 pm Post subject:

#45
Rhonda Pearlman

How She Fit: Leading public lawyer throughout the series, Pearlman was one of the few recurring female characters on a very male-dominated show. As a character she was usually one of the most admirable, usually trying to achieve the best case and only sometimes backing off if an incident was going to hurt her case. Her relationships with McNulty was ripe for hilarity and eventually found a good fit with Daniels, another character who usually ended up doing the right thing.

What I Liked: Pearlman in a way was a character to play off of McNulty for a while, but I eventually grew to like her brash delivery and ways of dealing with McNulty’s craziness. Not to mention her interactions with the other cops, such as making fun of their spelling, made for some great humour. Similarly, her interaction with a horny Judge Phelan were always hilarious, even if it was basically the same thing again and again. For a character who was there for all five seasons though, I have to admit she is somewhat on the weaker side compared to others, and this may have to do with Simon’s admitted weakness for writing female characters. Despite this, and the fact that her characters seems to be somewhat defined by the men in her life, she comes across as a strong, non-stereotypical female character. Plus, she’s hot.

Best Moment: Blackmailing Maurice Levy; it was about time that someone called that guy out on his bullshit and for the way that she did it and the fact that she did alone earns her a spot on the list.

amberlita · Joined: Jun 17, 2005 Posts: 16931 Threads: 284

How about a worst moment for her...the ridiculous fake orgasm she shared with McNulty in Season 1. Two minutes of syncronized grunting.

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The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 6:11 pm Post subject:

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 9:00 pm Post subject:

#44
Norman Wilson

How He Fit: As political advisor to Carcetti, Norman provided some sage council, occasional moral chirping, and lots of good comedy. He’s pretty much the exact guy I’d want to have helping me on my campaign were I a politician.

What I Liked: Norman was just on the outside enough to see the political system as it really is, and as we are told is a former reporter for the Baltimore Sun. In the two seasons where he is featured Norman expresses his disappointment at Carcetti’s refusal to get money from the governor, and a rather hilarious, honest reaction to the serial killer clusterfuck. Plus his Clay Davis impression is spot-on. What struck me most about Norman is his likeability, and how he kind of represents the viewer in his serious desire to see Carcetti improve the city, and his disappointment when he doesn’t. Not much more to add to this entry as Norman was never really a central focus of the series, but like Butchie I just loved him to death, both in the way he was written and the performance. Plus, we’ll never know if he voted for Carcetti or not.

Best Moment: Saying that white people would never vote a black man in. Oh Norman, you were right about so much too.

Uncomfortably Numb · Joined: May 06, 2006 Posts: 10959 Threads: 156

I hate betraying Buffy but The Wire was brilliant with the way it used a giant cast over the years.

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robin · Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 7:19 am Post subject:

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:50 pm Post subject:

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:52 pm Post subject:

#43
Spiros “Vondas” Vondopolous

How He Fit: Second in command to the Greek, “Spiros” is one of the most powerful characters on the show, and is a key in the operation of crime in Baltimore city, particularly its drug and prostitution trades. Unlike his boss, he seems to hold the people he works with ever so slightly in higher regard, trying to avoid killing the Sobotka family and holding Nick close to a son. Nevertheless, he still holds the cold-hearted, business-like approach that fuels the psyche of the entire organization.

What I Liked: The clever way he was able to make the operation seem harmless to the underling Sobotka’s he was dealing with. Little things like calling Eton his “friend” and little comments like “everything is just business with us” are a clever way to make their operation sound less like what it is: exploitation of people for profit. He was the perfect buffer between the Greek and the rest, being very cautious and clever in addition to being endlessly loyal. At the end of the day though, through all his caution and respect for Nick and Frank, his leaving of Baltimore is ultimately just another stop, on way to do business in another area of the world, completely unaware or uncaring of his role in being yet another person to bring the city of Baltimore down even further.

Best Moment: Turning down Marlo. Shows perfectly his calculated approach to business, and how his organization will take no risks. Plus it was nice to see Marlo get turned away for a change, even if his resiliency once again eventually paid off.

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 2:05 pm Post subject:

#42
The Greek

How He Fit: The most powerful criminal character that we meet in the show, The Greek and his organization have the appeal of sophisticated gangsters that are above and beyond any ordinary sort of law enforcement.

What I Liked: As David Simon described him, The Greek represents “pure capitalism”, and while this leads to his character not having a huge amount of depth at times, it does make him an interesting individual nonetheless. As Spiros says about him (paraphrased): “The Greek will not be angry, he will be smart.”; and this is what characterizes him through both seasons 2 and 5, whether it is the choice to rat out the Columbians to the FBI, to leave a massive shipment of drugs on the ports, or to go along with Marlo and cut Prop Joe loose. The world to him seems so much smaller, because he cannot or chooses to ignore the heavy burden that his organization leaves on those negatively affected by their actions, and everything and every person is just a pawn to be used in his grande scheme to make money. Heavy may be the head that lies the crown, but the Greek always plays things so smoothly everything just seems like “business, always business”.

Best Moment: “And of course, I am not even Greek.” Really puts into perspective how impossible it is to catch the people at the top and drives home the hopelessness of the show.

robin · Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 6:48 pm Post subject:

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 2:13 pm Post subject:

The Infinite Penguin · Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 2:14 pm Post subject:

#41
Slim Charles

How He Fit: First appearing is season 3 as hired muscle to help put the Barksdale organization back on top after losing most of their hired guns in season 1’s investigation. After that he hooks up with Proposition Joe’s gang and becomes an increasing member in the co-op. For the most part he comes to represent the old-school soldier who lives by a code of honour in a world that is increasingly losing any sense of it.

What I Liked: The voice hooked me, first of all. It was just undeniably cool. Most of all however, it was the aforementioned code that Slim represented. When Omar comes and confronts him about the murder of Butchie, you can tell there is an underlying respect there and an understanding that they are both of a certain breed. Slim is one of those characters that I was really glad made it out at the end of the series, without being arrested, alive, and at the top, too. Whether it was chastising those two idiots for shooting at Omar’s grandma, coaching Bodie on the new rules of the game, or capping Cheese, Slim was always there to make the show a little less depressing and was something to look forward to. I only wish he had come into contact with at least one of the cops at some point, as I can’t help but think it would end up in a great scene.

Best Moment: Avenging Prop Joe. Cheese had it coming, and the way he did right in the middle of Cheese’s big speech was possibly the biggest “hell yeah!” moment in the entire series.

slqrick · Joined: Oct 03, 2006 Posts: 8387 Threads: 88

Yeah, absolutely loved that Slim Charles scene...massive "that's what you get bitch!!" triumphant moment.

robin · Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 5:15 pm Post subject:

BUMP!

... because I couldn't help wondering where Tippy will rank Avon when I saw this.

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