Impeccably written, the Wire is at once an indictment and a celebration of what makes the American city the American city - where good guys and bad guys are still guys, and where there are literally hundreds of characters, each of which is much more than a stock character. I'm going to count down my top 10 characters in the history of the greatest show in TV history - and try to keep it relatively spoiler free. If you haven't watched the wire, please do so. Without further ado, let's do this thing.
Honorable Mention: Avon Barksdale, Marlo Stanfield, Ellis Carver, Maury Levy, Preston "Bodie" Broadus, Dennis "Cutty" Wise, Chris Partlow, Bill Rawls, Wallace, Tommy Carcetti, Slim Charles, Duquan "Dukie" Weems, Slim Charles, Cedric Daniels, Brother Mouzone, Frank Sobotka, Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, Gus Haynes, Roland "Wee Bey" Brice
10 - Senator Clay Davis
Undoubtedly the most crooked politico to ever grace the small screen, Senator Clay Davis also has the best catch-phrase.. "sheeeiiiit" is truly timeless, with all sorts of real-life applications. Clay Davis is representative of many of the points the Wire attempts to make - that villainy has many forms, and that often times, the "legitimate" crooks are worse than those the police are expected to arrest.
9 - Howard "Bunny" Colvin
A common theme throughout "The Wire"'s run deals with how "the system" treats those who dare think or act as though they know better or differently than the way it's supposed to be done. Bunny Colvin is one such example. An incredibly likable, funny, and beloved commander of the rough and tumble western district in Baltimore, "Bunny" bursts onto the scene in Season 3 and never looks back. An old-school, streetwise cop who came up working the beat on Baltimore's streets, it breaks Bunny's heart to see what the "war" on drugs has done to the job of being police and the relationship between the police and the citizenry.
8 - "Proposition" Joe Stewart
I deliberately chose the "prequel" Prop Joe clip, because it demonstrates better than any other clip out there what Prop Joe is all about. Just business, but for a nickel, sell for a dime. Joe is an incredibly likable, old-school East Side drug kingpin and major player on the Baltimore drug scene. He makes appearances in all five seasons, and brings his brand of always business charm to every appearance. Oh - he has some hilarious quotes too.
7 - DeAngelo Barksdale
Yet another example of what happens to those who dare think outside the box of their respective institutions, DeAngelo Barksdale is one of the true heartbreak stories in the Wire's run. D, the nephew of drug Kingpin Avon Barksdale and lieutenant in his empire, is, all things being considered, a great guy. Thoughtful, intelligent and even kind, he is a tragic prisoner of his family and circumstances and causes one to ask the question of how much control one really has over your destiny.
6 - Lester Freamon
Cool Lester smooth - wise, charming, good police. The man who makes the big cases throughout the Wire's run through his meticulous investigations and attention to detail. Don't let his housecat appearance fool you, Lester can drink with the best of them, and is one of the very best in the Baltimore PD. Given a second life at investigation after 13 years in the pawn unit - Lester is yet another example of how what is often valued in our institutions are not the things that enable people to thrive and succeed within those institutions. One of the best, and most likable, characters on the show, only men with as much true-to-life experience as Burns and Simon could create such an intricate character as Cool Lester Smooth.
5 - Bunk Moreland
They don't get much better than the Bunk. McNulty's best friend, partner to both McNulty and Cool Lester Smooth, and one of the best murder police in the city of Baltimore. He gets into some legendary drunks and late night shenanigans, and is the funniest character on the whole damn show most of the time. (Wait until you get to the clothes burning scene) A company man who is willing to bend the rules from time to time, Bunk came up on the streets of Baltimore, and isn't afraid to confront those he feels are aiding in the city's decline.
4 - Bubbles
Yet another study in contradictions, Bubbles is a street wise junkie with a heart of gold, a good guy in a terrible place, who manages to put a human face on the often forgotten parties in the war on drugs, the addicts who too often end up as statistics rather than charming, funny people. The clip above says it all, Bubbs is bright, well spoken, and funny, yet he squats in vacants and roams the streets searching for his next high. They filmed the Wire on the streets of Baltimore, and maybe my favorite story regarding its production involves a junkie walking up to Andre Royo (who played Bubbs) in between takes and handing him a vial, saying "you need this more than I do man". Bubbs is heartwarming and heartbreaking throughout the series, but always remains a huge part of its heart and soul.
3 - Russell "Stringer" Bell
Here we are again - another study in contradictions - perhaps the biggest one in the whole damn show. Stringer Bell is a drug kingpin, a major player in the Baltimore drug scene, Avon Barksdale's partner and second in command, who takes economics classes at the local community college, and demands his legitimate business fronts be run as legitimate businesses. It speaks volumes to the quality of the Wire as a whole that a no doubt about it "bad guy" like String, the guy orders murders and ruthlessly runs a drug empire, can be such a likable and fascinating character. String is the focus of the details obsessive and thorough investigations, and manages to elude capture by the police. A cunning criminal and cunning businessman who brings the lessons of the classroom to the street in an effort to "change the game".
1b - Omar Little
Bunk: "A man must have a code"
Omar: "Oh, no doubt"
On basically everyone else's list, Omar would be the clear-cut number one, and no doubt about it, he's outstanding, he owns every scene he's in, and in a show which is so grounded in gritty realism, he (and Brother Mouzone) is an action hero of sorts, engaging in old-west style shoot-outs and posturing. Also - at most he's a character of intermediate importance, he's not in every episode, and goes multiple episode stretches without appearing. Although when he is in an episode, you'd better believe he's in it. Yet another study in contradictions (imagine that), a gay street thug who violently robs drug dealers yet lives by a strict moral code (no "civilians", no swearing). A modern-day robin hood who follows his mantra "all in the game, yo", but only so far. Omar has the best quotes, the best scenes, and does the coolest shit in the whole show. However, the fact that he is often periphery to what is really going on in the scheme of everything else makes it impossible to just hand him the crown (you come at the king? you best not miss) - so I made him co-title holder. (cop out, I know)
1a - Det. Jimmy McNulty
In the ultimate contradiction, the Wire's protagonist, main character, and moral center is pretty much a despicable bastard. Damn it is he good police though. He's a drinking, lying bastard who basically runs roughshod over all of his personal relationships in pursuit of his target, and will screw over friends and co-workers to benefit what he perceives as right. Although, to his credit, he's not entirely selfish, he does think he is doing what's best for the city and society, and in a perfect world, McNulty's approach to street crime would help clean up streets everywhere. He can be a frustrating, prickly bastard, but damn it is he a good time.
So that's my Wire countdown. Like it, love it, leave it. I tried to be spoiler-free in clip selection and description, because I know (tragic) that the bulk of people have yet to experience the great American visual novel. Watching the Wire will give you insights to so many things happening today in our country, and hopefully open your eyes to a lot of what is really going on. I can't recommend it highly enough.
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