The Wire: Fight for the Crown

Round 3: Marlo Stanfield vs. Michael Lee

2011-05-10T14:40:00.002-04:00

Big paws on a puppy.

Winner: McNulty

2011-05-10T14:39:00.000-04:00

McNulty

2011-05-05T21:04:00.002-04:00

Gotta be McNutty. Probably the single most important character, excepting Season 4. But even him being left out of that season for the most part is important . . . only a show as awesome as The Wire could put the lead character in the background for an entire season.

Welcome Home Poe House

2011-05-05T12:33:00.003-04:00

McNulty loses this battle but he wins the war:

McNulty.

Great White Hope

2011-05-05T10:26:00.002-04:00

Looking at the bracket, McNulty is my lone choice for a white character to make it to the finals. Sorry to offer a spoiler on my opinion of Carcetti or Prez.

As for a matchup against Kima, I hate to see her go out. But the show literally begins and ends with McNulty. If I had teenage kids who happened to come across the show, I'd be worried about the influence McNulty would have on them, because he makes being a drunk disrespectful asshole seem like the way to be. There were points where I would watch and think, "I wanna go on a McNulty bender, crash my car into a cement pillar, then go plow a waitress." Or even let Jameson improve the doing of even the most mundane tasks, like putting together Ikea bunkbeds for your kids. But those may just be my demons. Kima has her moments here and there: her primary relationship with Bubbles, the occasional lesbian scene, and a nice monologue of Baltimore's version of Goodnight Moon. But she's not as important as Jimmy to the show, she's not as entertaining to watch, and she's not as good as Jimmy at her job. From here on out, I'm applying a seven game series methodology to each matchup even though this bracket was based on a single elimination tournament. Out of respect for Kima, I give her a couple wins, but this goes to McNulty in 6.

McNulty vs. Kima

2011-05-04T20:27:00.001-04:00

The Sweet 16 begins.

Winner: Stringer

2011-05-04T20:21:00.001-04:00

String

2011-04-28T11:01:00.002-04:00

Levy, aka the "David Stern of the Wire," had some great moments, but Stringer was a true mastermind. I also thought Levy embarrassed himself during the Bird trial. His cross-examination of Omar was pitiful, and he let his emotions get the best of him. Gotta have some poise.

Stringer

2011-04-28T10:47:00.003-04:00

I love levy so much because he is all that I aspire to be, however obviously Stringer wins though. The impulse to smack clients upside the head for talking to the police is one I totally understand.

Stringer

2011-04-25T21:59:00.000-04:00

Stringer takes all here . . . way more important to the plot and more interesting. Levy does serve a necessary purpose in the show, though: letting viewers know that thugs could not do what they do without enabling attorneys.

String

2011-04-25T14:05:00.002-04:00

Obviously not even close. Not worth even rationalizing. Jew Lawyer is a great character, but he doesn't deserve to stand with Strang.

Round 2: Levy vs. Stringer

2011-04-20T23:26:00.001-04:00

Vote!

Winner: Lester

2011-04-20T23:25:00.002-04:00

Lester

2011-04-15T02:22:00.003-04:00

Lester is the smartest person in the history of television.
Lester is the best police officer in the history of television.
Lester is the best police officer in the history of police.

Read the following quote:
"You borrow my brain for five seconds and just be like, Dude, can't handle it, unplug this bastard because yeah, it fires in a way that is maybe not from this particular terrestrial realm."
Charlie didn't know it but he was talking about Lester Freeman.

Freamon

2011-04-14T01:40:00.003-04:00

It's pretty shocking that Rawls has made it this far. He plays his role as the prototypical dickhead (with the pretty pointless gay thing thrown in there) well, but compared to Freamon he is a fucking ant. Freamon, after a slow start as the silent weirdo miniature furniture maker, becomes undeniably one of the best characters on the show. He plays the straight guy for the most part, but he also loves to drink and bang strippers. He is truly good police and deserves consideration for top character. Rawls is not and does not.

Freamon

2011-04-13T19:32:00.002-04:00

Freamon is a dynamic character who stays interesting throughout the show. He is also a likeable character, being good police and serving as a mentor to younger officers. While Freamon takes a step off the reservation with Jimmy in Season 5, his actions are certainly understandable.

Rawls remains the same dickhead throughout. He kisses the ass of those above him while making life miserable for those below him. He's gotta go.

Round 2: Bill Rawls vs. Lester Freemon

2011-04-13T18:20:00.002-04:00

Anyone care to vote?

Wee Bey

2011-04-13T18:19:00.001-04:00

"Remember who the fuck you talking to right here. Remember who I am. My word is still my word. In here, in Baltimore, in any place you can think of calling home, it'll be my word that finds you."

Wire characters in the NBA

2011-04-11T13:30:00.011-04:00

Given that the NBA and the Wire are my two favorite forms of entertainment, I decided to combine the two. In anticipation of the upcoming NBA playoffs, here is my list of NBA players past and present and their Wire counterparts.

Michael Jordan- Marlo- MJ made waves early in his career as undeniably driven and amazingly skilled, and the establishment was slow to welcome him. Just as the Barksdales initially regarded Marlo as a young punk not on their level, the league’s stars froze the tongue wagging, baggy short wearing Jordan out of the all star game. Eventually, he proved his chops and earned the crown. By the beginning of the 90s, Jordan was thought of on par with other stars of the time like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. However, like Marlo after dissolving the Co-op, MJ eventually grew far bigger than everyone else in his league. “His name was his name” and if you had besmirched it, you’d better watch out, whether you were his high school coach or Bryon Russell. His antiseptic, take-no-prisoners leadership style eventually led some of those around him to snitch to the media (see “The Jordan Rules”). His life was so built around being on top, once out of the game, he felt out of place. Jordan’s comeback with the Wizards evokes memories of Marlo’s scuffle with the corner boys at the end of Season 5; even though he would never hold the crown again, he was only comfortable when he was competing for it.

Scottie Pippen- Chris: MJ’s championships and MVP trophies would not have been possible without Pippen. He was an all NBA defensive player and could fill it up when he needed to. He had the talent and intelligence to be the top dog on another contender, but, like Chris, his personality will be more suited to being an all time great #2, and that is how he will be remembered.

Allen Iverson- Omar: Like Omar, AI spent most of his career as a lone wolf, never powerful enough to take down the crown holder on his own, but always a force to be reckoned with. His collaborations were short lived and often didn't succeed to expectations. He lived by a code: practice didn't matter ("Practice?"), but he always gave everything he had in games. His code may not have made sense to commentators who thought practice important and disdained his cornrows and tattoos, just as many found Omar a morally reprehensible murderous robber or mocked his homosexuality, but each always went to bed happy, having done right by himself. Iverson's ability to get into the lane and get shots up over players a foot taller strained credulity and brought to mind Omar's jump from a fourth story apartment and continued ability to terrorize Marlo's crew while hobbling around West Baltimore on a crutch.

LeBron James- Stringer: LeBron has never made a secret of his desire to be a business icon. During an ESPN interview early in his career, LeBron said he wanted to be “the richest man in the world.” His decision to leave Cleveland to “take his talents to South Beach” left him unpopular in his native Ohio, “a man without a country.” His desire to be a businessman seems to detract from his devotion to his game, and, as a result, it is doubtful whether he will ever achieve the basketball potential his freakish body gives him.

Hakeem Olajuwon- Avon: Had to go back a little bit for this one, but the Avon of the NBA had to be defensive minded and the NBA's best player at some point. Olajuwon was both. He defended his territory (the paint) as fiercely as Avon defended his corners. Olajuwon was the NBA's best during Jordan's retirement, and his team won two NBA titles. "The Dream" was a cold blooded killer as well, as shown by his absolute decimation of David Robinson during the 95 Western Conference Finals.

Dwayne Wade- Prop Joe: Like Joe, Wade is popular and well liked. Wade’s unification of James and Chris Bosh in Miami with the intent to dominate the NBA is similar to Prop Joe uniting Stringer and Kintel Williams, among others, in the New Day Co-op to ensure safety and profitability for all parties. Like the Co-op, the Wade-James-Bosh Heat may enjoy stints at the top, but it appears that others who aspire to the crown will also have their shot.

Tim Duncan- Gus: Tim Duncan is a great defender, as fundamentally sound as a player can get on both ends, clean cut, never controversial, and a genuinely good guy. He is undoubtedly the best power forward in NBA history, has won 3 championships, and has stayed true to small market San Antonio. Like Gus, he is everything that, in theory, a fan would want. However, also like Gus, in practice fans have found him boring and, worse, a sanctimonious whiner.

Paul Pierce- Daniels: Pierce and Daniels both carried around bad guy reputations for a large part of their careers. Years of playing on a bad Boston team had frustrated Pierce. He was by far the best player on his team and took a great deal of his team’s shots, leading many to think him selfish. However, when the Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, he emerged as the driving force on a championship team. As Daniels transformed into the smart, hard working, loyal, and passionately dedicated leader of the unit once he was surrounded by skilled and passionate officers like McNulty and Freamon, so did Pierce find dormant leadership skills once Garnett and Allen joined the Cs.

Kevin Garnett- Freamon: As Freamon was a great cop who spent most of his career in the pawn shop unit not doing actual policework, Garnett spent most of his career on a bad Minnesota team. When united with Pierce and Allen, Garnett emerged as a mentor to younger teammates and a key player in the Celtics chemistry, just as Freamon helped mentor Pryz and Sydnor. Like Freamon, KG is intensely competitive, which sometimes leads him to do things that tarnish his good guy image.

Derrick Coleman- Roland Pryzbylewski: Coleman and Pryz were both seen as malcontents in their first careers. Pryz was a knucklehead cop, prone to brutality complaints and awful mistakes of judgment. During his NBA career, Coleman was lazy, often out of shape, and had a reputation as a locker room cancer. However, it turned out both were just ill suited to their first jobs and became stars once they found their true calling, Pryz as a caring and talented teacher and Derrick Coleman as a businessman, community leader, and Detroit Public Schools’ Commissioner of Athletics.

Shaquille O’Neal- Bunk Moreland- Big, happy, and gregarious, and often out of shape, Bunk and the Big Aristotle/Cactus/Shamrock are never at a loss for friends or one liners. Both love a good time, which no doubt played a part in their divorces. However, once they step into uniform, Bunk and Shaq have a strong drive that led them to the top of their chosen professions.

Kobe Bryant- Jimmy McNulty- Kobe and Jimmy are both intensely competitive. Jimmy wants only to bring in good cases, and his life is a competition against the drug dealers he chases. Kobe cares only about championships and being the best player in the NBA. Their intense desire to win led each to be the unquestioned best in his field for many years. However, it also alienates those close to them, and each has had significant trouble with their spouses and friends. Kobe and Shaq were once partners, as were Jimmy and Bunk, but Jimmy/Kobe’s desire to win no matter what drove away Shaq/Bunk. Both experienced partial reconciliation, but it is doubtful either pair will ever be as close as they once were.

Kevin Durant- Slim Charles: These tall, lanky guys have both risen to the top fairly recently, and both seem to combine the good qualities of past crown holders. Slim has the business acumen of Stringer, the desire for collaboration of Prop Joe, and the street smarts of Avon. Durant combines Duncan's small market loyalty and good guy personality with the scoring ability and entertainment value of guys like Kobe and Jordan and Garnett's camaraderie boosting leadership abilities. However, this early on, it is hard to tell what kind of top dog these guys will be, what weaknesses they may ultimately have, and how long their run at the top will last.

Derrick Rose- Each has some dirt in his past: Carver began the series as a young hotheaded police officer, and Rose's spurious SAT scores led to the nullification of Memphis's Final Four appearance in 2007. However, each eventually blossomed into a star and the type of leader his position demanded: cares passionately about winning, but also wants those around him to feel valued and be able to achieve their potential.

Back up in your ass with the resurrection.

2011-01-05T00:21:00.003-05:00

Every couple months I come back here hoping that someone magically posted something new. We really should finish this at some point. We got so close only to be turned away at the most important part. Our loyal fan base (us) deserves better. I shit atomically.

Treme

2010-04-14T00:41:00.001-04:00

I miss the wire. "Pandemic"

Free Jameson drink on me . . .

2010-03-17T21:55:00.002-04:00

. . . to the first COTW poster who can identify (and preferably post) the Wire scene featuring the following song:

Happy St Paddy's Day!

2010-03-17T09:14:00.003-04:00

THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN

The cadillac stood by the house
And the yanks they were within
And the tinker boys they hissed advice
'Hot-wire her with a pin'
We turned and shook as we had a look
In the room where the dead men lay
So big Jim Dwyer made his last trip
To the home where his father's laid

Fifteen minutes later
We had our first taste of whiskey
There was uncles giving lectures
On ancient Irish history
The men all started telling jokes
And the women they got frisky
At five o'clock in the evening
Every bastard there was piskey

Fare thee well going away
There's nothing left to say
Farewell to New York City boys
To Boston and PA
He took them out
With a well-aimed clout
He was often heard to say
I'm a free born man of the USA

He fought the champ in Pittsburgh
And he slashed him to the ground
He took on Tiny Tartanella
And it only went one round
He never had no time for reds
For drink or dice or whores
And he never threw a fight
Unless the fight was right
So they sent him to the war

Fare the well gone away
There's nothing left to say
With a slainte Joe and Erin go
My love's in Amerikay
The calling of the rosary
Spanish winde from far away
I'm a free born man of the USA

This morning on the harbour
When I said goodbye to you
I remember how I swore
That I'd come back to you one day
And as the sunset came to meet
The evening on the hill
I told you I'd always love
I always did and I always will

Fare thee well gone away
There's nothing left to say
'cept to say adieu
To your eyes as blue
As the water in the bay
And to big Jim Dwyer
The man of wire
Who was often heard to say
I'm a free born man of the USA

Raise a shot of Jameson (never Bushmills) tonight in honor of McNulty!
Also I should mention that I saw the spitting image of Bunk passed out on the metro today in his suit.

Wee Bey

2010-03-14T20:10:00.000-04:00

You only do 2 days
The day you come in
And the day you get out

Dukie

2010-03-03T14:59:00.002-05:00

I resort to Bill Simmons's "replacement player" analysis here. For those unfamiliar, one factor in Simmons's NBA MVP selection is "value over replacement player." He asks how the team's record would be affected if you replaced the player in question with an average player at that position. For example, replacing Steve Nash with, say, Rafer Alston would probably cost the Suns at least 20 wins. So, how different would the show be with an average gangster in Wee-bey's place, or an average middle schooler in Dukie's? Without Bey, the show is less entertaining, for sure. Bey is a funny bastard, and this is his main contribution to the show. In addition, a random gangster probably doesn't release Namond to Bunny and, like DeLonda, insists that Namond become a "soldier." In this way, Bey shows himself to be a little smarter and more big picture oriented than his street compatriots, at least after some time in jail. In this way, Bey establishes some "value over average street thug" to the storyline

That being said, Dukie has more value. His home life is anything but average, even by West Baltimore standards. As was pointed out in the previous Dukie matchup, we don't know much about Dukie's home life, just that it is terrible. He apparently lives in a shooting gallery lacking plumbing and electricity but bearing no shortage of rats and roaches. Despite this, Dukie is a genuinely kind, intelligent kid. Even though he certainly doesn't fit in on the corner, his more streetwise friends seem to let him stick around because they respect these characteristics. Because of his shitty home life, he can never really excel in school, but his good nature leaves him unequipped for life in the game. Instead, he drops out of both and becomes a drug addict like his parents. This powerful story gives Dukie high value over an average character. He is an example of why the Wire says so much more than similar shows. He gets the nod here.

Bey

2010-03-02T13:49:00.003-05:00

Dukie is an important character with a powerful story, but Bey is awesome and really fun to watch. He's a soldier like Chris, just with more personality. I go with Bey.

"fucked her silly"

Round 2: Wee Bey vs. Dukie

2010-02-28T21:45:00.000-05:00

Wee Bey

Dukie

Winner: Prez

2010-02-28T21:44:00.001-05:00

Votes for Prez (4)

Votes for Clay (1)

In Response to "The Corner"

2010-02-26T10:35:00.002-05:00

From the NY Times

From Two Broken Lives to One New Beginning

Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

Donnie Andrews and Fran Boyd had a complicated courtship. More Photos >

By IAN URBINA

Published: August 9, 2007

BALTIMORE, Aug. 2 — Donnie Andrews was a stickup man with a .44 Magnum who robbed drug dealers and was sentenced to life in prison for murdering one of them.

Multimedia

Slide Show

From Two Broken Lives to One New Beginning

Fran Boyd was a heroin addict who shoplifted to get from fix to fix, passing her stupors in the shooting gallery and stash house that once was her middle-class home.

Their separate stories of decline into drugs and violence are nationally known: Mr. Andrews was the inspiration for the character Omar Little, a ruthless thug who stalks dealers on the HBO series “The Wire.” Ms. Boyd was the protagonist of “The Corner,” an HBO miniseries that chronicled her fall into addiction.

But the story of their shared redemption is less widely known. On Aug. 11, they are getting married after a lengthy courtship that was as much about turning their lives around as it was about finding each other. Over a decade in the making, their union is a source of inspiration for the grittier parts of West Baltimore, where few people who end up on the corner using and selling drugs manage to break free, and even fewer return to make a difference.

“Donnie and Fran are a street version of Cinderella and Prince Charming, but when they fell in love they didn’t have any magical dust in their eyes,” said the Rev. Frank M. Reid III, pastor of the Bethel A.M.E. Church here, who will perform the ceremony. “They also show us something about salvation, since now they’re using their skills from the corner to pull other people through.”

When Mr. Andrews and Ms. Boyd met more than 10 years ago, each was a prisoner — although only one was behind bars — and each began helping the other get free. Ms. Boyd, 50, has been clean for more than 10 years, in large measure, she says, because Mr. Andrews, 53, saw her through the worst times, using all he earned in the prison factory to make daily calls to her. When another man was living with her, when she was too high to make sense, when she screamed at him to stop calling, he called anyway, all the while gently nudging her to get her life back.

“Yeah, she put on a routine, being all tough,” said Mr. Andrews, his 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame enveloping the 5-foot-4 Ms. Boyd in a bear hug. “But who was home every single day waiting by that phone at 4 p.m.?”

The first time they saw photos of each other was two years into their relationship. “By that time, it was too late for us,” said Ms. Boyd, who was introduced to Mr. Andrews over the phone by the police officer who arrested him.

Ms. Boyd spends her days now walking her old haunts, persuading addicts to go into rehab and working with a local hospital’s H.I.V. prevention program, when she is not home raising the three nephews and nieces she rescued from their troubled home.

“I don’t have many heroes left,” said David Simon, a former reporter for The Baltimore Sun who co-wrote “The Corner” and created “The Wire.” “Woody Guthrie and Fran, I guess — and I’m not so sure about Woody.”

Mr. Andrews has come a long way, too. Though he still runs with gang members, these days it is as an antigang outreach worker for the Bethel A.M.E. Church. He served 17 years in prison and was released in 2005 after Ms. Boyd and many of the people responsible for putting him behind bars convinced a judge that he had been rehabilitated.

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Mr. Andrews was known for his drug dealing and daring robberies. But in September 1986 he did something he had not done before. To pay for his worsening heroin habit, he took a job from one drug dealer to kill another, and things did not go as planned.

“My gun jammed,” Mr. Andrews said. “So the guy was lying on the ground, and it gave him a chance to look me in the eye, and he said, ‘Why?’ ”

Nonetheless, he went through with the killing. But he said he could not get the man’s image, the sound of his voice and that question out of his mind. The guilt and shame were too much, he said, and months later he went to the police, turning himself in to Edward Burns, a Baltimore homicide detective who later became Mr. Simon’s writing partner.

In 1987, Mr. Andrews was sentenced to life in prison.

When Mr. Simon met Ms. Boyd in 1992 while working on a book, she was a 90-pound skeleton with bags under her eyes.

“When you’re in the drug scene, all your worst nevers come true,” Ms. Boyd said, describing things she had never thought she would do: stealing from her family, swapping sex for drugs and watching her son De’Andre McCullough start using and dealing at age 15. As Mr. Burns and Mr. Simon were finishing research for their book, also titled “The Corner,” Mr. Burns one day got to bantering with Ms. Boyd: “You think you know it all?” Ms. Boyd recounted him saying. “Well, I got someone for you.”

Mr. Andrews, who was already counseling drug addicts in prison, began calling Ms. Boyd.

“She’s smart, and I knew she could get herself straight,” Mr. Andrews said, “so I kept pushing and then I got hooked on her.”

At the same time, Mr. Andrews began leveraging his ties to the street to help Ms. Boyd’s son escape the world of drug dealing. After a morning of selling drugs on the corner, Mr. McCullough said, he would sometimes return home to find the phone ringing.

“Donnie would be like: ‘I heard you pushing blue tops today and homeboy grabbed your stash a couple hours ago,’ ” he said, alluding to the blue-topped plastic vials that crack used to be sold in. “He knew everything that was going on.”

Mr. McCullough now does odd jobs, working in security and producing aspiring rap artists.

Mr. Andrews was also using his street knowledge inside the prison, starting an antigang workshop, mentoring “young knuckleheads” the prison unit manager sent his way and advising law enforcement officers on gang issues.

As a reporter, Mr. Simon began calling Mr. Andrews in prison regularly to get the background story on each day’s crime news.

For Ms. Boyd, it was fits and starts. She went into rehab but slipped back into her old ways not long after Mr. Simon and Mr. Burns finished their manuscript in 1995. But Mr. Andrews, Mr. Burns and Mr. Simon would not leave her alone, she said, and in late 1996 she stopped using once and for all and began doing antidrug outreach soon after.

Aside from the birth of her grandson, Ms. Boyd said she was also motivated to turn her life around by a sense of mission to get Mr. Andrews out of prison.

Starting in 1998, Ms. Boyd, Mr. Simon and Mr. Burns began lobbying for Mr. Andrews and in subsequent years attended his parole hearings. Even Charles P. Scheeler, the lead federal prosecutor who won Mr. Andrews’s conviction, eventually championed his release after watching his transformation in prison.

“Donnie is a complete anomaly: he’s a convicted murderer who turned himself into a decent human being,” Mr. Scheeler said.

In the book about Ms. Boyd’s life on the street, the authors say two axioms ruled the corner: “Get the blast,” or the high, and “Never say never.”

Although they both still work the corner, she and Mr. Andrews have left the first axiom behind, but they know better than to forget the second.

“No, it’s not a happy-ending story,” Ms. Boyd said, “because we’re just getting started.”

In response to Alps's comment

2010-02-24T23:02:00.001-05:00

My favorite moments are "Prosecutor O-Bond-a" and the point where Rhonnie covers her eyes with her hand because she knows their case is fucked.

Clay Davis

2010-02-24T16:29:00.003-05:00

I know everyone loves Prezbo but I'm gonna vote for Clay. I just think his character is more interesting. Prez is a good teacher but nothing special. He maybe gets through to a couple kids, but we don't really see him making any sort of profound difference on anyone. The institution trumps Prez's good intentions. His career as a police officer is mixed, to be kind. He does some good work as Lester's bitch, and helps put the detail together to get Sobotka. But he made some big mistakes obviously.

Clay is a shithead, but he's (somewhat) realistic, and interesting, and charismatic, and really entertaining to watch. He gives a great performance during his trial, and he's clever and devious.

In good vs. evil, I'm going with evil.

Prez

2010-02-24T12:22:00.002-05:00

As others have said, Clay Davis is pretty hilarious and somewhat important but Prez is to interesting and important a character to lose to Clay. I agree with Brazos though that a Clay Davis dong scene would have been awesome.

The Corner

2010-02-24T10:10:00.002-05:00

So I watched all six episodes of the miniseries The Corner on Sunday. I don't know how I'm still single, either. Anyway, quick synopsis.

-It's an awesome lead-in The Wire, based on the book of the same name written by David Simon and Ed Burns. True story of a family living balls deep in the game.
-The family consists of 2 addict parents and a drug dealing 15 year old son.
-The father Gary didn't fall into drugs until he was 30 and divorced. Previously he was a working man with a bank roll from investing his money. He owned a house and drove a Mercedes.
-The son DeAndre is a low level corner dealer struggling to try and stay off the corner and stay in school and keep a job. It's absurd the amount of responsibility he has to deal with. Some of it is thrust upon him because of his parents' situation. Some of it he creates for himself.
-There's no focus on the cop side or the kingpin side of the game. Compared to The Wire, it's like a much more detailed look at the lives of Bubbles and the kids from Season 4.
-A ridiculous amount of the cast from the Wire is found in this miniseries, but none of them play the main three characters. My list of who I recognized goes as follows:
Lester as an addict
Daniels as an addict
Norman Wilson as an addict
Marla Daniels as an addict
Orlando as a recovered addict
Sydnor as a teenager on the corner
Landsman as the scale man at the metal shop
The real Landsman as one of the few cops we see.
-Also present is David Simon's unending use of metaphor to describe the essence of Baltimore's drug problems. My favorite being Gary's explanation of how the bushel of crabs is like the neighborhood. His speech after going to see Schindler's List was pretty good, too. I won't try and summarize them because I'll probably ruin the points he's trying to make.

It's clearly not as good as The Wire, since it cann't weave an intricate storyline in 6 episodes. But it's ability to focus on the day to day lives of its central characters paints a more detailed picture of West Baltimore than we get in The Wire. While The Wire lets us visit West Baltimore from the viewpoint of outsiders like the cops and the drug kingpins who have moved up from the street, The Corner immerses you in the lowest level of the game. It also shows you how fully dependent the community is on drugs, whether through addiction or employment, and often times both. The final interview with the real people being portrayed in the miniseries is like a punch to the gut. Seeing their actual faces and knowing their story makes the previous 6 hours that much more painful to reflect on. It also enhances the genius of The Wire, proving that much of what David Simon and Ed Burns went on to do in 5 seasons about Baltimore was likely based as much on truth as a work of fiction possibly can be. And the characters of the show, while not always based on actual people, are genuine multi-faceted human beings that are both creators and reflections of their environment. Also, the guy who plays Gary is Milo from the middle school years of Saved by the Bell.

Prezbo

2010-02-23T15:15:00.002-05:00

He started out as the symbol of everything that was wrong with the BPD in Season 1. But the shitbird had a light trigger pull and that wall had it coming. Also, the 14 year old kid looked bad ass with an eyepatch. Come season 4, he struggles to be Robin Williams from Dead Poets' Society in a West Baltimore school. In season 5, he looks more like Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. I honestly think they threw a beard on him in an attempt to make him look more serious as a teacher, but I couldn't stop laughing. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but enjoy Prez's transition throughout the whole series, even knowing that deep down he would usually find a way to fuck up. Perhaps one of my favorite moments in season 1 is when Burrell tells Daniels he's shutting down his case, and when Daniels resists, Burrell tries to sabotage him by leaving him the 2 "worthless" members of his unit, Lester and Prez. Daniels' smirk says it all.

As for Clay, I can't put him down. He's one of the most enjoyable villains on the show, and you can watch his scenes over and over. His conversation with Lester at the end of S5 painted him perfectly as a man with no allegiance to any ideals other than those that provide for his own profit and well being. It's arguable that he was the biggest gangster on the whole show. Funny thing is, he would've been in prison at the end of season 1 if McNulty and company would have been prepared to send the case to the Feds knowing that Avon and others would likely walk after testifying against Davis. Then Bond's ambition got the best of him and Davis waltzed through his own day in court. Finally, Lester struck out with the feds in season 5 because of a personal agenda against the BPD. My point is that while Davis has my attention as a ridiculous politician who entertained me while sucking the city dry, the only reason he remained free at the end of the show was luck aided by the stupidity of other Baltimore officials. He got to fall.

Prez

2010-02-23T09:40:00.002-05:00

Shiiiiiiit can only get Clay so far. Prez goes from terrible to actually pretty awesome. His connection with the school in S4 really brings those two worlds together. If Clay Davis had a blowy scene, maybe he'd stay alive here, but he doesn't so prez gets it.

Prez

2010-02-22T11:29:00.003-05:00

I don't have strong feelings for either character, so I'm gonna do a standard COTW analysis here.

Prez is more important to the show. He cracks the Barksdale's code in Season 1, is the original inspiration behind the unit in Season 2. In Season 4, he illustrates the difficulties of being a rookie teacher in an inner city public school. He ends up bonding with the kids and gaining a measure of respect from them, but is unable to overcome the myriad forces pulling them toward the street. Clay Davis is not important to the plot. If he were removed from the show, only his storyline would have been impacted in any significant way. That storyline serves important purposes, however. It shows how politicians look the other way when dirty money comes their way and how politicians concerned only with keeping their job trick and drag down their constituencies. Still, because Prez is more important to the plot, he wins importance.

Prez is not cut out to be a police officer. He starts out as a knucklehead who is overtaken by the power of his badge, which leads to him blinding a project kid who mouthed off to him by hitting him with the butt of a pistol. He eventually learns to care about and even love investigative police work, but his temper gets him in trouble again when he punches Valcheck, who wants to take him off the detail. His police career ends when he accidentally shoots a fellow officer. As previously discussed, while teaching, Prez is able to earn the respect of his students, which seems better than most inner city teachers are able to do. However, he cannot overcome the students' terrible home lives and ends up losing most of them to the streets. He is not great in the sense that he does not save any of his students, but it is doubtful anyone else could have done better than him. The evaluation of Clay Davis's job performance depends on what his job is. If we say his job is just remaining in office, he is exceptional. He is great at convincing people that they need him and that he can help them. However, if his job is to enact positive change in Baltimore through legislation, he fails and doesn't even really try. I'd rather hold him to the second standard, so I give this to Prez.

Finally, I'd rather hang out with Prez. True, Clay Davis is hilarious and would be pretty entertaining, while Prez is basically a follower. However, I'd know that Davis was trying to get something out of me and would probably eventually stab me in the back. Prez.

Round 2: Clay Davis vs. Prez

2010-02-21T19:42:00.001-05:00

Winner: Bodie

2010-02-21T19:39:00.001-05:00

Votes for Bodie (5)

Votes for D'Angelo (0)

The Corner

2010-02-20T12:03:00.001-05:00

The Corner is also on HBO on demand now. I haven't seen it yet, but have been told to watch it as a lead-in to the Wire. I'll report back on my impressions as I go through it.

Watching the Wire online

2010-02-18T00:09:00.002-05:00

Not sure if you all saw this but HBOGo.com and fancast.com have every episode of the Wire online. You need an HBO account to register for the site, and it only works for certain cable providers (Comcast, FIOS, not sure about the others), but thought I'd post this.

Bodie

2010-02-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

Both characters are interesting and the viewer gets to know both well. Basically what this matchup comes down to for me is that Bodie is a badass whereas D is kind of a pussy. This contrast is summed up by the way each character dies. They are confronted with similar situations where they don't support what their organizations are doing, want out, and decide to go to the authorities in hope of finding a new life. D buckles under the pressure of his family and is stuck in jail and in the game. Despite not telling the DA anything, D is killed by Stringer because he is a liability. Bodie tells McNulty he will cooperate to bring Marlo down and ends up getting taken out by Marlo's muscle on his own corner. Both end up getting taken out for being a liability. Neither Marlo or Stringer knew Bodie and D, respectively, were snitching. Bodie actually was snitching, but he ends up being the brave one for going along with what he feels instead of bowing to pressure. D is whacked in a sneak attack in the prison library, whereas Bodie dies defending his corner for all to see. These characters died how they lived and for that, Bodie wins.

Bodie

2010-02-17T22:01:00.002-05:00

Bodie wins easily. He's way cooler. And his character maturation is just as interesting as D's, and spans a much longer timespan. His scenes with Carv and Herc in S1 are awesome. His interactions w/ Stringer, his efforts to find Marlo, his last stand in S4 -- all awesome. Also, of course, the killing of Wallace...

"We either step up or step the fuck off. That's the game, yo. That's the fucking game."

Bodie

2010-02-16T15:33:00.002-05:00

Bodie is an awesome character who I really missed once he got shot. D was an important character who was at times really fucking annoying and I didn't really miss him when he got suicided. I would definitely rather hang out with Bodie.

Bodie

2010-02-16T14:29:00.002-05:00

Tough call. D was much more important to the show while he was on it, but Bodie's run spanned 4 seasons. Bodie never reached the level in the game that D did, even if it was only because of D's blood relation to Avon, but I rewatched the last few episodes of season 1 on demand over the snow break. It reminded me of how much we see Bodie change over the course of the show. He always talked a big game, but we saw him have to grow up a lot after Stringer put the hit out on Wallace. Over the next couple seasons, he transitions to Marlo's people, even if not by choice. Once he shows a little independence and questions Marlo, that's it for him. But let's look back at his better moments, most of which i pull from season 1 because that's what i've most recently watched.

1. Punching fat useless white cop during the raids on the lowrises.
2. His whole interaction with Herc and Carver from the interrogation room to the pool table.
3. His escape from juvi subsequent to punching fat useless white cop.
4. His heart-wrenching tribute to D in the form of flowers shaped like the 221 building. We should all be so lucky to have a friend like him.
5. Anytime he used a baseball bat on competing dealers/johnny the addict. Actually, I don't think he used a bat on Johnny, but he definitely talked the exact same shit in both scenes while beating someone.
6. Standing his ground on his corner while getting blind-sided with a bullet in the head from Michael.

I know I talked a big game for D last round, but after watching him again in season 1, I realized he barely contributed anything to the show once he was put away. He didn't really have any effect on season 2 until after he died, and even then it wasn't until season 3 that his death was part of the rift between Stringer and Avon. And I'd say it wasn't the main cause of the rift between the two. Bodie's more entertaining and better at his job, and I'd rather hang out with him than D. Bodie may have been more of a supporting character throughout his time on the show compared to D, but his longevity moves him on.

Round 2: Bodie vs D'Angelo

2010-02-14T20:29:00.001-05:00

Bodie

D'Angelo

Winner: Carcetti

2010-02-14T20:27:00.001-05:00

Votes for Carcetti (5)

Votes for Royce (0)

Poll Results:
Carcetti 18-4

Tommy

2010-02-11T10:36:00.003-05:00

Tommy takes this one. He is Simon's illustration of how well intentioned politicians fall victim to their own ambitions. He debuts in Season 3 as ambitious but legitimately concerned about the crime problem, as shown by his willingness to attend meetings no other politician shows up at. Although his ambition turns out to be his fatal flaw, it also enables his run for mayor. A less enterprising man would have avoided running as a white man in majority black Baltimore and certainly would not have run against his former friend Tony Gray. It also leads him to make trade-offs, condemning Hamsterdam when he knows there might be merit to the idea. This continues into his mayoral tenure, as he refuses to accept state help for B-more's struggling schools because he knows it could hurt him in a race for governor. He ends up helping the schools but sacrificing the crime issue he ran on. He transparently rationalizes his actions by saying he can do more for Baltimore from the governor's chair than as mayor. Tommy is a great character for illustrating why politicians are the way they are and how they get that way.

Royce, for the most part, merely stands as a barrier to the progress of what is good and decent in Baltimore. He rewards loyalty, which encourages the promotion of sycophantic police officers willing to do anything to make him look good. His brief turn to the good side when he looks the other way on Hamsterdam plays a large part in his undoing when Carcetti hammers him for it. This brings up issues concerning what should and should not be done in a representative democracy. Should a representative do what his constituents would want (tear down Hamsterdam immediately) or what he feels is best for them (look the other way)? There are compelling arguments for both sides. Simon would seem to espouse the latter, on the grounds that radical experiments will never be tried if left up to the will of the populace. On the other side are those that say that a representative is elected to represent his constituents and should do what they want done. Of course, it could also be said that the founders of this country would have made it a direct democracy instead of a republic had they wanted the will of the people to always predominate. While Royce provokes this interesting debate, this is pretty much the only interesting and non-detestable thing he does the entire show. Carcetti wins.

Tommy C

2010-02-11T09:26:00.002-05:00

This one should be pretty obvious. I'm goin with Tommy. Even though we see Royce's Mayoral Member, we do see Carcetti boning a chick that is not his wife, so he gets points for that. Also as you all have said already, he's more important/interesting so for that reason alone he ends Royce's run.

Tommy Boy

2010-02-10T12:54:00.004-05:00

The last time I posted on Royce, I officially abstained because I didn't want to vote for either him or Gus. That should make my choice in this round pretty obvious. Strangely, I didn't think Carcetti was as big a piece of shit as David Simon intended him to be. He was ambitious to a fault in the later seasons, but who on the show wasn't? Most of our favorite characters showed that same personality flaw. i.e. Carver, Daniels, Marlo, Avon. The only people I can think of that didn't share that trait were Bunk, McNulty, Kima, and Slim Charles. If only everyone else on the planet were as lazy and complacent as me, the world would be a better place.

More importantly, I just googled "The Wire Royce prosthetic penis" and this blog was not in the first page of results. I'm so ashamed right now. Maybe this will help

Most importantly, what was the casting call for the part of the woman blowing him in the office. "Woman in 20's/early 30's. Must be able to deep throat a prosthetic/possibly real penis, and simulate a surprised expression." For some reason I couldn't find out who played this part in IMDB.

Carcetti

2010-02-10T12:45:00.003-05:00

Royce might be more fun to hang out with, but I could also seem him being pretty condescending. Carcetti also seems a bit smarter/more intellectual, so I feel he might be more interesting to talk to. I feel like Royce is probably funnier, but his jokes would probably be at my expense.

Another question:
Who would you rather spend one night with-- Kate from Lost or Lyla Garrity from Friday Night Lights?

Carcetti

2010-02-10T10:29:00.002-05:00

Royce is a fun character and I love that we get to see his dong, but Carcetti wins. Royce is most interesting when he and Carcetti are running against each other in season 4 and I think Carcetti adds much more to the show. I do like how the writers did not make Royce a complete scumbag when he considers keeping Hamsterdam running. Of course, he ends up getting fucked for it in the end which I guess is kind of the point.

Not sure who wins the guy I'd like to hang out with matchup here. I think both would be pretty fun. My gut tells me that Royce might get the slight edge there. Although I would never play poker with him when he's mayor. Don't be an asshole when ppl are intentionally losing money to you, just shut up and take it.

Juking the stats

2010-02-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

Making felonies into misdemeanors

Round 1: Carcetti vs. Royce

2010-02-04T11:38:00.000-05:00

Carcetti

Royce

Winner: Avon

2010-02-04T11:36:00.001-05:00

Votes for Avon (5)

Votes for Prop Joe (0)

Poll Results:
Avon 27-4

Name a Horse

2010-02-02T14:49:00.006-05:00

A friend of mine who shows horses just got a new horse and needs a name. An avid fan of the Wire, she wants it to be Wire-related. It also needs to be clever. Or possibly fancy.

Characteristics of the horse:
It's gray.
It just came from Europe.

She has committed to letting Crownofthewire.blogspot.com name her horse. Please submit all possible names in posts within 24 hours. Whoever wins gets a free horse. Commence.

Avon

2010-02-02T12:31:00.002-05:00

Avon. It's not even close in my book. Prop Joe is a great addition to the show, but his efforts to make the game a business, like String, ultimately are futile. Avon knew what it took, and if he deserves to advance. He is the most entertaining and captivating kingpin on the show in my opinion. Plus I would love to grab some hennessey with him. And hennessey is disgusting.

Avon

2010-02-01T09:20:00.002-05:00

E-Rob is right, Avon wins. Joe deserves a lot of credit for being a real important character that added a lot to this show. Avon is just too awesome to lose here. Sorry Joe. Joe is also really fat which is kind of funny.

Avon

2010-01-31T19:23:00.002-05:00

Avon wins, but I gotta say a few words about Prop Joe before he goes. Joe was concerned with one thing: profit. He was good at making money, too. He was able to obtain the best dope connect in Baltimore through the Greek. He also negotiated a peace with Stringer and other Baltimore drug dealers, forming the New Day Co-op and decreasing the body count while increasing the income. Unfortunately for him, the same attributes that led to his success (a desire to work with people and cut down on violence) led to his downfall. He did not understand that not everyone could be trusted. He tried working with Marlo, not realizing that Marlo would only be satisfied when he was running everything. The irony is, Joe made Marlo. Without Joe, Marlo would not have met Levy or the dirty minister who laundered money. He could not have bought the connect from the Greeks. Marlo used the knowledge Joe imparted to bring him down. Marlo was assisted by Joe's nephew, Cheese, whom Joe kept close despite knowing he was "a disappointment."

Avon, meanwhile, lacked Joe's weakness for trusting people and was an extremely important character in Seasons 1 and 3. He moves on here. Now, time to kill off Joe:

Poor Ziggy

2010-01-28T23:44:00.001-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/opinion/28kristof.html?ref=todayspaper

Avon

2010-01-28T05:33:00.004-05:00

This has got to be Avon. Kind of surprising that there are still blowouts in the second round, but that's definitely the case here. So, I am just going to post some absurd links. And, not all about Avon.

We war on that lie

Wallace is out of pocket, two days.

What I tell you bout playing those fuckin away games.

You think I'd run a stop with 40k?

SOTU (Avon)

2010-01-27T19:20:00.002-05:00

Obama's State of the Union Address is a couple hours away. This reminds me of the scene in Season 1 when McNulty refuses to join the team when they go chasing after Avon after the basketball game. Why does McNulty need to see what he looks like? Why do I care what Obama says tonight? Anything important has almost certainly already been reported, and if not, will DEFINITELY be reported by tomorrow. For example, I already know Obama is going to say "we face a deficit of trust." This is SO important. Which should we conquer first -- the deficit of trust or the deficit of hope? All I know is tonight will be 1 hour (at least 2 hours) of Obama boringness. I'd rather be getting hammered with McNulty and Bunk. People are retarded.

I vote for Avon. Give him his fucking corners.

Round 2: Avon vs. Prop Joe

2010-01-27T02:50:00.001-05:00

Avon

Prop Joe

Winner: Bunk

2010-01-27T02:49:00.002-05:00

Votes for Bunk (6)

Votes for Sydnor (0)

Poll Results:
Bunk 10-0

Bunk

2010-01-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

Jimmy taught me that.

Da Bunk

2010-01-26T12:19:00.001-05:00

Sorry about cha Sydnor, but ya can't stand up to the greatest character in the history of television. Which raises the question, why are we even doing this competition? Bunk walks, cause he never runs.

Bunk

2010-01-26T11:21:00.002-05:00

Bunk is infinitely more entertaining. Never while watching the show did I say "Holy shit, Sydnor's on screen! This is gonna be awesome." In contrast, Bunk was in countless classic scenes, one of which is posted below. Bunk, easily.

Bunk

2010-01-26T10:04:00.002-05:00

No contest.

So I was in a staff meeting at work the other day when the kindly old receptionist lady interrupted by saying, "The Fedex guy is here. He says he's got a big package." I was one of only 3 people out of 30 who laughed out loud. Accountants are the worst.

Bunk

2010-01-26T09:42:00.002-05:00

Bunk's cigar/dong/left pinky finger beats Sydnor here. Loved Syd, but we have barely scratched the surface on describing how awesome Bunk is. I'll save that for later rounds.

The Bunk

2010-01-25T15:35:00.002-05:00

Sydnor is awesome because his development might be the most fun to watch. The scene when he's running the surveillance team show how he's become an excellent investigator thanks in the most part to Lester. However, Bunk is far too dominant for Sydnor to even press him here. Bunk might be the greatest character in the whole show. I love him with all my heart and would love to get drunk with him some time and light shit on fire. He's amazing. To me there is no question here, sorry Leander.

"Me on the glenlivet, you on the jamey..."

Bunk vs. Sydnor

2010-01-24T22:45:00.001-05:00

Bunk

Sydnor

Winner: Chris

2010-01-24T22:36:00.002-05:00

Votes for Chris (5):
Teev
Alps
Poe House
Zoo Zoo
E-Rob

Votes for Snoop (0)

Poll Results:

18-9 Chris

Can a "real gangsta ass nigga" still flex his nuts?

2010-01-23T15:08:00.001-05:00

In the Geto Boys’ rap “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangster,” (made famous by its appearance in “Office Space” and Barack Obama’s presidential victory celebration), the Geto Boys opine about what it means to be a “real gangster ass nigga..” At one point, they state that “real gangsta ass niggas don’t flex nuts, cause real gangsta ass niggas know they got ‘em.” I want to analyze this statement in terms of the Wire because, for me, the Wire most accurately depicts “real gangsta ass niggas.”

First, its important to define what flexing nuts really means. I see flexing nuts as saying or doing things to prove one’s manhood to others (and possibly also to the flexer himself). In the Wire world, a nut flexer might boast of how many people he’s killed (think D’Angelo in season 1) or kill people for no reason other than to prove to others that he’s tough.

So who in the Wire flexes his nuts? Well, like I said, D’Angelo clearly flexes his nuts to show the boys in the pit he’s tough. He claims to have killed Avon’s fine ass bitch (he hadn’t seen one finer since) when in fact it was Wee-bay. Surely, Namond is constantly flexing his nuts to the point that his nuts must be bleeding from the frequency and intensity of their flexing.

But I also think Marlo does some nut flexing of his own. I focus on Marlo because he seems to me to be the epitome of a “real gangsta ass nigga.” Lets look at when he kills the security guard. Clearly this person posed no threat to Marlo or his reputation. Marlo simply kills him, or has him killed, because he can. Is Marlo flexing his nuts in this instance? I would initially say yes, except for the fact that the security guard goes into a vacant. The bodies in the vacants are never meant to be found. Therefore, these murders don’t seem like attempts to show others how Marlo is such a badass. Killing someone to make a point to others, only to then hide it, would defeat the entire purpose.

However, Marlo’s killing of June Bug comes to mind. Marlo kills June Bug because he supposedly said that Marlo sucks dick. Michael questions Marlo’s decision to kill June Bug in the beginning of this clip:

No attempts are made to hide June Bug’s murder. In fact, Marlo murders June Bug’s entire family (with the exception of that one kid) and leaves them in their home for the whole world to see. (Contrast the June Bug murders with the murders of those left in the vacants. In the vacant murders, Marlo uses the vacant homes to cover up the killings. In the June Bug murders, Marlo uses their home to show the whole world what Marlo will do to you if you suggest that he repeatedly gargles ballsack.)

Now this killing could be explained by the fact that Marlo might be perceived as weak by rivals if he does not kill June Bug for calling him a dicksuck. Marlo might think, perhaps correctly, that if he allows one rival to call him a dicksuck, then soon many others, including those that work with him and could possibly bring him down, might be calling him a dicksuck, thereby preventing Marlo from effectively running his organization and protecting his interests. But killing June Bug’s ENTIRE family seems excessive. You’d think that Marlo could still protect his interests in this regard by just killing June Bug. So is this an instance of Marlo flexing his nuts?

And if so, are the Geto Boys correct? If Marlo flexes his nuts, is Marlo a “real gangster ass nigga?” What other characters in the Wire flex nuts? Does this make them weaker characters (on the street and in this tournament)? Which characters are “real gangster ass niggas” as the Geto Boys define them?

Things to think about on a Saturday without football…

Chris

2010-01-21T20:25:00.002-05:00

Anything I say here will echo what has already been posted on the subject, so I will keep it short. Chris moves on because he is a deeper character. The viewer gets brief glimpses into his family life and his past (with the violent beating of Bug's dad). He is cold, calculating, and intelligent. Other than the aforementioned beating of Bug's dad, he remains detached from his work and his victims, which, as mentioned by Poe House, brings to mind serial killers. He has an almost supernatural quality to him that makes the boys talk in hushed tones about "special dead." Snoop is merely a street thug who wants to be feared on the corner, although an extraordinarily effective one. She doesn't have the brains to rise to the top and become a kingpin. The viewer knows nothing about where she came from. Her primary appeal comes from her being an unlikely street thug given her sex and comical appearance. I still wonder how somebody who looks so damn ridiculous can be so intimidating. Still, Chris is the more complete character and moves on.

Parlow

2010-01-21T11:50:00.003-05:00

Alps hits it on the head, its Chris' depth that give him an advantage here. Snoop is a thug and is funny, but thats about it. Chris is got a little more to him. Sorry for the short post, busy week.

Chris

2010-01-21T10:54:00.003-05:00

I agree with what the last two panelists have said. Both of these characters are interesting and fun to watch but Chris is more interesting. As mentioned before, his mysterious family and his past add depth to his character and make him win out over Snoop. Snoop is really just kind of hilarious. She's a ridiculous character and smoking hot but Chris is the ultimate badass. Snoop's character deserves credit for its originality and I guarantee we will never see a character like her on another TV show ever again. But Chris gets my vote.

Chris

2010-01-20T15:37:00.003-05:00

This is an awkward round. People are either holding things back for later rounds or have already used up most of what they wanted to say in the prior round. This clip isn't one of the best, but i felt like using it anyway.

"Make it no bail."

I'm choosing Chris is in this matchup for 2 reasons. First, I appreciate the relationship he has with Michael. It's one of the few father-son dynamics on the show, which is an interesting commentary on the urban environment of West Baltimore in itself. He's a better father to Michael than McNulty is to his kids, better than Avon is to D, better than Frank Sobotka is to Ziggy, etc.

Second, Chris' role as a cold blooded killer is reminiscent of a serial killer, and to me, that makes him one of the more bad ass people in the show. We catch a glimpse into his past when we see how violently he dispatches Bug's dad, leaving us to assume as previously discussed that he was sexually abused as a child. The role he plays in the drug game as muscle doesn't come from a desire to wear the crown or even to maintain any kind of rep. It's almost like he does the work because it's part of who he is. I see a lot of parellels to the show Dexter here with his double life as a family man as well as his adherance to a "code. Although his code is basically to do whatever Marlo says, it's still a set of values by which he lives. He's emotionally cold, but obviously shares connections with people around him. The only emotion we really get to see from him is anger in the murder mentioned above.

Snoop, on the other hand, is a much simpler character. She's concerned about her rep above all else. I couldn't find the clip, but she talks about how hiding the bodies in the vacants is doing nothing for her rep in Baltimore. Moreso, she was resentful of how Chris looked after Michael. She's one of the most entertaining characters on the show to me, particularly because there seems to be little distinction between her character and her real life persona. But she got to fall here.

Chris

2010-01-20T15:36:00.002-05:00

In some ways, Snoop is a more interesting character. As mentioned last round, the idea of a girl who looks like a 12-year old boy being one of the most feared assassins in ghetto B-More would seem to farfetched to be taken seriously... except that Snoop is actually real (except the "most feared" might be a bit exaggerated I'm assuming). Snoop's absurd dialect is awesome once you get used to it, and she has a lot of awesome lines.
"His sister, his mi-mah, some fag he be with. All that shit count."
"We ain't even have a chance to get himself inside the house."
"Maybe we should go buy some toys for your kids."
"Dude is funky."

But can I really vote for her over Chris? Chris is obviously the leader of the duo. He's more cerebral, has more responsibility, and thus plays a much more important role in running the Stanfield operation. His life is complex and mysterious (child abuse, nuclear family in the suburbs), which I think makes his character a lot more interesting. I love his boundless loyalty to Marlo -- for example, how he sits in the parking lot while Marlo has sex with Devonne. But yet he's still the only person who can second guess Marlo, whose opinion Marlo truly respects and listens to. When Marlo meets with Vondas, and gloats about the crown ("do it feel like a crown on your head? do it?"), Chris seems unimpressed-- he's not in it for the crown. He just wants Omar. (I also think an awesome little detail of that scene is how awkward Marlo is when putting his hand on Chris's shoulder. Like they are just completely uncivilized, lacking the normal social skills and emotional capacities that normal people develop.)

So I'm going with Chris. Snoop is awesome, and is really a great character, as we all discussed last round. But Chris gets the nod.

In related news, some panelists/readers who follow Bill Simmons's columns or have read his recent book might be familiar with this fantasy basketball proposal of his:
"I wish we could choose two teammates to combine for fantasy purposes every season. Back when they played on the Pacers together, I always wanted to combine Antonio Davis and Dale Davis into one roto monster called Uber-Davis for my fantasy league. Now I'm thinking that, before every season, we could vote on ESPN.com for a pair of teammates to be combined for fantasy purposes to make drafts more interesting. For instance, Oden and Joel Przybilla could become "Joreg Przyboden" with an '09 average of 14-16 with 2.4 blocks. You wouldn't have enjoyed rooting for Joreg Pryzboden?"
Wouldn't Chrissnoop be such an amazing roto monster? Wouldn't you enjoy rooting for that 2-headed monster?

Luda

2010-01-20T12:12:00.001-05:00

Gotta go with Chris

R.I.P. Brazos's Good Tyme Tavern

2010-01-20T01:47:00.003-05:00

Damn, I never even got to pay proper respects...

Colvin

2010-01-19T21:10:00.002-05:00

Sorry I didn't post when this match up was going on. I was away for the holiday weekend and recently my boss has crawled up my ass and set up residence in my colon. Obviously Colvin won this already but I wanted to cast my vote. I like Herc's character until the 4th season when David Simon and the writers (I'm going to call them the bosses from now on) decide that he will be the personification of all that is fucked up in B-More. They sacrifice Herc's character and have him destroy everyone's life and look like a douchebag in the process. And then the bosses and insult to injury by having Herc driving a Benz making tons of money working for scum defense attorneys. But I remember thinking before season 4 that Herc was pretty hilarious guy who'd be fun to hang out with. I'd probably rather go out drinking in a bar with season 3 Herc rather than Colvin. Although he only gets a slight advantage because I'm betting that Colvin could really throw down in his day (remember how he slams that beer after Dozerman gets shot? Also him chucking the beer on the roof was badass).

But anyway, Colvin is a good guy who takes care of his troops and in desperation tries to do something, anything, to save his district. Of course, he gets shat on but rather than turn to the dark side and protect assholes who beat the shit out of hookers he starts working for a school and eventually adopts Namond. The fact that he adopts Namond is a bit much in my opinion and pushes the limits of reality, but whatever its a good story. The scene at the end of season 4 when he convinces wee-bay to let him take Namond is pretty fucking awesome. Watching those two hunks of dark man meat talk makes me wish there was no glass between them and they could just take their shirts off and rub oil on themselves like men do.

So I would have gone with Colvin, I'll post on Chris v. Snoop tomorrow unless my boss takes a shit on me while she shits inside my intestines thereby forcing me to shit her shit plus my shit which would thereby ruin my shitting, one of the best parts of my day.

Good Tyme Tavern FOR LIFE!!!

Domenick Lombardozzi

2010-01-19T11:18:00.003-05:00

Before going into this matchup, I have to point out something that can't be ignored.

So fresh off his loss to Bunny Colvin, the actor who portrayed Herc, Domenick Lombardozzi appears on 24 as an asshole NY cop. Note that his accent didn't change from his Baltimore character of similar violent predispositions. Also note that he was one of the least likeable people to appear in the show thus far, and that's in comparison to Freddie Prinze Jr. and some guy who's got ex-con date rapist written all over his character.

I'm afraid our man Dom, who donned the same name in his brief stint as the terrible ex-con friend in Entourage, will never be anything more than the person I most hate whenever he appears on television. The irony is, he's a common thread in several of my favorite shows, so i have to appreciate the actor himself. I hope that his appearance as Schmitty in Untitled Beach Movie can end this actor's run of being the worst person on my favorite shows.

Round 2: Chris vs. Snoop

2010-01-18T20:15:00.000-05:00

Chris

Snoop

Winner: Bunny Colvin

2010-01-18T20:13:00.002-05:00

Votes for Colvin (6):
Zoo Zoo
Teev
MWAC
Poe House
E-Rob
Brazos

Votes for Herc (0)

Poll Results:
Colvin 14-2

Colvin

2010-01-18T15:20:00.002-05:00

Doesn't look like Herc has any chance here. The guy's a blunt instrument who didn't have the brains to advance in the department like Carver.

As for Colvin, I disagree with any assessments that Colvin's choices stemmed from any desire to be an agent of social reform. He was clearly frustrated with his inability to do his job with the resources he had so he turned to some outside the box thinking for Hamsterdam. He even made comments about how if it doesn't work out, fuck it, he's due to retire soon anyway. His execution may have been a bit naive, but you have to appreciate his "what do I have to lose" attitude. Whether or not it was morally or legally appropriate, it was an awesome storyline to examine what it could possibly be like if the parts of Baltimore that David Simon believes are being left behind were actually left to their own devices.

B-rabbit

2010-01-18T10:43:00.003-05:00

Bunny takes it easily, as has been stated. Herc is actually a pretty great character in my opinion, especially paired with Carver. He provides a bunch of great lines/situations in the first two seasons. But he is an asshole and ends up being most remembered in the later seasons for peepin royce's blowy and seeing his erect member. So his run at the crown ends predictably early. Bunny is an intriguing character that could prove to be a tough matchup in later rounds.

Bunny

2010-01-17T17:47:00.002-05:00

The man is nicknamed "Bunny" and is still a badass. The only potential beef I see with him is that, like some have said about Augustus and Slim Charles, he is a little too perfect. He is David Simon's "get shit done" piece in Seasons 3 and 4. When Simon wants to make an argument in favor of drug decriminalization, he uses Bunny. When he wants to claim that corner kids should be taught social skills before being thrown into a normal public school classroom, he uses Bunny. Because of this, I would say he is the character most similar to Augustus before Season 5. Fortunately for his character, Simon does not have the same venom in the educational and legalization debates as in the newspaper issue, so Bunny does not quite come off in the same way. He is still a guy I'd like to hang out with. Also, because Simon uses him to make some fairly convincing arguments, I'll give him the edge in importance. He is better at every job he holds than Herc is at his, so Bunny wins easily here.

I don't want to let Herc pass without saying a few words about his importance. He is vital to show the other side of Carver . . . the cops who never get beyond busting heads. He is also another side of characters like Valcheck and Burrell who put their careers over policework and get ahead. Herc does what he can to try to advance his career, but gets done in for being a fuckface and screwing Bubs over. He ends up with a well paying job working for Levy, but he does show that sometimes bad cops do get what's coming to them. Simon's final message regarding promotion in the BPD seems to be that it is a crapshoot: sometimes good guys get promoted, sometimes assholes get promoted, and there is no rhyme or reason to any of it. Herc plays a major part in this and I wanted to point that out before he succumbs in this round.

Bunny

2010-01-17T12:12:00.000-05:00

Herc sucks

Colvin

2010-01-15T14:56:00.003-05:00

Herc has some good moments, especially in the early seasons. He's a great example of what happens when a shitty cop is given real responsibility. I also think he'd be a lot of fun to hang out with.

But he's got no shot against Colvin. Colvin can certainly be preachy and naive. And Hamsterdam as executed as a longterm plan was kind of retarded. But it's awesome he had the initiative, brains, and balls to try something like that. I have mixed feelings about his bonding with Namond in S4-- on the one hand it's nice to see; on the other hand it's a little forced, a little too "feel-goody". Regardless, Colvin marches on easily in this round.

Colvin

2010-01-14T11:30:00.002-05:00

To me this is easy. Herc is a douche, Colvin isn't. I know that Colvin invokes a lot of negative feeling on the chain because people see him as a pussy or something. I can see that. But, he basically creates the most interesting story line of Season 3 and is a focal character in the most pivotal story line of Season 4. I do think people who see Colvin as this great social force, re-designing inner city life as we know it, are a bit retarded. And I think that adds to the opinion that Colvin is a pussy. Colvin just mixes it up a little, and I appreciate that.

Other things to consider about Colvin:

1) His interplay with String, which helps bring down Avon for good. Plus, its awesome that he is the only police String respects enough to talk to
2) Mentoring of Carver. Colvin, more than Daniels, is responsible for turning Carver from a douche (a la Herc) into good police.

Colvin, with ease.

Round 2: Herc vs. Colvin

2010-01-14T02:28:00.000-05:00

Herc

Colvin

Winner: Omar

2010-01-14T02:25:00.002-05:00

Votes for Omar (5):
Zoo Zoo
Poe House
Alps
Teev
Brazos

Votes for Slim (1):
E-Rob

Shitbird Abstains (3):
MWAC
TPW
Black Charles

Poll Results:
Omar 16-2

Omar

2010-01-13T12:59:00.002-05:00

Slim is awesome, and E-Rob's post is excellent in that it almost made me change my vote to Slim. However, despite E-Rob's good points, Omar is just too dominant and too important to lose to Slim. I considered voting for Slim out of respect since Omar is clearly gonna win this, but I didn't want to vote for someone I didn't believe should win. Sorry Slim, you're still the man, please don't kill me.

Omar Comin...

2010-01-13T11:07:00.002-05:00

I gotta vote Omar here. He is just too awesome and too important to the show. Slim isn't even in the first 2 seasons so he can't really compare to a character that is a major player for just about every episode of every season.

Slim is awesome, and I like him a lot. As you can tell from my first round post on him. I think E-Rob brings up a good point to think about. What would happen to Slim in season 6? I think that he is probably not strong/smart/cutthroat enough to survive for long as a kingpin. I think all the reasons we love Slim are all reasons he would be bad as a top dog. I mean he says it himself at a COOP meeting, he just isn't cut out to be on the top. I see Slim getting got by an ambitious underling while he is stoned out of his mind at a stripclub. That's just how I see Slim.

Slim

2010-01-13T00:34:00.003-05:00

I don't love Omar as much as most fans of the show. While his justification of his profession is something I can agree with ("Its all in the game"), I feel his code stops arbitrarily. If he can kill drug dealers who resist him, why can the Barksdales not kill Brandon to protect their stash? Brandon and Omar are in the game, same as everyone else. It would seem that his revenge should have been confined to the game, but he felt justified cooperating with the police (outside the game). Brandon's murder (brutal as it was) was a part of the game. I can understand innocent bystanders going to the police. I can also understand people in the game who are unabashedly out for their own self interest to be willing to cooperate with police. Omar, however, claims to be a man with a code. Yet, when the game gets, as Slim might say, "too fierce," Omar's code goes out the window.

I am also a big fan of Slim. He starts off in Season 3 as a loyal and supremely competent lieutenant in the Barksdale organization. He attempts to cover for Cutty when he can't pull the trigger in a hit and respects him after he leaves the game. He understands the harm killing someone like Clay Davis would cause the organization. He luckily escapes the mass arrests of the Barksdales and moves on to Joe's organization. He rebuffs Marlo's efforts to get him to turn on Joe and remains loyal till the end. In the show's last episode, he kills Cheese for turning on his uncle and ends up the most satisfying drug kingpin possible. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened in a Season 6: would Slim have remained competent and likable or would power have corrupted him the way it did Carcetti? I see Teev's point about Slim being "too perfect." However, I would like to point out that he is still a part of the drug trade that destroys Baltimore's inner city. Just because he is good at his job and likable does not make him an agent of good; he is in fact a more efficient agent of evil. Therefore, I cannot see him as annoyingly flawless in the same was as Augustus. Furthermore, even though Omar is more badass, I would rather hang out with Slim than the constantly moralizing Omar. I give Slim this matchup (although I would add that Omar may be too important a character to eliminate and I may have voted differently if this matchup were competitive).

Omar Gooding

2010-01-12T18:50:00.002-05:00

Part of me thinks this matchup is lopsided enough that no explanation is needed, and that's the part of me that's typing right now. Omar.

I was looking for a clip of Omar Gooding from Playmakers or Wild and Crazy Kids, but found this instead. Victory!!

Omar

2010-01-12T13:48:00.002-05:00

Slim is an amazing, understated character that you can't help but love and respect. Omar just is too dominant to even be challenged in these early rounds. Omar comin.

Omar

2010-01-12T13:35:00.006-05:00

Omar.

Slim Charles: Obviously Slim is awesome, but is he not a little too perfect? Is there anything he ever does that can be criticized at all? He is kind of like a not-annoying not-patronizing version of Augustus. He's too perfect. All the other characters on this side of the bracket have their strengths and their flaws; they do some things we like and some things we either don't like or cringe at/make excuses for. I'm not sure we can say that for Slim. He takes the fall for Cuddy when he opened up to quick, he's loyal to the bone to Avon/Prop Joe, he has no ambition to rise under Marlo, he accepts his expected impending fate with courage when nabbed by Omar. Maybe he is a little insensitive to Bodie when he tells him about the man who rub his hands together, but for a soldier like Slim that's a pretty compassionate move.

On to Omar. Why does he rob drug dealers? After Brandon dies, and after Butchie dies, we see Omar's code come out, his pathological need to settle scores, to get revenge, to extinguish his emotional anguish. But why does he choose this profession to begin with?

It seems he's driven by a moralistic/conscientious need to "punish bad people." The reason he robs and kills drug dealers, but not citizens, is because they're "in the game" and therefore are deserving targets. "Money ain't got no owners, only spenders." Unless you're a poor working man trying to get on the bus...

Look at how much pride is on his face when he tells Ileen Nathan about his occupation. (Also, clearly both Levy and Nathan would be fired immediately if that scene happened in real life.) There is obviously some vanity there, some McNulty-esque "look how awesome I am" because I'm taking down the big bad drug dealers.

Obviously, Omar is awesome. He's an incredibly interesting compelling character, he does some incredible things (like steal the whole shipment in S4), and he is filled with profound wisdom.

Omar reminds me of Bob Woodward. You have the man with the crown (Obama, Bush, Avon, Marlo) who is completely insulated; no one can touch him, or hurt him, or get at him. Except one motherfucker who is just the thorn in his side and cannot "get got" -- Omar or Woodward.

Omar does whine a LOT though. I think you could make a youtube video at least 10 min long just of Omar whining. Handling his emotional anguish like a man from the streets is not something Omar ever learned to do, apparently...

Also, I feel like Eminem's verse on Lil Wayne's album is very appropriate for Omar.

This crooked mind of mine got ‘em all
Shook and scared to look in my eyes
I stole that fuckin’ clock
I took the time, and I
Came up from behind
And pretty much snuck up
And buttfucked this game up
Better be careful when you bring my name up
Fuck this fame, that ain’t what
I came to claim but the game
Ain’t gonna be the same on the day that I leave it
But I swear one way or another I’ma make these fuckin’ haters believe that
I swear to God, won’t spare the rod
I’m a man of my word, so your fuckin heads better nod
Or I’ma fuck around in this bitch and roast everybody
Sleep on me, that pillow is where your head’ll lie
Permanently, bitch, it’s beddy-bye
This world is my Easter egg, yeah, prepare to die

Does this not describe Omar? Scared to look in his eyes. Stole the time. Snuck up and buttfucked this game up. Not in it for the fame. A man of his word. I don't know- maybe I'm reading too much into "buttfucking."

Round 2: Omar Little vs. Slim Charles

2010-01-11T18:08:00.000-05:00

Omar Little

Slim Charles

Winner: Carver

2010-01-11T18:02:00.002-05:00

Votes for Carver (5):
Teev
E-Rob
Poe House
MWAC
Zoo Zoo

Votes for Daniels (4):
Brazos
Alps
Black Charles
TPW

Poll Results:
12-6 Carver

Daniels

2010-01-11T15:20:00.002-05:00

I like the bad ol' days mysterious back-story, the attempt at creating a character that's working within the system to "do good" but unwilling to really challenge the status quo, and the sculpted abs. I'd much rather grab a beer with Carver, but there isnt really much to his character besides the fact that he's cool and embodies that incompetent-cop-turns-good narrative, albeit with the extremely heart wrenching scene with Randy towards the end of the show.

Daniels.