Top 50 Characters of The Wire 20-16

#20
Ellis Carver

How He Fit: From being pretty much interchangeable with Herc in season 1, it’s pretty amazing how far along Carver came. Part of The Wire’s frequent message that with the right individual’s help (when not impeded by some sort of institution) someone as lousy as Carver can actually make himself into a better person. After Daniels catches him snitching at the end of season 1, we see a slight improvement in Carver, but for the most part he goes to his old ways until Colvin finally shapes him up in season 3. He was one of my favourite aspects of season 4 (among many other things) just because with all the bleakness of that season it was nice to see him improve himself. By the end he’s set to become the next Daniels.

What I Liked: I always thought he was slightly better than Herc, so even in the first couple of seasons I usually enjoyed his presence more because at least whenever they were having a funny conversation I knew there was at least some likeability in there. Still there’s no way he would be this high if not for his transformation of the 3rd and 4th seasons. Seeing how his whole attitude towards the job changes is more of the more subtly affecting things on the show for me personally. And especially with his relationship with Randy, that just absolutely killed me. It was still nice to see him get a good ending after everything.

Top 3 Moments:

3. His epic yelling speech on top of the car. “ We will beat you longer and harder than you beat your own dick!”

2. His friendly “hello” conversation with Bodie in early season 4.

1. Punching the steering wheel in the car after dropping Randy off. Ugh. I could barely watch.

#19
Dennis “Cutty” Wise

How He Fit: Introduced in season 3 as someone entering back into the game, Cutty takes a few wrong turns but ends up opening up a gym and becoming one of the few uplifting stories of the show. He guides through as many boys as he can to take them away from the hard life of the drug trade, but as we see so many tragically fall through the cracks.

What I Liked: Cutty’s story might be called one of the more “predictable” of the show, but I don’t really see this as a bad thing. Although it is perhaps not as common as those go right back into the criminal lifestyle after a jail sentence, there are those out there who just can’t do it anymore and want to try to do something more. Seeing him go through the headache of getting permits and dealing with the hoppers who show no respect to him makes me admire his character even more. By that point I would probably just give up and go back to making easy money. It is so rewarding to see him just able to get a job to help out the area and give kids a choice away from drugs. A rare and very small victory, but it’s nice that even on a show this cynical that these things can actually happen.

Top 3 Moments:

3. Going to help Michael on the corner and getting shot for his troubles.

2. Telling Avon the game isn’t for him anymore.

1. Staring down Fruit, both of them knowing their history. One of many great dialogue free moments on the show.

#18
Roland “Prez” Pryzbylewski

How He Fit: One of the most overtly stupid, incompetent and dislikeable characters at the beginning of the show, and seemingly representing what is wrong with police, he turns around once he finds a mentor (Lester) who guides him into something much more of his liking. After one fuck-up he just couldn’t get around, he becomes a school teacher in what surely single-handily turns him into one of the 20 best characters on the show.

What I Liked: Like most I despised the guy at first, with his brutality and incompetence, and being able to get away with it every time. Slowly we start seeing how he is capable in terms of problem solving, and how much that goes towards the cases. In a way Prez is very similar to Ziggy: both are complete fuck-ups who one would normally despise on real life, but Prez has the support system to grow him out of that. Sadly the street is his undoing when he accidentally shoots a black officer, but through this finds himself as a teacher in a completely different war. Season 4 Prez is one of my favourite character evolutions in television history (probably helps that it was based on Ed Burns’ actual shift between the two. His relationship with Dukie and Randy in particular are two of the most depressing stories I’ve ever encountered.

Top 5 Moments:

5. Both of his Johnny Cash montages, in season 2 setting up all the players in The Greek’s organization, and in season 4 setting up his classroom.

4. Laughing at “tickle my nuts”. I could relate.

3. Doing everyone but himself a favour by punching Valchek.

2. Figuring out the original code in season 1. I was impressed.

1. Getting Dukie his clothes for the first time. This show so often avoids sentimentality that it was just enough for me.

#17
Avon Barksdale

How He Fit: The first name I learned on the show, and the original player from which the rest of the story comes. He’s the big name at the start of season 1, pretty much owning the most important property in West Baltimore for drug trafficking and the unit’s #1 target. He continues to be head honcho even after going into prison (although Stringer takes over while he is there) and after a ridiculously short sentence pretty much jumps the awesomeness of season 3, before being caught again and serving at least the rest of the show out.

What I Liked: Avon from the beginning struck me as being fairly similar to what I pictured a major black drug kingpin would be like, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t surprise me and have a lot of interesting character moments along the way. He was another character that for me many of his best moments where the other character was arguably more important in the scene (e.g. D’Angelo, Stringer, Cutty), but that didn’t stop them for being great moments, or having his own fantastic specials. My favourite thing about Avon (and much of this goes to the credit of Wood Harris) was his charisma, throughout everything he always seemed an enigmatic guy. I also (even though I preferred Stringer) admired how he had some code of honour to him that his partner and future usurper Marlo did not have, and I always admired his strong (if sometimes misguided) bonds to his family. He was certainly missed after season 3.

Top 5 Moments:

5. Arguing with the ref. “That’s not the one the game is played!” Ignorant motherfucker…”

4. Visiting his brother with D’Angelo. “See, the thing is you only got to fuck up once. Be a little slow, be a little late, just once. And how you ain't gonna never be slow? Never be late? You can't plan for no shit like this man, it's life. Yeah. It scares me.”

3. Letting Cutty leave the game. “He a man today.” What a great pet the dog moment (yes, I’ve been on TVTropes way too much lately).

2. His reaction when the cops finally catch him for good in season 3. The little smile and laugh is something that makes perfect sense when you realize that most of these guys barely it out of their 20s.

1. On the balcony with Stringer. For anyone who has seen it I don’t have to say anything more.

#16
“Proposition Joe” Stewart

How He Fit: Head of the East Baltimore drug trade for virtually the whole series, Prop Joe was easily one of the most likable characters on the show. The way he managed to play the game so cleverly while leaving the least amount of bodies (but not in the cold, heartless way like Stringer) was extremely endearing. Like the other fat man, Prop always had some clever stuff to say and Robert Chew always performed it with such charm. His connect to the Greeks made him in a way the biggest player in all of Baltimore, and his style of diplomacy over racking up bodies made him a hard target for the police.

What I Liked: Come on, this guy just screamed awesomeness. As soon as he scammed Avon in the basketball game I really hoped we would get to see more of him, and sure enough his role pretty much increased every season onwards. The writers as well always managed to keep him very clever and usually one step ahead of everyone he was dealing with but also kept it realistic and never made him seem like some sort of superdude. Unfortunately his cleverness did not escape the wrath and power-hunger of Marlo, and like most of the people Marlo had killed I really thought he was going to make it out. His story to Stringer about that guy who had no rep and no name making but just made the money had me thinking that this would get him out. I also loved the part where the newspaper’s talk about his death and just gloss over it as nothing.

Top 5 Moments:

5. “That nigga’s got more bodies on him than a Chinese cemetery.” - In reference to Brother Mouzone.

4. “Fool, if it weren’t for Sergei here both you and your cousin both would be cadaverous.”

3. “Omar to one side holding a spade, and maybe Marlo to the other with a shovel, and just at this moment, I manage to crawl out my own damn grave. No way do I crawl back in.”

2. “Who you tellin'? I got motherfuckin' nephews and in-laws fucking all my shit up all the time and it ain't like I can pop a cap in their ass and not hear about it Thanksgiving time. For real, I'm livin' life with some burdensome niggas.”

1. “You ain’t come to see me off.”

That’s right, they’re all quotations.