Top 50 Characters of The Wire 45-41

#45
Rhonda Pearlman

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

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

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

#44
Norman Wilson

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

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

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

#43
Spiros “Vondas” Vondopolous

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

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

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

#42
The Greek

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

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

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

#41
Slim Charles

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

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

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