The game's out there, and it's play or get played. The Wire characters poll. That simple.

i think I have to go with Bunk.

Apologies in advance for forgetting people.

Omar, Ziggy, McNulty, Stringer in that order.

bodie

No Brother Mouzone no cred.

Ah fuck. sorry.

you'll have to write that one in i guess

frank sobatka

ooh, this is better/tougher than the season poll i suggested. i'm sure someone will cry about the Season 4 kids not being included but it won't be me.

Omar. You come at the king, you best not miss.

Snoop, motherfuckers.

Snot Boogie.

This is impossible, the only characters that I don't love are Poot, Marlo, and any of the Greek's people (possibly including the Greek).

deej OTM

Bodie. The season 4 kid who got recruited by Marlo was pretty good too.

Ziggy was the absolute worst.

Aimee

i was wondering if ziggy will get any votes

Haha jeff knows which side his bread is buttered on.

wallace :(

bodie. almost voted omar, but even though i love him he's a little too much of a superhero. frank sobotka also in the running. and stringer. the show's best characters are its tragic antihero types.

(i was really bummed about bodie getting killed, even though of course it was coming, and he'd killed plenty of people himself.)

Stringer vs. McNulty vs. Omar

I know it's boring to like the antag, protag (so to speak) & archetypical loose cannon the best, but dudes are my actual faves.

Probably go with Stringer if I gotta pick one. Love Omar's sense of irony and fatalism.

Mosura-san OTM, but I don't care: Omar. Then Stringer. Then Bodie. The Daniels. Then maybe a Freamon/Landsman tie...

Prop Joe not really in the running, but most likely to carry a spinoff by his own self.

"the prop"

or even "prop's"

I'm surprised Omar's not running away with it more. He's great (they're all great, even Ziggy) but a little too close to pure fantasy for me to support him. Oddly enough, my picks are middle aged black cops, which is pretty far from who I am, as long as I can stay in denial about being middle aged anyway.

I'll decide between Bunk or Freamon later. I admire Freamon more, of course, but Bunk really cracks me up.

Simon sez! that Omar is an amalgamation of real stickup boys though.

Dead stickup boys, iirc, and if we're talking about the same articles. That Omar survives and thrives is what makes him seem a little otherworldly compared to the rest of the show.

stringer

maybe then bodie, omar, prop joe, bunk

landsman rules too..

hey you forgot brother mouzone!

They're not all dead -- one of them married a woman from The Corner.

Ooooh Mouzone omission is unseemly!

> They're not all dead -- one of them married a woman from The Corner.

Shit, I knew that, too. Still, in a show where the basic message is "the system is fucked, and no-one is beyond the reach of the system" Omar seems to have ducked off the grid in a way no one else has. That's mostly why he's such a fan favorite, in fact, and I guess as a contrast to everything else he serves a vital dramatic function, but he still seems more like a superhero than an a character from real life to me. And it's the realness of the Wire that I value most of all. Mouzone, if anything, is even more out of place, but he's pretty minor so it doesn't trouble me as much. Also, he never has a moment as important to the show as Omar's testimony against Bird and confrontation with Levy.

sheeeeeeit, no cutty?

Where's Wallace.
WHERE'S WALLACE?

haha

where's the boy, string?!
xpost

Who moved my Cheese?

OK, I can't really imagine anyone's favourite character being Cheese.

does sergei have hands? does he have a face?

nor sergei. but y'know, joeks.

carcetti's manager norman deserves a spot tho.

Actually, hang on - more seriously, NONE of the new characters from season 4 are there. I might vote for Duquan if I was voting for the Wire character I feel most for.

Why is Leander Sydnor such a non-character?

I hear you Oily, but your expectations of realness evidently differ from mine -- which includes superheroes! Even without knowing that conspicuously colorful characters like Mouzzone have real-life analogues, I take those guys as a given in the show's landscape; from a strict dramatic POV, they might violate certain rules of verisimilitude, but when I'm watching, all other aspects of the show, and even the other characters, lend and suffuse Mouzzone, Omar, et al with realness. Maybe not as "real" as, say, Royce, but I don't notice how out of place they are, dramatically speaking.

i'm sure someone will cry about the Season 4 kids not being included but it won't be me.

It was me!

Aw, I really like Cutty too. I'd never vote for him, but I might rank him in my top 5. It's tough though - could I really put him above Bunk, Omar, McNulty, Bubs, Carcetti, Landsman, Stringer, D, Slim Charles? Fuck. I even like Rawls - his delivery of those asshole lines is impeccable.

I'm not even sure what criteria I'm going to vote on. Omar is probably the coolest character but Stringer and Carcetti might be my favorite dramatically. Slim Charles is probably my favorite more *secondary* character (if there is such a thing) based on his delivery alone. "He do look natural."

Also missing are Bird and Stinkum (not that anyone would vote for them), and that Fruit guy that works for Marlo. I really hate that guy for some reason - maybe because he fucked Cutty over on the package.

You're right, Lee, that my objections (minor as they are) to Omar and Mouzone pretty much disappear when those guys are actually on screen. When I'm watching the show I get totally sucked in, it's only with hindsight that they strike me as a bit hinky.

I love this show so much.

that Fruit guy that works for Marlo. I really hate that guy for some reason - maybe because he fucked Cutty over on the package.

Rawls is the truth, even if he's living a lie.

Also missing, Terri D'Agostino and her VA-VA-VAVOOM.

I gotta say, I never really felt String. ;_;

Oily, hugz!

I think Mouzone is one of the worst characters. There's not a convincing bone in his characterological body.

> that Fruit guy that works for Marlo. I really hate that guy for some reason - maybe because he fucked Cutty over on the package.

SPIOLARZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

S.4 will be very good to you.

Mouzone is kind of like Brain from Pinky and the Brain. But less funny.

GUYS! Bernard's girlfriend from season 3. She was GOLD in EVERY SCENE SHE WAS IN!

from nagging to dropping empty crisp bags in the street. awesome.

LOL GHETTO!!!

Actually I guess she's more like LOL BALLBUSTER than anything. But still, I find her to be kind of a lazily written easy laugh character. I guess she's kind of a plot device though.

constant nagging leads to bernard's purchase of tapped burners, yeah i'd say that's a plot device.

yeah, exactly

I had to pick Omar, mostly because he's just magic to watch. i agree with the 'superhero' comments though, and i always play down how much i like him when i discuss this show with friends.

seasons 3 and 4 made me like Bunny the best, so he's my second choice. i also love any scene with Clay Davis in it.

Mouzone was like the worst thing about The Wire. it was more like the Sopranos than The Wire whenever he was on screen (much love to the sopranos, but i don't want sopranos in my wire any more than i want ketchup on my pancakes). i guess the same could be said for omar, though.

Yeah, Clay Davis is great too. Such a classic weasel. I especially love the scenes with him and Stringer, and the way he says "String"

guyz bubbles connects it all

ok maybe not all, but he sure knows a lotta people!

i think what i like about bodie is that he embodies the fatalism of the show. (which the season 4 kids do too, obviously.) he's not a boss, not a cop, didn't really seek anything out, just did what there was to do. his moral compass, such as it is, is stuck on a sort of useless loyalty to people and a place that have never really done shit for him. he's not dumb, not smart enough for it to do him any good, and his sense of possibility is inevitably limited by his circumstances. to the extent he's aware of that, he accepts it as just the way things are. and he's right, because that's the way things are.

McNulty's definitely my favorite because he's a sad-sack loser, but never abandons his morals when trying to topple the Baltimore drug trade. Of course, he doesn't give a flying fuck about morals in a any other situation.

Bunk is great too, but I've long been disappointed that his character doesn't play a bigger role in the show. He was much more prominent at the beginning of Season One, but began to fade after that.

Herc is pretty great for comic relief, and Stringer is just pure evil menace. Avon is nice because he can be evil and loveable at the same time.

Very well put tipsy.

I actually wound up voting for D'Angelo. He feels trapped and resentful but is only semi-aware of the extent to which he feels it. The same thing that has given him as much power as he has -- his family connection -- has also kept him from achieving more because it's made him soft; he didn't have to fight to get where he is and he'll always be the baby. The fact that he takes so long to get dressed is a great character detail - he has a veneer of pride but a core of insecurity and indecisiveness.

He has slow-witted moments, but there are plenty of scenes that betray his intelligence - he's smart, just not sharp.

Also I find the fancy restaurant scene heartbreaking (in part because it's exactly how I feel in expensive restaurants). "Do you think they know?"

I always like Daniels the most for some reason. Came close the voting for D'Angelo too--love the Great Gatsby scene.

i loved d'angelo. after his demise, you want namond to break free from the game sooo badly. i think that's why i also loved wallace so much. but damn, i still can't vote! this is way too hard!

He was much more prominent at the beginning of Season One, but began to fade after that.

He does go after Omar in Season 3. I think he's a pretty crucial measuring stick to gauge how McNulty's self-centeredness is ruining everyone else's lives. And this (badly paraphrased) exchange changed my life:

McNulty: Bunk, you know what they call guys who spend so much time thinking about their clothes?
Bunk: Yeah, adults.

Bunk's and Omar's paths crossing in S4=great. Their "Junior Bonner" tribute scene at the train tracks=magnificent.

IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE

Stringer Bell
Omar
Bunk
Bodie
Wee-Bey (the man cared about his fish and i feel that)
Cutty (heinous omission)
Snoop
Proposition Joe
Lester Freamon
Avon Barksdale
Wallace (seriously people wtf)
Jay Landsman
Herc
Slim Charles
Frank Sobotka
Rawls
D'Angelo
Bubbles
Marlo
'Clay' Davis
Pryzbylewski
Chris Partlow
Kima Greggs
Daniels
McNulty
Ellis Carver
Rhonda Pearlman
Tom Carcetti
Maj. Valchek
Burrell
Det. Leander Sydnor
"Poot"
Bunny
Royce
'Beadie' Russell
The Greek
Nick Sobotka
'Ziggy' Sobotka

GUYS! Bernard's girlfriend from season 3. She was GOLD in EVERY SCENE SHE WAS IN!

i totally wanted to fast forward every time she was on screen. i didn't do it, cause i knew i'd miss something crucial, but i really wanted to.

I think I actually ended up voting for D, though the Gatsby scene seemed really heavy-handed to me.

^^^^^^+1 on the Gatsby scene

The chess scene too, honestly.

But I love the "Ey mista nugget" speech.

Ziggy is the greatest fuckup character ever.

exactly

damn I'd forgotten Bodie died.

i figured this would be a toss-up between bodie and wee-bey but only strongo has even mentioned wee-bey!!? weird

he's not in it that much tho.

no deacon, also no credibility

wee-bey is pretty awesome.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I don't know if he comes back in 4, but I've always felt like Lester Freamon was a poorly utilized character. He's great in S1 but then becomes a caricature of himself.

while omitting Brother M was a mistake-i never really took to him. he seemed out of place to me too. unnatural in a way,when set against everyone else in the wire.

nah he was ok because of his sidekick, you know, the guy who was always rolling his eyes like "there he goes again"

I also think there was much sad irony in what happened to d because on some level string and d were a lot alike.

ziggy was a great character but reminds me of people from college so it's hard to watch him without moderate to intense degree of embarrassment!

I also think there was much sad irony in what happened to d because on some level string and d were a lot alike.

But String is more calculating and more willing to do what he has to do in spite of any distaste for the ugly side of the game.

The first scene Ziggy is in, where he gets his willy out in the bar, is so otm for one of my college friends. I do not understand the Ziggy hate.

The scene where Brother M is ragging on his sidekick for getting the wrong magazines (something about The Nation or Atlantic Weekly?) is presumably supposed to be funny, but I didn't like it and it sums up what everyone is saying about him not really belonging in the show.

lester does come back fairly strong in s04, but when the carcetti story starts there's that much less space for the cops anyway.

brother mouzone is one incongruous mufuuuur… and that is what is GREAT about him

First thought was Stringer, but chances are he'll get enough to win this anyway. So Frank Sabotka for me. I'm a sucker for that 'tragic flawed hero' thing.

i still can not decide!

no one else going for bunk at all??? FOR SHAME!

Bunk is best when he's trying to set his pants on fire

or vomiting.

or peeing on a train track.

bunk vote from me

this is hard

I voted Bunk.

I love Bunk, even more so after realizing it was him in When the Levees Broke.

(had to vote for Omar though, couldn't help it)

good to see all the love for bodie
i gotta vote avon though

Tweedy impertinence, y'all.

Omar was my gut reaction, though I'm coming round to realize that my heart might actually be with Snoop. Dukie is a close third, and I'm sorry to see that he and his classmates were not among the options.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

huh

'bout right.

wee-bey, Pryzbylewski, prop joe all robbed

prop joe not that great.

For a (so far) medium to minor character, he's pretty great.

i was considering him but he's sort of underused so far.

didn't vote but might have voted rawls.

I voted Bunk, but I kinda wish I had voted Prez.

Rawls deserved a vote for the gay bar cameo.

sheeeeeeeit, I forgot about that!

who're my Frank Sobotka bros?

prop joe's pretty great. the scene where he calls up the police to see who's trailing marlo.. roffles

i never voted :( still haven't decided!

I'm the only one who voted Bunny. ;_;

and god bless you for it!

Seems about right. Surprised Greggs didn't get any votes!

No bullet wound closeups in topless scenes.

lester freeman in cadillac ad!

i figure bodie must have some huge role in season 4 otherwise he's way overrated

i totally lied, it was daniels, not freamon. i should not post at 2am.

I didn't vote in this because I wasn't caught up (still not). But I just finished season 3 and omg I miss Stringer Bell! his death scene was perfect.

not entirely unrelated: is Idris Elba maybe the hottest man ever?

i know i shouldn't be poking around wire threads when i haven't finished the series but still, argh i hate spoilers^^^

anyways, i'm almost finished w/ season 2 right now (brother mouzone just arrived), so these results seem weird. bodie? really? i take it he plays a bigger role as the show progresses.

also my favorites are obv affected by how far i am w/ the series.

bubbles was a season 1 favorite for me.

also daniels, seriously he is one of the best characters on the show, best cast, too

d'angelo & wallace, love them too and miss them

stringer, kima. kima got robbed on this

also, omar's obv great but i think he was just hyped way too much for me before i started the series. i only started watching this show at the beginning of june but i had already heard so much about omar that w/ every appearance i expect so much. he is a great character tho

i enjoy the greek, serge, and vondas and all them but i have little to no affection for them. they're well-acted and well-cast but something about them still seems like standard 'foreign criminal' shit.

what i liked about season 1 was how sympathetic it made me feel towards the barksdale crew. obviously the sobotkas are more sympathetic but the series thus far hasn't pulled me into them the way it has w/ the barksdale crew.

*meant that the sobotkas are more sympathetic than the greek et al, not more than the barksdale crew

prop joe robbed

Slim Charles 0

http://demongirl.org/pics/lolz/dood-why-u-gota-be-so-mean.jpg

not sure where to put this – but RIP, Ziggy.
had no idea James Ransone had such a rough private life/past

always loved him in everything he was in

same

ziggy is one of the most maddening shitheels in screen history imo

Despite this being a the wire thread, this scene has a permanent residence in my head:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6pZ2jeD87Y