The Vacants

[MCEchan36]

If I was Chris, I wouldn't even waste bullets on Walker. I'd just pump him full of nails. I'd like to see De'Londa take a few slugs to the head for basically delivering Namond to Hell in a handbasket.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I voted for Marlo, though I have no idea what this poll is about.

 

[MCEchan36]

This is in reference to that little-known TV show called "The Wire." Perhaps you have heard of it?

 

[spup1122]

I voted for Walker, but I fear it's going to be Randy for being a snitch.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Walker is the obvious one. He's a *******. But I think I will vote for Whitlock, but only if Prop Joe asks Marlo to do it as a favor to the rest of us.

 

[zeke12]

how has no one voted for Herc yet.

**** him, man. He needs to get got.

 

[Double Down]

Here is a better survey, if you really want to keep this thread going. The guys who review The Wire over on Slate.com were playing it last week, but we'll add a twist.

Who are your three favorite characters on The Wire (all time) and why, and you can't pick Jimmy McNulty, Stringer Bell or Omar Little. Everyone loves them. They should be in the Hall of Fame of television characters. What about the rest? And why?

For me, goes like this... (You don't have to add quotes. I do it for my own enjoyment.)


1. Proposition Joe: The smartest character on the show, and that includes all the humps carrying badges and the stiffs wearing ties. No one dispenses wisdom like Joe. He's happiest when he's fixing toasters and laying low. Don't give a damn about his name ringing out, except deep down, he's a stone cold ganster. He's also hilarious, as evidenced by him calling Major Crimes to track down Herc last ep, and saying that he was from the law firm "Pepper, Pepper and Bay Leaf." I will be extremely bummed (and surprised) if the series doesn't wrap up with Joe still in business, wealthy as ever.

"I'm Proposition Joe. **** with me, I'll kill you whole family."

"If it weren't for my man Sergei here, you and your cousin both would be some cadaverous mutha****ers."

"Sheet, ***** got more bodies on him than a Chinese cemetery."

"You know what kills more police than bullets and liquor? Boredom."

"For a cold ass crew of gangsters, Y'all handled this **** like a bunch of Republicians."


2. Bunk Moreland: First of all, the man knows how to wear a suit. A fabulous dresser. And the scene in Season 1 where he tries to burn his clothes in the bathroom of the woman he went home with from the bar is one of the funniest scenes in the history of the show. Great police, funny as ****, and his speech to McNulty about Lake Trout this year was beautiful.

Bunk: Them Greeks have some weird-ass names.
Jimmy: Hey, don't knock the Greeks. They invented civilization, you know.
Bunk: Yeah? Ass ****ing too.

Bunk: I'm just a humble muther****er with a big ass ****.
Lester: You give your self too much credit.
Bunk: Alright. I ain't that humble.


3. D'Angelo Barksdale: Part of me is tempted to pick Frank Sobatka or Bunny Colvin or even Bodie Braodus here, but D'Angelo gets me every time with his speech about the Great Gatsby in Season 2, and his explanation of how to play chess to Bodie and Wallace in Season 1 ("The king stay the king") is one of the best scenes in the show.

 

[MCEchan36]

OK DoubleDown, I'll not only call you, but raise you. What about the most complex character on the show and the most heinous/cold-hearted?

 

[Double Down]

You give me your three favs first, I'll answer that question by tomorrow at some point.

 

[MCEchan36]

1) Carver. I like him because he's the one of the two knuckleheads that has shown growth as the series progressed. You think Herc would have let Namond off so easy? Yeah, I didn't think so either. It'll be interesting to see if he plays any role in the vacant bodies, since he came after Randy earlier.

2) Prop Joe, for basically the same reasons above. This guy is like Casey Stengel (minus the buffoonery) with the Yankees: pushing all the right buttons at the right times and always coming out on top. The best thing about it is he doesn't strike you as a "bad guy," even though that's one of the show's major points, but Robert Chew pulls Joe off masterfully.

3) Chris. Even before the beating he administered to Michael's step-dad, I felt this guy was much deeper than your standard hit man. He was neither a completely ice-cold, calculating sociopath or a dumb-as-a-brick grunt that just did whatever he was told. Again, this is one of the major points of the show in that the line that separates the good and bad guys is extremely hazy and wide.

Hon. mention: Cutty, b/c he is busting his tail in trying to keep the stoop kids from taking his path to the corner and eventually to jail. Bunk is a trip, but I can't comment too much on D'Angelo. I hadn't seen The Wire in a while (watched most of the first season) until this year, thanks mostly to not having HBO in college during the first couple of seasons. Don't worry, I have all the previous seasons on my Xmas list.

(11/22 edit)

So, who do you think are the top 3 most heinous characters in the show?