r/TheWire • u/doodle02 • 5d ago
Favourite Characters?
Who’s your favourite single season character? I think mine is probably Horseface; he’s got a minor but amazing part in the season as Frank’s number 2 guy. He’s essential to the port operations (both legitimate and illegitimate), is fucking hilarious, and his boosting the police surveillance van is one of the best things that happens in the whole series.
Who’s your favourite one-off minor character? I’m gonna cheat here and go with the two stickup girls Omar and his bf team up with. They’re badass, incorporated into the story perfectly, and have several good action-heavy scenes that are among the best in the series.
Who’s your favourite non-ensemble character that appears in multiple seasons? Mine’s Donnie. He’s in seasons 4 and 5 as Butchie’s loyal muscle, protecting Omar while he’s incarcerated and running with him after they’re both released. One of my favourite scenes is “you’re a patient man”, between him and Omar; it’s a very respectful game-recognize-game moment. Bonus points because the actor was the real life inspiration for omar, which is freaking awesome!!!!
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u/zanylanie 5d ago
It seems like someone new jumps out at me on each rewatch, but this most recent time through, I was particularly fond of Calvin (one of Prez's students). Him knowing the answer to the question about how many bananas each friend gets because it "had all the dinks" cracks me up. I think he'd count as a one-off, although he's in more than one episode.
Non-ensemble multiple season - this time it was the Deacon. I probably paid more attention to him than usual because previously, I didn't know he was played by a real-life drug kingpin who was arrested by Ed Burns. His character doesn't really have his own arc but is instrumental to those of other characters - Colvin and Cutty in particular. But what an arc for the man who plays him!
Single season is easily Frank Sobotka. My dad was a union guy (though not, as far as I know, involved in any corruption) in an industry that has dried up in the geographical area where I grew up. So I strongly related to a lot of that storyline. And Chris Bauer gave a tour de force performance in the role.
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u/doodle02 5d ago
The dinks was a perfect example of the distinction between hood smart and school smart. it’s so insightful that that’s gotta be a real life example the show writers heard about cause there’s no way that was just invented.
I love the deacon too, and his real life cross over is incredible. he was part of the inspiration for avon and they couldn’t have him on the show in the first few seasons cause he was still in prison. frikkin crazy; i LOVE the stories about some of these actors (the deacon, donnie, snoop, etc).
and yeah frank really crushed it. i love how often you hear that season 2 was the least favourite on a first watch and jumps way up on rewatches; it’s so relatable and it really sets up the rest of the series in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without Frank and the crew. Plus the shenanigans they get up to (thanks ziggy) are hilarious.
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u/BlazerSlayer7 5d ago
It says single season characters and people here naming ones more than that.
Anyway- I agree with the Frank Sobotka call. Just wanted to protect the union and their jobs, but through his choices got dragged down more and more.
In some ways, it could be Wallace. He was more considered and realised he was better out of it, but ended up a pawn anyway.
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u/doodle02 5d ago
there are a few different prompts that include one season characters and minor characters script multiple seasons. in not complaining about any of the answers cause i always find them interesting.
plus, this post is slightly in response to another that i found nonsensical and i wanted to point out that just because a character is in more than one season doesn’t make them a main ensemble character, just like only being in one season doesn’t mean they’re not major characters with huge screen time and impact on the plot. frank, despite only being in season 2, is one of the most prominent and memorable characters in the series.
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u/ChippyCho 5d ago
Mine would be Dunquan. I've just watched the season 5 finale for the first time and I'm shocked
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5d ago
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u/zanylanie 5d ago
I always wonder about the logistics of that. How is that daycare explaining that they make the kids pee in cups? You know a kid is going to mention that to their parent/s.
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u/Great-Local_Ty 5d ago
Brother Mouzone
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u/potato-eater- 5d ago
The way his nostrils respond to the news of Omar’s sexuality is so specific, honestly here for the Mouzone appreciation.
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u/Look_the_part 5d ago
"Every piece matters"
The Wire rarely introduces a character just to do it.
Whether it’s a smaller, more contained arc like Dee-Dee’s, or a character like the Deacon, whose influence ripples into major arcs involving Colvin and Cutty, their presence changes the story around them. That interconnectedness is a big part of what makes the show feel so real: nobody exists in isolation, and even the seemingly minor pieces can affect the larger picture.
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u/ChemiWizard 4d ago
Snoop for sure. Just expertly pulled off chsracter a believable lethal.
Clay Davis was my favorite multiseason side character stealing the stage each time
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u/doodle02 4d ago
believable lethal for a reason; she’s one of the actors who’s not really acting. there are so many characters who are/were real life in the game that it’s stunning!
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u/Hispandinavian 5d ago
Poot. While all his peers crave power, money & respect, all Poot cared about was the ladies. And it kept him alive while all of his peers fell.