SUS celebrates Black History Month with The Wire, Part 2: The Gangsters

The OG’s

Avon Barksdale
The original target of the Wire in Season 1. Sent to jail in season 1, out in season 2, and back in for good in season 3. Believed that he was born a kid of the streets and that in spite of his rise to the top of the Baltimore drug trade, the only way to gain power was by force. Is generally loyal to his people, in spite of the fact that he went to jail in season 3 because Stringer Bell ratted him out. Was one of many irrelevant characters to have a short cameo in season 5.

Stringer Bell
Probably my third favorite character on the show. He was Avon’s right-hand man and lifelong partner in crime. Avoiding jail, he was the head of the Barksdale crew while Avon was inside. Whereas Avon was always a straight up thug, Stringer aspired to make his earnings legitimate and invested in real estate with some crooked businessmen who eventually screwed him over. He killed Avon’s nephew when he was in jail while making it look like suicide because he was worried that he would talk to the cops. This made it much easier for Avon to give up Bell’s whereabouts to a couple of killers when they had a score to settle with him. One of the better deaths on the show.

D’Angelo Barksdale
Was in charge of dealing within the housing projects in Season 1. Served as a mentor to Bodie and others. Went to jail before the others towards the end of Season 1 and would have ratted out Avon and his crew except that his Mom, Avon’s sister made it clear that he had to take the weight. Worries about him ratting out the rest of the crew led to Stringer hiring someone in the jail to kill him and make it look like suicide. Another fantastically tragic death.

Bodie
I guess the theme with the OG’s is their cinematic yet amazingly sad deaths, and Bodie is no exception. He started out as an underling of D’Angelo in the projects, and came into his own as a dealer in seasons 2-4, getting his own corners. All this while Marlo, the head of the new school, came in and took away his territory. After one of his boys is needlessly killed by Marlo, he decries the ethics of the game to McNulty. (One could bring up the fact that he killed one of his boys, Wallace, for basically the same reasons in Season 1, but we’ll pass) One of the new school thugs saw this, told Marlo, and Bodie died defending his corner. R.I.P: last of the old school fools.

New School

Proposition Joe
Not so much a new character, but his character was developed a lot more in the 2^nd half of the show. He was introduced as Avon’s rival, but rose to the top of the Baltimore drug trade by forming a co-op. Came to realize that profits can be greater when all of the drug dealers work together. If only Barzini and Tattaglia realized this, Santino Corleone’s life could’ve been saved. Naturally, he got killed when a young punk wanted to run the whole thing. One of the top 4 saddest deaths on the show.

Marlo
The new HNIC. Was about to go to war with Avon to rule the city when Avon got arrested, leaving Marlo as the default leader. Rose to the top by being smart and absolutely ruthless. (Had his people kill everyone who even thought about crossing him and buried them in vacant apartments so that they’d never be found.) Didn’t rise to the top by being street smart or respecting his elders. (Killed Prop Joe when Joe was giving him a fair shake in the co-op. Joe was also the same man who taught him about wiring money, putting it in an offshore account, and the internet.)

Snoop
Look at this picture. Looks like a pretty small dude, right? Well it’s actually a chick. I’ve spent 3 unsuccessful seasons trying to find her tits. One of Marlo’s two hitmen. (hitpeople) She needs to die.

Chris
The other of Marlo’s hitmen that needs to die. Just a completely bad person with no redeeming qualities. Though in real life, he worked for the Corporation of National Service, the federal agency that oversees Americorps. For someone to do that altruistic work to play such an asshole…now THAT’S acting.

Cheese
M-E-T-H-O-D MAN! Like him a lot more when he’s a member of Wu-Tang Clan. As a rapper, he has charisma. On the Wire, he plans his uncle’s death. He too needs to die.

Kenard
This kid’s like 3’8, maybe 13 years old, but works the corner with a mouth and temperament of a 22 year old street tested thug. He doesn’t need to die, but someone should kick the shit out of him for an extended period of time.

Coming next week: City Hall & Co.