Somebody Got to Get Got

Don't worry, fellow fanatics of HBO's The Wire, there are no spoilers contained herein. (And really, how could there be? I don't have cable, and am more than a full season behind in my Netflix queue. What can I say, I watch a lot of Charlie Rose, and that's about it.) But I've been wanting to throw my rabid fandom on top of the already monstrous pile of appreciation out there for what's arguably the best televisial offering of the last ten years. And what better way to do that than with a brief tribute the show's most brilliant character, Omar Little. (Played by Michael Kenneth Williams)

Omar Little: Man with a mission. His Wikipedia bio says: Omar is a stick-up man who lives by a strict code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in the drug trade. Omar, who is gay, has had three partners on the show. Notably, Omar is the only major character on the series who claims to make a point out of not using profanity... Omar was orphaned at a young age, and raised by his grandmother Josephine, who is largely responsible for his strict moral code. For more than ten years, Omar has made his living holding up drug dealers, staying alive "one day at a time". He is legendary around Baltimore for his characteristic shotgun, trench coat, facial scar, and whistling the "The Farmer in the Dell". Once a month, he accompanies his elderly grandmother to church.

All praise be to Omar. Here's a video of the great Hank IV performing a song dedicated to his royal badness at the SXSW Festival.

 

External links: HBO Character Profile | The Wire's Wikipedia Page | The Wire's George Pelecanos visits WFMU
Omar on YouTube: Wheelchair Heist | Have You Seen this Little Girl? | All in the Game, Yo | Heeeey-Yo! (Video links NSFW)

Comments

[WmMBerger]

Mike - The Wire is definitely tops. Haven't had HBO since the end of the 3rd season, so I'm not up to date either. Omar is a great character, to be sure. Everyone likes a bad guy with a moral center and a code of personal ethics.

I also really liked the ill-fated Ziggy from season 2; the Ziggy actor (James Ransone) is also known for his infamous real-time masturbation scene in the film Ken Park.

Just for shits 'n' giggles, here's a link to my IMDb comment on the show: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/usercomments-27

[Mike Lupica]

Oh man, don't get me started on Ziggy. I once stopped just short of hurling a plate of food across my apartment and screaming: "HOW CAN ANYONE BE SO STUPID?" at the television.

[Rory]

Mike, et al. (fancy, huh?)

I would take issue with you comments, Mike, on one point...there has never been a better televisial offering. I'm reflecting on my vast experience with my-friend-mother-secret lover--television and nothing at all stands up to the intelligence, sophistication and honesty of this show. All of the writers and actors are top notch (with MKW being a fave of mine as well. I'm caught up all the way (nyah) and I've never once detected a false note at all.

I'm at a loss to understand why the most overhyped show of the decade, The Sopranos, gets all the accolades and The Wire is all but ignored.

At least we get a season 5, which is all the producers wanted. Thank god.

Talk it up, brother, talk it up whenever you can.

R.

PS--So far the only video I've loaded on the ipod is season 2.

[jhn]

I was thinking for a while that the Wire is better than the Sopranos. Then I re-watched the Sopranos and changed my mind back. These last few episodes have been fantastic. The Wire is tighter but the Sopranos does a better job at developing its characters. Only Stringer Bell and Omar are as fully developed as nearly all of the major characters in the Sopranos. Maybe Carcetti. I

[Bee-Bop A-Rizzel]

I've been dying to find this track, "Self-Destruction" by The Stop The Violence Movement. It features such great MC's as KRS-One, MC Lyte and Public Enemy. If somebody has this mp3, I've been dying to find it.