I personally think that Omar's death was mainly a snap back to reality. Throughout the entire season Omar (intentionally done by the writers) lives up to his legend to the point that he becomes a literal action hero who jumps a 3 story balcony & walks off with just a broken leg. When he suddenly gets shot in the head, it's like the writers reminding you that action heroes don't exist in a bleak and violent drug war, and that someone like Omar could never end in a different way.
I never considered that, interesting take. You might be on to something, seeing as how Marlo actually compares him to Spider-Man when they're trying to figure out how to proceed after he escaped the ambush.
@@paidinfull9641 id throw Walter in a triumpharant as well but Omar edges them out for me. Maybe because we were always left wanting more as opposed to the other two. All greats though. Dont think those 3 shows will ever be topped
It's notable that Omar's death only arrives after we see him abandon his ethics and break his own word. He promised Bunk that he wouldn't kill any more, but later returns to attack Marlo's organisation, and soon murders Savino. That's the last kill we see him make before he meets his end.
its always a persons goal that seems to make him invincible, like thanos, the one reality where the avengers could beat thanos was the one where thanos became more focused on revenge than his actual "heroic" ideal
@@B-A-G123 Stringer was that acting head of certain responsibilities (all when Avon was locked up), manager of much of the day to day, and partner or number 2 in the biggest and most powerful drug crew in West Baltimore and the other guy was his hired muscle, how were they not in the game?
That and the one to do it was in an age range that he always gave a pass to. In some parts of the world the rule of thumb is if they are old enough to pull a trigger they're a problem, but even in an area where much of the violence was committed by teens he clearly had an ethical issue harming people under a certain age - particularly outside of contexts where they weren't a threat. We see in the first stash he takes off on that instead of shooting the kid he shoots an older guy and clearly thinks on it before doing so. So we see him somewhat compromised and then the perfect person to kill him does for no apparent reason. Not the most satisfying as television, but very realistic and just the kind of story David Simon and the gang were telling.
I can't understand how people watch this and think Omar is pure or that his code makes sense. Omar is a part of the game, the system that forces literal children into this criminal life and if they try to get out they're killed. A major point of showing us Michaels story is showing us how a person can end up in the game when they're in a horrible situation, and he ends up on opposite sides to Omar. I doubt you'd still say he's pure if Omar had killed Mike, or even Dukie.
@@oscarnewman1374 he’s a stick up man who primarily works alone so the whole “loyalty” thing is irrelevant. He doesn’t have to worry about being a snitch or not being one, who cares in his shoes
@@Skinplimentllc It is however part of the moral code of the world he inhabits. And he does benefit from it for example if the people he robbed turned witness in murder trials against him he would be in trouble
Omar and Marlo I feel parallel and juxtapose each other a lot as characters, but have opposing moralities and motivation. They are both men with a lot of focus and purpose who inspire loyalty from their crew and leave their mark on their environment, but whereas Marlo is motivated only by seeking power and dominance, Omar is motivated by a sense of justice. They also end up oddly defeating each other on a deep level. They both end up "getting out" of the game and getting the GTA fairytale ending for a criminal, but Omar is pulled back in by Marlo violating his sense of justice and turns his back on his code of morals to get revenge. This ultimately leads to his demise, but his deeds and legend lives on. Marlo, on the other hand, realizes that, unlike Omar, his name and deeds have not inspired anything but fear in the community and have been quickly forgotten. It's heavily implied at the end of the series that he will get back into the game and will likely face the same end as Omar did.
I did appreciate how in a certain scene, Marlo went out onto the corners late at night and tried to intimidate a couple of corner boys and they didn't even know who he was. The scene ends with him standing there alone after asserting his dominance but you may be right, that addiction of his just may lead him to the same demise as Omar's.
Omar Little is one of the greatest characters ever created in TV history and it stems from the fact that he's a product of his environment as well as a corrupt police force that can't be trusted by the citizens of Baltimore. Omar acts as the Robin Hood of his community, and while his actions aren't good by any means they're necessary in his eyes since the police won't do much about it in an urgent manner. He's also the giver of justice in a sense as he delivers it to those who've wronged the weak in his community.
Ok but he robbed drug dealers & sold the drugs to make money like everybody else did, by either selling it to feens or selling it back to the drug dealers she stole them from 🫤 I loved Omar’s character but imo he deluded himself into thinking what he was doing was right & his delusion rubbed off on the fans
Omar says it best: just like the lawyer, he's a part of the game. The game hurts people. It destroys lives. It's a measure of loss. Think back to when he's trying to send a message to Marlo and puts a gun to Michael's head. As an audience, we're worried he's going to shoot Michael. Because even though we've seen Michael is part of the game we understand the reasons why. Hell, Michael even shot at Omar the night Omar attacks the apartment. But we've followed Michael's journey and understand what led him to this point, we empathize with him. Now let's imagine all of the people Omar has robbed and killed up until this point, and imagine we had lived their perspective the way we had Michael's, and you see how even just trying to limit his moral code to only harming those within the game is still harming and preying upon people who in most cases, never had any other option.
@Bibs P but that's the thing though. Omar says he only goes after those in the game, as in those that chose this life. But so many of them didn't have a choice. This was all they knew, their only chance to survive.
I don't see Omar killing Seveno as a failing of his moral character, rather a sign of frustration with Marlo and his blatant violence. The way he see's it, if you are the type of person to follow someone like Marlo, you are just as bad. Notice that Slim Charles never got on Marlo's crew and instead when to Joe when Barksdale went to jail.
Good lord....but you're in for a treat. IMO it's the greatest TV show ever devised. On that note, please check out Mr Inbetween...it's on Disney (they bought Fox, hence why it's there) and I rate it as being right up there with The Wire.
Omar reminds me of a line Christopher Walken uttered in King of New York. At the end of that movie he said "I never killed nobody didn't deserve it." In the context of the story not only is Omar moral he is exceedingly moral.
Very well said. He's admittedly a killer, but the lives he takes are those who are also killers, be them gang enforcers who take lives through violence, or the dealers and distributors who's product leads to death, suffering and violent crime. At first he's not a vigilante as his motivation are merely monetary, but then we see him embrace vengeance after his lover his brutally murdered. Given the context, who are the government, judiciary and police to judge him? Yes he breaks the law, but those who end up in his sites also lead their lives outside of the law and expect no protection from it... Such a complex and fantastically written character.
@@residentelect Woah there buddy! Drug dealers and distributors aren't aren't anywhere close to as bad as killers. Possession with intent to distribute can be a misdemeanor depending on where you live and what amount. Also members of the justice system have every right to criticize him. Well adhering members of the Justice system don't kill people.
@@pent2 Drug dealers are killers, they sell a product to whomever will buy it knowing that said person who very well die from it. Even in the Wire many times it's stated that how good a drug is, is how many people are dying or ODing from it. I believe it was Stringer's crew that were laughing it up as they said that "fiends were dropping like flies" from their new product from the connect with prop joe.
@@pent2 Alcohol is a substance with immense amounts of govt oversight, you don’t lace it. Drugs are frequently laced for the dealer’s benefit without the buyer’s knowledge, it is murder if you knowingly lace your shit with fentanyl and someone dies from it. You are a killer for putting that out. The fact that you compare that to alcohol just means you are retarded, i’m sorry to say. If you think a similar amount of people die from alcohol poisoning as they do from drug ods you are on crack.
It is about 15 years since I watched The Wire, and Omar just simply stole one of the greatest shows ever produced. Amazing carácter, complex and rich and yet simple to relate, just genious. I really enjoyed It, I should watch this masterpiece again soon
@@mybestnugget7514 and if that's all your homophobic got out of this character, maybe you like rainbows bro, just saying. You're so fixated on gay shit more than any other details of a character.
It's always hilarious to me that Levy calls Omar "amoral", when that descriptor far better suits Levy himself. Omar does a lot of _immoral_ shit, and I personally don't think his self-justifications really stand up to scrutiny in a lot of cases, but he does have a conscience and a moral code, fucked up as it might be. To Levy, right or wrong are completely irrelevant - it's all about what he can get away with.
Hey I'm a big fan of your videos and recently watched Requiem for a Dream, one of the best (if horrific) films I have ever seen. Its a very heavy film and idk if the youtube algorithm will like it, but I'd stil love to hear your take on it.
I don't want to watch this video just yet because I am just halfway through the show and don't want to be spoiled but I love Omar the most so far. Honestly I don't know why this show is not talked about more often. I've watched Breaking bad and thought that was the best show then Better Call Saul and thought that was better but now I think Wire is possibly the most grittiest and real TV Show I have ever seen. Characters are so real in this show and the realistic elements are just miles ahead of other shows. Even BB is very unrealistic but in the Wire all I've seen is a dramatized event that can truly happen and might be happening anywhere
The Wire is on another level, especially if you're looking for realism. But beyond that, it is simply great drama with great conflicted characters. As GRRM often quotes, "The only story worth writing is the human heart in conflict with itself". Pretty much every character on The Wire is grappling with something, and Omar is no exception. The Wire is just a cut above everything else imo. That includes Deadwood and Mad Men (my 2a and 2b) Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, etc.
The reason why Omar killed savino isn’t because he felt it was the right thing. As soldier you live by the gun you die by the gun. In that scene you forgot mention savino begging for his life. And as a soldiers thats very dishonorable. if you noticed when omar shot and confronted brother monzo brother wasn’t begging for his life. Omar saw dat as true honor and helped him. The same when he confronted slim. Slim didn’t beg for his life so he let him go.
Another great video! Please keep em coming. Take my like and share. Also, RIP Michael K Williams. One of his best roles ever. Omar was the best character on The Wire.
Congratulations, nice work as always. Thank you! Omar is also the only character that has some fantasy in him where everybody else seems completely real and you think that they could be really living in Baltimore streets right now. He is the only one able to do things that are phisically almost, if not completely, impossible. Like jumping from the flat he has been trapped and only breaking a leg, and being able to escape. He has been untouchable the whole show, but, ironically, and in a more realistic way, he dies shot by a kid, closing one circle and creating a new one in the life of this kid. Nobody is untouchable, even if the show has been portraying it that way this whole time.
Omar for me is someone who is for the most part the best out of the worst of the drug trade. It's why he's always an interesting character to watch as he profits off the drug trade but does so in a way that doesn't harm people, not in the game. His actions are all against people who choose to be apart of the game, and most of them are far worse than him so to watch someone who stands against them is what makes him so compelling.
The "he's a killer that kills killers" observación is really insightful considering that the wire pokes fun at "Dexter" for it being a series base around an incredibly unlikely "serial killer that only kills other serial killers".
The parallel at the intro is not very robust, certainly not robust enough to be an opening salvo for the titular question of the video. It’s like comparing firefighters to the destructive forces of nature. They’d be out of a job without disaster but they aren’t complicit in it. They don’t want for it. And they “profit” from it simply because the alternative is ten thousand times worse. But that’s not the whole picture. Omar’s point was way more nuanced than that. The lawyer in question represents all of Barksdale’s crew, his business interests. He’s a crooked lawyer that willingly and knowingly participates in a criminal syndicate. If Omar had said the same thing to a public defender, it wouldn’t have had nearly as much weight. It was a profound observation because of who that lawyer was, personally. That observation hinges on the individual. Herc and Carver busting heads and taking a cut of the drug money, it applies. Bunny Colvin on the other hand is another story. And organised crime doesn’t have to run rampant to facilitate the need for law enforcement either.
Merely having a Moral Code does not make someone a "good person", if their code allows them to do reprehensible things. People from ideological or religious groups often justify their terrible actions because their prescribed moral code allows them.
He died bc he broke his code. He lied to Bunk and broke his word which removed his "shield". A Man's World Podcast does an excellent analysis of Omar and really all the Wire characters. I like to see the character analysis from different views as you get more out of the nuanced characters.
This is just my two cents not meant as a "you are wrong for saying it." I'm just not sure since he's been on the revenge path before and I don't see anything he did that differently than when he went after Stringer. I see people say that and in a macro sense, I understand it. But the point of his death as far as the creator talked about it. Was the legend of Omar was so big, growing bigger as we see him before he dies. He jumped a 3-4 store window broke his leg and still caused problems for the people who were after him. Building upon his legend even after death the way people talk about it becomes bigger and bigger with words on the street because people can't imagine that someone who lived like he lived for so long could just get shot by a kid. But at the end of the day, he was flesh and blood who was good at what he did but could get killed like everyone else. I'm not saying he should have shot or looked at the kid as a danger, because I don't think he recognized him being in Michael's crew. He was after all in a lot of pain at the moment. The way I see it, t was actually his code, along with coming out of retirement (something I don't think Butch would have wanted for Omar) that ended it. Because his code did also involve kids even if they were in the game, and if he didn't recognize Kenard he couldn't have known if this kid was in the game or not. He could have killed Michael sending the same message through the other kids. The only reason he even aimed a gun at Michael was he was wounded and not in a position to take chances. Kenard had clearly seen some things in his life, how you can't afford to be weak or someone bigger will take you out. So seeing Omar weakened he probably thought killing Omar would be his way to prove he was a soldier no one would ever dear to mess with. Maybe even a way to increase his reputation to such an extent he would be the boss one day because he took out the big bad wolf of Baltimore.
Omar was stuck between a rock and a hard place though. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't avenge Butchie but he gave his word not to kill anymore, he would've "died" either way he chose.
No, he isn't a good person. He may be a great character and have an interesting sense of morality but every shootout he has ever been in runs the risk of an innocent bystander getting killed. That little kid that was shot when bodie and his crew fought that other crew easily could have been killed during the shootout omar and his crew had that caused one of his own gang to get friendly fire. So even if we allow for killing and maiming of people inside the game he still puts children at risk. And I wouldn't say that robbery of drug dealers is moral. It causes the dealers to use violence more readily and makes the whole neighbourhood more dangerous.
I think Omar draws a strong distinction between what is right and what is fair. The game is altogether not right, but it also isn’t going anywhere. It can’t. So he plays the game. But elects to do so fairly. I don’t think he professes to be morally superior to anyone - but certainly makes decisions about what is fair game and what isn’t. After all, a man’s got to have a code.
I think having a code is better than not having one. Morality is intersubjective but having discipline and structure reduces harm, at least when you are talking about individuals. I think that might break down when it comes to large groups, take Nazi Germany for instance. They used structure and discipline to inflict more harm than what was possible without a code.
I love this analysis, good thoughts. reminds me of a Passage in "Freakonomics" where a drug dealer is worried about his son who is at home with a sore throat. It's a different perspective on people.
It's really hard to pick a best character of the show, but in my personal opinion, Omar Little i always found the most fascinating, this video breaks it down very well
His character reminds me of "Blondie" (Eastwood's character on The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly). Both were criminals who wouldn't hesitate to kill their rivals, but both had a code. The way Blondie figured out to give Tuco his half while still maintaining his own safety showed that the two lived by the same kind of code.
Blondie had more ethics than Omar- he doesn't go around town extorting criminals or shooting people who looked at him funny. He is more of an anti-hero than ethical villain
Yeah I don't remember ever seeing him on screen and even considering him 'good'. He's a murderer and a thief. Great character but not a good person, no-how.
I thought Savino was talking about Brandon's torture not Butchie's. But if he was talking about Butchie, Omar could technically justify killing Savino because he was probably there to see what happened to Brandon.
RIP Michael K.... Truly one of the best characters ever written and without Michael K to bring it to life in this way, we might not be still talking about Omar to this day
That last run of Omar's wasn't an alteration of his code, just a different period. He was at war with Marlo, his soldiers were fair game. Savino was no Slim Charles, there was no history there that bought him any considerations. If we look at this through an Italian lens, Slim could be considered something of a consigliere. Savino was, and always would be, just a button man.
I wouldn’t say Omar is necessarily a bad character, especially with his moral code of making sure civilians aren’t harmed by his hand and abiding by it. What is bad is his influence, and the kids role playing as him. It’s difficult to say though, because those same kids are witnessing and hearing about things just as bad if not worse, as in criminals like Marlo Chris, or Snoop. It’s an all around really grey situation because good, grounded role models are so hard to come by in a harrowing neighborhood like the ones those kids are growing up in…
Omg I need to watch this show again. This ensomble cast is chock full of talant. I miss Omar, I forgot he got away and came back for butch the blind man if memory serves. The depth of this show is I don't believe there is a better tv show yet. So many layers to this game. Omar was just Unbelievable how amazing this show was. People that know know ,but there are so many that never watched it because it's mostly black people In the ghetto and white people don't care or want to know, but this ain't that at all, this is a masterpiece of art. I remember thinking what could I possibly learn or enjoy from a show about drug dealers and cops trying to pump them, as soon as I heard Tom Waits song I thought ok this may be something original and boy was it original and egde of yr seat tension, shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttteee, my friend and I used to say shit like that dude draws it out so long, small things like that are so cool but this has deep psychology and philosophy at work. I was never bored with this show. The diolouge was so good. Everything was impeccable. The best tv show ever made. True detective, deadwood, the sopranos, original twin peaks. They are the ground breakers. And just great chariture arch's.
No, he is not a good person. When he killed Salvino, Omar not only did break his promise to Bunk but also killed someone who did nothing to him, like Salvino said he was not there, he would have done it, if he was there, but he wasn't. If there is a hell, Omar will be there if only for Salvino.
In another universe, Omar comes back to B-More. But instead of pursuing the vendetta, he goes straight to Bunk. And works with Bunk to get Marlo and crew for the murders. Maybe agreeing to be bait or something.
Can't blame a Man for playing the game He was born into. When you got other people in your life to think about (Michael and His brother for example) It's not as simple as "Just get out of it and do something better". If it's all within the game morals don't really have a place. Only the morals of the game which are agreed upon by the players (Sunday ceasefire to take their grandmas to church). In that regard Omar is a Man of high morals, within the game that He was given. To judge a person in a game because of how the game works is like judging Tom Brady for "wasting His potential" throwing footballs around all day. Well that's how the game that He plays works, so that's why He does it.
RIP Michael K Williams. You are dearly missed. BTW as a recovering addict to me it’s kind of sad that most roles he got were in shows related to drugs and crime. It’s likely no one knew he was struggling with a heroin addiction throughout all his epic roles. As an addict myself I have a hard time seeing or reading about anything related to drugs because it triggers me. We missed out on so many good future roles with Williams.
I think morality is a flawed ideal, but he's definitely ethical. I was always conflicted on his snitching, but in a way he himself arguably isn't really in the game so the snitching policies don't necessarily apply (though I still think cooperation with LEOs is generally a bad move), or maybe they do. Idk. It was obvious that he just wanted to hurt them any way they could for going so far with Brandon. Criminal and moral or ethical aren't the same and trying to conflate the 2 will always fail us. Also, a hit was already out on him, there was just an attempt to execute it that Sunday morning.
I could be wrong but I think Omar killed Savino because he saw Savino hunting for him, Bailey & Brandon. Knowing the Barksdales killed Brandon, Stringer admitted to it. Great Video!!!
Stringer said mouzone tortured and killed Brandon but wee bay etc was there, also he says to savino about butchie, if he was ther he would of done the same thing so he shoots him.
He went against his word to bunk that he wouldn’t kill anymore…once he killed saving, karma sealed his fate. I miss Michael k Williams like a family member.
As a benzo addict. I never needed a dealer. I known people who used to sell who are more honest than oxy/benzo pushing doctors. Also. Drug debt can sometimes humble an addict.
Enjoyed the video but not sure how much weight I'd put into mcnulty letting omar in the car with his kids when it's s the same mcnulty that sent his kids to tail stringer and ended up losing track of them in the process lol.
yo, no hate but between 4:10-4:30ish you talk about how he "isn't Robin Hood" while showing the scene where he literally gives to the poor after stealing from the rich.
Omar’s line before killing Servino, I can’t remember exactly what it is but it’s something like ‘fuck it’ or something to that extent. I think at the end, Omar had given up on the code he had seeing it rly meant nothing in the end
As far as I remember Omar collects money for 'his people' for which he has Butchie to watch over. I don't know who those are but can be considered good.
After watching this I can’t help but compare Omar of the Wire to Mike of Breaking Bad. One tried to be a better criminal in their world and the other managed to succeed (if not closest to it)
He wasn't a "good" man, just the rare honest one. It's such a rare thing to see that it can easily be mistaken for virtue. He's as close to being the perfect example of the quintessential antihero as you're likely to find. If not the best, then definitely in the top three.
Compartmentalization and adaptability is necessary for survival. Put some square dude in the penitentiary and watch him adapt or not make it. Omar is doing the same thing. In that place one had to live outside the law to survive. Omar had no pretensions of being able to live a straight life
He will never get involved with anyone out the game, he has a true moral code, his life pushed him into this life, but being in it he has a code, yes what he does in a normal existence he is a bad man, but he has this code, will not even snitch on his enemies, and person in that game, he is definitely a good guy.
A good parallel dive into this would be a piece on Mark 'Chopper' Read, who was also fictionalized into a more decent human than he actually was. Same profession as Omar, 'standover man', and quite successful at it.
