If you enjoyed this video, you'll like the companion video I made about Omar's Code, exclusively on Nebula. I go through every example of Omar talking about his code to breakdown what it is and how it evolves over the course of the show. Watch it now when you sign up for the CuriosityStream + Nebula Bundle: CuriosityStream.com/ThomasFlight
You haven't given the link to this video of yours on Nebula in any of your mentions of it. I've already got Nebula. What's the URL for that companion video?
man fking hell 2nd watchthru now I'm in tears cuz I KNOW there will not be anything like this ever again. Rip TD and BCS, noteven comparable imho! Feel like I know Bmore more than my own country!
Seeing this in my infobox made me sad. It is a great video and it summarized well what a legacy Michael K. Williams left behind when he portrayed that character as well as he did. May he rest in peace.
@@nasirjones-bey7923 I'm in QLD and we've mostly avoided extended lockdowns, because we've instituted hard border controls and short sharp lockdown when we get a few cases. Occasional small protests. Melbourne and Sydney different story.
@@andrelove3478 I've heard the policies are vastly different state by state. The footage I've seen of the implementation and enforcing of quaritine in Melborne is frightening. I'm all for health and fighting the virus, but 100% against these draconian mandates and violation bodily autonomy. Thanks for the update, be well.
I'd love to see you do a whole video on what you believe is the best episode of the wire.. I still always go back to s1 ep 4. Two scenes in particular that use very little dialogue, but are so character building for up to 6 different characters. The 2 scenes, moving a desk from one room to another, the other bunk and mcnutty going over a cold murder investigation. You see the ineptness of carver and haulk, the knowledge of Lester, The desire to be a leader
Omar is up there in AV pantheon, right beside Tony Soprano. Probably the biggest, best, deepest characters ever featured on the screen. Boadie and Prez were my best surprises in the series. I think their character arcs is somewhat similar to Pete Campbell from Mad Men: someone very despicable we eventually come to sympathize with due to witnessing their growth
I know this video isn't about him, but I think it's worth saying that Stringer's "reform" of the institution of the drug trade is really just him trying to grasp at the prestige afforded by yet another institution. By the end, I actually ended up thinking of him as one of the worst people in the show.
The Wire managed to be the first TV series, were no character was...unlikeable for me (except politicians). It is well explained, why everyone is the way they are, and makes their motivations fully understandable. And i love the series for its character development.... Yep, best series ever been made so far!
Um, NO ...Loved Omar's character but; McNulty was the obvious heart...Bubbles was the soul...Omar was one of the best characters in the series...But, Rawls, Jay, Bunk, Kima, Lester and Stringer were no less important..
To me, the most interesting thing about Omar, is how he won his war against Marlo, without ever taking direct revenge against him. In a typical hollywood movie, Omar would have taken out Snoop, Chris, Monk and Cheese, in badass ways, and then he would have confronted Marlo, and killed him. But in the Wire, he doesn't get any of his targets, and is gunned down by a little kid. Marlo is so interested in his own name, and the power it carries. He doesn't care about the money, or the life outside of the game, he cares about his own power high, while in the game. Ironically, he gets the exit Stringer was looking for. He leaves the game with a lot of money. But he is an empty man without the game. And there is where Omar won. By the time Marlo walks out of that party, he has already been forgotten. His name no longer has any power to it. Meanwhile Omar's legend has grown to a mythical proportion. Decades later, the city of Baltimore will still be fondly remembering Omar. Nobody will remember Marlo in a matter of months. That's such an interesting and metaphysical way, that Omar won his war against Marlo.
One thing I can add. In death, Omar beat Marlo. When Omar loudly, called him out Marlo to settle things in the streets, everyone will believe Marlo punked out. No one will believe the truth that Marlo's captains just never brought him the news, which means Marlo was completely out of touch with what was actually happening in the streets.
Omar being Black, homosexual, and a thug who brought it to the macho of the macho on the show, added complexity to his character. That mix was brilliant. That's a whole different video.
It’s something I loved about MKW was that he lacked toxic masculinity and often played complex gay characters-both Omar and Leonard were so much more than just their sexuality.
@@JakeKoenig it was definitely relevant. Every other guy who was part of the game showed extra contempt and disapproval of his sexuality pretty much each time he was brought up. Omar being gay in a community that is notoriously against it adds to the layers of him going against the grain, just like him hustling the hustlers and robbing the dealers, it deepens the dichotomy
The Wire is the greatest most layered show I've seen. Like watching a novel, social study, Greek tragedy and Shakespearean play each episode. Great accomplishment
It was written by, unlike most shows, not maily tv writers. They were authors, playwrights, newspaper writers in charge of this show. And former policemen and people from the street life like Snoop. That’s why the writing is unmatched
@@GeronFletcher heck there are literally actors that were in the game.Example being Donnie Andrews(the guy Omar is based on) as Butchies henchman and Little Melvin(the Church Deacon)...
Tbh, I didn't hate Bodie & Poot for Wallace's murder. They'd done all they could. If they hadn't killed him, they & Wallace would have been dead anyway. As D'Angelo said......"Where's Wallace String?" That's who I hated for Wallace's death.
@@mdd04000 No he wasn't Michael K. Williams is from Brooklyn N.Y.C. He died tragically where he grew up from which is presently where I'm at down the block and around the corner. He a local legend from some projects for making it out of the projects to becoming an actor.. That acting role was a show based about the drug trade in Baltimore. Nice try buy I know where he's from and it ain't Baltimore or Kansas City
This was an excellent character study that perfectly framed the subject within the larger narrative. I spent a semester in graduate school studying The Wire, and you did in 20 minutes what my professor did across 4 months. Of course, we enjoyed a good deal of the other tangential themes the show explores (and good God there are plenty of them), but this video certainly does get at the heart of the series. Well done! Film and television is objectively lesser without Michael K Williams, and his passing should be cause for everyone who cared and had the privilege of enjoying his work to take some measure of action to help promote the reform of drug policies in this country.
MKW is truly one of the great actors of this or any era. So deep & to use your word - so complex. It saddens me to see that some criticize his decision to take that final shot of poisoned drugs. Who knows what deep reservoirs of pain he suffered to seek relief in opiates? "Judge not lest ye be judged". May Michel Kenneth Williams be in peace now.
I keep thinking about the amount of years that have passed since the end of The Wire... and Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Deadwood. Are we going to get another extraordinary show like these again?
Thank you for this. Omar was by far my favorite character because of how mythical he was in the world that was so real. They ran, called out his name, and tried to hide, all with him whistling over the top. It some of the best world building/character building.
Omar was partly based on a real life person. The man that’s with Omar that gets killed in Monks apartment is the guy it’s based on. He wasn’t gay, that was just a HBO add in to make the character more dramatic. But he was a hit man and stick up man in Baltimore that robbed drug dealers back in the late 70s early 80s. But he did have the code of no woman, children or ppl not in the game. Can’t remember his true name right now but you can Google about him
The guy that helped Cutty open the boxing gym was a real!life former Baltimore drug dealer named Melvin Williams , he’s who Avons character was based on . Google him.
What was also true was the person Omar was based on did once jump out of a balcony to escape once. Only he didn’t do it from the 4th floor like the show has Omar doing, in reality the guy jumped out the 6th floor and survived. But they show runners thought people wouldn’t believe it if they had Omar do it.
You laid out in this video what makes The Wire so great and without equal. Even some of the best shows like Breaking Bad, Jessi and Walt have clear arcs. The Wire has winding arcs that make you sympathize with them as you said. Walt and Tony were not sympathetic characters. Great characters, but not really complex as a wide variety of characters in The Wire.
Very well done analysis! Omar little is definitely one of the greatest characters of all time, and it's a tragedy that Michael K. Williams has passed on. No one will ever forget this legend.
I don't leave many comments online in general, and you're one of only a handful of creators I subscribe to.. your breakdowns are amazing, and this one is just immaculate - thank you for this..I was half upset in your opening when you say it's "one of" the best shows, but then in the end you did say it's your favorite so I'll allow it lol.. finished my 6th rewatch of the series about 2 weeks before his passing, I'm scared to watch it again and see him on screen, not ready for that pain...RIP Michael K
@@ThomasFlight yes of course, completely understandable.. didn't mean anything by it, I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the way you present your work
Excellent analysis of one of the greatest characters ever! The show was so brilliant that, even though I was sad at Omar's murder, it was perfect: killed by some kid who wasn't impressed when meeting him. Stripped of the mythological infamy, the kid just saw a regular person, as vulnerable as anyone else. Even more perfect was the mix up at the morgue. Though he was legendary on the streets, and for the audience, he was no one in other circles, almost buried as a middle-aged white man. I remember my first reaction to that scene being of shock, "how do you not know Omar?" But, of course, it made perfect sense.
I noticed how they did him in the obituary at the paper. For us, such an important character....and was nothing but a quick little blurb in the newspaper to the people that worked there and the rest of the community.
I’m gonna be straight up. I turned the show off immediately once Omar was killed. Pissed me off too much. I was ADDICTED like a Baltimore crack addict to this show but once that happened I became as sober as bubbles did at the end (I had to search up the ending haha). Maybe one day though I will rewatch the whole series and finish correctly and not be emotion when I see Mr. Little capped. I understood why though they did it to Omar and it rings out his legend even better than ever.
I think his death was peak irony. It was tragic no doubt, but in a sense he foreshadowed his own demise once bunk gives him shit about how kids are out here playing stick up like they omar or sumn, only to end up getting killed by a kid who at one point idolized him.
I used to watch it, but generally was looking at the clock maybe 25 minutes in..very boring, couldn't understand what the natives were saying, and too much boring POlice crap..good show, not great
Michael K. Williams portrayal of Omar Little was the soul reason I watched the show. I grew up a rough life & this show was one of the most accurate portrayal of that life. Michael K. Williams Was amazing. The show was pact full of heavy hitters when it comes to acting talent. When if the greatest series I’ve ever watched.
Omar is easily the most iconic character. And who doesn’t love Bubbles? But imo the most underrated characters I always found myself pulling for were Bunk Moreland, Frank Sobotka, Bunny Colvin and Dennis Wise.
ALWAYS my favorite character. HANDS DOWN best story arc UNDENIABLY most shocking, iconic, and ultimately shakespearean death 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌 also just loved that his character could be gay without being "the gay character" and his sexuality being literally his entire raîson d'etrè. The wires writing hits so different than any other shoe, of the period, historically, or even today. Rest in peace king
Not really sure if I would agree that Carcetti lost his spark to change once he became mayor. I felt that he genuinely wanted to do good and create positive change in his role as mayor but his hands were sadly tied due to having to bail out the schools
Worrying about you be like worrying if the sun gonna come up, ain't about to wild eye about it... That scene had so much amazing dialogue like from this range in this calibre, even if I miss I can't miss or I don't see no sweat on your brow either bro.. Omar listening. The wire and the sopranos are the undisputed 🐐 TV series
I just finished watching The Wire for the first time and I feel what can be described as grief watching this video. Like I lost a window to that world and I grieve for losing the connection to those characters. I don't think there were any pieces of art that have moved me as much as this show, and I'm deeply grateful for the great work you put into exploring and analyzing this masterpiece.
Love your videos on The Wire ❤️ Omar Little is probably my favorite television character of all time, he has no shortage of amazing quotes & scenes. Michael K Williams was amazing. The scene between Omar & Bunk is my favorite
"There are few stories made about the existing forces of power simply defending and maintaining their power." The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Boss, Power, Empire, The Shield, Mad Men, Billions, Ray Donovan, Brotherhood, Animal Kingdom, Magic City, The West Wing, Suits, Reign, Dynasty, Succession, and even (to an extent) Game of Thrones. Did you just... not watch ANY television in the 2000s and 2010s? 'Existing Institutions of Power Fight to Maintain their Power' was literally the DEFINING GENRE of the last twenty years.
I can hardly believe that Michael K. Williams is gone, and that his unforgettable, brilliant portrayal of Omar Little is over 20 years old. I mourn his untimely death, and can't shake the thought that the world is much, much poorer because we never got to see this incredible actor play Shakespeare's Richard III. I can almost hear him: "Now is the winter of our discontent. . ." RIP to a great artist.
I’m as stereotypically lefty as they come, but while rewatching season 3 with a friend who was watching the series for the first time last night, I realized something after we saw the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reveal about a high ranking police in a certain gay bar scene (fans will know what and who I mean). I said, “A more Hollywoodized show would’ve made him ‘find himself’ through the LGBT movement, but in the wire it’s just a moment of a reveal and he stays closeted but now more layered and nuanced.” Just like this masterpiece of a series. Great analysis and tribute. If I weren’t already subscribed I’d subscribe just for this video essay alone :)
i think the reality hit bodie when kev got smoked, it put into his mind about how things played out with wallace and it opened his eyes to realize he made dire mistakes. It was too late for him, the reason he stayed on that corner when poot told him to run was his guilty conscience trying to make up for killing wallace and kev dying. Guilt mixed with revenge is a terrible concoction
Goddamn, time to watch The Wire again. Stands tall beside Sopranos for truly creating the modern television storytelling experience. Everyone who worked on this show should be fiercely proud.
Omar is still one of my favorite characters ever written and acted. Every second that he's on the screen I am sitting up and taking it all in. Then I rewind it and watch it again. He's perfectly written, and at the time, making him gay blew away any expectation or box we might put a "stuck up man" in. It told us that this character was different. He was layered, he was complex, he was real. The moment he hit the screen I was hooked. RIP MKW. You can rest knowing you played one of the best roles ever put to screen perfectly in a way that people will always remember. You are a legend, just like Omar. ✌
goddamn wish somebody would do a summary of this whole show even if it was 30 minutes or an hour. I can’t believe he died. I loved him and all the shit I’ve seen him in. I swear are used to be in that TV show “justified“ but I can’t find him I don’t know why I never watch the show, I guess I never had the heart to watch it. Saw enough of that shit growing up in a place just like that…..I guess I didn’t feel like revisiting it.
Even without Omar, The Wire would've been an amazing show. Or without Bubbles. Or without any other singular character, for that matter. And yet, all these characters individually brought so much life to the show
Watching The Wire for the first time and am midway thru the last season. I have to agree, if there’s one character you want to see come out on top, it’s Omar. Michael K Williams is a big reason why. Check him out in Boardwalk Empire. Such a loss…
A gay black man would never have the respect Omar did in the black community, especially Baltimore hoods. It was one of the things that took me out of the show as unbelievable instead of grounded in reality. The guy he was based on, “Donnie Andrew’s was straight”…. Not to mention season 5 was pretty lame.
Great video about The Wire and the position of Omar in the series! Amazing analysis of the conflicts between individuals and institutions depicted in the show.
