Season 2 Of The Wire - Omar At A Baltimore Court

SPOILER ALERT - We'll be talking about specific storyline details and occurrences from The Wire.

Situation - During season 2 of The Wire, Omar agrees to go to court to testify against Bird who allegedly killed a state witness, Mr. Gant (well technically, he agrees to testify in season 1, but he doesn't go to court until season 2). He states that he saw Bird shoot the witness, but he's actually lying and wants to put Bird in jail.

Now that we've set the stage, let me say that this is easily one of my favorite Omar scenes (and that's saying a lot because Omar has a lot of amazing scenes). Here are 3 of my favorite quotes from the scene and what I think makes them so amazing:

1) A day at a time - Omar, while being questioned by the prosecuting attorney, is asked the question - "What is your occupation." First, he says "I rip and run" and then she asks him how he manages to rob drug dealers for 8 or 9 years and live to tell about it, and classically Omar says "a day at a time I suppose." Omar, for how complex and dynamic of a character he is, is actually quite a calm and simple man (something that's truly unique in the game). This statement is an almost perfect example of the inability of most folks to understand this, to understand him, and to understand how he does what he does.

2) The code - Omar lives by a code. He has no problem robbing or killing anyone in the game, but he has a very strict rule about not violating the rights of "citizens". Thus, when the defense attorney tries to cast Omar as untrustworthy and calls him out for being exactly the type of man who would shoot another man in cold blood, Omar replies in a very stern tone - "Hey look I ain't never put my gun on no citizen." This is the first time we've heard Omar's code so explictly stated (and in later seasons we'll come to know more about this code). And while even without the code, Omar is an incredibly compelling character - his code is what solidifies his likability for the audience and what makes us constantly root for him.

3) It's all in the game - Again, when the defense attorney is positioning Omar as a liar, as the scum of the earth, as a parasite who feeds off the parasites who are "stealing the life blood of our city," Omar, calm as ever replies "...Just like you man. I got the shotgun, you've got the brief case - it's all in the game though right." This is where Omar really shines. He shows us that he's not just smart on the street or smart about how to steal a few g-packs. Omar gets the bigger picture. He, almost more than anyone else in the show, truly understands how the game is played, and he delivers to the defense attorney an amazing blow which only makes us love him more.

If The Wire is the best show ever shown on TV, then Omar is clearly one of, if not the best character, on the best show on TV. Pick up The Wire Season 2 and see for yourself!